Wheein

Biography

Jung Whee-in (Korean: 정휘인; born April 17, 1995), known as Whee In or Wheein, is a South Korean singer. She rose to prominence in 2014, as a member of the Korean girl group Mamamoo. In 2017, her song "Anymore" with Jung Key, topped the Gaon Charts. In April 2018, she made her debut as a solo artist with her digital single "Easy", peaking at number three in South Korea. In September 2019, Wheein released her first single album Soar. In 2021, Whee In released her debut EP Redd, which peaked inside the top ten in Korea. In the same year she left RBW, and signed to The L1ve. In 2022, she released her second EP Whee, which reached number four on the Circle Album Chart. In 2023, she released her debut studio album, In the Mood.

== Name == Whee-in's given name "휘인" (Hwi-in) was derived from the male lead character of the manhwa "인어공주를 위하여" (For the Mermaid Princess), with the name "조휘인" (Jo Hwi-in). Her mother thought it was a pretty name and named her after the character. Her name in Hanja is written as "輝人", meaning a "shining person".

== Early life == Jung Whee-in was born in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea, where she lived with her grandmother as an only child. She graduated from Wonkwang Information Arts High School.

== Career ==

=== 2014–2020: Debut with Mamamoo and solo career ===

In June 2014, Whee In officially debuted as a member of Mamamoo, serving as one of the group's vocalists, in their debut single "Mr. Ambiguous" and EP Hello. She had first appeared in the group's first R&B collaboration "Don't Be Happy", alongside member Solar and featuring Korean singer Bumkey, that January. Whee In featured on multiple tracks with several artists including Kiggen of Phantom and Standing Egg in 2014; CNBLUE and Louie in 2015; Monsta X and Sandeul in 2016; Jung Key, Jung Min-hyuk and Standing Egg in 2017. On April 17, 2018, Whee In debuted as a solo artist by releasing her first single album magnolia with the lead single "Easy" featuring rapper Sik-K. In 2019, she featured in a few more tracks with artists including DinDin and Park Bom and collaborated on a song with Kim Hyun-chul. On September 4, 2019, she released her second single album Soar, with the single "Good Bye." Wheein's first physical release, Soar peaked at number four on the Gaon Album Chart, selling over 23,000 copies in 2019. The single "Good Bye" debuted on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart at position 24. On May 1, 2020, Whee In released the song "With My Tears" for the tvN drama Hospital Playlist. She featured on a track again for DinDin in May, for Peakboy in August, for Jvde Milez in September and for Basick in December. On September 28, she released a soundtrack titled "Shine On You" for the tvN drama Record of Youth.

=== 2021–2022: Redd, WHEE and other solo activities === Whee In's debut EP, Redd, was released on April 13, 2021. It debuted at number seven on the Gaon Album Chart, making it her second top-ten debut on the chart. The EP was the 13th best-selling album of April 2021, with over 72,000 copies sold. Lead single "Water Color" debuted and peaked at number 70 on the Gaon Digital Chart and 15 on the Billboard World Digital Songs Sales chart. On April 23, the English version of "Water Color" was released as a digital single. On June 11, 2021, Whee In declined to renew her exclusive contract with RBW, and instead signed a deal with the company allowing her to promote with Mamamoo for at least 2 more years. On August 31, she signed an exclusive contract with Ravi's label, The L1ve. On August 26, 2021, she featured on a track titled "AM PM" from Jay B's first EP SOMO:Fume. On November 19, she released the soundtrack "I wish" for the MBC drama The Red Sleeve. On November 28, she released another soundtrack titled "Ice Cream Love" for the Coupang Play drama One Ordinary Day. On December 11, Whee In and singer Ailee released a duet song titled "Solo Christmas". On January 16, 2022, Whee In released her second EP WHEE, her first release under The L1ve. It consists of six tracks, including the lead single "Make Me Happy". It debuted number four on the Circle Weekly Album Chart and sold over 81,000 copies. On February 13, 2022, Whee In released a re-interpretation of The Stray's song "You, You", as a soundtrack for the webtoon Nth Romance. On March 18, she released another soundtrack titled "In Your Days" for the JTBC drama Thirty-Nine. On April 17, 2022, Whee In held her first solo fanmeeting titled '2022 WHEE IN FANMEETING [D-DAY]' for her birthday. She also released the digital single "D-DAY" on the same day. On May 18, she released the soundtrack "Melody" for the film Gongzza: Gonggi Tazza. On August 15, 2022, she featured on Ravi's single titled "BYE". On September 2, she released the soundtrack titled "The Only One Have to Forget" for the TVING dating reality show EXchange 2. On November 9, she released the single "Sunny Shower" featuring Colde for Dingo Live. On December 23, she released the soundtrack titled "Cheers!" for the TVING web series Work Later, Drink Now 2. On December 31, Wheein featured in Don Malik's song "Bathtub", alongside Justhis for the Mnet show, Show Me the Money 11.

=== 2023–present: First studio album IN the mood, World tour and more === On October 12, 2023, Whee In released her first studio album IN the mood. The album consists of 11 tracks with "17" featuring Hwasa and "Bite Me" featuring rapper HAON. She stated that her previous EP WHEE and the album IN the mood are two parts of her project based on her Instagram ID, "whee_inthemood". It debuted number ten on the Circle Weekly Album Chart and sold over 82,000 copies.