*This is a (still) incomplete list of singers, dancers, idols, and celebrities who have explicitly mentioned BoA as an inspiration or role model.
*Number of acts in this list: 57
*Arranged by alphabetical order
*See this for a more comprehensive list
2ne1 DARA
(source)
“I might be older [than BoA], but she’s everyone’s idol. So my heart was trembling when we met.”
aespa KARINA
“I’ve been a fan of BoA for as long as I can remember. The audition TV program ‘K-pop Star,’ where she’s one of three judges, was popular when I was younger. Watching her coach left a strong impression on me.”
"I wrote a bucket list when I was in middle school. One was getting into SM because my dream was to be a singer. Also, another was to perform with BoA.”
aespa NINGNING
“A K-pop singer who inspires me is BoA-sunbaenim.”
“When I listen to her music, her voice feels like a magnet. Most importantly, when I’m listening to BoA’s music, I feel the girl power.”
AILEE
Biggest fangirl moment?
“I was fangirling over BoA. She looked at me like I was crazy too, like I had crazy eyes. But I can’t help it.”
“I’ve never sweated as much on a show before. [The first time was] when I met my favorite senior, BoA! My favorite idol!”
APINK Chorong
(source)
“Role model: BoA”
APINK Namjoo
(source)
“Role model: BoA-sunbaenim
Go-to song: BoA-sunbaenim’s ‘My Prayer’”
ASTRO Moonbin
(source)
“I often listen to the songs of BoA-sunbaenim, whom I've always admired since I was little. Her stage is very cool, and every time I see it, I feel like I want it. Her recent performance of 'Better' is great.”
BÉBE YANA
(source)
"I have loved to dance since I was a little girl, but I never imagined being a singer. However, in 2002, there was a long period of time when I was able to visit Korea. When BoA appeared on TV, I was so shocked. I [began thinking] that I could perform on stage as well because there was an Asian woman who looked just like me who was doing it so well. Later, when I returned to Australia, I became much more interested in the entertainment scene. When I came back to Korea again, I auditioned and even became a trainee, which naturally gave me the opportunity to debut.”
BILLLIE Tsuki
(source)
“My role models are BoA-sunbaenim and Girls’ Generation.”
“My eternal role model, the awesome BoA-senpai! Congratulations so much on your 20th Japanese debut anniversary! Since I was young, I naturally encountered BoA-senpai’s songs and performances. During that time, I was still a kid, so I had no idea what senpai’s nationality was, but I was obsessed with BoA-senpai’s beautiful songs and performances. Since I started becoming interested in K-pop and began embracing my dream of becoming an international artist, BoA's vocals, dancing, language [skills], as well as her attitude as an artist and her feelings for her fans have become things I respect [about her.] Looking back, I feel that I’ve been following BoA-senpai’s example for a long time, and I’ve been influenced a lot by her. I definitely want to succeed in becoming a splendid artist who will be loved by many people for a long time, like senpai! Congratulations on your 20th Japanese debut anniversary!
BILLLIE Haram
(source)
“I’m really a fan of BoA-sunbaenim. She’s my role model.”
CHUNGHA
CLASS:Y’s Jimin
(source)
“My role model is BoA-senpai.”
DREAMCATCHER Sua
(source)
“When I was a student, my pencil case had ‘BoA’ written all over it. She’s my role model. In my previous company, there were assessments, where I sang around 30 songs; about 20 of them were BoA songs.”
DREAMNOTE Eunjo
(source)
“BoA is my role model! I really look up to her.”
f(x) LUNA
(I AM SMTown documentary)
EUNBI
(source)
“BoA is my role model! I really look up to her.”
EVERGLOW Mia
(source)
“Role model: BoA, Ailee, Park Hyoshin”
EXO Sehun
(source)
While his hyungs [in EXO] all chose male artists for the musicians they look up to, only Sehun replied with BoA. “On stage, BoA-sunbaenim is relaxed but still shows an amazing performance. When I saw that, I thought I had a lot to learn. She’s really amazing.”
GFRIEND/VIVIZ’s SinB
“My role model is BoA-sunbaenim. I respect you so much. I really want to meet you one day!”
Girl’s Day Minah
(source)
Q: What did you want to be while you were growing up? A singer? An actress?
“I watched BoA-unnie’s MKMF performance of ‘Girls on Top’ when I was in fourth grade. That video is still legendary. It was such an awesome performance. I wanted to be a singer after I saw it.”
iKON’s Jinhwan
Jessica Jung
KANG DANIEL
(source: Keyword BoA)
“To put it more simply, to those who dream, she becomes their dream [...] I want to follow her endlessly. [She’s] someone I’d like to follow. Seeing her up close, it made me more ambitious. I want to become like her too. She’s like a polar star to me.”
KARD Jiwoo
“I dreamt of becoming a singer because of you [BoA].”
“I was around seven or eight when I first wanted to become a singer. It naturally came to me because I was a huge fan of BoA and TVXQ.”
Kawaguchi Yurina
(source)
“Thanks to my mom, I’ve been dancing and singing to BoA-san’s songs since I was 3 years old. [...] From BoA-san’s songs, I gain a lot of strength and courage, as though I’m being gently pushed forward. Above all, she is the person who made me love music… BoA, who was behind my precious encounter with music, is my eternal dream.”
Kwon Jinah
(source)
“You [BoA] were my role model when I was little.”
LACHICA Gabee
(source)
“To my [BoA] unnie, who inspired me to dream as much as I wanted when I was a kid... 💕”
“The first CD I ever bought back when I was a student was [BoA’s] - I’m a successful fan.”
LOONA Kim Lip
(source)
Q: Who is your role model?
“BoA-sunbae and Taemin-sunbae’s songs and dances are perfect.”
LOONA Yves
(source)
Q: Do you have a solo artist role model?
“Avril Lavigne-sunbaenim and BoA-sunbaenim! As time goes by, I’ve seen them show off their unique colors in their performances and songs, and each time, I think to myself, ‘I want to be like that too.”
LOVELYZ Kei
(source)
“I'd like to be on stage with my role model BoA-sunbaenim in the future."
MAMAMOO Solar
"I'm a real fan of BoA, the singer. I like her so much, and I think she's really cool. I've seen everything of hers since she appeared on Japanese broadcasts. I also studied Japanese because of BoA. I memorized all her songs too. I've never met her though. I really, really want to meet her, but I also don't want to because my feelings for her are so great that I wouldn't know what to do with myself."
Miss A Suzy
(source)
While attending elementary school in Gwangju, Suzy became interested in dancing in earnest because of the singer BoA.
“Every time BoA appears on TV, I would imitate her dancing. I’d practice on my own, dreaming of becoming like her one day.”
NCT 127 Jungwoo
“Well, [my] role model would have to be our senior BoA! Of course, she's a senior artist from the same agency, but more than that, watching her pour her passion into her music and the love she has for singing and dancing, without skipping a beat for 20 years... It's truly inspiring. This is why I plan to continue to cheer her on with as much passion as I can round up, and I also hope to be a senior artist to my junior artists in the same way that BoA has been for us.”
NCT Ten
“BoA and SHINee - [they’re why] I’m here.”
Which artists do you respect and learn from?
“BoA-san and SHINee Taemin-san. They are the ones who led me to the world of K-pop.”
NU’EST MINHYUN
(source: Keyword BoA)
“I got to achieve my dream thanks to BoA-sunbaenim. [To me,] she is a star that’s like a role model.”
Paul Kim
PENTAGON Hui
(source)
“I don't want to rest. I recently met BoA-sunbaenim on ‘K-909,’ and she was very nice to me, which I’m grateful for. She seemed tired, so I asked her, ‘Are you busy? Are you tired?’ to which she answered, ‘I’ve been busy.’ I thought it was so cool and enviable that she’s still so busy even though it’s been more than 20 years since her debut. Isn’t it amazing? I don’t want to rest either. Even if I don’t have activities [as an idol], I want to keep working on something and, after 2 or 3 decades, be a senior like BoA-sunbaenim. I want to be an artist who gives off positive energy, someone who can be a good influence.”
Rei Yasuda (J-pop singer)
(source)
“The kaleidoscopic BoA-sama. She’s cute, cool, sexy - she has everything, she’s my muse. Actually, when I was in 6th grade, at the audition that marked my start in the music industry, I sang and danced to BoA-sama’s ‘Valenti.’ I have so many memories [with that song, so] no matter how many times I listen to it, my heart starts racing. BoA-sama made me dream a lot during that time I sang and danced as if I were in a trance during my street dance classes, working hard and thinking, “I’m going to become a diva!” She’s still shining even now, which is so cool! I’ll be with you forever! [Valenti is] a song that holds so many memories, so I made a playlist with the wild idea in mind that if I were BoA-sama, this would be the live concert setlist I’d like to put together. I was able to make an awesome playlist!”
RED VELVET Irene
(source)
Q: Your role model is BoA, right? What side of BoA do you think looks cool?
“Yes. There was a time when I went to go watch her solo concert, but seeing her in real life with my own eyes… just her entrance was so — it caught my attention.”
RED VELVET Wendy
RED VELVET Seulgi
"I have one Korean role model and one international role model. The Korean one is BoA.”
“BoA-sunbaenim is really my role model. My dad once showed me a BoA documentary, and I thought, ‘She must have put in a lot of effort.’ I mean, she has natural talent, but I feel like she worked even harder to become who she is now. I think it helped me a lot as a trainee.”
RED VELVET Yeri
ROCKET PUNCH Yeonhee
(source)
Her role model is BoA, and she sang ‘Atlantis Princess’ for her audition.
Sara Liu
(source)
SHINee’s Key
(source)
Q: First celebrity crush
“BoA, since I was 14. I love her music, and I love her style, and I love her personality, identity, everything. She’s my real idol, and she’s my role model, I think. No, she is.”
SNSD’s Sunny
(source)
Q: If you got the chance to meet the role model of your heart, [who would it be?]
“It’s BoA-unnie. In my era, everyone will mention BoA-unnie as our role model.”
SNSD’s Taeyeon
“When I was young, BoA was my role model and inspired me to become an artist.”
“BoA-sunbaenim had a lot of impact on me and my career. In 2001, when I was still an elementary school student, I watched her debut in Japan and was shocked in a good way. She both danced and sang very well and was also proficient in Japanese. I thought to myself, ‘I want to become like BoA-ssi’ and dreamed of debuting there [in Japan] too.”
SNSD’s Tiffany
“When I came to Korea, I was like… I’m going to take over Asia and the world just like BoA did.”
“In 2003, I saw BoA’s performance at the KTMF, and [that was when] I dreamed of becoming a singer.”
SNSD’s Hyoyeon
Q: I heard that your role model is BoA and that you watch her concert clips often.
“I talked about this on a radio show once. BoA was a singer way back when we were just trainees, and she was an amazing solo performer. If you think about it, even though I'm working solo after I had been part of a group for 10 years, there were many difficulties in the beginning. But BoA started solo at such a young age, and she even made 1st on the Oricon Charts in Japan. When I saw her performing solo onstage at concerts for 2-3 hours straight, I thought that it was so cool, but now that I look at her again these days, it gives me goosebumps. Because even if we had 8 members, we used up a lot of props and performances to fill the stage. But she filled the stage all by herself. It made me think, “Wow, she must have worked so hard.” She must have worked so hard to be able to fill that stage all by herself. She amazes me all the time. In the past, when people asked me who my role model was, I told people that I had no role model. But lately BoA has become my role model.”
Q: To be able to do this performance, [which artist did you aspire to be]? What kind of special impact did you receive?
“BoA-oneesan. I really watched a lot of her stages. The energy that comes from that little body, the seizing performance, where does that kind of energy come from? Really, it was always a mystery. That's why I watched a lot of BoA-unnie's concert footage or whenever she comes out on TV shows, I learned from that. The fingertips, or the facial expressions or the gestures. It was a learning experience.”
Q: Do you think you’re confident enough to have a dance battle against BoA?
“I do have confidence when it comes to dancing, but BoA sunbaenim is my role model. I still watch her concert videos.”
SCANDAL Haruna
(source)
“The first time I learned about BoA was when her debut Japanese song, ‘ID; Peace B’ was released.
Before [my band, Scandal] was formed, I dreamt of becoming an artist who danced and sang, so I went to a vocal-dance school. It became the talk of the town among the students in my school that there was a Korean girl our age who debuted with an amazing song, and I was hooked instantly. Her voice wouldn’t waver while she danced so aggressively. She was so cool during her performances, but when she spoke, she sounded so cute. I wanted to become someone as amazing as her.
[...] When I listen to BoA-san’s songs, I suddenly feel like I’ve gotten a lot stronger, [so] during my auditions, during recitals where I had to sing alone, at the karaoke where I would practice by myself, I would choose [to sing] BoA’s songs. At the school where my band was formed, I auditioned with the song ‘Shine We Are.’ The turning point that led to me becoming who I am now was BoA’s songs.
Recently, her performances in GOT the Beat have been so cool, and I was really inspired by her overwhelming presence standing next to her juniors. Even though she’s older now, she is still shining and challenging herself, and I gained a lot of strength [from that], realizing that I still have ways to go.”
SEONGEUN
(source)
Seongeun named the singers BoA and Jung Seung-hwan as her role models.
“When I saw that BoA has been working overseas and finding success since she was young, at an age younger than I am now, I thought that it was amazing. Actually, I didn’t know about BoA when I was a kid, but while watching a variety show program related to Japan, I learned about her, and I thought she was so cool. I’ve resolved that I want to learn from her and follow her example, and I have so much respect for her.”
TAHITI
(source)
“Tahiti, whose role model is BoA, expressed their confident aspirations to establish themselves in the tough music industry.”
TRI.BE’s HyunBin
(source)
“Other than Blackpink, my biggest inspiration was BoA.”
tricot Ikkyuu Nakajima
(source)
“I came to know BoA-san while I was still a student, when she would appear on TV music programs; she was a charismatic person that everyone in my school knew. Her cute visuals [combined with] her stoic and powerful performances were so striking - she was what made me yearn to become a singer. In these long 20 years [since her debut], she has continued to power up and expand her activities globally. Seeing BoA show off her charms in GOT the Beat gives me the courage to challenge myself and the motivation to continue pursuing music.”
WANT’s Choi Hyojin
(source)
She said that she was inspired to become a dancer because of BoA’s ‘My Name,’ which she loved a lot as a student.
Wonder Girls’s HYERIM
(source)
"I nurtured my dream of becoming a singer by watching BoA. Whenever BoA's song comes out, I automatically sing along and follow the choreography."
Wonder Girls’s SUNMI
“A long time ago, at SBS Gayo, I met BoA-sunbaenim. I told her about this at the Street Woman Fighter finale. We met in the restroom. I was so startled. I couldn't speak. I told her that the Wonder Girls met her in her dressing room to greet her at SBS Gayo. I told her I auditioned at SM Entertainment because of her. It was an interesting feeling because at shows, it's all hoobaes, and they talk about how they love this and that song and they're a fan, but after a long time, I was finally the one saying those things, and it was to BoA-sunbaenim. Kwon BoA, I love you!"
Q: The moment you decided you wanted to become a singer
“When BoA-sunbaenim debuted with 'ID; Peace B' on Inkigayo. Seeing her performance struck me. I wanted to be onstage, singing and dancing like her too.”
X:IN’s Roa
(source)
“I think I’ve always dreamed of becoming like BoA since I was young.”
Xander Lee
(source)
Q: Did you go into the industry having an idol?
“I think the one person that I always thought was my yeoshin - my goddess - was BoA.”
YENA
(source)
“To be honest, I’m also nervous, with my role model BoA-sunbaenim in front of me… If it’s not rude, can I ask to shake your hand just this once?”
YUKIKA
When [Yukika was] asked who she wanted to meet the most while promoting in Korea, Yukika replied, "BoA. I've loved her since I was little. I really want to meet you someday. She's a huge star in Japan. I'll work hard and meet you someday. I love you."
Yukika picked singer BoA as her role model, saying, “BoA is a successful singer in Japan. I admire her because she was successful in a foreign country as a soloist at a time when there was no Hallyu wave.” She added, “I’m the opposite - I came to Korea from Japan; I want to succeed in Korea.”
YOUNHA