Korean Viral Web Sensation ‘applegirl002’ Lands Record Deal

22-year-old Kim Yeo-hee who’s better known to the world on YouTube as “applegirl002,” is making the transition from viral video sensation to recording star.

Ms. Kim, from South Korea has landed herself a record deal after uploading videos of herself not just singing but also using the iPhone and music-creation apps as her instruments.

“I have many songwriter friends, who introduced me to various music applications,” she said. “Since I bought my iPhone, I kept playing with it and experimenting with different apps and got totally hooked.”

In her first video, Ms. Kim plays on three iPhones simultaneously while singing Beyonce’s “Irresistible.” It was noticed instantly by bloggers and the media in South Korea. By the end of the week, more than one million people had watched it.

Ms. Kim’s second video covering Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face,” became even more of a sensation, garnering over two million views.

It’s reported that several music producers from China, South Korean and England had rushed to sign her.
In the end she chose a Seoul-based producer, Dreamhigh-Ent, and has started recording her own songs.

Now production is under way on her first album and professionally made music videos. “Hajima (Don’t Fall in Love)” is slated for release later this month.

According to Ms. Kim, becoming a singer has always been her dream since she was seven years old. She studied music at a small college in Wanju, a city in southwestern South Korea, but said she didn’t expect iPhone videos to change her life.

“I wanted to show people I can do playing and singing at the same time,” she said. “These days you should sell yourself. I wanted people to watch and evaluate my performances.”

Source: wsj