Once a member of famous Kpop girl group IZ*ONE, how has Choi Yena been faring these days?
After IZ*ONE disbanded in 2021, the member Choi Yena has been working hard to establish her career as a soloist. However, the female idol ended up stumbling into quite a number of controversies and hasn’t managed to shine.
Yena, whose full name is Choi Yena, was born in 1999 in Gangdong, Korea. She used to work under Polaris Entertainment and promoted as a member of IZ*ONE before the group disbanded in 2021.
Since her appearance in the Mnet survival show “Produce 48”, Choi Yena has stood out with her talents and visuals. In IZ*ONE, she showed capabilities in every skill, and is the group’s main rapper, lead vocal, and lead dancer. However, despite all of these qualities, the female idol was not lucky on her career path, and was embroiled in scandals after IZ*ONE disbandment.
In particular, controversies broke out after an SBS news section revealed a relationship between the rich businessman Lee Jae Hwan – CEO of CJ corporation, and a famous female Kpop idol. Netizens then started to point out “clues” that Yena was the idol in question.
In particular, after IZ*ONe, Yena started to participate in variety shows like “Prison Life of Fools”, “Fireworks Handsome”, and many more – all of which were produced by the broadcasting station tvN, a subsidiary of CJ ENM.
Netizens also added that Yena was even given her own show called “Yena’s Animal Detective”, also produced by tvN. The huge number of opportunities offered to an idol from a disbanded group were simply too suspicious, people claimed.
However, the agency of Yena quickly refuted all the malicious rumors and affirmed that Yena had no relationship to the rich. Fans of the idol also rose to her defense, and thus Yena managed to clear her name in the public’s eyes.
Yena also did not join the girl group EVERGLOW like initially assumed, but rather debuted as a soloist. In January, she released her solo song “Smiley”, where she both wrote the lyrics and composed parts of the song.
While the debut track wasn’t a big hit, it still managed to earn Yena certain achievements. The idol also had her first win on a music show, something that may take years for other Kpop idols to accomplish.
Alongside idol activities, Yena also tried her hand at acting via the second season of web-drama “The World of My 17”. The series was not too successful, but Yena’s acting abilities was praised by many audiences.
It can be seen that Yena still hasn’t managed to shine in the entertainment industry, however, her visuals have been flourishing. As a soloist, she has changed her makeup style and used double eyelid tape to amplify her eyes. The new black hair also suit her better than previous brighter colors.
Another thing about Yena that drew attention from netizens is her difficult past. It was revealed that Yena was diagnosed with lymphoma as a child, and her parents had to sell kimbap to earn money for her treatment. The idol openly expressed her appreciation towards her parents, and thanked them for creating the strong and determined Yena of today.
Since the disband of IZ*ONE, Choi Yena has been working hard as a solo artist, but has also struggled from false sponsorship rumors. Hopefully, the idol will be able to truly shine just like her old group members.
Source: Yan
