NINGNING

PROFILE

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Butterfly 🦋

CAREER SUMMARY

PRE-DEBUT

Prior to debuting in Korea as a K-Pop artist, Ningning appeared on many audition programs in China, her home country. In March 2011, she entered the preliminary rounds of China’s Got Talent - Season 2 and sang a song by Jolin Tsai, often dubbed the “Queen of Chinese Pop.” In 2013, she has also performed in front of 50,000 audiences in 加油！少年派 and received the nickname “Little Joline Tsai.” She consistently appeared on Chinese audition programs until 2016, notably performing "Shake It" by SISTAR, a K-Pop girl group, in 2015.

On September 19th, 2016, Ningning was revealed to be one of the SMROOKIES members, a pre-debut team of trainees organized by SM Entertainment. For 10 episodes starting in September 19th, 2016, Ningning has starred as a regular member in MY SMT Rookies Princess - ‘Who’s the Best’. She was the only SMROOKIES member to stay until 2020, before her debut as a member of aespa.

Even though she is the youngest member of her team, her time as a trainee (4 years and 2 months) is the longest among the group members.

AFTER DEBUT

In 2020, Ningning debuted as a member of aespa, a 4-member group under SM Entertainment, with Karina, Giselle, and Winter with the Digital Single Black Mamba. From debut, she has received a lot of attention as the long-awaited member of SMROOKIES, and also the first non-Korean main vocal to debut in a SM Entertainment girl group. Her clear vocals and cat-like visuals have also been praised.

In 2022, Ningning participated in the 2022 Winter SMTOWN : SMCU PALACE album with a ballad collaboration track, "Time After Time (원)" with her labelmates BoA and Wendy, and also an EDM dance track, "Good To Be Alive" with labelmates Hyoyeon (Girls’ Generation), Key (SHINee), Chen (EXO), Johnny (NCT).

In 2023, Ningning, along with Jay Park, released a digital single, "WYA (妳在哪裡)," with lyrics in Chinese and English.

In 2024, Ningning was announced as a global ambassador of the luxury fashion house Versace.

POSITIONS

VOCAL

Ningning is commonly thought to be the main vocal (not an official position) of aespa. Along with Winter, she’s the “vocal line” of aespa. Her vocal tones have been called a mixture of husky, soft, and clear. Despite not being a native of Korean, her pronunciation of Korean lyrics has been generally well-received. Her tones have also been called reminiscent of the distinct vocal tones of Bada, the main vocal of the first girl group to debut in SM Entertainment, S.E.S.

In many of the aespa title tracks, Ningning sings the bridge and the ad-libs with Winter, including "Black Mamba" and "Savage." In her debut teaser, Ningning has shown her high range. Her range is very wide, showing consistent skills from low ranges to higher ranges. Her lowest supported range in "Dreams Come True" was D3. Her vocal ability has also been highly regarded in tracks such as "Illusion."

In Begin Again Open Mic in 2023, she sang with many veteran K-Ballad singers, including Park Won and Lim Jeong-hee.

RAP

Ningning is commonly thought to be the sub-rapper (not an official position) of aespa. Even though she does not get many rap parts compared to the “rap line” of aespa (Karina and Giselle), the rap parts she delivered have generally been well-received, with clear delivery.

In "Next Level," Ningning has done the rap part for the chorus. In "Dreams Come True," Ningning has rapped the intro. In "Drama," her rap part, including the lyrics “I’m a stunner,” has been regarded as one of the "killing parts" for the English-speaking fans.

DANCE

Even though her vocal skills are put into more spotlight in official interviews and variety shows, Ningning’s dance skills have actually been praised for their accuracy, core strength, and power. Her stage presence shines through in festivals or concerts, where she makes the most of gestures and facial expressions.

Ningning #TMI