WEKI MEKI is an all-female idol group formed by Fantagio Entertainment in 2017. The group consists of eight members – Suyeon, Elly, Yoojung, Doyeon, Sei, Lua, Rina, and Lucy. They debuted on August 8, 2017 with their debut extended play (EP), WEME, featuring the title track “I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend”.
Pre-debut
All members of Weki Meki started out as trainees under Fantagio i-Teen, a rookie talent development program managed by Fantagio Entertainment. They were collectively known as i-Teen Girls.
In 2015, i-Teen girls Doyeon, yoojung, Lua, Lucy, and Elly (as well as former trainees Chu Ye Jin and Lee Soo Mi,) had numerous cameo appearances in the pre-debut online web drama To Be Continued, starring their labelmate Astro.
In 2016, Elly, Yoojung, Doyeon, and Sei (who was then under LOUDers Entertainment) competed in the Mnet survival television program Produce 101. The show aired from January 22 to April 1, 2016, and Yoojung and Doyeon made it to the final 11 contestants. They eventually debuted as part of the project group I.O.I, following the conclusion of the program.
In March 2017, the i-Teen Girls were re-introduced to the public as Weki Meki, composed of eight trainees. They introduced themselves as the ‘next Fantagio girl group’ through a live broadcast on Naver’s V Live app. The eight trainees include Elly, Yoojung, Doyeon, Sei, Lua, rina, Lucy, and former trainee Yejin.
On their June 4 V Live broadcast, Yoojung confirmed her place as part of the final lineup of Weki Meki, alongside Sei, Lua, and Elly. The next day, Doyeon confirmed her spot in the final lineup, together with Lucy, Rina, and an unseen trainee, Ji Suyeon.
On July 6, Fantagio Entertainment formally announced that their new girl group will be called Weki Meki.
2017 to present: Official debut, WEME
Weki Meki released their debut EP, WEME, on August 8, 2017. It contains a total of six tracks, including the lead single “I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend”. The album also features lyrics written by member Yoojung. A month later, a limited “B Version” of the album was physically released by Fantagio Entertainment. By November 2017, the EP has sold more than 47,000 physical copies since its release, making it the highest selling album by a girl group that debuted in 2017.
2018: Lucky and WJMK
On February 21, 2018, Weki Meki released their second EP, Lucky, featuring the lead singles “La La La” and “Butterfly”. “Butterfly” is a remake of an original soundtrack from the 2009 film Take Off, which they released in support of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
On May 2, Fantagio Entertainment, together with Starship Entertainment, announced the special formation of a project unit. The project group is called WJMK, which stands for “Wuju Meki” and is composed of members of WJSN (Seola and Luda) and Weki Meki (Yoojung and Doyeon).
WJMK released their digital single, “Strong,” on June 1 alongside an official music video.
On October 11, 2018, Weki Meki released their first single album, Kiss, Kicks, which consists of three tracks, including the lead single “Crush”. It was revealed that some rap verses on the album were written by member Yoo-jung.
2019: More albums, Yoo-jung’s hiatus
Weki Meki released their second single album, Lock End LOL on May 14, 2019, including the title track “Picky Picky” and two other songs, one of which had Choi Yoo-jung as a co-lyricist.
On August 8 of the same year, they released Week End LOL, a repackaged version of their previous album. The re-issue featured the lead single “Tiki-Taka (99%)” alongside three other tracks.
In October, Fantagio Music announced that Choi Yoo-jung would be going on a temporary hiatus due to health concerns.
2020: Dazzle Dazzle, Yoo-jung’s return
The group returned after a six-month hiatus on February 20 with the release of their digital single album, Dazzle Dazzle, featuring the title track of the same name. Choi Yoo-jung also re-joined the group’s promotions after going on a break in the previous year.
During one of their radio guest appearances during the album’s promotions, the group revealed that they are recruiting members for their official fan club, which is expected to close on April 30.
