Qri

Biography

Lee Ji-hyun (Korean: 이지현; born 12 December 1986), known professionally as Qri (큐리), is a South Korean singer, actress, model and fashion designer. She debuted as a member of girl group T-ara in July 2009. Since 2009, Qri has been active in the entertainment industry from acting and variety shows to music to modeling. Her most notable works include her supporting role in hit drama Queen Seondeok, which received near-universal acclaim, winning over 20 awards and solidifying Qri's career in the field. Qri showed high interest in fashion design in 2018 and ended up designing several commercial products. Qri launched her self-produced jewelry brand "Qriel" in 2021.

== Early life and education == Lee Ji-hyun was born on 12 December 1986. She has studied at Juyeob High School, in which she was class president, secretary, and student body president. She then attended Myongji University, enrolling in the Department of Film and Musical, the same class as fellow group member, Boram. She was a model, a famous ulzzang having been a famous figure on the Daum "Five Big Ulzzangs" community.

== Career ==

=== 2007–2009: Career beginnings, modeling and T-ara ===

Prior to her debut, Qri was a model and actress. In 2004, she participated in the "2004 Korea National Ulzzang Contest" with Kang Eun-bi, which helped launch her career in modeling. The contest was held at Konkuk University in a talk-show format, the contestants would show off their various talents, such as playing the piano and singing. In 2006, she appeared on the program Law of Immutable Love posing as a mistress sent by client's girlfriend, which sparked controversy among netizens in 2010. She responded to the article by posting on Twitter: "She's a bored reporter". In 2021, Qri stated that she was working 5 different jobs including as a maid. She also appeared on several television dramas and shows notably her appearance on KBS's Drama Game in 1996 and MBC's Best Theatre. She was also a regular cast for 5 months on Daegyo Children's science program. She modeled for South Korean brands including Casamia Furniture and Gabalnara, as well as international brands such as LG Group and Maybelline New York. In 2007, she appeared on Shin Tae-kwon's "Even If We're Apart" music video. Qri was signed to Sniper Sound, a hip-hop recording label and was supposed to debut as a bassist in a rock band called Six Colors. The band appeared on several live performances including their first live performance at KT&G Hongdae which received good reviews. However, the debut fell through and Qri was transferred to Core Contents Media. It was later mentioned on tvN's Taxi that she was introduced to the CEO of Core Contents Media by her original company. Qri was the last of the three new members to be added to the group after two former members Jiae and Jiwon quit in mid-2009 two weeks before debut.

=== 2009–2011: Major acting debut and breakthrough ===

In September 2009, Qri made her major acting debut in the drama Queen Seondeok as Kim Yu-shin's wife. The drama went on to become one of 2009's highest rated and most awarded drama in South Korea. On October 21, 2009, she appeared on the cover on Ceci Campus magazine. In 2010, She made a cameo appearance in the drama Master of Study. The same year, Qri was cast in her first main role on KBS's Drama special, titled Southern Trader Kim Chul Soo's Update which received a nomination at 2010 KBS Drama Awards, and then she appeared on SBS's drama Giants as an on-stage singer. In 2011, She was cast for KBS' drama The King of Legend, starting from episode 47.

=== 2013–2023: QBS and solo career === Qri, Boram and Soyeon formed a subgroup called QBS in May 2013, focused on the Japanese market. The subgroup released their debut single titled "Like the Wind" on 26 June 2013. The single debuted at number 7 on Oricon's Weekly Singles Chart. The group held a mini-live tour in 3 cities in Japan. The Tokyo show ,reportedly, was attended by more than 2,000 fans. In July 2013, Qri became the new leader of T-ara under the group's rotating leadership system. On December 3, 2013, she, along with groupmate Eun-jung attended and gave a congratulatory speech at the 2013 Fashion Pictorial Exhibition at Seoul Institute of the Arts. In 2015, she played a main role on the web drama Sweet Temptation. The drama became one of Naver's most watched original shows. In 2021, Qri released her first solo digital single "Suri Suri". She participated in the writing and production of the song. No music video was filmed for the song. On 29 September, she expressed her gratitude to fans for its success through Instagram. The single topped iTunes Vietnam for three days as well as charting in other countries. It also debuted at first on multiple Chinese weekly charts including Migu China.