Umji

Biography

Kim Ye-won (Korean: 김예원; born August 19, 1998), better known by her stage name Umji (엄지), is a South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer. She is a member of the girl groups GFriend and Viviz.

Early life

Umji was born on August 19, 1998, in Yeonsu-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, South Korea and is the youngest daughter of her family (one older brother and one older sister). Her father is dentist and chairman of a famous dental corporation in South Korea.
Umji went to English preschool and graduated from Shinsong Middle School, Incheon. She graduated from the School of Performing Arts Seoul (SOPA - Theater Department) in February 2017, along with her groupmate, SinB.

Career

Umji made her debut as a member of the group GFriend on January 15, 2015, with the release of the extended play Season of Glass, along with the single "Glass Bead". The group first live performance took place on the KBS2's Music Bank on January 16.
In September 2016, she released her first solo soundtrack for the South Korean drama Shopping King Louie, entitled "The Way". In October 2016, the singer stopped activities with the group after being diagnosed with a twist in the sarus muscle. She returned a month after recovering for the Melon Music Awards.
In November 2017, she took part in King of Mask Singer, participating in two rounds until she was eliminated by Sunwoo Jung-a.
In 2018, along with member Sanha from the boys band Astro, the singer was chosen to host a talk show for the youth audience entitled Yogobara.
In March 2020, the singer released her second soundtrack for the South Korean drama Welcome called "Welcome". In April 2020, she replaced her fellow group member Eunha as a new DJ for Naver Now "Avenger Girls".
In October 2020, Umji appeared with Eunha on the show Knowing Bros and showcased a tip of the single "Mago" from GFriend's studio album 回:Walpurgis Night released two weeks later on November 9.
On October 6, 2021, it was announced that Umji, along with former GFriend members, Eunha and SinB, have signed a contract with BPM Entertainment to debut as a trio. On October 8, 2021, it was announced their new group name would be Viviz. Viviz debuted on February 9, 2022, with the extended play Beam of Prism.

Composition credits

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