Yerin

Debuting as a member of six-piece <a href="spotify:artist:0qlWcS66ohOIi0M8JZwPft">GFRIEND</a> in 2015, South Korean singer, dancer, and actress Yerin proved a multi-faceted talent, acting as the popular girl group's lead dancer as well as one of its core vocalists. After the group disbanded in 2021, the musician embarked on a solo career, making her individual debut with 2022 mini-album Aria.

Born Jung Ye-rin in Seoul, South Korea, K-pop performer Yerin demonstrated her musical aptitudes from a young age, graduating from Seoul’s School of Performing Arts in 2015. Having been scouted by numerous organizations including <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Cube%22">Cube</a> and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Fantagio%22">Fantagio</a>, the young musician chose to debut in Source’s new girl group, <a href="spotify:artist:0qlWcS66ohOIi0M8JZwPft">GFRIEND</a>, joining Sowon, Eunha, <a href="spotify:artist:7Bu0r4MCDX3sbhcFD5IXyx">Yuju</a>, Umji, and SinB in the six-person roster. Their debut mini-album, Season of Glass, arrived in January 2015. A series of upbeat, airy anthems, the group’s first project landed them a number nine spot on the Gaon Albums Chart. A barrage of releases saw the group make a rapid ascent to fame; mini-albums Flower Bud and Snowflake saw the six musicians leap to number six and number two chart placements, respectively, before debut album LOL firmly established <a href="spotify:artist:0qlWcS66ohOIi0M8JZwPft">GFRIEND</a> in the global limelight. As the group continued to gain popularity, they turned their hand to a wider variety of styles, finding major success with early hits "Me Gustas Tu," "Rough," and "Navillera."

With her name established on the international stage, Yerin enjoyed the fruits of K-Pop stardom through the late 2010s and early 2020s. The group’s two subsequent Korean-language studio albums and seven further mini-albums all placed in the Top Three on the Gaon, with four projects (The Awakening, Time for the Moon Night, Fever Season, and Labyrinth) even landing atop the chart. A series of successful Asian tours and award show runs continued to grow the group's fame, yet in 2021, <a href="spotify:artist:0qlWcS66ohOIi0M8JZwPft">GFRIEND</a>'s members unanimously decided not to renew their contracts, resulting in the end of the group.

Signing to Sublime Artist Agency, Yerin quickly made inroads into a solo career, with her debut mini-album, Aria, arriving in May 2022. The five-track project featured a variety of sounds, from the mellow R&B of "Lalala" to the electro-pop stylings of title track "ARIA." ~ David Crone