Jay B

Lim Jae-beom (Hangul: 임재범; born January 6, 1994) commonly known by his stage name Jay B (Hangul: 제이비), and formerly JB, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and actor. He's the leader of South Korean boy band group Got7, member of boy band duo JJ Project and sub-unit Jus2, as well as part of R&B soul crew Offshore. 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 10,000 applicants. He became interested in musical composition and hip hop culture as a b-boy, but at the beginning of his idol training, he thought that learning to sing was meaningless, and concentrated only on dancing; however, after listening to D'Angelo, he started singing and composing his first songs.
Career.
2011–2014: Debut and career beginnings.
In 2011, Lim was cast in the role of Jang Woo-jae in the television drama "Dream High 2", which began airing on January 30, 2012 on KBS for 16 episodes. 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 Jin-young 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 virtual television drama, as a superhero version of himself, alongside his fellow Got7 members, featuring actress Song Ha-yoon as the female lead role.
On November 24, 2017, it was revealed that he had donated 10 million won to the Pohang Earthquake Relief Fund.
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 revealed through a reality show released 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".
On February 27, 2020, he donated 10 million won to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also writes songs as Defsoul or Def, both for Got7 and Offshore crew; with the latter, he released two compilation extended plays, "Scene #1" on June 24, 2019 and "Scene #2" on March 26, 2020.
As Def, he held his first photo exhibition, "Alone", from October 6 till October 12, 2020, in Seoul.
2021–present: Departure from JYP Entertainment and solo debut.
On January 19, 2021, following the expiration of his contract, he left JYP Entertainment. On February 20, 2021, with the release of Got7's single "Encore", he started using the new stage name Jay B.
On March 31, he and his Offshore crew released their new extended play, "Scene #3".
On May 11, 2021, it was announced that he signed an exclusive contract with H1ghr Music, an international hip hop and R&B record label founded by Korean American musician Jay Park and long time Seattle affiliate Cha Cha Malone. Three days later, he made a debut as a solo artist by releasing his new 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. The lyrics of "Switch It Up" talk about love, while the title conveys that his life is going to change.
Personal life.
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.
On September 12, 2014, he was involved in a minor car accident while the driver was trying to change lanes to avoid a parked car when a bus came up behind, causing their car to hit a van. Neither Jay B nor his staff suffered major injuries.
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, showing a full recovery.
Jay B majored in Film at Konkuk University.