Hyunjin (Stray Kids singer)

Hyunjin (Stray Kids singer)

Hwang Hyun-jin (Korean: 황현진; born March 20, 2000), known mononymously as Hyunjin, is a South Korean rapper and singer. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Stray Kids, formed by JYP Entertainment in 2017.

Aside from his work with Stray Kids, he has worked as a television presenter, hosting the weekly Korean music program Show! Music Core (2019–2021), and has worked as a brand ambassador for luxury brands, such as Versace, Cartier, and Givenchy Beauty.

Early life and education

Hyunjin (Stray Kids singer)

Hwang Hyun-jin was born on March 20, 2000, in Seoul, South Korea.

Hyunjin had no dance training prior to becoming a trainee idol. He was scouted on the street by a JYP Entertainment agent during his third year of middle school, while shopping with his mother.

He majored in practical dance at the School of Performing Arts Seoul (SOPA) and officially graduated on February 15, 2019. He took the 2019 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) before attending Global Cyber University, where he studied in the Department of Practical Language.

Career

2017–present: Pre-debut, survival show, and Stray Kids

During his traineeship, in late 2017, Hyunjin appeared on the Mnet survival show Stray Kids, a contest centered on the formation of JYP Entertainment's new idol group. By the time the show premiered on October 17, Hyunjin had been a trainee for two years.

After being confirmed as part of the group's line-up, Hyunjin was credited as a lyricist for the song "(/wiki/Mixtape(StrayKidsEP))". This track was performed alongside Bang Chan and Seungmin during the survival show as part of his effort to avoid elimination. JYP Entertainment later included all songs performed by Stray Kids during the show in their pre-debut EP titled Mixtape. He officially debuted with Stray Kids on March 25, 2018, with EP I Am Not through a debut showcase.

In 2019, Hyunjin was announced as one of the presenters of the weekly chart show Show! Music Core, alongside SF9's Chani and Gugudan's Mina, serving as co-host from February 16, 2019, to February 20, 2021 (episodes 621 through 714). In December 2019, he joined KBS's project group Bbangbbangz with Yoon Sanha, Choi Bomin, and Lee Daehwi, performing covers like GOT7's "Just Right" and Red Velvet's "Psycho" on Music Bank. He also made his acting debut in the web series A-Teen 2 with a cameo appearance in the final episode, alongside fellow Stray Kids member I.N the same year.

From February to June 2021, Hyunjin was placed on a temporary hiatus due to school bullying allegations, and resumed regular activities with the group in July. During his hiatus, he was absent from participating in the majority of Stray Kids' appearances on Kingdom: Legendary War, appearing only in their introduction round performance. He made his first reappearance by featuring in the music video for the group's release, "Mixtape: Oh," on June 26, 2021.

In August 2023, Hyunjin was featured on the remix of Troye Sivan's "Rush", alongside Pink Pantheress, providing vocals for the pre-chorus and hook. With bandmates Han and Felix, Hyunjin performed a cover of Kim Sung-jae's "As I Told You" at KBS Song Festival 2022. With Yeji of Itzy, Hyunjin performed a choreographed duet – remixing two of their popular individual dance performances – at MBC Music Festival 2023.

In July 2024, together with his bandmates, it was announced Hyunjin had renewed his group contract with JYP a year earlier than expected, extending Stray Kids' affiliation with the label.

In June 2025, a year after mentioning in an interview how much he enjoyed D4vd's music, Hyunjin collaborated with him on the track, "Always Love".

Artistry

Hyunjin (Stray Kids singer)

Hyunjin in January 2018

Hyunjin is noted for his dance abilities, characterized by precision, fluidity, and strong emotional expressiveness and is often praised for his versatility across multiple styles, including hip-hop, contemporary, lyrical, and even elements of ballet. His solo performances, such as “ATOM”, as well as “Play with Fire” and “When the Party’s Over”—both of which feature his own choreography—demonstrate his choreographic skills and performance range. His talent has also been acknowledged by professional choreographers. MOTF (professional choreographers who have worked with Stray Kids many times) in an interview given to STEEZY Studio said: "Among the members, there's Hyunjin. He has an incredibly deep understanding of each song, as well as an exceptional understanding of dance and his own body". They further stated, "rather than just dancing powerfully all the time, he knows how to control his movements and create tension and release, which makes him a truly skilled artist.". This ability to balance control, dynamics, and emotional delivery distinguishes him as a highly refined performer and contributes to his growing recognition within the dance community.

Additionally, Jack Lau in South China Morning Post described Hyunjin's voice as soft and soothing, demonstrating versatility beyond rapping. He is not only known for his dancing but also showcases his skills as a rapper and singer, contributing to the group's sound and performance style.

In addition to his dancing and rapping skills, Hyunjin is a skilled visual artist; he has shared many of his personal paintings on social media.

Songwriting

The emotions in the lyrics I write are something only I know. In some ways, you might feel like I'm twisting my lyrics in a complicated way. I like writing lyrics that leave room for interpretation. I also get the most enjoyment from listening to someone else's music and interpreting it in my own way. So in terms of the 'style' aspect that you mentioned, I think I try to keep the melody easy-listening and the lyrics deep. I don't know how much that will be conveyed, but my songs have to be enjoyable for me to listen to.

Behind Stray Kids' production team, 3RACHA (bandmates Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han), Hyunjin is the fourth most accredited songwriter of the group, with 29 KOMCA credits as of January 2025. He has contributed to various B-side tracks, including four sub-unit songs "Wow" in 2020, "Taste" and "Muddy Water" in 2022, and "Red Lights" in 2021. He was also the primary songwriter for "DLMLU" from Stray Kids' full-length Japanese album, The Sound, and "Cover Me" from their EP Rock-Star.

Hyunjin has been recognized for his contributions as a songwriter, particularly for his work on songs with emotive melodies and lyrics.

SKZ-Record/Player and solo music

As of September 2024, Hyunjin had made nine contributions to Stray Kids' YouTube-based portfolio project, SKZ-Record/Player. These included the original solo songs "Little Star" (꼬마별), "Ice Cream" (stylised as ice.cream), "Contradicting", "Long for You", and "Hey You". "Little Star" (under the new title, "miss you"), "Ice Cream", and a new song, "Love Untold", were included in Stray Kids' digital compilation album, SKZ-Replay, released in December 2022. The remainder of his original SKZ-Record/Player songs are yet to see wider release. He also has collaborated with bandmate I.N for the original duet "미제 (untitled)", one group dance performance with Lee Know and Felix, and two solo dance performances he choreographed, one to "Play with Fire" by Sam Tinnesz featuring Yacht Money in 2022, and another to "When the Party's Over" by Billie Eilish in 2020.

As of September 2024, Hyunjin is known to have several unreleased songs, including the solo song "Mic & Brush" that he performed during Stray Kids' 5-Star Dome Tour.

Influences

Hyunjin has named Jinyoung of former labelmates Got7 as a role model.

Impact and influence

Hyunjin (Stray Kids singer)

Hyunjin was placed consistently in Tumblr's "K-Pop Stars of the Year", ranking 28th in 2018, 18th in 2019, 19th in 2020, 9th in 2021, and 6th in 2022. Hyunjin was ranked fifth in Billboard's 2024 K-Pop Artist 100.

Hyunjin has also been named "K-Pop's Performance Leader" via an article in October 2021, after his dance performance for Studio Choom's Artist of the Month for October was released. Hyunjin is also credited with revitalizing the long haired trend for male K-pop idols after going viral for his cover of "Psycho" by Red Velvet on KBS' Music Bank.

In February 2023, Hyunjin was named one of the five top entertainers in Korea on Forbes Korea's "Top 30 under 30" list making him the youngest at that time. On March 13, 2024, fashion magazine Vogue Business mentioned Hyunjin as the celebrity with the highest SNS engagement rate overall for the 2024 Fall Winter fashion week season (at over 37%) during the Versace's Fall-Winter 2024 fashion show.

He has been cited as an inspiration or influence by multiple artists, including Haru of Nexz and Yujin of Zerobaseone.

Other ventures

Fashion and endorsements

Hyunjin in May 2024

Together with bandmate and fellow DanceRacha member Lee Know, Hyunjin featured in the April 2020 issue of Arena Homme+ Korea. He was featured again in the magazine's February 2021 issue, alongside bandmate Felix, also part of Stray Kids' dance line.

In 2021, Hyunjin, Lee Know, and Felix endorsed the Earthbeat sneaker for Etro. On August 31, 2022, together with bandmate Felix, Hyunjin attended the Tod's Seoul event at Loop Station Iksun. In April 2024, Hyunjin attended a Kilian Paris event in support of endorsing the brand in W Korea. In May 2024, he made his Met Gala debut with Stray Kids as guests of Tommy Hilfiger, making them the first K-pop group to attend together wearing custom outfits by the same designer.

Versace ambassadorship

On September 5, 2022, Hyunjin and Felix attended the YSL Beauty X Dua Lipa event in Paris. In May 2023, following his meeting with Lipa, Hyunjin subsequently became one of 60 guests invited to Cannes for Dua Lipa's debut fashion show, "La Vacanza", a collaboration with Versace.

In July 2023, he also attended the opening of Versace's "La Vacanza" pop-up store in Seoul. Later that month, Hyunjin was announced as a global brand ambassador for Versace, making him the first South Korean and Asian male ambassador for the brand. The partnership led to Versace designing multiple bespoke pieces for him, including outfits he wore to perform with Stray Kids at the 2023 VMAs, Lollapalooza Paris, and the band's 5-Star Dome Tour. Hyunjin has also featured Versace designs in Stray Kids' music videos, including "S-Class". In 2024, the brand provided Hyunjin with custom outfits for Stray Kids' Dominate World Tour.

He was the face of Versace's Holiday 2023 advertising campaign. After a minor car accident delayed a planned appearance in September 2023, Hyunjin attended his first Milan Fashion Week as part of his ongoing collaboration with the brand in February 2024. In September 2024, he attended his second Milan Fashion Week, participating in the showcase for Versace's spring-summer 2025 collection.

Cartier ambassadorship

In June 2023, Hyunjin modelled for Cartier as the cover star of Esquire Korea. He modelled for the brand again in May 2024, as the cover model for Elle Korea.

In September 2024, Hyunjin was announced as a brand ambassador for Cartier, with a modeling feature for the brand in the October 2024 issue of Esquire Korea.

Givenchy Beauty ambassadorship

In February 2025, Hyunjin was announced as an ambassador for Givenchy Beauty, with a modeling feature for the brand in the March 2025 issue of Marie Claire Korea.

Guess ambassadorship

In March 2026, American clothing brand Guess appointed Hyunjin to be a global ambassador.

Philanthropy

On February 16, 2023, it was reported that Hyunjin donated ₩100 million (US$76,589.47) through the international relief organization, The Promise, to aid the relief efforts following the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. His contributions made him appointed as a member of the honors club on March 30.

In November 2023, he participated in a fundraising event for the "Love Your W" campaign by W Korea to raise awareness about breast cancer.

In 2024, to celebrate his birthday, he donated ₩100 million (US$76,589.47) to the Snail of Love, a social welfare organization that provides hearing-impaired people with artificial cochlear surgery and hearing aids to help them find sound, supports social adaptation of hearing children, and provides education to improve public awareness.

Hyunjin donated ₩100 million (US$76,589.47) to Samsung Medical Center on his birthday, March 20, 2025. The donation he made will be used to cover the treatment costs of children and adolescent patients receiving treatment at Samsung Medical Center as well as emotional support activities to help them achieve psychological stability.

Personal life

Health

In July 2022, Hyunjin sustained a hand injury impacting his participation in Stray Kids' Maniac World Tour.

In September 2023, Hyunjin, alongside bandmates Lee Know and Seungmin, received medical attention following a minor road accident, resulting in the modification of a planned Stray Kids performance at Global Citizen Festival.

Discography

As lead artist

<table><thead><tr><th>Title</th><th>Year</th><th>Peak chart positions</th><th>Album</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>KOR DL</td><td>US World</td></tr><tr><td>"Love Untold"</td><td>2022</td><td>189</td><td>—</td><td>SKZ-Replay</td></tr><tr><td>"Contradicting"</td><td>2023</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>Non-album songs</td></tr><tr><td>"Mic and Brush"</td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>"Long for You"</td><td>2024</td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>"Hey You"</td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>"So Good"</td><td>24</td><td>8</td><td>Hop</td></tr><tr><td>"Quill Pen" (낙서장)</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>Non-album song</td></tr><tr><td>"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.</td></tr></tbody></table>

As featured artist

<table><thead><tr><th>Title</th><th>Year</th><th>Peak chart positions</th><th>Album</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>KOR BGM</td><td>JPN Overs.</td><td>NZ Hot</td><td>UK Sales</td><td>US Rock</td></tr><tr><td>"Rush" (Troye Sivan feat. PinkPantheress and Hyunjin)</td><td>2023</td><td>—</td><td>20</td><td>12</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>Non-album singles</td></tr><tr><td>"Untitled" (미제) (I.N feat. Hyunjin)</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>"Always Love" (D4vd featuring Hyunjin)</td><td>2025</td><td>73</td><td>—</td><td>29</td><td>64</td><td>49</td></tr><tr><td>"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Songwriting credits

All song credits are adapted from KOMCA, unless stated otherwise.

<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Song Title</th><th>Album</th><th>Artist</th><th>Lyrics</th><th>Music</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Credit</td><td>With</td><td>Credit</td><td>With</td></tr><tr><td>2017</td><td>"4419"</td><td>Mixtape</td><td>Stray Kids</td><td></td><td>Bang Chan, Changbin, Han, Seungmin</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2018</td><td>"Mixtape #1"</td><td>I Am Not</td><td></td><td>Woojin, Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, I.N</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"Mixtape #2"</td><td>I Am Who</td><td></td><td></td><td>Woojin, Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, I.N</td></tr><tr><td>"You."</td><td>I Am You</td><td></td><td>Changbin, I.N</td><td></td><td>Changbin, I.N, Hong Ji-sang</td></tr><tr><td>"Mixtape #3"</td><td>I Am You</td><td></td><td>Woojin, Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, I.N</td><td></td><td>Woojin, Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, I.N</td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>"Mixtape #4"</td><td>Clé 1: Miroh</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"Mixtape #5"</td><td>Clé: Levanter</td><td></td><td>Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, I.N</td><td></td><td>Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, I.N</td></tr><tr><td>2020</td><td>"Wow"</td><td>In Life</td><td>Lee Know, Hyunjin, Felix</td><td></td><td>Felix, Lee Know</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2021</td><td>"Red Lights" (강박)</td><td>Noeasy</td><td>Bang Chan, Hyunjin</td><td></td><td>Bang Chan</td><td></td><td>Bang Chan</td></tr><tr><td>"Placebo"</td><td>SKZ2021</td><td>Stray Kids</td><td></td><td>Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, I.N</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"Behind the Light" (그림자도 빛이 있어야 존재)</td><td></td><td></td><td>Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, I.N</td></tr><tr><td>"For You"</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"Broken Compass"</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"Hoodie Season"</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2022</td><td>"Muddy Water"</td><td>Oddinary</td><td>Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix</td><td></td><td>Changbin, Han, Felix</td><td></td><td>Changbin, Han, Felix, Millionboy</td></tr><tr><td>"Taste"</td><td>Maxident</td><td>Lee Know, Hyunjin, Felix</td><td></td><td>Felix, Lee Know</td><td></td><td>Felix, Lee Know, Bang Chan</td></tr><tr><td>"Love Untold"</td><td>SKZ-Replay</td><td>Hyunjin</td><td></td><td>—N/a</td><td></td><td>Bang Chan</td></tr><tr><td>"Ice.Cream"</td><td></td><td></td><td>Bang Chan</td></tr><tr><td>"#LoveStay"</td><td>Stray Kids</td><td></td><td>Felix, I.N</td><td></td><td>Semi Kim</td></tr><tr><td>"Miss You" (꼬마별)</td><td>Hyunjin</td><td></td><td>—N/a</td><td></td><td>Bush</td></tr><tr><td>2023</td><td>"DLMLU"</td><td>The Sound</td><td>Stray Kids</td><td></td><td>Yohei</td><td></td><td>Bang Chan, Versachoi</td></tr><tr><td>"Cover Me"</td><td>Rock-Star</td><td></td><td>Bang Chan</td><td></td><td>Bang Chan, Nickko Young</td></tr><tr><td>"Mic and Brush"</td><td>Non-album songs</td><td>Hyunjin</td><td></td><td>—N/a</td><td></td><td>Chae Ganghae, RESTART</td></tr><tr><td>"Contradicting"</td><td></td><td></td><td>Bang Chan</td></tr><tr><td>"Untitled"</td><td>I.N featuring Hyunjin</td><td></td><td>I.N</td><td></td><td>Millionboy, Nickko Young</td></tr><tr><td>2024</td><td>"Long for You"</td><td>Hyunjin</td><td></td><td>—N/a</td><td></td><td>Joha</td></tr><tr><td>"Hey You"</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"So Good"</td><td>Hop</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"Quill Pen"</td><td>Non-album songs</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"—" denotes credits that Hyunjin do alone | Total credits = 29 songs</td></tr></tbody></table>

Videography

Music videos

<table><thead><tr><th>Title</th><th>Year</th><th>Artist(s)</th><th>Album</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>"So Good"</td><td>2024</td><td>Hyunjin</td><td>Hop</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

Filmography

Television shows

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2017	Stray Kids	Contestant	Debuted as a Stray Kids member

Web Series

<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Title</th><th>Role</th><th>Notes</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2019</td><td>A-Teen 2</td><td>Cha Ah-hyun's friend</td><td>Cameo (Ep. 16)</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

Hosting

Year	Title	Notes	Ref.
2019–2021	Show! Music Core	Episodes 621–714

Awards and nominations

Hyunjin (Stray Kids singer)

Award ceremony	Year	Category	Nominee(s)/work(s)	Result	Ref.
Asia Artist Awards	2025	Best Choice	Himself	Won