Daehwi (대휘)

Lee Dae-hwi built his public profile through one of K-pop's most scrutinized talent competitions, emerging in 2017 as a member of Wanna One via Mnet's *Produce 101 Season 2*. The group's limited-term run turned into one of the format's most commercially successful outcomes, and Daehwi's continued presence in the industry — through the group AB6IX and an expanding range of variety and entertainment appearances — marks him as one of the more durable figures to come out of that era.

From competition stage to debut

Before *Produce 101 Season 2* brought him national attention, Daehwi had accumulated experience in earlier group configurations, including 00z and The Heal, where he held vocal and dance positions. His selection for Wanna One in 2017 placed him among eleven finalists drawn from the season's contestant pool, with the group going on to operate under a fixed activity window before disbanding at the close of their contract period.

Within Wanna One, Daehwi served as a lead vocalist, lead dancer, and sub-rapper — a breadth of roles that reflected both the competition format's preference for multi-skilled performers and his own pre-debut groundwork.

Continuing with AB6IX

When Wanna One's contracted activities concluded, Daehwi and fellow former member Park Woo-jin transitioned into AB6IX, a group that has remained his primary affiliation. In early 2026, approximately five years after their previous full-length release, the two released a new album with AB6IX, with the project arriving ahead of Wanna One's widely anticipated reunion. AB6IX previewed the record with a sequence of concept photos before its release.

A Wanna One reunion, seven years on

Seven years after Wanna One's official activities ended, the group moved toward a reunion, confirmed through a reality program format. Coverage around the reunion drew attention not only to the group's return but to how its members had each developed independently — Park Ji-hoon, for instance, had established himself as a film actor, while Daehwi had diversified across variety work and his ongoing commitments with AB6IX. Daehwi spoke publicly about the prospect of the reunion on the talk program *Radio Star*, expressing enthusiasm while also discussing the post-entertainment path taken by former Wanna One member Lai Kuanlin.

Activities beyond music

Recent years have seen Daehwi appear across a range of non-music formats. He took part in *Goblin*, a program in which he was shown working in a hotel context and communicating with international guests — a segment that drew attention for demonstrating a facility with foreign language interaction. He also participated in *The Logic*, a program where his involvement in supporting a fellow idol contestant became a talking point for viewers.

These appearances reflect a pattern common among second-generation competition graduates who maintain a public presence through variety and reality formats between music releases, keeping audience familiarity intact without requiring continuous album cycles.