Kang Hye-yeon

{{Infobox person

| name = Kang Hye-yeon

| image = Hyeyeon at a fansigning event in Mok-dong, 10 August 2014.jpg

| caption = Kang in 2014

| birth_name = 강혜연

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1990|12|8}}

| birth_place = Jeju City, South Korea

| occupation = {{hlist|Singer}}

| module = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes

| instrument = Vocals

| genre = {{hlist|K-pop|Trot|Ballad|Dance|R&B }}

| years_active = 2012–present

| label =

| website =https://kang-hyeyeon.com/ }}

| module2 = {{Infobox Korean name | child = yes

| hangul = 강혜연

| hanja = 姜蕙姸

| rr = Gang Hyeyeon

| mr = Kang Hyeyŏn}}

}}

Kang Hye-yeon ({{korean|강혜연}}; born December 8, 1990) is a South Korean trot singer. She is a former member of the girl groups EXID and Bestie, and has been active as a trot singer since the disbandment of the latter in 2018.

Early life

Kang was born in Jeju City, her mother's hometown, but grew up in Incheon.{{cite web |last=Park |first=Chang-won |date=2024-12-09 |title='제주의 딸' 트로트가수 강혜연, 제주도 홍보대사 위촉 |url=https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/277/0005514174?sid=102 |access-date=2025-02-23 |language=ko}}{{Cite web |last=Jang |first=Ji-hye |date=2020-09-24 |title=2년 만에 '왔다야' |url=https://www.incheonilbo.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=1059712 |access-date=2025-02-23 |language=ko}} She has been playing piano since she was four, and started dreaming of becoming a singer after seeing Maya perform at the Inha University festival when she was in sixth grade.{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Hak-cheol |date=2023-04-24 |title=[월간여신] 아픔 딛고 마침내 열어젖힌 전성기! 트로트 가수 강혜연 |url=https://www.rookie.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=86282 |access-date=2025-02-23 |language=ko}}

Career

=Bestie and solo activities=

While preparing for college, she saw an audition notice on the internet, recorded an MP3 and sent a demo file. She passed and, after being an idol trainee, she joined the girl group EXID and debuted under the stage name Dami on February 16, 2012.{{Cite web |last=Kim |first=Eun-goo |date=2012-02-09 |title='恨 품은 아이돌' EXID, '꿈을 넘어 세상과 마주하다' |url=https://m.entertain.naver.com/article/018/0002556877 |access-date=2025-02-23 |language=ko |via=Naver}}{{cite web |last=Baek |first=Seung-chul |date=2012-02-14 |title=[사진]EXID 다미-LE-해령,'첫 무대 떨리네~' |url=https://m.entertain.naver.com/article/109/0002306477 |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=Osen |language=ko |via=Naver}}{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Hye-rin |date=2012-02-08 |title=신사동호랭이의 걸그룹 EXID, 멤버 공개 |url=https://m.entertain.naver.com/article/109/0002304009 |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=Osen |language=ko |via=Naver}} However, she left the group two months after the release of their debut album to focus on her studies.{{Cite web |last=Baek |first=Sol-mi |date=2012-04-30 |title=EXID, 유지·다미·해령 탈퇴…5인조로 재편성 |url=https://m.entertain.naver.com/article/117/0002228737 |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=MyDaily |language=ko |via=Naver}}

After that, she signed with YNB Entertainment along with Haeryung and Yooji, who were active in EXID together, and debuted as the lead vocalist and leader of the four-member girl group Bestie in July 2013.{{Cite web |last=Choi |first=Hyun-jung |date=2013-07-04 |title=신인 걸그룹 베스티 혜연-다혜 공개, '12일 전격 데뷔' |url=https://m.entertain.naver.com/article/014/0002920041 |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=Financial News |language=ko |via=Naver}}{{Cite web |last=Kim |first=Won-kyum |date=2013-07-04 |title=EXID 출신 3인방, 걸그룹 '베스티'로 새로운 도전 |url=https://m.entertain.naver.com/article/382/0000114712 |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=Sports DongA |language=ko |via=Naver}} Although Bestie achieved their own level of recognition, Kang was never paid and worked several part-time jobs.

She signed an exclusive contract on October 25, 2018 with Star Entertainment and Bestie eventually disbanded.{{Cite web |last=Kim |first=So-yeon |date=2018-10-25 |title=베스티 강혜연, 세븐 소속사 전속계약…팀 완전 와해 |url=https://m.entertain.naver.com/article/015/0004032900 |access-date=2025-02-23 |language=ko |via=Naver}} A few days later, on October 31, she released the single "Waddaya" ({{Korean|hangul=왔다야|labels=no}}), turning into a trot singer.{{Cite web |last=Jeong |first=Da-mi |date=2018-10-29 |title=강혜연, '왔다야'로 트로트 여신 도전… 오는 31일 음원 공개 |url=https://www.ikoreadaily.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=279711 |access-date=2025-02-23 |language=ko}}{{Cite web |last=Kim |first=No-eul |date=2018-12-18 |title=베스티 강혜연, 걸그룹→트로트 가수…오늘(18일) 신곡 MV 공개 |url=https://m.entertain.naver.com/article/057/0001310528 |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=MBN |language=ko |via=Naver}} Kang had always liked trot and competed on Mnet's trot survival program Trot X in 2014 while she was promoting with Bestie, so, when Star Entertainment CEO Choi Yang-su suggested that she try that genre, she readily accepted.{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Sae-rom |date=2020-07-13 |title=[강일홍의 스페셜인터뷰97-강혜연] '트로트 반란' 꿈꾸는 '아이돌'..."퇴로는 없다!" |url=https://m.entertain.naver.com/article/629/0000032876 |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=The Fact |via=Naver}}

Kang rose to stardom in 2020–21 thanks to the TV show Miss Trot 2. Despite finishing in eighth place, her performance impressed the public and earned her the nickname 'Trot Squirrel'. On April 30, 2021, her first full-length album, Sunday Hye-yeon, was released. In November 2023, she once again garnered attention by participating in MBN's The Best K-Trot Singer.{{Cite web |last=Jang |first=Si-won |date=2023-12-29 |title=강혜연의 끼·가창력·무대 매너 담은 '물레야', '현역가왕' 인기 타고 500만 |url=https://www.newsworker.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=313368 |access-date=2025-02-23 |language=ko}}

In 2023 and 2024 she was appointed as promotional ambassador for South Korean islands,{{Cite web |date=2023-06-16 |title=류승룡·하현우·강혜연·리랑·정브르 '제4회 섬의 날' 홍보대사 위촉 |url=https://www.ktv.go.kr/news/latest/view?content_id=679035 |access-date=2025-02-23 |language=ko}}{{Cite web |last=Jo |first=Yang-kyung |date=2024-06-16 |title=강혜연, 보령시 '섬의 날' 홍보대사로 임명 |url=https://www.topstarnews.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=15507455 |access-date=2025-02-23 |language=ko}} and in 2024 she was appointed as Jeju Island public relations ambassador.