Yehana is a South Korean singer-dancer, who debuted in 2016 as one of the 10-member Korean Pop (K-Pop) girl group, PRISTIN, which was previously known as Pledis Girlz. After three years, the group disbanded and the majority of the members left the company. Yehana renewed her contract with Pledis Entertainment, and is now preparing for her solo debut.
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Contents
Early Life and Family
Yehana was born Kim Yewon on 22 February 1999, in Ilsandong, Goyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea. She along with her older brother, Kim Jongho, was raised Catholic with Angela as her Christian name. She wasn’t the first from her family to enter the entertainment industry, as her older brother is a former child actor.
Educational Background
She attended the local primary and middle schools in Ilsandong. She matriculated high school from the School of Performing Arts in Seoul.
Career
Aside from her powerful voice, her impressive dancing skills were enough for her to be accepted as a trainee in Pledis Entertainment. Prior to the official debut of Pristin, Yehana was first seen as one of the backup dancers in Orange Caramel’s music video of the song, “My Copycat,” uploaded onto YouTube on 17 August 2014. She was also one of the back-up dancers in the solo stage of Seventeen’s Hoshi during the group’s concert back in February of 2016. She was known for her hip yet graceful freestyle dancing during her trainee days.
By 2016, she was given by her label the stage name, Yehana, which means “bringing all members’ thoughts into one,” and was included in a girl group with Pledis Girlz as their temporary name. To initiate the promotion for this new group leading to their debut, the group released a single called “We” on 23 March 2016. The official music video of the song included the member’s profile, so that the fans could get to know them better, and they performed in a series of promotional weekend concerts over four months to show their potential to the fans.
First Steps – Debut Year 2017
Yehana’s record label decided to change the group’s name permanently to Pristin, which they derived from two words: prismatic and elastin.
The combined words best described the girl group, that is, bright and clear with flawless strength. After five years of training, she finally debuted along with nine other girls namely Eunwoo, Kyla, Kyulkyung, Nayoung, Rena, Roa, Sungyeon, Xiyeon, and Yuha on 21 March 2017 on Mnet Countdown for a live showcase.
She was designated as the main vocalist of Pristin, and the group released their first extended play entitled “Hi Pristin” in which they participated in the songwriting process of each track. It consists of six songs including the two lead tracks, “Wee Woo” and “Black Widow” along with “Be the Star,” which Yehana helped in writing the music, and the pre-release single, “We.” The EP peaked at No. 4 on the South Korean Gaon Chart and sold around 43,000 units.
It also entered Billboard’s World Album Chart and peaked at No. 10. One of the lead tracks, “Wee Woo,” sold around 157,000 units in South Korea alone, and the official music video has totaled more than 35 million views.
Korean Convention (KCON 2017) in Japan
Two months after their moderately successful debut, Pristin was included in the line-up of performers by the organizers of the annual Korean Convention (KCON) concert in Japan. They performed their hit song, “Wee Woo,” on 25 May 2017, and Yehana and the girls were overwhelmed by the support of the Japanese fans.
Annual Dream Concert 2017
The Korea Entertainment Producer’s Association (KEPA) has been annually producing a joint grand concert to promote K-Pop’s artistry and culture.
In 2017, two live concerts were organized, held on 3 June 2017 for its 23rd anniversary at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, and then on 4 November 2017 held at the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium to celebrate the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Pristin performed in both grand events, along with other popular K-Pop artists including EXO, Twice, Red Velvet, and Baek Ji young.
Second EP “Schxxi Out” Released
It was non-stop promotions for the girls, as they released another EP, “Schxxi Out,” on 23 August 2017. It has five songs including the lead track “We Like,” “You’re My Boy,” “We Are Pristin,” and “Tina,” which Yehana co-wrote both the melody and lyrics of the song. While it did well on the Gaon Chart peaking at No. 4 and on Billboard’s World Album Chart peaking at No.5, it fell off the charts immediately.
They were expecting it would surpass its predecessor, but it only sold around 27,000 units, which was just half of the sales of the previous one. The MV gained around 16 million views.
Fans Protested on Pristin’s Hiatus
In December of 2018, Pristin’s fans were worried about the group not having comeback activities, releasing new music for quite a long time, and launched their own protest. They started by leaving comments on the official social media accounts of the label, however, they realized that the label kept deleting their online posts, and never made an official statement. To make sure their demands would reach the ears of the CEO of the company, they wrote their complaints in post-it notes, and posted them up on the wall of the building in the main office of Pledis Entertainment. The entertainment agency never addressed the fans’ requests and complaints.
Official Disbandment in 2019
After a year and a half of no scheduled promotions or album releases, Pledis Entertainment announced Pristin’s official disbandment. Many fans were shocked about the decision, as no one from the company offered any explanation behind the decision, so fans could only speculate. Several months later, Kyla the youngest in the group, addressed the issue when she opened up her YouTube account, and said that many things happened behind the scenes so that the girls decided it would be best for them to move in separate directions. Seven of them decided not to renew their contracts with the label, but three of them decided to stay including Yehana.
Fans were furious particularly when rumors started spreading around that the record label disbanded Pristin to give way to another girl group.
Some fans weren’t shocked anymore by this outcome as this was the third girl group that disbanded under their management; the first two were After School and Hello Venus (co-managed with Fantagio).
Solo Debut Preparation and Second Group Debut
When it was announced that Yehana and the two other members decided to renew their contracts with Pledis Entertainment, the label also said that the remaining three would continue with their individual activities. Her fans were delighted, and speculated that Yehana may be preparing for her solo debut.
However, when Big Hit Entertainment (home to BTS) acquired a huge number of stocks in Pledis Entertainment, K-Pop insiders were quick to speculate that a new girl group would soon be in the offing, and include Yehana. The Covid19 pandemic halted some major activities in K-Pop, except for those with established careers.
Not all companies took the risk of a debut showcase for new artists, since having a live audience is no longer an option. With Big Hit Entertainment providing financial assistance, there is a huge possibility that Yehana will be seen promoting on TV again in late 2020.
Personal Life
Yehana is currently single and not dating anyone. Most K-Pop artists’ management contracts have a ‘no dating’ clause which prevents them from entering into any romantic relationship three to five years after debut. This is to ensure that the artists would only focus their time and energy on practice and promotions. Anyone caught violating this policy would end up with either suspension of activities, or termination of their contract.
She lives in a three-room apartment provided by her label, with the other remaining members of her former group. In the past, the dorm was shared by 10 members, and the two rooms had four members each and the last one had two members.
Hobbies, favorites, rumors, and interesting facts
- Her favorite solo artist is Jeong Eunji, the leader of the girl group, Apink. She is also a huge fan of one of the most popular second-generation K-Pop girl groups, Girls Generation, and considers them as her role models.
- Yehana has always liked studying – her favorite subjects were English, Music and Physical Education.
- She’s not picky with food and could eat anything, but doesn’t like drinking milk.
- She lives by her motto, “Try your best with a bright and positive attitude.”
- Yehana’s bright and happy personality has earned her the nickname, “Sunshine,” given by the other Pristin members. Her other nickname is “Hana.”
- She would always smile because she feels more beautiful when she does it.
{late}
kim yehana/ yewon💗#pristin #yehana #yewon pic.twitter.com/xowrlutw5J
— daily prisnapia💗 (@hourlypristpia) December 1, 2020
Appearance
Yehana is 5ft 5ins (1.64m) tall, weighs 110lbs (50kgs), and has a slim figure. She has chubby cheeks with black hair and dark brown eyes. During her promotional activities with Pristin, she was seen with different hair colors including brown, auburn, and blond.
Net Worth
According to authoritative sources, Yehana has an estimated net worth of over $100,000 as of November 2020.
