Kim Seok-jin (; born December 4, 1992), also known professionally as Jin, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and member of the South Korean boy band BTS. Kim has co-written and released three solo tracks with BTS: "Awake" in 2016, "Epiphany" in 2018, and "Moon" in 2020, all of which have charted on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. In 2019, Kim released his first independent song, the digital track "Tonight". He made his official debut as a solo artist in October 2022, with the release of the single "The Astronaut". Apart from singing, Kim appeared as a host on multiple South Korean music programs from 2016 to 2018. In 2018, he was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea along with his bandmates for his contributions to Korean culture. Early life and education Kim Seok-jin was born on December 4, 1992, in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. His family consists of his mother, father, and older brother. In 2007, he went to a study camp in Australia to learn English. Kim originally wanted to be a journalist but decided to pursue acting after watching Kim Nam-gil in Queen Seondeok. While in junior high school, he was scouted by South Korean K-pop agency SM Entertainment off the street but rejected the offer at the time. Initially intending to be an actor, Kim attended Konkuk University and graduated with a degree in Film Studies on February 22, 2017. He later enrolled in graduate school at Hanyang Cyber University to pursue studies in areas other than music. Career 2013–present: BTS Kim was scouted by Big Hit Entertainment for his looks while walking down the street. At the time Kim was studying acting and had no background in music. Subsequently, he auditioned for Big Hit as an actor before becoming an idol trainee. On June 13, 2013, Kim made his debut as one of the four vocalists in BTS with their debut single album 2 Cool 4 Skool. Kim released his first co-produced track, a solo single from the album Wings titled "Awake", in 2016. The song peaked at number 31 on the Gaon Digital Chart and number six on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart in the United States. In December 2016, he released a Christmas version of "Awake" on SoundCloud. On August 9, 2018, the second solo by Kim, "Epiphany", was released as a