Lim Jae-beom commonly known by his stage name JB, is a South Korean singer, record producer, songwriter, dancer and actor who is the leader of South Korean boy band Got7 and part of the sub-units Jus2 and boy band duo JJ Project. JB made his small-screen debut through the drama seriesDream High 2 in 2012. He has also starred in MBC's When a ManFalls in Love as Seo Mi-joon.
Biography
JB is a former b-boy and originally wanted to be a dancer. In 2009, he successfully auditioned for JYP Entertainment, winning first place at the open audition with Jinyoung. At the beginning of his training, he thought that learning to sing was meaningless, and concentrated on dancing instead; however, as time passed by, he developed a wish to become a singer.
Career
2011–2014: Debut and career beginnings
In 2011, JB was cast in the role of Jang Woo-jae in the television drama Dream High 2. The drama began airing on January 30, 2012 on KBS for 16 episodes. In May 2012, JB 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 JB 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–present: Solo activities
In 2015 JB played the lead role in Dream Knight, a virtual musical television drama, as a superhero version of himself, alongside his fellow Got7 members, featuring actress Song Ha-yoon as the female lead role. He was nominated for the "Rising Star Award" at the K-Web Fest in July. On November 24, 2017, it was revealed that JB 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 artistBen Jones. The creation process was revealed through a reality show released in May. On March 5, 2019, JB 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. JB 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.
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, JB 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 JB nor his staff suffered major damage. In 2016, JB 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. JB majored in Film at Konkuk University.
