IveMain RapperSub Vocalist
Rei
레이Naoi Rei (直井怜) (나오이 레이)
Ive's Japanese rapper and vocalist — a Nagoya native, prolific lyricist and the member behind the group's biggest viral dance challenge.
- Age
- 22
- Feb 3, 2004
- Height
- 169 cm
- 5′7″
- MBTI
- INFJ
- self-reported
- Debut
- 2021
- with Ive
At a glance
Profile
- Stage name
- Rei (레이)
- Birth name
- Naoi Rei (直井怜) (나오이 레이)
- Position
- Main Rapper, Sub Vocalist
- Birthday
- February 3, 2004 (age 22)
- Zodiac sign
- Aquarius
- Chinese zodiac
- Monkey
- Height
- 169 cm (5′7″)
- Blood type
- A
- MBTI
- INFJ
- Nationality
- Japanese
- Birthplace
- Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
- Representative colour
- Green
- Representative emoji
- 🦋/🐥
- Nicknames
- Kongsooni, Kim Rei, Kirei
12 facts
About Rei
Rei was born in Nagoya and joined Starship Entertainment in 2018 after passing the Loen Friends global audition in Japan, moving to Korea later that year for roughly three and a half years of training. Introduced as one of Ive's rappers in November 2021, she has since collected lyric credits across most of the group's discography. In 2025 her arm-waving move from “Attitude” set off a worldwide TikTok challenge that earned her a Best Trend Leader prize.
- 01
Born in Nagoya, Aichi, and passed the Loen Friends Global Audition in Japan in 2018 singing Red Velvet's “Happiness”.
- 02
Moved to South Korea in May 2018 and trained for about three and a half years before debuting.
- 03
Studied in the applied music department of the School of Performing Arts Seoul, graduating on February 10, 2022.
- 04
Was the fifth member revealed, introduced as a rapper and vocalist.
- 05
Has lyric credits on “Royal”, “After Like” and the I've Ive tracks “Kitsch”, “Hypnosis”, “Not Your Girl” and “Next Page”.
- 06
Paused group activities in April 2023 for health reasons and returned at the end of May that year.
- 07
Her arm-waving move from the “Attitude” chorus sparked the viral “폭주기니” challenge in 2025; her spoiler clips passed 38.6 million views on TikTok.
- 08
Won Best Trend Leader at the TikTok Awards Korea 2025.
- 09
Hosted the Asia Star Entertainer Awards in 2025 and 2026, and co-hosted Music Bank and, in 2026, M Countdown with Gaeul.
- 10
Featured on Joohoney's single “Push” in 2025 and released a cover of “Baby Powder” filmed in Paris that November.
- 11
Wrote and composed her solo track “In Your Heart”, released on Revive+ in 2026.
- 12
Became a brand ambassador for Valentino in January 2026.
1 track
Solo & unit tracks
Songs on Ive releases that feature Rei on her own or in a unit.
- Studio album
“In Your Heart”
Solo track by Rei · Revive+
5 other members
