Artist Highlight: Hyunjin
Stray Kids’ member Hyunjin is well-known for his striking visuals and strong artistic abilities that only seem to keep evolving.
With the group's western presence growing, Hyunjin undoubtedly steals attention in all of Stray Kids American performances; however, below the surface, he continues to develop his craft as he focuses on songwriting and fashion.
Main Dancer
Following a four-month-hiatus in 2021, Hyunjin re-emerged with a powerful dance performance. His self-choreographed dance cover of “Play With Fire (Feat. Yacht Money)” by Sam Tinnesz has reached nearly 40 million views since its release. Three months later, Hyunjin was chosen as Studio Choom’s “Artist of The Month.” His cover of “Motley Crew” by Post Malone is the most viewed male idol “Artist of The Month,” with over 40 million views.
Songwriting
While all of the Stray Kids members have taken part in songwriting since their debut, it is rare to see a group song written by only one member, especially without the help of at least one member of their production team, 3RACHA. Hyunjin’s only solo songwriting credit for a group song comes from their 2023 Japanese debut album THE SOUND. Hyunjin is credited as a songwriter on the track “DLMLU” alongside Japanese lyricist Yohei who helped translate Hyunjin’s lyrics into Japanese.
Recently, Hyunjin released the SKZ-RECORD “Contradicting” which he wrote and composed. He has expressed a desire to focus more on songwriting and has said that he often writes songs in his free time.
Versace
Hyunjin has recently chosen to extend himself as an artist and become acquainted with fashion. A few weeks prior to the release of Stray Kids’ third studio album 5-STAR, Hyunjin attended Versace's pre-fall “La Vacanza” show in Cannes, France. He was one of only 60 guests invited by Dua Lipa and Donatella Versace, and sat among internationally known celebrities such as Rina Sawayama, Troye Sivan, Manu Rios, Dwyane Wade, and many more. This event led to him becoming acquainted with Troye Sivan, an artist whose songs Hyunjin has covered in the past. Since then, Hyunjin has been featured on Troye Sivan's new version of the single “Rush'' alongside PinkPantheress.
Hyunjin was announced as the global ambassador for Versace on July 20, 2023, making him the first K-Pop act and only Asian person to do so. Not only does this accomplishment reflect Hyunjin’s appeal and artistry, but it also shows how far K-Pop has come in recent years.
Hyunjin was scheduled to attend the Versace show at Milan Fashion Week September 2023, but unfortunately he was involved in a minor car accident, halting all public appearances.
Edited by Lacey Diluvio