Clockwise, starting in top left: Somi, Sejeong, Yoojung, Chungha, Sohye, Yeonjung, Nayoung, Mina, Doyeon, Chaeyeon, Jieqiong.
I.O.I was a Korean Pop Music Girl Group that debuted May 4, 2016 and disbanded January 23, 2017. I.O.I was formed from the eleven winners from a pool of 101 trainees on the show Produce 101. Reflecting this fact, the group's name is an Initialism Title for "Ideal of Idol," as the trainees were pulled from many different agencies in the K-Pop industry, and represented the hypothetical best of the best in the upcoming generation of female Idol Singers as voted by the general public.
During their time as a group, they released three promoted songs, two as a full group and one as a sub-unit. Because of the popularity of these songs and the members, they were awarded or nominated for numerous rookie and rising star group awards, and also notched up eight wins on music shows for "Whatta Man" and "Very Very Very."
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Members
- Nayoung (Lim Nayoung, born December 18, 1995, Pledis Entertainment) - Leader, Main Rappernote
- Chungha (Kim Chanmi, born February 9, 1996, M&H Entertainment) - Main Dancer, Lead Vocalistnote
- Sejeong (Kim Sejeong, born August 28, 1996, Jellyfish Entertainment) - Main Vocalistnote
- Chaeyeon (Jung Chaeyeon, born December 1, 1997, MBK Entertainment) - Sub Vocalist, Visualnote
- Jieqiong (Zhou Jieqiongnote , born December 16, 1998, Pledis Entertainment) - Lead Dancer, Sub/Lead Vocalist, Visualnote
- Sohye (Kim Sohye, born July 19, 1999, Shark & Penguin Entertainment) - Sub Vocalistnote
- Yeonjung (Yoo Yeonjung, born August 3, 1999, Starship Entertainment) - Main Vocalistnote
- Yoojung (Choi Yoojung, born November 12, 1999, Fantagio Entertainment) - Lead Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Lead Rappernote
- Mina (Kang Mina, December 4, 1999, Jellyfish Entertainment) - Lead Dancer, Sub Vocalistnote
- Doyeon (Kim Doyeon, December 4, 1999, Fantagio Entertainment) - Sub Vocalist, Visualnote
- Somi (Ennik Somi Doumanote , born March 9, 2001, JYP Entertainment) - Center/Face, Lead Vocalist, Dancer, Maknaenote
I.O.I's Discography
- Singles
- "Crush
" - Apr. 11, 2016 (Pre-Debut Single) - "Dream Girls" - May 3, 2016 (Debut Single)
- "Whatta Man" - Aug. 8, 2016
- "Very Very Very" - Oct. 16, 2016
- "Downpour" - Jan. 17, 2017
- "Crush
- Extended Plays
- ''Chrysalis' (2016)
- Miss Me? (2016)
Tropes related to I.O.I:
- Amusing Injuries: Yoojung got into a fight with a punching bag in "Whatta Man"...and lost.
- Animal Motifs: Sohye and penguins or sharks, Yoojung and puppies, Chungha and hamsters.
- Sohye's has gone to the point that her agency's name is S&P Entertainment (Shark and Penguin) and her cafe's name is Penguin's Cafe.
- Sohye's has gone to the point that her agency's name is S&P Entertainment (Shark and Penguin) and her cafe's name is Penguin's Cafe
- But Not Too Foreign:
- Somi is half Canadian/Dutch, half Korean.
- Chungha is fully Korean but spent seven years in Dallas, Texas, USA as a young child.
- Jieqiong is Chinese but acts so Korean (using words and phrases only Koreans would know) that there are rumours that she is actually native Korean.
- Big Girl, Little Girl: Doyeon and Yoojung, respectively. They're inseparable.
- Catchphrase: "Yes, I love it! Hello, we are I.O.I!"
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: In "Very Very Very," one scene features them wearing socks that match their grade group colors from Produce 101.
- Department of Redundancy Department: "Very Very Very" takes this up to eleven.
- Genki Girl: Somi, Yoojung, Doyeon, Jieqiong and Yeonjung take the crown. One could wonder how Nayoung and Chaeyeon managed to control them.
- Girl Group
- Homage - "Whatta Man" borrows its hook from the Salt-n-Pepa song of the same name.
- The video for "Dream Girls" is pretty much a modernized reboot of "Into the New World" by Girls' Generation.
- Hotter and Sexier: "Whatta Man" is a "girl crush" concept, and as such, features much more revealing outfits and dance moves that accentuate the girls' figures.
- I Have Many Names: Kyulkyung* has also been referred to as Jieqiong* , Zhou* , and Pinky* . After a long time of ambiguity on the matter, Pledis finally decided to use Kyulkyung as her stage name for her debut in Pristin.
- Idol Singer
- Montages: "Downpour" combines several types of these into one farewell video for the girls.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Yoojung is very, very, very small, but also very talented.
- Self-Empowerment Anthem: "Dream Girls"
- Singer Allusion:
- In "Whatta Man," Sohye does a dance move imitating the waddle of a penguin, her favorite animal.
- Somi does a jump kick in "Very Very Very," alluding to her training in Tae Kwon Do when she was younger.
- Solemn Ending Theme: "Downpour" is the group's farewell song.
- Spin-Off: I.B.I is unofficially this to I.O.I. They are a quintet formed from the "best of the rest" on Produce 101.
- Stage Name:
- Somi: Ennik Douma
- Team Dad: Nayoung.
- Team Mom: Chaeyeon.
- Sleeps with Both Eyes Open: Sohye's bad sleeping habit, shown in their reality show.
- The Stoic: Nayoung's expressionless nature is a Running Joke among the members. She even has been nicknamed "Stone Buddha" or "Stone Nayoung." Averted in the fact that she's pretty much as dorky as her teammates, it's just less noticeable.
- Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Sejeong usually behaves and talks like an old man, but she's also very sensitive and caring.
- True Companions: 100%. Managing to win the survival show had them become incredibly close to one another, and they all say they wished the group would've never disbanded.
- Your Days Are Numbered: It was made very clear from the beginning that I.O.I would not be staying together as a group after the end of their contract. Not that it made the inevitable disbandment any easier for the girls or the fans.
