JAY B

Lim Jae-beom (; born January 6, 1994), known professionally as Jay B (; stylized in all caps), and formerly JB, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and actor. Jay B is the leader of South Korean boy band Got7, a member of boy band duo JJ Project and sub-unit Jus2, as well as part of R&B soul crew Offshore as Def.. He made his small-screen debut through the drama series Dream High 2 in 2012.

Biography Lim Jae-beom was born in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, and grew up in Goyang. When he was seven, after watching g.o.d. perform, he developed the dream of becoming a singer. He started b-boying in his third year of middle school after failing a school test, dancing with friends at Ilsan, Paju, Boramae and Jeongbalsan station, and taking part in competitions. As a b-boy, he used the stage name Defsoul, taking Musiq Soulchild's "Just Friends" music video as inspiration. In 2009 he was scouted by JYP Entertainment at a b-boy competition: he was not interested in attending the audition, but his father pushed him to do so. He subsequently passed the open audition, winning first place with Jinyoung over applicants. He became interested in musical composition and hip hop culture as a b-boy, In order not to be confused with singer Yim Jae-beom, he adopted the stage name of JB. In May 2012, he and fellow trainee Jinyoung debuted as the duo JJ Project with the single album Bounce. Their official music video for the title track "Bounce" was released on May 19.

On March 11, 2013, it was announced that he would be appearing as Seo Mi-joon on MBC's new drama When a Man Falls in Love. On January 16, 2014, the two members of JJ Project debuted as part of a seven-member boy band called Got7.

2015–2020: Solo activities and first photo exhibition

In 2015, he played the lead role in Dream Knight, a web drama, as a superhero version of himself, alongside his fellow Got7 members, featuring actress Song Ha-yoon as the female lead role.

In 2016, with the extended play Flight Log: Departure, his self-written songs started being included in Got7's album under the pseudonym Defsoul

In 2018, together with group mate Yugyeom, he participated in the art collaboration project Collaboran for carbonated mineral water brand Perrier with American multimedia artist Ben Jones. The creation process was later revealed through a reality show in May.

On March 5, 2019, he and Yugyeom debuted as Jus2, a sub-unit of Got7, with their EP Focus and its lead single "Focus on Me". In December 2019, he launched the JB Collection, a summer-themed clothing line in collaboration with Represent, which went on sale for two weeks and sold 35,940 items.

He also released two compilation extended plays with the Offshore crew, Scene #1 on June 24, 2019, and Scene #2 on March 26, 2020. As Def., he held his first photo exhibition named Alone from October 6 to 12, 2020, in Seoul.

2021: Departure from JYP Entertainment and SOMO:Fume On January 19, 2021, following the expiration of his contract, he left JYP Entertainment. With the release of Got7's single "Encore" on February 20, he started using the new stage name Jay B.

On May 11, 2021, he signed an exclusive contract with H1ghr Music, debuting as a solo artist three days later by releasing the single "Switch It Up" featuring rapper Sokodomo, The R&B track was self-written and self-composed by Jay B with Jay Park and Cha Cha Malone, who also produced it, and talks about love, while the title conveys that his life is going to change. He also became the third Korean soloist to chart on Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Digital Song Sales Chart with "Switch It Up" entering at number 18.

On July 30, 2021, he became the first cover star for the launching of TMRW Magazine Korea. The 100-page magazine had been curated with Jay B himself and featured an exclusive interview, photoshoot and his own film photographies. In August, he appeared on MBC's singing competition show King of Mask Singer as "Toad's House" on episode 319. On August 26, 2021, his first EP, SOMO:Fume and the music video of the title track "B.T.W (Feat. Jay Park)" were released both digitally and physically. As part of the album promotions, Jay B held his first solo global fan meeting, "SOMO:Fume, Style of My Own:Fume", on September 25 through online platform Bbangya TV, while the official merchandise launched to commemorate the release of the EP, which went on sale for one week from September 2, was sold out in five days. An offline pop-up store selling additional items was subsequently opened in Seoul for two weeks from October 1, 2021.

In September, he participated in "Feel the Rhythm of Korea 2", a promotional campaign sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, for which he sang "I'm Surfin", a re-interpretation of traditional song "Niliria" , which was released on September 3 along a music video. On September 27, Jay B launched his second clothing line with Represent, "Live Without Regrets", under his moniker Def. On October 18, he collaborated with Italian singer-songwriter and producer Fudasca on the single "Is It A Dream?", while in November, he starred in the new Adidas Originals winter campaign, "Open Spirit", along with Blackpink.

2022–2025: Other music releases and world tours

On January 26, 2022, Jay B released his first physical extended play as Def., Love., which was listed among the best albums and EPs of the first half of the year by Bandwagon, and named one of the best Korean hip hop and R&B albums of 2022 according to Rolling Stone India.

On June 18, 2022, he held the Nostalgic concert at Jangchung Arena to commemorate ten years since his debut: the event was followed by more than people both online and offline. On July 25, 2022, the exclusive contract between Jay B and H1ghr Music expired and he signed with CDNZA Records. His first release under the new label was the single "Rocking Chair", which he first performed at the Nostalgic concert,

On September 21, Jay B released his second EP Be Yourself, and three days later kicked off the Tape: Press Pause World Tour in Seoul, which continued in Asia, Latin America and Europe for the rest of the year and concluded in January 2023 with three encore performances in Bangkok and Seoul. On the occasion of the two Thai stops in October, which saw the singer performing in front of 24,000 people at a sold-out Impact Exhibition Hall, Jay B held a pop-up exhibition from October 17 to November 15 at the Siam Center, presenting ideas and inspirations behind the Be Yourself album. In the meantime, he released his second EP as Def., which was titled Abandoned Love..

In February 2023, ahead of his enlistment as a social service worker, he released the special album Seasonal Hiatus, featuring three new songs. In April, he terminated his contract with CDNZA Records, and the following October 6, Mauve Company announced that Jay B had signed an exclusive contract with them.

Following his discharge on November 1, 2024, Jay B released his first full album Archive 1: on November 27, followed by the concert Tape: Re Load in Seoul and Bangkok. Along with the Thai concert, he held a second exhibition at the Siam Center from January 13 to February 3, 2025. Through 2025, he toured Asia, the USA and South America with the Tape: Re Load World Tour, which ended in November with encore performances in Thailand and South Korea. His contract with Mauve Company came to an end on December 2.

2026–present: TR.EE After signing with his independent label 528Hz in April 2026, Jay B released his third EP TR.EE on June 10. On June 20 and 21 he held the first two stops of the Tape: Roots concert at Yes24 Live Hall in Seoul; he then toured Bangkok, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Tokyo from July to early September. The North American leg will be held in the second half of September.

Personal life Health Jay B was diagnosed with clinical depression as well as panic disorder, and has since taken prescribed medication for them.

In 2016, he was unable to participate in several Got7's Fly Tour concerts and a M!Countdown performance due to a spinal disc injury. He returned for the Fly in Singapore concert at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre on June 24, two months after the injury.

Family and education During his younger years, his parents divorced due to his father's drinking problem, and his mother later remarried. His family runs a tomato farm in Ilsan.

Jay B majored in film at Konkuk University.

Artistry Jay B has cited D'Angelo as the artist that inspired him to take on singing and music composition. Although he has listened to a variety of different genres to produce music for Got7, for his solo work he prefers R&B, influenced by soul and lo-fi. Regarding his second persona, Def., he has described it as a way to release the music he really likes and experiment with songs not catering to the general public. Vogue Korea commented that "While Jay B in Got7 is as powerful and refreshing as the moment when you open a can of soda, Def. is as mellow as a dawn after a dewy night". His music blends "emotional honesty, genre experimentation, and sophisticated R&B influences". On February 27, 2020, he donated to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After being appointed an ambassador for ChildFund Korea (Green Umbrella Children's Foundation) in 2018, Jay B has continued to donate to the organization over the years to help underprivileged children. In 2021 he donated the profits from the sales of his SOMO:Fume merchandise and his Def. Represent collection to support families in need caused by COVID-19 and abused children, reaching and thus being appointed as an official member of the Green Noble Club in December. On February 10, 2023, the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation announced that he had donated to help children around the world and that the donation would be used mainly for the victims of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.

Discography

Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and sales figures Title Details Peakchartpositions Sales KOR

Extended plays + List of extended plays, with selected chart positions and sales figures Title Details Peakchartpositions Sales KOR JPN SOMO:Fume Released: August 26, 2021 Label: H1ghr Music Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 5 33 KOR: 99,367 JPN: 1,268 Love. Released: January 26, 2022 Label: 528Hz Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 3 — KOR: 52,724 Be Yourself Released: September 21, 2022 Label: CDNZA Records Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 7 — KOR: 51,453 Abandoned Love. Released: October 17, 2022 Label: 528Hz Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 11 — KOR: 14,234 TR.EE Release date: June 10, 2026 Label: 528Hz Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 8 — KOR: 41,343

Single albums + List of single albums, with selected chart positions and sales figures Title Details Peakchartpositions Sales KOR Seasonal Hiatus Released: February 14, 2023 Label: CDNZA Records Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 25 KOR: 11,429

Mixtapes Title Album details Track listing 1/? vol. 1 Released: December 31, 2016 Label: – Format: Streaming "Holic" "Don't Worry" "Sin" feat. Jomalxne "Lost" "Bad Habit" feat. Jomalxne 1/? vol. 2 Released: January 22, 2018 Label: – Format: Streaming "Intro" "Think of You" "Channel" feat. Jeebanoff, Jomalxne "Don't Touch Me" "Pray" "Outro" 1/? vol. 2 (Remix) Released: April 30, 2018 Label: – Format: Streaming "Don't Touch Me (Deepshower Remix)" "Channel (BRLLNT Remix)" "Think of You (Plan8 Remix)" 1/? vol. 3 Released: November 10, 2018 Label: – Format: Streaming "Sometime" "Be With You" "Don't Care" "Island" feat. Jomalxne "Blind" 1/? vol. 4 Released: August 4, 2019 Label: – Format: Streaming "Something Special" "Desire" "Deeper" "Runaway" "Stopline" feat. Rick Bridges 1/? vol. 5 Released: October 28, 2019 Label: – Format: Streaming "Ring" "Diary" "Nothing" "Curiosi" "Come Back to Me"

Singles Title Year Peakchartpositions Sales Album KOR As lead artist "Rainy" 2018 — Hyena on the Keyboard Part. 4 "Switch It Up" 2021 — "Is It a Dream?" — "Sunset with You" 2022 152 Love. "Hello 2.0 (Legends Only)" — "BRB" — "Lone Wolf (3:00 AM)" ) — Listen-Up EP.3 "Rocking Chair" — "Go Up" 2022 — Be Yourself "Will Spring Come?" — "About You" 2023 — Soulbysel Compilation 04 "Crash" 2024 — Archive 1: [Road Runner] "Cloud Nine" — "Layback" 2026 — TR.EE As featured artist "Just Because" 2016 12 KOR: 185,203 "Hush" 2017 99 KOR: 24,686 Pop "Celebrate" — $ummertime Mixtape "Higher" 2018 — Colors "Callin'" 2020 — Good Thing. (Remix) "Dream" — REALusion "In December (Sad Night)" ) — White "Memory" 2021 — Seesaw "P.S". — Uptown Girl "Thought of You" — "Nostalgia" — Nostalgia "Night" 2022 — "Windy Day" — BIGONEISTHENAME "I'll Be Fine" — Mr. Hollywood "GZRGH" — Sky Walker As part of Offshore "Surfin" 2019 — Scene #1 "Laze" — "Play" — "Simple" 2020 — Scene #2 "Smoke" — "Take a Walk" — "Sweet Dream" — Cut #1 "Just Stay" — "Cold Night" 2021 — Scene #3 "Just Stay" (Remastered) — "Call Me" — "Sweet Dream" (Remastered) — "Favorite" 2023 — Scene #4 "Bada" — "Hell of a Life" — Soundtrack appearances "New Dreaming" 2012 — Dream High 2 OST "Together" — "Forever Love" 2015 — Dream Knight OST "U&I" 2017 — The Package OST "U&I (Chinese Version)" — "Be With You" 2019 — A Day Before Us Zero OST "Dive Into You" 2022 — Crazy Love OST "Closer" — Good Job OST "Velvet Trigger" 2025 — Exchange 4 OST

Songwriting credits

Filmography

Dramas Year Title Role Notes 2012 Dream High 2 JB/Jang Woo-jae 2013 When a Man Falls in Love Seo Mi-joon 2015 Dream Knight JB Korean-Chinese online drama by JYPE and Youku Tudou

Television shows Year Title Role Notes 2012 The Romantic & Idol Regular member with Jun. K, Mir, Park Hyung-sik, Son Ji-hyun, Oh Seung-ah, Jei and Shin Hye-jeong (Season 1) 2016 Celebrity Bromance Cast member with Yoo Youngjae (B.A.P) (Season 12) 2017 Law of the Jungle in Cook Islands (Episode 293–298) I Can See Your Voice with BamBam, Youngjae, Yugyeom, Jinyoung, and Mark 2018 Hyena on the Keyboard Producer Episode 6–8 2019 Prison Life of Fools Cast member Episode 1–6, 13–18, 23–24 2021 King of Mask Singer Contestant as Toad's House (Episode 319)

Web shows Year Title Role 2022 The Origin Judge

Radio shows Year Title Role Note 2015 Kiss the Radio Special host with Youngjae (October 15) 2020 Idol Radio with Yugyeom (Episode 571, April 26)with Youngjae (Episodes 572, 574, April 27 to 28) 2021–2022 StationZ: Jay B's R&B DJ Every Wednesday (September 8, 2021 to April 27, 2022)

Music videos Year Title Artist Director Notes 2012 "Together" Jay B, Jiyeon Dream High 2 OST 2017 "U & I" Jay B, Jackson The Package OST 2018 "Sunrise" Got7 Naive Creative Production Solo song from Got7's album Present: You 2019 "Be With You" Jay B A Day Before Us Season ZERO OST 2021 "B.T.W" Jay B feat. Jay Park Beomjin (Paranoid Paradigm) "AM PM" Jay B feat. Wheein "Fame" Jay B feat. Junny "Thought of You" Ourealgoat feat. Jay B Sillyello "Nostalgia" (Lyric Video Ver.) Junny feat. Jay B 2022 "Sunset With You" Def. It's Not Spring "Hello 2.0 (Legends Only)" James Reid, Jay B and ØZI "Windy Day" Bigone feat. Jay B Oh Ji-hwan "Dive Into You" Jay B Crazy Love OST "Rocking Chair" It's Not Spring "Closer" Jay B and Youngjae Good Job OST "Go Up" Jay B Hobin "My Abandoned Love" Def. It's Not Spring "My Abandoned Love" (Mdnght ver.) 2024 "Crash" (Director's Cut) Jay B Hobin 2025 "Layback"

Awards and nominations

Award Year Category Nominated work Result APAN Music Awards 2020 Best All Rounder Jay B Asia Artist Awards 2021 Popularity Award – Male Solo Singer U+Idol Live Popularity Award – Male Solo Singer Weibo Cultural Communication Night 2026 Asia's Most Popular Performance Star Award