Lee Hye-in (
Korean: 이혜인, Korean pronunciation:[iːçje̞in]; born April 21, 2008), known mononymously as Hyein, is a South Korean singer and former child model. She began her musical career at nine years old as a member of the South Korean children's groups U.sso Girl and Play with Me Club. She later debuted as a member of South Korean girl group
NewJeans, formed by
ADOR in July 2022.
Life and career
2008–2019: Early life and modeling career
Lee Hye-in was born on April 21, 2008 in
Michuhol-gu,
Incheon, South Korea. Hyein attended Munhak Elementary School, but later dropped out soon after taking the school's qualification exam.[1] As a former child model, she worked as the 7th model for the snapback brand PRANKERS in August 2019.[2] Hyein thereafter walked the runway at age eight during the
2019 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week held at
Moscow, Russia in October.[3] In December, she won the grand prize for the 2019 Little Look of the Year, a competition for child models.[4][5] Hyein has since served as an advertising model for brands including Tara & Co. and
Emart's No Brand.[1]
2017–2021: U.SSO Girl and Play With Me Club
In July 2017, Hyein was announced as a member of the children's girl group U.sso Girl alongside Rora of
BabyMonster under the stage name U.Jeong.[6][7] The group debuted on November 7, 2017, with their first digital single, "Go Go Sing". Hyein would later depart from the group sometime in 2018.[8][9]
On January 11, 2019, she was revealed as a member of the children's co-ed group Play with Me Club.[9] The group made their debut with the first digital single, "Let's Play", on December 16, 2020.[10] During this period, she made an appearance on the
EBS children's television show Live Talk! Talk! Boni Hani! as a member of the co-ed dance group SIXDANCE.[11] Hyein, along with fellow member Chang-hyeon, graduated from the group in May 2021.[11]
2022–present: Debut in NewJeans and solo activities
On July 1, 2022,
ADOR teased the launch of their first girl group,
NewJeans, by posting three animated videos of the numbers "22", "7" and "22" on their social media accounts, fueling speculation that content would be released on 22 July.[12][13][14] Hyein debuted alongside the group with the
surprise-released music video for their debut single "
Attention" on July 22, 2022, without any prior promotion or information regarding the group's lineup.[15]
In February 2024, Hyein featured along with singer Cho Won-sun on the track "Shh..." from The Winning, the sixth extended play by singer-songwriter
IU.[16]
Endorsements
On December 30, 2022,
Louis Vuitton announced Hyein as one of their new global house ambassadors, becoming the youngest ambassador for the brand at 14 years old.[17][18] She has also attended
Paris Fashion Week representing Louis Vuitton.[19] In April 2023, Hyein became the youngest cover girl to be on the cover of
Harper's Bazaar Korea.[20][21]
^
abKwon, Sung-hoon (November 18, 2023).
"[연예공화국]<1>2023 대세 걸그룹 '뉴진스' 5인 5색 매력 大해부!" [[Entertainment Republic] <1> 5 members of the popular girl group 'NewJeans' in 2023, 5 colors and 5 charms!]. imaeil.com (in Korean).
Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
^Lee, Dae-woong (August 29, 2019).
"[화보] '화려함의 연속' 박기량 디자이너의 프랭커스(PRANKERS) 컬렉션" [[Pictorial] 'Continuation of splendor' Designer Ki-Ryang Park's PRANKERS collection]. newsfreezone.co.kr (in Korean).
Archived from the original on June 20, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
^Lim, Jong-mun (October 24, 2019).
"당찬 대한민국 10대 청소년들, '2019 러시아 메르세데스 벤츠 패션 위크' 진출" [Confident Korean teenagers advance to '2019 Russia Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week']. timenews.co.kr (in Korean).
Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
^Choi, Joo-yeon (December 24, 2019).
"[BT포토] 키즈모델들의 프로 뺨치는 워킹, '2019리틀더룩오브더이어'" [[BT Photo] Kids models' professional walking, '2019 Little the Look of the Year']. babytimes.co.kr (in Korean).
Archived from the original on June 20, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
^Choi, Joo-yeon (December 24, 2019).
"[BT포토] 이혜인, '2019리틀더룩오브더이어 대상' 수상" [[BT Photo] Lee Hye-in, winner of the '2019 Little the Look of the Year Grand Prize']. babytimes.co.kr (in Korean).
Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
^Lee, Soo-yeon (February 17, 2023).
'데뷔만 두 번' 뉴진스 혜인, 알고 보니 '베이비 몬스터'와 인연이? [Debuted Twice, NewJeans' Hyein Seems to Have a Relation With BabyMonster?]. TV Report (in Korean).
Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
^Hwang, Hye-jin (July 1, 2022).
"민희진 걸그룹 데뷔 카운트다운, 22일 첫 콘텐츠 공개[공식]" [Min Hee-jin Girl Group Debut Countdown, First Content Revealed on 22nd]. Newsen (in Korean).
Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
^Marie Claire Korea writer (October 13, 2023).
"루이 비통 2024 봄-여름 컬렉션에 참석한 K-셀럽은 누구?" [Who are the K-celebrities who attended the Louis Vuitton 2024 Spring-Summer Collection?]. Marie Claire Korea (in Korean).
Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
^The Chosun Ilbo writer (April 17, 2023).
"뉴진스 혜인 '하퍼스 바자' 최연소 표지 모델" [New Jeans Hyein 'Harper's Bazaar' youngest cover model]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean).
Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
^Harper's Bazaar Korea writer (April 17, 2023).
"<바자> 5월 커버를 장식한 루이 비통의 그녀들 태연, 나연, 혜인" [Taeyeon, Nayeon, and Hyein from Louis Vuitton decorated the May cover of <Bazaar>]. Harper's Bazaar Korea (in Korean).
Archived from the original on March 1, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.