Ayumi Itō born August 25, 1984, better known by her stage name Iconiq (stylized ICONIQ and pronounced "iconic"), is from former Korean girl-group Sugar, where she was known by her stage names Ahyoomee during her Sugar and solo activities (stylized as AhYooMi as a misprint） and Ayumi Lee. Ito was born as a third generation Korean resident and raised in Japan for much of her younger life and is the reason for her Japanese accent, although she is now fluent in both languages. Although Ayumi's name is commonly believed to be Japanese in origin, she has explained that her name is hanja-based. She has also attended Korea Kent Foreign School.
Ahyoome Picture
Iconiq was born in Tottori Prefecture on August 25, 1984, to Korean parents. She lived in Japan until she was 15, after which she moved to South Korea. She was scouted by entertainment company Starworld at a H.O.T. concert, debuting as part of the girl group Sugar in 2002. The band released two albums in Japan and three in Korea, however were met with only moderate commercial success. In 2006, the group disbanded, and Iconiq released two solo singles as Ayumi.
Ahyoomee Picture
The first, a cover of the theme song for Cutie Honey (in the style of the Kumi Koda's 2004 version), was released on July 13, 2006, however was criticized by Korean media for her "heavy accent" and the overall Japanese feel of performances. Her second digital single, "Jalmotdwin Mannam" was released on November 7, 2006, and is a cover of Kim Gun Mo's hit from 1995. She switched labels in February 2007, moving from Starworld to SM Entertainment and started collaborating with SM Town on their summer and winter albums that year. However, she did not release any solo material in this time. In 2008, Iconiq moved to Los Angeles to study dance, and find new inspiration as a musician.
Ahyoome Photo
