Gudina Anastasia

History

2014: Dynamite

In January 2013, JS Entertainment recruited four members through auditions. In October of the same year, the agency recruited another member. The group was named by the media and fans as a "B-pop band" due to its influences in K-pop music and South Korean music groups, although the term "B-pop" had never been used by other artists.[1] The group spent two months in Seoul recording the "Dynamite" music video and took lessons with the choreographer of the hit song "Gangnam Style", Ju Sun Lee.

2015: disbandment

In 2015, the official breakup of Champs was announced by JS Entertainment in a letter that they would not continue with the group due to local problems.[2]

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a 1998 American adventure black comedy film adapted from Hunter S. Thompson's 1971 novel of the same name. It was co-written and directed by Terry Gilliam, and stars Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro as Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo, respectively. The film details the duo's journey through Las Vegas as their initial journalistic intentions devolve into an exploration of the city under the influence of psychoactive substances.

The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a financial failure, but has since become a cult classic among film fans.

In 1971, Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo speed across the Nevada desert. Duke, under the influence of mescaline, complains of a swarm of giant bats, and inventories their drug stash. They pick up a young hitchhiker and explain their mission: Duke has been assigned by a magazine to cover the Mint 400 motorcycle race in Las Vegas. They bought excessive drugs for the trip, and rented a red Chevrolet Impala convertible. The hitchhiker flees on foot at their behavior. Trying to reach Vegas before the hitchhiker can go to the police, Gonzo gives Duke part of a sheet of Sunshine Acid, then informs him that there is little chance of making it before the drug kicks in. By the time they reach the strip, Duke is in the full throes of his trip and barely makes it through the hotel check-in, hallucinating that the clerk is a moray eel and that his fellow bar patrons are orgiastic lizards.

The next day, Duke arrives at the race and heads out with his photographer, Lacerda. Duke becomes irrational and believes that they are in the middle of a battlefield, so he fires Lacerda and returns to the hotel. After consuming more mescaline, as well as huffing diethyl ether, Duke and Gonzo arrive at the Bazooko Circus casino but leave shortly afterwards, the chaotic atmosphere frightening Gonzo. Back in the hotel room, Duke leaves Gonzo unattended, and tries his luck at Big Six. When Duke returns he finds that Gonzo, high on LSD, has trashed the room, and is in the bathtub clothed, attempting to pull the tape player in with him as he wants to hear the song better. He pleads with Duke to throw the machine into the water when the song "White Rabbit" peaks. Duke agrees, but instead throws a grapefruit at Gonzo's head before running outside and locking Gonzo in the bathroom. Duke attempts to type his reminisces on hippie culture, and flashes back to San Francisco where a hippie licks spilled LSD off his sleeve.

The next morning, Duke awakens to an exorbitant room service bill, and no sign of Gonzo (who has returned to Los Angeles while Duke slept), and attempts to leave town. As he nears Baker, California, a patrolman stops him for speeding, and advises him to sleep at a nearby rest stop. Duke instead heads to a payphone and calls Gonzo, learning that he has a suite in his name at the Flamingo Las Vegas so he can cover a district attorney's convention on narcotics. Duke checks into his suite, only to be met by an LSD-tripping Gonzo and a young girl called Lucy, who Gonzo explains has come to Las Vegas to meet Barbra Streisand, and that this was her first LSD trip. Duke convinces Gonzo to ditch Lucy in another hotel before her trip wears off.

Gonzo accompanies Duke to the convention, and the pair discreetly snort cocaine as the guest speaker delivers a comically out-of-touch speech about "marijuana addicts" before showing a brief film. Unable to take it, Duke and Gonzo flee back to their room, only to discover that Lucy has called. Their trips mostly over, Gonzo deals with Lucy over the phone (pretending that he is being savagely beaten by thugs) as Duke attempts to mellow out by trying some of Gonzo's stash of adrenochrome. However, the trip spirals out of control, and Duke is reduced to an incoherent mess before he blacks out.

After an unspecified amount of time passes, Duke wakes up to a complete ruin of the once pristine suite. After discovering his tape recorder, he attempts to remember what has happened. As he listens, he has brief memories of the general mayhem that has taken place, including Gonzo threatening a waitress at a diner, himself convincing a distraught cleaning woman that they are police officers investigating a drug ring, and attempting to buy an orangutan.

Duke drops Gonzo off at the airport, driving right up to the airplane, before returning to the hotel one last time to finish his article. He then speeds back to Los Angeles.

In January 1976, Texas Monthly announced that Larry McMurtry had signed a contract to write a screenplay for a film adaptation. Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone each tried to get the film off the ground, but were unsuccessful and moved on.

Rhino Films began work on a film version as early as 1992. Head of Production and the film's producer Stephen Nemeth originally wanted Lee Tamahori to direct, but he wasn't available until after the January 1997 start date. Depp wanted Bruce Robinson to direct, but he was "unavailable... by choice". Rhino appealed to Thompson for an extension on the film rights but the author and his lawyers denied the extension. Under pressure, Rhino countered by green-lighting the film and hiring Alex Cox to direct within a few days. According to Nemeth, Cox could "do it for a price, could do it quickly and could get this movie going in four months."

Rhino hired Terry Gilliam and was granted an extension from Thompson but only with the stipulation that the director made the film. Rhino did not want to commit to Gilliam in case he didn't work out. Thompson remembers, "They just kept asking for more [time]. I got kind of agitated about it because I thought they were trying to put off doing it. So I began to charge them more... I wanted to see the movie done, once it got started." The studio threatened to make the film with Cox and without Depp and del Toro. The two actors were upset when producer Laila Nabulsi told them of Rhino's plans. Universal Pictures stepped in to distribute the film. Depp and Gilliam were paid $500,000 each but the director still did not have a firm deal in place. In retaliation, Depp and Gilliam locked Rhino out of the set during filming.

During the initial development to get the film made, Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando were originally considered for the roles of Duke and Gonzo but they both grew too old. Afterward, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi were considered for the duo, but that fell apart when Belushi died. John Malkovich was later considered for the role of Duke, but he grew too old as well. At one point John Cusack was almost cast (Cusack had previously directed the play version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, with his brother playing Duke). However, after Hunter S. Thompson met with Johnny Depp he became convinced that no one else could play him. When Cox and Davies started writing the screenplay, Depp and del Toro committed to starring in the film.

Gilliam said in an interview that his films are actor-led, the performance of the two characters in Fear and Loathing is hyper realistic but truthful: "I am interested in real people in bizarre, twisted environments that force them to act... to react against."

Dr. Gonzo is based on Thompson's friend Oscar Zeta Acosta, who disappeared sometime in 1974. Thompson changed Acosta's ethnic identity to "Samoan" to deflect suspicion from Acosta, who was in trouble with the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He was the "Chicano lawyer" notorious for his party binges.

The lead actors undertook extraordinary preparations for their respective roles. Del Toro gained more than 45 pounds (18 kg) in nine weeks before filming began, eating 16 donuts a day, and extensively researched Acosta's life. In the spring of 1997, Depp moved into the basement of Thompson's Owl Farm home and lived there for four months, doing research for the role as well as studying Thompson's habits and mannerisms. The actor went through Thompson's original manuscript, mementos and notebooks that he kept during the actual trip. Depp remembers, "He saved it all. Not only is [the book] true, but there's more. And it was worse." Depp even traded his car for Thompson's red Chevrolet Caprice convertible, known to fans as The Great Red Shark, and drove it around California during his preparation for the role. Many of the costumes that Depp wears in the film are genuine articles of clothing that Depp borrowed from Thompson, and the writer himself shaved Depp's head to match his own natural male pattern baldness. Other props, such as Duke's cigarette filter (a TarGard Permanent Filter System), Hawaiian shirts, hats, a patchwork jacket, a silver medallion (given to him by Oscar Acosta) and IDs, belonged to Thompson.

Cox started writing the screenplay with Tod Davies, a UCLA Thompson scholar. During pre-production, Cox and producer Laila Nabulsi had "creative differences" and she forced Rhino to choose between her and Cox. She had an arrangement with Thompson to produce the film and the studio fired Cox and paid him $60,000 in script fees. Thompson's disapproval of the Cox/Davies script treatment is documented in the film Breakfast with Hunter.

The decision was made to not use the Cox/Davies script, which gave Gilliam only ten days to write another. Gilliam has stated in an interview "When we were writing the script, we really tried not to invent anything. We sort of cannibalized the book." The director enlisted the help of Tony Grisoni and they wrote the script at Gilliam's home in May 1997. Grisoni remembers, "I'd sit at the keyboard, and we'd talk and talk and I'd keep typing." One of the most important scenes from the book that Gilliam wanted to put in the film was the confrontation between Duke and Dr. Gonzo and the waitress of the North Star Coffee Lounge. The director said, "This is two guys who have gone beyond the pale, this is unforgivable – that scene, it's ugly. My approach, rather than to throw it out, was to make that scene the low point."

Initially, the studio wanted Gilliam to update the book for the 1990s, which he considered, "And then I looked at the film and said, 'No, that's apologizing. I don't want to apologize for this thing. It is what it is.' It's an artifact. If it's an accurate representation of that book, which I thought was an accurate representation of a particular time and place and people." Gilliam, while speaking to Sight & Sound magazine, highlighted if he had updated the movie to the 1990s it would just "be a story about two people going to excess". Keeping it set in the 70's, using the backdrop of the Vietnam War and a perceived loss of the American dream, offers reasoning to the characters actions.

When the film approached release, Gilliam learned that the Writers Guild of America (WGA) would not allow Cox and Davies to be removed from the credits even though none of their material was used in the production of the film. According to WGA rules, Gilliam and Grisoni had to prove that they wrote 60% of their script. The director said, "But there have been at least five previous attempts at adapting the book, and they all come from the book. They all use the same scenes."[20] Gilliam remarked in an interview, "The end result was we didn't exist. As a director, I was automatically deemed a 'production executive' by the guild and, by definition, discriminated against. But for Tony to go without any credit would be really unfair." David Kanter, agent for Cox and Davies, argued, "About 60 percent of the decisions they made on what stays in from the book are in the film – as well as their attitude of wide-eyed anarchy." According to the audio commentary by Gilliam on the Criterion Collection DVD, during the period where it appeared that only Cox and Davies would be credited for the screenplay, the film was to begin with a short scene in which it is explained that no matter what is said in the credits, no writers were involved in the making of the film. When this changed in early May 1998 after the WGA revised its decision and gave credit to Gilliam and Grisoni first and Cox and Davies second, the short was not needed. Angered over having to share credit, Gilliam publicly burned his WGA card at a 22 May book signing on Broadway.

According to Gilliam, there was no firm budget in place when filming started.[23] He felt that it was not a well-organized film and said, "Certain people didn't... I'm not going to name names but it was a strange film, like one leg was shorter than the other. There was all sorts of chaos."[15] While Depp was on location in Los Angeles, he got a phone call from comedian Bill Murray who had played Thompson in Where the Buffalo Roam. He warned Depp, "Be careful or you'll find yourself ten years from now still doing him… Make sure your next role is some drastically different guy."

Shooting on location in Las Vegas began on 3 August 1997 and lasted 56 days. The production ran into problems when they wanted to shoot in a casino. They were only allowed to film between two and six in the morning, given only six tables to put extras around and insisted that the extras really gamble. Exterior shots of the Bazooko Casino were filmed in front of the Stardust hotel/casino with the interiors constructed with a Warner Bros. Hollywood soundstage. To get the period look of Vegas in the 1970s, Gilliam and Pecorini used rear-projection footage from the old television show, Vega$. According to the cinematographer, this footage heightened the film's "already otherworldly tone an extra notch."

Nicola Pecorini was hired based on an audition reel he sent Gilliam that made fun of the fact that he had only one eye (he lost the other to retinal cancer). According to Pecorini, the look of the film was influenced by the paintings of Robert Yarber that are "very hallucinatory: the paintings use all kinds of neon colors, and the light sources don't necessarily make sense."[25] According to Gilliam, they used him as a guide "While mixing our palette of deeply disturbing fluorescent colors."

For the desert scenes, Pecorini wanted a specific, undefined quality without a real horizon to convey the notion that the landscape never ended and to emphasize "a certain kind of unreality outside the characters' car, because everything that matters to them is within the Red Shark." For the scene where Duke hallucinates a lounge full of lizards, the production was supposed to have 25 animatronic reptiles but they only received seven or eight. The production used motion-control techniques to make it look like they had a whole room of them and made multiple passes with the cameras outfitting the lizards with different costumes each time.

During production, it was Gilliam's intention that it should feel like a drug trip from beginning to end. He said in an interview, "We start out at full speed and it's WOOOO! The drug kicks in and you're on speed! Whoah! You get the buzz – it's crazy, it's outrageous, the carpet's moving and everybody's laughing and having a great time. But then, ever so slowly, the walls start closing in and it's like you're never going to get out of this fucking place. It's an ugly nightmare and there's no escape." To convey the effects of the various drugs, Gilliam and Pecorini assembled a list of "phases" that detailed the "cinematic qualities" of each drug consumed. For ether, Pecorini said they used a "loose depth of field; everything becomes non-defined"; for adrenochrome, "everything gets narrow and claustrophobic, move closer with lens"; mescaline was simulated by having "colors melt into each other, flares with no sources, play with color temperatures"; for amyl nitrite, the "perception of light gets very uneven, light levels increase and decrease during the shots"; and for LSD, "everything extremely wide, hallucinations via morphs, shapes, colors, and sound."

Pecorini and Gilliam decided they wanted the film to be shot wide-angle but because of the small budget they couldn't afford the downfalls of anamorphic lenses so they paired the Arriflex 535, Arri BL-4S and the Arri 35-iii with a set of Zeiss Standard Primes and Kodak's 250D Vision 5246 filmstock in order to achieve the saturated look the film has.

A.C.E is a South Korean boy band formed by Beat Interactive, and co-managed with Swing Entertainment. The group consists of five members: Jun, Donghun, Wow, Kim Byeongkwan, and Chan. The group debuted on May 23, 2017, with the single "Cactus". A.C.E stands for “Adventure Calling Emotions”.

A.C.E first gained a following busking on the streets of the hip Hongdae district in Seoul, covering the dance choreography of popular groups such as BTS, Blackpink and EXO.

As of September 2021, the group have released 2 repackaged albums, 4 mini-albums, and 2 single albums.

Kim Seok-jin 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 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.

Apart from singing, Kim 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.

Apart from singing, Kim 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.

Kim Seok-jin was born on December 4, 1992, in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. His family consists of his mother, father and older brother. In 2007, he went to a study camp in Australia to help learn English.

He originally wished to be a journalist, but after watching Kim Nam-gil in Queen Seondeok he decided to pursue acting. 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. He initially intended to be an actor, attending Konkuk University and graduating with a degree in art and acting on February 22, 2017. He enrolled in graduate school at Hanyang Cyber University, to pursue studies in areas other than music.

As of 2018, Kim lives in Hannam-dong, Seoul, South Korea. Additionally, he and his older brother opened a Japanese-style restaurant in Seoul called Ossu Seiromushi in 2018.

Kim Seok-jinKim Seok-jin (Korean: 김석진; born 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 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.

Contents

1 Early life and education

2 Career

2.1 2013–present: BTS

2.2 2015–present: Solo activities

3 Artistry

4 Public image

4.1 Philanthropy

4.2 Influence

5 Personal life

6 Discography

6.1 Charted songs

6.2 Other songs

6.3 Writing credits

7 Filmography

7.1 Trailers and short films

7.2 Television

8 Awards and nominations

9 Notes

10 References

11 External links

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] In 2007, he went to a study camp in Australia to help learn English.[4]

He originally wished to be a journalist, but after watching Kim Nam-gil in Queen Seondeok he decided to pursue acting.[5] 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.[6] He initially intended to be an actor, attending Konkuk University and graduating with a degree in art and acting on February 22, 2017.[7] He enrolled in graduate school at Hanyang Cyber University, to pursue studies in areas other than music.[8]

Career

2013–present: BTS

Kim crosses his arms in front of his bod holding a mic

Kim performing as a member of BTS in September 2014.

Main article: BTS

Kim was scouted by Big Hit Entertainment for his looks while walking down the street.[9] At the time Kim was studying acting and had no background in music.[10] Subsequently, he auditioned for Big Hit as an actor before becoming an idol trainee.[11] 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.[12] Kim released his first co-produced track, a solo single from the album Wings titled "Awake", in 2016.[10] The song peaked at number 31 on the Gaon Music Chart and six on the Billboard World Digital Singles Chart.[13][14] In December 2016, he released a Christmas version of "Awake" on SoundCloud.[15]

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.[16] The full version of the song was eventually released as a track on Answer,[17] peaking at number 30 on the Gaon Music Chart and four on the Billboard World Digital Singles Chart.[18][19] 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.[20]

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.[21] "Moon" peaked at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart and number two on Billboard's US World Digital Singles chart.[22][23]

In July 2021, he was appointed Special Presidential Envoy for Future Generations and Culture by President Moon Jae-in, along with the other members of BTS, to help "lead the global agenda for future generations, such as sustainable growth" and "expand South Korea's diplomatic efforts and global standing" in the international community.[24]

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.[25][26] He later received a co-nomination for Best OST alongside V at the 2017 Melon Music Awards. [27] 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.[15] 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.[28][29][30] They were released on SoundCloud on May 7, 2015,[31] December 3, 2015,[29] and June 7, 2018,[15] respectively. He has also made several appearances as a co-host for Korean music award shows, such as Music Bank and Inkigayo.[32]

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.[33] 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,[34] are inspired by Kim's relationship with his pets.[35] The track was met with a generally positive reception, with praise for Kim's vocals and the song's calming atmosphere.[36]

On December 3, 2020, Kim released his second solo song "Abyss" a day before his 28th birthday. The acoustic ballad was composed by Kim and fellow BTS member RM, alongside record producers BUMZU and Pdogg. The lyrics, written by Kim, BUMZU and RM, were inspired by Kim's feelings of anxiety, doubt, and burnout. In a post on the official BTS blog, Kim spoke about his insecurities regarding music and how those darker emotions drove him to write and release the song.[37]

On October 1, 2021, it was confirmed that Kim would be singing the main OST theme song for the upcoming tvN drama Jirisan.[38] A music video was released to accompany the song "Yours" for the drama, starring Jun Ji-hyun and Ju Ji-hoon.[39]

On December 4, 2021, Jin released the song "Super Tuna", for free on platforms such as SoundCloud as a gift to fans on his 29th birthday celebrations. The song quickly became viral after Super Tuna Special Performance video being posted in BTS's YouTube channel BANGTANTV in the same day, ranking first on 'YouTube World Popular Music Video' for eight days in a row since its release. 'Super Tuna' has been trending in 56 countries, including Korea, Peru, and Singapore, showing strong global popularity. On the global short video platform TikTok, the 'Super Tuna' challenge craze was also created, The dance challenge videos received over 141.8 million cumulative views in 10 days.[40] "Super Tuna" debuted at #12 on the Billboard weekly Hot Trending Songs chart.[41]

Artistry

Kim, wearing a formal black suit at an award ceremony, waves to the crowd

Kim at the Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards on October 24, 2018.

Kim is a tenor and can play the guitar.[42][43] 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".[44] 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.[6] 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".[45] 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".[46]

Kim Seok-jin was born on December 4, 1992, in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. His family consists of his mother, father and older brother. In 2007, he went to a study camp in Australia to help learn English.

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.[47] He also donated 321 kilograms of food to the Korea Animal Rights Advocates (KARA), another Korean animal welfare non-profit organization.[48]

He originally wished to be a journalist, but after watching Kim Nam-gil in Queen Seondeok he decided to pursue acting. 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. He initially intended to be an actor, attending Konkuk University and graduating with a degree in art and acting on February 22, 2017. He enrolled in graduate school at Hanyang Cyber University, to pursue studies in areas other than music.

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).[49]

As of 2018, Kim lives in Hannam-dong, Seoul, South Korea. Additionally, he and his older brother opened a Japanese-style restaurant in Seoul called Ossu Seiromushi in 2018.

Influence

In 2019, he was ranked as the overall 13th most popular idol and 6th among girls aged 13–19 in South Korea, via data collected by analytics company Gallup Korea.[50]

Personal life

As of 2018, Kim lives in Hannam-dong, Seoul, South Korea.[51][52] Additionally, he and his older brother opened a Japanese-style restaurant in Seoul called Ossu Seiromushi in 2018.[53]

Discography

For Kim's work with BTS, see BTS singles discography and BTS albums discography.

Career

1997–2000: Beginnings

The group was created in 1996 by composer, lyricist, and producer Takis Damaschis.[2] Their first single was released a little after the creation of group and was titled "A New Religion". One year later in 1997, they released their second single titled "Visions of You" featuring Sarah Jane Morris.[3] The single was released in 30 countries, which was considered a world success for the fairly new group. In June 1997, C:Real released their debut album titled Realtime.

In December 1999, C:Real released the 4 track CD single "With or Without You", that is today considered their first major success in Greece.[3] It was on the IFPI singles chart for over 18 weeks.[4] The second single "Thinking of You", a Latin-sounding track featuring Sofia Strati,[5] was released in mid 2000 as a CD single and soon after, the group's second album Stop Killing Time was released.

2002–2006: The first Greek albums

Up until 2002, all of C:Real's releases were in English. With the addition of lead vocalist Irini Douka to the group, they started producing songs in Greek. Their first Greek language release was the three track CD single "Tha Se Thimamai" (I will remember you) which was a big radio and commercial success.[3] The title track was also included on Giannis Spanou's album Anazitisi.

In October 2003, the group's third album titled Ta Pio Megala S'Agapo (The biggest 'I love you') was released. The album included 10 songs as well as the CD single "Tha Se Thimamai". The first single from the album was "Tha Perimeno" (I will wait) and became one of the radio hits of 2004, being released in 7 countries.[3][6] The song also had a dance remix which was included on the album. It was after this release that C:Real began to establish their niche in the Greek music industry.[3][6]

In October 2004, C:Real released their fourth studio album titled Hilia Hronia (A thousand years). The album featured a more "western" sound and contained 12 tracks.[3] One of the tracks featured fellow Greek singer Giannis Vardis and was named "Etsi Kanoun Oi Kardies". In December 2005, the album was re-released with the addition of two new songs: "Etsi M'Aresei Na Zo" (That's how I like to live) and "Meine Dipla Mou" (Stay next to me) with the first becoming a radio hit.[2]

Kathe Mou Skepsi (My every thought), C:Real's fifth studio album, was released in September 2006 and included 11 new songs.[6] The album was different from previous releases, and the songs contained more pop-rock elements. The first single, "Epikindyna Se Thelo" (I want you dangerously), had a mix of ethnic and dance sounds and was the theme song for the Greek movie Straight Story that was released in theaters in December 2006.[2][3]

2008–present: Move to Heaven Music

C:Real signed with Heaven Music in early 2008 and on March 31, 2008, they released their sixth studio album titled Invain.[2] It contained ten tracks: seven in Greek and three in English. The first single was titled "Ksehase To" (Forget it) and it was released in February around the time that C:Real announced signing with Heaven. A music video of the song was created and described as being cartoonish.[7] To promote the album, on April 2, 2008, they performed it live at club "Fuzz". The evening was organized by Germanos Stores, Sony Ericsson and Heaven Live.[7] C:Real also planned a three-month tour of Greece for summer 2008 starting on June 7 and continuing through September 17. The last concert was very large and in Larissa. The tour focused on Invain, but also featured songs from C:Real's older albums.[8]

2010–present: Return to Sony Music Greece

C:Real parted ways with Heaven Music and re-signed with Sony Music Greece in June 2010. Their upcoming studio album is tentatively scheduled for release in October 2010.[9] In November 2010, a message on the groups Facebook fan page by founder Takis Damashis announced that lead vocalist Irini Douka has decided to depart from the band, choosing to embark on a solo career instead.[10] Damashis stated that Irini is a big part of C:Real's history, and deserves respect.[11] Furthermore, Damashis stated that if they choose to stay together, they will pick a new lead singer that has a totally different voice and look than Irini.[10] He elaborated that the group would have a totally different image and sound, and would not be a bad copy of their former version.[11]

Discography

Albums

1997: Realtime

2000: Stop Killing Time

2003: Ta Pio Megala S'agapo

2004: Hilia Hronia

2006: Kathe Mou Skepsi

2008: Invain

2010: Forthcoming studio album

CD Singles

1999: "With or Without You"

2000: "Thinking of You"

2002: "Tha Se Thimamai"

History

2014: Dynamite

In January 2013, JS Entertainment recruited four members through auditions. In October of the same year, the agency recruited another member. The group was named by the media and fans as a "B-pop band" due to its influences in K-pop music and South Korean music groups, although the term "B-pop" had never been used by other artists.[1] The group spent two months in Seoul recording the "Dynamite" music video and took lessons with the choreographer of the hit song "Gangnam Style", Ju Sun Lee.

2015: disbandment

In 2015, the official breakup of Champs was announced by JS Entertainment in a letter that they would not continue with the group due to local problems.[2]

Biography

Park is a native of Udo Island, Jinhae-gu, Changwon.[5][6][7] He had childhood ambitions to be an entertainer and appear on TV since his fifth year of primary school.[8][9] His mother was against it and, when Park was attending his sixth year,[10] she sent him to an audition for SM Entertainment, agreeing that, if he failed, he would give up;[9] however, he made it to the third and final preliminary round and won the popularity award.[9] As the family's opposition diminished,[9] the same year he started taking dance classes at Busan Dance School in Seomyeon,[11][12] although he didn't take it seriously for the first three months until his father reproached him.[8] After three months of intense practice, he was able to dance,[8] and in 2009 he successfully auditioned for JYP Entertainment, winning first place at the open audition with Jay B over 10,000 applicants.[9][13] At that time he only liked dancing, but, thinking seriously about his future, he realized that he loved music as a whole.[8][14]

Career

2011–2014: Acting, JJ Project and debut with Got7

In 2011, after six months of acting classes,[12] Park was cast in the role of Jung Ui-bong in the television drama Dream High 2.[15] The drama began airing on January 30, 2012 on KBS.[16] On February 29, he released the song "We Are The B" for the drama's soundtrack, along with Jinwoon, Kang So-ra and Kim Ji-soo.[17]

In May 2012, Park and fellow trainee JB debuted as the duo JJ Project with the single album Bounce.[18] On March 11, 2013, it was announced that he would be appearing as Ddol-yi on MBC's new drama When a Man Falls in Love,[19] which aired for twenty episodes beginning April 3.

On January 16, 2014, Park debuted as a vocalist in JYP Entertainment's new boy group Got7.[20] Their first EP was released soon after on January 20 and Park made the choreography for one of the songs, "Follow Me".[21]

2015–2017: Hosting and acting roles

In 2015, he was cast in a supporting role in the drama This is My Love, which aired on JTBC from May 29 to July 18.[22][23] The same year in March he was hired as official host for M Countdown alongside Shinee's Key, group member BamBam and CNBLUE's Jung-shin.[24] Park left his position as MC in March 2016 to focus on activities with Got7, including the group's first worldwide concert tour.[25]

In 2016, Park was cast as the male lead in the independent film A Stray Goat, directed by Cho Jae-min: in the film, he played a high school student who moves to the town of Goseong where he meets a girl, who is an outcast because of rumors and suspicions about her father.[26][27] The movie was theatrically released on March 1, 2017 and premiered at the 17th Jeonju International Film Festival.[28][29][26]

In September 2016, he was cast for a supporting role in the drama The Legend of the Blue Sea, where he portrayed the teenage version of Lee Min-ho's character, the protagonist of the series.[30][31]

In February 2017, SBS announced Park, NCT's Doyoung, and Blackpink's Jisoo as the new fixed MCs of Inkigayo.[32][33]

2018–2020: Transition to leading roles

He Is Psychometric cast at the press conference on March 5, 2019 (L-R): Kim Kwon, Kim Da-som, Shin Ye-eun & Jin-young

In December 2018, Park landed his first lead role in the fantasy rom-com drama He Is Psychometric alongside Kim Kwon, Kim Da-som and Shin Ye-eun.[34]

In September 2019, he held his first solo fan meeting in Bangkok for promoting his drama He Is Psychometric.[35]

In 2020, Park starred in the television series When My Love Blooms alongside Yoo Ji-tae, Lee Bo-young and Jeon So-nee,[36] and was cast in the movie Yaksha: Ruthless Operations as the youngest member of a team of spies in foreign countries dedicated to overseas missions.[37][38]

In February, he collaborated with Tom Ford Beauty and became the first artist to feature in the first campaign video of the newly released product, 'ROSE PRICK EAU DE PARFUM',[39] and the perfume was sold out in a day.[40] A month later, he collaborated again with Tom Ford Beauty and was featured in the video of the new product, 'Shade and Illuminate' with actress Chun Woo-hee.[41]

In July, Park held an online fan meeting, 'PARK JINYOUNG 2020 FAN MEETING: HEAR, HERE' that can be viewed through Bangya TV Live website and mobile app.[42]

In August, Park was confirmed as the main lead in the tvN legal drama The Devil Judge alongside Ji Sung as associate judge Kim Ga-on.[43][44][45] The drama premiered in July 2021.[46]

In November 2020, he was featured in the Tom Ford Beauty's holiday video campaign as a collaboration for signature gift wrapping paper and unisex perfume collection 'Private Blend'.[47]

2021–present: Departure from JYPE and solo activities

On January 28, 2021, it was announced that he signed an exclusive contract with BH Entertainment, an agency founded by actor Lee Byung-hun, following his departure from JYP Entertainment.[48]

In May, he has attended Hugo Boss x Russell Athletic's capsule collection launch event with Shinee's Minho in Seoul. The event was held to commemorate the collaboration between Hugo Boss and the iconic American brand Russell Athletic.[49]

On July 22, 2021, he was confirmed to appear in the tvN drama Yumi's Cells as Yoo Ba-bi alongside Kim Go-eun. The series based on the webtoon of the same title premiered in September 2021.[50]

On July 29, 2021, he released the self-written, self-composed digital single "Dive" as a gift for fans, along with a special performance clip published on 1theK Originals official YouTube channel.[51] The song, based on the sound of the band,[51] debuted on Billboard World Digital Song Sales Chart at number 12.[52]

In September, he starred in New York Fashion Week's digital fashion short film, "Concept Korea New York S/S 2022" for Nohant, a unisex casual brand based in Seoul. The film was released through the New York Fashion Week official website and Korea Creative Content Agency official YouTube channel.[53][54]

On September 29, 2021, he released "Dive (Japanese ver.)" through all music platforms.[55]

The following month, Park was confirmed to star as the lead in the crime thriller film A Christmas Carol, based on the novel of the same name, about a guy who goes to a juvenile detention center to avenge his twin brother's death; he will portray both roles.[56] The film, which was selected by the Busan Asian Project Market (APM), began filming in February 2022.[56][57]

In December, he featured in a 100-page special edition of TMRW magazine.[58]

Personal life

He attended Gyeonggi High School and Howon University.[59][60]

Philanthropy

In February 2020, it was reported that Park had donated an undisclosed amount of money to wild animals affected by fires in Australia.[61] In August 2020, he donated 20 million won to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help flood victims in South Korea.[62]

Discography

Main article: Got7 discography

See also: JJ Project § Discography

Biography

Lim Jae-beom was born in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province,[11] and grew up in Goyang.[12] When he was seven, after watching g.o.d. perform, he developed the dream of becoming a singer.[13] He started b-boying in his third year of middle school after failing a school test,[14][15][16][17] dancing with friends at Ilsan, Paju, Boramae and Jeongbalsan station, and taking part in competitions.[18][19] As a b-boy, he used the stage name Defsoul, taking Musiq Soulchild's "Just Friends" music video as inspiration.[20] In 2009 he was scouted by JYP Entertainment at a b-boy competition: he was not interested in attending the audition, but his father pushed him to do so.[21] He subsequently passed the open audition, winning first place with Jinyoung over 10,000 applicants.[22] He became interested in musical composition and hip hop culture as a b-boy,[20] but at the beginning of his idol training, he thought that learning to sing was meaningless, and concentrated only on dancing;[16][17] however, after listening to D'Angelo, he started singing and composing his first songs.[16][17][20]

Career

2011–2014: Debut and career beginnings

In 2011, Lim was cast in the role of Jang Woo-jae in the television drama Dream High 2,[10] which began airing on January 30, 2012 on KBS for 16 episodes.[23] In order not to be confused with singer Yim Jae-beom, he adopted the stage name of JB.[24] In May 2012, he and fellow trainee Jin-young debuted as the duo JJ Project with the single album Bounce.[22][25] Their official music video for the title track "Bounce" was released on May 19.[26]

On March 11, 2013, it was announced that he would be appearing as Seo Mi-joon on MBC's new drama When a Man Falls in Love.[27] On January 16, 2014, the two members of JJ Project debuted as part of a seven-member boy band called Got7.[28]

2015–2020: Solo activities and first photo exhibition

In 2015, he played the lead role in Dream Knight, a web drama, as a superhero version of himself, alongside his fellow Got7 members, featuring actress Song Ha-yoon as the female lead role.[29][30]

In 2018, together with group mate Yugyeom, he participated in the art collaboration project Collaboran for carbonated mineral water brand Perrier with American multimedia artist Ben Jones. The creation process was later revealed through a reality show in May.[31]

On March 5, 2019, he and Yugyeom debuted as Jus2, a sub-unit of Got7, with their EP Focus and its lead single "Focus on Me".[32] On June 6, 2019, he attended the event for Saint Laurent 20SS Men's Collection in Los Angeles as a representative of Korea.[33] In December 2019, he launched the JB Collection, a summer-themed clothing line in collaboration with Represent, which went on sale for two weeks and sold 35,940 items.[34]

He also writes songs as Defsoul[1] or Def,[2] both for Got7 and the Offshore crew;[35] with the latter, he released two compilation extended plays, Scene #1 on June 24, 2019,[36] and Scene #2 on March 26, 2020.[37] On April 13, 2020, he became the first male K-pop idol on the cover of a digital issue for American magazine Allure.[35][38] As Def, he held his first photo exhibition named Alone on October 6–12, 2020, in Seoul.[39][40]

2021–present: Departure from JYP Entertainment and solo debut

On January 19, 2021, following the expiration of his contract, he left JYP Entertainment.[41] On February 20, 2021, with the release of Got7's single "Encore", he started using the new stage name Jay B.[42]

On May 11, 2021, it was announced that he signed an exclusive contract with H1ghr Music, an international hip hop and R&B record label founded by Korean American musician Jay Park and long time Seattle affiliate Cha Cha Malone.[43][44] Three days later, he made a debut as a solo artist by releasing his new single "Switch It Up" featuring rapper Sokodomo,[9] which debuted at number 12 on the Gaon Download Chart.[45] The R&B track was self-written and self-composed by Lim with Jay Park and Cha Cha Malone, who also produced it.[46] The lyrics of "Switch It Up" talk about love, while the title conveys that his life is going to change.[9] On May 25, 2021, Lim made his debut on the Billboard R&B Digital Song Sales Chart at number six,[47] becoming the first Korean soloist to debut on this chart.[48] He also became the third Korean soloist to chart on Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Digital Song Sales Chart with "Switch It Up" entering at number 18.[48][49]

On July 22, 2021, it was confirmed that he will release his first EP, SOMO:Fume, on August 26. The EP will be a physical album and have a total of seven songs, including "Switch It Up".[50][51]

On July 30, 2021, he became the first cover star for the launching of TMRW Magazine Korea. The 100-page magazine has been curated with Lim himself and features an exclusive interview, photoshoot and his own film photographies.[52]

In August, he appeared on MBC's singing competition show King of Mask Singer as "Toad's House" on episode 319.[53]

On August 26, 2021, his first EP, SOMO:Fume and the music video of the title track "B.T.W (Feat. Jay Park)" were released both digitally and physically.[54] A day later, he collaborated with Burberry for Arena Homme + magazine as he will be featured on the cover of the September issue. A short music video was released through Arena Homme + official YouTube channel featuring the song from his EP, "AM PM".[55]

In September he participated in "Feel the Rhythm of Korea 2", a promotional campaign sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, for which he sang "I'm Surfin'", a re-interpretation of traditional song "Niliria" (늴리리야; Nuilliri-ya), showcasing Yangyang and Gangneung. The song and the music video were released on September 3.[56]

It was confirmed that he will hold his first solo global fan meeting, "SOMO:Fume, Style of My Own:Fume" on September 25, 2021 through Bbangya TV.[57]

In September, he launched official merchandise to commemorate the release of his first solo EP, SOMO:Fume which went on sale for one week from September 2, 2021,[58] and all the items were sold out in five days.[59] It was confirmed that he will open offline pop-up store in Seoul for two weeks from October 1, 2021, with additional items which are hoodies and sweatpants. Also, "Make Your Own Shirt, Eco Bag" event will be held for three days when the pop-up store starts.[60]

On September 27, 2021, he launched his second clothing line the Def. Collection with Represent, "Live Without Regrets".[61]

In October, he collaborated with Fudasca, a singer-songwriter and producer from Italy for single "Is It A Dream?" which was released on October 18.[62]

In November, he starred in the new Adidas Originals winter campaign, "Open Spirit", along with Blackpink.[63]

On December 31, 2021, he announced Def.'s extended play Love., which was released on January 26, 2022.[64][65]

Personal life

Jay B was diagnosed with clinical depression as well as panic disorder, and has since taken prescribed medication for them.[66]

During his younger years, his parents divorced due to his father's drinking problem, and his mother later remarried.[67] His family runs a tomato farm in Ilsan.[68]

On September 12, 2014, he was involved in a minor car accident while the driver was trying to change lanes to avoid a parked car when a bus came up behind, causing their car to hit a van. Neither Jay B nor his staff suffered major injuries.[69]

In 2016, he was unable to participate in several Got7's Fly Tour concerts and a M!Countdown performance due to a spinal disc injury.[70][71] He returned for the Fly in Singapore concert at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre on June 24, showing a full recovery.[72]

Jay B majored in Film at Konkuk University.[73][74]

Philanthropy

On November 24, 2017, it was revealed that he had donated 10 million won to the Pohang Earthquake Relief Fund under his real name.[75]

On February 27, 2020, he donated 10 million won to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was revealed that he quietly donated money under his real name, Lim Jae-beom, rather than his active name with a request not to disclose his donation to the outside world.[76]

After being appointed an ambassador for ChildFund Korea (Green Umbrella Children's Foundation) in 2018, Jay B has continued to donate to the organization over the years to help unprivileged children.[77][78] In 2021 he donated the profits from the sales of his SOMO:Fume merchandise and his Def. Represent collection to support families in need caused by COVID-19 and abused children, reaching ₩100 million and thus being appointed as an official member of the Green Noble Club in December.[78]

On January 18, 2022, he donated ₩50 million for the Goyang Love Sharing Hope campaign to establish an emergency support system for gaps in welfare in Goyang.[79][80]

Biography

Born as Mark Yien Tuan in Los Angeles, California, he spent a number of years in Paraguay and Brazil before eventually returning to California, where he grew up.[3][4] He is of Taiwanese descent,[5] and has two older sisters and one younger brother.[3][6][7] He took violin and piano lessons in elementary school, and moved to guitar in junior high school.[7]

He attended Arcadia High School in Arcadia, California.[4] In 2010, while with his friends at school, he caught the attention of a JYP Entertainment scout, who invited him to the auditions.[8] Tuan had no desire to pursue a musical career but was encouraged by his friends and family who told him it was a good opportunity and thus, he gave it a try.[9] He subsequently passed the audition and dropped out of school, which he attended until grade 10.[4][6] He moved to South Korea in August 2010,[10][11][12] where he learned acrobatics for one year, and martial arts for two years.[13] Learning to sing, rap and dance, and performing on a stage as a trainee, inspired him to pursue the idol life and to become a singer.[8][9]

Career

2012–2013: Pre-debut

In 2012, Tuan made a cameo in the first episode of Dream High 2 as a backup dancer alongside JB and Jinyoung, who later became members of Got7 with him.[14]

He appeared in the fourth episode of Mnet's 2013 reality-survival program WIN: Who is Next, which presented iKon and Winner members, who at the time were still trainees under YG Entertainment. It also featured future fellow Got7 member's Jackson Wang, BamBam and Yugyeom.[15][16]

2014–2020: Debut and solo career

On January 16, 2014, Tuan debuted as a part of K-pop boy group Got7, with the EP Got It?.[17] Since his debut, Tuan has expressed his goals in working harder to become a singer-songwriter and making his own music.[18] Tuan officially began writing rap and lyrics for Got7 songs since the Just Right EP, with the track "Back To Me". He contributed heavily to Flight Log: Turbulence, participating in the rap and lyric making in five out of thirteen songs, including "My Home" and "Let Me".[19] With Got7's third studio album Present: You,[20] Tuan released his first Korean solo song "OMW" featuring fellow member Jackson Wang. September 13, 2018 marked the release date of "OMW"[21] as Tuan's first solo music video which later became the first music video from a JYPE idol to achieve one million views on Naver.[22]

On February 10, 2018, Tuan, along with fellow member BamBam, held a special "Project Blur" fan meeting in Thailand at MCC Hall The Mall Ngamwongwan.[23]

Tuan has shown a keen interest in the fashion industry with launching his career as a model on magazines across South Korea, China and Thailand.[24] Since early 2017, he has appeared on Dazed Korea, Ceci Korea, Grazia, Oh! Boy, Arena Homme+, 1st Look, Chicteen, Sudsapda, Stream, Yoho, Firebible, Jstyle, Beijing Youth Weekly, Nylon, Ele, Allure, Cosmo, The Star, Shinyouth, K-Media, Vogue Korea, GQ Thailand, Sweetdonut, Ginger, Starbox Young, Size, Vogue Thailand, Unnamedideal, Juz! Entertainment, Madame Figaro Mode, etc.[25][26] Tuan became the cover of the 200th issue of the Korean charitable magazine The Big Issue, which provides support for the homeless, in March 2019.[27][28] He has also released two limited edition apparel collections with Represent in 2018 and 2019 under XCIII referring to his birth year, helping in the creation and designing of each piece.[5][29][30] The second collection, XCIII Evolution, sold 40,446 items, and all the profits proceeded to charity.[30][31] After attending Milan Fashion Week 2019 for Ermenegildo Zegna with GQ Thailand[32][33] and his collaboration with Represent, Tuan has expressed the desire to create his own brand.[34] Tuan made his first US magazine cover in November 2020 for Lined's Changes issue.[35][36]

In the spring of 2019, he joined Jus2 in their 'Focus' Premiere Showcase in Asia, acting as the MC for Macau (April 7), Taipei (April 14) and Singapore (May 4) stops.[37][38][39]

Activities in China

Tuan's increasing presence in the Chinese market began in 2018 with attending photoshoots, events and interviews. In January 2019, the variety show Change Your Life (重量级改变) marked Tuan's first television appearance in mainland China.[40] On April 11, 2019, Tuan attended the Weibo Starlight Awards in Hong Kong and won the Hot Star Award.[41][42]

Tuan held his first ever set of fan meetings in China, titled "On Your Mark", visiting Nanjing, Chengdu and Shanghai from 2019 to 2020.[43] On July 20, 2019, he held the first of his solo fan meetings in Nanjing, China which sold out all 3000 seats.[44][45] It was reported that the tickets for the event sold out within the first minute.[46] The event also saw the signing of his first photobook, Mark宜夏, which had been earlier released on June 30.[47] He then went on to a September 14 fan meeting in Chengdu, China the same year followed by a final stop in Shanghai, China on January 11, 2020. On the day of the last fan meeting, he released his first Chinese single, "Outta My Head", officially debuting as a solo artist.[5] His second single, titled "从未对你说过" in Chinese and translated to "Never Told You", was released as a charity single on White Day,[48] later made available on Spotify and Apple Music via Dark Horse Entertainment. "从未对你说过" was released in collaboration with the China Children's Charity Relief Foundation,[49] and their partnership also saw the sale of a sweater in collaboration with ETET to help children in Heqing County in Yunnan Province.

Promoting in four countries (China, South Korea, Japan and Thailand), he has had many endorsement deals across China and Vivo in Thailand alongside group member BamBam.[50] This includes becoming the brand ambassador in China for Davines (大卫尼斯)[51] in April 2019 and Mentholatum on May 27, 2020 for Mentholatum Acnes,[52] having previously endorsed Mentholatum's Lip Tiara in December 2019.[53] In August 2020, Tuan became the brand ambassador for China Unicom, a large telecommunications operator in China.[54][55][56]

From June 15 until August 28, 2020, Tuan appeared on eight episodes of Huya Super Idol League Season 10 as "Gamer Mark".[57][58]

2021–present: Departure from JYP and future activities

In January 2021, Tuan, along with the other six members of Got7, chose not to renew his contract with JYP Entertainment.[59] Following his departure, Tuan opened a YouTube channel which shortly gained over a million subscribers before he had posted any content to the channel.[60] On January 21, he then uploaded his first video.

The opening of Tuan's company Mark Tuan Studio (段宜恩工作室) in Beijing, China was announced on February 7 with focus on his solo Chinese activities and promotions.[61] On February 12, he released the single "One in a Million" in collaboration with Sanjoy Deb.[62] An animated music video, which Tuan was also an executive producer of, was then released on his YouTube channel on Valentine's Day.[63] Tuan is the executive producer of Got7's "Encore" music video released on February 20.[64]

A third apparel collection in collaboration with Represent, named XC3, went on sale on March 17.[65][66] On April 29, Tuan signed with Creative Artists Agency.[67][68] On June 2, he became the ambassador for Sisley's Black Rose Skin Infusion Cream.[69] The same month, Tuan made the cover of L'Officiel Philippines alongside Winnie Harlow.[70] On June 16, Tuan collaborated with Anessa for a limited edition Artist Box, becoming the first artist to do so.[71][72]

In the second half of the year, he sang "Never Gonna Come Down" with Bibi for the movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.[73][74] This marked his first OST. He attended Paris Fashion Week for Rick Owens, Raf Simons, Lanvin and Balenciaga.[75]

On November 12, 2021, Tuan released the digital single "Last Breath".[76][77]

On January 21, 2022, Tuan released the digital single "My Life".[78]

Personal life

Growing up in the US and coming from a Taiwanese family, Tuan can speak both English and Mandarin Chinese, as well as having learned Korean and Japanese.[79]

In December 2018, Tuan suffered from a leg injury while practicing martial arts tricks for the JYP Nation stage on 2018 KBS Song Festival and could not perform at the event or at later schedules including the fifth anniversary fan meeting for Got7, therefore he stayed seated for most of the concert.[80]

Tuan provides support and donations through his work, such as charity donations through his clothing line collaborations and his second single, "从未对你说过".[49] In February 2020, he donated towards the purchase of ventilators for the COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, China.[81] On May 31, Tuan donated $7,000 to the George Floyd Memorial Fund and the Black Lives Matter movement in light of events in the US.[82][83][84] In November, he donated $1,500 to the victims of Typhoon Ulysses.[85] In April 2021, Tuan donated $30,000 to Stop AAPI Hate.[86][87]