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BoA, whose real name is Kwon Bo-ah, is a 37-year-old South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, producer, and actress.
If you’re not familiar with BoA, ask your parents. They’d know her.
With a considerable number of K-pop idols being the age of secondary school or junior college kids, BoA may seem much older compared to them.
Don’t let that fool you, though, because BoA certainly shows that age doesn’t stop her from being a shining idol on stage.
BoA made her debut through South Korean talent agency SM Entertainment in 2000 at the age of 13.
As a 1st generation K-pop idol, BoA is known as one of the pioneers of the Hallyu wave, which refers to the phenomenal growth in global popularity of South Korean popular culture since the 1990s.
Since her debut 24 years ago, BoA has released twenty studio albums, including ten in Korean, nine in Japanese, and one in English.
Reader: Nine in Japanese????
Yes, you read that right.
BoA successfully won the hearts of Japanese with the release of her debut Japanese studio album, Listen to My Heart (2002).
Listen to My Heart caused BoA to become the first South Korean pop star to break through in Japan following the fall of barriers that had restricted the import and export of entertainment between the countries since the end of World War II.
Over the years, BoA released eight more albums in Japanese, gaining her more fans from Japan who then started listening to her Korean albums as well.
She might just be the reason you hear K-pop everywhere in Japan, making you feel like you’re in the wrong country.
Many artists in the South Korean music industry have cited BoA as an influence and a role model, including Exo’s Sehun, Red Velvet’s Irene, Mamamoo‘s Solar, Kiss of Life’s Natty, and Shinee’s Key.
BoA has also appeared on numerous television shows as a judge for SM Entertainment on K-pop Star (2011-2013), a coach in The Voice of Korea (2020) and a judge on Street Woman Fighter (2021) and Street Man Fighter (2022).
As an actress, BoA has been seen on Athena: Goddess of War (2010), Make Your move 3D (2014), and Marry My Husband (2024).
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Retiring Soon?
On 6 April, BoA uploaded this story on Instagram:
The message roughly translates to “Now, when the contract is over, can I workout??”
The singer then further clarified that “workout” was a typo for “retire”.
This sent BoA’s fans into a frenzy, panicking over the K-pop icon’s possible retirement.
A day later, in response to these rumours and speculations, BoA reassured her fans by stating her contract does not end until 31 December 2025.
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In the Instagram story, BoA says she will be very happy and do her best as a singer.
Although fans are now reassured that BoA will not be suddenly retiring this year, 31 December 2025 is not very far, and many fans are heartbroken over the news of the icon’s possible retirement.
Possible Reason Behind Retirement
BoA’s possible retirement may be linked to criticism she has been facing recently.
The star started receiving quite a bit of backlash when fans were angered over an elimination that occurred in Street Woman Fighter in 2021.
BoA has also been receiving an influx of criticism due to her appearance and acting skills in Marry My Husband.
On 29 March, BoA addressed the issue through her Instagram, stating, “If I don’t take care of myself, I get criticized and if I do, I still get criticized. If I lose weight, they tell me to gain some, and if I gain weight, they say I look like a pig. I don’t know what you all look like, but don’t waste your life like that. I’m sorry, but I’m still BoA.”
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While some praised the star for her confidence and “badass” energy, there is still a significant number of people who are upset with her, and have continued to criticise the star.
Radio Silence
Up till recently, BoA had been actively communicating on her social media with fans and promoting her music through her Instagram account.
BoA recently released a new single titled “Emptiness” just two weeks ago.
On 10 April, BoA made another shocking move and deleted all her posts on Instagram.
This leaves fans a little confused, wondering what this means.
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For now, we don’t have any information on why BoA did this.
What we do know, though, is that BoA’s contract will not be ending until the end of next year, so Jumping BoAs (her fandom) still have another 18 months with the K-pop icon before she possibly retires.
Or, maybe, the deletion of her Instagram posts was a hint that she has changed her mind about retirement and will continue to perform on stage for many more years.
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