Choi Ye-na (, born September 29, 1999), known

mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

as Yena, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is a former member of temporary

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

Iz*One Iz*One ( ; ko, 아이즈원, Aijeuwon; ja, アイズワン, Aizuwan; stylized as IZ*ONE) was a South Korean–Japanese girl group formed through the Mnet reality competition show ''Produce 48''. The group was composed of twelve members: Jang ...

after finishing fourth on

Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

's reality girl group survival show ''

Produce 48 ''Produce 48'' () was the third season of the South Korean reality competition series ''Produce 101''. It was a large-scale project in which the public "produces" a girl group by voting for members out of a pool of 96 contestants from South Kor ...

''. She is currently a soloist and actress under

Yuehua Entertainment Yuehua Entertainment (Chinese: 乐华娱乐, Korean: 위에화 엔터테인먼트) is a privately held Chinese multinational entertainment group and talent agency based in Beijing. The company was founded in June 2009 by former Huayi Brothers empl ...

. Yena made her solo debut on January 17, 2022, with the release of her first EP '' Smiley.''

Early life

Choi was born on September 29, 1999, in Gil-Dong, Gangdong, South Korea. She is the younger sister of singer and actor Choi Sung-min. As a child, she was diagnosed with

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlar ...

Career

Pre-debut

She is a former

Polaris Entertainment Polaris (; Polaris Entertainment), previously known as Ilgwang Polaris, is a South Korean record label founded in 2006. It was formerly a subsidiary of Ilgwang Group, a large South Korean conglomerate whose main business is arms trade, and is no ...

trainee before joining

. Choi was a host for SBS' ''Cooking Class'' in 2017.

2018–2021: ''Produce 48'', Iz*One, solo activities

From June 15 to August 31, 2018, Choi (together with

Everglow Everglow (, stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by Yuehua Entertainment. The group is composed of six members: E:U, Sihyeon, Mia, Onda, Aisha, and Yiren. Everglow debuted on March 18, 2019, with the single album ''Arrival ...

members

Kim Si-hyeon Kim Si-hyeon (, born August 5, 1999) also known as Sihyeon, is a South Korean singer and host. She is the leader of Everglow under Yuehua Entertainment. Early life Kim was born on August 5, 1999, in Bundang-gu, South Korea. Career Pre-debut K ...

and Wang Yiren) represented

on reality girl group survival show ''

''. She eventually placed fourth and debuted with

. The group's debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) ''

Color*Iz ''Color*Iz'' (stylized in all caps; pronounced "colorize") is the debut extended play (EP) by South Korean–Japanese girl group Iz*One, a project group formed through the 2018 Mnet reality competition show '' Produce 48''. The album was released ...

'' was released on October 29, 2018, with "

La Vie en Rose "La Vie en rose" (; ) is the signature song of popular French singer Édith Piaf, written in 1945, popularized in 1946, and released as a single in 1947. The song became very popular in the US in 1950, when seven versions reached the ''Billboard ...

" serving as its lead single. Following her debut with Iz*One, Choi became a cast member for ''

Prison Life of Fools ''Prison Life of Fools'' () was a South Korean television program that aired on tvN, as the first part of the Amazing Saturday lineup. It starred Lee Soo-geun, Jung Hyung-don, Kim Jong-min, Hwang Je-sung, Lee Sang-yeob, Jang Do-yeon, JB ( Got7) ...

'', alongside Got7's JB,

Jang Do-yeon Jang Do-yeon (born March 10, 1985), is a South Korean comedian, signed with KOEN Group. She was a cast member in MBC's variety show, We Got Married, paired with actor Choi Min-yong. Education Jang was a student at Kyung Hee University's Colleg ...

Jeong Hyeong-don Jung Hyung-don (; born February 7, 1978) is a South Korean comedian and television host. He is best known for his roles on the variety shows ''Infinite Challenge'' and ''Weekly Idol''. Early life and education Jung was born in Gimcheon in Nort ...

and many more. On December 21, 2020, Choi was announced as one of the cast members for mystery variety show ''Girls High School Mystery Class''. The show is

TVING TVING () is a South Korean online streaming service operated by TVING Corporation, a joint venture of CJ E&M (CJ Group), Naver and JTBC. It is a platform that streams dramas, entertainment shows, exclusive television films and specials. Histor ...

's first original content variety show. After Iz*One's disbandment in April 2021, Choi became a cast member of TVING's ''Idol Dictation Contest''. She also joined the fixed MC panels for tvN Story's ''Fireworks Handsome'' and MBC's ''Game of Blood''. On August 6, 2021, Choi was confirmed as the sole MC of Studio Waffle's web variety show ''Yena's Animal Detective''. The web show started airing on August 24. Choi made her acting debut later that year portraying Oh Na-ri in the second season of the web series ''The World of My 17''.

2022–present: Solo debut

On January 1, 2022, Choi announced through her social media that she would make her solo debut with the EP ''

Smiley A smiley, sometimes referred to as a smiley face, is a basic ideogram that represents a smiling face. Since the 1950s it has become part of popular culture worldwide, used either as a standalone ideogram, or as a form of communication, such a ...

'' on January 17. She made her broadcast debut on

's ''

M Countdown ''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet. The show features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. It is broadcast from CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul. Bro ...

'' on January 20 performing "

". On February 10, 2022, Choi earned her first ever music show win on Mnet's ''M Countdown.'' Choi released her second EP, ''Smartphone'', on August 3, 2022. In January 2023, Choi released a poster confirming her comeback with her first single album, ''Love War'', on January 16.

Discography

Extended plays

Single albums

Singles

Production credits

Filmography

Web series

Television shows

Web shows

Radio shows

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Ye-na 1999 births Living people South Korean female idols South Korean women pop singers 21st-century South Korean women singers Swing Entertainment artists Yuehua Entertainment artists South Korean dance musicians Produce 48 contestants Iz*One members Hanlim Multi Art School alumni Reality show winners South Korean web series actresses Japanese-language singers of South Korea