This Kpop artist is one that everyone heard of, mostly due to her amazing talent. I’ll tell you everything a true fan should know about her, from her birthday to the name of her pets.
Yena was part of the famous IZ*ONE group before it disbanded, and she had a very important role. She was the main rapper, lead vocalist, and lead dancer. But her solo debut after the breakup proved to her fans how good she really was.
If you want to know some quick facts about Yena here is her profile.
Yena Profile
Birthday: September 29, 1999
Height: 162 cm (5’3″)
Weight: 45 kg (99 lbs)
Birth Name: Choi Yena
Siblings: Sungmin (Choi Sungmin) – former member of SPEED and Co-Ed School
Place of Birth: Gil-Dong, Gangdong, South Korea
Astrological Sign: Libra
Instagram: yena.jigumina
Twitter: @YENA_OFFICIAL
Tik Tok: choiyena.official
Yena – Interesting and Fun Facts
Now that we know the basic stuff about Yena, it’s time to get a bit more in-depth and check out some fun and interesting facts about her.
She can speak Chinese and Japanese and graduated from Hanlim Multi Art School and attended Joy Dance Academy, learning hip-hop.
She can play guitar, has a driver’s license, and can drive a van, car, or motorbike. Knows how to ride a bicycle and loves skateboarding.
She has 3 dogs, Audrey, Ganjang, and Bibi. Her Tamagotchi is named after one of her dogs, Ganjang. She likes to read and watch movies.
In a Magazine interview, she said her ideal date would be going to a cafe, watching a movie, and finishing it off with dinner. Her favorite food is spring rolls, and her favorite ice cream flavors are strawberry and chocolate.
She has 10 different shades of pink and coral lipsticks. And her lips are one of her best traits. Her favorite scent is not of any perfume you’d think, but instead, she likes to smell like baby powder.
She likes to dress in Yellow and Green, and her workout to keep in shape is doing hand-stands.
When she was young she had lymphoma and miraculously healed. She is a cancer survivor due to her parents, as they struggled with money and worked every day selling kimbap every morning to pay for her hospital bills.
In August 2026, while hosting the SBS variety show My Remaining Romance, she opened up about this experience again. Watching participants share their own battles with illness brought back memories
Another IZ*ONE member that left the group is Lee Chaeyeon, she also went solo.
2026: A Defining Year for Yena
If there’s one thing that stands out about Yena in 2026, it’s how relentlessly she’s been working. This year has been massive for her, and honestly, I don’t know how she does it all.
On March 11, she released her fifth mini album, LOVE CATCHER, with the title track “Catch Catch”.
The song carries a playful, nostalgic sound that reminds me of second-generation K-pop groups like T-ARA – – and it clearly resonated with listeners. The music video surpassed 5.17 million views on Bilibili, and on Spotify, she reached over 5.78 million monthly listeners.
Not bad for a solo artist who, as she admitted herself, was scared no one would come for her after IZ*ONE ended.
From April through June, she embarked on her Asia tour Just Out of Reach, The Second World!, performing in Seoul, Macau, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.
But she didn’t stop there. On August 3, she stepped into a new role as an MC on SBS’s variety show My Remaining Romance, joining Lee Se-young, Jung Yong-hwa, and SEVENTEEN’s DK.
The show follows young people in their twenties and thirties who have received terminal diagnoses or faced near-death experiences as they confront love and life one more time. It’s heavy material, and Yena’s empathy – born from her own childhood cancer battle – made her a natural fit.
Then came the encore. On August 22 and 23, she held the 2026 YENA ENCORE LIVE ‘From the Square, the Elusive Parallel World: Theatrical Version’ at Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul.
Former IZ*ONE members made surprise appearances – Hitomi on the 22nd and Jo Yuri on the 23rd.
Yena – Quotes
There are some things we can learn from Yena and here are some wise words that she said and are worth remembering.
Like she also mentioned in her solo debut “SMiLEY”, her wise words are “Whatever happens keep smiling, for your own good!”. And I can admit I agree with this, don’t you?
On her solo journey: After her encore concert, she reflected: “After my group activities ended, I was scared no one would come for me as a solo artist”
On her childhood illness: In My Remaining Romance, she shared: “When I was sick as a child, I felt like I had done everything wrong while watching my parents and family collapse and feel upset”
On her future: “I won’t be a ‘bestseller’ who shines briefly but a ‘steady seller’ – an idol and artist people want to revisit.”
Frequently asked questions about – Yena
Still, have some questions about Yena? I have the answers below.
Why is Yena called Duck?
She self-proclaims herself Duck because she is known to look like a duck.
What is Yena’s fandom name?
Her fandom name is Jigumi, as she previously stated and she uses it on Instagram (Jigumina)
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