# BoA (권보아)
**BoA** (권보아; real name Kwon Bo-ah, hangul 권보아, hanja 權珤雅, born 1986 in Seoul) is a South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, producer, and actress who debuted in August 2000 with the album *ID; Peace B* and served as a pioneer of K-pop's overseas expansion.[1](https://avex.jp/boa/profile/) • [2](http://lod.nl.go.kr/page/KAC201514811) • [3](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200820065200005) Her official Japanese profile lists her birth date as 1986, her birthplace as Seoul, and her languages as Korean, Japanese, and English.[1](https://avex.jp/boa/profile/) Her identity is corroborated across independent records: the National Library of Korea authority file gives 권보아 (權珤雅), romanized Kwon, Boa, born 1986 in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, active as a singer and in popular entertainment and film,[2](http://lod.nl.go.kr/page/KAC201514811) and the Library of Congress lists her as BoA, 1986-, with the variant name Kwŏn, Po-a.[4](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2008036871.html) The stage name BoA is a backronym for "Beat of Angel".[5](https://www.discogs.com/artist/112795-BoA)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1986, Seoul; Korean name 권보아 (Kwon Bo-ah)[1](https://avex.jp/boa/profile/) • [2](http://lod.nl.go.kr/page/KAC201514811) |
| Debuts | Korea: August 25, 2000, album *ID; Peace B*; Japan: May 30, 2001, single "ID;Peace B"; US: single "Eat You Up" (2008) and album *BoA* (March 2009)[3](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200820065200005) • [1](https://avex.jp/boa/profile/) • [5](https://www.discogs.com/artist/112795-BoA) |
| Oricon firsts | First Korean artist to top the Oricon weekly album chart (*Listen to My Heart*, March 2002); her debut single "ID; Peace B" peaked at No. 20 on the Oricon chart, while her debut Japanese album *Listen to My Heart* debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Album Chart[3](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200820065200005) • [6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boa-mn0000322754) • [11](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/lifestyle/after-10-years-boa-still-carves-out-her-own-path/11089341) |
| Sales | *Listen to My Heart* 1 million; *Valenti* over 1.2 million, her best-selling Japanese record; Korean album *No.1* over 540,000 copies[7](https://music.bugs.co.kr/artist/1168) • [8](https://cms.grammy.com/news/boa-songs-to-know-queen-of-k-pop-new-album-anniversary/) • [9](https://www.melon.com/artist/detail.htm?artistId=2165) |
| US chart entry | *BoA* (2009) entered the Billboard 200 at number 127, the first Korean artist to enter a Billboard main chart[3](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200820065200005) |
| Output | KBS World reported 20 full studio albums over 22 years: 10 Korean, 9 Japanese, and 1 English[10](https://rki.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_code=music_artist&board_seq=432713&id=&lang=v&menu_cate=artist&page=5) |
| Recent work | Eleventh Korean album *Crazier*, August 2025; producer of NCT WISH[9](https://www.melon.com/artist/detail.htm?artistId=2165) • [8](https://cms.grammy.com/news/boa-songs-to-know-queen-of-k-pop-new-album-anniversary/) |
## Early life and discovery
BoA was born in 1986, and grew up in [Gyeonggi Province](https://www.edgepedia.org/gyeonggi-province); the National Library of Korea record places her origin in Namyangju.[1](https://avex.jp/boa/profile/) • [2](http://lod.nl.go.kr/page/KAC201514811) Her entry into the industry came through her family: according to AllMusic, she followed her older brother to an audition at the offices of [SM Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/sm-entertainment), and while her brother was overlooked, his 11-year-old sister was recruited.[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boa-mn0000322754)
**Training.** Sources differ on the length of her preparation: the Recording Academy editorial says she spent roughly two years honing her skills before debuting,[8](https://cms.grammy.com/news/boa-songs-to-know-queen-of-k-pop-new-album-anniversary/) and Melon's official biography says two and a half years under producer [Lee Soo-man](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-soo-man).[9](https://www.melon.com/artist/detail.htm?artistId=2165)
## Debut and breakthrough in Korea and Japan
BoA debuted in Korea on August 25, 2000, with the album *ID; Peace B*. She was 13 by the birth and debut dates given above, although Yonhap reports her as 14,[3](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200820065200005) and [KBS World](https://www.edgepedia.org/kbs-world)'s Vietnamese profile says 13.[10](https://rki.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_code=music_artist&board_seq=432713&id=&lang=v&menu_cate=artist&page=5)
Her Japanese debut followed on May 30, 2001, with the single "ID;Peace B".[1](https://avex.jp/boa/profile/)
**Media tie-ins.** Her 2002 Japanese album *Listen to My Heart* included "Every Heart", the ending theme for the anime *InuYasha*, which placed her voice inside a weekly television fixture for young Japanese viewers.[8](https://cms.grammy.com/news/boa-songs-to-know-queen-of-k-pop-new-album-anniversary/)
## Peak years and chart records
The breakthrough came with her first Japanese album, *Listen to My Heart*, released in March 2002. It was the first album by a Korean artist to reach number one on the Oricon weekly chart, and it sold a million copies with million certification.[3](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200820065200005) • [7](https://music.bugs.co.kr/artist/1168) According to Korea JoongAng Daily, BoA's album Listen to My Heart debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Album Chart, making her the first Korean artist to top it, while her Japanese debut single peaked at No. 20.[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boa-mn0000322754) • [11](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/lifestyle/after-10-years-boa-still-carves-out-her-own-path/11089341)
A run of chart-topping albums followed. From *Valenti*, which Yonhap reports passed one million copies sold on its release day, through her sixth album *The Face*, seven consecutive releases, counting both regular and best-of albums, topped the Oricon weekly chart.[3](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200820065200005) Her fourth Japanese album *Out Grow* reached number one in February 2006, at which point only [Namie Amuro](https://www.edgepedia.org/namie-amuro), Misia, and [Mai Kuraki](https://www.edgepedia.org/kuraki-mai) had reached number one with their first four original albums.[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boa-mn0000322754)
In 2009 she extended the model westward: her US debut album *BoA*, released in March 2009, entered the [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) 200 at number 127, the first entry by a Korean artist on a Billboard main chart.[3](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200820065200005) AllMusic adds that it peaked in the [Top Five](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-five) of the Heatseekers and Dance charts,[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boa-mn0000322754) and Melon reports first-week US sales of 8,000 copies.[9](https://www.melon.com/artist/detail.htm?artistId=2165)
## By the numbers
The sales record that underlies her standing rests on a small number of exceptional albums. In Japan, *Listen to My Heart* sold 1 million copies with million certification, and both the 2003 album *Valenti* and the 2005 best album *Best Of Soul* each sold over 1 million copies.[7](https://music.bugs.co.kr/artist/1168) *Valenti*, released in early 2003, sold over 1.2 million copies and is her best-selling Japanese record.[8](https://cms.grammy.com/news/boa-songs-to-know-queen-of-k-pop-new-album-anniversary/) KBS World's profile credits her with three million-selling albums in Japan and states that she is the only foreign artist with that achievement, though that exclusivity claim is incorrect, as [Universal Music Japan](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-music-japan) reports that [Mariah Carey](https://www.edgepedia.org/mariah-carey) had six consecutive albums exceed one million copies there.[10](https://rki.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_code=music_artist&board_seq=432713&id=&lang=v&menu_cate=artist&page=5) • [12](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/mariah-carey/biography/) In Korea, her second album *No.1* (2002) sold over 540,000 copies.[9](https://www.melon.com/artist/detail.htm?artistId=2165)
KBS World reported a cumulative output of 20 full studio albums over 22 years: 10 in Korean, 9 in Japanese, and 1 in English.[10](https://rki.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_code=music_artist&board_seq=432713&id=&lang=v&menu_cate=artist&page=5)
## How it compares with her peers and successors
**The pioneer framing** is the consistent verdict of the Korean press and of later artists. Yonhap's 20th-anniversary retrospective calls her a pioneer of K-pop's overseas expansion,[3](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200820065200005) and the critic Jung Min-jae, cited there, characterized BoA as the first case of a foreign artist loved in Japan on equal footing with local stars, and a pioneer.[3](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200820065200005)
## Recent activity and legacy
Her later Korean releases include the eleventh full album *Crazier*, released in August 2025, which Melon describes as presenting a deepened musical world.[9](https://www.melon.com/artist/detail.htm?artistId=2165) She now steers the SM group NCT WISH in her role as producer.[8](https://cms.grammy.com/news/boa-songs-to-know-queen-of-k-pop-new-album-anniversary/)
**Anniversary and touring record.** In Japan, her ninth original album *私このままでいいのかな* was released on February 14, 2018, her first in about three and a half years;[1](https://avex.jp/boa/profile/) the national tour *BoA THE LIVE 2018 ~Unchained~* ran five cities and seven shows beginning at [Zepp Sapporo](https://www.edgepedia.org/zepp-sapporo) on March 15, 2018, and she held *BoA THE LIVE 2018 "X'mas"* at Maihama Amphitheater that December.[1](https://avex.jp/boa/profile/)
## References
1. [PROFILE | BoA OFFICIAL WEBSITE, Avex](https://avex.jp/boa/profile/)
2. [보아 | National Library of Korea authority record](http://lod.nl.go.kr/page/KAC201514811)
3. [한류 개척 '아시아의 별', 현재진행형 활약…보아 20년 | 연합뉴스 (Yonhap)](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200820065200005)
4. [BoA, 1986- — LC Linked Data Service, Library of Congress](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2008036871.html)
5. [BoA Discography | Discogs](https://www.discogs.com/artist/112795-BoA)
6. [BoA — Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews | AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boa-mn0000322754)
7. [보아 (BoA) - 벅스 (Bugs)](https://music.bugs.co.kr/artist/1168)
8. [Get To Know BoA, The "Queen Of K-Pop," In 5 Songs | Grammy.com](https://cms.grammy.com/news/boa-songs-to-know-queen-of-k-pop-new-album-anniversary/)
9. [아티스트 채널>멜론 (Melon)](https://www.melon.com/artist/detail.htm?artistId=2165)
10. [BoA l KBS WORLD Vietnamese](https://rki.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_code=music_artist&board_seq=432713&id=&lang=v&menu_cate=artist&page=5)
11. [After 10 years, BoA still carves out her own path](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/lifestyle/after-10-years-boa-still-carves-out-her-own-path/11089341)
12. [BIOGRAPHY - Mariah Carey, マライア・キャリー - UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/mariah-carey/biography/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › East and Southeast Asian pop scenes › K-pop and the Korean popular music scene › Artists, groups, and people: K-pop and the Korean popular music scene › Soloists: ballad, R&B, and OST singers › female solo artists (non-group origin): ballad, R&B, pop*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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