Kim Myung-jun (; March 5, 1994), known professionally as MJ (엠제이), is a South Korean singer and actor managed under the label of Fantagio. He debuted in 2016 as the main vocalist of the South Korean six-member boy group Astro. In August 2020, he debuted as one of the five members of an idol trot group named through MBC TV's reality trot show '.

Life and career

2012–2015: Pre-debut

MJ was a contestant in the 2012

JYP Entertainment JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1997 by Park Jin-young, J. Y. Park. Operating as a record label, talent ...

X HUM Audition and won a one-year scholarship from Seoul Arts College. MJ took part in Fantagio's iTeen, a rookie talent development program managed under the label of Fantagio. He and other members of Astro were known as iTeen Boys. MJ and the other Astro members starred in a web drama series named "To be Continued" which featured the members as themselves.

2016–2019: Debut with Astro and solo activities

MJ officially debuted as a member of Astro on February 23, 2016. During Astro's 2nd ASTROAD To Seoul "Starlight" concert which was held on December 22–23, 2018, MJ performed his solo trot stage "Cheok Cheok". It was included in the DVD of the concert which was released in June 2019. In February 2019, MJ sang his first OST titled "You're My Everything" for the Korean drama, '' My Only One''. Also in February 2019, MJ along with Jin Ju,

Hyomin Park Sun-young (; born May 30, 1989), known professionally as Hyomin (), is a South Korean singer and actress, known for her work as a member of South Korean girl group T-ara. Apart from her group's activities, Hyomin has also starred in variou ...

, Heo Kyung-hwan, Kang Tae-oh travelled to

Nha Trang Nha Trang ( or ; ) is a coastal city and capital of Khánh Hòa Province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the north by Ninh Hoà town, on the south by Cam Ranh city and on the west by Diên Khánh District. The city had ...

for the Korean travel show "Have To Go to Know". In March 2019, MJ and Jinjin took part in the travel/variety show project of Celuv TV - ''Go Together, Travel Alone''. The show was filmed in

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

and includes Tony Ahn, Han Seung-yeon, Jin Jin and Kim So-hye. It was later on released in a DVD format. In June 2019, he co-hosted Insane Quiz Show Season 2, also abbreviated as "이세퀴" and "IQS S2", with BtoB's Illhoon and

Loona Loona (stylized in all caps or as LOOΠΔ; ; , ) is a South Korean girl group created by Blockberry Creative. The group is composed of eleven members: Heejin, Hyunjin, Haseul, Vivi, Yeojin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Choerry, Yves (singer), Yves, Go Won ...

Chuu Kim Ji-woo (, born October 20, 1999), known professionally by her stage name Chuu (), is a South Korean singer, actress and television personality. She is a former member of the South Korean girl group Loona and its sub-unit, yyxy. Early lif ...

. In July 2019, MJ and Yoon San-ha were confirmed to be the MCs of the tvN D's variety talk show Blanket Kick at Night. In August 2019, MJ appeared in '' King of Masked Singer'' as Driver Kim. Also in February 2019, MJ along with Jin Ju,

, Heo Kyung-hwan, Kang Tae-oh travelled to

for the Korean travel show "Have To Go to Know".

2020–present: Musical debut, Super Five and solo debut

In April 2020, MJ sang another OST for the Korean drama, ''Eccentric! Chef Moon'' titled "Sweet Spring". In that same month, it was confirmed that MJ, together with 2AM's

Jo Kwon Jo Kwon ( born on August 28, 1989) is a South Korean singer, television host, actor, entertainer and the leader of South Korean boy band 2AM. He has starred in multiple musicals such as '' Jesus Christ Superstar'' playing the role of King He ...

NU'EST NU'EST (; short for New Establish Style Tempo) was a South Korean boy band formed and managed by Pledis Entertainment. The group consisted of five members: Kim Jong-hyeon, JR, Aron (singer), Aron, Baekho (singer), Baekho, Hwang Min-hyun, Minhyu ...

's Ren, and Shin Joo Hyup were cast for the Korean version of the musical '' Everybody's Talking About Jamie'', a musical based on a true story of a teenager named Jamie who aspires to become a drag queen. The musical was scheduled from July 4 to September 11 at LG Arts Center in

Gangnam Gangnam (), sometimes referred to as the Greater Gangnam Area, is a geographic and cultural region in Seoul. While Gangnam can refer to the entire region of Seoul south of the Han River, the region is generally defined as consisting of the city ...

. On the September 11, 2020, MJ successfully finished his last show for the musical as Jamie. In July 2020, MJ was cast in MBC's ''Favorite Entertainment''. He was selected as one of the five members of the idol trot group formed by Jang Yoon Jung and in charge of visual of the group. The project boy group debuted on MBC's Music Core on August 22, 2020 under the name Super Five (다섯장). MJ promoted with Super Five using his real name Kim Myung Jun. The group consists of

Pentagon In geometry, a pentagon () is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple polygon, simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simple or list of self-intersecting polygons, self-intersecting. A self-intersecting ...

's Lee Hoe-taek, A.cian's Chu Hyeok-jin, Park Hyeong-seok and Ok Jin-wook. The group debuted with the songs "Hello" and "All Eyes on You". In 2021, he became the only MC for the 2nd season of ''Fact In Star''. On October 14, Fantagio confirmed that MJ will debut as a solo artist with a semi-trot song to be released in November, which features Kim Tae-yeon from Miss Trot.

Young Tak Park Young-tak (born 13 May 1983), credited mononymously as Young Tak (, commonly stylized as YOUNGTAK), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, actor and television personality. He made his debut in 2007 as a ballad singer with his 1st album ''Y ...

was also participating in the production of said song. On October 18, it was confirmed that MJ was cast to play the role 'Daniel' in the musical '

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who was active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer was also ...

'. MJ will play the role together with Uhm ki joon, F.T. Island's Lee Hong-ki and SF9's Inseong. The musical is slated to open on December 3 at the KEPCO Art Center in Seoul. On October 28, 2021, MJ was announced as part of G-Market's mystery romance thriller web drama called ''Find Me If You Can''. He played the role of a long time friend with the main lead actress. It was premiered on November 9, 2021, via ''INSSA OPPA G'' YouTube Channel. On November 3, MJ debuted as a solo artist with two songs — "Get Set Yo" and "Valet Parking". On November 29, he won in SBS's The Trot Show and is the first idol to ever win first place on The Trot Show. On February 3, 2022, the agency confirmed that MJ would temporarily suspend his activities due to illness. On November 8th, 2023, after being discharged from the military, MJ was cast in the musical Winter Wanderer (as Han Min Woo, alongside Lee Chang Sub (BTOB), Ren, and Inseong (SF9). The musical is based on the classic novel of the same name by the late contemporary writer Choi In-ho (1945-2013). The musical returns after 18 years since its premiere in 1997 to a newly recreated stage to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the late writer. The musical ran from December 15th, 2023 to February 25th, 2024. One February 23February 23th, 2024, MJ successfully finished his last performance. On May 29th, 2024, MJ released the song "One Last Dream" as the 4th OST for the currently airing drama "Dare to Love Me". On August 14, it was confirmed that MJ was cast to play the role legendary hero 'Zorro' in the musical 'Zorro: Actor Musician', which will begin airing on September 11. On September 24, MJ released a single titled "Why so pretty?" through various online music sites. On December 18, MJ had renew his contract with the agency.

Personal life

Military service

MJ enlisted in the military band as part of his mandatory military service on May 9, 2022. He was discharged from military service on November 8, 2023.

Discography

Singles

Songwriting credits

''All credits are listed under the

Korea Music Copyright Association The Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) is a South Korean non-profit copyright collective for musical works, administering public performance and broadcasting rights, and mechanical recording and reproduction rights. Founded in 1964, it ...

unless otherwise stated.''

As Kim Myung-jun of Super Five

Filmography

Web series

Television shows

Web shows

Theater

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:MJ (South Korean singer) 1994 births Living people Male actors from Suwon Singers from Suwon Astro (South Korean band) members South Korean male idols South Korean male web series actors South Korean male musical theatre actors South Korean male stage actors Fantagio artists K-pop singers 21st-century South Korean male singers 21st-century South Korean male actors Hanlim Multi Art School alumni