Ren 'against gender prejudice', the "most beautiful male idol in Korea", Jungkook?

Choi Min-ki (Ren) is a singer, dancer, and member of the popular music group NU'EST. Since his debut, he has made a strong impression by his appearance that goes against the usual "masculine" image of Korean artists.

Going through many ups and downs in their careers, Ren and NU'EST members have affirmed their names on the music map of the land of kimchi. He himself also made his mark as a musical actor, a field that was not for idols in the past.

Ren was born in 1995 in the Busan region, the hometown of many famous idols such as Jungkook, Jimin, Kang Daniel. Since he was a child, the male singer has been "immersed" in music because his father is passionate about singing. He once dreamed of becoming a singer and devoted himself to supporting Ren to pursue art.

Undeterred, Ren auditioned for Pledis Entertainment when she was in high school. In 2009, he began his internship and two years later made his first public appearance.

At that time, Ren was a supporting dancer in the Wonder Boy music video, performed by the small group BLUE with four members, Jooyeon, Raina, Lizziy, and E-Young. Although the role is somewhat blurry, this is still a happy day for Ren when receiving the launch announcement from the company.

Later that year, he appeared in the MV Love Letter, a song that brought together artists and trainees of Pledis Entertainment. In addition to Ren, other male trainees, including future members of NU'EST and Seventeen, also appear under the name Pledis Boys. In the MV, although she only "flashed" in a few frames, Ren still impressed the public thanks to her platinum blonde hair and bright face, closeness with seniors and other trainees.

In 2012, after a period of hard training, Ren made her public debut as a backing singer and the face of NU'EST. Along with Aron, JR, Baekho, and Minhyun, the five-member lineup officially went into operation.

Ren and NU'EST have made certain impressions in the hearts of the public and have a large fan base. The group is highly expected to debut at the same time as EXO, B.A.P.

However, the fate of these three names is extremely opposite, if EXO becomes the leading boy group, B.A.P will quickly slide because of the management company's "labor exploitation" strategy.

As for NU'EST, the group had a difficult time because of Pledis Entertainment's mistakes before making a strong comeback. NU'EST's journey to rise from the "ashes" has inspired many successive generations of idols.

In March 2012, NU'EST released Face, their debut song on the theme of school violence and toxic masculinity. The content of the song made a difference in the context of the K-Pop industry at that time was only full of romantic love songs.

With a fast tempo, and a strong melody, Face showed off the group's good singing and dancing ability. Dance and electronic materials later became characteristic of NU'EST's music.

Regarding Ren personally, the male idol also attracts attention thanks to his somewhat feminine appearance and long hair tied in a ponytail. This is considered a "clever" coincidence when NU'EST's debut song mentions social prejudice about masculinity.

Not only that, Ren was also impressed by his height and thanks to that, he and Minhyun were privileged to participate in Seoul Fashion Week just a month after their debut. He confidently strides on the runway with many names in the fashion world, which is rare for a newly launched idol.

A few months later, NU'EST released the EP Action and achieved a positive performance when ranking fourth on the Gaon chart in Korea. With only four tracks, Action brings the electronic music material used in Face and a gentle ballad melody, helping to reveal different aspects of the group.

However, contrary to predictions about the bright future, mistakes in Pledis Entertainment's promotional strategy have caused NU'EST to gradually lose its attractiveness. They became "absent" from their home countries and increased their activities in Southeast Asia, Japan and the United States.

The lack of a solid fan base in Korea as well as unsuccessful activities abroad made the group's name gradually decline. After Action, NU'EST's products were no longer noticed when sales did not break the milestone of thirty thousand copies of their debut album.

Between 2014 and 2016, the name NU'EST disappeared from the music charts. On TV shows, they have not won once and have the public question the future of Ren and the members.

In 2017, it seemed that NU'EST had lost hope, but a bold decision helped completely change the situation. At that time, Mnet's Produce 101 program was in the process of recruiting trainees, those with high rankings would be debuted in a project group.

This is a great opportunity for trainees and lesser-known idols to shine on their musical journey. Therefore, Ren and three NU'EST members signed up to join the group to save the group's situation.

However, the journey of the members as well as Ren personally was not smooth. In the qualifiers, the male idol did not achieve a high ranking and was placed in the D category.

Although it did not meet the initial expectations, participating in Produce 101 helped NU'EST resonate, becoming a momentum for their spectacular comeback. The number of fans on the group's forum has also doubled compared to before the show.

Shortly after Produce 101, four members Ren, JR, Baekho and Aron formed the small group NU'EST W. Over the course of two years, they released three EPs, each of which sold over two hundred thousand copies. The members also touched the weekly trophy for the first time when they won at M!Countdown.

Ren also decided to try his hand at musicals. In 2020, he took on the lead role of Jamie in the play of the same name about a boy who dreams of becoming a drag queen, a term for people, usually men with a feminine style of dress and heavy makeup.

Jamie was premiered at the LG Arts Center and attracted the attention of the public. During the show, Ren showed her talent with her soaring voice and smooth dance steps.

Ren continued to explore the potential of musicals when he appeared in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a work with a similar theme to Jamie. Hedwig and the Angry Inch revolves around the story of Hedwig Robinson, a transgender German singer who is betrayed by her lover and has unsuccessful transgender surgery.

Since his debut with NU'EST, Ren has expressed that he does not want to be constrained by the framework. The male idol's feminine appearance and dress have expressed the belief that clothing is not a definition of gender.

Ren shared that Lady Gaga, a female singer famous for her products that exceed all prejudices of the public, is his inspiration. Ren's blonde hair, makeup, and performance outfits are all influenced by the style of the "monster mother".

Stray Kids crowned kings at BMA 2024, ousting Jungkook and Jimin, STAY was proud Khanh Phạm16:22:35 17/12/2024The 2024 Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) witnessed an impressive victory for Stray Kids when the group won the award in the Top Global K-Pop Artist category, surpassing big names like Jungkook and Jimin (BTS).