Kim Chaewon

Kim Chaewon is a South Korean singer who is best known as the leader of the girl group Le Sserafim and as a former member of the girl group Iz*One. Born on August 1, 2000, she first gained public recognition in 2018 after competing on the reality competition series Produce 48, where she finished in tenth place. Since her debut, she has established a career in the South Korean entertainment industry through group releases, songwriting, featured music collaborations, and commercial endorsements.

Kim was born in Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea, where she grew up with her parents and an older sister. Her mother is the theater actress Lee Ran-hee. Kim engaged in public musical performances at an early age, singing in KBS' Korea Children's Song Contest in 2012. She attended Seoul Poi Elementary School, Guryong Middle School, and Gaepo High School before transferring to Hanlim Multi Art School, from which she officially graduated in 2019.

Prior to her broadcast debut, Kim trained under Woollim Entertainment for eleven months. In 2018, she represented the agency on Mnet's survival show Produce 48 alongside fellow trainees Kwon Eun-bi, Su-yun, and So-hee. Kim finished the competition in tenth place after receiving 238,192 votes, earning a spot in the project group Iz*One. The group officially debuted on October 29, 2018, with the release of their extended play Color*Iz and its lead single "La Vie en Rose."

During her tenure with Iz*One, Kim began contributing to music production. She received her first music composition credit for the track "With*One" on the 2020 extended play Oneiric Diary, and later co-wrote lyrics for the track "Slow Journey" on One-reeler / Act IV. In March 2021, she competed on King of Mask Singer under the stage name Formosan Deer. Iz*One held their final concert, One, The Story, on March 13 and 14, 2021, before their contract expired on April 29. Following the group's dissolution, Kim returned to Woollim Entertainment and appeared in shoots for Esquire Magazine, Indeed Magazine, and Singles Magazine alongside Kwon Eun-bi.

On March 14, 2022, Source Music announced that Kim had signed an exclusive contract alongside former Iz*One member Sakura Miyawaki to join the new girl group Le Sserafim. Kim was revealed as the group's leader and fourth member on April 7, and the group debuted on May 2, 2022, with the extended play Fearless. Outside of group releases, Kim featured on Tori Kelly's track "Spruce" from the album Tori in April 2024, and collaborated with Taehyun of Tomorrow X Together on JVKE's single "Butterflies" in July 2025. On May 19, 2026, Source Music announced that Kim would temporarily pause group activities on medical advice due to neck pain.

Kim has also engaged in individual commercial endorsements. On August 27, 2024, Swarovski appointed Kim as a brand ambassador in South Korea, marking her first solo ambassadorship with a luxury fashion brand. In February 2026, she appeared in a Southeast Asian Lunar New Year advertising campaign for the PlayStation 5.