Im Na-yeon (Hangul: 임나연; born September 22, 1995), known mononymously as NAYEON, is a South Korean singer, dancer, and songwriter. She gained prominence as the oldest member and lead vocalist of the girl group Twice, under JYP Entertainment. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Nayeon's music career began as a trainee with JYP Entertainment in 2010 after secretly auditioning against her mother’s initial wishes.
Before her debut with Twice, Nayeon appeared in various advertisements and music videos for JYP labelmates, such as Got7's "Girls Girls Girls" and Jun.K's "No Love." She also made a cameo in the drama Dream High 2 and in Jun.K's "Your Wedding" music video alongside 2PM's Nichkhun. In 2013, she was initially slated to debut in a different JYP girl group, 6mix, alongside fellow Twice members Jeongyeon and Jihyo, although the group ultimately did not launch.
She became widely recognized in 2015 after competing in the survival reality show Sixteen, securing her place in Twice and debuting with the mini album The Story Begins on October 20, 2015. Since then, Twice has achieved widespread success, producing numerous chart-topping albums across South Korea, Japan, and the United States.
Nayeon made her solo debut with the mini album IM NAYEON on June 24, 2022, marking her as the first Twice member to release solo material. IM NAYEON includes collaborations with notable artists, including Stray Kids’ Felix on the track "No Problem" and Wonstein on "Love Countdown." Upon release, the album achieved significant success, topping the South Korean Gaon Album Chart and the U.S. Billboard World Albums Chart, with a debut on the Billboard 200's Top Ten.
On June 14, 2024, Nayeon followed up with her second solo mini-album, NA, which featured high-profile collaborations with artists such as Sam Kim and JULIE from KISS OF LIFE, and included the single "ABCD," which reached the Global Billboard 200 chart. NA continued her success, reaching the top of South Korea’s album charts and again performing well internationally. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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