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 Aespa ( ; , stylized in Letter case#All lowercase, all lowercase or as æspa) is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of four members: Karina (South Korean singer), Karina, Giselle (singer), Giselle, Winter ...

Career

Early life and pre-debut

Ningning was born as Ning Yizhuo on October 23, 2002, in

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

, China. She graduated from Harbin Normal University Middle School () and Beijing Contemporary Music Academy (). During her early years, she was nicknamed "Ningning", which she would later use as her stage name in her career. Ningning was scouted by

SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...

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 SM Rookies (, stylized in all caps as SMROOKIES) is a pre-debut training team created by South Korean entertainment agency SM Entertainment in 2013, composed of trainees who have yet to join an idol group. From 2013 to 2023, the team officiall ...

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

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, with the release of the digital single "

Black Mamba The black mamba (''Dendroaspis polylepis'') is a species of highly venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. It is native to parts of sub-Saharan Africa. First formally species description, described by Albert Günther in 1864, it is ...

". In 2022, Ningning released an OST with fellow member

Winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...

called "Once Again" as part of the official soundtrack of the South Korean drama ''

Our Blues ''Our Blues'' () is a 2022 South Korean television series starring Lee Byung-hun, Shin Min-a, Cha Seung-won, Lee Jung-eun, Uhm Jung-hwa, Han Ji-min, and Kim Woo-bin. The series revolves around the sweet and bitter lives of people at the end, c ...

''. The song charted at 119 on the

Circle Digital Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...

. In December, she participated in 2 tracks for SM's annual end-of-year compilation 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 Jay Park (born April 25, 1987), Korean name Park Jae-beom (), is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and dancer based in South Korea. He is a member of the Seattle-based breakdancing, b-boy crew Art of Movement (AOM), and founder and former ...

. 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 Lexie Liu, also known as Liu Boxin (; born December 21, 1998), is a Chinese singer, rapper and songwriter. In 2015, she participated in ''K-pop Star 5'', a South Korean reality TV competition series where her group came in fourth place. In July ...

ØZI Stefan Chen Yi-fan (; born March 27, 1997), known professionally as ØZI, is a Taiwanese American singer-songwriter and rapper. ØZI is noted for integrating the genres of contemporary urban hip-hop, R&B, and Mandopop. Early life and educati ...

, and Masiwei. On March 12, 2024, Ningning released the OST "Count on Me" for drama ''

The Midnight Studio ''The Midnight Studio'' () is a 2024 South Korean television series written by Kim Yi-rang, directed by Song Hyun-wook, and starring Joo Won, Kwon Nara, Yoo In-soo, and Eum Moon-suk. Based on the screenwriter's own novel of the same name, it is ...

''. On March 15, she was announced as the MC for the first day of KCON 2024 in Hong Kong alongside Myung Jae-hyun of boy group

BoyNextDoor BoyNextDoor (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by KOZ Entertainment in 2023. The group consists of six members: Sungho, Riwoo, Jaehyun, Taesan, Leehan, and Woonhak. Characterized by its eponymous 'wikt:boy next door, boy ...

Endorsements

On February 8, 2024, the Italian luxury fashion house

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury elite fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as '' haute couture'' under it ...

appointed Ningning as their global brand ambassador. In August, she became the global face of the Versace's Kleio Bag campaign. In November, she kicked off Versace's holiday campaign and starred in a campaign video. On February 20, 2025, Ningning has been selected as S/S season model for

FILA Fila (; ) is a South Korean-owned athleisure brand headquartered in Seoul. The company was originally founded by Ettore and Giansevero Fila in 1911 in Coggiola, near Biella, Italy. Fila Korea acquired the brand in 2007 and launched its initial p ...

's brand campaign at ABC Mart. On February 26, Ningning was appointed as

Maybelline Maybelline New York (formerly The Maybelline Company and Mabelline and Co.), trading as and commonly known as simply Maybelline ( ), is an American multinational cosmetics, skin care, perfume, and personal care company, based in New York City. ...

New York's brand ambassador for North and Southeast Asia.

Discography

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Soundtrack appearances

Other charted songs

Other appearances

Composition credits

All song credits are adapted from the

Korea Music Copyright Association The Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) is a South Korean non-profit copyright collective for musical works, administering public performance and broadcasting rights, and mechanical recording and reproduction rights. Founded in 1964, it ...

's database unless stated otherwise.

Filmography

Television shows

Hosting

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ningning 2002 births Living people Musicians from Harbin Singers from Heilongjiang SM Entertainment artists Chinese K-pop singers Chinese expatriates in South Korea English-language singers from China Japanese-language singers of China Korean-language singers of China 21st-century Chinese women singers Aespa members SM Rookies members