J-Hope facts for kids

Quick facts for kids J-Hope
J-Hope in October 2022
Born	Jung Ho-seok (1994-02-18) February 18, 1994 (age 31) Gwangju, South Korea
Alma mater	Global Cyber University
Occupation	Rapper singer songwriter dancer record producer
Years active	2012–present
Honours	Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit (2018)
Musical career
Genres	Hip hop K-pop
Labels	Big Hit
Korean name
Hangul	정호석
Hanja	鄭號錫
Revised Romanization	Jeong Hoseok
McCune–Reischauer	Chŏng Hosŏk
Stage name
Hangul	제이홉
Revised Romanization	Jeihop
McCune–Reischauer	Cheihop
Signature

Jung Ho-seok (Hangul: 정호석), known by his stage name J-Hope, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, and dancer. He was born on February 18, 1994. J-Hope became famous as a member of the global K-pop group BTS in 2013, under Big Hit Entertainment.

Beyond his work with BTS, J-Hope has also released his own music. His first solo mixtape, Hope World, came out in 2018 and was very popular. It even reached number 38 on the US Billboard 200 chart, which was a big achievement for a Korean solo artist at the time. In 2019, he made history again by being the first BTS member to have a solo song, "Chicken Noodle Soup" (featuring Becky G), appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. His first full solo album, Jack in the Box, was released in 2022. In 2023, he released the song "On the Street" with American rapper J. Cole.

Early Life and Education

J-Hope, whose real name is Jung Ho-seok, was born on February 18, 1994, in Gwangju, South Korea. He grew up there with his parents and his older sister.

He studied at Global Cyber University, earning a degree in Broadcasting and Entertainment. Later, in March 2019, he continued his studies at Hanyang Cyber University.

J-Hope's Music Career

Before BTS: Dance and Trainee Days

Before joining BTS, J-Hope was a talented dancer. He was part of an underground dance group called Neuron. He also took dance classes for six years at Gwangju Music Academy. He was well-known for his dance skills and won many local awards, including first place in a national dance competition in 2008.

His passion for dance eventually led him to singing. He auditioned to become an idol trainee. While training, J-Hope was featured as a rapper on singer Jo Kwon's song "Animal" in 2012.

Becoming a Member of BTS

J-Hope officially debuted as a member of BTS on June 13, 2013, on the show M! Countdown. He was one of the first members to join the group as a trainee.

As part of BTS, J-Hope has performed several solo songs:

• "Intro: Boy Meets Evil" (2016)
• "Mama" (2016)
• "Trivia 起: Just Dance" (2018)
• "Outro: Ego" (2020)

"Boy Meets Evil" showed off his rapping skills, while "Mama" was a heartfelt song for his mother. "Just Dance" used dancing as a way to talk about love. "Outro: Ego" looked back at his journey and choices in his career.

J-Hope also worked with his bandmate V and Swedish singer Zara Larsson on the song "A Brand New Day". This song was part of the official soundtrack for the BTS World mobile video game and was released in June 2019.

J-Hope's Solo Music Projects

J-Hope started releasing solo music outside of BTS in 2015 with a rap track called "1 Verse". He shared it for free on SoundCloud.

His first solo mixtape, Hope World, was released worldwide on March 1, 2018. The main song, "Daydream", came with a music video, and another video for "Airplane" followed soon after. Hope World was a huge success, reaching number 38 on the Billboard 200 chart. This made him the highest-charting Korean solo artist on that chart at the time. Many songs from the mixtape also topped the World Digital Song Sales chart.

To celebrate the third anniversary of Hope World, J-Hope released the full version of his song "Blue Side (Outro)" for free in March 2021.

In 2019, J-Hope released a free collaboration song called "Chicken Noodle Soup" with American singer Becky G. This song was a big hit, debuting at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This made J-Hope the first BTS member to chart on the Hot 100 as a solo artist.

In June 2022, J-Hope was the first BTS member to start promoting his solo music. His debut solo album, Jack in the Box, came out on July 15. Before the album, he released the song "More" on July 1. J-Hope also made history by headlining the Lollapalooza music festival in July, becoming the first South Korean artist to headline a main stage at a major US music festival.

In September 2022, J-Hope was featured on the song "Rush Hour" by Crush. He also performed solo at the MAMA Awards and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.

A documentary about the making of Jack in the Box and his Lollapalooza performance, called J-Hope in the Box, was released in February 2023 on Weverse and Disney+. He also became a brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton. In March 2023, J-Hope released the song "On the Street" with American rapper J. Cole. This song helped him become the highest-charting Korean soloist on the UK Singles Chart at the time.

In March 2024, a six-part docuseries called Hope on the Street was released. It explored J-Hope's dance background and came with a special album, Hope on the Street Vol. 1.

J-Hope announced his first solo tour, Hope on the Stage, which is set to begin in February 2025 in Seoul.

What's in a Name?

J-Hope performing on stage.

J-Hope's stage name, J-Hope (Hangul: 제이홉), means a lot to him. He chose it because he wants to bring hope to his fans and be "the hope of BTS." It's also a reference to the ancient Greek myth of Pandora's box. In the story, after all the bad things were released from the box, the only thing left inside was hope.

Personal Life

J-Hope lives in Hannam-dong, Seoul, South Korea, with his bandmates.

Military Service

Like all able-bodied men in South Korea, J-Hope completed his mandatory military service. He began his service as an active duty soldier on April 18, 2023. After finishing his basic training, he became an assistant training instructor. He was discharged on October 17, 2024, after serving for eighteen months.

Helping Others: Philanthropy

J-Hope is a very generous person. He has been a member of the "Green Noble Club" since 2018, which recognizes people who donate a lot of money to Child Fund Korea.

He has made many donations to help children in need:

• In February 2019, he donated ₩100 million (about US$90,000) to support students at his old high school.
• He had previously donated ₩150 million (about US$135,000) in December 2018, but he asked for it to be kept private at the time.
• In December 2019, he donated another ₩100 million.
• In November 2020, he donated ₩100 million to help children facing financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In February 2021, he donated ₩150 million to help children with visual and hearing impairments.
• In May 2021, for Children's Day, he donated ₩100 million to help children affected by violence in Tanzania, Africa.
• In December 2021, he donated another ₩100 million to help low-income families with heating and to cover medical costs for sick children.
• Since 2018, J-Hope has donated a total of ₩800 million to Child Fund Korea.

After the 2022 South Korean floods in Seoul, J-Hope donated ₩100 million to help those affected. In February 2023, he donated ₩100 million through the Korean UNICEF Committee to help children affected by the Turkey–Syria earthquake.

In December 2024, following a plane crash, J-Hope donated 100 million won (about $68,000) to the families of the victims to offer support.

J-Hope's Discography

• Jack in the Box (2022)

Filmography

Television Appearances

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: J-Hope para niños