YEJI

Born: 26 May 2000

Age:

Years Active: 2019–present

Genre/s: K-pop, J-pop

Label/s: JYP

Member of: Itzy

Hwang Ye-ji (Korean: 황예지; born May 26, 2000), known mononymously as Yeji, is a South Korean singer and dancer. She is the leader of the South Korean girl group Itzy, formed by JYP Entertainment in 2019. Yeji released her debut solo extended play (EP), Air, in March 2025.

Hwang Ye-ji was born on May 26, 2000, in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Jeonju. While in elementary school, she dreamed of becoming a singer. Her older sister encouraged her to start dancing by showing her choreography from Wonder Girls' songs, which inspired her to enroll in a local dance academy. She later attended Jeonju Commercial Information High School.

In 2015, Yeji became a trainee at JYP Entertainment after auditioning with Twice's song "Like Ooh-Ahh". Later that year, she made a brief appearance as a backup dancer in episode 8 of the television drama Second 20s. In 2017, she appeared in the first episode of Stray Kids alongside her future groupmates Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna. The following year, she participated in SBS's The Fan [ko], where 2PM's Junho introduced her as "JYP's secret weapon". Her performance gained positive attention, building anticipation ahead of her debut.