JO YURI

South Korean singer Jo Yuri (also known as Jo Yu-ri, Yuri) made her debut as a core member of girl group Iz*One, playing the role of main vocalist over the group’s two studio albums (Bloom*Iz and Twelve) and seven mini-albums. After the group’s disbanding in April 2021, Yuri debuted as a soloist with the single album Glassy, before issuing her debut mini-album Op. 22 Y-Waltz: In Major in June 2022.

Looking to build her foundations in the K-pop industry, vocalist Jo Yu-ri first appeared as a contestant on Mnet’s reality show Idol School, aimed at forming a nine-member group (fromis_9) from the show’s pool of 41 musicians. Though the young musician missed out on a spot with a 15th place finish, she would soon find her big break as a contestant on Produce 48: representing Stone Music on the survival show, Yuri finished third place out of a total of 96 contestants, landing her a spot in new girl group Iz*One. Comprised of Yuri, Sakura, Eunbi, Hyewon, Yena, Chaeyeon, Chaewon, Minju, Nako, Hitomi, Yujin, and Wonyoung, the group debuted in 2018, issuing their first mini-album in October with Color*Iz. The project was an overnight triumph. Selling over 225,000 copies, the mini-album landed the group at the number two spot on the Gaon Album Charts, award wins at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, Golden Disc Awards, and Seoul Music Awards, and eventually a platinum certification from the KMCA.

With Iz*One, Jo Yuri continued to enjoy K-pop stardom through the late 2010s and early 2020s. Ventures into the Japanese market with singles like “Suki to Iwasetai” and “Buenos Aires” shored up the group's platinum certifications in other territories, while Korean mini-album Heart*Iz landed Yuri and her bandmates their first chart-topping release. A double whammy in 2020 -- the group’s debut Korean album, Bloom*Iz, appeared, as did their debut Japanese album Twelve -- made for the pinnacle of the group’s commercial success, with the former selling over 500,000 copies worldwide. While further mini-albums closed out the year, the group disbanded at the end of their contract, parting ways in April 2021 to focus on solo ventures.

As one of the group’s most popular members, Yuri was quick to capitalize with her solo releases: her debut single album, Glassy, arrived that October, and debuted at number five on the Gaon charts. Alongside moves into acting and soundtracks -- and nominations at the Asia Artist Awards, Mnet Asian Music Awards, and Seoul Music Awards -- Yuri began the roll-out for her debut mini-album with lead single “Love Shhh!.” Titled Op. 22 Y-Waltz: In Major, the full mini-album arrived in June 2022; it peaked at number five on the Gaon with over 90,000 units sold. ~ David Crone, Rovi