Jessi

Jessica Ho, known professionally as Jessi, was born on December 17, 1988, in New York City and raised in New Jersey. She relocated to South Korea at the age of 15 to pursue a career in music. Jessi debuted in South Korea in 2005 with her single album “Get Up.” In 2006, she briefly joined the hip-hop group Uptown, featured in their album “Testimony” as a replacement for the original vocalist. Following a hiatus from the music industry, during which she returned to America, she released her second single album, “The Rebirth,” in January 2009. Her early career also included challenges adapting to Korean culture and financial difficulties at times.

Jessi returned to the music scene in 2014, joining the hip-hop trio Lucky J under YMC Entertainment, debuting with the digital single “Can You Hear Me.” A pivotal point in her career came in 2015 when she participated in the first season of Mnet’s hip-hop competition show “Unpretty Rapstar,” where she achieved second place. This exposure led to increased mainstream popularity, including a feature on J.Y. Park’s hit single “Who’s Your Mama?” and the release of her solo rap single “Ssenunni.” In 2017, she released her first mini-album, “Un2verse,” which included the single “Gucci.”

In 2019, Jessi signed with Psy’s record label P Nation as its first artist, releasing successful singles such as “Who Dat B” and “Drip.” Her second extended play, “Nuna,” released in 2020, featured the popular single “Nunu Nana.” During this period, Jessi also expanded her presence in Korean variety programs, hosting “Jessi’s Showterview” and becoming a cast member of “Sixth Sense.” She was also part of the supergroup Refund Sisters, whose single “Don’t Touch Me” topped the Gaon Digital Chart. After departing from P Nation in 2022 and a brief tenure with More Vision in 2023, Jessi launched her independent label, UNNI, in September 2024, also signing a management contract with DOD Entertainment, although this contract was later terminated in October 2024.