Meet The South Korean RnB and Soul Singer G.Soul
Kim Ji Hyun (Hangeul: 김 지현), also called G.Soul (Hangeul: 지소울), is an American singer from South Korea. G.Soul studied in America and R.Kelly gave him the appreciation as an “R.Kelly Protege” before moving to Korea. G.Soul was scouted by JYP Entertainment through Studio J, which is a subsidiary label of JYP. He is quite popular as the trainee with the longest trainee period in JYP Entertainment by training for about 15 years before making a debut with his first single “You” back in January 2015. After becoming an asset and senior in the label, he decided to leave and sign under global hip-hop label H1GHR MUSIC on June 6th, 2017. In this Channel-Korea article, let’s scroll down to find out more about G.Soul. Stay tuned!
Full Profile and Facts
Full Profile
Birth Name: Kim Ji Hyun
Stage Name: G.Soul
Date of Birth: June 16th, 1988
Height: 173 cm
Weight: 60 kg
Blood Type: AB
Instagram: @g_theprince
Twitter: @GSOULplanet
Facts
- G.Soul comes from an underprivileged family.
- He almost debuted in the United States, however, his debut was canceled due to the rise of financial issues.
- G.Soul became a trainee in 2001.
- He was seen by Park Jin Young when he was 12 years old on Talent Development Project 99%.
- After being a trainee for 15 years, he finally debuted on January 19th, 2015, with the release of the mini-album titled Coming Home.
- His mini-album drew the attention of various music charts like Bugs, Daum, Naver, Genie, Cyworld after being launched.
- His mini-album Coming Home got the 6th position on the Billboard World Albums Chart.
- He is close friends with Sohee and Jo Kwon from 2AM.
- He studied in America under R.Kelly.
- He was a trainee for 15 years under JYP Entertainment.
Debuting Under JYP Entertainment
G.Soul was a trainee of JYP Entertainment from 2001 when he was 12 years old. JYP stated that they spotted G.Soul when he was only in the 6th grade and were wonderstruck with his voice filled with so much soul. G.Soul then debuted in 2015 with the song “You” after 15 long years; he finally made his debut under the label in 2015.
For 15 years, JYP Entertainment has been influencing and mentoring him. G.Soul implied, “I learned so much. I learned patience and also learned that I always have to be consistent, hard-working, and continuous in everything I do.” G.Soul also commented about his moving to another label, “I’m working hard in a new environment.” Talking about CEO Jay Park, G.Soul said, “He’s great. Like my former agency, the CEO is also an artist so there’s a deeper understanding.”
Joining H1GHR Music
G.Soul was under Studio J, a subsidiary of JYP Entertainment, before he left the company on June 6th, 2017, to join a new company called H1GHER MUSIC, a hip-hop label. He decided to move to H1GHER MUSIC because he knew Jay Park since they were young; G.Soul added that he has been such an ally to Jay Park since they were young and could relate to him on a personal level.” This was one of his reasons that contributed to his decision to join the new company after leaving JYP Entertainment.
Story During His Military Enlistment
G.Soul announced his plans to enlist in the military as an active-duty soldier in 2017. From a source, on December 16th, his agency announced to a Korean media outlet, “G.Soul will enlist at the 6th division army training center in Cheorwon County of Gangwon Province on December 26th.”
He received his official post where he will carry out his military service for 21 months, after completing training for five weeks.
Actually, in February, G.Soul had previously applied to enlist as a conscripted policeman, but he changed his mind and chose to enlist as an active-duty soldier instead.
Meanwhile, G.Soul had just parted ways with JYP Entertainment before his enlistment and signed with H1GHR MUSIC in June. He released his first album under his new label titled Circles and promoted the title track “Can’t.”
Love Story with Former MISS A, Min
Some issues have arisen between Min Miss A and G.Soul during their time in JYP Entertainment. They were revealed of being in a relationship. The source stated that Min and G.Soul have known each other for a while, since their trainee days, and the two casually grew closer over time.
“When they were in Korea, before they debuted, they relied on each other. They had the same hardships going back and forth from Korea to the USA, and thought of each other as mentors. They also connect in terms of music. They’re a JYP couple that matches each other well.”
According to this, JYP also issued a statement confirming the relationship and asking fans to support them:
“The two of them have relied on each other while they were preparing to debut in the USA. They recently realized their feeling for each other. They stayed close even when they came back to Korea. Please look favorably on them.”
But according to some news outlets, Min and G.Soul have broken up after dating for 6 months. In November 2016, JYP Entertainment confirmed their relationship officially and made sure fans support them but they separated after several months. Although they have broken up, G.Soul and Min have decided to remain good friends and label mates.
Here are some recent Instagram posts of G.Soul on his account @g_theprince. He looks fresh and enjoying his life abroad.
Discography
Extended plays
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | |||
| Coming Home |
|
14 |
|
| Dirty |
|
— | N/A |
| Circles |
|
62 |
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
Sales (DL) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | ||||
| “You” | 2015 | 9 |
|
Coming Home |
| “You” acoustic ver. |
— | N/A | Non-album singles | |
| “Love Me Again” | 63 |
|
||
| “Crazy For You” (미쳐있어 나타이틀) | — |
|
Dirty | |
| “Smooth Operator” feat. San E |
2016 | — | N/A | Non-album singles |
| “Far, Far Away” (멀리멀리) | 50 |
|
||
| “Tequila” feat. Hoody |
2017 | — | N/A | Circles |
| “Bad Habit” (술버릇) | — | |||
| “Can’t” (아직도 난) | — |
Other charted songs
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
Sales (DL) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | ||||
| As lead artist | ||||
| “Coming Home” | 2015 | 75 |
|
Coming Home |
| “Superstar” | 94 |
|
||
| “First Love” | 93 |
|
||
| “Excuses” (변명) | 89 |
|
||
| “Once More” (한번만 더) | — |
|
||
Latest News
The 31-year-old musician recently returned from his military service and is back to working again. The Korean RnB singer, Kim Ji-hyun (G.Soul) shared a photo holding BTS V’s character “TATA” on his recent Instagram story. TATA is a plushie that is one of the official merchandises of the popular K-Pop boy band BTS.
This official merchandise of BTS has some unique features since the creator of TATA in BT21 universe is Kim Taehyung, aka BTS V.
That’s everything about G.Soul’s profile, his military enlistment, and his career journey that started from JYP Entertainment. Don’t forget to comment and share your thoughts in the section below!
