Hongjoong

Background

Kim Hong-Joong is a popular K-pop star from South Korea known for being the leader of the world-famous boy band, ATEEZ. The rapper was born on November 7, 1998, in Anyang, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. His zodiac sign is Scorpio and he is Korean. His parents’ identities are unknown, but Hongjoong has an older brother who is an actor. The rapper was always interested in music and songwriting as a child, and when he was a teenager, he wrote a letter to KQ Entertainment, a talent agency based in South Korea. Along with the letter, Hongjoong sent in a demo mixtape he had created, and this led to the agency signing him as an official trainee. He received mentorship from well-known singer-songwriters in the agency.

In 2017, along with other KQ Entertainment trainees, Hongjoong passed an audition to participate in a reality T.V. series called “MIXNINE.” He was one of the contestants who got the chance to be trained by various voice coaches and also participated in challenges that showed his talent to the world. Although he didn’t win the show, Hongjoong gained a large fan following after his time on it. KQ Entertainment sent him and the other trainees to Los Angeles, California, to help them improve their dancing and singing skills. His stay in the United States (U.S.) was shot and documented as part of a series, which included a song Hongjoong and his fellow trainees wrote, titled ‘From.’ On his return to South Korea in 2018, the rapper and other boys from the talent agency made their debut as a group named ATEEZ, on the reality show, “Code Name is Ateez.” Hongjoong established himself as the band’s leader when their first E.P., “Treasure E.P.1: All to Zero,” was released in October of that same year. The E.P. had six songs, and the two lead tracks, ‘Pirate King’ and ‘Treasure’ ranked at number seven on the Gaon Album Chart. It also reached number 12 on the Billboard World Album Chart. Hongjoong wrote five songs from the E.P.

ATEEZ released their second E.P., “Treasure E.P.2: Zero to One,” in early 2019, and it was also well-received by fans. From March to April of that year, Honjoong went on his first tour with the band. ATEEZ also released their third E.P., titled “Treasure EP.3: One to All,” which was a major hit, and also released their debut album, “Treasure E.P.Fin All to Action,” which was very well received. Hongjoong released two more extended plays and a Japanese album, and he went on a second world tour with his band in 2020. ATEEZ has released numerous successful E.P.s to date, including the “Fever” series and their new “The World” series. They also embarked on a sold-out world tour in 2022. Hongjoong wrote many songs for ATEEZ’s extended plays and albums. He is currently single and has kept most of his personal life under wraps for various reasons.