Quick Facts
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Biography
Choi Ye-na (Korean: 최예나, born September 29, 1999), known mononymously as Yena, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is a former member of South Korean–Japanese girl group Iz*One after finishing fourth on Mnet's reality girl group survival show Produce 48. She is currently a soloist and actress under Yuehua Entertainment. 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.
Career
Pre-debut
She is a former Polaris Entertainment trainee before joining Yuehua Entertainment. 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 members Kim Si-hyeon and Wang Yiren) represented Yuehua Entertainment on reality girl group survival show Produce 48. She eventually placed fourth and debuted with Iz*One. The group's debut extended play (EP) Color*Iz was released on October 29, 2018, with "La Vie en Rose" serving as its lead single.
Following her debut with Iz*One, Choi became a cast member for Prison Life of Fools, alongside Got7's JB, Jang Do-yeon, Jeong Hyeong-don 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'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 on January 17. She made her broadcast debut on Mnet's M Countdown on January 20 performing "Smiley". 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. That month, she was also cast in the ENA variety show HMLYCP.
Choi released her second single album Hate XX on June 27, 2023. The title track, "Hate Rodrigo," which Choi co-wrote, refers to American pop-singer Olivia Rodrigo, and the lyrics describe the concept of a "cute jealousy" towards Rodrigo, who is an object of envy and admiration. The music video for "Hate Rodrigo," posted on June 27, also prominently features images of Rodrigo. Two days after the music video was released, Yuehua Entertainment set the video to private to address "possible violations of trademark rights, portrait rights and copyright." The music video was later re-uploaded with significant edits, including the removal of "many shots that included posters of Rodrigo on the walls."
In August 2023, Choi made her Japanese debut with the single "Smiley -Japanese Ver.-" (feat. Chanmina). A second Japanese single titled "DNA" is scheduled for February 7, 2024.
In December 2023, it was announced that Choi would be releasing her third EP Good Morning on January 15, 2024.
Discography
Extended plays
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | |||
| Smiley |
| 2 |
|
| Smartphone |
Track listing
| 3 |
|
| Good Morning |
Track listing
| 2 |
|
Single albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | |||
| Love War |
Track listing
| 6 |
|
| Hate XX |
Track listing
| 11 |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | KORHot | JPN | ||||
| Korean | ||||||
| "Smiley" (featuring Bibi) | 2022 | 8 | 9 | — | — | Smiley |
| "Smartphone" | 119 | — | — | Smartphone | ||
| "Love War" (featuring Be'O) | 2023 | 71 | — | — | Love War | |
| "Hate Rodrigo" (featuring Yuqi) | 117 | — | — | Hate XX | ||
| "Good Morning" | 2024 | 178 | — | — | Good Morning | |
| Japanese | ||||||
| "Smiley" (Japanese version) (featuring Chanmina) | 2023 | — | — | 10 |
| Non-album singles |
| "DNA" | 2024 | — | — | 7 |
| |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
Production credits
All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless stated otherwise.
| Year | Artist | Song | Album | Lyrics | Music |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Iz*One | "With*One" | Oneiric Diary |  |  |
| 2021 | "Lesson" | Non-album single | | | |
| 2022 | Choi Ye-na | "Before Anyone Else" | Smiley | | |
| "Smiley" | | | |||
| "Lxxk 2 U" | | | |||
| "Pretty Boys" | | | |||
| "Make U Smile" | Smartphone | | | ||
| "Smartphone" | | | |||
| "WithOrWithOut" | | | |||
| 2023 | "Wash Away" | Love War | | | |
| "Love War" | | | |||
| "Hate Rodrigo" | HATE XX | | | ||
| "Smiley -Japanese Ver.-" | Smiley -Japanese Ver.- | | | ||
| 2024 | "Good Morning" | Good Morning | | | |
| "The Ugly Duckling" | | |
Videography
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Smiley" (featuring Bibi) | 2022 | KIM ZI-YONG (FANTAZYLAB) | |
| "Smartphone" | Kwon Yong-soo (Studio Saccharin) | ||
| "WithOrWithOut (Performance Video) | |||
| "Love War" (featuring Be'O) | 2023 | SOZE YOON (Studio GA•ZE) | |
| "Wicked Love" | Song Jung-hwan | ||
| "Hate Rodrigo" (featuring Yuqi) | KIM ZI-YONG (FANTAZYLAB) | ||
| "Smiley" (Japanese version) (featuring Chanmina) | Unknown | ||
| "Good Morning" | 2024 | KIM ZI-YONG (FANTAZYLAB) | |
| "DNA" | NAIVE |
Filmography
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The World of My 17 | Oh Na-ri | Season 2 |
Television shows
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Cooking Class | Host | |
| 2018 | Produce 48 | Contestant | |
| 2019 | Prison Life of Fools | Cast member | |
| 2021 | Fireworks Handsome | Host | |
| Game of Blood | |||
| 2022 | New Festa | Participant | |
| Fantastic Family | Panelist | ||
| Family Register Mate | Special member | ||
| Is the parting will be a recall? | Judge | ||
| 2023 | M Countdown | Special host | |
| Webtoon Singer | Panelist | ||
| HMLYCP | Cast member | ||
| Girls Night Out | Host |
Web shows
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Girls High School Mystery Class | Cast member | Episode 1–16 / Season 1 | |
| Yena's Animal Detective | Host | |||
| 2021–2022 | Idol Dictation Contest | Cast member | DoReMi Market spin-off / Season 1–2 | |
| 2021-2024 | Girls High School Mystery Class | Cast member | Season 1- 3 | |
| 2022 | The Door: To Wonderland | Cast Member | Season 2 |
Radio shows
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Idol Radio 2 | Temporary DJ | June 23 – July 30 |
Awards and nominations
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia Artist Awards | 2022 | Best Musician Award | Choi Ye-na | Won | |
| Blue Dragon Series Awards | 2022 | Best New Female Entertainer | Girls High School Mystery Class | Nominated | |
| Brand Customer Loyalty Award | 2021 | Best Female Idol Entertainer | Choi Ye-na | Won | |
| 2022 | Best Rookie Female Singer | Won | |||
| Best Female Idol Entertainer | Won | ||||
| 2023 | Most Influential Female Solo Artist | Won | |||
| Most Influential Female Entertainer Idol | Won | ||||
| Brand of the Year Awards | 2021 | Entertainer Idol of the Year (Female) | Nominated | ||
| 2022 | Best Rookie Solo Artist | Won | |||
| Circle Chart Music Awards | 2023 | New Icon of the Year | Won | ||
| Song of the Year – January | "Smiley" (feat. Bibi) | Nominated | |||
| Genie Music Awards | 2022 | Best Female Solo Artist | Choi Ye-na | Nominated | |
| Golden Disc Awards | 2023 | Digital Song Bonsang | "Smiley" (feat. Bibi) | Nominated | |
| Rookie Artist of the Year | Choi Ye-na | Nominated | |||
| Hanteo Music Awards | 2023 | Trend Wannabe Icon Award | Won | ||
| Korea First Brand Awards | 2023 | Most Anticipated Female Solo Artist | Won | ||
| MAMA Awards | 2022 | Best New Female Artist | Nominated | ||
| Worldwide Fans' Choice Top 10 | Nominated | ||||
| Artist of the Year | Longlisted | ||||
| Song of the Year | "Smiley" (feat. Bibi) | Longlisted | |||
| Best Dance Performance – Solo | Nominated | ||||
| Melon Music Awards | 2022 | Best Female Solo Artist | Choi Ye-na | Nominated | |
| Top 10 Artist Award | Nominated | ||||
| Artist of the Year | Longlisted |
