Jang Won-young

Jang Won-young (장원영; born August 31, 2004), known mononymously as Wonyoung, is a South Korean singer. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Ive under Starship Entertainment and former member of project girl group Iz*One, having finished first in Mnet's girl group survival reality television show Produce 48 in 2018.

Early life and education
Jang Won-young was born in Ichon-dong of Seoul, South Korea, on August 31, 2004. Jang has an older sister, actress Jang Da-ah, who is an artist under King Kong by Starship.

After debuting with Iz*One, the group's label Off the Record announced Jang's intentions to complete education via home-schooling in April 2019. She subsequently left Yonggang Middle School and took the qualification exam, passing with perfect scores in Korean, English, and Mathematics. Jang graduated from the School of Performing Arts Seoul on February 9, 2023.

2018–present: Produce 48, Iz*One, Ive, and solo activities


From June 15 to August 31, 2018, Jang represented Starship Entertainment alongside An Yu-jin and Cho Ka-hyeon on the girl group survival reality television show Produce 48. She eventually placed first and debuted with Iz*One.

Iz*One's Korean debut extended play (EP) Color*Iz was released on October 29, 2018, under the label Off the Record, with "La Vie en Rose" serving as lead single. Both the EP and its lead single received immediate commercial success, leading the group to win the New Artist of the Year award at several shows, including Golden Disc Awards and Seoul Music Awards.

The group's Japanese debut single, "Suki to Iwasetai", was released on February 6, 2019, under UMG's EMI Records subsidiary. Along with the group's Japanese debut promotion, Jang was selected alongside the Japanese member Sakura Miyawaki to center a collaborative performance between Nogizaka46, Keyakizaka46 and AKB48 at the FNS Music Festival. In September 2019, Jang made her runway debut at the 29th Tokyo Girls Collection's 2019 Autumn/Winter fashion festival at Saitama Super Arena. She also appeared at the Kitakyushu edition of the festival later that year. On February 17, 2020, Iz*One released their first Korean-language studio album Bloom*Iz, on which Jang co-wrote the track "Dreamlike." The song was named by music webzine Beats Per Minute as the 19th best song of 2020, with critic J.T. Early praising the song for its "bright and irresistible force".

After Iz*One's disbandment on April 29, 2021, Jang returned to Starship Entertainment as a trainee along with group mate and labelmate An Yu-jin. In September 2021, Jang was announced as the new host of the program Music Bank with Enhypen's Sunghoon. For their performance on the program, they were awarded with the Best Couple Award at the 2021 KBS Entertainment Awards. On October 12, she and Leeteuk were chosen to host the 2021 Asia Artist Awards, which would be held in December of that year. On November 4, 2021, Starship Entertainment revealed Jang as one of the six members in their new girl group Ive. On December 1, 2021, Jang officially debuted as a member of Ive with the release of their single album Eleven, led by the single of the same name.

In September 2022, Jang attended the 2022 Paris Fashion Week as an ambassador for luxury fashion brands Miu Miu and Fred Joaillier. That same month, her contract as the host of Music Bank was extended. On December 13, Jang hosted the 2022 Asia Artist Awards with Leeteuk. Three days later, she also hosted the 2022 KBS Song Festival with Na In-woo and Kim Shin-young. In January 2023, Jang stepped down as Music Bank host after sixteen months in the role.

On April 10, 2023, Ive released their first studio album, I've Ive, on which Jang wrote two tracks, "Mine" and "Shine with Me". On August 18, she hosted the Friday night first concert of KCON LA 2023. A month later, Jang was announced to be the host for the 8th Asia Artist Awards with co-hosts Kang Daniel and Sung Han-bin, which would be held in December of that year. This marked her third consecutive year of hosting the Asia Artist Awards. On October 3, Jang attended Miu Miu's 2024 Spring/Summer collection show during Paris Fashion Week. She was subsequently named by influencer marketing platform Lefty as the 13th top influencer of Paris Fashion Week, with her appearance generating an estimated media value of $3 million for Miu Miu. On October 13, Ive released their extended play, I've Mine, on which Jang wrote the track "OTT". On November 26, it was announced that Jang would be hosting the 2023 KBS Music Bank Global Festival alongside Rowoon on December 15.

On April 29, 2024, Ive released their second extended play Ive Switch, on which Jang wrote the track "Blue Heart", her fourth work as a solo lyricist. In an interview with Nylon, she stated that the song was inspired by her experiences in the entertainment industry, where women faced hyperscrutiny from media and fans.

Endorsements


As a trainee at Starship Entertainment in early 2018, Jang was chosen as a model in a music video sponsored by Pepsi Korea called "Love It Live It", along with YDPP and Park Sun.

Alongside her activities in Iz*One, Jang appeared on numerous magazine covers (including Beauty Plus, Vogue Korea, and Elle Korea), as well as for various beauty brands in South Korea (such as Dior, Miu Miu, and Laura Mercier). She also appeared in GQ Korea's July 2020 issue, and listed among the K-icons for Miu Miu during the Autumn/Winter 2021 Fashion Week. In 2021, Jang was one of the Iz*One members chosen to model in the music video "Zero:Attitude" for the Pepsi 2021 K-Pop Campaign. The campaign was revealed Starship Entertainment as a collaboration between Iz*One and Soyou, featuring rapper pH-1.

After Iz*One's disbandment, Jang appeared in several fashion films, namely for Chaumet's Joséphine Collection and Miu Miu's Maritime. On July 27, 2021, Amorepacific Corporation announced that Jang was chosen as global ambassador for its natural cosmetics brand Innisfree. In October 2021, Jang was officially announced as Kirsh's new muse. She represented the brand for its 2021 Winter and 2022 Spring/Summer collections. In the Harper's Bazaar Korea December 2021 issue, for which she was the cover girl, Jang was officially announced as Miu Miu's brand ambassador. Following the announcement, she appeared in Y Magazine 's April 2022 issue to represent the Miu Miu Spring 2022 ready-to-wear collection and Bvlgari's Divas' Dream collection.

Following Jang's debut as a member of Ive, she continued endorsing various fashion and lifestyle brands. On May 20, 2022, Jang was officially announced as the newest model for SK Telecom. In June 2022, she was chosen as a model, along with group mate Leeseo, for the Pepsi 2022 K-Pop Campaign. This time, the campaign was revealed by Starship Entertainment as a collaboration between Ive, Cravity, and Oh My Girl for the promotional music video "Blue & Black". On July 18, 2022, Jang was selected as the ambassador for the golf wear brand Gospheres. She represented the brand in a pictorial for the August 2022 issue of Elle Korea. On July 21, 2022, she was announced as a global ambassador and new muse for the color contact lens brand Hapa Kristin. On August 16, 2022, she was selected as a model for the French outdoor fashion brand Eider. Three days later, Jang was announced as the first Korean ambassador for the French jewelry brand Fred Joaillier. She has since represented the brand in various magazines, including Marie Claire Korea, W Korea, and Cosmopolitan. In 2022, Maeil Business Newspaper declared that Jang had "emerged as a blue chip in the advertising world." In September 2022, Jang became a muse for Suecomma Bonnie, a South Korean shoe brand under Kolon Industries. She modeled for the brand's 2022 Fall/Winter collection "Young and Rich" as well as the brand's 20th anniversary collaboration with Barbie.

In February 2023, Jang became the new muse for South Korean casual fashion brand SJSJ. In August 2023, she was selected as the new model for South Korean beauty brand Amuse. In February 2024, Jang was selected as the new model for clothing brand Rolarola. On April 2, 2024, she was selected as a brand ambassador for the French haircare brand Kérastase.

Songwriting credits
All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless stated otherwise.