NAYEON
임나연- Name
- Im Na-yeon
- Born
- 22 September 1995
Wrote lyrics for part of IM NAYEON, the first solo album by a TWICE member.
Their story
First out of nine
Nayeon had been in TWICE for almost seven years when JYP gave her the group's first solo album. IM NAYEON came out on 24 June 2022, and the title is a small joke: read one way it is her full name, Im Na-yeon, read the other it says "I'm Nayeon". She wrote lyrics for some of the songs herself, and Felix of Stray Kids and Wonstein turn up as guests.
Into the US top 10
The single "POP!", made with the duo LDN Noise, is sweet summer pop on top of a routine she later compared to a cardio workout. She said it was hard at first. In America the album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 7, where no K-pop soloist had been before. At home the song held its place near the top of the Melon chart.
Two letters
Her second mini album arrived as NA, the first two letters of her name and a Korean word for "me". The songs stay bright and playful, from the title track "ABCD" to "HalliGalli", produced by Lee Chan-hyuk of AKMU, and "Magic" with Julie of KISS OF LIFE. It matched its predecessor in America, making her the first female K-pop soloist with two albums in that top 10.
Where she is now
In 2026 she moved toward dance music. Alok played their song "Bye Bye Inhibitions" with her vocals at Rock in Rio before it was out, and after its release in October she surprised the crowd at EDC Korea in Incheon to sing it live with him. She also opened her own YouTube channel. Later that month JYP announced her next solo release, the single album NA-sty, set for 20 November.
