One of the most exciting things about K-pop is that there are many roads that idols can take to get to the top. (G) I-dle’s Soojin hasn’t always taken the easier path, but her experiences have paved the way for her to become the beloved star she is today.
Here’s what you need to know about the rising star’s life so far.
Her early life
Seo Su-jin was born in South Korea’s Gyeonggi province in March 1998. She learned jazz dance and taekwondo while studying at the Korean Arts High School. She decided early on that she wanted to pursue a singing career, but she has said that it took two years of begging to get her father’s blessing.
The wannabe singer was initially on track to debut in girl group Vividiva, managed by DN Entertainment. She took part in several performances and photo shoots, but left before the group debuted in 2015.
Soojin then joined Cube Entertainment – a long-running K-pop agency home to groups such as 4Minute, Beast, G.Na and BToB – and in mid-2017 took part in the “Cube Tree” artist development trainee programme. There, fans got to know her and her future fellow (G) I-dle members Minnie and Yuqi.
In fellow trainee Soyeon’s solo music videos for Jelly and Idle Song, Soojin appears as an unknown dancer in a mask (Soyeon would later become the leader of (G) I-dle). She reappeared as a masked dancer in (G) I-dle’s debut music video, Latata, that saw her unmasking herself, officially unveiling the six-member group.
Her role in (G) I-dle
Soojin is (G) I-dle’s main dancer and she also contributes vocals and rapping. K-pop diva Sunmi complimented Soojin on social media when the (G) I-dle member danced to Sunmi’s single 24 Hours on a television show, and AOA’s Chanmi did the same after the two collaborated on reality TV contest .
Soojin became a stand-out star on Queendom, a competition series that pitted six female acts against one another in weekly performances. Many complimented Soojin for her skills in a performance of Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello’s Señorita, of which a fan-recorded video has more than 1 million views.
Her image
Soojin stands out from other idols because of her height of 164cm (5ft 5in) and her beauty marks and tattoos. She has won praise from established K-pop stars such as Chungha, Jeon So-mi, After School’s Lee Ga-eun, Loona’s Olivia Hye and GWSN’s Minju.
The singer, known as (G) I-dle’s “spring girl”, has been noted for having a cute and shy demeanour offstage. Chanmi has said that while Soojin can be sexy with undeniable presence on stage, she is “the cutest” off the stage.
Her own band member Minnie has also spoken about the duality, saying: “Soojin doesn’t really talk when other people are around, and she can give off a cold impression, but when she’s with me, she talks a lot and jokes a lot.”
In her own words
While Soojin has worked hard for years to achieve her current K-pop dreams, she has always tried to make sure everything she has done has been a rewarding experience.
“Before we made our debut, we made a promise to each other that even if we didn’t do well, we would become a group that had fun while making music,” she told Marie Claire Korea magazine in late 2019. “We prepared with the mindset to enjoy what we had. I think that had a positive effect on our performance.”
But while it’s important to Soojin that she enjoys herself, she also wants to be a part of something that fans hold to a high standard.
“Since we have a lot left to show, I want fans’ expectations to be higher than ever,” she told Billboard months after (G) I-dle’s debut. “The key word I want fans to have when thinking about us is ‘reliable’ and that you can depend on us.”
