Idol Producers: Jeon Soyeon

Even before joining the (G)I-DLE lineup, Soyeon had already begun to make a name for herself as a stellar artist and producer. Though her group debuted in 2018, she had been in the spotlight since 2016, gaining popularity in her appearance on Produce 101 where she originally peaked within the top ten. After finishing at 20 and not making I.O.I, she also appeared on the third season of the variety show Unpretty Rapstar, where she finished as the second runner up. Her solo debut came in 2017 with singles “Jelly” and “Idle Song,” both of which she wrote and composed by herself. Her success in the realms of rapping, singing, and songwriting has earned her the title of “Triple Threat.”

Her first credited songs come in the form of Unpretty Rapstar 3 tracks “She’s Coming,” “Scary,” “Children’s Day,” and “Smile,” all of which she has lyric credits on. It’s notable that her solo debut was based all on songs she wrote herself, as that is incredibly uncommon in the K-Pop world. It set the standard that Soyeon would have creative freedom in her musical endeavors, which became a precedent in her girl group. (G)I-DLE’s debut track “LATATA” was completely written and composed by Soyeon, along with producer Big Sancho.

She has participated in at least the lyrics for every (G)I-DLE song, but what is truly spectacular is that she is credited as a producer as well on every title track released by the girl group—yes, that even includes the viral hit “Oh my god.”

What may not be as well-known is the other artists she has written for. The first outside artist she’s credited on the lyrics for is JBJ’s debut album B-side “Say My Name,” which is particularly interesting given it was outside of her company. CLC’s title track “No” in 2019 was actually a product of Soyeon, and was selected by a blind test. In addition, she worked on songs for Minhyuk of BTOB, Key of SHINee, Hyoyeon of Girls’ Generation, and Namjoo of Apink. 

While many fans are familiar with idol producers, there are a good number of people that are unaware of the women idols that have a hand in their own music. There’s even more of a stereotype around girl groups being particularly “manufactured,” even compared to boy groups, so the women who are out here shaping the K-Pop industry don’t get as much attention. Soyeon is a shining example of the talent women in this industry have to offer, and hopefully she spearheads changing the stereotype.