John Andrew Park (born September 13, 1988) is a Korean-American singer. He was a semi-finalist on the
ninth season of ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
''; placing twentieth. He is the runner-up of ''
Superstar K2
''Superstar K2'' is a South Korean television show on Mnet. ''Superstar K2'' is season two of the Superstar competition series in which singers audition to get on the show. Each week, the singers perform a song and are eliminated based on the th ...
'', a Korean singing contest held by
M.net
Mnet (acronym of Music Network) is a South Korean pay television music channel owned by CJ E&M, a division of CJ ENM, part of CJ Group.
The CJ E&M Center Studio located in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul is the broadcast and recording centre of m ...
. He is currently signed to Music Farm Entertainment.
Biography
Early life
John Park was born in Chicago; prior to entering ''Superstar K2'', he was a student at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
majoring in economics.
He was a member of his college
a cappella
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
group
Purple Haze
"Purple Haze" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and released as the second single by the Jimi Hendrix Experience on March 17, 1967.
The song features his inventive guitar playing, which uses the signature Hendrix chord and a mix of blues and Ea ...
.
He was a semi-finalist on the
ninth season of ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
''. He later auditioned for the Korean equivalent of "American Idol",
Superstar k2
''Superstar K2'' is a South Korean television show on Mnet. ''Superstar K2'' is season two of the Superstar competition series in which singers audition to get on the show. Each week, the singers perform a song and are eliminated based on the th ...
, and finished second.
Education
Park attended
Glenbrook North High School
Glenbrook North High School (also known as GBN) is a public high school in Northbrook, Illinois, a north suburb of Chicago, United States. It was established in 1953 and is part of the Northfield Township High School District 225.
In 2022, it ...
. He is an Economics major at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
.
He is currently taking a break from college to pursue a singing career in Korea.
Musical background
He is a fan of
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
,
John Legend
John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Ever ...
,
Gavin DeGraw
Gavin Shane DeGraw (born February 4, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. DeGraw rose to fame with his song "I Don't Want to Be" from his debut album '' Chariot'' (2003); the song became the main theme song for The WB drama series ''One Tree ...
,
Marc Broussard
Marc Broussard (born January 14, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter. His style is best described as "Bayou Soul", a mix of funk, blues, R&B, rock and pop, matched with distinct Southern roots. He has released eight studio albums, one liv ...
and
Jamie Cullum
Jamie Cullum (born 20 August 1979) is an English jazz-pop singer, songwriter and radio presenter. Although primarily a vocalist and pianist, he also accompanies himself on other instruments, including guitar and drums. He has recorded nine stu ...
.
Personal life
On April 8, 2022, it was confirmed that John will marry his non-celebrity girlfriend with an event on June 12, 2022.
''American Idol'' 9
Park auditioned in Chicago for the ninth season of American Idol with "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" by Blood, Sweat and Tears. The judges were impressed in his audition especially
Shania Twain
Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...
and he made it to the Hollywood round.
He also performed "Sweet Escape" in the group round along with Haeley Vaughn, Jessica Furney and Kelsey Madsen who was cut that round. He made it to the semi-finals. During the top 24, he sang Billie Holiday's "
God Bless the Child" and John Mayer's "
Gravity
In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...
" for the top 20, but he was eliminated.
''Superstar K2''
After ''American Idol'', Park entered the second season of the Korean talent show ''
Superstar K2
''Superstar K2'' is a South Korean television show on Mnet. ''Superstar K2'' is season two of the Superstar competition series in which singers audition to get on the show. Each week, the singers perform a song and are eliminated based on the th ...
'', where he finished second.
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Collaborations
Other charted songs
Music videos
Awards
Variety Show
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Park, John
1988 births
Living people
American Idol participants
Superstar K participants
American musicians of Korean descent
Northwestern University alumni
American K-pop singers
Korean-language singers of the United States
American male pop singers
American male singer-songwriters
American contemporary R&B singers
Glenbrook North High School alumni
Music Farm artists
21st-century American male singers
21st-century American singers
South Korean baritones