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Jeff Benjamin

The K-pop scene is dominated by boy bands and girl groups, but solo stars can break through, too.
One of the top South Korean divas is Chungha, a starlet who almost quit the industry, then became a consistent chart-topper and found fame. This is her story so far.
Her early life
Chungha was born Kim Chan-mi in Seoul in February 1996. She and her family moved to America to live in Dallas, Texas, when she was young, which is why Chungha is fluent in English.

She moved back to South Korea when she was a teenager to follow her dreams of becoming a star. For six years, she lived as a K-pop trainee and a freelance dancer, performing as backup on TV shows and for groups like B1A4 and Teen Top.
Chungha passed an audition for JYP Entertainment in 2012 and joined the agency as a trainee. However, plans for her anticipated group and its management changed, and she left JYP while facing financial problems.

By chance, Chungha met the CEO of the then-unknown agency MNH Entertainment, and she joined the company a year after leaving JYP.
In 2016, the singer took part in the first season of singing competition Produce 101. Although she was originally an underdog on the show, she quickly stood out for her dancing skills and she saw her rankings on the show improve. By the final episode, she had taken the fourth-highest number of votes.
Chungha won a spot in the 11-member girl group I.O.I, which became a sensation in the 10 months they were together.


Her solo career
Six months after I. O. I disbanded in January 2017, Chungha made her debut as a solo singer with her EP Hands on Me. While the EP and its lead single Why Don’t You Know wasn’t an immediate success, the song was in the top 20 of the Korean charts and paved the way for her future success.
Since the release of her second single Roller Coaster in 2018, Chungha has become one of the most reliable soloists in K-pop, and solidified her superstar status by having four top 10 hits. They include the summer single Love U, her first South Korean No 1, Gotta Go, and the 2019 summer hit Snapping. 


After a 10-month break (she released her album Flourishing last June), Chungha is preparing to release some new music this month.
Her image
Chungha’s humble nature and unexpected rise to fame have made her a relatable, popular star with her fans and fellow celebrities.

A year after her debut, Chungha signed endorsement deals with brands such as Nike and Sprite and became the face of various alcohol, fashion and contact lens adverts and public service campaigns.
She is also an in-demand musical collaborator and has teamed up with a wide range of artists, including veterans Dynamic Duo, TVXQ!’s Max and Super Junior’s Yesung, as well as of-the-moment stars such as Samuel, Changmo and Vixx’s Ravi.
She has also taken part in Station Young, another project girl group that has recorded Wow Thing with Red Velvet’s Seulgi, GFriend’s SinB and Soyeon of (G)I-DLE.


Chungha’s fluency in English has made her particularly appealing to the international market. She has recently collaborated with viral rapper Rich Brian on the Korean-English track These Nights. The starlet has also recently signed with ICM Partners – an agency that represents Nicki Minaj, Khalid, Kehlani and Yuna – for global representation outside Asia.
In her own words
Chungha’s story is a reminder to others that continued effort can lead to unexpected success. “I never thought I would debut as a solo singer,” she told Billboard in 2017 while reflecting on her career so far.
“This might sound a little cheesy, but if you think you’re going to regret what you gave up – even 0.1 per cent – don’t give up. Because I think that regret grows. Ninety-five per cent of me wanted to give up, but maybe five per cent of me worried I would regret it. That five per cent was more of a scary thing for me, so I couldn’t give up.”
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And earlier this year, Chungha told Singles magazine that: “Sometimes, I pour so much of myself into everything I do that my staff or fans say, ‘What will you do in your next album? What will you do next year?’ But what I do now will be different from what I do next year, and the year after that, so I just want to enjoy as much as I can.
“I don’t want to miss out on things that won’t come back after time passes, so I will continue approaching everything with more passion.”


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The English-speaking solo artist has signed with major US talent agency ICM Partners – which represents Nicki Minaj, Khalid, Kehlani and Yuna
The singer says that to achieve success in the industry it’s important you ‘don’t give up’, and that she just wants ‘to enjoy as much as I can’



Once a member of K-pop girl group I.O.I, Chungha is now a superstar who has signed with major US talent agency ICM Partners – but she never imagined she would be successful as a solo singer.


Chungha: unlikely superstar of K-pop who ‘never thought’ she would make it as a solo singer

The English-speaking solo artist has signed with major US talent agency ICM Partners – which represents Nicki Minaj, Khalid, Kehlani and Yuna The singer says that to achieve success in the industry it’s important you ‘don’t give up’, and that she just wants ‘to enjoy as much as I can’