Who is AleXa, the K-pop idol winner of American Song Contest? Shinee inspired her music career and she’s on a mission to find her mum’s biological parents in South Korea

May 12 , 2022

AleXa, K-pop idol and Oklahoma representative, was declared the winner of American Song Contest on May 9. Photo: @alexa_zbofficial/Instagram

K-pop idol and former contestant of Mnet show Produce 48, AleXa, has been announced the winner of the Eurovision-inspired competition, American Song Contest

Like SM Entertainment’s Aespa, the artist connects her music to an alternate reality and even became the first K-pop star to have a metaverse digital fan party

Bring up the topic of televised music competitions, and K-pop fans are likely to name-drop a few: Produce 101, Girls Planet 999, Queendom, Mama The Idol – the list goes on. There’s no shortage of these programmes in the world of Korean pop culture. But it isn’t every day that you see a K-pop idol compete on an American talent show.

AleXa, a Korean-American K-pop idol, did just that. Taking part in the Eurovision-inspired American Song Contest, she represented her home state Oklahoma with the song, Wonderland.

AleXa grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Photo: @alexa_zbofficial/Instagram

On May 9, AleXa emerged victorious, winning the title of best original song thanks to a landslide public vote. As winner of the programme, she will be performing Wonderland at the Billboard Music Awards and starring in a T-Mobile commercial. Wonderland will also be played on iHeartRadio stations across the US.

But who exactly is AleXa, and how has her journey as a K-pop idol prepared her for her American Song Contest victory? Discover everything you need to know about the musician.

American Song Contest is not her first music competition show

Before American Song Contest, AleXa took part in other music competitions. Photo: @alexa_zbofficial/Instagram

While AleXa’s participation in American Song Contest was a novelty for K-pop fans, it was not her first rodeo when it comes to music contests.

She first dipped her toes in the K-pop world through Rising Legends, an online audition hosted by Korean pop culture news website Soompi. Despite landing the top spot in the competition’s dance category in both 2016 and 2017, she did not sign a contract with either of the Rising Legends’ affiliated labels, JYP Entertainment and Cube Entertainment. Instead, AleXa joined ZB Label, a subsidiary of the video production company, Zanybros.

Most fans recognise AleXa from Produce 48, the third season of the viral Mnet survival show, Produce 101. Under the name Alex Christine, she was selected among thousands of hopefuls to join a pool of 96 contestants.

She was eliminated in the first round of the programme but made her debut as a soloist with the stage name AleXa the succeeding year.