Yena

Yena (born Choi Ye-na, 최예나) is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper, and actress under YH Entertainment (formerly Yuehua Entertainment). Best known as a former member of the Korean-Japanese project group IZ*ONE, Yena has spent the years since the group’s 2021 disbandment building one of the most consistent solo careers to come out of the “post-IZ*ONE” generation, blending bubblegum pop, dance-pop, and pop-punk influences with a bright, self-assured stage persona.

Early Life and Produce 48

Born on September 29, 1999, in Gil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, Yena is the younger sister of actor and former SPEED member Choi Sung-min. As a child she survived childhood lymphoma, an experience she has spoken about openly in later interviews. She trained under Yuehua Entertainment and, in 2018, competed on Mnet’s Produce 48, ultimately finishing in 4th place and earning a spot in the newly formed girl group IZ*ONE.

IZ*ONE Era (2018–2021)

IZ*ONE debuted on October 29, 2018, with the mini album Color*Iz and its lead single “La Vie en Rose.” As the group’s main rapper, lead vocalist, and lead dancer, Yena helped IZ*ONE become one of the most commercially successful girl groups of its era in both South Korea and Japan before the group’s contract concluded and it officially disbanded on April 29, 2021.

Solo Career

Yena made her solo debut on January 17, 2022, with the EP ˣ‿ˣ (SMiLEY), scoring her first music-show win less than a month later. She has since released a steady stream of solo material — including Smartphone (2022), Love War (2023), Hate XX (2023), Good Morning (2024), Nemonemo (2024), Blooming Wings (2025), and her fifth EP Love Catcher (2026), led by the single “Catch Catch” — while also building a Japanese solo discography under Victor Entertainment and Dreamusic. Beyond music, Yena is a familiar face on Korean variety television and has ventured into acting, including a lead role in the 2025 sitcom Villains Everywhere.

Artistry

Yena is known for her bright, high-energy pop concept, her involvement as a lyricist on many of her own tracks, and a stage name and fandom identity (Jigumi) built around a playful “Yena Planet” universe. Her 2026 Asia tour “So Near, Yet So Far, Another Wo2ld” underscored her continued growth as an independent solo artist nearly five years after IZ*ONE’s disbandment.