Park Soo-hyun (Korean: 박수현; born September 25, 1997[1]), professionally known as Adora (Korean: 아도라), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and record producer. She made her debut as a soloist on November 5, 2021, under Aura Entertainment with the digital single "Make U Dance", featuring Eunha of Viviz. In 2022, she released her debut EP Adorable Rebirth.[2] Prior she wrote and produced songs for various acts including BTS, TXT, GFriend, Fromis 9, and Chungha.
Career
2012–2014: Early beginnings
Adora began singing and writing songs at an early age.[3] One of her first compositions was a fan song she wrote for the band Highlight in 2011, when she was 13 years old.[4]
She joined Stardom Entertainment as a 14-year-old in 2012.[5] She trained with the South Korean band Topp Dogg, co-composing the song "Playground" from their debut EP Dogg's Out, released in 2013.[6] She left the company for unknown reasons and subsequently joined Music K Entertainment in 2014, where she trained with members of the South Korean group The Ark, but did not make it into the final lineup.[7]
2016–2020: Working as a music producer
In 2016, she auditioned for Big Hit Music's "Next New Creator", where she made it past the second round, but turned down the offer because she was still a trainee with another company at the time. Nevertheless, Big Hit sent her some tracks for BTS' sophomore album Wings, including "Interlude: Wings", which became her first professional songwriting credit under the name Adora. Among her other earliest works were the singles "Spring Day" and "Not Today" on BTS' repackage albumYou Never Walk Alone (2017).[8] After leaving her previous company, she joined Big Hit when they invited her to become an in-house producer.[when?][3]
As a producer for Big Hit, she co-wrote songs for TXT and GFriend.[9][10] Although she had a good relationship with the company, she left the company in 2020 because she felt she wasn't contributing enough creatively.[11][12]
2021–present: Solo debut with Adorable Rebirth
On October 25, 2021, media outlets announced that Adora had signed an exclusive contract with Aura Entertainment.[13][14] She officially debuted as a singer on November 5 with the release of the single "Make U Dance", in collaboration with Dingo Music.[15] Adora made a spontaneous decision to feature Eunha of Viviz on the single, in order to include a different voice in the song.[16] In December, the Recording Academy spotlighted Adora as one of five K-pop songwriters and producers who "defined 2021" by making a mark worldwide.[17] She was also named by NME[18] as one of several new artists to watch in 2022.
On March 7, 2022, Adora released the single "The Little Name", inspired by some of her childhood memories, including certain people whom she missed from that time.[19] An animated music video loosely based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince accompanied the song.[20][21] On June 1, she released the single "Trouble? Travel!"[22][23] Adora appeared on KBS2's Music Bank to promote the single, marking her first performance on a weekly domestic music show.[24] In July, the U+Idol Live music variety show Sing in the Green confirmed that she would be a cast member, which premiered on July 27.[25] She released three songs during her time on the show: "Together Forever" featuring Kim Dong-hyun on August 24;[26] a solo track, "The End of Eternity", on September 14;[27] and "Sing in the Green" featuring the entire cast on September 28.[28][29]
On September 26, Adora released her debut extended play (EP) Adorable Rebirth. The nine-track EP included her three previously released singles and six new songs, including an instrumental version of the lead single "Magical Symphony."[30] She held a showcase for this release at the Ilji Art Hall in Gangnam, Seoul.[31] In early October, Adora participated in the Mnet survival show Artistock Game,[32] but was eliminated in the eighth episode, right before the semi-final round.[33]
On August 21, 2023, Aura Entertainment confirmed that Adora would join SBS's survival competition show Universe Ticket, which will be premiered on November, as a mentor.[34] She released "I'm Here for You", described as a "healing" song, for the show on December 28.[35]
Personal life
Adora revealed that she had thyroid cancer and underwent surgery at 23 years old (Korean age).[36][full citation needed] It became a turning point in her life, pushing her to realize her dream of becoming a singer once again.[37][38]
Discography
Extended plays
List of extended plays, showing selected details, selected chart positions, and sales figures
^ abHan, Hyo-joo (June 9, 2023). [인터뷰] 쏘어도러블, 아도라 [[Interview] So-adorable, Adora]. bnt News (in Korean). Retrieved June 13, 2023.
^Ko, Seung-ah (November 2021). 전 빅히트 프로듀서 아도라, 비비지 은하 지원사격 받고 5일 데뷔 [Former Big Hit producer Adora, would be debuting on the 5th with received support from Viviz Eunha.]. News1 (in Korean). Retrieved January 12, 2022.
^Maeng, Chan-ho (November 23, 2021). ""BTS 작곡가? 이제는 '아도라'라고 불러주세요" [쿠키인터뷰]" ["BTS songwriter?" "Please call me ADORA now." (Kuki Interview)]. Kuki News (in Korean). Retrieved November 24, 2021.
^Hwang, Ji-young (April 30, 2023). "BTS 프로듀서 접고 가수됐다…'그 좋다는 하이브' 나온 이유" [I quit being a BTS producer and became a singer... The reason why I got out from "Hybe that I like".]. The JoongAng (in Korean). Retrieved May 2, 2023 – via Naver.
^Lee, Dong-geon (October 25, 2021). 전 빅히트 프로듀서 아도라, 오라엔터테인먼트와 전속계약 체결…솔로 데뷔 눈앞 [Former Big Hit producer Adora signs an exclusive contract with Aura Entertainment... Solo debut is in sight.]. Mediapen (in Korean). Retrieved November 21, 2021.
^ abLee, Seul (July 22, 2022). "'前 빅히트 프로듀서' 아도라, '싱인더그린' 출연 확정…자작곡 예고" ['Former Big Hit producer' Adora confirmed to be on "Sing in the Green"... A preview of one's own song.]. Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved July 22, 2022 – via Naver.
^Jo, Hye-jin (August 24, 2022). "'싱그린', 아도라 자작곡 오늘(26일) 방송과 동시에 발매" ["Sing Green" A self-composed song by Adora will be released today (26th).]. Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved August 24, 2022 – via Naver.
^Jang, Jin-ri (September 14, 2022). "'싱인더그린', '우리는 더이상 우리가 아니었음을' 공개…예린 "아도라, K팝의 미래"" ['Sing in the Green', "We Were No Longer Us" released... Yerin, "Adora, the future of K-pop."]. SpoTV News (in Korean). Retrieved September 14, 2022 – via Naver.
^Hwang, Mi-hyeon (September 28, 2022). "'싱인더그린', 가든 콘서트로 유종의 미…예린x스텔라장 '섹시댄스'" ["Sing in the Green", Garden Concert is a successful conclusion...Yerin x Stella Jang, "Sexy dance."]. News1 (in Korean). Retrieved March 24, 2023 – via Naver.
^Ahn, Jeong-hoon (September 26, 2022). "아도라, 신보 '어도러블 리버스'로 컴백…"동화 같은 감성 표현"" [Adora, comeback with the new album "Adorable Rebirth". "Sentimental expression like a fairy tale."]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved September 26, 2022 – via Naver.
^Lee, Da-kyeom (September 26, 2022). "아도라 "신보에 제 3자의 눈으로 보는 제 모습 담아"" [Adora, "I put myself through the eyes of a third person in the new album."]. Maeil Business (in Korean). Retrieved September 26, 2022 – via Naver.
^ abJeong, Ga-young (September 19, 2022). "아도라, '아티스탁 게임' 출격…투자 유치 성공할까" [Adora is on the way to "Artistak Game". Will she succeed in attracting investment?]. Sportsworldi (in Korean). Retrieved September 26, 2022 – via Naver.
^Lee, Da-kyeom (September 26, 2022). "아도라 "갑상선암 수술 후 빅히트 프로듀서→가수 전향"" [Adora, "Big Hit producer → singer after thyroid cancer surgery."]. Maeil Business (in Korean). Retrieved September 26, 2022 – via Naver.
^Peak chart position on Circle Download Chart (formerly Gaon Download Chart):
"Make U Dance": 2021년 45주차 Download Chart [Week 45 of 2021 Download Chart] (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. November 6, 2021. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2022 – via Gaon Chart.
^Ahn, Tae-hyeon (December 4, 2023). "아도라, 오늘 신곡 '환상' 발매…몽환적인 음색 예고" [Adora released her new song "Fantasy" today... A dreamy tone preview.]. News1 (in Korean). Retrieved December 23, 2023 – via Naver.
^Kim, Min-ji (September 13, 2023). "아도라, '내가 죽기로 결심한 것은' OST 참여…오늘 'n번째 우주' 발매" [Adora participates in the OST of "What I Decided to Die"...Today's release of "Nth Universe".]. News1 (in Korean). Retrieved October 4, 2023 – via Naver.
^Jeong, Yu-jin (November 4, 2023). "'BTS 작곡가' 아도라, '힘쎈여자 강남순' OST 참여…'원더 우먼' 발매" ["BTS composer" Adora participates in the OST of "Strong Woman Gangnam Soon"..."Wonder Woman" will be released.]. News1 (in Korean). Retrieved November 9, 2023 – via Naver.
