Choi Jung-hoon (Hangul: 최정훈; born March 10, 1992) is a South Korean musician, singer, songwriter and record producer best known as the frontman and principal songwriter of the Korean indie rock band Jannabi.
Choi Jung-hoon | |
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![]() Choi Jung-hoon in 2022 | |
Born | (1992-03-10) March 10, 1992 (age 30) Bundang, Gyeonggi, South Korea |
Education | Kyung Hee University – Business administration |
Occupation |
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Musical career | |
Genres |
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Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 2012–present |
Labels | Peponi Music |
Musical artist
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Korean name | |
Hangul | |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Choe Jeong-hun |
McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Chŏnghun |
Choi Jung-hoon was born on March 10, 1992, in Bundang, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.[1] His family consists of his parents and an older brother. Choi spent his elementary, middle, and high school days in Bundang's academy district called "Dolmaro" (he would go on to write the lyrics of the song Dolmaro in Jannabi's Legend album). He attended Bundang Elementary School, Seohyun Middle School, and Yatap High School.[2]
Choi displayed musical talent and interest from an early age. He often listened to and sang Elton John, Sanulrim, and Ozzy Osbourne songs which are different from the likes of his peers, but gets appreciated by his teachers. This motivated him to continue listening and singing to these types of music.[3][4] He has always liked writing essays and songs since his fifth grade. Having met guitarist Kim Do-hyung, with whom he had the same music interest and attended the same high school, they both performed for school activities and events.[5]
He also devoted himself to his studies when he was a student, following the opinion of his parents that he should study hard first then think about later on if he really wants to make music. He excelled in his studies, reportedly ranking 100th in his first year and 8th in his third year in the entire school.[6] He served as the student council's president and later gained admission to Kyung Hee University to pursue a degree in Business administration, but decided to take a year off from college to focus on music.[7][8][9] He became a trainee at FNC Entertainment, but decided to leave the agency, realizing his creativity was restricted by the company and he had different musical style from N.Flying.[10]
Jannabi was formed in 2012 under an independent label Peponi Music established and headed by Choi's older brother. They started from scratch, performing on clubs and busking on the streets of Hongdae and Insa-dong.[11]
In August 2013, Jannabi auditioned for the fifth season of the survival audition show Superstar K to make their band known. While Kim Do-hyung and Yoo Young-hyun were eliminated, Choi continued to participate as a member of the newly created vocalist group Plan B. However, Plan B was eliminated only making it in the Top 7.[12]
Since their debut in 2014, Jannabi has released three digital singles, including Rocket, November Rain, and Pole Dance, its first extended play See Your Eyes and several sound tracks for Korean television dramas. In August 2016, Jannabi went on to release its first full-length album Monkey Hotel.[13] All members gather to discuss how each instrument will fit into the music. They have written, composed, and arranged all their songs with Choi credited as the lyricist on all their albums.[14]
While the band was known in the Korean indie music scene with the release of their singles and EPs, they gained mainstream popularity after releasing their second full-length album Legend with the title track "For Lovers Who Hesitate" in 2019. The songs in the album and their past singles quickly became a national sensation, entering the K-Pop Hot 100 and Gaon Digital Chart. Following the release of Legend, the band embarked on their first national tour.[13]
In 2020, Jannabi released their second EP Jannabi's Small Pieces 1 with the title song "A thought on an autumn night".[15] Despite two of the members, Jang and Kim, being on a hiatus due to military service,[16] Choi has continued to promote as a one-man band, releasing the third full-length album The Land of Fantasy on July 18, 2021 and communicate with fans through various broadcasts and solo activities.[17]
Choi has collaborated with a variety of South Korean artists across multiple genres. In 2018, he participated in the song "Lilac" from Changmo extended play The Moment of Contact.[18] In the same year, Jannabi released the digital single "Made in Christmas" featuring Lee Su-hyun of AKMU.[19]
In 2020, Choi participated in the 28th anniversary project of the fashion magazine Elle Korea called "RECONNECT." It features the song "For the Gone" written and composed by him alongside Code Kunst and Simon Dominic.[20]
In 2021, Choi participated in the song "Next Episode" from AKMU extended play of the same title Next Episode.[21] In the same year, he participated in the 25th anniversary tribute for punk rock band No Brain by remaking their song "Midnight Music," track from No Brain's 5th album That is Youth (2007), in Jannabi's own style.[22]
In 2022, Choi launched a film photo exhibition called "Days of Future Passed" in collaboration with Allycamera to showcase his point of view and some of his brother's photographic works.[23] The exhibition runs from April 29 to May 5, 2022 at the Hyundai Department Store.[24] On May 18, Choi joined the two-track project of singer-songwriter Jo Dong-hee and composer Jo Dong-Ik by singing their song "Until I love the love." The song has an exquisite blend of understated acoustic melodies and electronic sounds that lead to a calm atmosphere.[25] On September 26, a song collaboration "Because We Loved" by Choi and Kang Min-kyung was released.[26] The song ranked first on various music charts such as Bugs and Genie.[27]
Following Jannabi's rise to fame, Choi appeared on various television shows, including KBS' In Sync where vocalists try to find their perfect match to do a duet,[28] social commentary talk show Hello Counselor,[29] and MBC's I Live Alone where he particularly gained attention by revealing his daily life, peaking on real-time search terms of major portal sites.[30][31]
In February 2022, it was announced that Choi will join JTBC's music entertainment show Hot Singers as a music director alongside Kim Moon-jeong. The show centers on the journey of Korea's famous senior actors in singing songs together while telling the stories of their lives.[32]
Choi has been featured in several fashion and lifestyle publications, including Vogue, Elle, GQ, and Dazed.[33]
In September 2021, Choi was chosen as the model for the Fall/Winter sneaker collection of Umbro, themed "Heritage of Passion."[34][35] He later became the ambassador for the clothing brand Custom Mellow, developed by the Kolon Industries FnC. It was the first time for the brand to collaborate with an artist in a music project which included the production of the music video for "King of Romance," one of the tracks from Jannabi's third full-length album The Land of Fantasy and other advertisement campaigns.[36]
In May 2022, Choi became the endorser of Sennheiser's Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds.[37] In July 2022, Choi served as the brand model for the ad campaign "Runners Helping Runners" by Nike.[38][39] In September 2022, Shinsegae International decided to start the menswear business of Studio Tomboy, the first generation of women's wear in Korea, and selected Choi as the model.[40][41]
Choi has been referred to as one of the "sentimental craftsman" of his generation by various publications and organizations.[42][43][44] Predominantly described as romantic and old-fashioned, music critics and listeners characterized his voice as something very unusual with high husky and unique tone, possessing a “vintage voice reminiscent of the old times.”[45]
As the lyricist of Jannabi's songs, his personal experiences were a common inspiration, which helped him reflect on the complexities of life.[45] He usually search for "words that don't exist"; those being used depending on the times and become obsolete, followed by a corresponding melody. Choi being an avid reader of poetry, often cites Jeong Ji-yong and Emily Dickinson among his influences in writing lyrics of a song.[46]
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
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KOR [47] |
KOR Hot [48] | |||
As lead artist | ||||
"For the Gone" (사라진 모든 것들에게) with Code Kunst and Simon Dominic |
2020 | 106 | — | Non-album singles |
"Midnight Music" (한밤의 뮤직) | 2021 | — | — | |
"Until I Love the Love" (사랑을 사랑하게 될 때까지) | 2022 | — | 83 | |
"Because We Loved" (우린 그렇게 사랑해서) with Kang Min-kyung |
12 | — | ||
As featured artist | ||||
"Lilac" Changmo featuring Choi Jung-hoon of Jannabi |
2018 | — | — | The Moment of Contact |
"Next Episode" AKMU featuring Choi Jung-hoon of Jannabi |
2021 | 54 | 77 | Next Episode |
Soundtrack appearances | ||||
"For the Peace of All Mankind" (비긴어게인 오픈마이크) with Lee Eun-mi |
2022 | — | — | Begin Again Open Mic |
"Long Time Lovers" (아주 오래된 연인들) with Lee Mu-jin |
— | You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook | ||
"No One" (누구없소) with Na Moon-hee |
— | Hot Singers | ||
"Piano Man" with Kim Moon-jeong |
— | |||
"One Fine Spring Day" (봄날은 간다) with Kim Young-ok & Na Moon-hee |
— | |||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Year | Network | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
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2013 | Mnet | Superstar K 5 | Contestant | Finished in Top 7 as part of Plan B | [49] |
2018 | MBC | King of Mask Singer | Contestant | Episodes 183-184 as "Ginger Man" | [50] |
2019 | KBS2 | In Sync | Cast member | Episodes 1-4 | [51] |
2022 | JTBC | Hot Singers | Cast member | Episodes 1-11 as Music Director | [52] |
Hidden Singer | Contestant | Eliminated in Round 3 | [53] |
Year | Network | Title | Notes | Ref. |
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2021 | KBS Cool FM | STATION Z | DJ | [54] |
SBS Power FM | This Beautiful Morning, This Is Kim Chang-wan | Special DJ | [55][56] | |
Year | Program | Notes | Ref. |
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2021 | The Stage of Legends - Archive K | Special MC with Sung Si-kyung | [57] |
Leto GV for Marie Claire Film Festival | Talk with Yoo Teo | [58] |
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