최빛나 (Eng: Choi Bitna, also known as Ashley) is the second vocalist and the leader of LADIES' CODE.
Biography
She was born in Incheon, South Korea on November 9th, 1991, but moved to New York when she was young.[2][3] She’s fluent in both Korean and English, but also knows basic Japanese and Spanish. Prior to her debut, she was best known for her k-pop dance covers on her YouTube channel “ashleych0i”, which she started in 2007.[4] Before joining Polaris, she was a trainee at Cube Entertainment.[5]
Music career
→ see DiscographyAshley's individual teaser for Bad Girl was released on March 1st, 2013, with the final music video released on March 7th. The EP CODE#01 나쁜여자 was also released on this day.
The first teaser for 예뻐 예뻐 was released on September 1st, 2013, and the music video was released on the 4th. The EP CODE#02 PRETTY PRETTY was released the next day.
The first teaser image for So Wonderful was a picture of Rise wrapped in transparent plastic wrap, released on February 6th, 2014. The music video and the single were both released on the 13th, with promotions beginning the next day.
Ashley was featured on a HUMMING URBAN STEREO song with Brown Bunny, called HAWAIIAN COUPLE, released on May 21st, 2014.
A video teaser for KISS KISS was released on August 1st, 2014. The music video and the single, both physical and digital, came out on the 7th.
Car accident
On their way back to Seoul from their final performance of KISS KISS, on September 3rd, 2014, LADIES' CODE's manager, Mr. Park, lost control of their van due to speeding in rainy conditions, and crashed into a protective wall. EunB was killed almost immediately, while Rise sustained the worst injuries. She later died on the 7th.[6][7]
Ashley only had minor injuries and attended both EunB and Rise's funerals on the 5th and 9th, respectively.[8]
Tributes
In late May, 2015, it was announced that a memorial concert for Rise and EunB would be held in Tokyo, Japan, at the Shinagawa Stellar-ball, in honor of Rise's dream that the band would someday perform in her home country. The concert was held on August 22nd. Several of their fellow labelmates performed their cover of I'm Fine Thank You. Ashley, Sojung, and Zuny performed their first song since the accident, 아파도 웃을래. The digital singles of these songs were released on the one-year anniversaries of the deaths of EunB and Rise, respectively. The proceeds of these songs were to be donated to charity.[9]
At the concert, Ashley said, in Japanese, "Having a concert in Japan was Rise’s dream, so there is more meaning added to it this time. I’m definite that Rise and EunB are thinking of us in heaven right now. To us, Rise and EunB were angels who were our friends as well as family. I really miss them. Everyone, in order for Rise and EunB to not be forgotten, please continue to remember them forever."[10]
New beginning
Sojung, Zuny, and Ashley at the MYST3RY showcase on MBC Show Champion - February 24th, 2016.
On February 24th, 2016, LADIES' CODE returned as a trio with their album MYST3RY. The music video for Galaxy was also released that day. At the MYST3RY showcase on MBC Show Champion, they revealed how hard it was to sing songs about farewell (My Flower and Chaconne).[11]
A remix album, MYST3Re:, was released on March 30th.
In late September, it was revealed that the album STRANG3R would be released in mid-October. A teaser for The Rain music video was released on the 9th. The EP and music video were released on October 13th.
On January 7th, 2017, LADIES' CODE appeared on the show Immortal Songs 2: Singing the Legend. They covered the song Butterfly by Loveholics. Their version of the song was released on a compilation album from that episode the same day.
On February 4th, the group competed on the JTBC singing show Sing For You. They performed their song All That Time, which was composed specifically for their performance on the show. This song was released on a compilation album the following day, along with the other songs from the episode.
Trivia
- Her cousin chose her and her brother's English names when they moved to America.[12]
- She has a younger brother named Tyler.[13][14]
- She has a dog named Kiwi.[15]
- Ashley has loved Sailor Moon ever since she was young and has an extensive collection of merchandise.[16]
- Ashley shared a dorm room with Sojung before the group debuted. She then shared her room with EunB and Rise, but now has her own room.[17][18][14]
- She also really loves sweet potatoes.[19]
- At the Jamsil Baseball Stadium on April 1st, 2014, LADIES' CODE performed before the beginning of the LG Twins baseball game. The girls wore jerseys with their names on the back along with a number. Ashley's number was 11.
- She has four known tattoos:[20]
- a small cross on the inside of her right wrist
- a peace sign on the inside of her left wrist
- a mandorla behind her left ear
- an unknown design on the back of her neck
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Official Profile
- ↑ Koreaboo - "13 Heartwarming Questions Answered by Ladies Code in Past Interviews"
- ↑ Famous Birthdays
- ↑ YouTube - ashleych0i
- ↑ iHeartRadio - "INTERVIEW: Ladies' Code Talks About Life Beyond ‘The Rain'"
- ↑ Billboard - "Ladies' Code Involved in Fatal Car Accident: EunB Dead, Two Members Severely Injured"
- ↑ Naver - "레이디스코드 권리세, 7일 오전 끝내 세상 떠났다"
- ↑ SBS - "Ladies' Code's Rise's funeral attended by family, friends, & K-pop idols"
- ↑ StarN - "레이디스코드 1주기 추모 음원 ‘I'm Fine Thank You’ 공개"
- ↑ [TRANS] 150822 - ‘I’m Fine Thank You’ Memorial Concert: Messages [Tumblr]
- ↑ allkpop - "Ladies' Code reveal how hard it was singing songs about farewell"
- ↑ @LC__Ashley on Twitter
- ↑ @ashleybchoi on Instagram
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 V LIVE - LADIES` CODE "MYST3RY한 3주년 집들이"
- ↑ @LC__Ashley on Twitter
- ↑ YouTube - POPS IN SEOUL-Ladies′ Code (Kiss Kiss) 레이디스코드 (KISS KISS)
- ↑ Koreaboo - 13 Heartwarming Questions Answered By Ladies Code In Past Interviews
- ↑ YouTube - LADIES'CODE리얼리티 EP #01
- ↑ V LIVE - 레이디스 코드 한강 등장↗↗ 두둥💕 8:08
- ↑ Imgur - Ashley Tattoos
