Jay Park is a famous hip-hop and RnB singer who is well known in Korea and America. When Jay Park was younger, he was in his own b-boy group. (B-boy is a term for people that specialize in breakdancing.) Jay Park is from Seattle, Washington and was a former member of the K-pop group 2PM. He was scouted for 2PM at a dancing competition in 2004, and he trained with the group for four years before they debuted. The groups’ debut song “10 out of 10” was released on Sep. 4, 2008, and the song was a hit.
Jay Park was the leader of 2PM but had to leave the group because of a social media scandal caused by his messages about how much he doesn’t like South Korea to a friend on MySpace. His account was hacked, and the messages were leaked to the public. In an outrage, South Koreans demanded that he be removed. His contract with JYP entertainment was terminated, and he was sent back home from South Korea. He got a job changing tires at a local repair shop but still practiced music and dancing. Later he would return to the music industry and become a famous artist.
Courtesy: WATERBOMB Festival
During his time away from South Korea, Park built a following on YouTube. He posted cover videos for multiple songs and starred in collaborations with other YouTubers. One of his most popular videos was a cover of “Nothin’ on You” by B.o.B ft. Bruno Mars, but in his cover, he wrote the rap and lyrics himself. He even was a guest star on the nigahiga channel in the video “Word of the Day – Bromance.” In both videos, his fans were still cheering him on, and he released his first EP Count On Me. On Gaon, South Korea’s music chart, his EP peaked at number one. Before he completely returned to the music industry in South Korea, he gained a bigger fan base as a member of SNL Korea. He was an important comedian on the show and starred in multiple skits.
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The first album he released was New Breed in 2012 which sold over 100,000 copies in the first month. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard World Albums chart. Releasing the album helped Jay Park make his comeback in Korean music, but that is not all he did. He inspired fashion trends like the “Jay Park eyebrow,” where eyebrows have lines going through them. Multiple K-pop stars have been seen with this popular style.
Courtesy: Forbes
In 2017 Jay Park was named Artist of the Year at the Korean Hip-Hop Awards and Musician of the Year at the Korean Music Awards. This was after he released his third album Everything You Ever Wanted, which was his first RnB style album.
Courtesy: Genius
Park started his SEXY 4EVA World Tour in October, visiting multiple countries and cities in Asia. The tour has multiple US stops, and he is coming to Miami on Nov. 16. He started his North American length on Nov. 6 in Los Angles. He is performing songs off of his latest album The Road Less Traveled, his Ask About Me EP, and his other popular songs.
Courtesy: Genius
This is his first world tour since he began his career in 2008. Over the years, he has worked with multiple famous Korean and American artists. He has songs with Dean, DPR Live, Okasian, 2 Chains, Vic Mensa and more! For fans in South Florida, this will be the first time they have an opportunity to see him live. Catch him while you can and don’t miss out!
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