Yerin

Debuting as a member of six-piece GFRIEND 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 Cube and Fantagio, the young musician chose to debut in Source’s new girl group, GFRIEND, joining Sowon, Eunha, Yuju, 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 GFRIEND 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, GFRIEND'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