Happy Birthday Hobi: How BTS Member J-Hope Became ARMYs' Sunshine

Besides being one of the two best dancers of BTS, Jung Hoseok aka J-Hope stands out as the most cheerful member of the K-pop band. His infectious energy and sunny disposition earned him the nickname Sunshine. With his rapping talents, skillful performance and his happy-go-lucky personality, J-hope enjoys a dedicated fandom of his own.

Any BTS member’s birthday is an occasion for huge celebration for the band’s worldwide fanclub, the ARMY. J-Hope turned 27 on February 18 and #HappyBirthdayHoseok started trending on Twitter from midnight. He rang in his birthday on V Live, a South Korean video streaming service, which crashed during the session due to viewer overload. If you are wondering what makes J-Hope so endearing to his fans, read on.

Ho-seok hails from Gwangju, South Korea, where he lived with his parents and older sister. Before debuting with BTS, he was part of the underground dance team Neuron. J-Hope was relatively well-known for his skills in dance prior to his debut. He eventually gained interest in singing and rapping, helping motivate him to audition as an idol trainee.

He was the third member to join the group as a trainee after RM and Suga. J-Hope has since been involved in the creation process of every album in BTS’ discography. He had no rapping experience before joining BTS, but J-Hope trained hard and joined the rap line with RM and Suga.

Before BTS debuted as a septet, Hosoek had decided to leave the group, but leader Kim Namjoon (RM) convinced the management Big Hit that they will not be able to make it without him. The results were evident right from the beginning – J-Hope was a killer performer on stage.

During BTS’ After School Club era, J-Hope’s most famous line came when he introduced himself. He loved saying, “I’m your hope” every time his name was mentioned. His stage name J-Hope comes from his desire to represent hope for fans, as well as to be “the hope of BTS.” It is also a reference to the myth of Pandora’s box, as after the box was opened and all the evils inside were released to the world, the only thing left was hope.

During their first fan-meeting, J-Hope told the fans being able to hold a mic and communicate with the fans was a surreal and amazing experience. “I think a flower is beautiful when it blooms and fades, I will be a flower-like singer for all of you,” he said.

J-Hope has proved his worth as a solo artist too. In March 2018, he released his first solo mixtape, Hope World, worldwide, along with a music video for the title track ‘Daydream’. The EP debuted at number 63 and peaked at number 38 on the Billboard 200, making him the highest charting K-pop solo act on the chart. The mixtape charted in ten countries worldwide.

In 2019, J-Hope released a free collaboration single, ‘Chicken Noodle Soup’, on September 27, featuring American singer, Becky G. It debuted at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100, which made him the first member of BTS with a hot 100 hit under his own name. The English/Spanish/Korean song also debuted at number 1 on the World Digital Songs chart and is J-Hope’s second song to achieve this after ‘Daydream’.

BTS members have often praised J-Hope for being their ray of sunshine. RM has pointed out that J-Hope will always brighten up the mood for everyone, even when things aren’t looking good. He often makes a fool of himself to put a smile on other people’s faces. Hobi’s naturally positive personality is makes him lovable to his fans too.

Leaving some tweets here of ARMYs praising Hobi’s happy demeanor while wishing him on his 27th birthay. Enjoy:

Here’s wishing J-Hope a very happy 27th birthday and a very happy Hobi Day to all ARMYs!

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