Han Hee-jun (; born April 20, 1989), also known as Heejun Han, is a South Korean singer. He finished in ninth place on the eleventh season of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

'' in 2012. He also finished in the top six of ''

K-pop Star 3 The third season of the South Korean reality television competition show ''K-pop Star'' premiered on SBS on November 24, 2013, airing Sunday evenings at 4:55 pm KST as part of the '' Good Sunday'' lineup. Jun Hyun-moo replaced Yoon Do-hyun as ...

'' in 2014.

Early life

Han was born on April 20, 1989 in

Anyang, Gyeonggi Anyang (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population of approximately 600,000, it is the 20th largest city in South Korea. It is a satellite city of Seoul and located approximately s ...

, South Korea. He has an older brother. Han and his family immigrated to the United States when he was 12, moving to

Flushing, Queens Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial ...

in New York. He graduated from

Francis Lewis High School Francis Lewis High School (FLHS) is a selective public high school located in Fresh Meadows, in the New York City borough of Queens. It is one of the most-applied-to public high schools in New York City with 9,468 applicants in 2016. Operated b ...

. Han returned to South Korea from 2009 to 2010 to train to be a singer. When he moved back to the United States, Han worked for the non-profit Milal Mission in New York, working with children with disabilities. He later said the experience pulled him out of a depression and that the children motivated him to audition for ''American Idol''.

Career

2012: ''American Idol''

Han auditioned for the eleventh season of ''American Idol'' in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

in early 2012. He received praise from the judges for his performance of

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin (born February 26, 1953), known professionally as Michael Bolton, is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton performed in the hard rock and heavy metal music genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, both on his early solo a ...

's "

How Am I Supposed to Live Without You "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" is a song co-written in 1982 by Doug James and Michael Bolton. The track was originally recorded by Laura Branigan in 1983, charting at number one in both the US and Canadian Adult Contemporary charts. Bolt ...

" and advanced to the next round. Han advanced through the semi-finals with a performance of "

Angels An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

" by

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

. He then advanced through the finals with performances of " All in Love Is Fair" by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

, "

Right Here Waiting "Right Here Waiting" is a song by American singer and songwriter Richard Marx. It was released on June 29, 1989, as the second single from his second album, '' Repeat Offender'' (1989). The song was a global hit, topping charts in many countries ...

" by

Richard Marx Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Marx's first number one success as a songwriter came in 1984 with " What About Me?", which was recorded by Kenny Rogers ...

and " My Life" by

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...

. However, after finishing in the bottom three for two weeks in a row, Han was eliminated from the show, finishing in ninth place. After the show concluded, Han performed as part of the American Idols Live! Tour 2012, which began July 6, 2012 and ran until September 21, 2012.

Performances and results

2013–2014: Debut single and ''K-pop Star 3''

Han released his debut single, "Bring the Love Back", featuring rapper

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as one half of the Virginia-based hip hop duo Clipse, which he formed with his older brother No Malice, Malice. M ...

, on September 17, 2013. In 2013, he tried out for the third season of ''

K-pop Star ''Survival Audition K-pop Star'' () is a South Korean reality competition television series where three entertainment/talent agencies in South Korea hold worldwide auditions to find the next potential K-pop stars. Preliminary auditions are held ...

'' and passed the audition. He reached the Top 6 of K-pop Star 3.

2015–present: Korean releases and ''After School Club''

Since then he has concentrated on his K-pop career and released the single "Q&A" feat. Tiffany from Girls' Generation. In 2018, he replaced Jae of

Day6 Day6 (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean pop rock band under the label JYP Entertainment. The group debuted on September 7, 2015, with the EP '' The Day,'' which peaked at No.2 on '' Billboard''s World Album Chart a week following its r ...

as co-host of ''

After School Club ''After School Club'', often shortened to ''ASC'', is a South Korean interactive music talk show that primarily airs on Arirang TV. Premiering on April 17, 2013, the show is currently co-hosted by Allen and Taeyoung of Cravity and Aaron Kwak. ...

.''

Discography

Singles

Other charted songs

Filmography

Film

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Hee-jun 1989 births Living people 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers South Korean emigrants to the United States South Korean male pop singers South Korean rhythm and blues singers People from Anyang, Gyeonggi Singers from Gyeonggi Province Singers from New York City K-pop Star participants American Idol participants 21st-century South Korean male singers Francis Lewis High School alumni