Choi Yena (최예나) IZ*ONE

Yena (also known by her full name Choi Ye Na) is a South Korean singer-songwriter and rapper under Yue Hua Entertainment. She is a former member of the project girl group IZ*ONE. She ranked #4 in the hit survival show Produce48 with 285,385 votes, earning her a spot in the group.

She made her solo debut with the mini album ˣ‿ˣ (SMiLEY) on January 17, 2022.

Stage Name: Yena (예나)

Birth Name: Choi Ye Na (최예나)

Position (IZ*ONE): Main Rapper, Lead Vocalist, Lead Dancer

Birthday: September 29, 1999

Birth place: Seoul, South Korea

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Height: 162 cm (5’3”)

Weight: 45 kg (99 lbs)

Blood Type: A

Instagram: @yena.jigumina

Twitter: @yena_official

Agency:

Yue Hua Entertainment (2018–present)

Off The Record Entertainment (IZ*ONE; 2018–2021)

Polaris Entertainment (former)

On May 11, 2018, she was revealed as a contestant on Produce 48, where she would be representing Yue Hua Entertainment. She ranked 4th overall, thus becoming a member of IZ*ONE.[2] The group officially debuted on October 29 with their first mini album Color*IZ.

On April 29, 2021, IZ*ONE disbanded after their special contract was concluded. Yena then returned to Yue Hua as a trainee.

On August 10, StarNews reported that Yena would be making her solo debut in the second half of 2021.[3][4] On October 6, StarNews revealed that her solo debut was postponed and it would now be taking place in the first half of the following year.

On October 7, Yena was officially confirmed to make her acting debut in the second season of Naver TV Cast's The World of My 17, in which she will be playing the female lead role.

On January 1, with a New Year's greeting message, she announced that she will make her solo debut on January 17. On January 2, her debut was confirmed with a teaser poster for her first mini album ˣ‿ˣ (SMiLEY), which was released on January 17. That same day, Yena announced her solo fanclub name would be Jigumi.

On July 17, Yena released a teaser for her upcoming comeback with her second mini album Smartphone, which was released on August 3.

On January 2, a coming soon poster was released announcing Yena's comeback on January 16. The next day, it was revealed that she will be releasing her first single album, "Love War".

Her older brother, Choi Sung Min, is an actor and a former member of the co-ed group Coed School and the boy group SPEED.

Prior to debuting with IZ*ONE, she trained for 3 years and 5 months.

Yena is a cancer survivor. She had childhood lymphoma. Her illness was so severe that doctors told her parents to give up. Due to her family's financial situation and medical costs, her parents never got the chance to have a honeymoon and went out every morning to sell gimbap. Due to this, she has an old tracheal tube scar visible on the lower front of her neck.

Her hobby is games and watching movies alone.

Her Produce 48 motto was "Yena; now born as a person of many talents", while her catchphrase was "I shall become a person like you've never seen before."