[PN Archive] Why did NewJeans HYEIN hit #1 on Billboard at only 15 years old?

[PN Archive] Why did NewJeans HYEIN hit #1 on Billboard at only 15 years old?

HYEIN (NewJeans)

Real Name: Lee HYEIN
Born: April 21, 2008 (age 16), Munhak-dong, Nam-gu, Incheon, Korea (now Munhak-dong, Michuhol-gu, Incheon, Korea)

Nationality: South Korea
Body: 170 cm, O-shaped, -1.5D left eye/-1.5D right eye
Family: Parents, sister (born 2003), brother (born 2005)
Religion: Protestantism (Methodist)
Agency: ADOR
Group: NewJeans
Debut: NewJeans EP New Jeans in 2022
MBTI: INFP

South Korean singer. She is a member of ADOR’s five-member girl group NewJeans.

Before debut

She was a trainee of ADOR for about a year and two months, starting around May 2021, and was the last to join the debut group of NewJeans. When she auditioned for the agency, she was nervous and couldn’t sing the songs she had practiced properly, but she remembers performing BLACKPINK’s “Lovesick Girls” as a memorable moment. Although she experienced some pain as a trainee, looking back, she has many happy memories. She did not attend school and passed her elementary school graduation with a GED.

Position

Vocalist & Rap
HYEIN has a unique, weighty, yet clear voice that is perfect for R&B and hip-hop genres. She is on-point, has excellent tone and pitch, and is stable live, even during encores. He has been praised for his addictive killer parts in “Ditto’s” intro and outro, as well as “Super Shy” and “Cool With You.” He also proved his talent by featuring on IU’s mini 6th album “Shh…”.
Dancing
HYEIN has long limbs and good strength, making her dance lines beautiful, cool, and energetic. She shows a powerful dance line in both group and solo performances. In particular, she took the center stage in Attention and showed a cool and attractive dance line. She shows a restrained feeling in the group dance and a powerful dance line in the solo part or solo dance.

Personal Activities

Broadcasting
HYEIN appeared as a regular on Daekyo Children’s TV’s “Play Club” in 2019 and joined EBS 1TV’s “Bonnie Hani” crew in 2020. In 2023, she appeared as a special MC on KBS 2TV’s “2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree K-POP SUPER LIVE” and “Music Bank”.
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HYEIN has been a global ambassador for Louis Vuitton since 2022.
The ambassador
Since December 2022, he has been the Global Ambassador of Louis Vuitton.

Photo shoots
HYEIN has participated in photo shoots for various fashion magazines, including Vogue Korea, BAZAAR Korea and ELLE Korea. HYEIN has also participated in various fashion events such as Louis Vuitton Paris Fashion Week and Diesel events.

Music Videos

HYEIN has appeared in music videos such as “HEART SIGNAL” by Yooju and Jihoo and “Give me dat” by ARGON.

FILMOGRAPHY

In 2020, HYEIN appeared in MBC’s “SF8” in a recurring role and played the lead role in Daekyo Children’s TV’s web drama “Namdal Girl”.

DISCOGRAPHY

HYEIN was featured on the song “Shh…” from IU’s album “The Winning” in 2024.

Appearance
HYEIN is a combination of a model and a classically beautiful actress, with a tall height of 170 centimeters and excellent proportions.

Tastes

HYEIN’s tastes are colorful and full of personality. She enjoys going for walks, taking pictures, and watching movies, and she is very happy to feel the weather of the day while going for a walk. During her walks, she likes to take pictures of the beautiful sky, the ocean, and her adorable sisters, and she loves to show off the pictures she takes.

HYEIN is a huge fan of the Harry Potter series, and her favorite character is Hermione. Her favorite book in the series is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and she has seen Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone so many times that she knows all the lines by heart.

As a music lover, HYEIN enjoys a wide variety of genres. He loves old pop, authentic old hip-hop, Korean indie music, and recently he’s been getting into jazz and bossa nova, especially Woo Hyo’s songs. Among NewJeans’ songs, “Hurt” is my personal favorite, and I think it’s a song that goes with any occasion.

HYEIN values time to write in her diary, read books, and organize her thoughts alone. She also loves spending time with people and having fun conversations. Her favorite color is mauve, and her favorite seasons are winter and early summer. When it comes to Baskin-Robbins ice cream, she likes the almond bonbon, and when it comes to taiyaki, she likes the red bean bun. When eating taiyaki, he prefers to eat it head first.
Their food tastes are also unique. HYEIN loves Korean food and has a deep love for soup. Whenever he goes to Busan, he eats soup with lots of chives, and he also likes strong miso paste, marbled miso stew, dakdori tang, and lamb gomtang. When recommending food options to her fans, she often mentions Korean food.

HYEIN’s tastes are also reflected in his hairstyle. If she had to choose between a choppy bang and antennae bangs for a month, she would choose the choppy bang because it’s more comfortable. His favorite hairstyle is long raw hair because it’s the cleanest and simplest, but he also likes to wear his hair in a ponytail with antennae bangs, which he did during his Hype Boy days.

His taste in scent is also clear. HYEIN likes clean, cozy scents, preferring woody scents in the winter and fresh scents in the summer. He loves strawberries, so he loves all things strawberry-related, most notably strawberry whipped cream cake. She said she’s not a huge fan of Hawaiian pizza, but she does like pizza itself.

HYEIN is a big meat lover, but she doesn’t like seafood. She would rather starve than eat seafood. Her favorite nickname is “Hyeni,” which she says she loves even more because it comes from her own name.

Aside from the Harry Potter series, her favorite movies include Sleepless in Seattle, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Notting Hill, and Home Alone. She also loves oldies, and has recently gotten into jazz and bossa nova. Her musical tastes are wide-ranging and she enjoys a variety of genres.
A dog lover, HYEIN’s favorite dog is a retriever, and she also likes bichons. She doesn’t like scary things and has a tendency to get scared, especially of scary movies and novels because they keep coming to mind when she sleeps.

One of HYEIN’s hobbies is buying and collecting keyrings. She prefers cold beverages to hot ones and loves to write letters to people she loves and cares about. If she had to wear only one piece of clothing for the rest of her life, she would choose white because it goes well with all colors.

If she could only say one word for the rest of her life, she would use “I love you.” She doesn’t like beets, but doesn’t mind them in kimbap.

Personality

HYEIN has an affectionate, bright, and cheerful personality. This is especially evident in her interactions with her fans, as she is always warm and friendly to them, and expresses her affection in a variety of ways. For example, she frequently writes letters to her fans, or makes an effort to make eye contact and talk to them in person at fan meetings, which touches many people.

HYEIN’s social life began at an early age, and she is quick to recognize situations and has a quick wit. In fact, during a Music Bank interview, when the MC lost his script, she quickly took over the situation and became the talk of the town. This seasoned and professional demeanor shows that she is growing into a mature person, not just an idol.

She’s also a big-hearted, deep-thinking person who is easily moved. HYEIN is a frequent crier, showing tears when she is happy or sad. During her 100-day debut live stream, she broke down in tears while reading a long letter to her fans, and she also gets teary-eyed when she feels frustrated. This emotional side of her is part of her authenticity.

HYEIN is lavish in her affection for her close and favorite people. She shows her love in the smallest of ways, such as kissing the members without hesitation, frequently complimenting them on their beauty, and taking pictures of them. This shows that as the youngest member of the team, she looks out for her older sisters. The members also praise HYEIN for taking care of them.

HYEIN is also a comedic and playful personality, often acting as a mood maker in the team. She hates to be competitive, which shows in various games and activities. His MBTI is INFP, which means he is introverted and sensitive. They are introverted and shy, but once they get to know you, they are bright and jovial.

Hidden facts

HYEIN is fluent in both Korean and English, and her English name is Grace Lee. In an interview before her debut, CEO Min Hee-jin said, “The youngest is cool, sophisticated, talented, and has a lot of size, speed, and innocence,” and that’s exactly what HYEIN is. He was the last member to join NewJeans, and he was also the one who suggested releasing the music video without a teaser upon debut.

HYEIN is a huge BTS fan, and has shown her fandom in videos introducing BTS merchandise during her time as a member of Nayeul Club. Even after her debut, her fandom hasn’t waned, and she shows great respect for the members of BTS.

Despite her young age, she has been nicknamed a “photo genius” due to her unique aura, unique visuals, and previous modeling experience. She has worked as a child model in the past and has excellent walking skills, and her releases from music broadcasts have been the talk of the town. Many fans were surprised to learn that she bought her first phone a little later than her friends, revealing at a fan signing that her first phone was an iPhone 11. She currently uses an iPhone 14 Pro silver.

HYEIN is the oldest member of the team and adores her 4-year-old sister, Hani, and cites one of her strengths as the fact that she looks even cuter from above. She said that Daniel and Haryn were the first two members she fell in love with after joining as a trainee, as she fell in love with Haryn’s chic and charming personality, while Daniel was drawn to her because of her pretty looks and angelic personality.

HYEIN is nicknamed a “photo genius” and is often in the spotlight for her photo shoots. At the beginning of his debut, there was a rumor that he was a contestant on “After School Excitement” but was eliminated after failing to make it to the final 83, but HYEIN’s mother denied it and he was later revealed to be a trainee with the same name.

She has a habit of cleaning up the day before a big event. On “You Quiz on the Block” aired on December 14, 2022, she revealed that she bought a key ring worth $90,000 with the first settlement she received two months after her debut. She also quit the “Play Club” and disappeared around March 2021, saying, “I’m a middle school student now, so I’m going to work hard to pursue my dreams.” It is believed that she joined ADOR and then NewJeans around this time.

HYEIN is also good at voice-overs, especially those of its members. Within five months of her debut, she became the youngest brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton, and the second member of the team to become an ambassador for a high-end luxury brand. At 170 centimeters tall, she’s still growing like a teenager, and recently revealed that she was even taller at an OMG activity fan signing.

HYEIN has a jinx to warm up well before going on stage, which is a way to reduce nervousness. On August 19, 2022, HYEIN became the youngest terrestrial music broadcast girl group to ever reach number one on Music Bank, and they also won the grand prize for Performance of the Year at the 2022 Asian Artist Awards, making them the youngest winners.