Jeon Ji-Yoon – Rapper from 4Minute
Jeon Ji-yoon (전지윤) is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, and actress. She was born on October 15th, 1990. She was previously a member of the South Korean girl group 4Minute and its sub-group 2Yoon. Unfortunately, 4Minute disbanded and she continued her career by debuting as a solo artist on November 2nd, 2016, under the stage name JENYER, with the release of her debut digital single, “I Do.” In this article, Byeol Korea will provide you with a detailed explanation of everything about Jeon Ji-Yoon. Stay tuned!
Full Profile and Facts
Profile
- Birth Name: Jeon Ji-Yoon
- Stage Name: JENYER
- Hangul: 전지윤
- Date of Birth: October 15th, 1990
- Birthplace: Suwon, South Korea
- Zodiac Sign: Libra
- Height: 165 cm
- Weight 47 kg
- Blood Type: B
- Occupation: Actress, Songwriter, Rapper
- Years active: 2009-present
- Labels: CUBE, JS E&M
- Associated acts: 4Minute, 2Yoon
- Twitter: @4m_jiyoonitt
- Instagram: @jenyerjiyoon
- Facebook: officialJiYoonJeon1
Facts
- She graduated from Byeongjeom High School and is currently attending Kyung Hee University, majoring in Post Modern Music.
- She has an older brother.
- She can speak Japanese (basic) and English (basic).
- Her favorite color is white.
- She loves to eat Pocky.
- When she was younger, she used to practice athletics, kendo, and swimming.
- Her hobbies include singing, dancing, cooking, and writing lyrics.
Being the 4Minute Leader
Jiyoon was chosen as a member of 4Minute in 2009. Cube Entertainment announced in May 2009 that they would be debuting a girl group and had also released the two identities of two of the members: Nam Jihyun (the leader) and Kim Hyuna, who was a former member of Wonder Girls. The five-member girl group officially debuted on June 18th, 2009, with their debut single “Hot Issue.” 4Minute consisted of Nam Jihyun, Heo Gayoon, Kwon Sohyun, Jeon Jiyoon, and Kim HyunA. The group was known for its edgy dance-pop style and “girl crush” image that attracted a large female fan base.
4Minute ultimately released one full-length Japanese album, Diamond (2010), one full-length Korean album, 4Minutes Left (2011), seven Korean extended plays, and multiple singles. Later on, they embarked on their Asia Tour that started in January and followed into other countries such as Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Japan. They had their first solo concert in Japan on May 8th, 2010. Cube Entertainment announced that the tickets to the concert had been sold out in a very short period of time. Cube Entertainment also announced that Universal Music Group would be assisting 4minute with an international launch of their album.
Sub-Unit 2Yoon
The duo was known to fans collectively as Ssangyoon (a portmanteau of the Hangul word for “twins” and the last characters of their given name “yoon”). However, as the pronunciation, it was deemed to be ill-fitting for the group’s cute image. As such, the sub-unit was renamed as 2Yoon. In addition, “ssangyoon” could be potentially misheard as a profanity.
2Yoon (투윤) was the first and only sub-group of South Korean girl group 4Minute, formed by Cube Entertainment in 2013. The sub-group consisted of Gayoon and Jiyoon. Cube Entertainment CEO Hong Seung Sung wanted to pair them in a sub-group after watching the duo perform live at the 2011 United Cube in London. Both of them were the lead singers of 4Minute.
2Yoon released their debut EP Harvest Moon with the lead single “24/7” on January 17th, 2013. The sub-group officially debuted on January 17th on M Countdown. 2Yoon’s members revealed through an interview that they felt motivated and encouraged by Girls’ Generation members after a listening session. Due to their innovative efforts, Time Magazine showed interest in 2Yoon’s music and observed Korea’s potential in the world music scene. 2Yoon became the first Korean girl group to be interviewed by Time Magazine.
Disbandment
On June 13th, 2016, Cube Entertainment announced that 4Minute decided to disband and the members, excluding HyunA, were still in discussions on whether they will renew their contracts. On June 15th, 2016, Cube Entertainment officially announced that Jihyun, Gayoon, Jiyoon, and Sohyun’s contracts had expired and they decided not to renew their contracts.
A Cube Entertainment representative stated, “As the contracts’ end date approaches, the members have been in discussions for renewal, but while the agency tried to persuade half of them to continue the group, it ended up accepting the decision by the four members that they will not continue as a group. Due to the different opinions of the members, for all intents and purposes, the group will disband.”
Having a Hard Time Solo Artist Jenyer
Jiyoon debuted as a solo artist on November 2nd, 2016, by the stage name Jenyer, with the single album Day and Night. The title song “I Do” and its music video were released on the same day. Jiyoon didn’t promote her new single on music shows. On March 23rd, 2017, she released the collaboration single “Cliché” with Samuel Seo.
After the disbandment, Jiyoon still kept in touch with her former 4Minute members, she said, “Of course. Our team didn’t have any bad blood. We ate dinner together yesterday; they’re more like family rather than friends. We lived in a dorm together and we’ve made a lot of memories that you can’t erase. They are more than friends.” Jiyoon also talked about her former 4Minute members, “After we disbanded, we became closer. We rely on each other more, and we have a lot of questions to ask each other. HyunA is probably busy preparing for her solo promotions. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her. We may have disbanded now, but once 4Minute is always 4Minute. And the members are still here.”
When asked how she felt about her fans during that time, Jeon Jiyoon commented, “I felt so bad… because it happened so suddenly and there were no talks of disbandment. What really makes me feel apologetic is that while we were promoting as 4Minute, we didn’t have any kind of content that our fans would have really liked.” She continued, “Even now I keep feeling sorry because I feel like I should be creating that kind of content but I haven’t been able to. Starting with these promotions I’m planning on continuing to release music. It doesn’t matter if they succeed or fail. For the fans who like me, that’s what I can do to repay them.”
Discography
Extended Plays
| Title | Details | Tracklist |
| Harvest Moon |
|
– |
|---|---|---|
| The moment I loved |
|
|
Single Albums
| Title | Details | Tracklist |
| Day and Night (낮 and 밤) |
|
|
|---|
Singles
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2013 | 24/7 | |
| 2014 | Soulmate (소울메이트) | with DickPunks |
| 2017 | Cliché | with Samuel Seo |
| Hello (저기요) | feat. Kisum | |
| 2018 | Because | |
| Bus | ||
| Shower (샤워) |
Soundtrack Appearances
| Year | Title | Song | Notes |
| 2011 | MBC’s My Princess OST | Oasis (오아시스) | |
| 2012 | My Love By My Side OST | Between Love and Friendship (사랑과 우정사이) | |
| 2013 | Love For Ten – Generation of Youth OST | Only You | with Son Ji-hyun |
| 2015 | Unpretty Rapstar 2 | This Ain’t Me (바꾸지 마) | with Jung Il-hoon |
| 2017 | The Guardians OST | AMEN | with Damiano |
| Taken | with DAVII | ||
| King of Mask Singer OST Part. 131 | Beautiful Goodbye (아름다운 이별) | with Kim Won-joo (4Men), original song by Kim Gun-mo |
Other Appearances
| Year | Title | Song | Notes |
| 2009 | Look at Me | Look at Me (나만 봐) | Woo Yi-kyung feat. Jiyoon |
| 2010 | H-Logic | Bring It Back | Lee Hyo-ri feat. Jiyoon & Bekah |
| 2011 | Bubble Pop! | Downtown | HyunA feat. Jiyoon |
| 2012 | Solbi Is An Ottogi (솔비는 오뚜기) | Ottogi (오뚜기) | Sol B feat. Jiyoon |
| 2014 | 4Minute World | I’ll Tell You (알려 줄게) | with Jihyun & Sohyun |
| SBS Hallyu Dream Concert 2014 | Moonlight Silla (Rock Ver.) | with Heo Young-ji, Song Ji-eun, DickPunks and Park So-yeon |
Filmography
Movies
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
| 2015 | A Time to Leave (Like a French Film) | Yoon-so | Leading role |
| 2015 | 2015 Dream Concert | – | Guest Role |
Television Series
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
| 2014 | Dreaming CEO | Kkoom Yi | Lead role |
Television Shows
| Year | Title | Network | Note |
| 2010 | 4Minute’s Friend Day | KBS | Main Host |
| 2010 | 2010 Idol Star Athletics Championships | MBC | Regular Member |
| 2011 | 4Minute’s Mr. Teacher | – | Main Host |
| 2011 | Weekly Idol | MBC Every1 | Guest (Ep. 9, 43) |
| 2011 | Immortal Songs 2 | KBS2 | Contestant |
| 2012 | 2012 Idol Star Athletics – Swimming Championships | MBC | Regular Member |
| 2012 | 4Minute’s Travel Maker | jTBC | Regular Member |
| 2013 | Hidden Singer: Season 2 | jTBC | Panelist (Ep. 8) |
| 2014 | Star Gazing | MBC | Regular Member |
| 2015 | 2015 Idol Star Athletics Championships New Year Special | MBC | Regular Member |
| 2015 | Unpretty Rapstar 2 | Mnet | Contestant |
| 2015 | 2015 Idol Star Athletics Championships Chuseok Special | MBC | Regular Member |
| 2016 | 2016 Idol Star Athletics Championships New Year Special | MBC | Regular Member |
| 2016 | Singing Battle | KBS1 | Guest (Ep. 26-27) |
| 2017 | King of Mask Singer | MBC | Contestant |
Musical Theater
| Year | Title | Role |
| 2012–2013 | My Love by My Side | Bok-hee |
Instagram: @jenyerjiyoon
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKaDyo1AhWZ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMbf_hpA0E0/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRvBmq1jAUg/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1djFyuF5S7/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5kKubDF1ei/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8GpS21ltW2/
Latest News
Jenyer made her solo comeback on May 4th, 2019. The mini-album, titled The Moment I Loved, aims to showcase a new side to Jenyer. Its title track “Fantasy” talks about revisiting fantastic memories.
Jenyer also made a cover of some songs on her official YouTube channel. Check it out below!
