How was each member found by JYP?

Exactly 10 years ago, on January 16, 2014, JYP Entertainment’s newest boy group debuted in the South Korean music industry: GOT7. Composed of seven members, Jay B, Mark, Jackson, Jinyoung, Youngjae, Bamboom It is Yugyeom, the group made their long-awaited debut with the track “Girls Girls Girls”. Remember!

The group soon became one of the biggest hits of the third generation of K-pop and, throughout their career, released a series of hits, such as “Just Right”, “Lullaby”, “Hard Carry”, “Look”, “ NOT BY THE MOON”, “You Calling My Name”, among others.

Today, 10 years after their debut, GOT7 remains together, however, they are no longer in the company responsible for forming them. This is because, in 2021, after the end of their exclusive contracts, all members decided not to renew with the agency, and were granted direct access to the group’s entire brand.

Despite being in a new phase of their career, have you ever wondered how the seven members arrived at JYP? RECREIO tells you!

Jay B

The GOT7 leader has enjoyed K-pop since he was seven years old, and it was because of this interest that he decided to start dancing as a hobby as a teenager. When he was in high school, Jay B He realized that he wasn’t very good at studying, and began to dedicate himself even more to dancing, with the aim of becoming a professional breakdancer.

One day, when he went to the bathroom during a break dance competition, he ended up being approached by a JYP agent, who invited him to audition for the company. He accepted and, during the open audition, ended up meeting Jinyoung, with whom he formed a team. The two competed against 10,000 candidates, and finished tied for first place after a unanimous decision by the judges.

Mark

JYP Entertainment discovered Mark in 2010. The oldest member of GOT7 was cast while he was with his friends at his school in the United States, where he lived. Despite not having much interest in K-pop at the time, he decided to audition, and passed after singing “When I’m Gone” by Eminem.

According to the Koreaboo portal, Mark He only started dreaming of being a real K-pop idol after taking the stage for a showcase as a trainee. In total, the star trained for 3 years and 6 months before his long-awaited debut.

Jackson

Before the music, Jackson had a promising career in sports. This is because her mother is a former gymnast and her father is a fencing coach, where they were both part of the national team. As a result, he became interested in the field from a young age, training gymnastics until he was 10 years old, before taking up fencing.

With swords, Jackson He proved to be very talented, winning first place in the junior competition. While preparing for the London Olympics, he ended up being selected by JYP and, while playing basketball at the American International School of Hong Kong, he took the test and passed first against 2,000 candidates.

However, despite being accepted, Jackson He still needed to convince his parents, who were reluctant with the decision. After much talk, they gave in on one condition: that they win another championship. Thus, in the Asian international competition, he came away with two gold medals, in addition to winning 11th place in the world rankings, 1st in Asia, and scholarships at the University of Hong Kong and Stanford.

Jinyoung

Jinyoung He was interested in music from a very young age. Therefore, he decided to start taking dance classes when he was younger, however, during the first three months, he ended up not taking it very seriously and was scolded by his father.

Although the speech hurt his feelings, it also served as motivation, making him dedicate himself even more. After another three months, Jinyoung He improved his skills even further, and ended up being selected in a JYP audition.

Youngjae

From a very young age, Youngjae He used to sing alongside his older brother. When he joined the army, the youngest decided that he would continue singing, and entered a music school with the aim of delving even deeper into the field.

One day in 2013, the music school he studied at held a private audition with JYP Entertainment, which he passed straight away. Therefore, Youngjae trained for just six months before debuting as a member of GOT7.

Bamboom

Bamboom He knew JYP Entertainment from a young age due to his mother, who was a big fan of the soloist rain, and was part of the agency. Upon discovering that there was going to be a cover dance contest for rain in Thailand, the matriarch decided to take her eldest son, however, after he suffered an injury in the loss, Bamboom went instead.

It is worth remembering that the boy had already been training in dance for some time, where he was even part of the dance group We Zaa Cool alongside Lisa, by BLACKPINK. Even though he was his brother’s replacement, Bamboom He did very well in the contest and ended up being accepted as a trainee at JYP.

Yugyeom

The GOT7 maknae has also been passionate about music since elementary school. When he was in high school, many times, instead of studying, he would stay in front of the computer reproducing choreographies.

His destiny changed after his cousin, who owned a dance academy, saw a video of Yugyeom dancing, and invite you to take classes at your institution. The boy accepted the proposal, and ended up catching the attention of one of the teachers, who also worked as an instructor at JYP, and was responsible for helping him audition and become a trainee.