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Korean-American singer, rapper, and producer Jay Park (Park Jae-beom) puts a modern spin on '90s and 2000s R&B/hip-hop influences such as Michael Jackson, Usher, and Chris Brown. Like those three, he's a dancer, and he's also a member of the Art of Movement crew and the founder of the labels AOMG, H1GHR MUSIC, and More Vision. Park got his start in the boy band 2PM and established himself as a solo artist with the Count on Me EP, a chart-topping release in Korea that also yielded his first Top Ten Korean single, "Count on Me (Nothin' on You)." He is a consistent presence on the Korean pop and Billboard World charts with releases like New Breed, Evolution, Worldwide, and Everything You Wanted added to his tally of Top Five hits before the end of the 2010s. The One You Wanted (2024), his sixth proper album, contained the number one single "GANADARA."

Born in Edmonds, Washington, Park was a fan of hip-hop culture from a young age, especially rap and breakdancing, and spun that love into a career in entertainment after moving to South Korea as a teenager. After completing college, he began training for a place in the K-pop scene. He was recruited by the boy band 2PM and was a member from 2008 until 2010, when he embarked on a solo career. His first EP, Count on Me, topped the Korean chart upon release. He followed the next year with a mini-album, Take a Deeper Look, which peaked at number three on the Billboard World Albums chart. He quickly followed with the chart-topping New Breed: Pt. 1 EP, the first taste of his debut LP, New Breed, which arrived in early 2012. The album topped the Korean chart and debuted at number four on the Billboard World Album chart. In the meantime, burgeoning success in Korea as a recording artist led to the world of acting, and Park appeared on a handful of television shows, including Saturday Night Live Korea.

Park became increasingly prolific over the next few years, and at the same time collaborated with higher-profile artists. In 2014, he released his sophomore effort, Evolution, which was soon followed by Worldwide. In 2016, he issued his third album in as many years, Everything You Wanted. The effort was his highest charting full-length on the World Album chart, peaking at number three. He became the first Asian-American to sign with Jay-Z's Roc Nation label, and in 2018 responded with Ask Bout Me, an EP boasting featured appearances from 2 Chainz, Vic Mensa, and Rich the Kid. After he reached number 11 in Korea with The Road Less Traveled, he teamed with producer Hit-Boy and delivered This Wasn't Supposed to Happen, an EP highlighted by "K-TOWN," at the close of the decade.

Park wouldn't release another full-length for five years, but he continued to rack up charting singles, most notably the chart-topping "GANADARA" in 2022. The hit appeared on his sixth proper album, The One You Wanted, which entered the Korean chart at number nine in 2024. ~ Neil Z. Yeung