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casting · Actor

1997-09-01 · Busan, South Korea · Male

95 series in the catalog

Jeon Jung-kook (Korean: 전정국; born September 1, 1997), known professionally as Jung Kook, is a South Korean singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence as a member of South Korean boy band BTS. He has performed three solo songs as part of BTS' discography—"Begin" in 2016, "Euphoria" in 2018, and "My Time" in 2020—all of which charted on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. He also recorded the soundtrack song "Stay Alive" for the BTS-based webtoon 7Fates: Chakho.

In 2022, Jung Kook featured on American singer Charlie Puth's single "Left and Right", which peaked at number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Later that year, he became the first South Korean artist to release an official song for the FIFA World Cup soundtrack with "Dreamers", which he subsequently performed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony. In 2023, Jung Kook released his debut solo single "Seven" featuring Latto, which broke numerous chart and streaming records. It debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the Global 200, and the Global Excl. U.S. charts, making him the first Korean solo artist to do so, and eventually became the fastest song in history to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify. His follow-up single "3D", featuring Jack Harlow, debuted at number five on both the Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, making Jung Kook the first South Korean solo artist to achieve two consecutive top-five entries on the latter.

Early life and education

Jeon Jung-kook was born on September 1, 1997, in Busan, South Korea. His family consists of his parents and an elder brother. He attended Baekyang Elementary and Middle School in Busan. When he became an idol trainee, he transferred to Singu Middle School in Seoul.

In 2011, Jung Kook auditioned for the South Korean talent show Superstar K during its auditions in Daegu. Though he was not selected, he received casting offers from seven entertainment companies. He eventually chose to become a trainee under Big Hit Entertainment after seeing RM, now his fellow band member and leader in BTS. To work on his dance skills in preparation for his debut, he went to Los Angeles during the summer of 2012 to receive dance training from Movement Lifestyle. In June 2012, he appeared in Jo Kwon's "I'm Da One" music video and was a backup dancer for Glam before his debut.

He graduated from the School of Performing Arts Seoul, an arts high school, in 2017. In November 2016, he decided to forgo taking the CSATs, Korea's nationwide university entrance exam. In March 2022, he received his degree from Global Cyber University's Department of Broadcasting and Entertainment. He received the President's Award, the school's highest honor.

Career

2013–present: BTS

On June 12, 2013, Jung Kook made his debut as a member of BTS with the release of the single 2 Cool 4 Skool. Under BTS, he has sung three solo songs. The first, a pop track titled "Begin", from the 2016 album Wings, tells his story of moving to Seoul at a young age to become an idol and expresses his gratitude towards his bandmates for taking care of him during that time. The second, a future bass song titled "Euphoria", was released with an accompanying nine-minute short film on April 5, 2018, as the introduction to the third part of BTS' "Love Yourself" series. Produced by DJ Swivel, the song charted at number five on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100. Its full studio version was included on BTS' Love Yourself: Answer compilation album, released on August 24. The third solo, "My Time", off the band's 2020 studio album Map of the Soul: 7, is an R&B song about forgoing teenage experiences because of his career and charted at number 84 on the US Billboard Hot 100. "Euphoria" and "My Time" are the first and second longest-charting solo tracks among K-pop singers on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, having spent a record 90 and 85 weeks respectively on the ranking.

Aside from singing, Jung Kook has also helped produce two songs for BTS: "Love is Not Over", from the band's 2015 extended play (EP) The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1, and "Magic Shop", from the band's 2018 album Love Yourself: Tear—he is credited as the main producer for both tracks.

In October 2018, Jung Kook, together with his bandmates, was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-in. He was appointed Special Presidential Envoy for Future Generations and Culture, again alongside his bandmates, by Moon in July 2021, to help "lead the global agenda for future generations" and "expand South Korea's diplomatic efforts and global standing" in the international community.

2015–present: Solo activities

In September 2015, Jung Kook participated in the "One Dream, One Korea" campaign, taking part in a song collaboration alongside various Korean artists in memory of the Korean War. The song was released on September 24 and presented at the One K Concert in Seoul on October 15. The following year, Jung Kook was cast in the pilot episode of Flower Crew. He also appeared on Celebrity Bromance, and competed on King of Mask Singer under the name "Fencing Man", appearing in episode 72. On November 6, 2018, Jung Kook collaborated with American singer Charlie Puth for a special duet performance of the latter's "We Don't Talk Anymore" single at the MBC Plus X Genie Music Awards. He released the self-produced song "Still With You" for free on SoundCloud on June 4, 2020, as part of BTS' annual debut anniversary celebrations.

In February 2022, Jung Kook sang the soundtrack for 7Fates: Chakho, a new BTS-based webtoon. Titled "Stay Alive" and produced by bandmate Suga, the song earned Jung Kook his first solo entry on the Hot 100 with its debut at number 95, and his first solo top-ten entry on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S chart at number eight; it also became the first Korean soundtrack in history to debut on the UK Singles Chart, at number 89. He released another self-produced song, "My You", for free on June 12 as part of BTS' ninth anniversary celebrations, and appeared as a featured artist on the single "Left and Right" by Puth later that month. On November 20, Jung Kook released the single "Dreamers" ahead of his performance at the opening ceremony for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar later that same day; the single was included on the tournament's official soundtrack album. He headlined the event at Al Bayt Stadium, performing the song with Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi; he is the first Korean artist to sing an official theme for the World Cup and perform at an opening ceremony for the event.

"Still With You" and "My You" were made available on streaming services worldwide as official singles under Jung Kook's name on July 3. His debut solo single "Seven", featuring American rapper Latto, was released on July 14. It debuted at number one on the Hot 100, the Global 200, and the Global Excl. US charts, making him the first Korean solo artist to simultaneously top all three charts and the second—after Jimin—to debut atop the Hot 100; the song eventually became the fastest in history to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify. Jung Kook performed as a headliner at the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, New York City on September 23. His second solo single, "3D", featuring Jack Harlow, was released on September 29. It debuted at number five on both the Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, making Jung Kook the first Korean solo artist to earn two top-five singles on the latter. That same month, The Hollywood Reporter named Jung Kook in its inaugural "Platinum Players of Music" list, as one of the top 25 musicians that "defined the year in music." The collaboration single "Too Much", with the Kid Laroi and Central Cee, followed in October. "Too Much" debuted at number 10 in the UK, making Jung Kook the first Korean solo artist to achieve three top-10 singles in UK chart history. His debut solo album Golden and a third single, "Standing Next to You", were released on…