Kim Jin-woo (; born October 23, 1971), better known by his stage name Jinu, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He debuted in 1994 as a solo singer before teaming up with Sean to create a hip-hop duo

Jinusean Jinusean (Hangul: 지누션; stylized as JINUSEAN) was a South Korean hip hop duo signed to YG Entertainment. The duo, which is made up of Kim Jin-woo (also known as Jinu) and Noh Seung-hwan (also known as Sean), debuted in 1997 and rose to fame ...

in 1997 under

YG Entertainment YG Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production compa ...

Early life

Kim was born in California. He is fluent in English and Korean.

Career

1994: Solo debut

On March 9, 1994, Kim Jin-woo released his first album "Kim Jin Woo Vol. 1" with "I Am Awesome" () as his first single. After hearing about his album,

Yang Hyun-suk Yang Hyun-suk (born January 9, 1970) is a South Korean music executive, rapper, dancer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of Seo Taiji and Boys during the 1990s. After the group disbanded, he founded and became the Ex ...

, former Seo Taiji and Boys' member, pick Kim Jin-woo to be in a hip hop duo under his label,

with Sean.

1997: Jinusean debut

Jinu and Sean debuted as Jinusean with the single, "Gasoline," in 1997 under the guidance of

CEO and former Seo Taiji and Boys member

and former

Deux Deux and D'eux means "of them" or "about them" while also being the number "two" in French. *2 (number), the natural number following 1 and preceding 3 **Two (disambiguation) *Folie à deux, a rare psychiatric syndrome Geography *Deux Montagnes ...

member Lee Hyun Do. Their second single, "Tell Me" (featuring singer

Uhm Jung-hwa Uhm Jung-hwa (; born August 17, 1969) is a South Korean singer, actress and dancer. Uhm is considered to be one of the most influential women in the Korean entertainment industry, finding rare success in both music and film. Her legacy and car ...

), was the duo's first hit and propelled them to stardom.

2004–present: Extended hiatus and Work at YG Entertainment

Between 2004 and 2014, the duo went on an extended hiatus. They remained at YG Entertainment working in various behind-the-scenes roles. Jinu was appointed as the Director of Overseas Operations. He was in charge of matters overseas including auditions and concerts. He discovered

Bobby Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People * Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter * Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...

iKon iKon (), stylized as iKON, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2015 by YG Entertainment, consisting of six members: Jay, Song, Bobby, DK, Ju-ne and Chan. Originally a seven-piece band, leader B.I departed from the group in June 2019. Init ...

in New York then brought him to Korea to train under YG Entertainment. In 2014, Jinusean made his first appearance in 10 years on a Korean variety TV show called ''

Infinite Challenge ''Infinite Challenge'' (; abbreviated as ''Mudo'') is a South Korean television entertainment program, distributed and syndicated by MBC, that ran from 2005 to 2018. As of January 2013, it had the largest market share for its timeslot; with ...

''. In 2015, they released the single "Tell Me One More Time" which marked the end of their hiatus. As of 2018, Jinu is confirmed to star in a new series by

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

and YG Entertainment, YG Future Strategy Office.

Personal life

He is the grandson of

Nam June Paik Nam June Paik (; July 20, 1932 – January 29, 2006) was a Korean American artist. He worked with a variety of media and is considered to be the founder of video art. He is credited with the first use (1974) of the term "electronic super hi ...

, a Korean-American artist, with his first wife. On May 14, 2006, Jinu married actress Kim Jun-hee. They divorced in 2008, after two years of marriage due to irreconcilable differences. Kim is a Christian.

Discography

Solo album

Singles

As a lead artist

As a featured artist

Filmography

References

External links

{{Authority control 1971 births Living people American musicians of Korean descent Rappers from California 21st-century American rappers