Yerin Baek

South Korean vocalist Yerin Baek, also known as Baek Ye-rin, crafts pop songs that weave through romantic R&B and soft-rock textures. After training at JYP Entertainment, she first reached listeners in 2012 as half of the duo 15& and later launched a solo path that includes membership in the ’90s-styled indie-rock band the Volunteers.

Born in 1997 in Jung District, Daejeon, she discovered singing early, shaped by the work of Beyoncé, Amy Winehouse, and Avril Lavigne. Her 2007 appearance on the SBS program Amazing Contest Star King earned second place and a trainee contract with JYP. Over the next five years she refined her craft while splitting time between South Korea and New York City, where her family had moved. In 2012 she stepped forward with singer Ji-min Park in 15&, releasing several singles and the 2014 album Sugar.

Baek exited the duo in 2015 and issued her first solo EP, Frank, led by the track “Across the Universe.” Subsequent releases included “Bye Bye My Blue” and “Love You on Christmas,” while she also collaborated with Yuk Jidam, Dean, the Quiett, and additional artists. In 2018 she joined the indie-rock group Bye Bye Badman to create the ’90s-leaning side project the Volunteers, whose debut EP Vanity & People blended grunge and shoegaze elements. The following year she delivered the solo EP Our Love Is Great, highlighted by “Maybe It’s Not Our Fault.”

Also in 2019 Baek ended her association with JYP Entertainment, established the independent imprint Blue Vinyl, and released the single “Popo (How Deep Is Your Love).” That same year she unveiled her debut full-length, Every Letter I Sent You, whose songs were performed mainly in English. The album reached number eight on the South Korean charts and yielded the chart-topping single “Square (2017).”