Lightsum (, stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group currently active in Japan formed by Cube Entertainment. The group is composed of six members: Sangah, Chowon, Nayoung, Hina, Juhyeon, and Yujeong. Lightsum was originally an eight-piece ensemble; members Huiyeon and Jian departed the group in October 2022. The group debuted on June 10, 2021, with the release of their debut single album, Vanilla.
Name The group's name, Lightsum, is a combination of the words "light" and "sum", which symbolizes "things that shine small gather together to light up the world, delivering greater positive energy through a message of hope".
History 2017–2020: Pre-debut activities Juhyeon participated in The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project in 2017–2018 where she finished in 25th place. Chowon, Nayoung, and Yujeong participated in Produce 48 in 2018 where they finished in 13th place, 21st place, and 51st place respectively. However, in 2019, it was later revealed that Chowon's real ranking was 6th place, which would have put her in the lineup of Iz*One. Juhyeon later participated in Dancing High in 2018, but did not pass the evaluation round. Chowon was cast in Bully Bad Guys and The Dominator 3: Junior Bullies in 2020.
2021–present: Introduction, debut with Vanilla, Into the Light, and members departure
On April 15, 2021, Cube Entertainment announced that it would be debuting a new girl group, their first since (G)I-dle in 2018. The members were revealed in pairs from April 19 to 22 (in order: Juhyeon, Sangah, Chowon, Jian, Nayoung, Huiyeon, Hina, and Yujeong). A video trailer with all eight members was revealed on April 23, 2021. On May 27, it was announced that Lightsum would release their debut single album Vanilla on June 10, making their broadcast debut on Mnet's M Countdown with a performance of their debut single. On October 13, Lightsum released their second single album Light a Wish, with "Vivace" serving as the lead single.
On May 24, 2022, Lightsum released their first extended play Into the Light, with the lead single "Alive". On October 25, Cube Entertainment announced the departure of members Huiyeon and Jian from the group and that Lightsum would be reorganized as a group of six.
On May 5, 2023, it was reported that Lightsum is currently under preparations for a comeback in the first half of 2023. On June 7, Sangah participated in Mnet's girl group survival show Queendom Puzzle as a contestant. she was eliminated in the first elimination rounds. On September 18, it was announced that they would have their comeback in the second week of October with their second extended play. On September 21, it was announced that Lightsum would release their second EP Honey or Spice on October 11. On October 11, the group made their comeback after 1 year and 5 months with the release of their second EP "Honey or Spice", along with its lead single as the same name.
On July 31, 2024, the group released a teaser for their first digital single "Pose!", set for release on August 7. On August 3, the group released a concept photos for the digital single. On August 7, Lightsum released the digital single "Pose!" 10 months after their previous comeback.
On January 15, 2026, a sub-unit release titled "Beautiful Pain" with members Sangah, Chowon, and Juhyeon was released. This is a remake version of BtoB's version released in 2018. They released their Japanese debut Re:idol on September 23.
Members
Current Sangah () Chowon () Nayoung () Hina () Juhyeon () Yujeong ()
Former Huiyeon () Jian ()
Timeline
Discography Extended plays + List of extended plays, showing selected details, selected chart positions, and sales figures Title Details Peak chartpositions Sales KORPeak positions for single albums on Gaon Album Chart:
JPN Into the Light Released: May 24, 2022 Label: Cube Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 13 — KOR: 17,902 Honey or Spice Released: October 11, 2023 Label: Cube Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 14 — KOR: 19,412Cumulative sales of Honey or Spice:
Re:Idol Released: September 23, 2026 Label: Cube Entertainment, Warner Music Japan Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 20 JPN: 1,532
Single albums + List of single albums, showing selected details, selected chart positions, and sales figures Title Details Peak chart positions Sales KORPeak positions for single albums on Gaon Album Chart:
Vanilla Released: June 10, 2021 Label: Cube Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 12 KOR: 41,143 Light a Wish Released: October 13, 2021 Label: Cube Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 7 KOR: 28,416
Korean singles + List of singles, showing year released, selected peak positions, sales figures, and name of the album Title Year Peak chart positions Album KORDown.Peaks on the Gaon Download Chart: "Vanilla": "Vanilla": "Alive": "Pose!": USWorldPeak chart positions on World Digital Song Sales Chart:
"Vanilla" 2021 59 8 Vanilla "Vivace" 16 8 Light a Wish "Alive" 2022 54 — Into the Light "Honey or Spice" 2023 96 — Honey or Spice "Pose!" 2024 63 — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory
Japanese singles Title Year Album "Why (どうして)" 2026 Re:Idol
Videography Music videos Title Year Director(s) Length "Vanilla" 2021 Vikings League 3:32 "Vivace" Etui 3:34 "Alive" 2022 Jimmy (Via) 3:39 "Honey or Spice" 2023 Novv Kim (Novv) 3:38 "Pose!" 2024 2:37 "Doshite" 2026 Mitsunori Yokobori 4:10
Awards and nominations + Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Asia Artist Awards 2021 Female Idol Group Popularity Award Lightsum 2022 Potential Awards – Music Asian Pop Music Awards 2021 Best New Artist (Overseas) Light a Wish Genie Music Awards 2022 Next Wave Icon Lightsum Hanteo Music Awards 2021 Rookie Award – Female Group 2024 Hanteo Choice K-Pop Female Artist Korea First Brand Awards 2022 Female Rookie Idol Award Mnet Asian Music Awards 2021 Artist of the Year Best New Female Artist Seoul Music Awards 2022 K-wave Popularity Award Popularity Award Rookie of the Year
References
External links