Hyunjin

Hwang Hyun-jin (; born March 20, 2000), known mononymously as Hyunjin, is a South Korean rapper, singer and dancer. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Stray Kids, formed by JYP Entertainment in 2017.

Aside from his work with Stray Kids, he has worked as a television presenter, hosting the weekly Korean music program ''Show! Music Core'' (2019–2021), and has worked as a brand ambassador for luxury brands, such as Versace, Cartier, and Givenchy Beauty.

Early life and education

Hwang Hyun-jin was born on March 20, 2000, in Seoul, South Korea.

Hyunjin had no dance training prior to becoming a trainee idol. He was scouted on the street by a JYP Entertainment agent during his third year of middle school, while shopping with his mother.

He majored in practical dance at the School of Performing Arts Seoul (SOPA) and officially graduated on February 15, 2019. He took the 2019 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) before attending Global Cyber University, where he studied in the Department of Practical Language.

Career

2017–present: Pre-debut, survival show, and Stray Kids

During his traineeship, in late 2017, Hyunjin appeared on the Mnet survival show ''Stray Kids'', a contest centered on the formation of JYP Entertainment's new idol group. By the time the show premiered on October 17, Hyunjin had been a trainee for two years.

After being confirmed as part of the group's line-up, Hyunjin was credited as a lyricist for the song " 4419". This track was performed alongside Bang Chan and Seungmin during the survival show as part of his effort to avoid elimination. JYP Entertainment later included all songs performed by Stray Kids during the show in their pre-debut EP titled ''Mixtape''. He officially debuted with Stray Kids on March 25, 2018, with EP ''I Am Not'' through a debut showcase.

In 2019, Hyunjin was announced as one of the presenters of the weekly chart show ''Show! Music Core'', alongside SF9's Chani and Gugudan's Mina,* serving as co-host from February 16, 2019, to February 20, 2021 (episodes 621 through 714). In December 2019, he joined KBS's project group Bbangbbangz with Yoon Sanha, Choi Bomin, and Lee Daehwi, performing covers like GOT7's "Just Right" and Red Velvet's "Psycho" on ''Music Bank''. He also made his acting debut in the web series ''A-Teen 2'' with a cameo appearance in the final episode, alongside fellow Stray Kids member I.N the same year.

From February to June 2021, Hyunjin was placed on a temporary hiatus due to school bullying allegations, and resumed regular activities with the group in July. During his hiatus, he was absent from participating in the majority of Stray Kids' appearances on '' Kingdom: Legendary War'', appearing only in their introduction round performance. He made his first reappearance by featuring in the music video for the group's release, " Mixtape: Oh," on June 26, 2021.

In August 2023, Hyunjin was featured on the remix of Troye Sivan's " Rush", alongside Pink Pantheress, providing vocals for the pre-chorus and hook. With bandmates Han and Felix, Hyunjin performed a cover of Kim Sung-jae's "As I Told You" at KBS Song Festival 2022. With Yeji of Itzy, Hyunjin performed a choreographed duet – remixing two of their popular individual dance performances – at MBC Music Festival 2023.

In July 2024, together with his bandmates, it was announced Hyunjin had renewed his group contract with JYP a year earlier than expected, extending Stray Kids' affiliation with the label.

Artistry

Hyunjin's dance skills have been noted for their precision and expressiveness. Additionally, Jack Lau in ''South China Morning Post'' described Hyunjin's voice as soft and soothing, demonstrating versatility beyond rapping. He is not only known for his dancing but also showcases his skills as both a rapper and singer, contributing to the group's sound and performance style. In addition to his dancing and rapping skills Hyunjin is a skilled visual artist, he has shared many of his personal paintings on social media.

Songwriting

Behind Stray Kids' production team, 3RACHA (bandmates Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han), Hyunjin is the fourth most accredited songwriter of the group, with 29 KOMCA credits as of January 2025. He has contributed to various B-side tracks, including four sub-unit songs "Wow" in 2020, "Taste" and "Muddy Water" in 2022, and "Red Lights" in 2021. He was also the primary songwriter for "DLMLU" from Stray Kids' full-length Japanese album, '' The Sound'', and " Cover Me" from their EP ''Rock-Star''.

Hyunjin has been recognized for his contributions as a songwriter, particularly for his work on songs with emotive melodies and lyrics.

SKZ-Record/Player and solo music

As of September 2024, Hyunjin had made nine contributions to Stray Kids' YouTube-based portfolio project, ''SKZ-Record/Player''. These included the original solo songs "Little Star" (), "Ice Cream" (stylised as ice.cream), "Contradicting", "Long for You", and "Hey You". "Little Star" (under the new title, "miss you"), "Ice Cream", and a new song, "Love Untold", were included in Stray Kids' digital compilation album, ''SKZ-Replay'', released in December 2022. The remainder of his original ''SKZ-Record/Player'' songs are yet to see wider release. He also has collaborated with bandmate I.N for the original duet "미제 (untitled)", one group dance performance with Lee Know and Felix, and two solo dance performances he choreographed, one to "Play with Fire" by Sam Tinnesz featuring Yacht Money in 2022, and another to "When the Party's Over" by Billie Eilish in 2020.

As of September 2024, Hyunjin is known to have several unreleased songs, including the solo song "Mic & Brush" that he performed during Stray Kids' 5-Star Dome Tour.

Influences

Hyunjin enjoys pop music, including the music of Coldplay, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, and Lana Del Rey. He has named Jinyoung of former labelmates Got7 as a role model.

Impact and influence

Hyunjin was placed consistently in Tumblr's "K-Pop Stars of the Year", ranking 28th in 2018, 18th in 2019, 19th in 2020, 9th in 2021, and 6th in 2022. Hyunjin was ranked fifth in ''Billboard''s 2024 K-Pop Artist 100.

Hyunjin has also been named "K-Pop's Performance Leader" via an article in October 2021, after his dance performance for Studio Choom's Artist of the Month for October was released. Hyunjin is also credited with revitalizing the long haired trend for male K-pop idols after going viral for his cover of " Psycho" by Red Velvet on KBS' ''Music Bank''.

In February 2023, Hyunjin was named one of the five top entertainers in Korea on ''Forbes'' Korea's "Top 30 under 30" list making him the youngest at that time. On March 13, 2024, fashion magazine ''Vogue Business'' mentioned Hyunjin as the celebrity with the highest SNS engagement rate overall for the 2024 Fall Winter fashion week season (at over 37%) during the Versace's Fall-Winter 2024 fashion show.

He has been cited as an inspiration or influence by multiple artists, including Haru of Nexz and Yujin of Zerobaseone.

Other ventures

Fashion and endorsements

Together with bandmate and fellow DanceRacha member Lee Know, Hyunjin featured in the April 2020 issue of '' Arena Homme+ Korea''. He was featured again in the magazine's February 2021 issue, alongside bandmate Felix, also part of Stray Kids' dance line.

In 2021, Hyunjin, Lee Know, and Felix endorsed the Earthbeat sneaker for Etro. On August 31, 2022, together with bandmate Felix, Hyunjin attended the Tod's Seoul event at Loop Station Iksun. In April 2024, Hyunjin attended a Kilian Paris event in support of endorsing the brand in '' W Korea''. In May 2024, he made his Met Gala debut with Stray Kids as guests of Tommy Hilfiger, making them the first K-pop group to attend together wearing custom outfits by the same designer.

Versace ambassadorship

On September 5, 2022, Hyunjin and Felix attended the YSL Beauty X Dua Lipa event in Paris. In May 2023, following his meeting with Lipa, Hyunjin was subsequently became one of 60 guests invited to Cannes for Dua Lipa's debut fashion show, "La Vacanza", a collaboration with Versace.

In July 2023, he also attended the opening of Versace's "La Vacanza" pop-up store in Seoul. Later that month, Hyunjin was announced as a global brand ambassador for Versace, making him the first South Korean and Asian male ambassador for the brand. The partnership led to Versace designing multiple bespoke pieces for him, including outfits he wore to perform with Stray Kids at the 2023 VMAs, Lollapalooza Paris, and the band's 5-Star Dome Tour. Hyunjin has also featured Versace designs in Stray Kids' music videos, including " S-Class". In 2024, the brand provided Hyunjin with custom outfits for Stray Kids' Dominate World Tour.

He was the face of Versace's Holiday 2023 advertising campaign. After a minor car accident delayed a planned appearance in September 2023, Hyunjin attended his first Milan Fashion Week as part of his ongoing collaboration with the brand in February 2024. In September 2024, he attended his second Milan Fashion Week, participating in the showcase for Versace's spring-summer 2025 collection.

Cartier ambassadorship

In June 2023, Hyunjin modelled for Cartier as the cover star of '' Esquire Korea''. He modelled for the brand again in May 2024, as the cover model for ''Elle Korea''.

In September 2024, Hyunjin was announced as a brand ambassador for Cartier, with a modeling feature for the brand in the October 2024 issue of ''Esquire Korea''.

Givenchy Beauty ambassadorship

In February 2025, Hyunjin was announced as an ambassador for Givenchy Beauty, with a modeling feature for the brand in the March 2025 issue of '' Marie Claire Korea''.

Philanthropy

On February 16, 2023, it was reported that Hyunjin donated through the international relief organization, The Promise, to aid the relief efforts following the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. His contributions made him appointed as a member of the honors club on March 30.

In November 2023, he participated in a fundraising event for the "Love Your W" campaign by ''W Korea'' to raise awareness about breast cancer.

In 2024, to celebrate his birthday, he donated to the Snail of Love, a social welfare organization that provides hearing-impaired people with artificial cochlear surgery and hearing aids to help them find sound, supports social adaptation of hearing children, and provides education to improve public awareness.

Hyunjin donated to Samsung Medical Center on his birthday, March 20, 2025. The donation he made will be used to cover the treatment costs of children and adolescent patients receiving treatment at Samsung Medical Center as well as emotional support activities to help them achieve psychological stability.

Personal life

Health

In July 2022, Hyunjin sustained a hand injury impacting his participation in Stray Kids' Maniac World Tour.

In September 2023, Hyunjin, alongside bandmates Lee Know and Seungmin, received medical attention following a minor road accident, resulting in the modification of a planned Stray Kids performance at Global Citizen Festival.

Discography

Songs

As lead artist

As featured artist

Songwriting credits

All song credits are adapted from KOMCA, unless stated otherwise.

Videography

Music videos

Filmography

Television shows

Web Series

Hosting

Notes

References

External links

* at KOMCA
* at JYP Publishing

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hwang, Hyun-jin
2000 births
Living people
Stray Kids members
JYP Entertainment artists
21st-century South Korean rappers
21st-century South Korean male singers
South Korean male singer-songwriters
21st-century South Korean singer-songwriters
South Korean male rappers
21st-century male rappers
South Korean male dancers
Korean-language singers
K-pop singers
South Korean male idols
South Korean hip-hop dancers
School of Performing Arts Seoul alumni