Ren (South Korean singer)

Career

Ren joined Pledis Entertainment after passing an audition in 2010. Before his official debut, he danced as a backup for After School Blue’s “Wonder Boy” in 2011. He also took part in Pledis’s holiday release “Love Letter” and appeared in an alternative music video for the track as part of Pledis Boys. Alongside other male trainees from the label, known as After School Boys, he performed with After School at the SBS Gayo Daejeon.

In 2012, Ren made his debut as a sub-vocalist in the group NU’EST. Just a month later, he walked the runway for designer Park Yoon-so at Seoul Fashion Week’s Fall/Winter shows, where his androgynous look sparked conversation for challenging gender stereotypes. He had a small role in the 2013 drama Jeon Woo-chi, and in 2015, he played a lead part in the Japanese film Their Distance alongside his NU’EST bandmates. The following year, he made a guest appearance on the web-series I’m Not a Girl Anymore.

In 2017, Ren entered Produce 101 Season 2 using his birth name, aiming to join the project group Wanna One, but was eliminated in the finale, finishing 20th. After the show, he promoted with the NU’EST sub-unit NU’EST W from 2017 to 2018. During that period, he wrote the lyrics for his solo tracks “Paradise” and “You & I.” He also became a fixed panelist on the talk show Learning the Hard Way and was cast in a leading role for the drama Four Sons, though filming paused in 2018 after only four of sixteen episodes were shot.

In 2018, he joined the regular cast of The Kkondae Live, and in 2019, he became a regular on Hogu Chart. From 2020 to 2021, he co-hosted the Naver NOW radio show “To.Night” with fellow member Aron.

Did You Know?

• On April 18, 2018, Ren hand-delivered two piggy banks to the Korea Pediatric Cancer Foundation to support its "Creating My Own Angel Contest" campaign.
• In 2019, he and bandmate Minhyun brought children from the foundation to NU'EST's 2019 LOVE Page Fan Meeting in Seoul.