Hyunjin

Biography

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 == 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 "4419". 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's dance skills have been noted for their precision and expressiveness. 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 31 KOMCA credits as of March 2026. 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. Along with songwriting, Hyunjin also does the whistling for a lot of the songs, most famously on the song 'Grow Up' on I Am Not.. He's a whistler himself and likes it.