Kim Chaewon (; born August 1, 2000) is a South Korean singer. She is the leader of South Korean

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...

Le Sserafim Le Sserafim ( ; ; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by Source Music, a sub-label of Hybe Corporation, Hybe. The group consists of five members: Sakura Miyawaki, Sakura, Kim Chaewon, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha, and Hong Eunchae. ...

and a former member of the girl group

Iz*One Iz*One ( ; ; ; stylized in all caps) was a South Korean–Japanese girl group formed through the Mnet (TV channel), Mnet reality competition show ''Produce 48''. The group was composed of twelve members: Jang Won-young, Sakura Miyawaki, Jo Yu-r ...

, having finished tenth in the reality competition series ''

Produce 48 ''Produce 48'' () is 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 Kore ...

'' in 2018.

Early life and education

Kim was born on August 1, 2000, in

Gangnam Gangnam (), sometimes referred to as the Greater Gangnam Area, is a geographic and cultural region in Seoul. While Gangnam can refer to the entire region of Seoul south of the Han River, the region is generally defined as consisting of the city ...

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea. Her family consists of her parents and an older sister. Her mother is the theater actress Lee Ran-hee. Kim attended Seoul Poi Elementary School, Guryong Middle School, and Gaepo High School. She later transferred to

Hanlim Multi Art School Hanlim Multi Art School () 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 2009, it became the Hanlim Multi Art ...

, graduating in 2019. In 2012, Kim performed in KBS' Korea Children's Song Contest.

Career

2018–2021: Produce 48 and Iz*One

In 2018, Kim participated in the South Korean survival show ''

'' by

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, ...

, representing

Woollim Entertainment Woollim Entertainment () is a South Korean entertainment company founded in 2003 by Lee Jung-yeop. The label is home to artists such as Golden Child, Drippin, and Kwon Eun-bi. It has previously handled artists Epik High, Infinite, Lovelyz ...

alongside

Kwon Eun-bi Kwon Eun-bi (; born September 27, 1995) is a South Korean singer and actress signed under Woollim Entertainment. She debuted as a member of the short lived girl group Ye-A under the stage name Kazoo. She participated in the Mnet (TV channel), ...

, and Su-yun and So-hee of

Rocket Punch Rocket Punch (; or as RCPC) was a South Korean girl group formed and managed by Woollim Entertainment in 2019. The group consisted of six members: Yeonhee, Suyun, Yunkyoung, Sohee, and Dahyun. Former member Juri Takahashi, Juri departed from th ...

. Prior to joining the survival show, Kim trained under Woollim Entertainment for 11 months. She finished in 10th place earning 238,192 votes, allowing her to debut in

, with labelmate Kwon Eun-bi. Kim officially debuted as a member of Iz*one on October 29, 2018, with the release of their first

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

(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 o ...

'' and its lead single "

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 United States in 1950, when seven versions reached the ''Billboard'' cha ...

". In 2020, Kim was first credited for music composition on ''

Oneiric Diary ''Oneiric Diary'' () is the third extended play by South Korean–Japanese girl group Iz*One. It was released on June 15, 2020, by Off the Record Entertainment. The album is available in three versions: ''Diary'', ''Oneiric'' and ''3D'', and cons ...

'', for the track "With*One". She also contributed to writing lyrics for the song "Slow Journey", featured on Iz*One's final EP, ''

One-reeler / Act IV ''One-reeler / Act IV'' is the fourth and final extended play by South Korean–Japanese girl group Iz*One. It was released through Off the Record Entertainment on December 7, 2020. The album is available in three versions: ''Scene #1'', ''Scene # ...

''. In March 2021, Kim competed in ''

King of Mask Singer ''The King of Mask Singer'' () is a South Korean singing competition program presented by Kim Sung-joo, with introductions by voice actor . It airs on MBC on Sunday, starting from April 5, 2015 as a part of MBC's '' Sunday Night'' programming ...

'' under the name "Formosan Deer". On March 13 and 14, Iz*One held their final concert, One, The Story. The group's contract officially expired on April 29, 2021. After the dissolution of Iz*One, Kim returned to her parent company, Woollim Entertainment. She, alongside Kwon Eun-bi, participated together in a few magazine shoots for ''Esquire Magazine'', ''Indeed Magazine'', and ''Singles Magazine''.

2022–present: Debut with Le Sserafim

On March 14, 2022,

Source Music Source Music () is a South Korean record label established in 2009 by So Sung-jin. In July 2019, the company was acquired by Hybe Corporation, making the company part of the collective term "Hybe Labels". The company manages girl group Le Sserafim ...

announced that Kim, alongside former Iz*One member,

Sakura Miyawaki Sakura Miyawaki (born March 19, 1998), also known mononymously as Sakura, is a Japanese singer and actress based in South Korea. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Le Sserafim, and a former member of South Korean-Japanese girl group ...

, signed exclusive contracts with the company, and was confirmed to debut in their new girl group

. Kim was revealed as the group's fourth member and leader on April 7. Kim made her debut as a member of

on May 2, 2022, with their extended play, '' Fearless''. On April 4, 2024, it was announced that Kim would be featured on the track "Spruce", from

Tori Kelly Victoria Loren Kelly (born December 14, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained recognition on YouTube before making it through to Hollywood week on the ninth season of ''American Idol'' in 2010 and eventually releasing her debu ...

's fifth studio album '' Tori''.

Endorsements

On August 27, 2024, the jewelry brand

Swarovski Swarovski (, ) is an Austrian producer of glass based in Wattens, Tyrol. It was founded in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski. The company is split into three major industry areas: the Swarovski Crystal Business, which primarily produces crystal glas ...

announced that Kim would serve as an ambassador for the company in South Korea, marking her first solo ambassadorship with a luxury fashion brand.

Discography

Singles

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 ...

's database unless stated otherwise.

Filmography

Television shows

Web series

Music video appearances

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Chae-won 2000 births Living people People from Gangnam District Singers from Seoul 21st-century South Korean women singers Iz*One members Le Sserafim members Produce 48 contestants South Korean women pop singers South Korean female idols Hanlim Multi Art School alumni Hybe Corporation artists Japanese-language singers of South Korea Reality show winners Gwangsan Kim clan