Oh Hye-rin (born May 7, 1989), better known by her stage name Raina, is a South Korean singer. She is best known as a former member of the South Korean girl group After School and member of the sub-unit

Orange Caramel Orange Caramel () is the first subgroup of South Korean girl group After School. The subgroup was formed in 2010 with the third generation After School members Nana, Raina, and Lizzy. As of December 2019, Orange Caramel only has one member u ...

. Raina debuted with the group in November 2009 following the release of the group's third single, "

Because of You Because of You may refer to: Music Albums * ''Because of You'' (James Darren album), 2001 * ''Because of You'' (Ne-Yo album), 2007, and the title song (see below) * ''Because of You'' (Tony Bennett album), 1952, and the title song, a cover ...

". She debuted as a solo singer in September 2014 with the single "You End, And Me".

Career

Predebut

Raina tried to audition with

JYP Entertainment JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate founded in 1997 by J. Y. Park. It is one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, and operates as a record label, tale ...

to become a rapper before joining

Pledis Entertainment Pledis Entertainment () is a South Korean entertainment company founded by Han Sung-Soo in 2007. The label is home to actress Nana, Hwang Min-hyun, Baekho, and K-pop groups Seventeen and Fromis 9. Its name originates from the pleiades, a star ...

. Before debut, Raina was a barista at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. She also previously auditioned for Mnet's ''

Superstar K ''Superstar K'' ( ko, 슈퍼스타 K) is a South Korean television talent show series which is held yearly. First held in 2009, Superstar K has increasingly gained more attention, considered the biggest audition program in South Korea. Superstar ...

'' and was a student at the SM Academy. Raina is considered to be one of the best vocalists among idol girl groups in South Korea.

2009–2014: Debut with After School and Orange Caramel

Raina officially debuted with After School for the release of their second single, "

", which attained No. 1 on the

Gaon 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 o ...

and won the "triple crown" on SBS ''

Inkigayo ''Inkigayo'' ( ko, 인기가요; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who p ...

''. She debuted in After School's sub-unit

on June 18, 2010, on KBS '' Music Bank'' with the song "Magic Girl". She released her first solo single for the ''My Shining Girl'' OST in February 2012. Raina has written lyrics for

's "Still..." and "Standing in This Place". Raina also wrote the lyrics for After School's "Love Love Love" and "Timeless".

2014–present: Solo career

On June 12, 2014, Raina and rapper

San E Jung San (; born ), more commonly known by his stage name San E (), is a South Korean rapper. He debuted in 2010 under JYP Entertainment, where he was the label's first solo rapper. He left the company in 2013 to sign with hip hop label Brand Ne ...

released an R&B duet called ''A Midsummer Night's Sweetness''. The collaboration topped all major music charts in South Korea soon after it was released, and it was No. 4 on the year-end Gaon Digital Chart. In October 2014, Raina became the first After School member to make a solo debut with the release her solo single titled ''Reset'', which was released on October 8. The single consists of title track ''You End, and Me'' and b-side track ''Repertoire''. Raina released her second digital single titled ''I Don't Know'' on November 24, 2015. On June 16, 2016, Raina and rapper San E released their second duet, called ''Sugar and Me''. On June 5, 2017, Raina released her third OST titled ''When Rain Falls'' for MBC's drama "Lookout"; fellow After School member E-young participated in lyric-writing, composition and arrangement for the track. Raina released her first single album, ''Loop'' on July 31. The single album contains three tracks, with title track ''Loop'' featuring

NU'EST NU'EST (; short for New Establish Style Tempo) was a South Korean boy band formed and managed by Pledis Entertainment. The group consisted of five members: JR, Aron, Baekho, Minhyun and Ren. They debuted on March 15, 2012, with the single t ...

's Aron. In August 2018, Raina released the single ''It's Okay'' as part of a project single with producer

Bumzu Kye Beom-ju (Hangul: 계범주, born November 8, 1991), better known by the stage name Bumzu (Hangul: 범주), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was a contestant on ''Superstar K4'' and released his debut album, ''So ...

. Subsequently, on September 5, 2018, Raina's soundtrack single entitled ''Home'' was released as the fifth OST for SBS' drama " Your Honor". On December 17, 2019, it was shared that Raina had left Pledis following the expiration of her contract. Following her departure from Pledis, Raina has yet to join an agency. In April 2020 Raina participated in her first project since leaving Pledis as a member of the X-MAS project in which she released her version of

Lena Park Park Jung-hyun (; born March 23, 1976), also known as Lena Park (), is an American-born South Korean singer who debuted in 1998 with the album, '' Piece.'' She is also widely known in South Korea as her nickname "National fairy" due to her pet ...

's Ann (앤). To much excitement of fans, Raina released her next OST for KBS's '' Once Again'' alongside former Myteen member and

Produce X 101 ''Produce X 101'' () is a 2019 South Korean boy group survival reality show on Mnet and the fourth season of the '' Produce 101'' franchise. The public, referred to as "national producers", "produces" a boy band by choosing 11 members among th ...

contestant

Song Yuvin Song Yu-bin (Hangul: 송유빈, born April 28, 1998), commonly referred to as Song Yuvin, is a South Korean singer and actor. He is best known as a contestant of Superstar K6 and Produce X 101, and for being one of the main vocalists of the South ...

, called Love is Danger. Since then, Raina has been announced as part of the line-up for MBN's female idol revival show " Miss Back" hosted by

Baek Ji-young Baek Ji-young (; born March 25, 1976), also known as Baek Z Young, is a South Korean singer. She made her debut in 1999, with the release of her album ''Sorrow''. Over her career she has released eight studio albums and won awards for Best Fem ...

. On December 4, 2021, Raina signed a contract with Aer Music.

Discography

Single albums

Singles

Other songs

Theater

Awards and nominations

Mnet Asian Music Awards

, - , rowspan="2", 2014 , rowspan="2",

& Raina – " A Midsummer Night's Sweetness" ,

Song of the Year Song of the Year may refer to: * Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year * Dove Award for Song of the Year * Golden Melody Award for Song of the Year * Grammis Song of the Year * Grammy Award for Song of the Year * Latin Grammy Awa ...

, , - , Best Collaboration ,

Melon Music Awards

, - , rowspan="3", 2014
, rowspan="3", San E & Raina – "A Midsummer Night's Sweetness" , Song of the Year , , - , Hot Trend Award , , - , Rap/Hip Hop ,

Golden Disc Awards

, - , 2015 , San E & Raina – "A Midsummer Night's Sweetness" , Digital Bonsang ,

Seoul Music Awards

, - , 2014 , San E & Raina – "A Midsummer Night's Sweetness" , Hip Hop/Rap Award ,

Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards

, - , 2014 , San E & Raina – "A Midsummer Night's Sweetness" , Artist of the Year – July ,

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1989 births Living people People from Ulsan Pledis Entertainment artists South Korean female idols South Korean women pop singers After School (band) members Orange Caramel members Melon Music Award winners 21st-century South Korean singers 21st-century South Korean women singers