Nancy Jewel McDonie (born April 13, 2000), known professionally as Nancy (), is a Korean-American singer, actress, and host. She is a member of the South Korean
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 ...
Momoland
Momoland () is a South Korean girl group formed by MLD Entertainment (formerly known as Duble Kick Company) through the 2016 reality show ''Finding Momoland''. The show's winners Hyebin, Yeonwoo, Jane, Nayun, JooE, Ahin, and Nancy served as the ...
, which was formed on November 10, 2016, through the
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 survival show ''Finding Momoland''.
Early life
Nancy's father, Richard Jowel McDonie is from Columbus, Ohio, and served in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
for twenty years. In the 1990s he was promoted to Colonel and stationed in Korea. He went on a blind date with Lee Myeong-ju, a Korean woman, originally from Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, who was volunteering at the base, and they soon married. In November 1998 their first child, later to become a cellist, Brenda, was born, and on April 13, 2000 the second daughter, Nancy, was born in
Daegu
Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
, South Korea. In 2001 the family moved to the father's hometown of
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
, Ohio, where Nancy spent her early years and attended school. in
Nam-gu Nam-gu (), or " Southern District," is the name of a ''gu'' in several South Korean cities:
*Nam-gu, Busan
*Nam-gu, Daegu
* Nam-gu, Gwangju
*Nam-gu, Incheon
* Nam-gu, Pohang
*Nam-gu, Ulsan
Nam District (Nam-gu) is a district of Ulsan, South Korea. ...
,
Daegu
Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
, South Korea.
In an interview about her being of mixed origin and the product of two cultures Nancy said, "I have always been told by my parents that there are two cultures that I am in contact with ever since I was a child."
On March 20, 2019, it was reported that Nancy changed her Korean legal name to Lee Geu-roo from Lee Seung-ri.
Education
She graduated from
Hanlim Multi Art School
Hanlim Multi Art School ( ko, 한림연예예술고등학교) is an arts high school located in Songpa District in Seoul, South Korea.
History
Hanlim School was founded on 3 March 1962, with Lee Hyeon-man being appointed school principal. In 20 ...
on February 9, 2018, where she was a student in the Musical Department.
Career
Pre-debut
Nancy auditioned in ''
Korea's Got Talent
''Korea's Got Talent'' ( ko, 코리아 갓 탤런트) is a South Korean reality television show that was first broadcast on 4 June 2011 on TVN (South Korean TV channel), tvN. The show is based on the Got Talent series, ''Got Talent'' series forma ...
'' as part of a hip-hop group called "Cutie Pies" in 2011, The group reached the semi-finals.
As a teenager, she appeared in several TV programs, including ''The Unlimited'', and also participated in ''Mak Ee Rae Show: Just Do It Expedition'' in 2012, in which she traveled to the Philippines and Saipan with South Korean actress
Kim Yoo-jung
Kim Yoo-jung (; born September 22, 1999) is a South Korean actress. She debuted as a model for a confectionery brand at the age of four. After her acting debut in 2003, she became one of the best known child actresses in Korea since then, aft ...
.
2016: ''Finding Momoland'', debut with Momoland, and Sunny Girls
In 2016, Nancy became a contestant 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 survival show ''Finding Momoland'' to select the members of MLD Entertainment's new girl group Momoland. She finished the competition in first place, and had her debut with the group on November 10, 2016, with the
mini-album
A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...
''
Welcome to Momoland
''Welcome to Momoland'' is the debut extended play by South Korean girl group Momoland. It was released by Duble Kick Entertainment and distributed by Kakao M on November 10, 2016. For the extended play, Momoland worked with a variety of produce ...
''. Momoland made their debut stage performing at ''
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 November 19, it was announced that she would join ''
Inkigayo
''Inkigayo'' ( ko, 인기가요; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who p ...
''
's project girl group Sunny Girls along with
GFriend
GFriend (stylized in all caps; ) was a South Korean girl group formed by Source Music in 2015. The group consisted of six members: Sowon, Yerin, Eunha, Yuju, SinB, and Umji. They debuted with the extended play (EP) '' Season of Glass'' on Jan ...
's
Eunha,
WJSN
WJSN (; ), also known as Cosmic Girls, is a South Korean girl group formed by Starship Entertainment. The group debuted on February 25, 2016, with the extended play ''Would You Like?'' and with twelve members: Seola, Xuanyi, Bona, Exy, Soobi ...
's
Cheng Xiao
Cheng Xiao (; , born July 15, 1998) is a Chinese singer, dancer and actress currently active in China since 2018, and well known as a member of South Korean-Chinese girl group WJSN.
Early life
Cheng was born on July 15, 1998, in Nanshan Distr ...
,
Oh My Girl
Oh My Girl (, also stylized as OH MY GIRL and OMG) is a South Korean girl group formed by WM Entertainment. The group is composed of six members: Hyojung, Mimi, YooA, Seunghee, Yubin and Arin. Originally an eight-piece group, JinE left the gro ...
's
YooA and
Gugudan
Gugudan (), also stylized as gu9udan or gx9, was a South Korean girl group formed in 2016 by Jellyfish Entertainment and the company's first girl group. The group debuted on June 28, 2016, with their EP '' Act. 1 The Little Mermaid''. The group ...
's Nayoung. They made their official debut at
SBS's ''Inkigayo'' stage, on November 27, with the title track "Taxi". The group also performed at the
2016 SBS Gayo Daejeon on December 26.
2017–present: Acting activities and recognition
In April 2017, Momoland released the single "
Wonderful Love
"Wonderful Love" () is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Momoland. It was released on April 26, 2017, by Duble Kick Entertainment and distributed by Kakao M as the group's single from their first single album of the same name. The trac ...
". On August 22, 2017, Momoland's second mini-album, ''
Freeze!'' was released. In the same year, Nancy was cast in the lead role with boy band
ZE:A member Ha Min-woo in
Naver TV
Naver TV (; formerly Naver TV Cast) is a South Korean online video streaming and video sharing service developed and operated by Naver. The service primarily distributes web dramas and entertainment shows.
Original programming Dramas 2013
* ' ...
's
web music drama series ''Some Light''.
Nancy and Ha Min-woo also collaborated for the
theme song
Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...
of the drama series.
In October 2018, Nancy appeared in episode 11 of
MBC's ''
Dae Jang Geum is Watching
''Dae Jang Geum Is Watching'' () is a 2018 South Korean television series starring Shin Dong-wook, Kwon Yu-ri, Lee Yul-eum, Kim Hyun-joon and Lee Min-hyuk, a work that started with the idea of how Dae Jang Geum's descendants would live. It aire ...
'', alongside her fellow-members JooE, Hyebin and Daisy as idol trainees.
On January 3, 2018, Momoland released their third mini-album, ''
Great!''. As a result, the lead single, "''
Bboom Bboom
"Bboom Bboom" (, stylized as "BBoom BBoom") is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Momoland. It was released on January 3, 2018, by Duble Kick Company and distributed by LOEN Entertainment as the lead single from the group's third extende ...
''," was a huge commercial success, reaching number two on the
Gaon Digital Chart
The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...
.
On June 26, 2018, Momoland released their fourth mini-album ''
Fun to the World
''Fun to the World'' is the fourth extended play by South Korean girl group Momoland. It was released by MLD Entertainment and distributed by Kakao M on June 26, 2018. For the extended play, Momoland worked with a variety of producers including ...
'' with the lead single "
Baam
"Baam" (stylized as "BAAM") is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Momoland. It was released on June 26, 2018 by MLD Entertainment and distributed by Kakao M as the lead single from the group's fourth extended play, ''Fun to the World''. ...
" becoming the 15th best-selling song of July 2018 on
Gaon Music Chart
The Circle Chart (), previously known as the Gaon Music Chart or the Gaon Chart (), tabulates the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in South Korea. It is produced by the Korea Music Content Association and sponsored by South Korea's ...
.
Acting career
Upcoming projects
In the Philippines,
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
and
Dreamscape Entertainment
Dreamscape Entertainment is a Philippine television production company and entertainment division of ABS-CBN Corporation. It is one of the media conglomerate's television production units that supplies telenovelas for the flagship television n ...
announced on October 4, 2019, that Nancy was to star in an upcoming new Filipino miniseries titled ''The Soulmate Project''. Nancy will play her character Binna, a "Korean-American who lives in the Philippines." In an interview with ABS-CBN News in 2019, director and writer
Antoinette Jadaone
Antoinette Hilario Jadaone (born April 3, 1984) is a Filipina filmmaker and podcaster, best known for directing ''That Thing Called Tadhana'' (2014), '' Love You to the Stars and Back'' (2017), ''Never Not Love You'' (2018), '' Alone/Together'' ( ...
said that series will consist of 13 episodes and it will be "more akin to a Korean drama." she said, "It’s not like how we do ''
teleseryes''
n the Philippines
N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''.
History
...
where you do it per script every day, with a weekly script," Nancy revealed that filming will also take part in her home country South Korea.
Production for the project was slated to begin in 2020, but was postponed to 2021 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
and the
ABS-CBN shutdown and subsequent denial of its bid for a new legislative broadcast franchise. An omnibus trailer for the series was unveiled at the network's Christmas special on December 20, 2020, while new filming dates are yet to be released.
Other ventures
Endorsements
In January 2020, Nancy was chosen as the new endorsement model for the popular skincare brand "Some By Mi", A representative of Some By Mi said that they chose Nancy was because "her healthy and pure image fit well with the direction that we pursue, of our clean, natural skincare products".
Filmography
Television series
Web series
Television shows
Hosting
Discography
Soundtrack appearances
References
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
2000 births
Living people
People from Daegu
21st-century South Korean women singers
21st-century South Korean actresses
South Korean female dancers
South Korean female idols
Momoland members
South Korean television actresses
South Korean web series actresses
American people of Irish descent
American people of South Korean descent
South Korean people of American descent
South Korean people of Irish descent
Hanlim Multi Art School alumni