Chou Tzuyu

Biography

Chou Tzu-yu (Chinese: 周子瑜; born June 14, 1999), known mononymously as Tzuyu (Korean: 쯔위, Korean pronunciation: [t͈ɕɯ.y]), is a Taiwanese singer based in South Korea. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Twice, formed by JYP Entertainment in 2015.
Tzuyu released her debut extended play (EP), Aboutzu×abouTZU6 September 2024 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Run Away3:182Heartbreak in Heaven3:333Lazy Baby2:424Losing Sleep2:395One Love3:136Fly3:43, on September 6, 2024. Its lead single, "Run Away", became her first number-one single on the Billboard Taiwan Songs chart.

Early life and pre-debut activities

Tzuyu was born on June 14, 1999, in the East District of Tainan, Taiwan. She started dancing from a young age and trained at a dance academy.
In 2012, Tzuyu was discovered by talent scouts at the Muse Performing Arts Workshop in Tainan, and moved to South Korea in November of that year to begin training. In 2015, Tzuyu participated in the South Korean reality television show Sixteen, created by JYP Entertainment and co-produced by Mnet. As one of nine successful participants, she went on to join the newly formed girl group Twice.

2015–present: Twice and solo debut

In October 2015, Tzuyu officially debuted as a member of Twice with the release of their first extended play, The Story Begins. Its lead single "Like Ooh-Ahh" was the first K-pop debut song to reach 100 million views on YouTube. Since then, she has worked as a presenter on multiple South Korean music television shows. As a soloist, Tzuyu released covers of "Me!" by Taylor Swift and "Christmas Without You" by Ava Max as part of the Melody Project series.
On August 2, 2024, JYP Entertainment announced that Tzuyu would be making her solo debut with the release of her debut extended play, Aboutzu, on September 6. The EP has six tracks, including lead single "Run Away" and collaborations with Peniel of BtoB and rapper pH-1. On September 26, 2025, Tzuyu released the collaboration single "Blink×Blink26 September 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Blink2:422SUMMER2:313Tied Up2:05" with Corbyn Besson, along with an accompanying music video. On July 3, 2026, Tzuyu performed at the Kaohsiung Beer Rock Festival.

Endorsements

Tzuyu has featured alone in various advertisements, including those for LG U+ and Crocs Korea. She covered the October 2021 issue of L'Officiel Malaysia as a model for the Coach Fall/Winter 2021 collection. In January 2022, Tzuyu was chosen as the new muse of South Korean clothing brand Zooc. In October 2022, she was announced as the muse of Visée, one of Japan's most popular cosmetics brands. In October 2023, she was appointed as the global ambassador for the Pond's Skin Institute's Brand Evolution Campaign. In September 2025, Tzuyu and Jihyo were announced as brand ambassadors for Ponds Philippines.

Philanthropy

On February 29, 2020, Tzuyu donated ₩50 million (equivalent to ₩58.3 million or US$43,500.37 in 2025) to the South Korean Community Chest, for helping prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Public image

Tzuyu has received widespread attention for her beauty since her debut with Twice, and was nicknamed "Light of Taiwan" by the Taiwanese media due to her popularity. After performing at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2025, the bra that Tzuyu wore was reportedly sold out within a few days. According to Em Enriquez of the Filipino fashion magazine Preview, Tzuyu "singlehandedly" drove sales for the item, which has since earned the moniker of "the Tzuyu bra".

Influence

After the flag controversy in 2016, Tzuyu was credited with increasing Taiwanese votes by up to 1-2% in favor of President Tsai Ing-wen. According to Gallup Korea's annual music survey, Tzuyu was the third most popular idol among South Koreans in 2016. She ranked ninth in the 2017 survey and twelfth in 2018. In 2019, Tzuyu was ranked as the second most popular female K-pop idol in a survey of soldiers completing mandatory military service in South Korea. In 2023, Tzuyu surpassed Jay Chou and became the most followed Taiwanese celebrity on Instagram with over 10 million followers.

Personal life

In 2016, she passed an exam at Tainan Municipal Fusing Junior High School to certify her middle school education. She attended high school at Hanlim Multi Art School in South Korea, and graduated in February 2019 along with bandmate Chaeyoung.
In 2024, Tzuyu announced that she had completed a master's degree in applied psychology from Miguel de Cervantes European University in Spain. She explained that she pursued the degree online for over a year, as Twice's group activities had slowed down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Flag controversy

In November 2015, Tzuyu appeared with bandmates Sana, Momo, and Mina on the Korean variety show My Little Television. She introduced herself as Taiwanese and held the flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan) alongside that of South Korea. Mainland Chinese internet users reacted angrily towards Tzuyu's actions due to the political rift between the two countries. Soon after, Twice was barred from Chinese television and Tzuyu was pulled out of her endorsement with Chinese communications company Huawei. Meanwhile, her agency, JYP Entertainment, released a video showing Tzuyu reading an apology, which sparked a furor among the Taiwanese public on election day. The incident gained international attention, as it was believed to have affected the 2016 Taiwanese general election.

Songwriting credits

All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless stated otherwise.