Biography
Canadian-Korean vocalist Jeon Somi first rose to prominence as part of the eleven-member K-pop collective I.O.I., only to launch her independent career with the track “Birthday” once that ensemble dissolved. Its fusion of buoyant pop hooks and accessible rap passages crystallized her distinctive approach and propelled the release to widespread commercial success. That single anchored her introductory album XOXO, issued in 2021; the project reached the South Korean Top Ten and was succeeded two years later by the EP Game Plan.
Born Ennik Somi Douma in Ontario, Canada, in 2001, she moved to South Korea at the age of one. Raised in Seoul under the name Jeon So-mi, she displayed an early passion for singing and stage performance. She entered JYP Entertainment in 2014 and began appearing on televised music programs, ultimately claiming first place on the 2016 edition of Produce 101. That victory placed her in I.O.I., and around the same period she shared hosting duties on SBS MTV’s The Show alongside Wooshin of Up10tion. Although the group disbanded in 2017, Jeon remained active through acting roles and side projects, among them a duet with Eric Nam and a contribution to the girl group Unnies assembled for the reality series Sister’s Slam Dunk 2. She terminated her JYP contract in 2018 and signed with YG Entertainment’s subsidiary the Black Label, where producer Teddy guided the creation of her solo debut “Birthday.” The song climbed to number 22 on the Gaon chart and accumulated tens of millions of streams. Two years afterward she delivered the energetic “What You Were Waiting For,” which registered on charts in five countries, and in 2021 she secured her first solo Top Ten hit with “Dumb Dumb.” Later that year XOXO appeared, debuting at number six on the Gaon Album Chart. August 2023 brought the EP Game Plan, whose single “Fast Forward” peaked at number 14 on Billboard’s World Digital Sales chart.
Born Ennik Somi Douma in Ontario, Canada, in 2001, she moved to South Korea at the age of one. Raised in Seoul under the name Jeon So-mi, she displayed an early passion for singing and stage performance. She entered JYP Entertainment in 2014 and began appearing on televised music programs, ultimately claiming first place on the 2016 edition of Produce 101. That victory placed her in I.O.I., and around the same period she shared hosting duties on SBS MTV’s The Show alongside Wooshin of Up10tion. Although the group disbanded in 2017, Jeon remained active through acting roles and side projects, among them a duet with Eric Nam and a contribution to the girl group Unnies assembled for the reality series Sister’s Slam Dunk 2. She terminated her JYP contract in 2018 and signed with YG Entertainment’s subsidiary the Black Label, where producer Teddy guided the creation of her solo debut “Birthday.” The song climbed to number 22 on the Gaon chart and accumulated tens of millions of streams. Two years afterward she delivered the energetic “What You Were Waiting For,” which registered on charts in five countries, and in 2021 she secured her first solo Top Ten hit with “Dumb Dumb.” Later that year XOXO appeared, debuting at number six on the Gaon Album Chart. August 2023 brought the EP Game Plan, whose single “Fast Forward” peaked at number 14 on Billboard’s World Digital Sales chart.
Albums
Singles
