# Lightsum

Lightsum (Korean: 라잇썸; RR: Raitsseom; MR: Raitssŏm, stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by Cube Entertainment. The group is composed of six members: Sangah, Chowon, Nayoung, Hina, Juhyeon, and Yujeong. Originally an eight-piece ensemble, members Huiyeon and Jian departed the group in October 2022. The group debuted on June 10, 2021, with the release of their debut single album, Vanilla.

## Name

The group's name, Lightsum, is a combination of the words "light" and "sum", which symbolizes "things that shine small gather together to light up the world, delivering greater positive energy through a message of hope".

## History
### 2017–2020: Pre-debut activities

Juhyeon participated in The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project in 2017–2018 where she finished in 25th place. Chowon, Nayoung, and Yujeong participated in Produce 48 in 2018 where they finished in 13th place, 21st place, and 51st place respectively. It was later revealed that Chowon was rigged out of the lineup of Iz*One, and that her real final ranking was 6th place. Juhyeon later participated in Dancing High in 2018, but did not pass the evaluation round. Chowon was cast in Bully Bad Guys and The Dominator 3: Junior Bullies in 2020.

### 2021–present: Introduction, debut with Vanilla, Into the Light, and members departure

On April 15, 2021, Cube Entertainment announced that it would be debuting a new girl group, their first since (G)I-dle in 2018. The members were revealed in pairs from April 19 to 22 (in order: Juhyeon, Sangah, Chowon, Jian, Nayoung, Huiyeon, Hina, and Yujeong). A video trailer with all eight members was revealed on April 23, 2021. On May 27, it was announced that Lightsum would release their debut single album Vanilla on June 10, making their broadcast debut on Mnet's M Countdown with a performance of their debut single. On October 13, Lightsum released their second single album Light a Wish, with "Vivace" serving as the lead single.
On May 24, 2022, Lightsum released their first extended play Into the Light, with the lead single "Alive". On October 25, Cube Entertainment announced the departure of members Huiyeon and Jian from the group and that Lightsum would be reorganized as a group of six.
On May 5, 2023, it was reported that Lightsum is currently under preparations for a comeback in the first half of 2023. On June 7, Sangah participated in Mnet's girl group survival show Queendom Puzzle as a contestant. she was eliminated in the first elimination rounds. On September 18, it was announced that they would have their comeback in the second week of October with their second mini album. On September 21, it was announced Lightsum would release their second extended play Honey or Spice on October 11. On October 11, the group made their comeback after 1 year and 5 months with the release of their second EP "Honey or Spice", along with its lead single as the same name.
On July 31, 2024, the group released a teaser for their first digital single "Pose!", set for release on August 7. On August 3, the group released a concept photos for the digital single. On August 7, Lightsum released the digital single "Pose!" 10 months after their previous comeback.

## Discography
### Extended plays

List of extended plays, showing selected details, selected chart positions, and sales figures :
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
| Title | Details | KOR | Sales |
| Into the Light | Released: May 24, 2022 Label: Cube Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download, streaming | 13 | KOR: 17,902 |
| Honey or Spice | Released: October 11, 2023 Label: Cube Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download, streaming | 14 | KOR: 19,412 |

### Single albums

List of single albums, showing selected details, selected chart positions, and sales figures :
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
| Title | Details | KOR | Sales |
| Vanilla | Released: June 10, 2021 Label: Cube Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download, streaming | 12 | KOR: 41,143 |
| Light a Wish | Released: October 13, 2021 Label: Cube Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download, streaming | 7 | KOR: 28,416 |

### Singles

List of singles, showing year released, selected peak positions, sales figures, and name of the album :
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | KOR Down. | US World | Album |
| "Vanilla" | 2021 | 59 | 8 | Vanilla |
| "Vivace" | 2021 | 16 | 8 | Light a Wish |
| "Alive" | 2022 | 54 | — | Into the Light |
| "Honey or Spice" | 2023 | 96 | — | Honey or Spice |
| "Pose!" | 2024 | 63 | — | Non-album Single |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory |||||

## Videography
### Music videos

| Title | Year | Director(s) | Length |
| "Vanilla" | 2021 | Vikings League | 3:32 |
| "Vivace" | 2021 | Etui | 3:34 |
| "Alive" | 2022 | Jimmy (Via) | 3:39 |
| "Honey or Spice" | 2023 | Novv Kim (Novv) | 3:38 |
| "Pose!" | 2024 | | 2:37 |

## Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2021 | Female Idol Group Popularity Award | Lightsum | Nominated |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2022 | Potential Awards – Music | Lightsum | Won |
| Asian Pop Music Awards | 2021 | Best New Artist (Overseas) | Light a Wish | Nominated |
| Genie Music Awards | 2022 | Next Wave Icon | Lightsum | Won |
| Hanteo Music Awards | 2021 | Rookie Award – Female Group | Lightsum | Nominated |
| Hanteo Music Awards | 2024 | Hanteo Choice K-Pop Female Artist | Lightsum | Won |
| Korea First Brand Awards | 2022 | Female Rookie Idol Award | Lightsum | Won |
| Mnet Asian Music Awards | 2021 | Artist of the Year | Lightsum | Longlisted |
| Mnet Asian Music Awards | 2021 | Best New Female Artist | Lightsum | Nominated |
| Seoul Music Awards | 2022 | K-wave Popularity Award | Lightsum | Nominated |
| Seoul Music Awards | 2022 | Popularity Award | Lightsum | Nominated |
| Seoul Music Awards | 2022 | Rookie of the Year | Lightsum | Nominated |