Ningning (singer)

Ning Yizhuo (born October 23, 2002), known professionally as Ningning, is a Chinese singer based in South Korea. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Aespa.

Early life
Ningning was born as Ning Yizhuo on October 23, 2002, in Harbin, China. She graduated from Harbin Normal University Middle School (哈尔滨师范大学附属中学) and Beijing Contemporary Music Academy (北京市现代音乐学校).

Pre-debut
Ningning was scouted by SM Entertainment following her appearance on the Chinese singing TV show Let's Sing Kids. She was later introduced as a member of the pre-debut training team SM Rookies on September 19, 2016. As part of the team, she appeared on the Rookies Princess: Who's the Best? segment of the program My SMT that year, and recorded several covers for the Korean animated TV program Shining Star in 2017.

2020–present: Debut and solo activities
After training for 4 years, Ningning was revealed as the third member of Aespa on October 28, 2020, introduced by SM as an "18-year-old Chinese member with an outstanding voice" through the company's official socials. The group debuted on November 17, 2020, with the release of the digital single "Black Mamba". In 2022, Ningning released an OST with fellow member Winter called "Once Again" as part of the official soundtrack of the South Korean drama Our Blues. The song charted at 119 on the Circle Digital Chart. In December, she participated in 2 tracks for SM's annual end-of-year compliation album 2022 Winter SM Town: SMCU Palace, "Time After Time" and "Good To Be Alive", with fellow SM label mates.

On July 30, 2023, Ningning released the single "WYA" with Jay Park. The song was a surprise collaboration for the WeTV show The Next 2023, where Jay Park appeared as a regular mentor. A remix of the single was subsequently released on August 13, featuring PH-1, Lexie Liu, ØZI, and Masiwei.

On March 12, 2024, Ningning released the OST "Count on Me" for drama The Midnight Studio. On March 15, she was announced as the MC for day 2 of KCON 2024 in Hong Kong alongside Myung Jae-hyun of boy group BoyNextDoor.

Endorsements
On February 8, 2024, the Italian luxury fashion house Versace appointed Ningning as their global brand ambassador.