LEE SEO-YOUNG: Coming Out & Breaking Borders Elle Magazine, October 2030
In 2018, Lee Seo-young made her debut as Yena, a member of the girl group Luxe. Hailing from Royal Entertainment, one of South Korea’s most prestigious entertainment companies, Luxe emerged at the top of K-pop’s 4th wave. You know their songs: Miniskirt. Up & Down. Heart Attack. Me & You. With a unique, ever-evolving image and an instantly recognizable discography, Luxe created the blueprint for many of today’s girl groups.
But if you weren’t following K-pop in the first half of the 2020s, you probably know the members of Luxe as individuals. After parting ways with Royal Entertainment, each forged their own path: some as soloists, others as actresses or songwriters. For Luxe’s youngest member, that path led toward uncharted territory. It was a revelation that shocked the K-pop world: Lee Seo-young became one of the first girl group stars to come out of the closet - alongside her now-wife, Son Ju-yeon (Byeol) of Heartz.
Amidst the storm of media of attention, Seo-young remained busy as ever off-stage. Since leaving Royal, she racked up the occasional variety appearance or soundtrack recording, all while hinting at something greater in the works. And now, that project has come to fruition: SY Entertainment, an openly LGBT-friendly K-pop label that’s growing fast. Their roster of artists already includes Luxe’s Cheri, choreographer Jeon So-min, and singer Deutschland. We talked past, present, and future with the idol-turned-CEO herself.