Choi Yena

Choi Yena
Choi Yena (2019) (Buenos Aires)
Name
Korean name	최예나
Birthdate	September 29, 1999
Birthplace	Gangdong, Seoul, South Korea
Blood type	A
Current Age	25 Years Old
Sizes
Height	163cm
Professional Info
Agency	Yuehua Entertainment
Idol Career Info
Former Group	IZONE
Debuted	October, 2018
Graduated	April, 2021

Choi Yena was a member of IZONE. She is now on a solo career under the name YENA, signed with Yuehua Entertainment.

History

Early Life

• Started dancing at Joy Dance Academy, majoring in hip-hop dance.

2015

• Started training at YUEHUA Entertainment (was a Trainee for 3 years and 5 months before joining Produce 48

2018

• In June, had her first appearance on the Korean idol survival show Produce 48.
• On August 31st, came in 4th place on the finale of Produce 48. This meant she would have her debut with IZONE.
  • Her official color in IZONE is yellow.
• On October 29th, IZONE's debut album COLOR*IZ was released, featuring Yena in all songs.

2019

• On February 6, had her Japan debut with IZONE and Suki to Iwasetai.
• On February 7, it was announced that she would appear in the television variety show "The Life of the Bamboo Hut" (호구들의 감빵생활).
• Starting March 13, became a cast member on Mafia Game in Prison alongside Ahn Yujin.
• Released on September 25th, had her first center position for Shigaisen Nanka Buttobase on the Vampire single.
• On November 9th, was supposed to appear on "Amazing Saturday" alongside Jang Wonyoung, but the episode was postponed due to the news of the Produce 48 voting scandal and IZONE's hiatus following shortly after.

2020

• On February 26th, appeared on "Amazing Saturday" alongside Jang Wonyoung.

2021

• Starting on January 29th, appeared on the drama "Girls' High Mystery Class" alongside other singers and entertainers.
• On February 6th, appeared on "Amazing Saturday" again.
• On March 26th, appeared on Come Back Home TV.
• On March 26th and April 2nd, appeared as a guest panelist on I Can See Your Voice alongside Kwon Eunbi.
• On April 1st, had her first appearance on "K-Pop Renaissance to Hidden Gems" (appeared on Episodes 178 and 179).
• On April 27th, received the award for Variety Entertainment Idol (Female) at the 2021 BCLI Brand Customer Loyalty Awards.
• On April 28th, appeared on Mnet TMI News alongside Kim Minju.
• On April 29th, IZONE officially disbanded.
• On May 21st, appeared in a 10-episode spin-off show of "Amazing Saturday," called "Idol Dictation Contest."
• On June 11th, did a performance of Chained Up featuring Jaejae and Doyeon (who are both cast members on Girls' High Mystery Class).
• On August 10th, news revealed her upcoming solo debut for the latter part of the year.
• On August 24th, her own variety show "Yena's Animal Detective" started.
• On November 1st, the new survival reality show "Game Blood" started with Yena as the MC.
• From December 16th to 20th, appeared in Idol Dictation Contest Season 2.
• On December 18th, appeared in episode 311 of "Knowing Brothers."

2022

• From December 31st, 2021, to February 18th, 2022, appeared in "Girls' High Mystery Class 2."
• On January 17th, released her first solo mini album, "ˣ‿ˣ (SMiLEY)".
• On January 29th, was a panelist on episode 1 of "I Can See Your Voice" Season 9.
• From May 12th to September 15th, was a panelist on the music show "Fantastic Family".
• From June 7th to August 16th, was a panelist on the music show "New Festa".
• On June 14th, June 21st, August 16th and October 4th, appeared on episodes 22, 23, 30 and 36 of "DNA Mate" respectively.
• On July 12th and 18th, was a special guest on the drama "Love Recall" (이별도 리콜이 되나요?, Will the break-up be a recall?).
• On August 3rd, released her second solo mini album, "Smartphone".
• On August 5th, appeared on episode 6 of "My Alcohol Diary" (차린건 쥐뿔도 없지만, Nothing Much Prepared).
• On August 23rd, appeared on episode 10 of "My Playlist" (마이 플레이리스트).
• From November 25th to January 27th of 2023, appeared as a regular cast member on "The Door: Spin-Off" (더도어: 이상한 외전, The Door: The Strange Side Story).

2023

• On January 16th, released her first solo single album, "Love War".
• On June 27th, released her second solo single album, "Hate XX".
• On August 9th, released her first Japanese solo single, "SMILEY-Japanese Ver.- (feat. Chanmina)".
• On November 18th, held her first fan meeting in Hong Kong.
• On December 7th, made a guest appearance on episode 10 of "Produce 101 Japan The Girls".

2024

• On January 15th, released her 3rd mini album, GOOD MORNING.
• On February 7th, released her second Japanese single, "DNA".
• On February 7th, held two performances of YENA JAPAN SHOWCASE "DNA" in KT Zepp Yokohama to celebrate the release of her second single.
• Released on February 20th, appeared in the music video for "Sugar Rush" by BIBI (비비), who had previously collaborated with Yena on ˣ‿ˣ (SMiLEY).
• On July 6th, is scheduled to hold her fan concert, "2024 YENA FAN CONCERT - SUPER YENA."

Solo Releases

#	Cover	Title	Release date
Mini Albums
01		ˣ‿ˣ (SMiLEY)	2022.01.17
02		Smartphone	2022.08.03
03		GOOD MORNING	2024.01.15
Single Albums
01		Love War	2023.01.16
02		Hate XX	2023.07.26
Japanese Singles
01		SMILEY-Japanese Ver.- (feat. Chanmina)	2023.08.09
02		DNA	2024.02.07

Singles Participation

IZONE A-sides

• La Vie en Rose
• Suki to Iwasetai
• Violeta
• Buenos Aires
• Vampire
• Panorama

IZONE B-sides

Colors O' My! Memory We Together (IZ*ONE ver.) Suki ni Nacchaudarou? (IZ*ONE ver.) Yume wo Miteiru Aida (IZ*ONE ver.) Pick Me (IZ*ONE ver.) Kenchanayo Neko ni Naritai Hey. Bae. Like It. Highlight Really Like You Up Neko ni Naritai (Korean ver.)

Gokigen Sayonara (Korean ver.) Tomorrow Toshishita Boyfriend Kimi Igai Shigaisen Nanka Buttobase (Center) Fushigi Lucy Secret Story of the Swan Welcome Pretty Merry-Go-Round Rococo With*One Secret Story of the Swan (Japanese Ver.) Merry-Go-Round (Japanese Ver.)

Mise-en-Scène Island Sequence O Sole Mio Slow Journey

Other Songs

• Pick Me (Naekkeoya)
• Pick Me (Nekkoya)
• Very Very Very (Produce 48 Cover ver.)
• Sorry Not Sorry (Freedo Remix) (Produce 48 Cover ver.)
• I Am
• Suki ni Nacchaudarou? (Produce 48 ver.)
• Yume wo Miteiru Aida (Produce 48 ver.)

Albums Participation

IZONE Albums

• EYES (BLOOM*IZ)
• FIESTA (BLOOM*IZ)
• DREAMLIKE (BLOOM*IZ)
• SO CURIOUS (BLOOM*IZ)
• SPACESHIP (BLOOM*IZ)
• DESTINY (BLOOM*IZ)
• YOU & I (BLOOM*IZ)
• SOMEDAY (BLOOM*IZ)
• OPEN YOUR EYES (BLOOM*IZ)
• Beware (Twelve)
• Waiting (Twelve)
• Dousureba Ii? (Twelve)

Units

Concert Units

Eyes On Me

• Rollin' Rollin'
• SO CURIOUS

Oneiric Theater

• Gangsta (NOIR Cover)

One, The Story

• Sunny (Boney M Cover) x Roly-Poly (T-ARA Cover)
• SOMEDAY

Media Appearances

Survival

• Produce 48 (2018)
• I Can See Your Voice (Season 8) (2021) – Panelist
• I Can See Your Voice (Season 9) (2022) - Guest Panelist
• Produce 101 Japan The Girls (2023) - Guest (Episode 10)

Variety Shows

• IZ*ONE CHU (2018 – 2020)
• Idol Room (2018 - 2019)
• Weekly Idol (2018 – 2019)
• AmigoTV (Season 4) (2018)
• QT Show (2018)
• JTBC Human Intelligence (2018)
• The Show Mini Game (2018)
• Comedy Big League (2018)
• AbemaTV (2019 – 2020)
• Prison Life (호구들의 감빵생활) (2019)
• Amazing Saturday (2020 – 2021)
• EAT-TING TRIP (2020 – 2021)
• Come Back Home TV (2021)
• K-Pop Renaissance to Hidden Gems (2021) - Episodes 178 + 179
• Idol Dictation Contest (2021)
• Yena's Animal Detective (2021)
• Game Blood (2021 - 2022)
• Idol Dictation Contest (Season 2) (2021)
• Knowing Brothers (Ep. 311) (2021)
• Midnight Horror Stories (Season 2) (2022) - Episode 6
• My Alcohol Diary (차린건 쥐뿔도 없지만) (2022) - Episode 6
• The Door: Spin-Off (더도어: 이상한 외전) (2022-2023) - Regular

Music Shows

• Fantastic Family (2022) - Panelist
• New Festa (2022) - Panelist
• DNA Mate (2022) - Guest (Episode 22, 23, 30, 36)
• My Playlist (마이 플레이리스트) (2022) - Guest (Episode 10)

Radio

• KBS Cool FM (2018)
• All Night Nippon (2018)
• Konya, Sakura no Ki no Shita de (2018)

Drama

• Girls' High Mystery Class (2021)
• Girls' High Mystery Class 2 (2021 - 2022)
• Love Recall (2022) (이별도 리콜이 되나요?) - Episode 1 + 2

Awards

• Variety Entertainment Idol (Female) – 2021 BCLI Brand Customer Loyalty Awards

Trivia

• Name in Korean: 최예나
• Is under YUEHUA Entertainment
• Her elder brother is former SPEED member Sungmin
• Her talent is playing claw machines
• Has a dog
• Is a former Polaris Entertainment/Blockberry Creative trainee, she used to train with LOONA`s Heejin and Hyunjin.
• Attended Hanlim Multi Art School.
• Enjoys playing games and watching movies alone
• She considers her lips to be her "secret weapon"
• Her favorite ice cream flavors are strawberry and chocolate
• Was crowned as “Personal Talent One Queen” in Weekly Idol.
• Is known for looking like a duck
• Has a dog named Audrey. (IZ*ONE CHU ep.4)
• Is close to DIA‘s Jueun, they’re both former BBC/Polaris trainee.
• Was on the show “Cooking Class"
• Well known for being very bright and energetic, and is often known as the happy virus of IZONE
• Is a big fan of Bora (former member of SISTAR)
• Her parents didn’t want her to become an idol because her brother’s group didn’t do well.
• Is a childhood cancer survivor, she had lymphoma as a child.
• She came in fourth place on the final episode of Produce 48 with a total of 285,385 votes
• She and Hyewon used to attend the same school.
• Attended Joy Dance Academy and majored in girls hip-hop dance.
• Her Hogwarts house (Harry Potter) is Hufflepuff.
• First and only member of IZONE to receive a solo award during the time the group was active.
• Her Myers-Briggs personality is ESFP.

Gallery

Choi Yena (2019) (HEART*IZ Sapphire Ver.)

Choi Yena (2019) (HEART*IZ Violeta Ver.)

Choi Yena (2019) (Suki to Iwasetai)

Choi Yena (2018) (COLOR*IZ Rose Ver.)

Choi Yena (2018) (COLOR*IZ Color Ver.)

Choi Yena (2018) (COLOR*IZ Color Ver.)

Choi Yena (2018)

Choi Yena (Produce 48)