TO SAY THAT the road to being a Korean idol is rigorous in an understatement. You have to go through auditions, eliminations and years of training prior to debut. Many don’t even get the chance to see the spotlight.
But what the group members of ENHYPHEN underwent through to land a spot in the final debut line through the show ‘I-LAND’ is not just rigorous. The entire process was televised and they had to surpass most intense conditions and while treating them every now and then with appearances from their idols – BTS, Seventeen and Tomorrow X Together.
What makes the group members special? What separated them from the thousands of hopefuls that didn’t even get the chance to showcase their talents to the world? To know more, read on about these seven brilliant individuals.
Heeseung
Born on October 15, 2001 in Namyangju, Gyeonggi, South Korea, Lee Hee Seung is the youngest in the family. He has an older brother. Like the other members, he knew what he wanted in his childhood days. He trained as an idol for more than three years, and was close to TXT members because he actually trained with them. Even before debuting, he already had his hand in song writing and composing.
In terms of ranking in I-LAND, he ranked the fifth in the final episode. English is one of the languages he is adept with, as he focused on studying it during high school.
Jay
Jay was born Jay Park in Seattle, Washington on April 20, 2002. He spent most of his childhood days in the United States before moving back to South Korea when he was nine years old. As an only child, he got support from his family while pursuing the things he love in life which is entertaining. He studied under the Practical Dance Department when he was in high school.
Prior to joining I-LAND (he ranked the second in the final episode), he already trained at a dance academy. Then after that, he went to get more training under Big Hit Entertainment. His past time includes cooking and eating and of course, watching various anime.
Jake
Born in Brisbane, Australia on November 15, 2002, Jake Sim is the younger brother in the brood of two. Although he trained as an idol for less than a year, an exemplary feat among Korean idols, he go the third place in the final episode of I-LAND. Music has been part of his life even before becoming a trainee.
He pays the violin and listens to a wide array of musical artists. In fact, among his dream artist to collaborate with, he want it to be with Drake. In an interview, he dreams of having a number one song at the Billboard charts after their debut.
Sunghoon
Park Sung Hoon was born on December 8, 2002 in Namyangju, Gyeonggi, South Korea. He is the elder brother to a sister who is five years younger. Ranking the sixth in the final I-LAND episode, Sunghoon had 2 years’ worth of training under his belt. He was in fact a former trainee of the Big Hit Entertainment.
Unknown to by standers, Sunghoon has an entirely different life before his idol days – he was a competitive ice skater. In fact, he was a well-known medalist who represented the country in different international competitions. This earned him the nickname “Figure Skating Prince” and “Ice Prince” among fans and followers.
Sunoo
Born on June 24, 2003, Kim Sun Oo hails from Suwon, Gyeonggi, South Korea. Although he only trained for less than a year, which is alone impressive, he managed to secure a spot in the debut line up. He ranked eighth in the final episode of I-LAND, but it was the producer’s choice for him to be included in the debut.
When not working, he spends his time mostly at home doing his favorite things – watching Disney films, listening to music, playing video games and eating his favorite food of all time, which is tteokbokki.
Jungwon
Yang Jung-won was born on February 9, 2004. His name literally means “garden” in Korean. He has a sister who is two years older than him. At an early age, he already knew he wanted to be in the entertainment industry. He already was a trainee for Big Hit Entertainment, for more than a year before participating in the reality show I-LAND.
Among all the members, he had the most votes, ranking the first among the seven. In the industry, he looks up to BTS’s Jungkook. In his free time, he loves walking around specially if it’s raining and watching various films.
Ni-ki.
Hailing from Japan, Nishimura Riki or goes with the stage name Ni-Ki, was born on December 9, 2005 in Okayama, Japan. The maknae (the youngest) of the group happens to be the main dancer of the group as well. Training only for less than a year, he already was exposed to the entertainment industry prior to their debut.
At an early age, he was once a back up dancer for the Korean boy group SHINee. A genius in dancing, he can memorize an entire choreography in just 10 minutes. That gave him the title “Super Dance” and “Little Michael Jackson”.
The group ENHYPEN is set to debut on November 30 with their first mini-album entitled “BORDER : DAY ONE”. We only have a few days left to be mesmerized by this new boy group, so while waiting, let us all take a sneak peak of their first mini-album!
