Hani
South Korean singer and actress

Hani

The basics
Quick facts
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South Korean singer and actress
A.K.A.
Ahn Hee-yeon
Gender:
Female
Birth:
1 May 1992(Seoul, Joseon, South Korea)
Star sign:
Genres:
Instruments:
Education:
Seoul Daemo Elementary School
South Korea
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Introduction Early life Career Personal life Discography Filmography Theater Awards and nominations
The details
Biography

Introduction

Ahn Hee-yeon (Korean: 안희연; born May 1, 1992), known professionally as Hani (Korean: 하니), is a South Korean singer and actress. She is known as a member of the South Korean girl group EXID and its subgroup, SoljiHani (formerly known as Dasoni (Korean: 다소니). She has appeared on television as a host on Weekly Idol and a cast member on Off to School, Crime Scene and A Style for You.

Early life

Ahn Hee-yeon was born on May 1, 1992, in Seoul, South Korea, but her family and friends all called her Hani from a young age. She competed in triathlons from elementary until middle school, and was also an avid swimmer. She is the sister of actor Ahn Tae Hwan.

Prior to her debut with EXID, she was originally set to debut as a member of a girl group under JYP Entertainment, along with Sistar's Hyolyn, Secret's Song Ji-eun and Bestie's Uji. However, she was cut from JYP after a year. Hani stated that the company did not see potential in her. Following this, she went to study abroad in China for a year.

Career

2012–13: Debut with EXID and rise to popularity

EXID officially debuted on February 15, 2012, with the release of their debut single, "Whoz That Girl".

In February 2013, Hani and EXID member Heo Sol-ji formed the duo Dasoni and released their debut single "Goodbye" on February 15, 2013. It also included the B-side, "Said So Often".

In August 2014, EXID released their single "Up & Down". Initially, the song charted poorly, failing to make it on the top 100 of the Gaon Chart. However, the song slowly gained popularity in late November after a fan-taken video of Hani performing the song went viral. As of 2019, the video has been viewed more than 30 million times on YouTube.

2014–present: Solo career

Hani
Hani performing in November 2014

In 2014, she entered the main cast of tvN's Always Cantare.

In 2015, she appeared in Mad Clown's music video for "Fire", and entered the main cast of JTBC's Off to School and Crime Scene. Hani was also chosen to present a new KBS beauty show, A Style For You along with Kim Heechul, Goo Ha-ra and Yoon Bora. In spring, she appeared on Soulmates Returns. Later on, she made a cameo appearance in The Producers as herself. On June 24, she and Ken of VIXX released a duet song titled "Gap". In September, she was made a cast member in TV series Law of the Jungle.

Hani
Hani in June 2016

In 2016, Hani became the co-host of Baek Jong-won's Three Great Emperors. In February 2016, she appeared on King of Mask Singer as "Little Match Girl", a get-up completed with a mask and costumes to hide her identity. Hani surprised the panel of judges and an audience with her rich and husky voice (mostly due to the higher vocal range used as a vocalist in EXID). Hani defeated Kim Feel and Jo Hang-jo but she was subsequently defeated by the Mask King at the time, Ha Hyun-woo of Guckkasten. Nevertheless, Hani's performances attracted attention and recognition for her unique vocal and passion for singing.

On January 12, 2017, it was announced that f(x)'s Luna, Hani, and Mamamoo's Solar would release a collaborative dance song on January 19, produced by Park Geun-tae, who also wrote EXO's Baekhyun and Miss A's Suzy's duet "Dream". It was later revealed that the song's title is "Honey Bee", and is of the pop soul genre, incorporating 808 bass and saxophone. On January 19, the song "Honey Bee" was officially released on Mystic Entertainment's YouTube channel.

In May 2019, Banana Culture announced that Hani and Jeonghwa would not be renewing their contracts, and EXID would go on hiatus after finishing their tour in Japan.

Hani
Hani in May 2019

In October 2019 it was announced that Hani has signed with Sublime Artist Agency and that she would be making her film debut with her given name Ahn Hee-yeon.

On January 21, 2020, Hani was announced to star in the web drama XX. The drama's first episode aired on January 24 and ran for 10 episodes.

On August 11, 2020, Hani was announced to be starring in another web drama, How to Be Thirty, alongside Jung In-sun, Kang Min-hyuk, Song Jae-rim, Cha Min-ji, and Baek Sung-chul. It premiered on KakaoTV on February 23, 2021, with new episodes being released every Tuesday and Friday.

On July 20, 2021, Hani was set to star in JTBC's upcoming series, Idol: The Coup, but due to her being tested positive for COVID-19, production was postponed until further notice. The drama is scheduled to air starting on November 8, 2021.

Personal life

On June 29, 2022, the agency confirmed that she is in a relationship with psychiatrist Yang Jae-woong, for 2 years.

Discography

Title Year Peak chart positions Sales Album
KORGaon
USWorld
"Cold"
(with C-Clown)
2012 Young Love
"We Got The World"
(with R.Tee)
2014 Non-album singles
"Fake Illness"
(with Rare Potato)
2015
"Gap"
(with Ken)
25
  • KOR (DL): 93,000+*
"Snail (달팽이)"
(with Kim Feel)
2016 King of Mask Singer Episode 47
"Honey"
(with Ken)
King of Mask Singer Episode 48
"Honey Bee"
(with f(x)'s Luna and Mamamoo's Solar)
2017 38
  • KOR (DL): 63,673+
Non-album singles
"Flame"
(with Solji)
Money Flower OST
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.
"*" indicates that the Gaon Chart was revamped at this time and digital sales were deflated.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2016 Take Off 2 Lee Bo-mi Cameo
2021 Young Adult Matters Joo-young Independent film
Dream Builder Narrator barrier-free version

Television series

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2015 The Producers Herself Cameo (Episode 3)
2020 SF8 Juno Episode: "White Crow"
The Spies Who Loved Me Hacker Cameo (Episode 8–9)
2021 Idol: The Coup Kim Je-na
2022 Ghost Doctor Lee Ji-woo / Jessica Cameo

Web series

Year Title Role Ref.
2020 XX Yoon Na-na
2021 How to Be Thirty Lee Ran-joo
You Raise Me Up Lee Lu-da
2022–2023 Fantasy Spot Hee-jae
2023 Call lt Love Kang Min-yeong

Television shows

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2014 Always Cantare Cast member
2015 Crime Scene 2
A Style For You With Yoon Bo-ra, Goo Hara and Kim Heechul
Soulmates Returns
EXID's Showtime
Law of the Jungle in Nicaragua Episodes 178–180
2016 Baek Jong-won's Three Great Emperors Co-host Episodes 22–51
We Are Siblings Cast member with her younger brother
King of Mask Singer Contestant as "Be Careful for Cold the Little Match Girl" (Episodes 47–48)
Weekly Idol Host Episodes 245–270
2017 Suddenly A Millionaire Host
Law of the Jungle in Komodo Cast member Episodes 274–278
2018 Secret Unnie with Yoojung (Weki Meki)
2020 Law of the Jungle in Palawan Episodes 403-406
Running Girls
2021 Soo Mi's Mountain Cabin
Magic Wardrobe Host
Fruit of Love Narrator

Web shows

Year Title Role Ref.
2022 Mary Queer Host

Theater

Year Title Role Venue Date Ref.
English Korean
2023 3 Days of Rain 3일간의 비 Nan / Laina Dongguk University Lee Haerang Arts Theater July 25 to October 1

Awards and nominations

Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Ref.
Blue Dragon Series Awards 2023 Best New Actress Hit the Spot Nominated
Brand Customer Loyalty Awards 2019 Variety Idol Hani Won
Buil Film Awards 2021 Best New Actress Young Adult Matters Nominated
Korea Cable TV Awards 2017 Rising Star, MC Hani Won

Listicles

Publisher Year Listicle Placement Ref.
Forbes 2016 Korea Power Celebrity 40 37th