The year he turned 18, he debuted in the idol group K-BOYS. The team is said to have disappeared without promoting in Korea. In 2015, he appeared on Mnet’s I Can See Your Voice.
In 2017, he finished 47th on Produce 101 Season 2, held a fan meeting in June, and on Oct. 12 debuted again with the project group Rainz. In November, he left for a Japan tour.
In 2019, he started solo work with the first mini album Cheot, Sarang. He says there was little response and he felt lost. In 2020, he changed direction to trot and appeared on MBN’s Voice Trot.
In 2023, he appeared on TV Chosun’s Mr. Trot 2 but was eliminated, held a joint concert with Jang Song-ho in April, and enlisted in the Army on active duty in November. He was discharged in May 2025.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 32, he took part in MBN’s Mumyeong Jeonseol, which first aired on Feb. 25, and took first place in the May 13 finale with 4,784 points. Sports Donga writes that he ended a long period of obscurity and became the first “Legend.” In July, the variety show Jeonseorui Sanae, featuring the Mumyeong Jeonseol TOP 7, began, and in August he released the winner’s bonus song “Sad Rain.” He won trot awards at the K World Dream Awards in August and the SPOTV K-Pop Awards in September, and appeared on KBS2’s Immortal Songs for the first time. In the September brand reputation ranking of trot singers, he was 2nd.
Seong-ri (born Apr 6, 1994) debuted in K-BOYS in 2012, the year he turned 18, and debuted again with Rainz on Oct 12, 2017. He became known when he won the finale of MBN’s Mumyeong Jeonseol on May 13, 2026, the year he turned 32.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
02 / QUICK ANSWERS
Q & AFrequently asked
- How old was Seong-ri when he debuted?
- In 2012, the year he turned 18, he debuted as a member of K-BOYS. On Oct 12, 2017, the year he turned 23, he debuted again with the project group Rainz, and on Apr 15, 2019, the year he turned 25, he released his first solo mini album.
- How old was Seong-ri when he became famous?
- On May 13, 2026, the year he turned 32, he won the finale of MBN’s Mumyeong Jeonseol. Ajunews cites this win as what made his name widely known, and TV Daily writes that it was a prime after a long period of obscurity. TenAsia’s April 2024 article also says he made his name through Rainz activities in 2017.
- How many auditions has Seong-ri been on?
- He says he had tried six auditions before Mumyeong Jeonseol. On the show itself, he had introduced it as his fifth trot audition. This timeline includes Produce 101 Season 2 in 2017, Voice Trot in 2020 and Mr. Trot 2 in 2023.
- How many points did Seong-ri win Mumyeong Jeonseol with?
- In the second round of the final on May 13, 2026, he added 2,000 points for text voting to an interim total of 2,784 and received a final 4,784 points. The peak rating was 10.1%.
- How old is Seong-ri?
- Born in 1994, he turns 32 in 2026 (32 as of Sep 30, 2026).