Moon Jong-up (; born February 6, 1995), also known

mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...

as Jongup, is a South Korean singer, dancer, and actor. He debuted as an

idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a devotional image of a deity or saint used during puja ...

in the six-member group

B.A.P Bang & Jung & Yoo & Moon () is a South Korean boy band under MA Entertainment. The group, originally consisting of Bang Yong-guk, Yongguk, Himchan, Jung Dae-hyun, Daehyun, Yoo Young-jae, Youngjae, Moon Jong-up, Jong-up, and Zelo is best known ...

under

TS Entertainment TS Entertainment (also known as TS ENTER ()) was a South Korean record label and entertainment agency founded in 2008 by Kim Tae‑song (). It was located at Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The company was responsible for managing Ko ...

, where he served as a sub-vocalist from 2012 to its dissolution in 2019. Following his departure from TS Entertainment, he released his debut

single album In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...

''Headache'' in May 2020.

Early life

Moon was born on February 6, 1995, in

Siheung Siheung (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The city has a population of 511,807 people, where 508,646 are residents out of 218,846 households as of August 2021. Siheung acquired its cu ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

. He is the youngest of three sons. He initially enrolled into an elementary school in the city before transferring to Sunae Elementary School in

Bundang-gu Bundang District () is the largest and most populous district (''Administrative divisions of South Korea, gu'') of Seongnam, a major city in the Seoul Capital Area, South Korea. Bundang District is one of South Korea's wealthiest and highest devel ...

Seongnam Seongnam (; ) is the fourth largest city in South Korea's Gyeonggi Province after Suwon and the 10th largest city in the country. Its population is approximately one million. It consists of three administrative districts: Bundang District, J ...

, a month later. His mother, a certified chef, opened up a business at the time. Moon also attended Sunae Middle School, where he joined the dance club and performed at various school festivals and

b-boy A b-boy is a person devoted to breaking or break dancing. B Boy may also refer to: Music * "B-Boy", a song by Tech N9ne featuring Big Scoob, Bumpy Knuckles, Kutt Calhoun, and Skatterman from the album '' K.O.D.'', 2009 * "B Boy" (song) by Meek ...

tournaments by the end of his first year. He was admitted into

Hanlim Multi Art School Hanlim Multi Art School () is an arts high school located in Songpa District in Seoul, South Korea. History Hanlim School was founded on 3 March 1962, with Lee Hyeon-man being appointed school principal. In 2009, it became the Hanlim Multi Art ...

in the

Songpa District Songpa District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Previously known as Wiryeseong, the first capital of the ancient kingdom of Baekje, Songpa is located in the southeastern part of Seoul. With roughly 647,000 residents, Songpa ...

of Seoul and graduated on February 7, 2013.

Career

Pre–debut

Moon met a

talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds work for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, dancers, and other professionals in various entertainm ...

during a competition, who would later call him for an audition. He danced to an Usher song and received his notice of acceptance on his way home. He became a trainee under

in August during his first year in high school. He spent the longest time as a trainee after bandmate Yongguk.

2012–2019: B.A.P

Moon was revealed as a member of

sextet

on January 17, 2012, where he served as a sub-vocalist and main dancer. Moon Jong-up at a fan meeting in March 2017 01

The group debuted nine days later with their single album ''

Warrior A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste. History ...

''. In November 2014, B.A.P filed a lawsuit against its agency. The members sought to nullify its contract with the company citing "unfair conditions and profit distribution". In August of the following year, the two parties ultimately settled and B.A.P resumed its activities under TS Entertainment. Moon performed his first solo song entitled "Try My Luck" during B.A.P's 2017 World Tour 'Party Baby!' in March. A

PBR&B Alternative R&B (also referred to as alt-R&B, indie R&B, and originally known as PBR&B, hipster R&B, emo R&B, or R-Neg-B) is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B that began in the mid 2000s ...

track, it was released as part of a project album with fellow member Daehyun on June 8. In August and December 2018, Yongguk and

Zelo Choi Jun-hong (; born October 15, 1996), better known by his stage name Zelo, is a South Korean rapper and dancer best known as the former member of the South Korean boy group B.A.P. He made his recording debut with the single "Never Give Up" ...

left the group and record label following the expiration of their contracts, respectively. Moon and the remaining three members left the agency in February 2019, leading the dissolution of B.A.P. Following B.A.P's disbandment, Moon took a six-month break from music.

2019–present: New agency, and solo debut

Moon was cast for an encore show of the theater production ''The Lost Village''; the performance took place on April 27, 2019. Set in

Jeju Island Jeju Island (Jeju language, Jeju/) is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of , which is 1.83% of the total area of the country. Alongside outlying islands, it is part of Jeju Province and makes up the majority of the province. The i ...

amid the historical events of 1979, he played the young version of bar owner Donghyuk. Moon was a contestant on

Maeil Broadcasting Network Maeil Broadcasting Network, Inc. (MBN) (주식회사 매일방송) is a South Korean cable TV network operated by the ''Maeil Business Newspaper The Maeil Business Newspaper (), also simply known as Maekyung (derived from the pronunciatio ...

's survival reality show ''Signhere'' (2019), where participants auditioned to join

Jay Park Jay Park (born April 25, 1987), Korean name Park Jae-beom (), is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and dancer based in South Korea. He is a member of the Seattle-based breakdancing, b-boy crew Art of Movement (AOM), and founder and former ...

's record label

AOMG AOMG is a South Korean hip-hop and R&B record label founded in 2013 by rapper and singer-songwriter Jay Park. The label currently houses 20 musicians, UFC fighter Chan Sung Jung, and cartoonist Kian84. History Above Ordinary Music Group (AOM ...

. He passed the first round, but was eliminated in the second after his collaborative performance with MBA. In November, Moon signed an exclusive contract with The Groove Company. On May 7, 2020, he released his debut

''Headache'' and its

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

title track. On July 8, 2021, he released his first extended play '' Us''. In December, 2021, it was revealed he would be playing the role of Jang Jun in the upcoming music comedy ''Idol Recipe'' (2021), a film about an idol group that finds success despite being abandoned by their agency. On May 31, Moon announced that RE:MEET fan meetings will be held in Japan on July 30 and 31, 2022. On February 15, 2023, he was revealed as a contestant on

JTBC JTBC (shortened from Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company; ; stylized in all lowercase) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on December 1, ...

's ''

Peak Time ''Peak Time'' () is a 2023 South Korean reality competition show. It aired on JTBC from February 15 to April 19, 2023, every Wednesday at 20:50 ( KST) for the first two episodes before it changed to 22:30 (KST) from the third episode onwards. It ...

'' and took part in TEAM 24:00. The group placed 3rd in the final round. On October 5, a teaser was released for Moon's second mini album, ''Some.'' The album was later released on October 30.

Musical style

Moon cites American musician

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

as his role model, who influenced him to become a singer.

Discography

Extended plays

Single albums

Singles

Guest appearances

Soundtrack appearances

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moon, Jong-up 1995 births 21st-century South Korean male actors 21st-century South Korean singers B.A.P (South Korean band) members Hanlim Multi Art School alumni Japanese-language singers of South Korea K-pop singers Living people People from Bundang District Male actors from Seongnam Singers from Gyeonggi Province South Korean child singers South Korean male film actors South Korean male dancers South Korean male idols 21st-century South Korean male singers South Korean male stage actors TS Entertainment artists People from Siheung