After just one day of release, J-Hope’s “More” has reached first place on iTunes charts in many countries around the world. All tickets for J-Hope’s concert in the US have been sold out.
Sharing with TIME , the meaning of the stage name J-Hope, Hoseok said that it is a combination of the surname “Jung” in his real name, Jung Hoseok, and “Hope” in English, hope. This name was chosen by the male idol himself with the desire to become a person who brings joy and hope to everyone around.
“I think it means a lot to be able to become someone like my stage name, a hope for someone in this world. Not having to become something too big, even being a small part is a blessing to me,” added Hoseok.
Street dancer turned idol rapper
It is not easy to find specific information about J-Hope’s background. However, the story of a boy pursuing his passion in Gwangju province has somehow become an inspiration for many young people.
Sharing in a Japanese magazine, Jung Hoseok said that he had attended art school since kindergarten. But at that time, he never felt that art was the true passion of his life. The male singer said, “Perhaps I studied there just because it’s close to home.”
However, with a dynamic personality, J-Hope is gradually attracted by free and liberal dances. Therefore, he began to study and soon showed an aptitude for this subject right from the third grade. A friend of J-Hope once shared the flexibility of his body and the characteristic positive energy that has formed in the BTS rapper from the very beginning of his acquaintance with street art.
6 years of dancing helped J-Hope discover his love of singing, which then led him to a landmark decision – to become an idol. Although he did not receive support from his family, the male singer still decided to pursue a professional artistic path.
In 2009, the 15-year-old boy went to Seoul alone to participate in the audition round of JYP. Tried to go to the final round but was not lucky enough to be chosen, however, the male idol still left with praises and became more and more confident in himself to shine in the future. A year later, the street dancer turned 16 with a new journey by passing the selection round of Big Hit Entertainment and joining BTS.
Also from here, J-Hope had a time of mental and physical fatigue when he had to practice regularly, but he always had an uneasy feeling about his own ability in his heart. The male idol once shared, at that time he felt he was lost in the vicious circle between rapping, dancing, and composing.
He seems to know a lot of things but he doesn’t excel at any skill. When he auditioned for Big Hit, J-Hope registered his singing and dancing talent. However, when he joined the company, the male star born in 1994 was trained to become a rapper. Although before that, he had never studied nor had the opportunity to come into contact with this art. Moreover, being trained with two members who are famous for their rap ability, RM and Suga, made J-Hope even more self-deprecating.
The pent-up pressure made the male idol once intend to leave the company. But then, thanks to mutual affection and trust, J-Hope decided to continue accompanying BTS. When he debuted with the group, he was so self-conscious about his appearance that he had to wear a mask on stage to perform. Some antifans even demanded a boycott and kicked J-Hope out of the group because of his unremarkable appearance. But thanks to the encouragement of ARMY (BTS’s fanclub), the male rapper of Big Hit still shines despite the scrutiny of public opinion.
BTS’s Hope and Pride
According to Forbes , J-Hope’s enthusiasm and hard work, talent and good personality are all evident in J-Hope. That is also the reason why he is always respected and loved by everyone.
Before joining Big Hit and debuting with BTS as a rapper, J-Hope was quite famous as a member of the underground dance group – Neuron. Besides, he also won many dance awards while in Gwangju, including first prize in the national dance competition in 2008.
After joining the group, he was also nicknamed the “dance captain” and regularly took on the inspection and tutoring for the rest of the members.In fact, in the group, J-Hope, Jimin and Jung Kook But according to Elite Daily , the rapper born in 1994 is always the voice in the choreography of the group and the star of the choreography.
The name “Captain Jung” comes from the ability to lead the members since their trainee days. Besides, he also participated in the choreography with the dance choreographers. Whether on stage or in the practice room, he always plays a key role in BTS’s performances.
Sharing about students at the Singapore Workshop 2014 , HYBE Performance Director – Son Seung Deok said: “Until now, J-Hope still plays a big role in BTS. Hoseok is a person with high responsibility for work during practice sessions, so he always works hard to guide the members. Although RM is the leader of the group, in terms of dance practice, it is Hoseok who has the biggest influence. He will take care of everything in order to be in order.”
In the behind-the-scenes video preparing for the performance at the Grammy 2022, J-Hope was revealed to be positive for Covid-19 right before the event. Therefore, the members were worried and had many difficulties in stabilizing the lineup as well as agreeing on appropriate movements. Although the rehearsals were supervised by the choreographer as well as the substitute dancer for J-Hope, BTS still could not get the desired results.
Only when “captain Jung” appeared, even in the last two rehearsals, did BTS really gain their inherent strength. Even Jimin – who took the place of leading the members in J-Hope’s absence also confessed, “I was very worried about the group’s performance. But luckily, J-Hope was here and everything was resolved. It’s really hard for me without him.”
In addition to dancing skills, what makes people appreciate and love J-Hope is his hard work and seriousness. Despite being a street dancer, J-Hope is always diligent in learning and discovering new things: “From observing myself, I realize that I still repeat many of the same dance steps, rhythms and There are not many segments that make a difference. Although I am familiar with freestyle, I still lack creativity in feeling. I should try to improve these weaknesses in the future,” J-Hope shared in a 2015 interview.
Becoming a rapper from scratch, Hoseok has learned through practice and through contact with seasoned peers who often express themselves with rhyming rap that doesn’t require music: “Instead of thinking that I was forced to learn to rap, I accepted rap naturally from everyday life.”
And finally, he also showed his ability not to be inferior, even being able to rap freestyle through the night with Suga. From rapping to composing, J-Hope puts all his heart into learning and improving himself. It is also the hard work and seriousness of work that has helped J-Hope become the most multi-talented member of BTS. He is also the one who is trusted and consulted by the members when having problems.
According to J-Hope shared in a Japanese magazine, when they first debuted, the group had to record the choreography of We Are Bulletproof, Pt.2 every day for three months, leading to health effects. : “There were times when I fell. I was injured a lot. There are also times when the blood collects in the foot so much that it has to be drained.”
However, it was the enthusiasm that captain Jung devoted to the group’s performances and future plans that defeated them all, so that “all the efforts and efforts of BTS up to now have paid off.” .
A YouTuber revealed about his experience at auditioning and practicing with J-Hope: “Apart from his dancing skills at the age of 15, what I miss the most is his personality. When he was young, he was very conscious and serious about his passion. Because I know what kind of person he is, I’m really happy that BTS is as successful as it is now.”
Going through hardships and pressure like anyone else, but J-Hope always hides his feelings to bring positive energy to everyone around him. He is always a solid spiritual support as well as a bridge connecting everyone in the group. The members once shared in Festa Dinner 2019, J-Hope always takes care, cares and gives a warm feeling when around. He always listens, encourages and says thank you for everything around. Member V also admitted, “J-Hope is the kindest person I’ve ever met.”
Not only BTS, a member of the Daydream production team once shared an impression of collaborating with J-Hope: “Even when BTS is at the peak of fame, he really has a great personality. . That was when the filming was about to end, everyone was exhausted. But J-Hope surprised me with his full energy until the last minute. He really brought motivation and inspiration to work for everyone around him. This must be the reason why he is as successful as he is now.”
RM – leader of BTS also told Big Hit that they couldn’t debut without J-Hope, “I told them we need Jung Hoseok. We couldn’t have done anything without him.” And finally, BTS as well as ARMY had a J-Hope with the message: “I am your hope, you are my hope, I am J-Hope”.
An increasingly perfect J-Hope
“People know me, and I know I’m in the public eye. I wanted to show that behind this public figure is an ordinary guy named Jung Hoseok. I want to use music as an outlet to talk about my desires,” J-Hope shared on Weverse .
At a time when BTS was already at the height of their fame, J-Hope continues to be BTS’ pride as a pioneer in creating iconic music by a solo artist. With the creepy concept in ” More”, J-Hope showed a dark and unconventional side, reflecting his feelings of wanting to do more, show more.
In J-Hope, there’s “more” as a rapper and dancer to BTS and he shows it off with music. With this product, the rapper born in 1994 wishes to show more of his personal color, no longer Hobi with his usual sunny smile but a real-life Jung Hoseok: “Reputation, money is not everything. , I got it. The work I’m doing makes me breathe, so that’s what makes me want more.”
After just one day of release, J-Hope’s ” More ” has reached first place on iTunes charts in many countries around the world. He successfully debuted on Spotify’s Top Global Artists chart at 104th position according to the latest update. This makes J-Hope the highest-charting Korean solo artist in Spotify history.
Besides, the rapper from Gwangju will make history as the first Korean artist to perform at a major music festival in the US – Lollapalooza. Recently, the media reported that all tickets for J-Hope’s concert were sold out. This once again proves the influence of male rapper 9X whether as a member of BTS or as a solo artist.
