Kim Jong-hyeon (; born June 8, 1995), formerly known by his stage name JR, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known as the leader, main dancer and main rapper of South Korean boy group
NU'EST
NU'EST (; short for New Establish Style Tempo) was a South Korean boy band formed and managed by Pledis Entertainment. The group consisted of five members: JR, Aron, Baekho, Minhyun and Ren. They debuted on March 15, 2012, with the single t ...
. Following his contract expiration with
Pledis Entertainment in 2022, Kim signed an exclusive contract as a soloist and actor under Evermore Entertainment, debuting with the release of his first
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. ''Meridiem'' on November 8, 2022.
Career
Pre-debut
Jonghyeon was the first male trainee at Pledis Entertainment. He was a Pledis trainee for three years before debut. His first appearance was through
Orange Caramel's "Bangkok City" music video, and was first introduced toward public in the show
Hello Counselor
''Hello Counselor'' () was a South Korean social commentary talk show that debuted on November 22, 2010. It was hosted by Shin Dong-yup, Lee Young-ja, and Cultwo ( Jung Chan-woo, Kim Tae-gyun). Choi Tae-joon joined the show as host from Au ...
by
Kahi together with
Baekho. He was featured in
Uee's solo song "Sok Sok Sok". Jonghyeon also served as a back up dancer for After School Blue's "Wonder Boy" music video and live performances, together with NU'EST members and
Seventeen's S.Coups. In December 2011, Kim and the other Pledis trainees dubbed as After School Boys performed together with After School on
SBS Gayo Daejeon.
2012–2022: NU'EST
On March 15, 2012, Kim debuted as the main rapper, main dancer and leader of the South Korean boy group NU'EST.
Kim participated in the reality television series ''
Produce 101 Season 2'' during the first half of 2017 and he ranked 14th. Following the conclusion of ''Produce 101 Season 2,'' Kim became a model for the cosmetics company Labiotte. He also joined the JTBC variety show ''
Night Goblin'' as a fixed cast member and the tvN music show ' as a panelist.
On June 27, 2018, Kim was confirmed as a member of Mnet's new romance reality show '. He joined the celebrity-studded cast alongside four others, including Shin Dong-yup and
Hong Seok-cheon.
In 2019, Kim became the brand ambassador of beauty brand
Origins for South Korea. On April 13, 2020, he renewed his contract with the brand.
In April 2021, Kim was cast in the role of Lee Shin in the SBS musical drama ''
Let Me Be Your Knight''.
On the same month, he became the main host of the Naver NOW audio show ''"Royal Comics".''
It was announced on February 28, 2022 that NU'EST's exclusive contract with Pledis Entertainment will expire on March 14, 2022 and Kim (alongside members
Aron and
Ren Ren or REN may refer to:
Abbreviations
* Orenburg Tsentralny Airport, IATA code REN, civil airport in Russia
* Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN), Portuguese company
* Renanthera, abbreviated as Ren, orchid genus
* Ringer equivalence number ( ...
) will leave the agency, therefore concluding their 10-year career as a group.
2022–present: Solo activities
In May 2022, Kim signed a contract wit
Evermore Entertainmentas a solo artist and actor.
In June 2022, Kim held his first fan meeting, ''Hi! (하이!)'' on July 2, 2022 at the Jamsil Student Gymnasium. After the event, Kim also held hi-touch session with approximately 3,500 audience.
In September 2022 it was announced that JR debuted with his first solo album. It was released on November 8. In October 2022, it was announced that Kim would release his first mini album "Meridiem" on November 8.On October 31, the agency announced that the album release schedule has been postponed. A new date will be announced at a later date due to the
Seoul Halloween crowd crush event.
Discography
Extended plays
Singles
Other charted songs
Filmography
Film
Television series
Television shows
Radio
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Jong-hyeon
1995 births
Living people
South Korean male idols
South Korean pop singers
Produce 101 contestants
People from Gangneung
21st-century South Korean male singers
South Korean actors
South Korean male pop singers
NU'EST