1. I's group activities, Jeon signed with YG Entertainment's subsidiary, The Black Label.
39 Facts About Jeon Somi
1. 2.
Jeon Somi made her debut as a solo artist on June 13,2019, with the single "Birthday".
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Jeon Somi achieved her first top-five single in South Korea with "Fast Forward" in 2023.
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Jeon Somi's father had previously resided in the area when he studied Taekwondo before moving back to Canada.
5.
Jeon Somi initially attended a school for foreigners before transferring to Seoul Midong Elementary School to practice Taekwondo.
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Jeon Somi stated that she experienced bullying and discrimination at the school because of her mixed ethnicity and wanted to dye her hair black and get surgery to blend in.
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Jeon Somi graduated from elementary school in 2013, after which she attended Cheongdam Middle School; she graduated on February 3,2017.
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Jeon Somi completed her secondary education at Hanlim Multi Art School, majoring in Practical Music and Vocal, graduating in a ceremony held on February 7,2020.
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Jeon Somi first dreamed of becoming a singer after watching the music video for Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music" as a child.
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Jeon Somi was cast in a cameo role alongside her sister in the 2014 film Ode to My Father by director Yoon Je-kyoon, who her father was acquainted with and needed two biracial children for his film.
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That same year, Jeon Somi auditioned for JYP Entertainment with "Lonely" by 2NE1 and was accepted into the agency's trainee program.
12.
In May 2015, Jeon Somi participated in Mnet reality survival program Sixteen, where she was pitted against fifteen other trainees from the agency to secure a spot in its first girl group in five years after the debut of Miss A; however, Jeon Somi was eliminated in the final round and continued as a trainee.
13.
In January 2016, as a representative of her label, Jeon Somi participated in the competition series Produce 101 and finished in first place with 858,333 votes.
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On January 9,2017, it was confirmed that Jeon Somi signed a formal contract with JYP Entertainment for her solo activities on television.
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On March 28,2017, Jeon Somi joined the KBS web entertainment program Idol Drama Operation Team.
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In November 2017, Jeon Somi featured on the digital single "Nov to Feb" by label-mate senior Jun K of 2PM and performed the song in the special broadcast Jun K X Rooftop Live on V Live.
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Jeon Somi revealed she joined the label soon after her meeting with CEO Teddy Park, citing his authenticity and feeling of content while imagining future plans for her as reasons.
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On February 25,2019, The Black Label revealed Jeon Somi was preparing to make her debut as a solo artist with a lead single produced by Teddy.
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Jeon Somi soon joined the cast for Law of the Jungle in Chuuk with her father and Lose If You're Envious as one of the panelists of hosts.
20.
On March 1,2021, Jeon Somi was invited by The Blue House to commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the Korean Declaration of Independence.
21.
In commemoration of the release, Jeon Somi initiated a "Dumb Dumb Challenge" on TikTok, where the hashtag gained over 70 million views in two weeks and exceeded 122.7 million views the next day.
22.
On July 24,2023, Jeon Somi announced that she would be releasing a new extended play album Game Plan in August.
23.
On December 12,2023, Jeon Somi released the special Christmas single "Ex-Mas" in collaboration with rapper Big Naughty.
24.
Jeon Somi is accredited in Taekwondo, having practiced the Korean martial art for over 10 years and taught initially by her father, who himself achieved a fourth degree black belt.
25.
Jeon Somi held a third-degree black belt for some time but could not gain the fourth degree due to her young age.
26.
On May 30,2018,17-year-old Jeon Somi partook in the fourth degree black belt examination held by Kukkiwon, wherein her skills qualified for the promotion.
27.
Jeon Somi has stated that she holds three passports to South Korea, Canada and the Netherlands.
28.
Jeon Somi's personality extended to her own style, including a Louis Vuitton bag she customized with a drawing of a unicorn, which she believed resembles herself.
29.
Jeon Somi often invests her time in DIY projects, enjoying taking clothing apart, putting the pieces back together, tearing them apart again, and repeating the process again as part of her experiments.
30.
Jeon Somi began songwriting in her third year in middle school.
31.
Jeon Somi was casually humming the tune following her move to The Black Label, and Teddy asked if she had come up with it.
32.
Jeon Somi attributed the longer wait between comebacks to this recording process and vouched it improves the result.
33.
Jeon Somi credited her father for introducing music from various countries and listened to music on cassette tapes because of her grandmother.
34.
Jeon Somi cites Lee Hyori as a role model in her career as a female soloist; Lee showcased multiple different concepts throughout her career, ranging from mature to bright, which Jeon Somi views as an inspiration for her own image as an artist.
35.
Jeon Somi became the muse for Japanese skincare brand Hada Labo and cosmetics brands Kiss Me and Shiseido Korea, where she was appointed as brand ambassador.
36.
Jeon Somi has since become a brand spokesperson for ABC Mart's shoe brand Nuovo and was selected as an endorsement model for Beanpole Sports and fashion brand United Colors of Benetton Korea.
37.
Outside of the beauty and fashion industries, Jeon Somi was selected as a model for Nongshim's snack Petit Paris Rollbread and hangover product HK inno.
38.
Jeon Somi has been invited to participate in campaigns for Fanta, Reebok, Louis Vuitton, and Prada's Eternal Gold line.
39.
In October 2021, Jeon Somi became the public relation ambassador of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and participated in "Korea Contents Week" campaign.