JB (South Korean singer)

JB
Native name	임재범
Born	Lim Jae-bum Goyang, South Korea
Residence	Seoul, South Korea
Nationality	South Korean
Alma mater	Konkuk University
Occupation	Singer Songwriter Actor MC
Musical career
Genres	K-pop
Instruments	Vocal Piano
Years active	2011–present
Labels	JYP Entertainment
Associated acts	Got7 JJ Project JYP Nation
Korean name
Hangul	임재범
Hanja	林宰範
Revised Romanization	Im Jae-beom
Stage name
Hangul	제이비
Revised Romanization	Je-i-bi

JB performing with Got7 at KCON 2015.

Lim Jae-bum (Hangul: 임재범; Japanese: イム·ジェボム; Chinese: 林在範) commonly known by his stage name JB (Hangul: 제이비), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, and MC. He is the leader and lead vocalist of South Korean boyband Got7, and member of the duo JJ Project.

JB made his acting debut in a small role of a backup dancer in the hit KBS drama Dream High in 2011, before returning to star as the main character JB/Jang Woo-jae in its spin-off, Dream High 2, in 2012.^[1] He has also starred in MBC's When a Man Falls in Love as Seo-Min Joon, and Naver TVCast's Dream Knight as himself.

Early life

JB was born in Goyang City, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. He is an only child. His parents manage an orchard.^[2] He graduated from Sewon High School, and attended Konkuk University as a film major.

JB has been watching and listening to pop music since he was 7 years old. Because he didn't have siblings, he spent all of his free time dancing and listening to music alone. In high school he met and was inspired by a school senior who was a dancer. JB immediately started dancing seriously as studying taking the second place.^[3]

Career

2009-2014: Debut and career beginnings

JB, along with fellow Got7 member Jinyoung, successfully auditioned for JYP Entertainment in 2009, winning first place at the open audition. This was after being discovered in a bathroom by J.Y. Park, in a similar fashion to that of Miss A's Suzy. JB was given the stage name "JB" due to his sharing the same name with Yim Jae-beom, a famous senior singer.

In 2011, JB was cast in the role of JB/Jang Woo-jae in the television drama Dream High 2.^[4][5] In a press conference for the drama, he described his experience by saying, "It is an honor to be part of such a large project as Dream High 2. Although I was very nervous at the beginning, I was determined to work hard to improve. My friends and fellow cast mates on the show have helped me a lot, and I am very happy." The drama began airing on January 30, 2012 on KBS for 16 episodes.

In May 2012, JB and fellow trainee Jinyoung debuted as the duo JJ Project with the single album Bounce. Their official music video for title track "Bounce" was released on May 19, and the duo began promotions for "Bounce" on M! Countdown on May 24. JB appeared on the first season of tvN's variety show The Romantic & Idol, finally pairing mutually with Rainbow's Seungah.^[6]

On March 11, 2013, it was announced that JB would be appearing as Ddol-yi on MBC's new drama When a Man Falls in Love. His bandmate Jinyoung also had a role in the drama, which aired for twenty episodes beginning April 3. On December 24, 2013, the two members of JJ Project debuted as part of a 7-member boy band called Got7, becoming the leader of the group. Got7 released their debut MV “Girls Girls Girls” on January 15, 2014. The group dropped their first EP Got It? on January 20, 2014 with successful charting and sales. JB also participates in composing and songwriting for Got7 under the pen name, Def Soul.^[7]

2015-present

In addition to his activities as a member of Got7, JB has starred in various dramas and TV programs, and continues to compose. Both he and Jinyoung have said that work as the JJ Project is possible in the future.

JB played the lead role in Dream Knight, a virtual musical television drama, as a superhero version of himself, alongside his fellow Got7 members. The drama was released in 2015 from January 27 through March 5. For his performance, he was nominated for Best New Actor at the 2015 KWEB 1st Fest.

Other ventures

Songwriting

JB composed "나쁜 짓 (Bad Behavior)" for the album "GOT ♡" in 2014. In 2015, he wrote the rap to "Mine" in "Just Right". He also composed "매일 (Everyday)" for the album ''MAD Winter Edition'' together with 조울 of 프린세스디지즈 [Cho Wool of Princess Disease] in the same year. In 2016, he wrote the lyrics to "Something Good", "Fish" and "Home Run" in "Flight Log: Departure". He also wrote the lyrics for "Skyway", "Prove It" and ""니꿈꿔" (Dreamin')" for the album "Flight Log: Turbulence".

Personal life and other interests

JB's favourite artists and musical inspirations are Michael Jackson, India Arie, D'Angelo, Javier, and Bruno Mars.^[6][8] He identifies as Christian.^[9] JB can speak some Japanese.^[8]

On September 12 of 2014 he was involved in a minor car accident. Reports said the vehicle transporting JB, his manager, and his stylist was trying to change lanes to avoid a parked car when a bus came up behind, causing their car to hit a van. Neither JB nor his staff suffered major damage.^[10]

In 2015, on October 27, a fan who claimed to have attended a Got7 signing in Daegu on the 12th of the same month made an online posting that described a conversation between her and JB, who allegedly made an inappropriate, sexual joke to her during the event. After other fans who had attended the same event countered and fact checked her post, the claims were mostly debunked, with JB innocence accepted by most of his fanbase and the press speculations, though only after JB himself had commenting on the post twice, defending himself from the claims.^[11][12]

In 2016, JB was unable to participate in several Got7's Fly Tour concerts and a M!Countdown performance due to a spinal disc injury. He discovered he had an issue with his spinal disc after being diagnosed, having gone to the hospital on April 27 during a concert rehearsal after experiencing severe back pains.^[13][14] He returned to the stage for Fly in Singapore concert at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, showing a full recovery.^[15]

Discography

Soundtrack appearances

Songwriting credits

Filmography

Dramas

Variety shows

Awards and nominations

1st KWEB Fest 2015

The first edition of the Seoul KoWebFest, the festival of Korean web series is the only of its kind in Korea and Northern Asia.

References

1. ↑ "아시아경제". 10.asiae.co.kr. Retrieved 2016-10-17. 
2. ↑ Inc., Telescope. "Teen Choice Awards - Vote". vote.teenchoice.com. Retrieved 2016-10-17. 
3. ↑ Inc., Telescope. "Teen Choice Awards - Vote". vote.teenchoice.com. Retrieved 2016-10-17. 
4. ↑ hotshotlover30 (2012-01-17). "'Dream High 2' Holds Press Conference". Soompi. Retrieved 2016-10-17. 
5. ↑ drama19700 (2012-03-12), [Eng Sub] 120117 Dream High 2 Press Conference - Jiyeon cuts.flv, retrieved 2016-10-17 
6. 1 2 "GOT7 Profile". Miss Kpop. Retrieved 2016-10-17. 
7. ↑ "Def Soul". :: JYP Publishing ::. JYP Entertainment. 2014-06-23. 
8. 1 2 "Got7 Profile". SuMandu, The Kpop Guru. 2014-06-29. Retrieved 2016-10-17. 
9. ↑ "GOT7 Members Profile". KPop Lyrics. Retrieved 2016-10-17. 
10. ↑ deedeegii (2014-09-13). "GOT7's JB Revealed to Have Been Involved in Minor Car Accident, JYPE Assures Fans He is Not Injured". Soompi. Retrieved 2016-10-17. 
11. ↑ "GOT7's JB accused of making inappropriate, sexual jokes to a fan? | allkpop.com". Retrieved 2016-10-17. 
12. ↑ "A Fan Claimed GOT 7 JB Allegedly Made Her Uncomfortable With Indecent Jokes; Other Supporters Defended Him Against The Issue". Movie News Guide. 2015-10-28. Retrieved 2016-10-17. 
13. ↑ "JB Absent From First Concerts Of 'Fly Tour' — Got7 Leaderless As K-Pop Group Performs With Six Members". The Inquisitr News. Retrieved 2016-10-17. 
14. ↑ Jeong, G. (2016-04-28). "GOT7's JB To Receive Further Medical Examination, Overseas Concert Tour May Be Affected". Soompi. Retrieved 2016-10-17. 
15. ↑ "Got7 leader JB recovers in time for concert here". The New Paper. Retrieved 2016-10-17. 
16. ↑ "Got7" (in Korean). M.star.naver.com. 2014-05-14. Retrieved 2015-03-31. 
17. ↑ "A Song For You - Season 3 - Episode 2 - Watch Full Episodes Free on DramaFever". Dramafever.com. Retrieved 2015-03-31. 
18. ↑ "'Running Man' 100 Guest Special To Include K-Pop Idol Groups G-Friend, GOT7 And More". Kpopstarz. Retrieved 10 November 2015. 
19. ↑ "Global Request Show: A Song For You 4 - Ep.3 with GOT7 (2015.08.17)". YouTube. Retrieved 14 December 2015. 
20. ↑ "'주간아이돌' 갓세븐 마크, LA 집 수영장+정원 '멤버들도 깜짝'" (in Korean). mydaily.co.kr. Retrieved 23 October 2015. 
21. ↑ "GOT7「テレビでハングル講座」レギュラー出演決定を生報告！日本ツアーが幕張でフィナーレ" (in Japanese). news.kstyle.com. Retrieved 6 April 2016. 
22. ↑ "テレビでハングル講座" (in Japanese). NHK online. Retrieved 6 April 2016. 
23. ↑ "Kwebfest (@Kwebfest) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 2016-10-17. 
24. ↑ "1st KWEB FEST 2015 - AWARD WINNERS!!!". Retrieved 2016-10-17.