# Yeonjun

Choi Yeon-jun (Korean: 최연준; born September 13, 1999), known mononymously as Yeonjun, is a South Korean singer and songwriter. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Tomorrow X Together, which debuted under Big Hit Entertainment in March 2019. He debuted as a soloist in September 2024 with the song "Ggum".

## Early life

Choi Yeon-jun was born on September 13, 1999, in Seongbuk District, Seoul, South Korea as an only child. After graduating from Korean Arts High School, he enrolled in Global Cyber University.

## Career
### Pre-debut

Prior to his debut, he trained under Big Hit Entertainment for four years. Throughout his four years of training, Yeonjun became known as the company's "legendary trainee" because he consistently ranked first during monthly evaluations in dance, vocal performance and rap. He is also a former trainee of Cube Entertainment. Yeonjun also appeared as a back up dancer at 2014 Melon Music Awards for a few performances.

### 2019–present: Debut with TXT and solo activities

On January 10, 2019, Big Hit announced the upcoming debut of its new boy group Tomorrow X Together. Yeonjun was the first member of the lineup to be revealed, through an introductory video posted on the label's official YouTube channel and social media. On March 4, 2019, he debuted as a member of Tomorrow X Together with the release of their first extended play (EP), The Dream Chapter: Star.
Yeonjun made his acting debut on January 12, 2021, with a cameo appearance in the JTBC drama series Live On as Kim Jin-woo. The following month, he participated in 2021 Fall/Winter New York Fashion Week, walking as a model for the South Korean brand UL:KIN. He featured on the track "Blockbuster" from Enhypen's first studio album Dimension: Dilemma, which was released on October 12.
In February 2022, Yeonjun featured on the single "PS5" by American singer-songwriter Salem Ilese, alongside bandmate Taehyun and Norwegian DJ Alan Walker. He was announced as a host for Inkigayo, alongside actors Roh Jeong-eui and Seo Bum-june, on March 15. In July, Yeonjun became an ambassador for the streetwear brand Privé Alliance. He also served as a guest creative designer and released a limited capsule collection available the following month until December. In November 2023, he was announced as a co-host for the year-end festival SBS Gayo Daejeon alongside Key and An Yu-jin; the event was held on December 25.
On June 25, 2024, it was announced that Yeonjun would be hosting the SBS Gayo Daejeon's Summer Edition alongside Ive's An Yu-jin and NCT's Doyoung. Studio MaumC announced Yeonjun as part of the artist lineup for the OST of the Coupang Play original series Cinderella at 2 AM on August 16, 2024. He contributed the song "Boyfriend", which was released on September 1. On September 6, Big Hit announced Yeonjun's upcoming debut as a solo artist. A video titled "Yeonjun's Mixtape Intro Film" was uploaded to the Hybe Labels official YouTube channel two days later, with his September 19 debut date revealed at the end. His debut was later revealed to be titled "Ggum", described as a "hip-hop track with a catchy electro sound". On October 4, Yeonjun won his first music show trophy with "Ggum" on Mnet's M Countdown. In November 2024, Yeonjun was named one of GQ Korea's Men of the Year. In the same month, it was announced that Yeonjun would be hosting the SBS Gayo Daejeon for the third consecutive time.

## Public image

Yeonjun has been nicknamed "K-pop's 4th Generation It Boy" by multiple sources, and has appeared on the Korean Business Research Institute's male celebrity brand reputation list, a chart that records Korean celebrities with the most online searches and engagements. He ranked within the top 20 in November 2020, and the top 30 in both February and March 2023.

## Other ventures

Yeonjun has appeared in various fashion magazines including Dazed Korea, GQ Korea, W Korea, Elle Korea and Paper Magazine. He featured on the cover of the September 2022 special edition of the Japanese fashion magazine SPUR. On May 31, 2024, Yeonjun was announced as the global brand ambassador of the Italian luxury fashion house Moncler.

## Philanthropy

In May 2024, Yeonjun donated 50 million won to Hallym Burn Foundation, an organization dedicated to assisting firefighters in their crucial line of duty.

## Discography
### Mixtapes

| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
| Title | Details | KOR | Sales |
| Ggum | Released: October 29, 2024 Label: Big Hit Music Formats: CD, digital download, streaming | 7 | KOR: 139,500 |

### Singles
#### As lead artist

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Sales | Album |
| Title | Year | KOR | JPN | JPN Hot | NZ Hot | VIE | US World | Sales | Album |
| "PS5" (with Salem Ilese and Taehyun featuring Alan Walker) | 2022 | 170 | — | — | 38 | 61 | — | | Unsponsored Content |
| "Ggum" | 2024 | 82 | 10 | 81 | 38 | * | 4 | JPN: 13,444 | Ggum |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. "*" denotes a chart did not exist at that time. ||||||||||

#### As featured artist

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | KOR DL | Album |
| "Touch" (remix) (Katseye featuring Yeonjun) | 2024 | 128 | Non-album single |

### Soundtrack appearances

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Album |
| Title | Year | KOR DL | Sales | Album |
| "Boyfriend" | 2024 | 51 | JPN: 2,015 (dig.) | Cinderella at 2 AM OST |

### Other charted songs

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | KOR DL | Album |
| "Blockbuster" (Enhypen featuring Yeonjun) | 2021 | 131 | Dimension: Dilemma |

### Songwriting credits

All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless stated otherwise.
List of songs, showing year released, artist name, and name of the album :
| Year | Title | Artist | Album |
| 2020 | "Fairy of Shampoo" | Tomorrow X Together | The Dream Chapter: Eternity |
| 2020 | "Maze in the Mirror" | Tomorrow X Together | The Dream Chapter: Eternity |
| 2020 | "Wishlist" | Tomorrow X Together | Minisode1: Blue Hour |
| 2020 | "Way Home" | Tomorrow X Together | Minisode1: Blue Hour |
| 2021 | "What If I Had Been That Puma" | Tomorrow X Together | The Chaos Chapter: Freeze |
| 2021 | "No Rules" | Tomorrow X Together | The Chaos Chapter: Freeze |
| 2021 | "Frost" | Tomorrow X Together | The Chaos Chapter: Freeze |
| 2021 | "Loser=Lover" | Tomorrow X Together | The Chaos Chapter: Fight or Escape |
| 2021 | "MOA Diary" | Tomorrow X Together | The Chaos Chapter: Fight or Escape |
| 2021 | "Blockbuster" | Enhypen | Dimension: Dilemma |
| 2021 | "Sweet Dreams" | Tomorrow X Together | Non-album single |
| 2022 | "Good Boy Gone Bad" | Tomorrow X Together | Minisode 2: Thursday's Child |
| 2022 | "Trust Fund Baby" | Tomorrow X Together | Minisode 2: Thursday's Child |
| 2022 | "Lonely Boy" | Tomorrow X Together | Minisode 2: Thursday's Child |
| 2022 | "Valley of Lies" (feat. Iann Dior) | Tomorrow X Together | Non-album singles |
| 2022 | "Ring" (君じゃない誰かの愛し方) | Tomorrow X Together | Non-album singles |
| 2023 | "Happy Fools" (feat. Coi Leray) | Tomorrow X Together | The Name Chapter: Temptation |
| 2023 | "Tinnitus (Wanna Be a Rock)" | Tomorrow X Together | The Name Chapter: Temptation |
| 2023 | "Farewell, Neverland" | Tomorrow X Together | The Name Chapter: Temptation |
| 2023 | "Blue Spring" | Tomorrow X Together | The Name Chapter: Freefall |
| 2023 | "Growing Pain" | Tomorrow X Together | The Name Chapter: Freefall |
| 2023 | "Dreamer" | Tomorrow X Together | The Name Chapter: Freefall |
| 2023 | "Deep Down" | Tomorrow X Together | The Name Chapter: Freefall |
| 2023 | "Happily Ever After" | Tomorrow X Together | The Name Chapter: Freefall |
| 2024 | "I'll See You There Tomorrow" | Tomorrow X Together | Minisode 3: Tomorrow |
| 2024 | "Miracle" | Tomorrow X Together | Minisode 3: Tomorrow |
| 2024 | "The Killa (I Belong to You)" | Tomorrow X Together | Minisode 3: Tomorrow |
| 2024 | "Open Always Wins" | Tomorrow X Together | Non-album single |
| 2024 | "Ggum" | Yeonjun | Ggum |
| 2024 | "Touch" (remix) (featuring Yeonjun) | Katseye | SIS (Soft Is Strong) |
| 2024 | "Heaven" | Tomorrow X Together | The Star Chapter: Sanctuary |
| 2024 | "Danger" | Tomorrow X Together | The Star Chapter: Sanctuary |

## Filmography
### Television series

Television series appearances :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2021 | Live On | Kim Jin-woo | Cameo (Ep. 8) | |

### Hosting

Hosting appearances :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2019 | Inkigayo | Special MC | with Mingyu, Shin Eun-soo |
| 2019 | Inkigayo | Special MC | with Lee Na-eun, Soobin |
| 2019 | M Countdown | Special MC | with Ravi, Soobin |
| 2022–2024 | Inkigayo | Host | with Roh Jeong-eui, Seo Bum-june and Park Ji-hu, Woonhak |
| 2023 | SBS Gayo Daejeon | Host | with Key and Yujin |
| 2024 | SBS Gayo Daejeon: Summer Edition | Host | with Doyoung and Yujin |
| 2024 | SBS Gayo Daejeon | Host | with Doyoung and Yujin |

## Awards and nominations

* A
* B
* C
* F
* G
* H
* I
* J
* K
* M
* P
* R
* S
* T
Name of the award ceremony, year presented, award category, nominee(s) of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee(s)/work(s) | Result |
| Asian Pop Music Awards | 2024 | Best Dance Performance (Overseas) | "Ggum" | Nominated |
| Hanteo Music Awards | 2025 | Global Artist Award – Oceania | Yeonjun | Won |
| Hanteo Music Awards | 2025 | Global Artist – Africa | Yeonjun | Nominated |
| Hanteo Music Awards | 2025 | Global Artist – Asia | Yeonjun | Nominated |
| Hanteo Music Awards | 2025 | Global Artist – Europe | Yeonjun | Nominated |
| Hanteo Music Awards | 2025 | Global Artist – North America | Yeonjun | Nominated |
| Hanteo Music Awards | 2025 | Global Artist – South America | Yeonjun | Nominated |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2025 | Favorite K-pop Dance Challenge | "Ggum" | Won |
| Korea First Brand Awards | 2025 | Best Male Solo Singer | Yeonjun | Nominated |