Wendy is the stage name of South Korean pop singer Shon Seung-wan, who launched her career with the girl group Red Velvet before releasing her solo debut in 2021. Seung-wan was born in Seoul, South Korea, on February 21, 1994. As a child, she spent several years studying in both Canada and the US, where she began using the anglicized name "Wendy Shon." Upon returning to South Korea, she joined Red Velvet in 2014. The group became one of the world's most popular K-pop acts, with singles like "Power Up" and "Red Flavor" reaching Number 1 on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. While continuing to perform with Red Velvet, Wendy also began releasing music outside of the group, starting with 2015's "Return." The song, which found her duetting with rapper Yuk Jidam, reached Number 31 in South Korea. One year later, she released another duet, collaborating with Eric Nam on the single "Spring Love." A Top 10 hit, "Spring Love" cemented her popularity not only as a member of a popular girl group, but as a pop artist in her own right. Although a stage accident in December 2019 stalled her career for a year, Wendy returned to her usual schedule in early 2021, both appearing on Red Velvet's platinum-selling EP Queendom and doubling down on her solo career with Like Water. The latter EP marked her official solo debut, as well as the first solo record to be released by a Red Velvet member. Like Water charted at Number 7 in South Korea, while its title track became a Number 3 hit in Brazil. Wendy continued recording stand-alone singles for various film and television soundtracks, too, earning a Top 30 hit with "Girls" — released on the Seoul Check-in soundtrack — in 2022. Wish You Hell, her second EP, followed in 2024, with the title track reaching number 35 on South Korea's Top 100 Apple Music chart.