For this K-pop idol that we’re going to discuss in this article, she’s not a total foreigner. If you see her from her looks, she does look like a foreigner. But she’s actually not, and she was born and raised in Korea. To say that she’s not a foreigner isn’t true either, since her father is Irish while her mom is Korean. So, who’s the K-pop idol that we’re going to talk about in this article? Yep, it’s Nancy McDonie from Momoland! Nancy is one of the members from Momoland who made a debut under MLD Entertainment in November 2016. Nancy used her English name as her stage name, Nancy McDonie. As a half-Korean, she also has a Korean name. It was Lee Seungri, but she changed it legally to Lee Geu-roo in 2019. Let’s learn more about Nancy in the next sections below!
Momoland’s Nancy Profile
Nancy is in charge of the center of the group and the lead vocal and lead dancer. Due to her appearance, Nancy has captured many people’s attention to look at her and her group. Not only has a stunning visual, but Nancy also has brilliant dancing and singing skills. But do you know that Nancy wasn’t born overseas? She was born in Daegu, just like some other K-pop idols who was from Daegu. So, let’s learn more basic info about Nancy in her full profile below! Full name: Nancy Jewel McDonie / Lee Groo Korean Name: 이그루 / 낸시 주얼 맥다니 Chinese Name: 李周洹 Stage Name: Nancy Nickname: Baby Nancy, Jonancy, Nanny, Nanty, Baby Groo Birthplace: Chilgok District, Daegu, South Korea Nationality: Korean-American Birthdate: April 13, 2000 Zodiac Sign: Aries Chinese Zodiac: Dragon Education:
Daegu Wolbae Elementary School -> Yongin Hyoja Elementary School Yongin Seongseo Middle School Hanlim Entertainment Arts High School Sungshin Women’s University (Media and Visual Acting)
Position: Center, lead vocal, lead dancer Occupation: Singer, idol Blood Type: O Weight: 46 kg Height: 162 cm Foot size: 220 mm MBTI: ENFJ Hobbies: Watch movies, watch beauty broadcast Specialty: English conversation, dance Motto: If you have a chance, don’t miss it Family: Parents, 1 older sister Debut date: November 10 Debut year: 2016 Agency: MLD Entertainment (Formerly Duble Kick Entertainment) Instagram: @nancyjewel_mcdonie_
Momoland’s Nancy Facts
After seeing Nancy’s profile, you might found some of her basic info that you haven’t known before. Well, it’s only a little piece of Nancy’s information that you have learned. Now, let’s see more interesting facts about Nancy that will make us understand her even more. Here are some facts about Nancy!
In Nancy’s high school graduation book, Nancy’s name was written as Nancy Jowol McDonie. That’s why she got the nickname Jo Nancy. Nancy’s previous Korean name was Lee Seungri, and she changed the name around the time where the former member of BIGBANG, Seungri’s Burning Sun case. Nancy collaborated with Oh My Girls’ YooA, ex Gugudan’s leader Kim Nayoung, GFriend’s Eunha, and WJSN’s Chengxiao. Nancy learned how to play violin for 6 years since she was 4 years old. People often said that Nancy’s face resembles Liza Soberano, a Philippines actress. As an idol, Nancy wanted to be commented about her dancing skills or singing skills instead of her body figure. Nancy really likes her new Korean name, Gru. Nancy’s favorite color is pink. If Nancy, Ahin, and Daisy are together, they talk in English. Nancy said that she’s better with her Korean instead of English because she grew up in Korea. Daisy also said that Nancy preferred Korean instead of English.
Momoland’s Nancy Pre Debut: Family, Parents, etc.
As you already know, Nancy was born and raised in Chilgok district in Daegu. She has an older sister named Brenda, who was two years older than her. Nancy’s father, Richard McDonie is an American of Irish descent who worked as a professor at Gachon University. Her mother, Lee Myeong-ju, is a full Korean originally from Yongin, Gyeonggi-do. Nancy’s mother ran a cafe in Daemyeong-dong, Nam-gu, Daegu. When Nancy’s sister on vacation, she helped their mother and worked there. Nancy also visited the cafe often when she had a chance. Nancy was born on April 13, 2000, in Daegu. However, when Nancy was a child, she has lived in Ohio, United States, for around 6 years. When she was 7 years old, Nancy and her family moved back to South Korea, and Nancy started her education in an elementary school in Daegu. That’s why Nancy was fluent in Korean more than English. When Nancy was 9 years old in an international age, or 10 years old in Korean age, she debuted in musical drama. Fast forward to 2011. Nancy joined a competition called Korea’s Got Talent and passed the semi-final stages with her team. Since then, Nancy was recruited to be a trainee. She joined a company called Nega Network. During that time, Nancy has appeared in a lot of programs and even visited the Philippines too. But Nancy’s journey to be where she is right now wasn’t just that. She had to train for a lot of years before making her debut as an idol. Nancy joined the company that was later on debuting her in Momoland, Duble Kick Entertainment. There, she joined the survival program that was forming a new girl group of Duble Kick Entertainment. The program was called “Finding Momoland”. It was airing from July 22 until September 26, 2016. Let’s see the clip of Nancy’s performance in “Finding Momoland”!
Even when she hasn’t debuted yet, Nancy has shown the aura of a star!
Momoland’s Nancy Debut with Momoland
At the end of the episode of “Finding Momoland”, it was revealed that Nancy was included as a part of Momoland along with Ahin, Jane, JooE, Yeonwoo, Nayun, and Hyebin. They released their first single called “Jjan! Koong! Kwang!” on November 10, 2016. Here is the music video of Momoland’s first single!
Just like the position, Nancy is the center of the group and even became the video’s thumbnail. Look at her pretty face. She’s just too cute to be true! Now, let’s see the debut stage of Momoland performing their first single track!
So proud to see how Nancy is growing. But their debut era didn’t stop there. Momoland also released the dance version of “Jjan! Koong! Kwang!”
What do you think of Nancy’s dancing skills? Not only pretty, but she’s also a talented dancer. What a full package Nancy is!
