IZ*ONE

A 12-member South Korean and Japanese girl group, Iz*One are known for their hooky, dance-oriented pop sound. The group formed in 2018 while the members were competing on the Mnet talent competition show Produce 48 , and their debut EP, Color*Iz, hit number two on the Goan album charts. Following a series of popular EPs, they released their full-length debut, Bloom*Iz, in 2020.

Managed by the Seoul-based Off the Record Entertainment, Iz*One features the talents of leader/lead vocalist/main dancer Eunbi (Eun-bi Kwon), vocalist Sakura (Sakura Miyawaki), rapper/vocalist Hyewon (Hye-won Kang), main rapper/lead vocalist/lead dancer Yena (Ye-na Choi), main dancer/lead vocalist/lead rapper Chaeyeon (Chae-yeon Lee), lead vocalist/lead dancer Chaewon (Chae-won Kim), lead rapper/vocalist Minju (Min-ju Kim), vocalist Nako (Nako Yabuki), lead dancer/vocalist/rapper Hitomi (Hitomi Honda), main vocalist Yuri (Yu-ri Jo), lead vocalist/lead dancer Yujin (Yu-jin An), and lead dancer/vocalist/rapper Wonyoung (Won-young Jang). The group comprised the 12 most talented performers out of the initial 96 contestants who competed on Produce 48 in August 2018. Following their time on the show, they hit number two in South Korea and number one in Japan with their debut EP, Color*Iz. Included on the album was the single "La Vie en Rose," which cracked the Top Ten in South Korea and landed at number six on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart. Buoyed by their success, the group finished the year by taking home the "New Artist of the Year" award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, the Golden Disc Awards, and the Seoul Music Awards.

In February 2019, Iz*One released their debut Japanese single "Suki to Iwasetai." That April they issued their second EP, Heart*Iz, which included the single "Violeta." The EP landed at number one in South Korea, number five in Japan, and number six on the Billboard World Digital Albums chart. In June 2019, the group headlined their first series of Eyes on Me concerts in Seoul, in anticipation of their full-length debut and concert film. Following a delay related to an investigation involving Produce 48 producers, Iz*One returned in February 2020 with their debut full-length album, Bloom*Iz, featuring the single "Fiesta." The Oneiric Diary EP arrived a few months later in June. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi