Ian

A message with an address

Ian (이안) is the Hearts2Hearts member who appeared first, before her debut, in SM Entertainment’s 30th-anniversary film. A message was also how she was found. On MBC FM4U’s Good Morning, Yoon Sang (오늘 아침 윤상입니다) in October 2025 she said she had been scouted by SM Entertainment through a direct message on social media. “I asked which agency it was, but they wouldn’t tell me. When I said I needed to know where it was to find it, they sent me the address, saying it was a company in Seongdong-gu” (Newsen).

Her debut came in that 30th-anniversary year. At the showcase on 24 February 2025 Ian said, “Debuting at all makes me happy and glad, and it’s an honour to debut as Hearts2Hearts in the special year of SM’s 30th anniversary,” adding, “Just as many seniors and staff have done, I will become SM’s ‘The Future’ with good music” (MK Sports). Of the group’s name she said, “Like our team name, I want to connect hearts with global fans and move forward as a bigger ‘us’” (SPOTV News), and she described how the debut song The Chase was chosen: “I asked the A&R staff, and they said there were several candidates, but the strange, hard-to-explain feeling that only ‘The Chase’ has seemed to suit Hearts2Hearts” (The Korea Economic Daily).

“Let’s walk together”

The part Ian sang in the single STYLE — “Let’s walk together, I’m curious about everything” (같이 걷자 난 다 궁금해) — drew attention as a challenge. At the showcase for the first mini album FOCUS on 20 October 2025 she said, “When I practise, I think a lot about how to present my part so that the public and fans will like it, and (the challenge catching on) feels like the result of that thinking, so I’m really glad and grateful” (Xports News). Of the new title track she said, “The razor-sharp group choreography in the chorus of ‘FOCUS’ is really cool too, and I hope it gets a lot of love again this time” (Sports Kyunghyang).

Hosting and variety

Two days earlier, on 18 October, she appeared on tvN’s Amazing Saturday and said, “When we debuted, the company told us we absolutely had to become like our senior Taeyeon, like our seniors Girls’ Generation” (OSEN). At 2026 SBS Gayo Daejeon Summer at KINTEX in Goyang on 9 August 2026 she hosted with RIIZE’s Sungchan and Sion of NCT WISH (Star Today, Newsen). That night’s stage also featured the special unit ‘SUMMER ANJELS’, formed by five people — Ian herself as host, Stella of Hearts2Hearts, Anna and Ella of MEOVV, and izna’s Bang Jee-min. The unit’s name puts together the letters A, N, J, E and L from the five names (Star Daily News).

At the showcase for the second mini album Lemon Tang she said, “Recently, seeing our songs on global charts made me so proud and grateful” (Ilgan Sports). In her interview with Newsen after the Asia Star Entertainer Awards she recalled that the members had talked about a rookie award ever since preparing for their debut, and answered, “From now on, I’d also like to hold a solo concert in a venue filled only with S2U.”