Jung Dae-hyun (; born June 28, 1993), also known
mononymously as Daehyun, is a South Korean singer and actor. He debuted as an
idol in the six-member group
B.A.P
B.A.P (; an acronym for Best Absolute Perfect) was a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 under TS Entertainment.
B.A.P made their musical debut with the single "Warrior" on January 26, 2012, followed by the release of their debut EP ''Warrio ...
under
TS Entertainment
TS Entertainment (also known as TS ENTER (티에스이엔티이알)) was a South Korean record label and entertainment agency founded in 2008 by Kim Tae‑song (김태송). It was located at Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The compan ...
, where he served as the main vocalist from 2012 to its dissolution in 2019. Following his departure from TS Entertainment, he released his debut mini-album ''Chapter2 "27"'' in April 2019. Jung has ventured into musical theater since being cast for ''
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
'' in 2017.
Early life
Jung was born on June 28, 1993, in
Gwangju
Gwangju () is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial office ...
,
South Jeolla Province. The second and younger son of his hardware store-owning father and mother, he lived in a wealthy household.
He aspired to become a singer after watching
TVXQ and he began to sing as a child.
While enrolled in kindergarten, the
1997 Asian financial crisis
The Asian financial crisis was a period of financial crisis that gripped much of East Asia and Southeast Asia beginning in July 1997 and raised fears of a worldwide economic meltdown due to financial contagion. However, the recovery in 1998–1 ...
drove his family into poverty.
Jung and his family moved to
Busan, where he attended elementary and middle school. He stopped singing amidst worries of his career in his third year of middle school.
After abandoning the idea to attend an arts high school with expensive
tuition payments, Jung applied to an institution with a "practical" music department and was accepted. During his second year in high school, he went to a youth training center where he practiced vocalizing and learned
b-boying. Upon a suggestion from a friend, Jung enrolled in a
hagwon in the
Haeundae District
Haeundae District ( ko, 해운대구) is a district ( ''gu'') of Busan, South Korea.
Haeundae has a population of about 423,000, the most populous district of Busan with 11.6% of the city population, and covers an area of 51.44 km² (19.8 ...
where he received specialized training; he attended for approximately one year.
Career
Career beginnings and B.A.P
Jung learned about auditions being held by agency
TS Entertainment
TS Entertainment (also known as TS ENTER (티에스이엔티이알)) was a South Korean record label and entertainment agency founded in 2008 by Kim Tae‑song (김태송). It was located at Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The compan ...
in Busan and he was scheduled to take part, but decided to perform at a competition during that time and was ranked second place. The record label contacted him for another opportunity and he traveled to
Seoul for the audition. On his train ride back to Busan, he received his notice of acceptance. He was a trainee under the company for six months.
Jung was revealed as a member of
idol sextet
B.A.P
B.A.P (; an acronym for Best Absolute Perfect) was a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 under TS Entertainment.
B.A.P made their musical debut with the single "Warrior" on January 26, 2012, followed by the release of their debut EP ''Warrio ...
on January 16, 2012, where he served as the main vocalist. The group debuted ten days later with its single album ''
Warrior''. In November 2014, the group filed a lawsuit against its agency. The members sought to nullify its contract with the company citing "unfair conditions and profit distribution". In August of the following year, the two parties ultimately settled and B.A.P resumed its activities under TS Entertainment. In August and December 2018,
Yongguk and
Zelo left the group and record label following the expiration of their contracts, respectively. Jung and the remaining three members left the agency in February 2019, leading the dissolution of B.A.P.
As a soloist
In March 2019, Jung initiated a
crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...
campaign with the company Culture Bridge to acquire funds for his debut mini-album.
He was criticized for the costs of the benefits provided to patrons who contributed between –₩500,000 (US$–$), which were deemed "excessive". He was compared to former bandmate Yongguk, who was preparing a "musically ambitious" solo album at the time without crowdfunding, which was perceived as "authentic". Jung sympathized with his fans and lamented partaking in crowdfunding.
''Chapter2 "27"'' was released on April 5. Jung—who no longer identifies as an
idol—contributed to the lyrics, composition, and production of the record.
Jung signed with agency STX Lionheart two months later. Under the company, he released his first single album ''
Aight
''Aight'' is the first single album by South Korean singer Jung Dae-hyun. It was released on October 11, 2019, by STX Lionheart and distributed by Genie Music. Having released a ballad record earlier in the year, Jung wanted to further his tran ...
'' and its title track on October 11.
Jung was cast for the musical ''
Grease'', where he played the lead role of Danny. The production ran from November 2019 to February 2020.
He contributed a song entitled "All Things Will Pass" on the original soundtrack for
JTBC's television series ''
Sweet Munchies
''Sweet Munchies'' () is a 2020 South Korean television series starring Jung Il-woo, Kang Ji-young and Lee Hak-joo. It aired on JTBC from May 25 to June 30, 2020.
Synopsis
Park Jin-sung (Jung Il-woo), a chef who works at a late-night snack resta ...
''.
Jung was cast in the musical ''The Moment'' as The Boy, originally slated to run from July through September 2020.
Due to stringent restrictions following an uptick of infections amid the
COVID-19 pandemic, performances only operated through the end of August. His first Japanese single "Amazing" was released on November 25.
Personal life
He enlisted in
mandatory military service
Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
on November 17, 2020. He was discharged from military service on May 16, 2022.
Musical style
Jung cites
Jang Woo-hyuk as a role model.
Discography
Albums
Extended plays
Single albums
Singles
As lead artist
Guest appearances
Filmography
Web series
Theater
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jung, Dae-hyun
1993 births
21st-century South Korean singers
21st-century South Korean male actors
B.A.P (South Korean band) members
Japanese-language singers of South Korea
K-pop singers
Living people
People from Gwangju
South Korean male idols
South Korean male singers
South Korean male musical theatre actors
TS Entertainment artists