JEON SOYEON

JEON SOYEON, known more prominently as Soyeon, built her career as the leader of prominent Korean girl group (G)I-DLE. After establishing (G)I-DLE with chart-dominating EPs and singles, the musician embarked on solo ventures in 2021, releasing her debut EP Windy on Cube Entertainment.
Growing up in Seoul, South Korea, Jeon So-yeon found an early creative outlet in ballet, winning a string of dance competitions throughout her elementary school years. After seeing Big Bang perform live, Jeon shifted her career ambitions toward music; swiftly finding her calling in rap, she landed a spot as a Cube Entertainment trainee through the organization’s 2014 auditions. Soyeon participated in Cube’s 2016 game shows Produce 101 and Unpretty Rapstar, as well as releasing solo singles “Jelly” and “Idle Song.” Yet the moment that was to define her career was just around the corner: in January 2018, Cube announced Soyeon as the leader of their new girl group, (G)I-DLE.
(G)I-DLE soon became a force to be reckoned with. The group’s debut single, “Latata,” landed 5.9 million views in its first week, and was quickly followed by bigger successes with the I Am EP and the chart-topping “Hann (Alone).” A sweeping run across Korean awards ceremonies saw (G)I-DLE lauded as one of K-Pop’s new shining lights, and the group rapidly met their expectations, charting at number two with their sophomore EP I Made and finding international success with their Japanese-language EP Latata. Their 2020s run proved even more successful: the group’s third EP, I Trust, debuted atop the Gaon Album charts, while 2021′s I Burn was bolstered by their highest-charting single to date, “Hwaa” (number four).
Though Soyeon continued to play a critical role in (G)I-DLE, her work as part of virtual band K/DA (created for popular video game League of Legends) had given the vocalist her first major taste of solo work. Despite flirting with the idea of a solo career prior to (G)I-DLE, Soyeon took her first steps on her own in 2021, releasing single “Beam Beam” under the name JEON SOYEON. Her debut EP, the assured Windy, arrived later that year. ~ David Crone