Choi Ji-su (
Korean: 최지수; born July 21, 2000), known mononymously as Lia (
Korean: 리아), is a South Korean singer. She is a member of the South Korean girl group
Itzy.
Early life and education
Lia was born on July 21, 2000, as Choi Ji-su, in
Incheon, South Korea. She spent a part of her childhood in
Canada and attended North London Collegiate School in Jeju.[1] She graduated from
School of Performing Arts Seoul in 2019.[2]
Lia initially auditioned for
SM Entertainment and passed but was forced to back out at the last minute due to a disagreement with her parents.[1] In 2017, Lia passed auditions for
JYP Entertainment and trained for two years under the agency.[3]
On February 12, 2019, Lia officially debuted as a member of
Itzy, with the release of their digital single album, It'z Different with the single "
Dalla Dalla".[4][5][6] As a member of the group, she contributed the ballad "Always Be Your Star" for
MBC's The Red Sleeve in 2022.[7] Lia later recorded "Blue Flower" for
tvN's Alchemy of Souls 2 , which peaked at 184 in the
Circle Chart.[8] Later, she released "One Hundred Love" for the original soundtrack of Dr. Romantic.[9]
On September 18, 2023, JYP Entertainment announced that Lia would be taking a hiatus due to
anxiety.[10] While on hiatus, Lia released "Blossom", a solo track dedicated to her fans, which she co-wrote with Sim Eun-ji as part of the group's studio album Born to Be.[11][12]
Philanthropy
In January 2020, Lia was one of the celebrities who participated in Gmarket Global Shop's "Give Love" donation campaign.[13][14] On August 17, 2022, Lia donated ₩30 million (approximately US$23,152) to The Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association, for helping the flood victims.[15]
^"Always Be Your Star" did not enter the Gaon Digital Chart, but peaked at number 6 and 34 on Gaon BGM Chart and Gaon Download Chart, respectively.[17][18]
^Lee, Seung-rok (February 15, 2019).
""워너원 우정, 영원합니다"...이대휘, 고교생활 마무리 '서공예 졸업했다'" ["Wanna One's friendship will last forever"... Lee Dae-hwi finished high school. "I graduated from Seoul National University of Performing Arts Seoul".]. MyDaily.
Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022 – via
Naver.
^Yeon, Hwi-seon (May 26, 2023).
"있지 리아, '낭만닥터 김사부3' OST 주자 발탁...어쿠스틱 감성 뽐낸다" [ITZY Lia selected as OST performer for 'Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 3'...shows off acoustic sensibility]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved December 6, 2023.
^Kang, Do-yoon.
"있지, 1월 8일 '본 투 비' 컴백...2월 두 번째 월드투어 개최 [공식]" [ITZY, comeback with ‘Born to Be’ on January 8th... Second world tour held in February [Official]]. My Daily (in Korean).
Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
^Woo, Bin (January 2, 2020).
""강다니엘·황민현 애장품 받아가세요"...G마켓 글로벌샵 기부 캠페인" ["Receive the cherished items of Daniel Kang and Minhyun Hwang"... Gmarket Global Shop Donation Campaign]. Ten Asia (in Korean).
Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^Jo, Yoon-ju (January 2, 2020).
""G마켓 글로벌샵에서 기부하고 강다니엘, 뉴이스트 애장품 받자"" ["Let's donate at Gmarket Global Shop and receive Kang Daniel's and NU'EST's cherished items"]. Financial News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^Han, Hae-sun (August 18, 2022).
"ITZY 리아, 집중호우 피해 복구 3천만원 기부[공식]" [ITZY Lia, donated 30 million won to recover from heavy rain [Official]]. Star News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^2022년 02주차 BGM Chart [Week 2 of 2022 BGM Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). January 2–8, 2022. Archived from
the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
^2022년 02주차 Download Chart [Week 2 of 2022 Download Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). January 2–8, 2022. Archived from
the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
^Cho, Seong-woon (December 2, 2023).
"ITZY(있지), 내년 1월 8일 새 앨범→2월 말 월드투어 포문" [ITZY, new album on January 8th next year → World tour kicks off at the end of February]. Sports Donga (in Korean). Retrieved December 6, 2023.