Rei (Korean: 레이; Japanese: レイ) is a Japanese rapper and singer under Starship Entertainment. She is a member of the South Korean girl group IVE.
Early Life & Education[]
Rei was born on February 3, 2004, in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. She has one sibling - an older sister that was born in 2001. According to Rei, her family lived in Tokyo near Shin-Yurigaoka Station for a short amount of time.
For her education, Rei attended and graduated from Tamagawa Gakuen Elementary School. She was enrolled at the School of Performing Arts Seoul (SOPA), where she was a student of the Department of Applied Music. She graduated from SOPA on February 10, 2022.[6]
Career[]
Pre-Debut[]
In April 2018, Rei participated in the 'LOEN Friends Global Audition in Japan' audition event, where she performed BLACKPINK's "Whistle" and Red Velvet's "Happiness". She was later selected by Starship Entertainment due to her unique vocal tone.[7] A month later, Rei moved from her home country of Japan to Seoul, South Korea, where she officially joined Starship Entertainment's trainee system.
As a result of joining Starship Entertainment as a trainee to her debut with IVE, Rei trained for approximately 3.5 years.[8]
November–December 2021: Debut with IVE[]
On November 7, 2021, Rei was revealed as the fifth member of Starship Entertainment's girl group, IVE.[9] The group debuted on December 1, 2021, with their first single album "Eleven" and its title track of the same name. Upon her debut, Rei became the first-ever Japanese female idol to debut under Starship.
May 2023–present: Follow Rei?[]
Since May 2023, Rei has starred in her own YouTube reality program, titled Follow Rei?.
Pets[]
Rei's family has a pet Silver Poodle dog named Duke that was born in 2013. In IVE's dorm in Seoul, Rei has her own pet Bichon Frise dog named Porsche, who was born in 2023.[10]
Personal Life[]
Health[]
On April 11, 2023, Starship Entertainment released a statement announcing that Rei would be temporarily halting all activities due to health-related concerns, including abnormal systems such as heart palpitations and stuffiness.[11] For the time being, she focused on resting and recovering. A month later, on May 26, 2023, it was announced that Rei was cleared to return to promotional activities.[12]
Discography[]
To view Rei's individual discography, as well as her songwriting credits, please go here.
Filmography[]
To view Rei's individual filmography, please go here.
Trivia[]
Nicknames[]
- Kongsooni
- Kim Rei
- Reiyomi
- Kirei
- Ppuyu
- Reiko
- Rachel
- Kawaii Rei
- Rezzi
Personality[]
- Her MBTI type is INFJ.[13]
- Rei once described her personality as "goofy and unique".[14] Moreover, she admitted she thinks differently from others.
- She also described her personality as quiet and calm.[15] Even as a child, she was very quiet and often hid behind her mother.
- Amongst the members, she is known to be a straight-talker, but is also very empathetic and considerate of others.[14]
- Rei considers herself to be a curious person.
- According to Rei herself, she is good at expressing her emotions.
- Jang Wonyoung once described Rei as being 'overprotective, but in a good way'.
Appearance[]
- Rei had never cut her hair short before, until she was announced to be debuting in IVE.
- She has beauty marks on her right cheek and neck.
- Although she is on the shorter side amongst the IVE members, standing at 170 cm tall, Rei is above average height for females in Japan and South Korea.
- According to fans, Rei resembles the Korean violinist Kim Bom-sori, as well as the animated character Kongsooni.
Abilities & Habits[]
- Rei is left-handed. She is the only left-handed member of IVE.
- She is very good at drawing, and has been since she was young. She is especially good at drawing human faces.
- Rei is a strong swimmer and skier, but is not good at running.
- Rei can write her own raps in three different languages: Japanese, Korean, and English.
- She has numerous habits, including pouting her lips and spacing out.
- Rei was unanimously voted as "IVE's Best Handicrafter" by the members themselves.[16] She is said to be good at anything that involves using her hands, such as drawing, decorating, and writing.
- She tends to call her IVE groupmates by their nicknames rather than their given names or stage names.
Famous Friends[]
Favorite Things[]
- Favorite Color(s): Purple, pink[20]
- Favorite Flower: Rose
- Favorite Pokemon: Piplup[21]
- Favorite Emoji: 🤍[22]
- Favorite Season: Spring[22], Winter
- Favorite Item: A pair of wired Beats headphones that were gifted to her by her grandfather
- Favorite Sanrio Character: My Sweet Piano
- Favorite Fruit(s): Pineapples, strawberries, peaches
- Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Rainbow Sherbet
- Favorite Korean Quote: "What's learned in the cradle is carried to the grave."[14]
- Favorite Nickname: Reiyomi[22]
- Favorite Animal: Penguin
- Favorite Red Velvet Song(s): "Somethin' Kinda Crazy", "Light Me Up"
- Favorite Japanese Food: Udon
- Favorite Actress: Nana Komatsu
- Favorite Song From IVE SECRET: "♡Beats"[23]
Likes[]
- Rei is a big fan of the K-Pop girl group Red Velvet, and her bias is Joy. She can correctly guess Red Velvet's songs and dances just by listening/watching a little bit.
- Her hobbies include drawing, decorating, collecting pretty and cute items, watching movies and listening to music.
- She enjoys collecting dolls and naming them.
- Rei enjoys dad jokes, since their similar to Japanese jokes.
- She considers herself a bookworm; she was influenced by older sister who also loves reading.
- She likes writing and exchanging letters. She keeps letters given by fans.
- She isn't picky about food and will eat almost anything.
- Rei loves strawberries and strawberry-flavored items. She eats them every day.
Endorsements[]
Current[]
- Opening Project (2024–present)
- LUNA (2025–present)
- Rom'U (2025–present)
- FULLY (2025–present)
- Millet (2025–present)
- Valentino (with Liz) (2026–present)
Past[]
- Bonajour (2022)
- FCMM (2022)
- Peach C (2022-2023)
References[]
- ↑ YouTube (KOR): 1,2,3 IVE EP.0
- ↑ YouTube: IVE GAEUL X REI | I'd rather starve than eat something not delicious | EP.20
- ↑ YouTube: [Leemujin Service] EP.26 IVE REI | Love Dive, Joah, 11:11, Boat
- ↑ MelOn (KOR): 아티스트 채널 - 레이 (IVE)
- ↑ IVE Debut Showcase (December 1, 2021)
- ↑ Naver (KOR): 아이브 레이, '서공예' 졸업했어요~
- ↑ Dispatch (KOR): “6명에 입덕하라”…‘아이브’, 기막힌 데뷔 보고서
- ↑ Newspim (KOR): 서울살이 5년차 아이브 일본인 멤버 레이 "나태주 시인 좋아해요"
- ↑ @IVEstarship on Twitter: REI (November 6, 2021)
- ↑ I Live Alone (KOR): Episode 591 - 조이의 찐친 아이브 레이 등장💛 SNS 존에서 셀카랑 틱톡📸 찍으며 여고생처럼 노는 레이&조이
- ↑ Soompi: IVE’s Rei To Temporarily Halt Activities Due To Health Reasons
- ↑ Soompi: IVE’s Rei To Resume Activities Following Temporary Hiatus
- ↑ Sports Kyunghyang (KOR): 아이브 레이 "북촌, INFJ 레이와 잘 맞아"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 1, 2, 3 IVE - Episode 0
- ↑ YouTube: [IVE ON] IVE with DAZED 1월호
- ↑ YouTube: 211210 최강창민의 프리허그 ep 32 (with 아이브)
- ↑ Kbizoom: Red Velvet’s Joy Shares Cozy Home Life on “I Live Alone”: Bonding with IVE’s Rei, Hinting at Love with Crush?
- ↑ YouTube: Guineas' active fluttering to get numbers during filming💗
- ↑ @reinanaheart on X (October 16, 2025)
- ↑ YouTube: IVE Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions | WIRED
- ↑ @iveuniverse on X (March 24, 2025)
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 YouTube: [FANVATAR Q Flip. 10] IVE's TMI interview that made DIVE's heart colorful 💜
- ↑ MelOn (KOR): IVE's expanded world, [IVE SECRET
- ↑ YouTube: IVE HIGH SCHOOL
SNS Links[]
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