Kim Se-jeong

Kim Se-jeong (; born August 28, 1996), known mononymously as Sejeong, is a South Korean singer, actress and songwriter signed under Jellyfish Entertainment. She was the runner-up contestant in Mnet's survival show "Produce 101", and debuted as member of the girl group I.O.I. She's also a former member of Gugudan and its subgroup Gugudan SeMiNa. Following the group's disbandment, she's currently active as a solo artist and actress.
Early life and education.
Kim Se-jeong was born in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, but moved to Anyang, Gyeonggi where she stayed with her mother and older brother at her aunt's house. Her parents split when she was a child, leaving her mother to single-handedly raise her and her brother, and she has previously stated that she did not contact her father until her third year of middle school. Kim is currently studying practical music in Hanyang Women's University.
Career.
Pre-debut.
In 2012, Kim participated in the second season of competition television show "K-pop Star 2" at the age of 16. She did not make it through the second round ranking audition, but Yang Hyun-suk brought her back as a wildcard for the casting round, where she performed a duet of Taeyang's "I Need A Girl" with fellow contestant Jo Yoo-min. Yang cast the both of them, grouping Kim with contestants Nicole Curry and Lee Soo-kyung for the final casting round. However, at the end of the round, she was eliminated from the competition.
"Produce 101" and I.O.I.
In January 2016, she represented Jellyfish Entertainment together with fellow trainees Kim Na-young and Kang Mi-na on the reality survival show "Produce 101" for the chance to debut in a Mnet girl group. All three were assigned to "Group A" in the first episode of the program, and she achieved the first-place ranking on several episodes, earning the nickname "God Sejeong". The program came to an end on April 1, 2016, and the final line-up of I.O.I, made up of the top 11 poll-winners, was announced. Kim finished second overall, with 525,352 votes, becoming an official member of the girl group. I.O.I promoted as a whole for events and advertising gigs. The group disbanded at the end of January 2017.
2016–2018: Gugudan, variety shows and acting debut.
On June 10, 2016, YMC Entertainment revealed that Kim would not be taking part in I.O.I's unit promotions but would instead return to her agency to debut and promote with its upcoming girl group. On June 28, 2016, while still a member of I.O.I, Kim officially debuted as a member of South Korean girl group Gugudan. On November 23, 2016, Kim participated in Jellyfish Entertainment's music channel project "Jelly Box" and released the single "Flower Way" (), produced by Zico, along with a music video. The single topped seven major charts upon its release, and Kim received her first music program trophy as a solo artist with "Flower Way" on the November 30 episode of "Show Champion".
Aside from singing, Kim established herself as an "ace" in variety shows with her multiple streak guesting in popular entertainment programs. 
Plans for Kim to host a new KBS show "Talents for Sale" alongside Kim Jong-kook, Lee Seo-jin and Noh Hong-chul were announced in April 2016. She displayed a variety of talents on the show and earned the nickname 'Variety Cheat Key'. She would later get a "Rookie Variety" nomination in the 15th KBS Entertainment Awards. In March 2017, she joined the reality-documentary "Law of the Jungle in Sumatra" team in a remote area in Sumatra, Indonesia. Kim displayed her athletic and survival skills such as diving and fishing for several episodes earning her a "survival ace" nickname by the producers. She was awarded with a Best Challenge Award on the 11th SBS Entertainment Awards. In September 2017, It was confirmed that Kim will be a fixed cast member in Netflix's variety show "Busted!".
That month, she became a permanent MC for OnStyle's "Get It Beauty".
In July 2017, she took on her first major acting role as the lead, Ra Eun-ho, in KBS2's teen drama "School 2017". She won a "Best New Actress" award at the 31st KBS Drama Awards for her performance as the bubbly and charismatic Eun-ho. She also sung the OST for the series with her group Gugudan.
On January 12, 2017, Kim released the song "If Only" for the OST of the Korean drama "The Legend of the Blue Sea". Later that year, she sang "Star Blossom" for "" with NCT's Doyoung.
In June 2018, a Gugudan subgroup named Gugudan Semina was formed with Sejeong and members Mina and Nayoung. They debuted on July 10, 2018. In September 2018, Sejeong released the song "Lover" for the OST of the Korean drama "Mr. Sunshine".
2019–present: Solo beginnings, musical debut and "The Uncanny Counter".
In 2019, she went on to take her second leading role in the mystery romantic-comedy "I Wanna Hear Your Song". After a year of hiatus as a singer, on December 2, 2019, Kim released the single "Tunnel" with Dingo Music, followed by her first EP "Plant" (), with its lead single of the same name, released on March 17, 2020. She wrote and composed all the tracks from her EP except for the title track. She released a digital single "Whale" on August 17, 2020.
In 2020, Kim sang "All of My Days" for the OST of "Crash Landing on You", which charted at number 50 on the Gaon digital chart followed by "What My Heart Says" for the OST of "Record of Youth". Kim then went on to make her musical debut with "Return: The Promise of the Day", an original army musical that deals with the topic of excavating the remains of the heroic soldiers who sacrificed themselves to protect their country during the Korean War. On July 15, 2020, she was confirmed to have been cast for the drama adaptation of the popular webtoon "The Uncanny Counter". The drama went on to become the highest-rated OCN series and it's immense popularity led to a renewal for season 2. Kim wrote and composed "Meet Again" for the OST of "The Uncanny Counter".
On March 9, 2021, it was revealed that Sejeong was in the middle of preparing for a comeback. The teaser video for her comeback on March 17. It was later revealed that Sejeong would release her second EP "I'm" and its lead single "Warning" on March 29. On April 5, 2021, it was announced that Kim would make her second musical appearance through "Red Blood". On May 4, 2021, Sejeong and the members of I.O.I celebrated their 5th debut anniversary with a reunion live stream show called "Yes, I Love It!". On May 11, 2021, Sejeong renewed her contract with Jellyfish Entertainment.
Discography.
Production credits.
All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database under Kim Sejeong unless otherwise noted.
External links.
 