The strong-hearted ones who have watched I-Land would know the in-credible reference used for Jake. We said strong-hearted because boy, that show was an emotional roller coaster ride. I-Land was a survival show which was a collaboration by Belift Lab, which is a collaboration between CJ E&M and Hybe. We would tell you more about I-Land later, but let’s talk about Enhypen member Jake first. His journey has truly been one of a kind. From being just a teenager in Australia, he went on to become a member of one of the fastest-growing 4th Generation K-Pop groups Enhypen.
Jake, born as Sim Jaeyun on 15 November 2002, is a Korean-Australian singer based in South Korea. He was born in Korea, but his family moved to Brisbane, Australia, when he was five years old. We know you must be curious to know the journey of this boy who has become successful at such a young age. Honestly, it is very inspirational, especially for the ones who feel that living outside Korea won’t help them fulfill their Idol dreams.
Jake’s Early Life
Jake is said to be from a wealthy family, and he used to study in a really great school. He has himself said he was into soccer and was a striker on the team. The soccer team represented the school. He revealed that in a team of 12th graders, he was one of the few from 10th grade. Additionally, he even played violin for four years in the school’s orchestra. A truly multitalented boy, if you ask me! He was truly destined to be successful. Even if he wasn’t an idol, it is pretty clear he would have fared well in life since he was great at studies, too, with Math and Physics being his favorite subjects. But we are really glad he chose the idol life, or such a great talent would’ve been lost.
While Jake was leading a normal teen life in Australia, he happened to watch a performance of BTS, who are now his seniors at the label he works. He apparently got so inspired watching them perform at the AMAs that he, too, started to have a dream to be on the stage like them. In fact, some time back, Jake happened to share a drawing from his childhood. In there, he drew the members of the veteran group BIGBANG, and he drew himself as a drummer next to them. Hence, it’s safe to say, Jake always wanted to be a performer, and he has worked hard to make that dream come true.
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Jake Sim’s Journey From Australia To South Korea
Since Jake already was feeling motivating about performing on stage one day, the opportunity came to his country. Jake was then a student at St. Peter’s Lutheran College. In 2019, BigHit held global auditions, which were both online and offline. Sydney in Australia was one of the cities that got an offline audition too. Jake attended the audition, and he got selected from among whooping 500 people who came to audition. The ratio was really huge, since getting only one selected from 500 people, you have to have a real unique talent. Now when we look at Jake’s charismatic personality and beautiful voice, it becomes clear why he was the chosen one. He got the contract to train at BigHit, and Jake decided to leave.
But this was just the beginning of his idol career. First, Jake had to leave his home to go train in Seoul when he was just 17. He has said that it was his passion for music that gave him the courage to take this leap of faith. Second, after training for nine months, he was selected to participate in the survival show I-Land, which aimed to launch its first boy group. A total of 23 contestants participated in I-Land. Out of all of them, Jake had the shortest training period. Some of the contestants had been training for 3-4 years already. This had both positive and negative aspects for Jake. It was great that he was selected to be a part of a show where trainees worth years of practice are participating. But that also meant he had some really tough competition waiting for him.
Jake’s Journey In I-Land To Enhypen
Jake was popular on I-Land since day one because of his good looks. Not even the viewers but also the contestants on I-Land couldn’t help but swoon over him. His charm as a foreigner truly captivated everyone. Though, he later proved how he is more than just a handsome face.
I-Land turned out to be a really competitive show. The contestants were cut off from the real world and lived in a special place where they only practiced. On the first day itself, half of the contestants were sent to Ground which was a place for the defectors, while the other half went to live in I-Land, which had great amenities like access to electronic items and more relaxed life. Thankfully, Jake was able to clear the first round. But in his first test itself as an I-Lander, he made a mistake. His mic pack came off, and he couldn’t sing his part. The judges were harsh on him since they expected a quick response in such a situation. Such things happen on stage. But Jake has really come a long way since that performance.
He had accepted that he never really danced until he started training. He expressed this a few times on I-Land how he feels that he takes more time to learn choreographies than the other members. However, he practiced really hard, as he didn’t want to be a hindrance to his teammates. His tenacity really helped him, it seems. Given his short period of training, even Hybe’s CEO Bang Si Hyuk agreed that Jake was the one who had shown the most growth as a performer than anyone.
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Jake As An Enhypen member
Although Jake oscillated between I-Land and Ground a couple of times, he maintained his ground. The 12-episode-long hustle finally ended. His scores went phenomenally high during the finale of I-Land, which gave him the final ranking of 3. Hence, Jake was the 3rd member to be announced to be a part of Enhypen.
Enhypen made its debut as a septet on 30 November 2020. The group Enhypen has 7 members, namely, Jungwon, the leader, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-Ki. Though the official position of Jake in Enhypen isn’t known, we can see him play all sorts of roles. Over time, he has proved his many talents. He can rap, sing and dance really well. In the more recent release of their single, Polaroid Love, Jake has outshined himself. His vocals are really stable and very mellow to hear.
Because of Jake’s superior English speaking skills, he is the official in charge of speaking English. Jake’s Australian accent is very evident when he speaks, and fans find it very sexy. If you want to hear some poetry from Jake, give a listen to all the intros and outros of Enhypen EPs and albums. It’s Jake who does the narration every time, and it’s music to ears truly.
In Enhypen’s debut show, Jake revealed a lot of lesser-known details about him. Some are trivial in nature but very important to the fans. Like how he believes his lips are his pretty feature. Well, I can’t help but agree since he really does have a nice pair of lips. He also loves his dog Layla and keeps his fans called Engenes update about her. Jake is a very kind idol, and he is known for his calm nature and politeness. At awards shows and events, he is popular for his 90-degree bows. It doesn’t matter if it’s a senior, junior, or a staff member, he gives them the due respect they deserve.
No wonder Jake is one of the more popular members of Enhypen.
Enhypen’s Notable Achievements
After making their debut in 2020 with Border: Day One, the boys have only gone up in terms of popularity. Most of the Engenes are the ones who supported the boys during I-Land. Some are like me, who found them after “10 months” after I-Land ended, which interestingly happens to be one of their song titles too. The group is not even two years old, and they are already breaking records. With every comeback, the group is just proving their finesse. The boys have had the privilege to win the grand award of best artists, too, just after their debut. Doesn’t this speak volumes about their caliber?
Enhypen never disappoints, and they have a long way to go. Stay tuned for Enhypen-related news updates, you won’t regret stanning them.
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