The new Blackpink? Meet the 6 members of Ive, Yujin, Wonyoung, Gaeul, Rei, Liz and Leeseo – the monster rookie K-pop girl group is already breaking records with debut album ‘Eleven’

Dec 22 , 2021

New K-pop group Ive, which includes Yujin, Wonyoung, Gaeul, Rei, Liz and Leeseo, is already breaking records. Photo: @ivestarship/Instagram

Yujin has endorsement deals with Pepsi, Burberry Beauty and Megapass while Wonyoung models for Miu Miu, Innisfree and Chaumet – both are former members of Iz*One

Gen Z maknae Leeseo – who says Jennie is her role model – is only 14, while 17-year-old Liz starred in her favourite idol Taeyeon’s music video for This Christmas

New girl group Ive – short for “I have” – hit the K-pop scene with their new album “Eleven” on December 1, and the six-member band has already shattered records. The album has broken the record for the highest first-week sales among girl groups’ debut albums, with over 152,200 copies sold, according to KpopStarz.

The group, which includes Yujin, Wonyoung, Gaeul, Rei, Liz and Leeseo, is Starship Entertainment’s first girl band in years after the launch of WJSN in 2016. The megalabel has brought many other chart-topping stars into to the spotlight, such as Sistar, Monsta X, and Cravity.

So who are the group’s six members, the new Gen Z teen idols?

1. Yujin

Yujin is the leader and vocalist of K-pop group Ive. Photo: @ivestarship/Instagram

The group’s first member and leader is no stranger. Yujin joined Starship Entertainment in 2017 and debuted as a member of the girl group Iz*One in 2018 after competing alongside 95 other female trainees and landing fifth place on survival reality TV show Produce 48 in 2018, according to Kpop Hit. Iz*One disbanded in April.

Ive’s Yujin in Jeong Se-woon’s Just U music video. Photo: Starship Entertainment

The 18-year-old singer has appeared in various music videos such as Jeong Se-woon’s Just U, Soyou and Baekhyun’s Rain, Ailee and Mad Clown’s Thirst, and Yoo Seung-woo and Sandeul’s Oppa, and is currently an MC for popular music programme Inkigayo along with NCT’s Sungchan and Treasure’s Jihoon, according to Kpop Wiki. She also has brand deals with Pepsi, The Volon, Burberry Beauty and Megapass.

2. Wonyoung

K-pop star Wonyoung a vocalist in girl group Ive. Photo: @for_everyoung10/Instagram

Wonyoung is another former member of Iz*One. The 17-year-old, whose real name is Jang Won-young, was scouted on the street by Starship Entertainment after she attended her sister’s graduation ceremony, AllKpop reports.

Wonyoung, who finished first on Produce 48 in 2018, was ranked 88th on TC Candler’s “The 100 Most Beautiful Faces of 2018” list, reports Jshowbiz. Some fans also believe that the star is part Taiwanese because of her profile on the official Produce 48 website, according to Koreaboo.