Somi, 24, first burst into the scene as a contestant on the reality competition series Sixteen – the show that led to the formation of the superstar K-pop group Twice. Although Somi did not make the final cut, she became one of Sixteen’s breakout stars, garnering her immense popularity.
In 2016, she joined another reality competition series, Produce 101, and ended up placing first amongst all the contestants. As a result, Somi became one of the 11 members of the K-pop girl group IOI, alongside future heavyweights of the South Korean entertainment industry like Business Proposal star Kim Se-jeong and singer Chungha.
