Gaeul
IVE’s quietly precise performance anchor: a long-trained dancer, rapper, lyric contributor and the group’s eldest member.
Quick profile
Stage name: Gaeul (가을)
Birth name: Kim Ga-eul (김가을)
Born: September 24, 2002
Birthplace: Incheon, South Korea
Group: IVE
Company: Starship Entertainment
Debut: December 1, 2021
Roles: Rapper, dancer, vocalist
Fandom: DIVE
Name and identity
Gaeul is both her given name and stage name. The Korean word 가을 means “autumn,” which makes her name unusually easy to remember without inventing a separate idol identity.
She is IVE’s eldest member, but the group does not use a formal leader hierarchy around her; Yujin serves as leader.
Before IVE
Gaeul was scouted by Starship Entertainment in 2017 after participating in a dance competition in Incheon. She trained for roughly four years before IVE’s debut, making her one of the lineup’s longest-trained members.
Starship introduced her as IVE’s second revealed member in November 2021. The group debuted on December 1 with “ELEVEN,” then rapidly established itself through “LOVE DIVE,” “After LIKE,” “I AM,” “HEYA,” “REBEL HEART,” “ATTITUDE” and later releases.
How IVE introduced Gaeul
Starship’s official “SHOW WHAT I HAVE – IVE GAEUL” film arrived on November 19, 2021, before IVE’s debut. It is the cleanest starting point for her public profile because it captures the company’s original framing rather than a later fan summary. The film positioned her through movement, composure, and a quieter kind of confidence, qualities that continued to matter once the six-member team began promoting.
Gaeul had already spent years inside Starship’s training system. That preparation is visible less as a single headline skill than as consistency: she keeps angles clean, adapts her expression to the concept, and makes short lines land without breaking the flow of a formation.
Reading Gaeul across IVE eras
ELEVEN established IVE’s controlled, elegant performance language. LOVE DIVE and After LIKE gave Gaeul more instantly recognizable moments, including concise rap passages that suited her lower tone and precise timing. With I’ve IVE, IVE SWITCH, and the group’s later Korean and Japanese releases, her job broadened across touring arrangements, award-show versions, and concepts that moved between polished pop, darker textures, and brighter festival energy.
That range is why a full-stage camera is often more informative than a compilation of center shots. Watch how she enters and exits formations, how quickly her expression resets after a close-up, and how she preserves the group’s line while another member carries the vocal focus.
Voice, covers, and documented individual work
Gaeul’s individual music content remains connected to IVE rather than forming a separate formal solo catalog. Her official 2024 cover of Kenshi Yonezu’s “Marigold,” released through IVE’s official artist channel, is useful evidence of her vocal color outside the group’s title-track arrangements. It lets the melody sit forward and shows a gentler delivery than the compact rap or transition parts listeners may first associate with her.
Lyric contributions and official covers demonstrate creative growth, but they do not automatically establish a solo debut. Under CVM Sekai’s directory rule, this remains one canonical Gaeul profile in the Member directory. An Artist classification should only be added if Starship announces and releases a formal solo music career.
Role in IVE
Her screen time varies by song, but her value is clearest when watching full stages rather than isolated center counts. She is the member who makes formations look finished.
Career timeline
2017: Joined Starship Entertainment as a trainee after being scouted at a dance competition.
November 2021: Revealed as the second member of IVE.
December 2021: Debuted with the single album ELEVEN.
2022–2025: Promoted through IVE’s major Korean and Japanese releases, tours, festivals, award stages and brand work.
2026: Opened the personal YouTube channel Gaeul’s Temperature under Starship Entertainment and continued IVE activities.
Selected IVE discography
2021: ELEVEN
2022: LOVE DIVE, After LIKE
2023: I’ve IVE, I’VE MINE
2024: IVE SWITCH, ALIVE
2025: IVE EMPATHY, IVE SECRET
2026: Continued group releases and touring activity
Facts that actually help identify her
- She is the only IVE member whose legal given name is also an everyday Korean season word.
- She entered Starship years before IVE’s public launch and trained through the period when the company’s next girl-group plans were still private.
- She is frequently associated with short hair because IVE’s early styling made that silhouette immediately recognizable.
- Her personal 2026 channel, Gaeul’s Temperature, uses a title built around the “autumn” meaning of her name.
Sources
YouTube tracking history
Gaeul does not currently have a verified standalone official solo-video catalog. IVE releases remain attached to the IVE group profile so group totals are not duplicated as individual activity.