In this article, Channel-Korea will provide you with detailed information about these two contestants of Produce 101, tracking Jung Chae-yeon and Lee Chae-yeon’s journey of becoming K-Pop idols. Let’s check out more about the two idols’ activities since debut. Stay tuned and keep scrolling down this article.
Jung Chae-yeon
Jung Chae-yeon, or better known by her stage name, Chaeyeon, is a South Korean idol and actress who is currently a member of the girl group DIA. Chaeyeon, who was born on December 1, 1997, rose to fame when she participated in the survival show Produce 101. During the show, she was ranked seventh and finally debuted as a member of a temporary girl group, I.O.I. Prior to her participation in the girl group survival reality show, Chaeyeon had already debuted as a member of DIA. DIA officially debuted in 2015. Chaeyeon has high popularity among K-Pop idols, and she also broadened her career and became an actress.
Debut as a Member of DIA
Chaeyeon is one of the popular female idols from South Korea. In 2015, she debuted as a member of the girl group DIA. DIA (DIAMOND or Do It Amazing) is a South Korean girl group created by MBK Entertainment. Originally, the group consisted of 10 members: Eunice, Joo Eun, Cathy, Jenny, Yebin, Eunjin, Chaeyeon, Eunchae, Seunghee, and Somyi. However, three members, Seunghee, Eunjin, and Jenny left the group in April 2016, May 2018, and July 2019 respectively. Since then, the group has continued with their activities and promotions as a 7-member group.
Before debuting the girl group, MBK Entertainment initially announced that it would form a new girl group through a survival program. However, the plan failed for various reasons. In January 2015, MBK announced its plans to debut a new girl group named DIA. On September 14th, 2015, DIA officially debuted by releasing their self-titled debut studio album, Do It Amazing, with the song “Somehow” as the album’s title track.
On June 14th, 2016, DIA released their first mini-album, Happy Ending. On the same day, the group also released the music video for the lead single of the album, “On the Road.” In this comeback, Chae-yeon really looked amazing with her natural makeup, resembling an innocent teenager.
In September 2016, the group released a Harry Potter-themed album titled Spell, with “Mr. Potter” as the lead single. Through the new song, all of the members of DIA stole the attention of the audience with their amazing visuals and cheerful personalities, especially Jung Chae-yeon.
On April 19th, 2017, DIA released the group’s second studio album, YOLO. The album contained fourteen tracks, with “Will You Go Out with Me?” as the lead single of the album.
On August 9th, 2018, DIA ultimately released on their fourth EP, Summer Ade, after it had been postponed for a long time. The album’s title track is “Woo Woo.” On August 14th, 2018, the group received their first-ever music show win after their debut on SBS MTV’s The Show.
On March 19th, 2019, DIA released their fifth EP, titled Newtro, with the title track “Woowa.”
Joined Produce 101
Prior to her debut as a member of DIA, Chaeyeon had already signed a contract to participate in the girl group survival reality show Produce 101. As a result, in December 2015, MBK Entertainment announced that Chaeyeon would temporarily withdraw from the group’s activities and promotions. Chaeyeon joined the Mnet Produce 101 program with her groupmate Huihyeon and labelmate Kim Dani. They performed “Bad Girl Good Girl” by Miss A for their audition on the show.
During the group performance, Jung Chae-yeon performed “Into the New World” by SNSD alongside other trainees of Group 2.
During Position Evaluation in episode 7, Jung Chae-yeon performed “Full Moon” by Sunmi, alongside two other trainees, Zhou Jie-qiong and Kim So Hye.
During the concept evaluation, Jung Chae-yeon performed the original trap pop song “Yum-Yum,” produced by iDR.
In the final episode of the show, Chae-yeon became the only representative of MBK Entertainment who passed to the top 11, and ranked 7th with 215,338 votes. She then debuted as a member of I.O.I. in May 2016.
Debut as a Member of I.O.I
On May 4th, 2016, Jung Chae-yeon and 10 other members officially debuted as the temporary girl group I.O.I. The group was composed of the eleven members who had the top 11 final rankings among the Produce 101 trainees from various entertainment companies. The group debuted with the EP Chrysalis, with “Dream Girls” as the title track, and began actively promoting both as a whole group and with various subunits for less than a year.
A week after I.O.I’s debut extended play Chrysalis was released, MBK Entertainment confirmed that Jung Chae-yeon would return to her original group, DIA, for their upcoming comeback in June 2016. YMC Entertainment also revealed that she would be absent from I.O.I’s subunit promotions, as well. Some fans criticized her decision to rejoin her original group, even though she was currently a member of the temporary group I.O.I. at that time. After being swept in controversy, Jung Chae-yeon personally apologized to her fans through her social media and stated that she would work harder in the future.
Jung Chae-yeon re-joined I.O.I for their second promotion as a full group with the release of the group’s second album, Miss Me?, on October 17th, 2016, with “Very Very Very” as the lead single of the album. On the October 21st, 2016, broadcast of Music Bank, Jung Chae-yeon marked an incident where, due to scheduling conflicts, she had to perform on the show twice, first with DIA, as the group performed their last stage to conclude their televised performances for “Mr. Potter,” and second with I.O.I,. as the group began promotions for “Very Very Very.”
Acting Debut
At first, Jung Chae-yeon was training to become an actress. However, MBK Entertainment instead chose her as one of the members of DIA. After successfully debuting as an idol, Chae-yeon broadened her career into acting.
Her part in the tvN drama Drinking Solo was confirmed on June 30th, 2016, marking her acting debut. Besides the drama Drinking Solo, Chaeyeon also proved her acting talent through her roles in various dramas, such as the web drama Sweet Temptation, 109 Strange Things (as the main character), and the drama My First First Love (as the main character). Through her acting in Drinking Solo, Chaeyeon ranked ninth on the list of 50 Most Popular Actresses at the 2016 Asia Artist Awards.
