And just like that, this duo that we’re going to talk about was also just little boys with a big dream. They both come from a different area of South Korea, but they happened to meet each other on audition day. They started together, and ended up staying together even now. It’s JJ Project, everyone! The start of the two members of Got7: Jay B and Jinyoung. Let’s see some more info about JJ Project in the sections that follow!
JJ Project’s Profile
JJ Project is a duo that debuted under JYP Entertainment in 2012. The JJ in JJ Project stands for Jay B‘s and Jinyoung‘s initials. You probably know them as Got7 members now, but they were JJ Project before all the five Got7 members made a debut. But their duo is not only a pre-debut project, since they did a comeback song promotional after they were in Got7. So, let’s see the profile of JJ Project and the members! Group Name: JJ Project Genres: Dance, ballad, pop Debut date: May 24th, 2012 Debut Single: Bounce Agency: JYP Entertainment (2012–2021) Distributor: IRIVER Fandom: iGot7 Instagram: @got7.with.igot7
JJ Project’s JB’s Profile
We have seen JJ Project’s info and now it’s time to see JB’s individual profile! Full name: Im Jae-beom Korean Name: 임재범 Chinese Name: 林在範 Stage Name: Jay B (제이비)/Def. (Producer name) Nicknames: Bbom, Jaebong, Jebi, ㅈㅂ (initial for JB in hangul), Im Leader, Grandpa, etc. Birthplace: Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do Nationality: Korean Height: 179 cm Weight: 65 kg Birthday: January 6th, 1994 Zodiac Sign: Carpicorn Chinese Zodiac: Rooster Position in JJ Project: Vocal, leader, rapper Occupation: Singer, idol Blood type: A Family: Parents, grandmother Debut as JJ Project: May 24th, 2012 Agency: Independent (former agency: JYP Entertainment) Instagram: @jaybnow.hr
JJ Project’s Jinyoung’s Profile
The maknae of JJ Project; it’s time for Jinyoung’s profile that you should take a look at! Full name: Park Jinyoung Korean Name: 박진영 Chinese Name: 朴珍榮 Stage Name: Jinyoung (Jr., Junior) Nicknames: Nyoung, Park Boss, Actor Park, Juni, Park Gae (puppy park), etc. Birthplace: Jinhae-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea Nationality: Korean Height: 178 cm Weight: 63 kg Birthday: September 22nd, 1994 Zodiac Sign: Virgo Chinese Zodiac: Dog Position in JJ Project: Maknae, vocal, rap Occupation: Singer, idol Blood type: O Family: Parents, two older sisters Debut as JJ Project: May 24th, 2012 Agency: BH Entertainment Instagram: @jinyoung_0922jy
JJ Project’s Facts
Jay B used the stage name that he has right now because his real name is the same as a Korean popular singer named Im Jae-beom. Jay B and Jinyoung admitted that they were both awkward with each other in the past. Jay B and Jinyoung starred in a drama titled When a Man Loves after they debuted as JJ Project. Jay B and Jinyoung lived in a dorm with Sungjin from Day6 when they were filming Dream High 2. Sungjin said that they set the alarm really loud but none of them were awake because of that. He ended up waking them up alone. After starring in Dream High 2, Jinyoung became a successful actor and starred in a lot of dramas. JB, on the other hand, hasn’t acted again for years. Jay B and Jinyoung went to the audition separately but ended up becoming a team. The second single of JJ Project was released five years after their debut year. It tells about the concerns they had in their twenties. JJ Project started from being an independent group, but since the members are now Got7 members, they are now a subunit of Got7.
JJ Project’s Pre-Debut
JJ Project was made in 2012, it has been almost a decade. But back then, the two of them never predicted that they will be in a team together and make a debut at such a young age. Then again, Jay B was born and raised in Goyang-si, while Jinyoung was born and raised in Changwon-si. The two of them never met each other before they entered JYP Entertainment. Even though they were from a different area, what makes them the same is the passion they have for dancing. Jay B was into breakdancing when he was a little boy. Even though he liked K-pop back then, he had a thought that probably he will be a B-boy in the future. Jay B realized that he really enjoyed it when he was breakdancing. After studying breakdance for years since he was 7 years old, Jay B joined a breakdance competition. This led him to be cast and join JYP Entertainment’s audition. As for Jinyoung, he also liked to dance back when he was young. Jinyoung started taking dance lessons in an academy. But he wasn’t that serious at first. Knowing this, Jinyoung’s father scolded him and doubted his ability in dancing in the future. Jinyoung then felt motivated by that and became more serious to learn dancing. The two lines between Jay B and Jinyoung crossed when they joined the same open audition at the JYP Entertainment 5th Open Audition in 2009. Jay B and Jinyoung competed against over 6,000 other applicants. The two of them accidentally became a team when they reached the final stage of the audition. It was the idea of the staff since it would be better if they performed together. They got the highest vote after performing TVXQ’s “Balloon” and won first place. Both Jay B and Jinyoung didn’t expect this. Then again, there are a lot of teams who performed against them, not only the dancing team but also the model team, actor team, etc. They even thought that other applicants were better than them. Jay B and Jinyoung also admitted that they made some mistakes while they danced. So getting first place was such an unpredictable yet fortunate event for them. In that open audition which Jay B and Jinyoung were in, there were only around 30 participants that got accepted as trainees. But even so, there were a lot of trainees that ended up quitting JYP Entertainment and became trainees or even made a debut in other agencies, such as Minhyuk from BTOB, Chorong from APINK, Sistar’s Dasom, etc. Both Jay B and Jinyoung entered JYP Entertainment with their amazing dancing skills, but as time went by, they started to learn to sing and fell in love with singing even more. Being trainees together, Jay B and Jinyoung admitted that they had some problems a lot of times. They had different thoughts, and they were so young back then too. So they fought sometimes. But as other trainees came in, especially those who were around the same age as them, they started to care for each other. Both Jay B and Jinyoung also talked with each other and started to get closer after that.
JJ Project in Dream High 2
After more than two years of trainee life, Jay B and Jinyoung finally made a debut. But not as idols or singers, instead, they became actors first. The two of them probably never imagined this happening as they came into the entertainment world as dancers in the first place. But since the trainees in JYP Entertainment were trained to dance, sing, and act, they were included in the line-up for Dream High 2 stars. Jay B portrayed the main character, Jang Woo-jae, the idol who formed a duo with Si-woo, which was portrayed by actor Park Seo-joon. Jang Woo-jae has a romance line with Ri-an, a fellow idol who was his lover when they were trainees. Ri-an was portrayed by Jiyeon from T-Ara. The stars who made a debut as idols entered Kirin Art High School. As for Jinyoung, he portrayed Ui-bong. He is just an ordinary student who hasn’t debuted as an idol. He is good at dancing, he’s also a bright and friendly person. He’s such a different person from Jang Woo-jae who is cold and seems distant since he is an idol. Unlike JB, Jinyoung’s role is just a supporting character. The two of them didn’t like each other in the drama. Especially Ui-bong who thinks that Jang Woo-jae is just a star syndrome student. They even had a scene in the drama where they fight against each other. What do you think of Jay B and Jinyoung’s acting when they were still trainees? Even though Jay B was the main actor in this drama, while Jinyoung is only a side character, the one who continued his acting career is Jinyoung now.
