J-Hope was born as Jung Ho-seok (: 정호석) on February 18, 1994, in , South Korea, where he lived with his parents and older sister. Before debuting with , he was part of the underground dance team Neuron and took dance classes at Gwangju Music Academy for six years, from 4th grade to his 1st year in high school, when he signed his contract with Big Hit Entertainment. 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, helping him to audition as an trainee. As a trainee, J-Hope was featured as a rapper in 's song "Animal", which was released in 2012.
2013–present: BTS and scheduled activitiesMain article:
On June 13, 2013, J-Hope made his debut as a member of BTS on 's with the track "No More Dream" from their debut single album . He was the third member to join the group as a trainee after and . J-Hope has since been involved in the creation process of every album in BTS' discography.
On June 14, 2019, J-Hope, together with fellow BTS member , collaborated with on a soundtrack called for a mobile game .
2018–present: Solo activities and first mixtape
J-Hope released his first solo mixtape, , worldwide on March 1, 2018. It was accompanied by a music video for the lead single "Daydream". A music video for the B-side "Airplane" was later released on March 6. The mixtape debuted at number 63 and peaked at number 38 on the , making him the highest charting Korean solo act on the chart up to that point. Hope World also peaked at number 35 on the Canadian Albums chart, and number 19 on the US chart. Three mixtape tracks, "Daydream", "Hope World", and "Hangsang", charted on the , at number 3, 16, and 24 respectively. The following week, the tracks rose to number 1, 6, and 11, 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 5, 6, and 12, respectively. "Daydream" peaking atop the chart made J-Hope one of only ten Korean artists, including BTS, to reach number one. The success of his solo debut lead him to rank at number 3 on the , and 97 on the for the week of March 10, later peaking at number 91 for the week of March 17. He is the fifth Korean artist, and the second Korean soloist after , to place on the Artist 100. The mixtape charted in ten countries worldwide, with "Daydream" charting in three. It was ranked at number 5 on 's year-end World Albums Chart.
In 2019, J-Hope released a free collaboration single, "", on September 27, featuring American singer, . The track debuted at number 81 on the , with 9.7 million streams and 11,000 downloads for the week ending October 4, making J-Hope the first member of BTS to chart on the Hot 100 as a solo artist outside of the group, the third Korean solo artist to rank on the chart (after Psy and CL), and the sixth Korean artist overall to do so. "Chicken Noodle Soup" also debuted at number 1 on the World Digital Songs chart and is J-Hope's second song to achieve this after 2018's "Daydream".
For the three-year anniversary of his mixtape, J-Hope released a full, three-minute long version of its closing track "Blue Side (Outro)" on March 1, 2021—it was uploaded to the BTS Soundcloud page for free.
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 , as after the box was opened and all the evils inside were released to the world, the only thing left was hope.
Artistry and public image
J-Hope has been described as having an upbeat and energetic tone to his music and performances. His mixtape, , was described as having a fun nature and variety of musical genres, including , , , , , and elements. In a review published by , Emmad Usmani praised the mixtape's concept and production, writing "J-Hope showcases exceptional creativity, genuine personality, and a cohesive sense of direction over the 20 minutes of the project". Jeff Benjamin of 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 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 's and the works of , , and 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 . The idea of "representing the modern generation" has also influenced his work on BTS' music. There was also a reference to ' science fiction series .
In January 2020, J-Hope was promoted to a full member of the .
Impact
In 2018, he was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan by the along with the other members of the group. He had the most liked tweet in the world for 2018 when he posted the "In My Feelings Challenge".
In July 2021, he was appointed by , 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.
PhilanthropyJ-Hope has been a member of the "Green Noble Club", which recognizes high-value donors of Child Fund Korea, since 2018. On February 18, 2019, he donated ₩100 million (US$90,000) to the organization in support of those attending his high school alma mater in Gwangju. He previously donated ₩150 million (US$135,000) in December 2018, but requested the donation be kept private at the time. In December 2019, he donated another ₩100 million. On November 17, 2020, he donated ₩100 million in support of children experiencing economic difficulties amid the . On February 18, 2021, he donated ₩150 million to support children with visual and hearing impairments. On May 4, for , he donated ₩100 million for children affected by violence in , Africa.
