Chungha
김찬미- Name
- Kim Chan-mi
- Born
- 9 February 1996
Wrote and composed the ballad "Back Then, Us Now" for the 2026 I.O.I reunion album.
Their story
Fourth place, first solo
Chungha spent eight years of her childhood in Dallas before coming back to Korea, and in 2016 she finished fourth on Mnet's Produce 101. That put her in I.O.I, the project group that ran for one busy year. When it ended, MNH Entertainment moved fast. A pre-debut single came out in April 2017, and in June she released her first EP, Hands on Me, with "Why Don't You Know" and a verse from the rapper Nucksal.
The ride and the trophies
"Roller Coaster" arrived in January 2018: electropop with a '90s feel, and a video that switches between several versions of her, from a girl in a sweater to a dancer under neon lights. A year later "Gotta Go" finally brought the music show trophies, and "Snapping" kept the run going that summer. After a delay she released her first full album, Querencia, led by "Bicycle".
A singer who dances
Dance runs through her releases. The choreography for "México" was made with the crew Lachica, and NOVV, who have filmed several performance videos with her, appear in its video. She also writes. "Save Me", released on her birthday in 2026, is one she co-wrote and co-composed about turning thirty, and for the I.O.I reunion album she wrote and composed the ballad "Back Then, Us Now".
Where she is now
In 2023 she left MNH after seven years and joined Jay Park's MORE VISION, starting there with "Eenie Meenie", featuring Hongjoong of ATEEZ, and a new fandom name, HAART. The tenth anniversary of her debut brought I.O.I back together for a new album and an Asia tour. In September she released "México", a song about escaping to somewhere no one knows you. A few weeks later her MORE VISION contract ended by mutual agreement, and no new agency has been announced.