Kim Seok-jin
Kim Seok-jin (Korean: 김석진; born on December 4, 1992), also known by his stage name Jin, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and member of the South Korean boy band BTS since June 2013. Kim was scouted for the group while in university and joined Big Hit Entertainment as an actor, eventually transitioning to a Korean idol. Kim has co-written and released three solo tracks with BTS: "Awake" (2016), "Epiphany" (2018), and "Moon" (2020), all of which have charted on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. In 2019, Kim released his first independent song, the digital track "Tonight". He also appeared on the 2016 Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth soundtrack alongside BTS member V. Kim has received critical praise for his falsetto and emotional range as a singer.
Kim Seok-jin | |
---|---|
Kim on the set of the "Boy with Luv" music video, March 2019 | |
Born | Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea | December 4, 1992
Other names | Jin |
Alma mater | Konkuk University |
Occupation |
|
Years active | 2013–present |
Awards | |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instruments | Vocals |
Labels | Big Hit |
Associated acts | BTS |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 김석진 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Gim Seok-jin |
McCune–Reischauer | Kim Sŏkchin |
Apart from singing, Kim has also appeared as a host on multiple South Korean music programs from 2016 to 2018. In 2018, he was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea along with the other members of BTS, for his contributions to Korean culture.
Early life and education
Kim Seok-jin was born on December 4, 1992, in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.[1][2] His family consists of his mother, father and older brother.[3]
While in junior high school, Kim was scouted by South Korean K-pop agency SM Entertainment off the street, but he rejected the offer at the time.[4] He initially intended to be an actor, attending Konkuk University and graduating with a degree in art and acting on February 22, 2017.[5][6] He enrolled in graduate school at Hanyang Cyber University, to pursue studies in areas other than music.[7]
Career
2013–present: BTS
Kim was scouted by Big Hit Entertainment for his looks while walking down the street.[8] At the time Kim was studying acting and had no background in music.[9][6] Subsequently, he auditioned for Big Hit as an actor before becoming an idol trainee.[10] On June 13, 2013, Kim made his debut as one of the four vocalists in BTS with their debut single album 2 Cool 4 Skool.[11] Kim released his first co-produced track, a solo single from the album Wings titled "Awake", in 2016.[9] The song peaked at number 31 on the Gaon Music Chart and six on the Billboard World Digital Singles Chart.[12][13] In December 2016, he released a Christmas version of "Awake" on SoundCloud.[14]
On August 9, 2018, the second solo by Kim, "Epiphany", was released as a trailer for BTS' then-upcoming compilation album Love Yourself: Answer. The song was described as a "building pop-rock melody" by Billboard and contains lyrics discussing self-acceptance and self-love.[15] The full version of the song was eventually released as a track on Answer,[16] peaking at number 30 on the Gaon Music Chart and four on the Billboard World Digital Singles Chart.[17][18] In October, he was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by South Korean president Moon Jae-in along with other members of the group.[19]
He released his third solo song with BTS, "Moon", on the 2020 studio album Map of the Soul: 7. Variety writer Jae-Ha Kim described "Moon" as a power pop song addressed to BTS fans.[20] "Moon" peaked at number one the Gaon Digital Chart and number two on Billboard's US World Digital Singles chart.[21][22]
2015–present: Solo activities
Kim collaborated with fellow BTS member V on the song "It's Definitely You", released as part of the Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth original soundtrack.[23][24] He also joined BTS member Jungkook to sing and release an alternate version of "So Far Away", a song from BTS member Suga's self-titled mixtape Agust D.[14] Kim's solo covers include "Mom" by Ra.D, "I Love You" by Mate, and "In Front Of The Post Office In Autumn", originally by Yoon Do-hyun in 1994.[25][26][27] They were released on SoundCloud on May 7, 2015,[28] December 3, 2015,[26] and June 7, 2018,[14] respectively. He has also made several appearances as a co-host for Korean music award shows, such as Music Bank and Inkigayo.[29]
On June 4, 2019, Kim released his first independent song "Tonight" as part of the 2019 BTS Festa, a yearly event celebrating the anniversary of the band's debut.[30] The acoustic ballad was composed by Kim, alongside Big Hit Entertainment record producers Slow Rabbit and Hiss Noise. The lyrics, written by Kim and BTS leader RM,[31] are inspired by Kim's relationship with his pets.[32] The track was met with a generally positive reception, with praise for Kim's vocals and the song's calming atmosphere.[33]
Artistry
Kim is a tenor and can play the guitar.[34][35] Critically, his singing voice has received a generally positive reception. In Kim Young-dae's 2019 novel BTS: The Review, members of the Grammy panel stated that his voice has stable breath control and a strong falsetto, calling it a "silver voice".[36] Journalist Choi Song-hye, writing for Aju News, wrote that BTS singles such as "Spring Day" and "Fake Love" displayed Kim's vocal stability, while the b-side "Jamais Vu" did so for his emotional range.[4] Hong Hye-min of The Korea Times described Kim's voice as "tender, sorrowful, [and] free-spirited" and considered it to be the "standout element" on the solo ballad "Epiphany".[37] Critic Park Hee-a, when discussing "Epiphany", stated that Kim "sings the most sentimental emotions" of the solo tracks on Love Yourself: Answer. In a review of "Fake Love", Park said that Kim's belting "prove[d] [the song's] effectiveness".[38]
Public image
Philanthropy
In December 2018, Kim donated various supplies to the Korean Animal Welfare Association to celebrate his birthday, purchasing food, blankets, and dishes for the organization.[39] He also donated 321 kilograms of food to the Korea Animal Rights Advocates (KARA), another Korean animal welfare non-profit.[40]
Since May 2018, Kim has been a monthly donor to UNICEF Korea, requesting that his donations be kept private at the time. They were eventually publicized following his induction into the UNICEF Honors Club in May 2019 for donating over ₩100 million (about US$84,000).[41]
Influence
In 2019, he was ranked as the overal13th most popular idol and 6th among girls aged between 13 -19 in South Korea, via data collected by analytics company Gallup Korea.[42]
Personal life
As of 2018, Kim lives in Hannam-dong, Seoul, South Korea.[43][44] Additionally, he and his older brother opened a Japanese-style restaurant in Seoul called Ossu Seiromushi in 2018.[45]
Awards and nominations
Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee(s)/work(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Melon Music Awards | 2017 | Best OST | "It's Definitely You" | Nominated | [46] |
Discography
Charted songs
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Album | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
KOR | US World [47] |
UK Dig. [48] |
SCT [49] |
FRA Dig. [50] |
HUN [51] | |||||
Gaon [52] |
Hot 100 [53] | |||||||||
As lead artist | ||||||||||
"Awake"[upper-alpha 1] | 2016 | 31 | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | Wings | |
"Epiphany"[upper-alpha 1] | 2018 | 30 | 5 | 4 | 54 | 60 | 61 | 30 |
|
Love Yourself: Answer |
"Moon"[upper-alpha 1] | 2020 | 22 | 12 | 4 | 61 | 64 | N/A | 11 | N/A | Map of the Soul: 7 |
Soundtrack appearances | ||||||||||
"It's Definitely You" (죽어도 너야; Jugeodo neoya) (with V) |
2016 | 34 | — | 8 | — | — | — | — |
|
Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth Original Soundtrack |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. |
Other songs
Year | Title | Format | Other Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | "Adult Child" | Digital download, streaming | with RM and Suga | [58] |
2016 | "Awake" (Christmas ver.) | holiday Christmas remix of "Awake" from the album Wings | [14] | |
2017 | "So Far Away" | with Suga, featuring Jin and Jungkook; re-release of the original track with Suran | [14] | |
2019 | "Tonight" (이 밤; I bam) | Released as part of the 2019 BTS anniversary event Festa | [30] | |
Writing credits
All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database, unless otherwise noted.[59]
Year | Artist | Album | Song |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | BTS | 2 Cool 4 Skool | "Outro: Circle Room Cypher" |
2015 | The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 1 | "Outro: Love Is Not Over" | |
"Boyz with Fun" | |||
2016 | The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever | "Love Is Not Over" | |
Wings | "Awake" | ||
2019 | Jin | Non-album release | "Tonight"[30] |
2020 | BTS | Map of the Soul: 7 | "Moon" |
Filmography
Trailers and short films
Year | Title | Length | Director(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | "Awake #7" | 5:19 | Yong-seok Choi (Lumpens) | [60] |
2018 | "Epiphany" | 4:21 | [61] | |
Television
Year | Network | Program | Role | Note(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | SBS | Inkigayo | Host | with RM, Kei, and Mijoo | [62] |
Mnet | M Countdown | with Jimin | [63] | ||
2017 | with Jimin and J-Hope | [64] | |||
SBS | Law of the Jungle in Kota Manado | Himself | Episodes 247–251 | [65] | |
KBS | KBS Song Festival | Host | with Sana, Chanyeol, Irene, Solar, Mingyu (Seventeen), Yerin (GFriend), and Kang Daniel | [66] | |
2018 | Music Bank | with Solbin (Laboum) | [29] | ||
KBS Song Festival | with Dahyun and Chanyeol | [67] | |||
Notes
- Although credited under BTS, the song is a solo by Kim.[54]
References
- "진 프로필". people.search.naver.com (in Korean). Naver. May 14, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- Tai, Crystal (August 11, 2018). "Jin from K-pop superband BTS: his past, his private thoughts and why he's called 'Car Door Guy'". South China Morning Post. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- Jang, Eun-kyung (April 30, 2015). "Archived copy" [더스타프로필] 방탄소년단 진 "제가 정말 잘생겼을까요?". The Star (in Korean). Chosun Ilb so Company. Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Choi, Song-hye (May 23, 2019). "[BTS 얼마나 아십니까] 인물탐구② 방탄소년단 서브보컬 '진'". Aju News (in Korean). Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- Jang, Eun-kyung (April 30, 2015). "Archived copy" [더스타프로필] 방탄소년단 진 "제가 정말 잘생겼을까요?". The Star (in Korean). Chosun Ilbo Company. Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Kong, Leelian (March 21, 2017). "From college to K-pop stardom: How education helped these multi-talented performers". studyinternational.com. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- Kim, So-yeon (March 2, 2017). "Jin of BTS, Chen of EXO enter graduate school at Hanyang Cyber University". Kpop Herald. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- Martins, Chris (December 19, 2017). "Inside BTS-mania: A Day in the Life of the K-Pop Superstars". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
- Herman, Tamar (June 30, 2017). "Get to Know BTS: Jin". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- Pham, Jason (2019). "BTS's 7 Members Were Discovered in the Most Unconventional Ways". StyleCaster. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Bennett, Colette (May 12, 2016). "How BTS is changing K-pop for the better". dailydot. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- "2017년 07주차 Download Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- "World Digital Songs (October 29, 2016)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- Herman, Tamar (June 7, 2017). "BTS' Jin Releases Cover of 'In Front of the Post Office in Autumn': Listen". billboard.com. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- Herman, Tamar (August 9, 2018). "BTS' Jin Sings in 'Epiphany' Comeback Trailer Ahead Of 'Love Yourself: Answer' Album". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- Drysdale, Jennifer (August 9, 2018). "BTS' Jin Takes Center Stage in 'Epiphany' Comeback Trailer Ahead of New Album". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
- Cumulative sales of "Awake" "2016년 10월 Download Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
- Awake: "World Digital Songs (October 29, 2016)". Billboard.
- "'대중문화예술상' BTS, 문화훈장 화관 최연소 수훈...유재석부터 故 김주혁까지 '영광의 얼굴들' (종합)" (in Korean). Retrieved October 25, 2018.
- Kim, Jae-Ha (February 23, 2020). "BTS' 'Map of the Soul: 7': Album Review". Variety. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- "Gaon Digital Chart - Week 09". Gaon Digital Chart. March 5, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- "https://twitter.com/billboardcharts/status/1283436793099059200". Twitter. Retrieved August 10, 2020. External link in
|title=
(help) - "[단독]효린 양요섭 방탄 뷔X진 '화랑' OST 지원사격 '명품보컬 총출동'". m.newsen.com (in Korean). November 27, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- "방탄소년단 뷔X진, '화랑'OST 두번째 주자 출격…오늘 자정 공개". OSEN (in Korean). December 19, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- Herman, Tamar (February 9, 2018). "7 BTS Covers You Should Listen To". billboard.com. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- Song, Michael (December 3, 2015). "Bangtan Boys' Jin Reveals Cover of 'I Love You' by Mate". koogle.tv. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
- Merrill, Philip (June 8, 2018). "BTS' Jin Covers Korean Rock Ballad, Debut Track Of Yoon Do-hyun". The Recording Academy. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- "엄마 (cover) by Jin". soundcloud. May 7, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- "[단독] '빌보드 정복' 방탄소년단 진, 8일 '뮤직뱅크' MC 출격". tf.co.kr (in Korean). June 7, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- Daly, Rhian (June 4, 2019). "Listen to 'Tonight', the first solo song by BTS' Jin". NME. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- TS Live : 미니모니 (in Korean). V Live: Naver. June 6, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- Herman, Tamar (June 4, 2019). "BTS' Jin Releases Poignant Solo Track 'Tonight': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- Contreras, Cydney (June 4, 2019). "BTS' Jin Releases Emotional Solo Single In Honor of Their 2019 Festa". E!. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- Vollero, Lexi (June 4, 2019). "Listen to BTS star Kim's new solo song 'Tonight,' a heartwarming ode to his pets". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- Martinez, Tara (September 27, 2018). "Who Is Jin From BTS? Mr. Worldwide Handsome Will Take Your Breath Away With His Talent". Elite Daily. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- Kim, Young-dae (2019). BTS - The Review: A Comprehensive Look at the Music of BTS. Seoul: RH Korea. ISBN 9788925565828.
- Hong, Hye-min (August 10, 2018). ""사랑하고 싶어"...방탄소년단 진, 리패키지 컴백 트레일러 'Epiphany' 주인공". The Korea Times (in Korean). Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- Park, Hee-a. "방탄소년단 (BTS) ´FAKE LOVE´" (in Korean). Korean Music Awards.
- References:
- Hwang, Hye-jin (December 4, 2018). "방탄소년단 측 "진, 생일 맞아 유기견 사료 직접 구입+기부"(공식입장)". Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- Jeong, Si-nae (December 4, 2018). "방탄소년단 진, 생일 맞아 유기견보호소에 물품 기부 '훈훈'". E Daily. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
- Lee, Sun-young (December 5, 2018). "[스브스타] 생일 기념해 유기동물에 사료 321kg 후원한 '방탄소년단' 진". SBS News. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
- "방탄소년단 진 누적 유니세프 기부금 1억 이상, '아너스클럽' 회원 됐다" (in Korean). UNICEF Korea. May 31, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- 2019년 올해를 빛낸 가수와 가요 - 최근 13년간 추이 포함 (in Korean). Gallup Korea. November 28, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- Han, Jin (July 3, 2018). "[라이프트렌드] 유명인이 반한 한남동, 최고급 주거지로 뜬 이유". Korea JoongAng Daily (in Korean). Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- Hwang, Bi (January 20, 2019). "34억짜리 고급 빌라 대출 없이 '현금'으로 매입한 '영앤리치' 방탄 슈가". Insight (in Korean). Retrieved April 3, 2019.
- Tai, Crystal (August 11, 2018). "Jin from K-pop superband BTS: his past, his private thoughts and why he's called 'Car Door Guy'". South China Morning Post. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- Chung, Joo-won (November 20, 2016). "BTS, EXO, TWICE top 2016 Melon Music Awards". Yonhap News. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- Compiled US World sources:
- Awake: "World Digital Songs (October 29, 2016)". Billboard.
- It's Definitely You: Benjamin, Jeff (January 26, 2017). "CLC Debut on World Digital Song Sales & World Albums Charts Thanks to 'Hobgoblin'". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
- Epiphany: "World Digital Songs (June 1, 2018)". Billboard.
- Moon: "World Digital Song Sales". Billboard.
- Compiled UK sources:
- Epiphany: "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100: September 8, 2018". OCC. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
- Moon: "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100: February 28, 2020". OCC. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- Compiled SCT sources:
- Epiphany: "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". OOC. August 31, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
- Moon: "Filter: Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". OOC. February 28, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- Compiled FRA sources:
- "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 35, 2018)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
- Compiled HUN sources
- Epiphany: "Single (track) Top 40 lista" (in Hungarian). Retrieved September 9, 2018.
- Moon: "Single (track) Top 40 lista" (in Hungarian). Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- Compiled Gaon sources:
- "Awake". gaonchart.co.kr. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- "Even If I Die, It's You". gaonchart.co.kr. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- Epiphany: "Digital Chart". gaon.co.kr. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- Moon: "Gaon Digital Chart - Week 09". Gaon Digital Chart. March 5, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- Compiled K-Pop Hot 100 sources:
- Epiphany: "K-Pop Hot 100 August 20-26, 2018". billboard.co.kr. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
- Moon: "Billboard K-pop Hot 100 - The week of February 29, 2020". K-pop Hot 100. February 29, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- Compiled sources:
- "Awake": Benjamin, Jeff (October 13, 2018). "The Significance of Each BTS Member Having Their Own Solo on 'Wings'". Fuse. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- "Epiphany": Herman, Tamar (August 24, 2018). "BTS Reflect on Life & Love on Uplifting 'Love Yourself: Answer'". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- "Moon": Kim, Jae-Ha (February 23, 2020). "BTS' 'Map of the Soul: 7': Album Review". Variety. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- "2017년 07주차 Download Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
- Benjamin, Jeff. "BTS Breaks Their Own Record for Most Simultaneous Hits on World Digital Song Sales Chart". billboard.com. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
-
- "Gaon Download Chart – December, 2016". gaonchart.co.kr. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- "어른아이 by Rap Monster, Suga, & Jin". soundcloud.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- "Songs Registered Under Jin (10005243)". komca.or.kr. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- "防弾少年団、最後のショートフィルムの主人公はジン…カムバックへの"カウントダウン"". kstyle (in Japanese). September 13, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- Herman, Tamar (August 9, 2018). "BTS' Jin Sings in 'Epiphany' Comeback Trailer Ahead Of 'Love Yourself: Answer' Album". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- "[단독] 방탄소년단 랩몬스터·진, '인기가요' 스페셜 MC…러블리즈". tvreport.co.kr (in Korean). May 14, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- "[BANGTAN BOMB] Jin&Jimin M countdown Special MC - BTS (방탄소년단)". Youtube (in Korean). Bangtan TV. December 16, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
- "승승장구 방탄…진·지민·제이홉, '엠카' 스페셜MC 발탁". OSEN (in Korean). September 27, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- Hwang, Hye-jin (November 4, 2016). "방탄소년단 측 "진 '정글의법칙' 술라웨시편 출연확정"". Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- Herman, Tamar (December 30, 2017). "BTS Performs Rock Remixes of 'DNA' & 'Not Today' at 2017 KBS Song Festival". Billboard. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- Kim, Ju-ae (December 13, 2018). "[공식입장] 엑소 찬열·BTS 진·트와이스 다현, 'KBS 가요대축제' MC 확정" [[Official position] EXO Chanyeol, BTS Jin, Twice Dahyun, 'KBS Song Festival' MC confirmed]. X Sports News (in Korean). Retrieved December 13, 2018.
External links
Media related to Kim Seok-jin at Wikimedia Commons