J-Hope

**Jung Ho-seok** (정호석) known by his stage name **J-Hope** (제이홉) is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter and dancer. He is one of the three lead rappers and the main dancer of BTS, also he is notable for his large input in songwriting and production in the discography in the group.

As a solo artist, he has released first mixtape *Hope World* in 2018.

## History

### **1994–2012: Early life**

Jung Ho-seok was born on February 18, 1994, in Gwangju, South Korea, where he lived with his parents and older sister. Before debuting with BTS, he was part of the underground dance team Neuron. J-Hope had been relatively well-known for his skills in dance prior to his debut; he won various local prizes for dance, including placing first in a national dance competition in 2008. His skills in dance eventually led him to gain interest in singing and rapping, helping motivate him to audition as an idol trainee. As a trainee, J-Hope was featured as a rapper in Jo Kwon's song "Animal", which was released in 2012.

### **2013–present: BTS**

On June 13, 2013, J-Hope made his debut as a member of BTS on Mnet's M! Countdown with the track "No More Dream" from their debut single album *2 Cool 4 Skool*. He was the third member to join the group as a trainee after RM and Suga. J-Hope has since been involved in the creation process of every album in BTS' discography.

### Activities/Solo work

On March 1, 2018, J-Hope released his first solo mixtape, *Hope World*, worldwide, along with a music video for the title track "Daydream". A music video for the B-side "Airplane" was later released on March 6.

The EP debuted at number 63 and peaked at number 38 on the Billboard 200, making him the highest charting K-pop solo act on the chart. *Hope World* also peaked at number 35 on the Canadian Albums Chart, and number 19 on the US Top Rap Albums chart. Three mixtape tracks, "Daydream", "Hope World", and "Hangsang", charted on the World Digital Songs Chart, ranking third, 16th, and 24th respectively. The following week, the tracks grew to first, sixth, and 11th, with three additional tracks off of Hope World, "Airplane", "Base Line", and "P.O.P (Piece Of Peace) Pt.1" arriving on the chart at number five, eight, and twelve, respectively. "Daydream" peaking atop the chart made J-Hope one of only ten K-Pop groups, including his band BTS, to reach number one. The success of his solo debut led him to rank third on the Emerging Artists Chart, and 97th on the Artist 100 Chart for the week of March 10 and 91st for the week of March 17. He is the fifth Korean artist, and the second Korean soloist after Psy, to place on the Artist 100.

The mixtape charted in ten countries worldwide, with "Daydream" charting in three, and eventually placed at number five for Billboard magazine's year-end world albums chart.

## Name

His stage name, "J-Hope (제이홉)", comes from his desire to represent hope for fans, as well as to be "the hope of BTS." It is also a reference to the myth of Pandora's box, as after the box was opened and all the evils inside were released to the world, the only thing left was hope.

-Hope has been described as having an upbeat and energetic tone to his music and performances. His mixtape, *Hope World*, was described as having a fun nature and variety of musical genres, including synth-pop, trap, house, alternative hip hop, funk-soul, and retro elements. Jeff Benjamin of Fuse wrote that the atmospheric style of "Blue Side", *Hope World'* s outro track, "leaves the listener curious for what's coming next from J-Hope." The lyrical elements of the mixtape, notably the lead song "Daydream", was praised by Billboard magazine for its discussion of the difficulties an idol faces in their career, various literary references, and fun presentation of the serious subject matter.

J-Hope cites the adventurous nature of Jules Verne's *Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea* and the works Kyle, Aminé, and Joey Badass as influencers on his style and work on *Hope World*. The idea of peace has also provided a basis for much of his lyrics, stating that "it'd be fantastic to become a part of someone's personal peace through my music" in an interview with Time magazine. The idea of "representing the modern generation" has also influenced his work on BTS' music. There was also a reference to Douglas Adams' science fiction series *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*.

He released his first mixtape, *Hope World*, on March 1, a mixtape that "showcases exceptional creativity, genuine personality, and a cohesive sense of direction."

### **Impact**

In 2018, he was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea along with other members of the group. He had the most liked tweet in the world for 2018 when he posted the "In My Feelings Challenge".

n 2016, he purchased a luxury apartment in South Korea worth US$1.6 million for his personal use. As of 2019, he currently lives in Hannam-dong, Seoul, South Korea with his members.

### **Philanthropy**

On February 18, 2019, J-Hope donated 100 million Korean won (estimated $89,000 US dollars) to Child Fund Korea, in support of those attending his high school alma mater in Gwangju. He had previously donated 150 million won (roughly US$133,000) to the same organization in December 2018, but requested the donation be private at the time.

### Digital singles

* "Chicken Noodle Soup" (feat Becky G) (2019)

### Collaborations

* "Animal" from I'm Da One (Jo Kwon feat. Jung Ho-seok of BTS) (2012)

### Adapted songs

* "Graduation Song" (방탄소년들의 졸업) (with Jungkook and Jimin) (2013)
* "Beautiful" (with Jimin, V and Jungkook) (2013)
* "A Typical Idol's Christmas" (흔한 아이돌의 크리스마스) (with Jin, Suga, Jimin and V) (2013)

## Filmography

### Film

 2019
 Bring The Soul: The Movie

## Credits

◯ = *Participates as writing/composer/producer*, ✖ = *Not participated as writing/composer/producer*

## Trivia

* He is the third oldest in the band BTS.
* He is 26 years old in the US age and 27 years old in the Korean age.
* His Zodiac sign is Aquarius.
* He is referred to as the ‘sunshine’ of the group due to his bright and energetic personality.
* His hobbies are listening to music and window shopping.
* He chose the name “J-Hope” as his stage name because he wants to be a source of light and hope to his fans.
* His favorite number is 7.
* He hates exercising/working out.
* He loves kimchi.
* His favorite season is Spring.
* He used to have a girlfriend before debut, but she left him for another man.
* His favorite subject in school is *Music.*
* He speaks Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese.
* His role models are G-Dragon of BIGBANG, A$AP Rocky, J.Cole, and Beenzino.
* He has an older sister.
* If he could introduce his sister to a member, he would introduce her to Jungkook.
* He and Jimin are the only ones who are still roommates.
* He has gained the liking of many celebrities outside of Korea, for example wrestler John Cena and singer-songwriter Tinashe.
* According to RM, he and Jin are the most cowardly members of the group.
* He owns his own studio called 'Hope World'.
* He auditioned in JYP Entertainment together with B.A.P’s Youngjae and Halo’s Dino, but wasn’t accepted, so he went to Big Hit Entertainment and made it in as a trainee.
* He was part of the street dance crew named "neuron"
* When he was younger he had a passion for Tennis, and was relatively good at it.
* His Motto: “If you don’t work hard, there won’t be good results."
* Before debut J-hope hated doing aegyo but he changed his mind.
* His favorite color is Green.
* He and Suga are really bad at drawing.
* He likes visiting the Fancafe when he has time because he needs to know what the fans are saying.
* When having problems or worries he would share them with Suga.
* Things he wants to steal from other members is Jimin’s chocolate abs, RM’s rap skills and his good English.
* His ideal date: “I love the sea, I would like to walk down to the beach and hold hands”
* 3 requirements for J-Hope happiness: Family, Health, and Love.
* He is the only member who doesn't have ear piercings.
* He gets scared quite easily.
* His solo song "Mama" is a song dedicated to his mom. She came to a BTS concert and when J-Hope performed it, she cried. He says the song was written as a means to show that he has finally become a son she can be proud of.
* Despite the age gap, J-Hope hangs around the maknaes most of the time.
* He has been a victim of cyberbullying. He's had a few instances where he would be broadcasting on Vlive and come across many comments saying that he had no talent, he doesn't belong in BTS, being consistently asked of other members whereabouts etc... This refrained him from doing Vlives by himself for a long period of time.
* In BTS's mini drama 'Flower Boys', J-Hope was teaching Literature. J-Hope likes reading and literature, notably for the fact his father was a literature teacher and introduced the subject to his son.
* When he was young, J-Hope's father would cook seaweed soup five days a week. He had gotten so used to it that he can recognize the smell and texture of seaweed instantly. (Run BTS! EP.43)
* His BT21 character is a blue/purple horse named Mang.
* His revealed that he actually left BigHit Entertainment/BTS during the group's earlier days (before debut). However, he decided to come back because he trusted in the members and the members saying that the group wasn't the same without him. (Burn The Stage EP.3)
* His favorite drink is Sprite.
* His is said to be one of the members who can cook very well. The others being Jin, Suga and Jungkook. (Run BTS! EP. 50)
* He once got angry and threw a banana at Jungkook. This was due to the fact that Jungkook had gotten a fruit basket as a present from an A.R.M.Y and he wanted to cherish the gift. Jungkook shared the fruits with the other members at first, but told them to stop to avoid all of them being eaten as he wanted to keep the rest for himself and that the gift was rightfully his. J-Hope thought Jungkook was being selfish for arguing over the fruits and threw a banana at him as a result. (Burn The Stage EP.4)
* His favorite hair color is red. .
* He is the only member in the group who doesn't need or require prescription glasses and contact lenses as he has very good eyesight. If he's seen with glasses or lenses on, it is merely for fashion purposes.
* His Spotify playlist is called J-Hope's JAM.
* J-Hope and B.A.P Zelo went to the same Academy for rap and dance in Gwangju.
* He used to be a tennis player in elementary school and played in competitions. He once received a bronze medal, out of 3 team competitors.
* He likes melodramatic movies and remembers watching a lot of DVDs when he was a kid, since his father also likes movies.
* He likes if someone strokes his hair – he says it helps him to sleep, a routine picked up from childhood. (when he was young, his mother used to pat him gently to put him to sleep)
* He wrote and produced the main melodies in "Dionysus".
* He prefers Bulgogi over most Korean food.
* He is the most followed Korean solo artist on Spotify. Surpassing BIGBANG's G-Dragon.
* If he could choose one superpower, he'd want to be able to read people's minds.
* His song "Blue Side" was actually written over 3 years ago, shortly around the same time "1Verse" was written.
* He likes Tiramisu.
* He is dating Yoongi/Suga