Irene

On April 20, 2020, SM confirmed that Irene, alongside member Seulgi, would form Red Velvet's first sub-unit.

In February 2019, Irene was announced as the new muse of the Italian luxury jewelry brand Damiani, becoming the first Asian to represent the brand as a muse. In July, SM Entertainment announced that Irene would be collaborating with South Korean DJ and producer Raiden on the track "The Only", which was released on August 2.

In 2019, in the nation-wide survey conducted by Gallup Korea, Irene was ranked as the 6th most loved idol celebrity of the year in South Korea. She was previously ranked at #4 in both 2017 and 2018. Irene is also renowned for her brand recognition and marketing power, having topped the 'Individual Girl Group Members Brand Power Ranking' published by the Korean Corporate Reputation Research Institute several times.

On February 26, 2018, Irene was selected to be the model of contact lens brand Cooper Vision. On May 3, she became the brand model for famous vitamin brand LEMONA Vitamin C and was given the title “human vitamin”. On August 9, she was announced as the new exclusive model for Eider for fall/winter of 2018 and spring/summer of 2019. In December, it was announced that Irene would become the new model for HiteJinro Chamisul Soju brand.

In 2018, Irene became the new female ambassador for French sports garment brand Eider. The same year, she was chosen to be the face for Korean soju brand Chamisul. In 2020, Irene became the first Asian brand ambassador of Italy luxury jewelry brand Damiani. In March, Irene became the new ambassador for high-end beauty brand Clinique in South Korea and Asia Pacific.

In July 2016, Irene made her acting debut in the web drama Women at a Game Company where she played the female lead. On October 14, Irene became a host of OnStyle's fashion show Laundry Day. The show premiered on October 22, 2016. In the same month, she became a panelist on the KBS show Trick & True with bandmate Wendy.

From May 2015 to June 2016, Irene hosted the music show Music Bank with actor Park Bo-gum. They both gained attention for their chemistry as well as singing and hosting skills. The press called them one of the best partnerships in the show's history.

Irene has also endorsed a number of brands of various products. Besides her endorsements with Red Velvet, she also became a model for Ivy Club together with labelmates Exo in 2015. In 2016, she became an endorser of coffee brand Maxwell House. In 2017, she became the official endorser of Hyundai Auto Advantage program.

On August 1, 2014, Irene made her official debut as a member of Red Velvet, becoming the leader of the group. Since then, Red Velvet has released eleven EPs and two studio albums as well as two reiussue albums. They have become regarded as one of the most popular K-pop groups in South Korea and worldwide. In November 2014, Irene appeared in the music video of Kyuhyun's single "At Gwanghwamun".

On December 9, 2013, Irene was one of the second batch of trainees introduced as a member of SM Entertainment's pre-debut training team, SM Rookies, alongside former trainee Lami and now-NCT member Jaehyun. She also appeared in the music video of labelmate Henry Lau's song "1-4-3" several months prior.

Bae Joo-hyun (born March 29, 1991), known professionally as Irene, is a South Korean singer, rapper and actress. She is a member and leader of the South Korean girl group Red Velvet.

Irene was born Bae Joo-hyun on March 29, 1991 in Daegu, South Korea. Her family consists of her parents and a younger sister. She attended Haknam High School in Daegu. She joined SM Entertainment in 2009 and trained for five years.