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Tzuyu
Tzuyu in March 2024
Born	Chou Tzu-yu (1999-06-14) June 14, 1999 (age 25) Tainan, Taiwan
Alma mater	Hanlim Multi Art School (High School) Miguel de Cervantes European University (MA)
Occupation	Singer
Musical career
Origin	South Korea
Genres	K-pop J-pop
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	2015–present
Labels	JYP Warner Japan Republic
Member of	Twice
Musical artist
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	周子瑜
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhōu Zǐyú
Bopomofo	ㄓㄡ ㄗˇ ㄩˊ
Wade–Giles	Chou Tzŭ-yü
Hokkien POJ	Chiu Chú-jû
Korean name
Hangul	저우쯔위
Revised Romanization	Jeou Jjeuwi
McCune–Reischauer	Chŏu Tchŭwi

Chou Tzu-yu (Chinese: 周子瑜; pinyin: Zhōu Zǐyú; born June 14, 1999), known mononymously as Tzuyu (Korean: 쯔위, Korean pronunciation: [t͈sɯ.ɥi]), is a Taiwanese singer based in South Korea. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Twice, formed by JYP Entertainment in 2015.

Tzuyu released her debut extended play (EP), Aboutzu, on September 6, 2024. Its lead single, "Run Away", became her first number-one single on the Billboard Taiwan Songs chart.

Life and career

Early life and pre-debut activities

Tzuyu was born on June 14, 1999, in the East District of Tainan, Taiwan. She started dancing from a young age and trained at a dance academy.

In 2012, Tzuyu was discovered by talent scouts at the Muse Performing Arts Workshop in Tainan, and moved to South Korea in November of that year to begin training. In 2015, Tzuyu participated in the South Korean reality television show Sixteen, created by JYP Entertainment and co-produced by Mnet. As one of nine successful participants, she went on to join the newly formed girl group Twice.

2015–present: Twice and solo debut

In October 2015, Tzuyu officially debuted as a member of Twice with the release of their first extended play, The Story Begins. Its lead single "Like Ooh-Ahh" was the first K-pop debut song to reach 100 million views on YouTube. Since then, she has worked as a presenter on multiple South Korean music television shows. As a soloist, Tzuyu released covers of "Me!" by Taylor Swift and "Christmas Without You" by Ava Max as part of the Melody Project series.

On August 2, 2024, JYP Entertainment announced that Tzuyu would be making her solo debut with the release of her debut extended play, Aboutzu, on September 6.

Other ventures

Endorsements

Tzuyu has featured alone in various advertisements, including those for LG U+ and Crocs Korea. She covered the October 2021 issue of L'Officiel Malaysia as a model for the Coach Fall/Winter 2021 collection. In January 2022, Tzuyu was chosen as the new muse of South Korean clothing brand Zooc. In October 2022, she was announced as the muse of Visée, one of Japan's most popular cosmetics brands. In October 2023, she was appointed as the brand ambassador for the Pond's Skin Institute's Brand Evolution Campaign.

Philanthropy

On February 29, 2020, Tzuyu donated ₩50 million (US$42,363.34) to the South Korean Community Chest, for helping prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Public image and influence

Public image

Tzuyu has received widespread attention for her beauty since her debut with Twice, and was nicknamed "Light of Taiwan" by the Taiwanese media due to her popularity.

Influence

After the flag controversy in 2016, Tzuyu was credited with increasing Taiwanese votes by up to 1-2% in favor of President Tsai Ing-wen. According to Gallup Korea's annual music survey, Tzuyu was the third most popular idol among South Koreans in 2016. She ranked ninth in the 2017 survey and twelfth in 2018. In 2019, Tzuyu was ranked as the second most popular female K-pop idol in a survey of soldiers completing mandatory military service in South Korea. In 2023, Tzuyu surpassed Jay Chou and became the most followed Taiwanese celebrity on Instagram with over 10 million followers.

Personal life

In 2016, she passed an exam at Tainan Municipal Fusing Junior High School to certify her middle school education. She attended high school at Hanlim Multi Art School in South Korea, and graduated in February 2019 along with bandmate Chaeyoung.

In 2024, Tzuyu announced that she had completed a master’s degree in applied psychology from Miguel de Cervantes European University in Spain. She explained that she pursued the degree online for over a year, as Twice’s group activities had slowed down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Flag controversy

In November 2015, Tzuyu appeared with bandmates Sana, Momo, and Mina on the Korean variety show My Little Television. She introduced herself as Taiwanese and held the flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan) alongside that of South Korea. Mainland Chinese internet users reacted angrily towards Tzuyu's actions due to the political rift between the two countries. Soon after, Twice was barred from Chinese television and Tzuyu was pulled out of her endorsement with Chinese communications company Huawei. Meanwhile, her agency, JYP Entertainment, released a video showing Tzuyu reading an apology, which said in part:

There is only one China, the two sides of the strait are one, and I have always felt proud to be Chinese. I feel extremely apologetic to my company and to Internet friends on both sides of the strait for the hurt that I have caused, and I also feel very guilty.

Tzuyu's apology sparked a furor among the Taiwanese public on election day. The incident gained international attention, as it was believed to have affected the 2016 Taiwanese general election. A survey found that Tzuyu's video apology affected the decision of about 1.34 million young voters.

In response to criticism, JYP Entertainment announced that it would be adopting new procedures concerning its exports and overseas activities in order to protect employees from future controversies. This included the implementation of cultural sensitivity training for its artists and staff members. In an interview with The Korea Times, a JYP representative stated that the training would include issues pertaining to political conflicts between countries.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Guest appearances

Songwriting credits

All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless stated otherwise.

Videography

Music videos

Filmography

Television shows

Bibliography

Photobooks

Notes

1. (Chinese: 台灣之光) The light of Taiwan is a term commonly used by Taiwanese news media to refer to internationally famous Taiwanese, people of Taiwanese descent, or Taiwanese products. It is also a term used by Taiwanese to be proud of their local culture.

References

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External links

• Media related to Tzuyu at Wikimedia Commons

• 1999 births
• Living people
• Hanlim Multi Art School alumni
• Japanese-language singers of Taiwan
• JYP Entertainment artists
• Taiwanese K-pop singers
• Korean-language singers of Taiwan
• Musicians from Tainan
• People from East District
• Reality show winners
• Child singers
• Taiwanese dance musicians
• Taiwanese expatriates in South Korea
• 21st-century Taiwanese women singers
• Taiwanese pop singers
• Twice (group) members