Ren (singer)

Choi Min-gi (born November 3, 1995), known professionally as Ren, is a South Korean singer, actor and television personality. He began his professional career in 2012 as a vocalist of the South Korean boy group NU'EST. Following his contract's expiration in Pledis Entertainment in March 2022, Choi established his career as a solo artist signed under BPM Entertainment.

For Canadian singer formerly known as Ren, see Renforshort.

In this Korean name, the family name is Choi.
Ren
Ren in November 2019
Born
Choi Min-gi

(1995-11-03) November 3, 1995[1]
Busan, South Korea
EducationHanyang University Institute for Future Talents[2]
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actor
  • television personality
Musical career
GenresK-pop
Years active2012–present
Labels
Formerly of
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationChoe Min-gi
McCune–ReischauerChóe Minki
Stage name
Hangul
Revised RomanizationRen
McCune–ReischauerRen
Signature

Career

Pre-debut

Ren was accepted into Pledis Entertainment after auditioning in 2010. Prior to debuting, Ren appeared as a back-up dancer in After School Blue's "Wonder Boy" in 2011. He participated in Pledis Entertainment's Christmas single "Love Letter" and was also featured in an alternate music video for the song as a member of Pledis Boys.[3] He performed with After School with the rest of Pledis Boys, now dubbed "After School Boys", at the SBS Gayo Daejeon.[4]

2012–2022: NU'EST
Main article: NU'EST

Along with four other Pledis Boys, Ren debuted in the boy band NU'EST in 2012 as a sub-vocalist. He also modeled for Park Yoon-so during the Fall/Winter Seoul Fashion Week,[5] and his androgynous styling drew attention for breaking gender norms.[6] In 2013, Ren appeared Jeon Woo-chi in a minor role. In 2015, he starred in the Japanese film Their Distance.[7] In 2016, Ren appeared in the NAVER TV web-series I'm Not a Girl Anymore in a guest role.

In 2017, Ren participated as a contestant on Produce 101 Season 2 under his full name for a chance to debut in Wanna One,[8] but he was eliminated in the final episode at rank #20. After the show's end, he and the remaining NU'EST members began promoting as the sub-group NU'EST W from 2017 to 2018.[9] During the group's activity, he wrote the lyrics for his solo songs, "Paradise" and "You & I."[10][11] At the same time, Ren became a fixed panelist on the talk show Learning the Hard Way.[12] He was also cast in a starring role on the drama Four Sons,[13] but the show's production was briefly suspended in 2018 with only four of sixteen episodes filmed.[14][15][16]

In 2018, Ren became a regular cast member on The Kkondae Live.[17] In 2019, he became a regular cast member on Hogu Chart.[18]

From 2020 to 2021, Ren hosted the radio show "To.Night" on Naver NOW with bandmate Aron.[19][20] He also began his musical theatre career as the lead role in Everybody's Talking About Jamie in 2020[21] and in Hedwig and the Angry Inch in 2021.[22]

NU'EST's exclusive contract with Pledis Entertainment expired on March 14, 2022 and Ren (alongside members Aron and JR) will leave the agency, therefore concluding their 10-year career as a group.[23]

2022–present: Solo activities and solo debut

In May 2022, Ren signed with BPM Entertainment as a solo artist.[24] In the same month, Ren also joined the platform Universe.[25]

In September 2022, it was confirmed by his agency that Ren would hold a solo fan-con event '2022 Ren Fan-Con [The Day After]' in Korea and Japan in early November.[26]

On June 15, 2023, Ren made a solo debut with the extended play Ren'dezvous, including its lead single "Ready to Move".[27]

Philanthropy

On April 18, 2018, Ren hand-delivered two piggy banks to the Korea Pediatric Cancer Foundation to support the latter's "Creating My Own Angel Contest" campaign.[28] The following year, he and NU'EST member Minhyun brought the children of the foundation to NU'EST's 2019 LOVE Page Fan Meeting in Seoul.[29] In December of the same year, Ren donated all the proceeds of his self-published fairy tale book 함께라서 행복한 우리들 (literally translated as We're Happy Because We're Together) to the foundation.[30]

Discography
For Ren's works with NU'EST, see NU'EST discography and NU'EST W.

Extended plays
List of extended plays, showing selected details and chart positions
Title Details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[31]
Ren'dezvous
Track listing
  1. "Ready to Move"
  2. "Autofill"
  3. "Imagine More"
  4. "Lullaby (11:03)
  5. "My Story"
 11

Singles
List of singles, showing year released, selected chart positions, and name of the album
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
KOR
Down.
[33]
"Ready to Move" 2023 75 Ren'dezvous

Filmography
See also: NU'EST § Filmography

Films
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2015 Their Distance Kim Leon Japanese film [7][34]
TBA Asian Ghost Project TBA Lead role (Series) [35]

Television series
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2013 Jeon Woo-chi Kang-sul Cameo (Episode 19, 21, 22) [36]
Reckless Family 3 Himself Cameo (Episode 29)
2016 I'm Not a Girl Anymore Park Shi Woo Cameo (Episode 6–7)
2018 Something Family Season 2 Mali / Park Seong-min Cameo (Episode 10–11) [37]
Coffee Society 4.0 Jeongseok Cameo (Episode 16) [38]
2023 Longing for You Oh Jin-woo [39]

Television shows
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2017 Produce 101 Season 2 Contestant Reality competition show [8]
Learning the Hard Way Panelist [12]
2018 The Kkondae Live [17]
2019 Hogu Chart [18]

Radio shows
Year Title Role Ref.
2020–2021 To.Night DJ [19][20]

Theatre
Year Title Role Ref.
2020 Everybody's Talking About Jamie Jamie [40]
2021 Hedwig and the Angry Inch Hedwig / Tommy [41]
2022 Bungee Jumping of Their Own Im Hyun-bin [42]
The Three Musketeers Daltagnan [43]

References
  1. "렌 (뉴이스트)" [Ren (NU'EST)]. Genie Music (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  2. "뉴이스트∙세븐틴 멤버, 한양대학교 미래인재교육원 학점은행제 실용음악과정(KPOP) 입학". March 16, 2020. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  3. "애프터스쿨 보이즈, 5인조 연말데뷔..팀명 미정" (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  4. "플레디스 보이즈, 애프터스쿨과 SBS '가요대전' 출격". Naeil (in Korean). December 29, 2011. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  5. "[사진]뉴 이스트-민현-렌,'패션쇼 모델 됐어요'". Osen (in Korean). April 7, 2012. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  6. Benjamin, Jeff (October 17, 2017). "10 Reasons NU'EST Was Always Worth Your Attention". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  7. Schilling, Mark (December 30, 2015). "'Their Distance' explores the pain of being young and in love". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  8. "뉴이스트 측 "'프로듀스 101' 출연 확정"". TenAsia (in Korean). February 24, 2017. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  9. "NU'EST、Wanna One参加のミンヒョン除き4人組ユニット『NU'EST W』としてデビュー！". TV Report (in Japanese). July 18, 2017. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020 – via KStyle.
  10. "NU'EST W、ニューアルバム「W, HERE」のトラックリストを公開…ソロ曲＆SEVENTEEN ウジがプレゼントした楽曲も". Osen (in Japanese). September 26, 2017. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020 – via KStyle.
  11. "NU'EST W、ニューアルバム「WAKE, N」ハイライトメドレーを公開…4人それぞれのソロ曲にも期待". Osen (in Japanese). November 22, 2018. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020 – via KStyle.
  12. "[공식입장] 박준형·소유·소진·정기고·최민기, JTBC2 '사서고생' 출연". Osen (in Korean). July 21, 2017. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  13. "[공식입장] 뉴이스트 렌, '사자' 출연 확정...나나 남동생 役". Osen (in Korean). September 8, 2017. Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  14. "[단독] 박해진X나나 '사자', 사실상 제작중단…임금 미지급 스태프 단체사표". Sports Chosun (in Korean). July 10, 2018. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  15. "[공식입장] '사자' 측 "임금 미지급이 제작 중단 원인? 사실 아냐…촬영 재개할 것"". Xport News (in Korean). July 10, 2018. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  16. "'사자' 제작 중단…박해진 측 "조속한 촬영 재개 바랄 뿐" [공식입장]". TV Report (in Korean). July 10, 2018. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  17. "'더 꼰대 라이브' 이경규→김하온 5人 출연확정…9월 첫방 [공식입장]". Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). August 27, 2018. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  18. "한혜진-전진-장성규-정혁-뉴이스트 렌, '호구의 차트' MC 확정[공식]". Herald Pop (in Korean). August 12, 2019. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  19. Park, Sang-jin. "뉴이스트 아론&렌, 네이버 NOW.'To.Night' 첫 방송" [NU'EST Aaron & Ren, Naver NOW.'To.Night' first broadcast] (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  20. Park, Dong-sun (January 5, 2021). "뉴이스트 아론·렌, 네이버 NOW. '투나잇' 종영소감 전해…"또 다른 소통, 행복한 시간"" [NU'EST Aaron Ren, Naver NOW. Delivering the end of 'To.night'... "Another communication, happy time"] (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  21. "뉴이스트 렌, 뮤지컬 '제이미' 메인 포스터 최초 공개…'시선 집중 비주얼'". m.wowtv.co.kr (in Korean). May 12, 2020. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  22. "'헤드윅' 조승우, 5년 만에 돌아온다…오만석→렌 황금 라인업 완성". mydaily.co.kr. June 23, 2021. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  23. Kim, Ye-na (February 28, 2022). "뉴이스트, 10년 활동 마무리…JR·아론·렌, 소속사 떠난다". Yonhap (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  24. Lee, Min-ji (May 7, 2022). "뉴이스트 출신 렌, 빅플래닛메이드 전속계약…본격 홀로서기[공식]" [NU'EST's Ren signed an exclusive contract with Big Planet Made...Standing alone in earnest [Official]] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Naver.
  25. Kim Hyun-sook (May 18, 2022). "뉴이스트 출신 렌, 유니버스 합류…내달 팬사인회" [Ren from NU'EST joins Universe... Fan signing next month] (in Korean). NEWSIS. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022 – via Naver.
  26. Yoon, Ki-baek (September 15, 2022). "렌, 11월 한일 단독 팬콘 '더 데이 애프터' 개최" [Ren to hold solo fancon 'The Day After' in Korea and Japan in November] (in Korean). Edaily. Retrieved September 15, 2022 – via Naver.
  27. Kim, Jae-hyeon (June 15, 2023). 렌, '랑데부'로 솔로 데뷔 [틀린그림찾기] [Ren, solo debut with 'Rendezvous' [Find the Difference]]. MK Sports (in Korean). Retrieved June 19, 2023 – via Naver.
  28. 김민지 (April 20, 2018). "뉴이스트W 렌이 소아암 백혈병 어린이를 응원합니다". 연합뉴스 (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  29. "20191117 뉴이스트'렌','민현'과 함께한 즐거운 공연 나들이". www.angelc.or.kr (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  30. "뉴이스트 렌, 한국소아암재단에 동화책 판매 수익금 전액 기부 [공식입장]". www.xportsnews.com (in Korean). December 26, 2019. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  31. "Ren'dezvous (2023)". Circle Chart. June 17, 2023.
  32. Accumulated sales for Ren'dezvous:
  33. "2023 Week 24 Download Chart". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  34. Kerr, Elizabeth (March 15, 2016). "'Their Distance': Filmart/Hong Kong Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 10, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  35. "[공식]뉴이스트 렌, '아시안 고스트' 주연 확정…태국 버스킹 성황". news.chosun.com (in Korean). February 14, 2019. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  36. "チョンウチ(田禹治)". KBS World (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  37. "REN NU'EST W แลนด์ดิ้งไทยร่วมเล่นซีรีส์ เบน ชลาทิศ ต้อนรับสุดฮา เจ้าตัวบ่นภาษาไทยเข้าใจยาก". TrueID (in Thai). January 31, 2018. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  38. "'เร็น' NU'EST W เตรียมลัดฟ้าร่วม 'สภากาแฟ 4.0' เผยรอบนี้มีบิ๊กเซอร์ไพรส์ !". Amarin TV (in Thai). July 4, 2018. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  39. "NU'EST Ren to Star in "I Have Waited A Long Time For You"". HanCinema. Bridge News. November 14, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  40. "뉴이스트 렌, 뮤지컬 '제이미' 메인 포스터 최초 공개…'시선 집중 비주얼'". m.wowtv.co.kr (in Korean). May 12, 2020. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  41. Yang Yu-jin (June 23, 2021). "'헤드윅' 조승우, 5년 만에 돌아온다…오만석→렌 황금 라인업 완성". MyDaliy (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  42. Kim Hyun-jung (May 9, 2022). "이창용·정택운·렌·위키미키 지수연 등 '번지점프를 하다' 캐스팅 [공식입장]" [Lee Chang-yong, Jung Taek-woon, Ren, Weki Meki Ji Soo-yeon, etc. Casting 'Bungee Jumping [Official position]] (in Korean). xportsnews. Archived from the original on May 9, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022 – via Naver.
  43. Kim Hyeon-jeong (July 26, 2022). "'삼총사' 신성우·이건명·김형균·렌·라키·경윤·민규 캐스팅…4년만 컴백 [공식입장]" [The Three Musketeers' cast Shin Sung-woo, Lee Geon-myung, Kim Hyung-gyun, Ren, Rocky, Kyung-yun, Mingyu... Comeback after 4 years [Official position]] (in Korean). X-ports News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022 – via Naver.
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