Jay (iKON) Profile, Bio, & Facts

Jay (제이), formerly known as Jinhwan, is a South Korean singer-songwriter and a member of the boy group iKON under 143 Entertainment. He debuted solo on June 21, 2023 with the digital single “Paradise”.

Jay (iKON) Profile

Jay (iKON) Facts:

Early Life

– He was born in Jeju Island, South Korea.
– He went to Jeju Seo Middle School.
– He dropped out of Jeju High School and passed his GED.
– He lived in the Philippines for seven months when he was young.

Personal Life

– His family consists of his parents and older sister Kim Se-yeon.
– He is very close to Bobby and B.I.
– Chan said Jay has the fastest reflexes in the group. (hello82)
– He has nine tattoos, including ones with meanings like “Reborn from the ashes” and his birthdate.
– The first artist to motivate him to become a singer was ‘SE7EN’. (THE STAR)
– There’s an online game where fans can dress up a virtual version of him.
– He prefers being sexy over being cute.
– He said he wouldn’t perform aegyo in front of his girlfriend but make her want to perform it.  (POPTEEN)
– According to his fellow members, he is quite flirtatious with fans and staff.
– Among the members, B.I said Jay is the bad boy type.
– Some members jokingly call him a narcissist because he believes everyone likes him.
– His standard of being sexy is doing one’s work well. (STUDIO JAMBOX)
– He calls Ju-ne first when he is feeling lonely.
– He said he has been to everyone’s house except for Chan. (1st Look)
– The artist who influenced him to become a singer is USHER.
– His motto is ‘Life is like a boomerang’. (VOGUE POP)
– A member he would’ve gotten closer to even without iKon is Ju-ne.
– He would rather spend a holiday with nothing to do and lay around than visit places he wanted to go.
– Jay’s ideal type is someone shorter than him who loves him deeply.
–  He has a heart mole under his eyes and have over 200 moles on his body. (iKON-ON : 2022)

Career

– Jay is the Leader, Main Vocalist, Lead Dancer in iKON.
– He was appointed as the group’s leader after B.I’s departure.
– He enlisted in the military on June 20, 2023 as a social service worker and will be discharged on April 19, 2025.
– He had to cancel his Japanese solo tour in July 2023 because he had to enlist in the military four days before.
– He was part of Team B during WIN.
– He appeared in Taeyang‘s “Ringa Linga” music video.
– He performed with AKMU‘s Suhyun.
– He and B.I. both appeared on the variety show “Mari and I.”

Likes & Dislikes

– He loves reading books and playing computer games.
– His favorite perfume is Jo Mal X.  (iKON-ON : 2022)
– He likes achromatic colors.
– He is scared of horror movies and likes to watch movies before falling asleep.
– He likes the movie ‘Her’.
– He loves pink color, especially hot pink. (Marie Claire Korea)
– He prefers Instagram over twitter.

Food Preferences

– He used to hate eggplants but now likes them. (iKON-ON : 2022)
– His favorite restaurant is Jamae Guksu’s noodle soup with pork. (Hallyu Top)
– He used to like eating sushi and ice cream but doesn’t anymore.  (iKON-ON : 2022)
– He likes Mapo ramen and curry.  

Abilities

– Jay is known as the wine expert in the group
– He is good at taekgyeon.
– He is the best at speaking Japanese in the group.
– He can speak Korean, Japanese, English, Tagalog, and Mandarin.
– He’s good at cooking.
– He can imitate the facial expressions of girl group members.
– He learned the trumpet for two years but left so he forgot how to play.
– He is good at memorizing choreographies but has difficulty in memorizing the lyrics.

Personality & Habits

– He considers himself a pacifist and arguments make him uncomfortable. 
– He can’t compliment himself because of his personality and often asks others about his music or performances.  
– He said he is not good at striking up conversations. (Marie Claire Korea)
– Members said that rather than getting angry he nicely points things out instead of lashing out.
– Jay said he is a considerate person and likes to get to know a person before confessing.  
– He said he rarely gets angry and even if he does he usually just brushes it off as he never takes things personally. (JJ Magazine 2018)
– He doesn’t mind being alone. (Hallyu Top)

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES
Instagram: @gnani_____
Twitter: @iKON_gnani_____ | @GNANI_OFFICIAL)

 Streaming Platform Links
Genie | Spotify | Bugs | Melon | Apple Music  

Jay Photos

Note: How did you get to know Jay? Mention your story in the comments section and also share more facts with us if you know! 

Solo Debut Release: