AJ (singer)
Encyclopedia
Lee Gi-kwang is a South Korean idol and dancer. He was a solo singer under Cube Entertainment
, also known by his stage name as "Ace Junior" (AJ) when he debuted. He released his first Mini Album "First Episode A New Hero" which features the works of the famous composer Brave Brothers. He has now become a member of Beast.
for four years before transferring to Cube Entertainment. He made his debut on April 2, 2009 on Mnet M!Countdown. He was dubbed by Korean media as the next Rain.
On June 17, 2009, AJ opened for Lady Gaga
's Korean showcase.
Lee has now switched from a solo artist to a group member of Beast. The group debuted on October 16, 2009 on KBS Music Bank with their single "Bad Girl". He is one of the lead dancers and a vocalist in Beast. Band members Yoon Doo-joon, Yong Jun-hyung, Jang Hyun-seung and Yang Yo-seob were once backup dancers for Lee when he was still performing as AJ.
Ace Junior was the topic of a short-lived reality show
, Diary of AJ, which was hosted by MTV. The show ran on two episodes on May 9, 2009 with a total of two episodes showcasing his Journey on his debut as AJ.
, MTV B2ST, which was hosted by MTV. He also had an acting role as Kang Sae Ho on MBC
's "High Kick Through the Roof" and was selected as MC for MBC's Sunday Sunday Night
segment Hot Brothers. Gi Kwang was chosen as the new MC for the KBS show 'Win Win'.
Gi-kwang is featured in K.Will
's music video for the song, Present. He was also chosen as the model for the ‘Ice Tea Tio’ from DongSuh Foods. Gi-kwang will be featuring in Ahn Jinkyung’s title song ‘Love is Pathetic’ off of her second mini album ‘BE THE VOICE’ this will be his first project that he will be rapping in. Yoon Doojoon, Gi-kwang and IU appeared as special hosts on Music Core on August 21, 2010. Gi-kwang will be doing CF filming of LG Tromm cf with model Lee Nayoung. Gi-kwang was casted as the comical role in the drama ‘My Princess’ starring Song Seung Hun and Kim Tae Hee. On December 29, 2010, Gi-kwang was awarded with Popularity Award from the 2010 MBC Entertainment Awards.
Gi-kwang, together with IU, were selected to be new MCs of Inkigayo in replacement of CNBLUE’s Jung Yonghwa from 20 March. The pair will be paired with the existing MCs, 2AM’s Jo Kwon, and f(x)’s Sulli. He was also chosen as the leading man in A Pink's MV, "I Don't Know.".
On July 12, 2011, it has been announced that Gi-kwang will be taking part in producer Brave Brother’s sixth project album, in a song called "Break Up" featuring Gi-kwang and Electro Boys. Fans are especially excited because this is Ki Gwang’s first solo song since his original debut days as ‘AJ‘ before he joined Beast.
In 2011,Gi-kwang was also featured on A Pink's "I don't know" mv who are also working under Cube entertainment
Cube Entertainment
Cube Entertainment/ Play CUBE Entertainment is a South Korean record label, founded in South Korea 2008 by Hong Seung Sung, a former employee of JYP Entertainment. CUBE Entertainment is sometimes mistaken as sister company of JYP but the truth is Cube is not really a part of JYP company...
, also known by his stage name as "Ace Junior" (AJ) when he debuted. He released his first Mini Album "First Episode A New Hero" which features the works of the famous composer Brave Brothers. He has now become a member of Beast.
Debut: 2009
Gi-kwang was trained under JYP EntertainmentJYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment is a Korean music record label, founded in South Korea in 1997 by Park Jin-young.- History :Park Jin-young founded the company in 1997 as "Tae-Hong Planning Corporation", which eventually became "JYP Entertainment" in 2001....
for four years before transferring to Cube Entertainment. He made his debut on April 2, 2009 on Mnet M!Countdown. He was dubbed by Korean media as the next Rain.
On June 17, 2009, AJ opened for Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
's Korean showcase.
Lee has now switched from a solo artist to a group member of Beast. The group debuted on October 16, 2009 on KBS Music Bank with their single "Bad Girl". He is one of the lead dancers and a vocalist in Beast. Band members Yoon Doo-joon, Yong Jun-hyung, Jang Hyun-seung and Yang Yo-seob were once backup dancers for Lee when he was still performing as AJ.
Ace Junior was the topic of a short-lived reality show
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
, Diary of AJ, which was hosted by MTV. The show ran on two episodes on May 9, 2009 with a total of two episodes showcasing his Journey on his debut as AJ.
Controversy
The name "AJ", which is common not only in Korea but also overseas, has created disputes among netizens since many expressed their dissatisfaction over him having the same name as Paran's AJ. Cube Entertainment responded by saying that AJ’s name is different from that of Paran AJ’s for his (Cube's AJ) name is short for ‘Ace Junior’. The company later announced that he would continue activities under a different name, but no changes were made until it was revealed that AJ would no longer continue activities, as he will have been preparing to debut as a member of Beast. Since the group's debut, he is known as Gi Kwang, or Kikwang.Beast
The group has released 1 Korean full-length album, five Korean mini-albums, and various singles. Gi Kwang is a vocalist and the main dancer of Beast.2010 - present
After he was switched from a solo artist to a group member of Beast, their journey to debut was the topic of a reality showReality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
, MTV B2ST, which was hosted by MTV. He also had an acting role as Kang Sae Ho on MBC
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...
's "High Kick Through the Roof" and was selected as MC for MBC's Sunday Sunday Night
Sunday Sunday Night
Our Sunday Night is the longest-running South Korean television entertainment programme, distributed by MBC. It runs for 155 minutes, including roughly fifteen minutes of advertising...
segment Hot Brothers. Gi Kwang was chosen as the new MC for the KBS show 'Win Win'.
Gi-kwang is featured in K.Will
K.Will
Kim Hyung-Soo , better known by his stage name K.Will is a South Korean ballad singer, vocal coach, dancer, composer, and actor.K.Will first became known in South Korean through his single called “Dream” in “A Love to Kill” OST, released in 2006. A year after his single and 5 years after as a...
's music video for the song, Present. He was also chosen as the model for the ‘Ice Tea Tio’ from DongSuh Foods. Gi-kwang will be featuring in Ahn Jinkyung’s title song ‘Love is Pathetic’ off of her second mini album ‘BE THE VOICE’ this will be his first project that he will be rapping in. Yoon Doojoon, Gi-kwang and IU appeared as special hosts on Music Core on August 21, 2010. Gi-kwang will be doing CF filming of LG Tromm cf with model Lee Nayoung. Gi-kwang was casted as the comical role in the drama ‘My Princess’ starring Song Seung Hun and Kim Tae Hee. On December 29, 2010, Gi-kwang was awarded with Popularity Award from the 2010 MBC Entertainment Awards.
Gi-kwang, together with IU, were selected to be new MCs of Inkigayo in replacement of CNBLUE’s Jung Yonghwa from 20 March. The pair will be paired with the existing MCs, 2AM’s Jo Kwon, and f(x)’s Sulli. He was also chosen as the leading man in A Pink's MV, "I Don't Know.".
On July 12, 2011, it has been announced that Gi-kwang will be taking part in producer Brave Brother’s sixth project album, in a song called "Break Up" featuring Gi-kwang and Electro Boys. Fans are especially excited because this is Ki Gwang’s first solo song since his original debut days as ‘AJ‘ before he joined Beast.
Mini-Albums
| Album # | Album information | Tracklisting |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | First Episode: A New Hero
|
|
In 2011,Gi-kwang was also featured on A Pink's "I don't know" mv who are also working under Cube entertainment
Filmography
| Year | Title | Type | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Diary of AJ | TV Documentary (MTV) | Himself as AJ |
| High Kick Through the Roof High Kick! (season 2) High Kick Through the Roof was a popular South Korean situation comedy revolving around the life of the Lee family. The daily drama takes place in Seoul at the same time as the broadcast . The title of the show references several things, one of which is high kicks of Hyun-geong, one of the main... |
TV Series (MBC) | Kang Sae Ho (강세호) | |
| MTV B2ST | TV Documentary (MTV) | Himself | |
| 2010 | MTV Beast Almighty | TV Show (MTV) | Himself |
| Idol Maid | TV Show (MBC) | Himself | |
| Hot Brothers | TV Show (MBC) | Himself | |
| Win Win | TV Show (KBS) | Himself | |
| 2011 | My Princess My Princess (TV series) My Princess is a South Korean television drama series broadcast by MBC in 2011, starring Kim Tae-hee and Song Seung-hun.-Synopsis:... |
TV Series (MBC) | Geon Lee (건이) |
| Inkigayo The Music Trend The Music Trend is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday at 3:50 PM KST. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform on stage. It is currently hosted by Goo Ha-ra, IU and Nicole.- History :... |
TV Series (SBS) | Himself | |
| Exciting Cube TV | TV Show (MNET Japan) | Himself | |
| 2011 | Me Too Flower | Tv Series (MBC) | Jo Ma Roo |
Awards
| Year | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | MBC Entertainment Awards: Popularity Award | Himself |