 Kim was born in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, the only son and youngest of three children.Despite not having a musical background, Kim dreamed of becoming a singer as a teenager, especially after watching HOT, and sent in a demo tape to Park Jin-young, who was recruiting a final member for the project group that would become g.o.d.He bought a one-way ticket to Seoul after being called in for an audition and eventually signed with Park's company JYP Entertainment.