Biography
South Korean vocalist and composer Chung Ha first rose to prominence as part of the K-pop collective I.O.I. before establishing herself independently through a string of high-charting projects such as the 2018 mini-album Offset, the track “Gotta Go,” her inaugural full-length QUERENCIA in 2021, and its 2022 successor Bare & Rare.
Born Kim Chan-mi in Seoul, she lived for a time during her youth in Dallas, Texas, answering to the name Annie Kim and nurturing an early passion for dance. Upon returning to South Korea she entered the rigorous K-pop training regimen and participated in survival programs prior to being selected for YMC Entertainment’s eleven-member outfit I.O.I. The group launched in 2016 with the Top Five EP Chrysalis, whose international Top Ten single “Whatta Man” brought them widespread attention; their second EP, Miss Me?, marked their commercial zenith before the members entered a hiatus at the start of 2017. Chung Ha pressed ahead alone, unveiling the single “Week” and the EP Hands on Me, which merged contemporary dance-pop, reflective ballads, and nostalgic K-pop textures. The following year Offset climbed to number three domestically and introduced her to American audiences by reaching number 13 on Billboard’s World Albums chart. Adding hip-hop and electronic accents to polished dance-pop, she quickly followed with the third EP Blooming Blue. Stepping away briefly from solo duties, she joined Seulgi of Red Velvet, Soyeon of (G)I-dle, and SinB of GFriend in the supergroup Station Young for the SM Station X O track “Wow Thing.” Later in 2018 she issued the further singles “Whatcha Doin” alongside Super Junior’s Yesung and “Gotta Go,” her strongest-performing release to that point.
In 2019 the summery Flourishing EP earned Top Ten placements in both Korea and the United States, becoming her strongest seller thus far and spotlighting the hit “Snapping.” That fall she rejoined a nine-member iteration of I.O.I. for a limited reunion. QUERENCIA, her first studio album, arrived in 2021; organized around the four motifs noble, savage, unknown, and pleasures, the twenty-one-song set included contributions from DJ and producer R3hab, Puerto Rican rapper Guaynaa, and South Korean singer-songwriter Colde. The next year brought Bare & Rare, Pt. 1, which featured the single “Sparkling.”
Born Kim Chan-mi in Seoul, she lived for a time during her youth in Dallas, Texas, answering to the name Annie Kim and nurturing an early passion for dance. Upon returning to South Korea she entered the rigorous K-pop training regimen and participated in survival programs prior to being selected for YMC Entertainment’s eleven-member outfit I.O.I. The group launched in 2016 with the Top Five EP Chrysalis, whose international Top Ten single “Whatta Man” brought them widespread attention; their second EP, Miss Me?, marked their commercial zenith before the members entered a hiatus at the start of 2017. Chung Ha pressed ahead alone, unveiling the single “Week” and the EP Hands on Me, which merged contemporary dance-pop, reflective ballads, and nostalgic K-pop textures. The following year Offset climbed to number three domestically and introduced her to American audiences by reaching number 13 on Billboard’s World Albums chart. Adding hip-hop and electronic accents to polished dance-pop, she quickly followed with the third EP Blooming Blue. Stepping away briefly from solo duties, she joined Seulgi of Red Velvet, Soyeon of (G)I-dle, and SinB of GFriend in the supergroup Station Young for the SM Station X O track “Wow Thing.” Later in 2018 she issued the further singles “Whatcha Doin” alongside Super Junior’s Yesung and “Gotta Go,” her strongest-performing release to that point.
In 2019 the summery Flourishing EP earned Top Ten placements in both Korea and the United States, becoming her strongest seller thus far and spotlighting the hit “Snapping.” That fall she rejoined a nine-member iteration of I.O.I. for a limited reunion. QUERENCIA, her first studio album, arrived in 2021; organized around the four motifs noble, savage, unknown, and pleasures, the twenty-one-song set included contributions from DJ and producer R3hab, Puerto Rican rapper Guaynaa, and South Korean singer-songwriter Colde. The next year brought Bare & Rare, Pt. 1, which featured the single “Sparkling.”
Albums
Singles
