| Ben | |||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Name: | Lee Eun-young | ||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 30 July 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Incheon, South Korea | ||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation: | Singer-songwriter | ||||||||||||||||||
| Years Active: | 2010–present | ||||||||||||||||||
| Children: | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Module: |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Module2: |
| ||||||||||||||||||
Lee Eun-young (; born July 30, 1991), better known by her stage name Ben, is a South Korean singer and songwriter.[1] [2] [3] She made her official debut in October 2012, with their first extended play 147.5. As of 2024 she released one studio album, five extended plays and twenty one singles.
She was a member of South Korean band from 2010 to 2011.[4] The band disbanded after the departure of member Gaeul, but she made the transition to vocal soloist thanks to her mentor, Vibe's Yoon Minsu.[5]
In October 2012, she released her first album, 147.5, as a solo vocalist, a compilation of sad ballads with string arrangements and piano,[3] with the title referring to her diminutive height, reported as between 147.5 cm and 153 cm, or around 4 feet 10 inches to 5 feet tall.[6]
In August 2015, she released her second EP My Name Is Ben, with nine tracks, including the title dance song "Looby Loo",[7] which differed from her past ballad style,[8] and other songs including jazz and R&B.<ref name="jazz">Web site: Kim. Jin-Kyung. ko:[포토] 벤 'My Name Is BEN'. http://news.joins.com/article/18521201. August 25, 2016. JoongAng Ilbo. ko. March 7, 2016.
In November 2015, she released another EP, Soulmate, which includes duets with singers MIIII and Sejun Im.[9] [10]
She has recorded many soundtracks, abbreviated as OSTs, for South Korean films and Korean drama or k-drama for television in South Korea. In 2015, these included "Give Me A Hug" for Hello Monster, "Stay" for Oh My Ghost, "You" for Healer,[1] and "Darling You" for Oh My Venus,[2] a duet with Kim Tae-woo.[11] In 2016, she sang "Like a Dream" for Another Oh Hae-young,[12] recorded a duet with Xia Junsu for his fourth album, Xignature, entitled "Sweet Melody",[13] sang "Misty Road" composed by Jinyoung of B1A4 for Love in the Moonlight and in 2017, she sang "Memory", one of the OSTs for "Introverted Boss".
In 2018, she released her first studio album, Recipe which contains nine tracks overall, she also released her fifth extended play Off The Record which was released in April 2020.
Ben is married to businessman Lee Wook. Their wedding took place on June 5, 2021 in a small ceremony with family and friends.[14] On July 18, 2022, Ben announced that she was pregnant with her first child and gave birth to her daughter on February 1, 2023.[15] [16]
On February 29, 2024, Ben announced her divorce from her husband.[17]
| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | ||||
| 147.5 |
| — | rowspan="3" | |
| My Name Is Ben |
| 36 | ||
| Soulmate |
| 49 | ||
| 180˚ |
| 35 |
| |
| Off the Record |
| 26 |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR Circle [23] | KOR Hot | ||||||
| "Don't Go Today" (Korean: 오늘은 가지마) | 2012 | — | — | 147.5 | |||
| "When You Do Well" | — | — | |||||
| "I Love a Gangster" (Korean: 언제 사람 될래 (부제: 아가씨와 건달들) | 2015 | — | Soulmate | ||||
| "I've Decided to Be Introduced" (Korean: 소개받기로했어) | 42 |
| My Name Is Ben | ||||
| "Looby Loo" | — | rowspan="2" | |||||
| "Last Time" (Korean: 마지막이니까) (with Im Se Jun) | — | Soulmate | |||||
| "Not Ok" (Korean: 안 괜찮아) | 2016 | 28 |
| rowspan="2" | |||
| "Sweety" (Korean: 달달해) (featuring Yo$sap) | 2017 | — | rowspan="3" | ||||
| "Love Recipe" | 2018 | — | — | Recipe | |||
| "Iced Coffee" | — | — | |||||
| "Love, ing" (Korean: 열애중) | 6 | 7 |
|
| |||
| "180 Degree" (Korean: 180도) | 1 | 1 |
|
| 180˚ | ||
| "Thank You for Goodbye" (Korean: 헤어져줘서 고마워) | 2019 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| "Bad" (Korean: 나쁜 놈) | 2020 | 26 | 29 | Off the Record | |||
| "Lonely Night" (Korean: 혼술하고 싶은 밤) | 18 | 56 | Lonely Night | ||||
| "Because I Am a Woman" (Korean: 여자이니까) | 2021 | 109 | — | rowspan="3" | |||
| "Come & Talk" (Korean: 지금 뭐해) | 158 | 75 | |||||
| "Spring Days" (Korean: 벚꽃이 피면 우리 그만 헤어져) | 2022 | 47 | 53 | ||||
| "A Memorial Day" (Korean: 기념일) | 136 | "Talks About Memory" | |||||
| "Waiting.." (Korean: 늘..) | 162 | rowspan="3" | |||||
| "I Loved You Like a Movie" (Korean: 한 편의 영화 같은 널 사랑했어) | 2024 | 200 | |||||
| "Only You" (Korean: 바보야) | 146 | ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. "*" denotes the chart did not exist at that time. | |||||||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [27] | ||||
| "Love in Spring" (with Haegeum, Stranger, and Im Se-jun) | 2012 | — | Global Project Pt. 2 | |
| "Baby Baby" (with Kim Won-joo of 4Men) | 2013 | — | The Serenade Part. 1 | |
| "Lonely Christmas" (Korean: 나홀로 크리스마스) (with Vibe, 4Men, Im Se-jun, MIIII, and Min Yeon-jae) | 2014 | 47 |
| Lonely Christmas (Made in the Vibe) |
| "Celebrate Love" (Korean: 축가) (with Vibe, 4Men, Im Se-jun, and MIIII) | 2015 | 27 |
| Celebrate Love (Made in the Vibe) |
| "Konus" (Korean ver.) (Feat.bigtone) | — | Konus (Made in the VIbe) | ||
| "You Are My Christmas" (with Vibe, 4Men, Im Se-jun, and MIIII) | — | You Are My Christmas (Made in the Vibe) | ||
| "Don't Go Today" (with Im Se-jun) | 2016 | — | Don't Go Today (Made in the Vibe) | |
| "The Reason Why I'm Beautiful" (Korean: 내가 예뻐진 이유) (with Eunji and Jihyo) | 2016 | 97 | Inkigayo Music Crush Pt.1 | |
| "Each Other" (Korean: 서로의 서로) (with Shin Yong-jae of 4Men) | 2017 | — | Each Other (Made in the Vibe) | |
| "The First Night" (Korean: 첫날밤) (with Kim Won-joo) | 2018 | — | rowspan="3" | |
| "Ordinary Love" (Korean: 보통의 연애) (with CSP) | 2020 | 132 | ||
| "Can Love Be Fair" (Korean: 사랑이 공평할 순 없을까) (with G.Soul) | 2021 | 118 | ||
| "That Man, That Woman" (Korean: 그 남자 그 여자) (with Shin Yong Jae) | 130 | That Man, That Woman (Revibe Vol.6) |
| Year | Title | Format | Album | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | |||||
| "Hee Jae" (희재) | Digital download, streaming | [Vol.4]You Hee Yul's Sketchbook 10th Anniversary Project: 2nd voice "Sketchbook X Ben", | original song by | [30] | |
| "Purple Breeze" (보라빛 향기) | [Vol.5] You Hee Yul's Sketchbook 10th Anniversary Project: 2nd Voice "Sketchbook X Ben" | original song by | [31] | ||
| 2013 | "To J" (J에게) | Music Voyage Yesterday | original song by Lena Park |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | ||||||
| Gaon | Hot | |||||
| "Stop the Love Now" | 2014 | 93 | — |
| Marriage, Not Dating OST | |
| "You" | 2015 | 52 | — |
| Healer OST | |
| "Stay" | — | — | Oh My Ghost OST | |||
| "Palpitations" | 29 | — |
| The Producers OST | ||
| "Hug Me" (Korean: 안아줘요) | 80 | — |
| I Remember You OST | ||
| "Darling U" (with Kim Tae Woo) | — | — | Oh My Venus OST | |||
| "Sometimes" (Korean: 때론) | 2016 | — | — | One More Happy Ending OST | ||
| "Like a Dream" (Korean: 꿈처럼) | 6 | — |
| Another Oh Hae-young OST | ||
| "My All" | — | — | Second to Last Love OST | |||
| "Misty Road" | 10 | — |
| Love in the Moonlight OST | ||
| "Memory" | 2017 | — | — | Introverted Boss OST | ||
| "Can't Go" (Korean: 갈 수가 없어) | — | 67 | Because This Is My First Life OST | |||
| "Love Me Once Again" (Korean: 미워도 다시 한 번) | 2018 | 73 | 75 | Re:Playlist, Vol.3 | ||
| "If We Were Destined" (Korean: 운명이라면) | — | — | A Korean Odyssey OST | |||
| "If You Were Me" | 88 | 87 | Mr. Sunshine OST | |||
| "Can You Hear Me?" (Korean: 내 목소리 들리니) | 2019 | 3 | 4 | Hotel Del Luna OST | ||
| "Deep Sorrow" (Korean: 한숨만) | 158 | — | Chief of Staff OST | |||
| "Dear My Love" (Korean: 그대여 그대여 나의 그대여) | 2020 | — | — | Hyena OST | ||
| "I'll Be" | — | — | Mystic Pop-up Bar OST | |||
| "Whenever Wherever Whatever" | — | — | Alice OST | |||
| "I'm Still Here" | — | 81 | More Than Friends OST | |||
| "With Your Everything" | 2021 | — | — | Trickster M OST | ||
| "Leave Me" (Korean: 떠나요) | 154 | 94 | She Would Never Know OST | |||
| "Dialog of Dream" (Korean: 꿈의 대화) | — | — | Fly, Again OST | |||
| "Starlight Heart" (Korean: 잠들지 않는 별) | 169 | — | The Red Sleeve OST | |||
| "My Only One" (Korean: 내게 단 한 사람) | 2022 | — | — | Tomorrow OST | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | ||||||
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–present | Mother's Spring | herself | Cast | ||
| 2015–2016 | I Can See Your Voice | herself | Regular panelist |
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Discovery of the Year - Ballad | Ben | |||
| 2019 | Artist of the Year - Digital Music (December) | "180 Degree" | |||
| 2020 | Artist of the Year - Digital Music (July) | "Thank you for Goodbye" |
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Song of the Year | "Love, ing" | [38] [39] | |
| "Can't Go" | ||||
| Vocal Track (Female) | "Love, ing" | |||
| OST Award | "Can't Go" | |||
| Genie Music Popularity Award | Ben | |||
| 2019 | The Female Solo Artist | [40] | ||
| The Vocal Artist | ||||
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Digital Song Bonsang | "Lonely Night" | [41] | |
| Seezn Most Popular Artist Award | Ben |
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Top 10 Artists | Ben | |
| Song of the Year | "180 Degree" | ||
| Best Ballad | |||
| Album of the Year |
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | "180 Degree" | ||
| Song of the Year | |||
| Worldwide Fans’ Choice Top 10 | Ben |
Extended plays: