| Jae Jin | |||||||||
| Birth Place: | Seoul, South Korea | ||||||||
| Origin: | Baltimore, Maryland, US | ||||||||
| Occupation: | Musician, Singer-songwriter | ||||||||
| Years Active: | 2015–present | ||||||||
| Label: | Independent Unsigned | ||||||||
| Associated Acts: | Tim Be Told Sam Ock Rudy Currence | ||||||||
| Website: | Jae Jin Official Site | ||||||||
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Jae Jin (born in Seoul, South Korea) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, SAG-AFTRA actor and public speaker from Baltimore known for his soulful singing, award-winning songwriting, and sought-after public speaking/storytelling. He independently distributes his original music through AWAL (under Kobalt Music Group) and is a part of the Sinasoid Artist Guild.[1]
To date, Jin has independently self-released four albums: Kairos (2015), Baltimore Boulevard (2017), Letters and Drinks (2018), and The Seasons In Between (2022). Jin won a John Lennon Songwriting Award in 2019[2] and also received 1st Place in the International Songwriting Competition.[3] He was also a Finalist in the 2019 NewSong Music Competition.[4] [5] Jin has appeared on Season 16 of U.S. TV series The Voice[6] [7] and on Season 2 of U.S. TV series House of Cards as a principal actor. He received a prestigious WeWork Creator Award through WeWork in 2018 for his original music and powerful life story, and gave his first TEDx talk in 2020.[8]
Jin was born in Seoul, South Korea on November 6 and immigrated to the United States with his mother when he was two years old. He attended Chantilly High School. Having spent 20 years in Baltimore, Maryland, he considers Baltimore his hometown.[9] He has a Korean mother, Mihye, and a Caucasian stepfather, John Whiteside, who he considers his real father.[10]
At the age of 17, Jin was diagnosed with a terminal blood-bone marrow disorder. He underwent experimental chemotherapy at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Five years later, while he was a pre-med student at Johns Hopkins University, the illness returned, and Jin repeated the same chemotherapy, becoming the second patient in history to receive the treatment twice.[11]
He graduated from Johns Hopkins University,[12] went on to partially complete an MPH degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and spent many years working in healthcare management at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, social enterprise and workforce development in East Baltimore (Baltimore), as well as time spent in the startup world. As Jin was preparing to commence a dual graduate degree in Medicine and Business (MD/MBA program), he chose instead to pursue a career in music at the end of 2014.[13]
Jin made his first notable appearance in 2013, when his cover of Sam Cooke's song "Nothing Can Change This Love" was shared by video blog WorldStarHipHop going viral. After garnering over one million views, the video was removed from the service at the request of Sam Cooke's music publishers.[14] Following the popularization of this video, Jin began meeting with record labels, music business executives, and major network reality television shows even garnering the attention of Russell Simmons.[15] However, instead of partnering with a third-party, the musician decided to pursue his music career independently.
A few months later, Jin appeared as a principal actor singing in a scene on U.S. TV series House of Cards.[16]
In 2014, Jin appeared on Christian radio network Moody Radio for an interview on the Chris Fabry Live program discussing his plans to take a leap of faith with limited musical experience.[17]
Jin began his journey by packing up his entire life into two suitcases moving to New York City. Jin spent three months recording his debut album, titled Kairos, with the help of his long time friend and the album's producer, Tim Ouyang of Tim Be Told. On October 6, 2015, Jin released his ten track debut studio album, Kairos.[18] [19]
Jin appeared on ABC News numerous times for interviews and guest performances of "Wild Creatures" and "Ain't About Love".[20]
On August 28, 2020, Jin released a 31-track Kairos Super Deluxe album consisting of the original 10 songs as well as 21 bonus tracks that included live acoustic versions, a handful of special alternative versions, and instrumentals. The super deluxe also includes an in-depth commentary with album producer, Tim, as well as a special final track which includes Korean translation lyrics of "Amen" spoken by Jin's own birth mother.
On November 3, 2017, Jin released his sophomore effort Baltimore Boulevard, an album collection of songs written over a two-year span.[21] In the same month, he was awarded a WeWork Creator Award given to those who "bring new ideas into the world". Jin was also invited to share his life story on stage at Madison Square Garden during the WeWork Global Summit.[22]
On June 29, 2018, Jin released his third full-length album, Letters & Drinks. Atwood Magazine's Mitch Mosk wrote: "echoing the likes of Fun and Jason Mraz, and with a voice like Sam Smith, Jin appeals to the deepest part of our souls – that tender, vulnerable side we too often build walls around. His songs truly come from the heart, whether he's dealing with tragedy as on 'Six Feet Above', honoring family (his stepfather) as on 'Father's Land', or trying to leave the world a better place – as in album opener 'Dance with Me'."[23]
His hit single, "11:11" has won him numerous songwriting awards, including the John Lennon Songwriting Award in 2019. He was also chosen as one of the eight finalists out of over 800 contestants for the prestigious NewSong Music Competition in Asheville, NC in November, 2019.
Jin released multiple original standalone singles including "So Wrong," "Love U Like That," "The Cost (of Loving You)," "Castaway," and "Pages." The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States led to nearly 200 event cancellations and postponed touring plans but Jin released a deluxe version of Baltimore Boulevard, as well as a 31-track Super Deluxe version of Kairos. In December 2020, Jin quietly released a Christmas EP album titled Evergreen.
On December 16, 2022, Jin released his fourth full-length album, The Seasons In Between which includes a handful of his popular original singles including "So Wrong," "Love U Like That," "Colder," "Good Kid of Blue," "Pages," and "Lighthouse" the last of which received Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance consideration in 2022.
Jin played his first casual concerts as a solo artist in 2014 at various venues around the National Capital Region including Jammin' Java and Ebenezers Coffeehouse. Since the start of 2015 when he decided to do music full-time, he has toured extensively bringing him to over 124 cities.[24] Notable venues Jin has played concerts at include The Bitter End, SideWalk Cafe, Pianos (club), Rockwood Music Hall, Eddie's Attic, Hotel Café, Postcrypt Coffeehouse, Smith's Olde Bar (ATL), Neck of the Woods (SF), and more.[25]
Jin has toured North America, Europe (France and England), and Asia (South Korea and Singapore). The majority of his global touring that included London, Paris, South Korea, and Singapore took place in 2016.[26]
His longest major touring took place in 2019, when he embarked on a 10 month, 46 city tour.[25]
As of 2023, Jin has played over 700 performances across over 160 cities globally.[25]
Jin has cited artists including Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke, The Beatles, and Prince as major influences and often speaks about his varied influences ranging from country to soul to hiphop.[27] His solo live music as a singer-songwriter ranges in genre from folk to blues to soul to rhythm and blues.
| Title | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Kairos | 2015 | Independent |
| Baltimore Boulevard | 2017 | Independent |
| Letters & Drinks | 2018 | Independent |
| Evergreen (a Christmas album) | 2020 | Independent |
| The Seasons In Between | 2022 | Independent |
Korean dramas and TV shows:
| Year | Award | Nominated Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Wework Creator Award | NYC Creator Award For Outstanding Original Music and Life Story | Incubate | |
| 2018 | Mayoral Salute by the City of Baltimore | N/A | Mayoral Salute | |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | "Father's Land" | Americana/Folk/Acoustic | [29] | |
| 16th Annual IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards) | "Whiskey Song" | Best Male Artist | ||
| 2019 | John Lennon Songwriting Award | 11:11 | LOVE | |
| International Songwriting Competition | 11:11 | Adult Contemporary | ||
| Music City Song Star | 11:11 | Grand Prize | ||