Choi Ye-na: From WATERBOMB bodysuit to 'Yumi's Cells'—a master of creative planning

Behind the flashy performances singer Choi Ye-na shows on stage, a meticulous working process is revealed, where she directly comes up with ideas and manages detailed directing. In particular, interest is focusing on her aspect as a stage planner, as it has been revealed that both the full-body suit shown at WATERBOMB and the 'Yumi's Cells' concept for the Blue Dragon Series Awards celebratory stage were all Choi Ye-na's ideas.

In episode 416 of Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation's 'Omniscient Interfering View' airing on September 19, Choi Ye-na's appearance of directly proposing ideas regarding stages and content to the agency she has been with for about 10 years will be revealed. This is the process of not merely digesting a given concept as a singer, but independently designing how to present her own stage and explaining it specifically to the production team and the company.

Notably, Choi Ye-na shows an active side by even creating PPTs to present her ideas. This method involves organizing her thoughts on everything from stage costumes to concepts and the direction of performances into visual materials to convey them. While close collaboration between artists and planning/production teams is essential for a single stage to be completed in the idol industry, Choi Ye-na is essentially standing in the position of a more active creator in that process.

A representative example is the full-body suit she showcased at 'WATERBOMB Busan 2026' this past August. Due to the nature of WATERBOMB as a festival involving water and summer, it is an event where the stage costumes and performances of stars create as much buzz as the concert itself. On a stage where bold styling typically attracts attention, Choi Ye-na instead chose a full-body suit that minimized physical exposure.

What is even more interesting is the fact that this outfit was not simply something prepared by a stylist, but the result of an idea directly conceived by Choi Ye-na. It is interpreted as stemming from the idea of building a differentiated image in her own way while utilizing the characteristics of a WATERBOMB performance that makes use of water.

Stage costumes are not merely elements that decorate a singer's appearance. Especially in the performances of idols and solo singers, the outfit functions as a kind of stage language that visually compresses and delivers the concept and character. Choi Ye-na's choice of a full-body suit at WATERBOMB can be seen as a case of creating her own character and performance buzz in a way that differs from the competition for exposure.

Choi Ye-na's planning capabilities were also evident on another stage. The 'Yumi's Cells' concept presented during the 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards celebratory stage held at Incheon Paradise City last July was also her idea.

This is an approach different from a simple celebratory performance in that she varied the worldview of 'Yumi's Cells', which has become familiar to the public through webtoons and dramas, into the visual language of a music stage. It is a method of combining the images of familiar content with her own stage so that the audience accepts the performance like a single story.

In this way, Choi Ye-na seems to view the stages she appears on as completed pieces of content. Rather than competing with only song and dance, she weaves songs, dance, costumes, stage devices, narrative concepts, and performance movements into one organic composition, adding her own creative color to the performance itself.

In this broadcast, the scene of Choi Ye-na's first encore concert will also be revealed. During the concert preparation process, she does not merely stop at watching rehearsals. She directly checks things such as at what point to induce audience response, at what speed the lift should move, and how the performers and devices should move on stage.

While it is the few minutes of performance seen on stage that determines the perfection of a show, actual performance production requires a much more complex preliminary design. Especially for performances including lifts or stage devices, the singer's movement, the speed of the device, lighting, and the beat of the music must match accurately. Choi Ye-na's appearance of checking even detailed elements during the rehearsal stage shows that her approach to the stage is quite specific.

In the concert that finally begins, a fairy-tale-like stage production unfolds. It is a method of composing the entire performance like a single story by combining Choi Ye-na's musical color with fantasy and narrative stage aesthetics.

Adding meaning to this, Jo Yuri, who worked with her in the group Iz*One, appears as a special guest. Although the two have continued their respective musical paths since their Iz*One activities, it is expected to be a special reunion stage for fans as they share memories of working in the same team.

After debuting with the project group Iz*One in 2018, Choi Ye-na has expanded her musical reach as a solo artist. Since her solo debut, she has built a unique persona by moving between music, variety shows, and various stages. While she is known for her bright and cheerful image, this broadcast will highlight her professional side as she deeply involves herself in every detail to perfect a single stage.

Having been with the same agency for a long time since her debut, it is noteworthy that she is evolving from a performer who executes given concepts into a creator who directly proposes and implements her own ideas.

There is a common thread in her journey, from the full-body suit at WATERBOMB and the 'Yumi's Cells' concept at the Blue Dragon Series Awards to the detailed production of her first encore concert: rather than leaving her image to others, she personally contemplates and realizes her vision on stage.

Stage buzz is not always created through provocative exposure or sensational imagery. Choi Ye-na is creating a different kind of impact through her unique ideas, narrative, and visual perfection. The September 19 broadcast of 'Omniscient Interfering View' is expected to show a different side of Choi Ye-na—not just the performer on stage, but the creator who dives headfirst into the production process.