Im Na-yeon (; born September 22, 1995), known mononymously as Nayeon, is a South Korean singer. She became 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 ...
Twice
Twice (; Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn: ''To~uwaisu''; commonly stylized as TWICE) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaey ...
, under
JYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate founded in 1997 by J. Y. Park. It is one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, and operates as a record label, tale ...
, in 2015 as a winning contestant of the reality survival television show ''
Sixteen''.
In 2022, her eponymous 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), ''
Im Nayeon
Im Na-yeon (; born September 22, 1995), known mononymously as Nayeon, is a South Korean singer. She became a member of the South Korean girl group Twice, under JYP Entertainment, in 2015 as a winning contestant of the reality survival televis ...
'', peaked at number 7 on the US
''Billboard'' 200, making her the first South Korean soloist to enter the chart's top 10.
Life and career
Early life
As a child, Nayeon participated in a modeling contest and was cast by
JYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate founded in 1997 by J. Y. Park. It is one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, and operates as a record label, tale ...
(JYPE). Although her mother initially prevented her from entering
show business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produc ...
given her young age,
Nayeon secretly attended the agency's open audition on September 15, 2010, after which she became a trainee.
In 2013, she was added to the lineup of 6mix, a planned JYPE girl group that never debuted.
She also made an appearance in the second episode of the 2012 television series ''
Dream High 2
''Dream High 2'' () is a 2012 South Korean television series starring Kang So-ra, Jay B, Jeong Jin-woon, Park Ji-yeon, Hyolyn, and Park Seo-joon. It aired on KBS2 from January 30 to March 20, 2012, on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 ( KST). Like it ...
''.
2015–present: ''Sixteen'', Twice and solo debut
In 2015, Nayeon participated in the
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
show ''
Sixteen'', a competition to determine the members of a new
JYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate founded in 1997 by J. Y. Park. It is one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, and operates as a record label, tale ...
girl group called
Twice
Twice (; Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn: ''To~uwaisu''; commonly stylized as TWICE) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaey ...
.
As one of the nine successful participants, she made the final lineup.
In October, Nayeon officially debuted as a member of Twice with the release of their first
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), ''
The Story Begins
''The Story Begins'' is the debut extended play by South Korean girl group Twice. It was released by JYP Entertainment on October 20, 2015, through KT Music. It features six tracks, including the lead single, "Like Ooh-Ahh", which was composed ...
''. In
Gallup Korea
Gallup Korea () or Gallup Korea Research Institute () is a South Korean research company. Founded by Park Moo-ik in 1974, the company became a member of Gallup International Association in 1997. It is best known for conducting public surveys on ...
's annual music poll for 2017, she was voted the sixth most popular
idol
Idol or Idols may refer to:
Religion and philosophy
* Cult image, a neutral term for a man-made object that is worshipped or venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents
* Murti, a point of focus for devotion or medit ...
in South Korea.
In the 2018 poll, she again ranked sixth, receiving 6.7% of the votes.
In 2019, she placed fifth, receiving 8.2% of the votes,
and ranked as the eighth most popular female K-pop idol in a survey of soldiers completing
mandatory military service in South Korea.
On May 19, 2022, it was announced that Nayeon would debut as a solo artist on June 24 with her EP ''
Im Nayeon
Im Na-yeon (; born September 22, 1995), known mononymously as Nayeon, is a South Korean singer. She became a member of the South Korean girl group Twice, under JYP Entertainment, in 2015 as a winning contestant of the reality survival televis ...
''.
On July 10, 2022, Nayeon earned her first ever
music show win on
SBS ''
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 ...
''. She won
Best Female Artist at the
2022 MAMA Awards
The 2022 MAMA Awards ceremony, organized by CJ E&M and broadcast through its music channel Mnet, was broadcast live on November 29 and 30, 2022. The ceremony was held at the Kyocera Dome Osaka, Japan. The theme for the ceremony is titled "K-POP ...
.
Other ventures
Fashion and endorsements
Aside from various endorsements with her Twice bandmates, Nayeon has promoted various products and featured in numerous advertisements. During her trainee years, Nayeon was a model for brands such as Smart School Uniform and TN. In May 2021, she became a model and appeared in a promotional video for
Chaumet
The House of Chaumet (), founded in 1780, is a jeweller based in Paris.
Chaumet is a jewellery and watchmaking designer founded in 1780 by Marie-Étienne Nitot. Fourteen artisans ply their trade in the workshop on Place Vendôme under the dire ...
's Joséphine Collection. In August, she became a model for Biotherm Korea, a South Korean beauty brand. In September 2022, she became a model of South Korean clothing brand Olive Des Olive.
Nayeon has also appeared in magazines including
''Nylon Korea'',
''Cosmopolitan Korea'',
''W Korea'', and
''Elle Korea'' for fashion brands such as
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren, ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his co ...
,
Jill Stuart
Jill Stuart (born 1965) is an American fashion designer based in New York City, where she has been operating since 1988. She established her eponymous label in 1993. She also has a significant international client base, particularly in Japan.
...
,
Fendi
Fendi () is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house producing fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in Rome in 1925, Fendi is known for its fur, fur accessories, and leather goods.
...
, and
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its produc ...
. She featured in the April 2022 issue of ''
Harper's Bazaar Korea'' for Chaumet's Josephine collection. The same month, she was officially named by the brand as the Friend of the Maison.
Philanthropy
In March 2020, she donated
KR₩50 million to the
Community Chest of Korea
Community Chest of Korea ( ko, 사회복지공동모금회) is a Korean nonprofit organization, launched in 1998. It is the only government-sanctioned charity within Korea. It is Korea's largest welfare institution. With a community-based fundrais ...
to help the fight against
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
outbreak.
Discography
Extended plays
Singles
Other charted songs
Songwriting credits
All song credits are adapted from the
Korea Music Copyright Association
The Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) is a South Korean non-profit copyright collective for musical works, administering public performance and broadcasting rights, and mechanical recording and reproduction rights. Founded in 1964, it i ...
's database unless stated otherwise.
Filmography
Television series
Television show
Web show
Music videos
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1995 births
Living people
Singers from Seoul
21st-century South Korean women singers
Japanese-language singers of South Korea
English-language singers from South Korea
JYP Entertainment artists
K-pop singers
South Korean women pop singers
South Korean female idols
Twice (group) members
Pyeongtaek Im clan
Konkuk University alumni