Hongjoong

Kim Hong-joong (; born November 7, 1998), mononymously known as Hongjoong, is a South Korean rapper, singer, producer, and songwriter. He debuted as the leader of the South Korean boy band Ateez in 2018. As of May 2025, he has 154 songs credited under his name on the KOMCA.

Early life

Kim Hongjoong was born November 7, 1998, in Anyang, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. He attended before enrolling at the . He wrote his first song when he was 16 years old.

Career

2016–2017: Pre-debut

Hongjoong sent a letter and a mixtape to his label, KQ Entertainment, expressing interest in becoming an in-house composer. He initially became the first trainee of the company because of his admiration for Block B, a group managed under the same label.

In 2017, Hongjoong was one of the trainees who passed the audition for the JTBC survival reality show ''Mix Nine''. He placed number seven on the "Just Dance" showcase but was eliminated in the tenth episode, with a final ranking of 42.

He was introduced as a member of the pre-debut group "KQ Fellaz" along with seven others, all of whom are now part of the boy group Ateez. During the pre-debut reality show ''KQ Fellaz American Training'', the group released a song composed and produced by Hongjoong titled "From".

2018–present: Debut and solo activities

On October 24, 2018, Hongjoong officially debuted as the leader of KQ Entertainment's first boy group, "Ateez" with the debut EP '' Treasure EP.1: All to Zero''.

From December 2019 to February 2025, Hongjoong released 8 songs by artists that he covered and interpreted in his own style (adding his own lyrics and arranging) under the project name "BY. HONGJOONG". The covered songs included "Space Oddity" by David Bowie, " Purple Rain" by Prince, "Black or White" by Michael Jackson, "모처럼" by Yoon Jong-shin, " Numb" by Linkin Park, " Lemon Tree" by Fools Garden, " Wonderwall" by Oasis, "Beat it" by Michael Jackson.

Hongjoong and fellow Ateez member Yunho were selected as the new DJs for MBC's '' Idol Radio Season 3'', which aired from September 8, 2022, to December 27, 2023.

On November 8, 2023, he released the song "A Walker".

On March 11, 2024, singer Chungha released her digital single "Eenie Meenie" featuring Hongjoong, who participated in writing and composing the song.

On August 23, 2024, Hongjoong released the song "Why Do You Love" along with a music video.

Hongjoong and fellow Ateez member Jongho took part in KBS2' busking variety show ''Moving Voices'' in Germany, which aired from November 2024 to January 2025.

On January 15, 2025, Odetari released his digital single "SMB" featuring Hongjoong, who participated in writing the song. It became Hongjoong's first international collab and second in total.

Other ventures

Fashion

Hongjoong reformed clothes, experimented with various fashion styles throughout his career, often incorporating elements that challenge traditional gender norms. He has stated that on stage, he fuses music with fashion, creating a character for each performance that embodies both elegance and power. He has mentioned wanting to study fashion and start his own fashion line.

On March 4, 2023, Hongjoong made his fashion debut at Balmain Homme 2023 Fall/Winter presentation at Paris Fashion Week. On September 5, Hongjoong was named as a Balmain ambassador and was dubbed the "Balmain Prince" by the fashion brand. On September 27, Hongjoong made his debut appearance as a member of the "Balmain army" by attending Balmain spring-summer 2024 women’s collection show and the presentation of the Men's collection on September 29.

On June 21, 2024, Hongjoong attended the Comme des Garçons Homme Plus show in Paris. On September 25, Hongjoong attended the Balmain Spring-Summer 2025 show and on September 28, he attended the Vivienne Westwood Paris Womenswear Spring-Summer 2025 show.

On January 22, 2025, Hongjoong attended the Paul Smith fall 2025 menswear show and on January 26, he attended the Jacquemus fall 2025 show in Paris.

Philanthropy

Since his debut, Hongjoong has actively contributed to the "Polished Man" campaign by consistently painting his pinky fingernail. This led to fans creating fundraising pages on the Polished Man's website, resulting in the collection of hundreds of dollars in 2019 and early 2020. Later in 2020, the group Ateez were announced as the ambassadors for the campaign. As of July 2021, the funds amassed through this collaboration with Polished Man have surpassed $30,000.

In November 2022, Hongjoong donated to World Vision Korea under the name "Atiny", the group's fan base. According to the NGO, the contribution is designated to provide support for the Dreaming Children project.

In November 2023, it was reported that he donated to the Korea Childhood Leukemia Foundation. This donation aims to support children diagnosed with cancer and other incurable diseases. The sum was raised from the proceeds of "Walker A" ticket sales and his added monetary contribution to the cause.

In May 2024, Hongjoong donated to the NGO 'World Vision' in honor of the Children's Day celebrated in Korea. This contribution aims to support youth who take care of family members with illnesses or disabilities. In March 2024, he donated another to the World Vision Global Drinking Water Project, intended to provide communities worldwide with access to clean water, sanitation and more. On May 20, he was appointed to the 'Bob Pierce Honor Club', an accolade designated for major donors who have contributed over ₩100 million to the NGO and have displayed empathy towards various global issues.

In November 2024, Hongjoong and official fan club ATINY, who participated in the '2024 Global 6K for Water Running' (G6K Running) campaign donated to the NGO World Vision'. About 3,400 fans from Korea and abroad participated in the 'virtual running' (running at a time and place of their choice) held on November 1–7, to celebrate Hongjoong's birthday. The event was planned with the aim of empathizing with the difficulties of African children and raising awareness of the severity of water and sanitation issues by walking or running 6km, the average distance that African children walk every day to get water.

On April 14, 2025, Hongjoong was announced as the brand model of World Vision's 'Global 6K Marathon' Campaign.

In May 2025, Hongjoong donated to the NGO 'World Vision' for the domestic dream support project 'Dream Wings Club' in honor of the Children's Day celebrated in Korea.

Discography

As featured artist

Unofficial releases

Filmography

Television shows

Radio shows

Host

Composition credits

All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless stated otherwise.

Notes

References

External links

*
{{Ateez

K-pop singers
Living people
1998 births
People from Anyang, Gyeonggi
South Korean male singer-songwriters
21st-century South Korean singer-songwriters
South Korean male rappers
21st-century male rappers
21st-century South Korean male singers
Korean-language singers
South Korean male idols
Mix Nine contestants
Ateez members
Gwangsan Kim clan