Lee Leo

Leo
Leo in 2026
Background information
Born
Lee Leo

(2002-08-22) August 22, 2002
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Years active2023 (2023)–present
Labels
Member ofAlpha Drive One
Signature

Lee Leo (Korean: 이리오; born August 22, 2002), known mononymously as Leo, is an Australian singer based in South Korea. He made his solo debut with the single "One Look" on August 17, 2023, and with his first extended play (EP) Come Closer on May 9, 2024. He later competed on the survival program Boys II Planet, finished sixth, and debuted as leader of WakeOne's boy band Alpha Drive One in January 2026.

Early life and education

Lee Leo was born on August 22, 2002, in Sydney, Australia.[1] He graduated from St Patrick's Marist College before moving to South Korea.[2][3]

Career

2021–2023: Beginnings with pre-debut activities

At 17, he moved from Australia to South Korea to pursue a career in music.[4] Leo began training under Big Hit and was announced in March 2021 as a member of the pre‑debut boy band Trainee A, alongside Lee Sang-won, James, Han Ji-hoon, Park Jun‑il, and Park In‑hyuk. The first video uploaded to Trainee A's YouTube channel was a day in the life vlog in which Leo introduced himself.[5] He later appeared in the music video for BTS's "Permission to Dance".[6] Following lineup changes during 2022, Leo announced his departure from the project on August 25, 2022, thanking the company and apologizing to fellow members and fans.[7][8] The Trainee A project ceased activities and was disbanded later that year.[9]

2023–2025: Solo career debut

After leaving Trainee A, Leo signed with 131 Label, the record company founded by rapper B.I.[4] He made his solo debut on August 17, 2023 with the single "One Look", produced by American production team The Stereotypes and 9AM and featuring Destiny Rogers.[10] He performed "One Look" at the KIIS FM K‑Pop Village during KCON LA 2023 at the Los Angeles Convention Center on August 19 as part of a global promotion with iHeartMedia, and released the song's music video, filmed in Los Angeles, on August 29, 2023.[11]

He released his first EP, Come Closer, on May 9, 2024, featuring the tracks "Pretty Plzzz", which features and was co‑written with B.I, and "Farewell", and was produced in part by The Stereotypes and Bangs.[12] He performed songs from the EP on KBS2's Music Bank and MBC's Show! Music Core, where he was praised his strong stage presence and performance.[13] He competed in the 2024 Mnet rap competition Rap:Public as a member of Block 8, but his team was eliminated after a defeat by Block 6.[14][15]

2025–present: Boys II Planet and Alpha Drive One

After his solo debut, he entered the Mnet survival competition Boys II Planet. He persuaded former Trainee A teammate Lee Sang‑won, who had considered leaving the industry after Trainee A's cancellation, to compete as well.[16] The two, who had previously signed with Grid Entertainment as a duo, appeared on the show under "Planet K" where they drew attention for their cover of Enhypen's "No Doubt".[17] Throughout the competition, the pair consistently ranked near the top from their initial appearance through the final rounds.[18] Thai singer Yorch, formerly of Trainee A and later a member of Pow, described them as a motivating presence for their agency and fellow trainees after joining the company and participating on the show.[19]

At the show's conclusion, Leo was announced as one of the eight finalists selected to sign with WakeOne and form the boy band Alpha Drive One.[20] He finished the competition in sixth place and joined the group alongside Lee Sang‑won, and was later chosen as the leader of the group.[21][22] Alpha Drive One debuted on January 12, 2026, with the EP Euphoria. Leo described the debut as a "new beginning" for him and said the EP captured the "euphoric moment" for its members.[23]

Discography

For Leo's discography with Alpha Drive One, see Alpha Drive One § Discography.

Extended plays

List of extended plays, showing selected details, selected chart positions, and sales figures
Title Details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[24]
Come Closer 14

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2024 Rap:Public Contestant [15]
2025 Boys II Planet Contestant Finalist; placed 6th [20]

Music video appearances

Year Artist Title Notes
2021 BTS "Permission to Dance" Guest appearance

Notes

  1. ^ As a member of Alpha Drive One only.

References

  1. ^ Rahmayanti, Yunita (August 26, 2022). "Leo Trainee A Putuskan Keluar Grup setelah 3,5 Tahun Bergabung, Sebut Khawatir pada Masa Depan". Tribun Network (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  2. ^ "Profil Member ALD1, Jebolan Survival Show Boys II Planet". Kumparan (in Indonesian). September 27, 2025. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  3. ^ Amini, Umu Hana (September 26, 2025). "Profil 8 Member ALD1 Finalis BOYS II PLANET & Kariernya". Tirto (in Indonesian).
  4. ^ a b Webb, Lauren (October 6, 2023). "Leo". 1883 Magazine. Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  5. ^ Herman, Tamar (May 11, 2021). "Is BTS and TXT label Hybe about to launch a new K-pop boy band? 'Trainee A' social media accounts spark rumours". South China Morning Post.
  6. ^ Kim, Hyun-seo (July 25, 2023). "'빅히트 연습생' 출신 리오(LEO), 근황 공개됐다". Topstarnews (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  7. ^ Yu, Hye-ji (August 29, 2022). ""회사와 멤버들에 미안…" 트레이니A 리오, 돌연 데뷔조 하차 선언". Topstarnews (in Korean).
  8. ^ Lee, Chang-gyu (August 27, 2022). "빅히트 연습생 리오, 데뷔조 하차 "혼자 멈추는 시간 필요" [엑's 이슈]". XSport News (in Korean).
  9. ^ Noronha, Karen (September 27, 2025). "Where are Trainee A members now? From BIGHIT pre-debut group to CORTIS, ALLDAY Project, and beyond". Poprant.
  10. ^ Son, Bong-seok (August 11, 2023). "'131레이블 합류' 리오(LEO), 데뷔 싱글은 'One Look'···브루노 마스 프로듀서와 협업". Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean).
  11. ^ Jang, Woo-young (August 29, 2023). "리오, 데뷔 싱글 'One Look' MV 본편 공개". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean).
  12. ^ Son, Bong-seok (May 9, 2024). "'글로벌 루키' 리오(LEO), 'COME CLOSER'로 9개월 만에 컴백". Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean).
  13. ^ Son, Bong-seok (May 13, 2024). "리오(LEO), 'Come Closer' 컴백 첫 주 활동 성료!". Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean).
  14. ^ Ha, Ji-won (October 24, 2024). "6명 탈락 '랩:퍼블릭' 전력 재정비, 블록 토너먼트 본격 시작". Newsen (in Korean).
  15. ^ a b Yu, Ju-hee (October 10, 2024). "'랩:퍼블릭', 우승 향한 본격 전쟁…첫번째 블록 매치 '블록 깨기' 시작". Ilgan Sports (in Korean).
  16. ^ Kim, Na-yeon (July 18, 2025). "'빅히트' 트레이니A 출신 이상원, 무대중 신발벗겨져.."아이씨" 말실수(보플2)[순간포착]". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean).
  17. ^ Kim, Ye-na (July 31, 2025). "'그리드 소속' 이상원·이리오, '보플2' 역대급 반응…서사·비주얼·실력 3박자 완벽 [엑's 초점]". XSport News (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 13, 2026. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  18. ^ Jeong, Ga-young (February 9, 2026). "[톡★스타] 파우 "리오·상원 알디원 데뷔, 새로운 자극 돼"". SportsWorldi (in Korean).
  19. ^ Lee, Mi-young (January 28, 2026). "[조이人]② 파우 "알디원 상원·리오, 무대 보면 뿌듯해⋯좋은 자극제"". Joynews24 (in Korean).
  20. ^ a b Kim, Soo-young (September 26, 2025). "이상원·조우안신·허씬롱…알파드라이브원 8인 확정". The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean).
  21. ^ Yu, Yu-yeon (September 26, 2025). "'보2플' 이상원X이리오, 최종 데뷔조 합류.."멋진 활동으로 보답"". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean).
  22. ^ Kim, Ji-won (November 3, 2025). "알파드라이브원, 리더 리오 확정…팬덤명은 앨리즈". Ten Asia (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 12, 2025. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  23. ^ Shin, Ha-nee (January 13, 2026). "'A new beginning': Alpha Drive One starts K-pop journey with full-throttle debut". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 2026-01-20. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
  24. ^ "Album Chart: 2025 Week 41". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 16, 2025. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  25. ^ "Retail Album Chart: 2025 Week 36". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 5, 2026. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lee Leo.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.