Ren Kawashiri
JO1’s precision dancer, choreographer and increasingly prolific songwriter. Ren turns technical control into personality instead of making technique look like homework.
Profile
| Full name | Ren Kawashiri (川尻 蓮) |
|---|---|
| Born | March 2, 1997 |
| Birthplace | Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan |
| Height | 174 cm |
| Blood type | O |
| Group | JO1 |
| Creative lanes | dance · choreography · vocals · songwriting |
| Agency | LAPONE Entertainment |
| Status | Active · 2020–present |
Produce 101 Japan and JO1
Ren arrived at Produce 101 Japan with professional dance experience and immediately became one of the season’s clearest performance anchors. Viewers placed him in the final lineup, where his detail, musical timing and teaching instincts helped establish JO1’s performance standard.
JO1 debuted in March 2020 with PROTOSTAR and “Infinity.” The group’s scale means every member needs a distinct visual and musical function; Ren has built his through precision, rhythmic clarity and a growing catalog of self-directed music.
Music, performance and credited work
His official credits extend well beyond being the member everyone watches during a difficult transition. Ren choreographed JO1’s “My Friends,” “YOLO-konde” and “ALL HOURS,” and also contributed choreography to DXTEEN’s “Sail Away.”
His writing and composition credits include “Remains,” “DIY,” “BINGO,” “DAYBREAK,” “PANCAKE,” “cuz for you,” “Knock Out,” “Like the Beginning” and work on JO1’s “Bon Voyage.” In 2025 he released the EP Give me your day., followed by “Like the Beginning.” The pattern is clear: choreography was the first public language, not the final limit.
Dance career before JO1
Before Produce 101 Japan, Ren built a working dance résumé behind other performers and in professional performance settings. That background explains why he entered the survival show with unusually settled body control: he already understood counts, spacing, repetition, and how to support a stage without always being its named star.
Professional dance experience did not guarantee an idol debut. The program also tested vocals, personality editing, team leadership, and audience connection. Ren’s task was to make technical precision feel human enough that viewers would vote for the person rather than only admire the dancer.
Produce 101 Japan and the JO1 foundation
Ren remained one of the season’s central performance figures and finished second in the final ranking, earning a place in JO1. The group debuted in 2020 with “Infinity,” bringing together eleven trainees with different starting levels. His experience became useful inside rehearsals because he could stabilize formations and translate difficult movement into repeatable detail.
JO1’s later catalog expanded beyond the debut’s survival-show identity. Across Japanese releases, Korean training environments, touring, and international schedules, Ren developed from a recognizable dance center into a performer with greater vocal and creative responsibility.
Choreography and creative growth
Ren’s strongest dance work is not only about speed or sharpness. He controls weight, finishes lines, and understands how one member’s pathway affects the full formation. Choreography and dance-project credits document a move from executing material toward shaping how it is seen.
Songwriting and composition credits extend that authorship into music. JO1 group credits remain part of the JO1 catalog even when Ren helped create them; they should not be relabeled as solo releases simply to inflate an individual discography.
PLANJ and the formal solo catalog
JO1’s PLANJ project provided an official framework for individually credited member work. Ren’s releases under the name REN, including the 2025 EP Give me your day. and “Like the Beginning,” establish a formal solo catalog alongside his continuing group membership.
That distinction justifies dual taxonomy on one canonical profile: Group Member records JO1 activity from 2020 onward, while Solo Artist records individually billed REN releases. The PLANJ work can be attached to his artist profile without removing it from the broader JO1 project context.
Acting, broadcasting and side quests
Ren played Kazuhiko Sugii in the Amazon anthology drama Short Program. His television appearances include dance, quiz and variety formats, while fashion publications and luxury-event invitations have made him one of JO1’s most visible editorial members.
His LAPOSTA 2025 show, Give me your day., gave his individual music and staging a larger frame. Official credits also include the ATELIER dance video project and brand work spanning YSL Beauty, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Tough Gummy.
Fandom notes and useful context
- Dance leader without a cardboard label: Ren’s authority comes from demonstrated craft and the ability to make other performers cleaner.
- Composer file: the solo catalog matters because it documents a transition from interpreter to author.
- Fukuoka roots: his official profile lists Fukuoka Prefecture as his birthplace.
- Performance detail: watch his shoulders and foot placement during group transitions; he often explains the formation before the camera reaches center.
RaeRae take
Ren performs like every beat has already been measured, labeled and quietly challenged to do better. The surprise is that the precision never feels cold. He keeps finding tiny pockets where the choreography can breathe, flirt or snap.
YouTube tracking history
Official solo releases credited to REN through JO1’s PLANJ project.