Jeon Soyeon

Jeon So-yeon, known mononymously as Soyeon, is a South Korean rapper and record producer signed under Cube Entertainment. She first gained public attention as a contestant on the competition television shows Produce 101 and Unpretty Rapstar before debuting as a solo artist in November 2017. In May 2018, she debuted as the leader and rapper of the K-pop girl group (G)I-dle (later named I-dle), for whom she writes and produces most lead singles. She was promoted to a full member of the Korea Music Copyright Association in January 2024.

Soyeon was born on August 26, 1998, in Gangnam District, Seoul. As a child, she practiced ballet and won several competitions before shifting her focus to music after seeing a performance by Big Bang. After auditioning unsuccessfully as a singer, she briefly performed as a street dancer. In 2014, she passed an audition in Incheon to become a trainee at Cube Entertainment. She balanced her training with her studies and graduated from Chung-Ang University in February 2017.

In 2016, Soyeon competed on the first season of Produce 101, finishing in 20th place, and on Unpretty Rapstar 3, where she finished as second runner-up. She signed an exclusive contract with Cube Entertainment in December 2016 and officially debuted as a soloist on November 5, 2017, with her self-written digital singles "Jelly" and "Idle Song".

Soyeon re-debuted in May 2018 as the leader of (G)I-dle, writing and composing early releases such as "Latata" and "Hann (Alone)". That same year, she joined SM Station X's project group Station Young to release "Wow Thing". She also collaborated with Riot Games to perform as the character Akali in the virtual group K/DA, debuting at the 2018 League of Legends World Championship with "Pop/Stars". She reprised the role in 2019 with True Damage on "Giants" and again in 2020 on K/DA's EP All Out.

Alongside her group work, Soyeon composed and produced for other acts and shows, including CLC's single "No", Apink member Namjoo's solo song "Bird", and a track for Mnet's CAP-TEEN. She also featured on DJ Hyo's "Dessert" and produced (G)I-dle releases including I Trust and "Dumdi Dumdi". In March 2019, Soyeon issued a public apology after a video revealed she had previously used an unauthorized copy of music production software during her early songwriting studies.

In July 2021, Soyeon released her debut solo EP, Windy, earning a music program win with "Beam Beam". Her subsequent projects included the 2023 single "Nobody" with members of Ive and Aespa, and writing QWER's 2024 track "My Name Is Malguem". In August 2026, Cube Entertainment announced her first solo studio album, What a Wonderful Life, led by the single "I'm Gonna Toesa".

Soyeon's artistry is largely self-directed, having initially started composing to prevent delays in her group's debut. Her songwriting process draws inspiration from her bandmates, her high school rap instructor, and role models including CL, Britney Spears, and Avril Lavigne. Her concepts are frequently influenced by external media, including cartoons, literature, films, and anime series.