Meet The Beloved JBJ From Season 2 of Produce 101
JBJ or Just Be Joyful is a South Korean vocal group that has 6 members who are former participants of season 2 of Produce 101. The important component of this vocal group consists of Noh Tae Hyun, Kim Sang Kyun, Takada Kenta, Kwon Hyun Bin, Kim Yong Guk, and Kim Dong Han. When they were first getting ready to make a debut, JBJ was supposed to be a seven-member formation, with Kim Tae Dong in their line-up. However, for reasons unknown, Kim Tae Dong didn’t actually join the line-up and JBJ made their debut with a six-member formation, promoting themselves for 7 months.
JBJ officially debuted on October 18th, 2017, by releasing their first mini-album titled Fantasy. The first mini-album succeeded in giving birth to six songs with single leads with the same title. Then, at the beginning of 2018, apparently, they made a comeback by releasing a second mini-album titled True Colors.
The youngest member, Kim Dong Han, earned the nickname “Giant Maknae” by the other JBJ members because he has a bigger body than a Hyung. Even though he’s barely legal, the 1998-born maknae is still the most adorable maknae. Why? Because he often makes his hyung laugh and his behavior has even made him fall from the chair.
JBJ Members’ Profiles
Kwon Hyun Bin
- Real Name: Kwon Hyun Bin
- Place and Date of Birth: South Korea, March 4th, 1997
- Position: Lead Rapper
- Instagram: @komurola
Facts about Kwon Hyun Bin:
This JBJ member became widely known ever since he became a participant in the second season of the survival program Produce 101. However, behind his talents and visuals, it turns out the owner of the real name Kwon Hyun Bin is also known for his unique habits during the competition. One of his bad habits is often crying in the competition owned by Mnet. News from Hyun Bin aired on “Radio Star” at the end of December 2017. He explained that he cried because he had heard a very sad song.
Kwon Hyun Bin has just made a shift in agencies and signed with YG Entertainment, and is rumored of leaving JBJ. Is that true or not? Kwon Hyun Bin, who was originally a professional model, began his singing career by participating in the second season of the survival show Produce 101. At that time, he was under the auspices of YG K+ agency, which is a model agency under YG Entertainment. Although he didn’t make it in the top 11 and debut with Wanna One, this handsome and tall Kwon Hyun Bin attracted a lot of attention and made fans fall in love with him. Being ranked 22nd, many fans hoped that Kwon Hyun Bin will make a debut.
As reported by the TV Report website, in March 2018, news emerged that Kwon Hyun Bin, now managed by YG Entertainment, will leave JBJ and won’t renew his contract.
Kim Yong Guk
- Original name: Jin Longguo
- Korean name: Kim Yong Guk
- Place and Date of Birth: Jilin, China, March 2nd, 1996
- Position: Vocals
- Instagram: @catsgoesmeow
Facts about Kim Yong Guk:
Many have thought that there is a drastic change experienced by Kim Yong Guk after appearing in the second season of Produce 101. Initially, Kim Yong Guk did not have any friends when he first appeared in the Produce 101 competition, he was once even called the “sad kimbap”. However, everything changed completely after joining JBJ, Yong Guk started talking a lot, he even starting to make jokes.
On August 29th, Kim Yong Guk held a showcase for the release of his first solo mini-album Friday n Night at the Yes24 Live Hall in Seoul. He opened the showcase with a performance of his b-side track “Be With You,” Yong Guk said, “When I was on standby, I felt comfortable. But when it was almost time, my heart started beating faster and I felt nervous. I’m feeling better than earlier, but I’m still a bit nervous.”
Previously, Yong Guk appeared in season 2 of Produce 101. After competing on the idol survival show, he officially debuted under the unit Longguo & Shihyun with fellow former contestant Kim Shi Hyun and then promoted as a member of JBJ.
When asked if he received support from the JBJ members, Yong Guk replied, “I heard that the members filmed and sent congratulatory videos. I haven’t seen them yet. I will watch it with fans at the fan showcase after this and respond live.”
A-Tom
- Real Name: Kim Sang Gyun
- Place and Date of Birth: Gwangju, May 23rd, 1995
- Position: Rapper
- Instagram: @8eomatom
Facts about Kim Sang Gyun:
Before joining season 2 of Produce 101, Kim Sang Gyun also auditioned for other Mnet programs, such as Show Me The Money. Sang Gyun himself is a member who is known to have self-confidence, especially regarding his visuals. In fact, many people became his fans when he debuted exactly because of his appearance. Besides having many fans, Sang Gyun is the oldest member, who managed to make K-Pop-ers remember him with the lyrics that are now the trademark, namely “ano ano hajimemashite”. After entering into JBJ as a member, Sang Gyun’s image started to look cuter.
JBJ’s contract with FAVE Entertainment ended on April 30th, 2018. After that, Takada Kenta, Roh Tae Hyun, Kwon Hyun Bin, Kim Sang Gyun, Kim Yong Guk, and Kim Dong Han returned to their respective agencies.
Takada Kenta and Kim Sang Gyun previously announced that they will debut as members of JBJ95. Unlike JBJ, which only promoted for seven months, JBJ95 would be a permanent group. Previously, on its official Fancafe that opened on July 7th, 2018, they asked for ideas from fans for the group name until July 10th, 2018.
Takada Kenta
- Original Name: Takada Kenta
- Place and Date of Birth: Fujioka, Japan, January 10th, 1995
- Position: Vocal, Lead Dancer
- Instagram: @rkm0855
Facts about Takada Kenta:
This one member can be said to be a successful fanboy. Starting from being Ricky Teen Top’s idol fan, he now debuts and can be friends with the idol. Even before JBJ’s debut, Takada Kenda was still a fan of Teen Top. He was even willing to wear a shirt, only for a fan signing event that read “I’m Japan’s Ricky”.
Takada actually suffered an injury in the leg before he debuted. According to the nearest source, the foot injury was quite troubling though not too serious. As a result, Takada’s legs could not move optimally, even though according to the demands of the work he had to dance and move a lot. Even so, Takada remained passionate about his work. He did not want the small injury to hinder his activities a lot.
Noh Taehyun
- Real Name: Noh Taehyun
- Place and Date of Birth: Seoul, October 15th, 1993
- Position: Leader, Dancer, Lead Vocal, Rapper
- Instagram: @roh_taehyun
Facts about Noh Taehyun:
Noh Tae Hyun’s leading figure and calmness have been circulating a lot, especially in the situation with the sasaeng. With Hotshot, Noh Tae Hyun was also a contestant who participated in the second season of Mnet’s survival program Produce 101. This JBJ leader also drew attention since the first ranking evaluation, by bringing Block B’s song “Very Good” and showing his krump dance skills. In addition, Tae Hyun managed to get the audience to shout encore when their turn appeared later. Behind his leadership, it turned out that Tae Hyun had been caught on camera scratching his stomach like an ahjussi. In addition, this one JBJ member was also involved in controversy for allegedly hitting his fans. After getting a lot of comments and criticism from many parties, Noh just expressed an apology for his actions.
