Ha Jihoon (하지훈) is a South Korean singer under Bee Entertainment. He is a member of the group VALERIAN.
History[]
Early Life[]
Ha Jihoon was born on November 28th, 2004, in Busan, South Korea. Jihoon was introduced to the music industry at a young age through an early love of musicals. His parents were musical enthusiasts and would play musical soundtracks for Jihoon. Jihoon spent a lot of his time learning singing techniques and musical routines, and performing them for his parents. He participated in youth acting lessons at a local theatre.
Jihoon learned after auditioning for the theatre’s 2014 youth musical that although he could act in lessons, he had trouble acting when on stage. He still wanted to participate in the musical, so he joined the theatre’s small orchestra. Jihoon had played the violin since he was young and was capable of playing the same pieces as the rest of the orchestra.
Jihoon developed an interest in idols through Bright Lights’s EunYeon after watching a musical performance that he was in. Jihoon realized that he could sing and dance on stage as an idol, and could do so without acting. In 2017, Jihoon decided to audition for Bee Entertainment.
Predebut[]
In June 2017, Jihoon was announced to have joined Bee Entertainment as a part of the STAR BEES along with Yoon Jinwon, Lee Jaeseok, and Oh Hanbi. Jihoon and the other STAR BEES trainees became close friends quickly. At the 2018 Bee Entertainment Trainee Showcase, Jihoon performed 자신감있는 애국가 (Confident Anthem) by Bright Lights and performed 말해 (Say It) by Snowflake as a part of the vocal team. Jihoon was regarded for his vocals by attendees of the event. At the Bee Family Christmas Showcase 2018, Jihoon performed Underneath The Tree by Kelly Clarkson with other Bees trainees.
In the 2019 Bee Entertainment Trainee Showcase, Jihoon performed GlowLove by Bright Lights and performed TROUBLE by Hyolin as a part of the vocal team. Attendees noted that Jihoon seemed a bit withdrawn during the MC portions of the event, which Jihoon later said was because he was feeling down about Jinwon and Jaeseok being in the rm8z test group, as the seven test group members performed together at the event. He explained that he wasn’t close to many trainees outside of those two and Hanbi, so he felt like he was being dragged away from his friends. At the Bee Family Christmas Showcase 2019, Jihoon performed Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives with other Bees trainees.
The 2020 Bee Entertainment Trainee Showcase was canceled due to the pandemic, so Jihoon was unable to perform. On December 25th, 2020, Jihoon participated in Bee Entertainment’s Snow Light single album as a part of the Snow Bees. At the Bee Family Christmas Showcase 2020, Jihoon performed This Christmas by Donny Hathaway.
In 2021, with Star10’s approaching debut, Jihoon was appointed as the leader of the Bees, taking the helm from Son Minseo. Star10’s debut also meant that Hanbi was debuting, and Jihoon felt isolated from the other trainees. He was officially declared the leader of the Bees on February 1st, but Jihoon had taken the responsibilities since January due to Star10’s debut preparations.
TOP ICON Public Audition Challenge[]
On January 25th, 2021, Jihoon was revealed to be a participant in the TOP ICON Public Audition Challenge. He signed up for the show through an interest check because he felt it would be a good opportunity. The show was mostly individual performances, which meant that Jihoon could continue with his leadership duties for the Bees while participating. For his audition, Jihoon performed US AS WE LOVE by Bright Lights and DNA by BTS. In the Theme Song challenge, Jihoon received a B rank and placed 4th in the voting. In the Charisma Appeal challenge, Jihoon was paired with Han Yeonsung and won against him. Jihoon ranked 2nd in the first elimination.
In the Skill Appeal challenge, Jihoon performed Moscow Moscow by ONF in the vocal team. He ranked 6th in the challenge. For the Concept Appeal challenge, Jihoon was on the 유리한 (Bubbling) team and ranked 7th. Jihoon placed 7th in the second elimination. In the Teamwork Appeal challenge, Jihoon performed on the Angel team, but his team did not win. In the Final challenge, Jihoon performed O.K. by B1A4. He placed 7th and became a member of the debut group.
Career[]
ICONIQ[]
Jihoon debuted as the main vocalist and maknae of ICONIQ on June 21st, 2021. The group debuted with ICONIQ PLAY vol1. This was followed by their second release ICONIQ PLAY vol2 on December 1st, 2021. Both albums were compilation albums featuring songs from the TOP ICON Public Audition Challenge and original songs. ICONIQ disbanded in January 2022.
After ICONIQ[]
During 2021, Bee Entertainment began forming their fifth test group. The lineup for the group changed many times in its early stages, and Jihoon was kept out of it while he was part of ICONIQ. In March 2022, the test group for VALERIAN was stabilized before it was finalized in the middle of the year. Jihoon was selected to be in the finalized lineup. At the 2022 Bee Entertainment Trainee Showcase, Jihoon performed Walk With Confidence by D.IV.ERGENT and performed Eiffel Tower by Bright Lights as a part of the vocal team.
Trainee Showcase MC Answers[]
2019 - What type of music video would you want your debut music video to be?
Something fierce and dark
2022 - What type of song concept would you most like to debut with?
A vocal-focused song, something with orchestral influence
Personality[]
Jihoon considers himself to be a very serious person. When he was a trainee, Jihoon was known for arriving to practice much earlier than everyone else in order to get more practice time. He is very focused and determined when it comes to being an idol, but also in everyday life. When Jihoon was the leader of the Bees, he was known for being a very responsible leader that kept practice on track. The other trainees admired his drive to be perfect and how serious he was about debuting. His dedication to being the leader was shown through how much he tried to make sure every trainee was trying their best. Jihoon’s serious nature stands out in VALERIAN, and makes him a victim of a lot of teasing. His seriousness falls away a bit when he is with the VALERIAN members.
Jihoon, due to being a theatre kid, is very dramatic. His reactions are very expressive, even though he doesn’t mean for them to be. He gets into joking arguments with the other VALERIAN members easily. Jihoon loves performing, and adds dramatic flairs into his performances as well. He is known for having expressive and emotional vocals and facial expressions while singing. Jihoon understands stage direction very well, and enjoys using that knowledge to his advantage.
Jihoon was assumed to be sweet and shy when he was a trainee. Jihoon clung to the other STAR BEES, who were considerably more loud than he was, and that, along with Jihoon being the youngest of the four trainees, made fans think that Jihoon was timid. Jihoon has shown that he is very extraverted and is neither shy nor timid. He clings to people he gets close to, which he admits made it difficult for him to make other friends when he was younger, and adjusts his own energy to balance out the energy of people around him.
Gallery[]
ICONIQ
VALERIAN
Transcripts[]
Introduction Video
J: Hello! I am Jihoon of VALERIAN, nice to meet you! I am 17 years old, and I am the main vocalist and face of the group.
[card: What is something interesting about you?]
J: I used to be a part of the project group ICONIQ, which was the representative group for the music show TOP ICON. I hope to show you all how much I’ve improved since then!
[card: Why did you choose the song you covered?]
J: I chose Ed Sheeran’s Shivers as I respect Ed Sheeran’s strong musical abilities. This song is a song that I have listened to a lot, and I feel it makes a good introduction to my voice to you all.
[card: Give a hint about the next member.]
J: The next member is also a strong vocalist in our group!
Q&A Video
[card: Jihoon’s Introduction Q&A]
[card: Introduce yourself!]
JH: {very formally} Hello. I am Ha Jihoon of VALERIAN, 17 years old. Nice to meet you. {bows}
{members clapping politely}
[card: What is a special skill you have?]
JH: I have been playing the violin since I was young. Hopefully I’ll be able to show you all my violin skills soon, as I didn’t get to show them off much in ICONIQ.
{O: I heard Jihoon-ah playing the violin the other day! It was really cool!}
[card: What are you better at than the other members?]
JH: I think I’m the best at girl group dances? As ICONIQ was a co-ed group, I learned how to do girl group dances properly, since many male idols are known for not doing them correctly.
{O: Teach me someday, please.}
{SB: Jihoon-ah will save us from performing any covers incorrectly. [laughs]}
[card: What is your biggest strength?]
JH: My biggest strength is my calm attitude! VALERIAN is a very chaotic group, so being able to be a calm person is a strength here.
{members laugh}
{K: Just you wait, Jihoon-ah. Just you wait.}
JH: …what is that supposed to mean?
[card: What is your weakness?]
JH: I’m a bit too serious sometimes.
{B: But that’s a good thing!}
JH: I guess it is? I definitely need to let myself relax more.
{SB: Your seriousness is both a good thing and a bad thing.}
[card: Who do you look up to the most?]
JH: I look up to Bright Lights’ EunYeon-hyung!
{member cheer in approval}
[card: What is one thing you want to brag about?]
JH: I can play most of rm8z’s title tracks on the violin! I take time to learn one every time they release a new album.
{SR: I can vouch for this.}
{K: Will you be learning their upcoming title track when it’s released?}
JH: Of course!
[card: What is the meaning behind your emoji?]
JH: The other members actually chose the emoji for me!
JH: I was originally going to choose the violin emoji, but we were talking as a group… this might be too much of a personal conversation to share but… anyways, I am, in their words, “the last piece of the VALERIAN puzzle”.
{SB: Jihoon-ah is an integral part of our ecosystem.}
{O: I can’t imagine VALERIAN without him in it.}
[card: What is a nickname the fans can call you?]
JH: A nickname? Do Young-hyung’s nickname for me is just extending the “hoon” part, so I don’t really have a short nickname.
{SB: When I’m not thinking about it I end up calling you Hoon-ah.}
JH: Hoon is fine then!
Trivia[]
- He joined Bee Entertainment in June 2017 as a part of the STAR BEES.
- His MBTI is ESTJ.
- He has a younger brother.
- His specialty is singing, and he can also play the violin.
- He likes musicals, collecting tiny figurines and trinkets, and playing casual mobile games.
- He is close friends with the members of FIRST HOPE, his fellow STAR BEES Jinwon, Jaeseok, and Hanbi, and fellow Bees trainee Seobin.
- His role model is EunYeon from Bright Lights.
- Current leader of the Bees.
- Jihoon is good at girl group dances.
- His emoji is a puzzle piece because the members called him the last piece of the VALERIAN puzzle.