Jackson Wang (Chinese: 王嘉爾; Korean: 왕잭슨) is a Hong Kong rapper, singer, fashion designer and dancer based in China. He is the founder of record label TEAM WANG, and is the creative director and lead designer for fashion brand TEAM WANG Design. He is active in mainland China as a solo artist and television host. He is the lead rapper, lead dancer, sub-vocalist and face of the South Korean boy group GOT7, and also a member of the Chinese hip hop group PANTHEPACK.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Wang was a sabre fencer for Hong Kong's fencing team. He was ranked eleventh in the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, and won first place at the Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships in 2011. After passing a music audition, he moved to Seoul, South Korea in July 2011 to pursue a career in K-pop. In January 2014, after over two years of training, Wang debuted as a member of GOT7 with the single "Girls Girls Girls".
History
1994–2016: Early life and debut with GOT7
Wang was born in Kowloon Tong, British Hong Kong, on 28 March 1994, and grew up in Sha Tin District, New Territories. His father, Wang Ruiji, is a former member of China's national fencing team and an Asian Games gold medalist. His mother, Sophia Chow, is a former acrobatics gymnast from Shanghai. His maternal grandfather, Zhou Yongchang, was a pioneer of ultrasound diagnostic medicine of mainland China. Under the guidance of his father and other professional coaches, Wang started his fencing training at the age of ten. He went on to win multiple awards as part of the Hong Kong national fencing team, including first place at the Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championship in 2011. He attended the American International School Hong Kong.
In 2010, while playing basketball at his school, Wang was noted by a representative of South Korean talent agency JYP Entertainment and invited to participate in the global auditions in Kowloon, which he passed in December 2010, five or six months later, ranking first place among 2,000 applicants. He was offered a scholarship to Stanford University for fencing, but turned it down after passing his audition. In July 2011, after seven months of trying to convince his parents to let him pursue a career in music, Wang moved to Seoul, South Korea for his K-pop training. He made an appearance on the reality survival program Win: Who Is Next two years later, which aired on Mnet on 6 September 2013. The program was a competition between YG Entertainment trainees (who later debuted as members of Winner and iKon), and JYP trainees. Wang appeared alongside fellow trainees Mark, Yugyeom, and BamBam, who were then selected as members of GOT7.
After two and a half years of training, Wang was selected as one of the final members of JYP Entertainment's new boy group GOT7 and debuted with the single "Girls Girls Girls", released on 16 January 2014, from the group's first EP Got It?.
In 2014, Wang joined his first variety show, SBS' Roommate, as a member in its second season. Wang's individual popularity rose after he appeared on the series, and he was later awarded the Newcomer Award at the 2014 SBS Entertainment Awards. He subsequently appeared on several other Korean variety shows such as Star King, Law of the Jungle, Happy Together, Radio Star, Problematic Men, Our Neighborhood Arts and Physical Education, Saturday Night Live Korea, A Look At Myself, and others. On 12 May 2015, Wang was appointed as a new MC for SBS' music show Inkigayo, following the departure of ZE:A's Kwanghee.
In December 2015, Wang made his Chinese television debut as one of the presenters (alongside He Jiong) on the Chinese version of the show Please Take Care of My Refrigerator, called Go Fridge, which was well received. He also wrote the lyrics, composed and arranged the theme song for the show in seasons 2 and 3. In March 2016, Wang was appointed as MC for Fresh Sunday, a show on Hunan TV. Later in 2016, he starred in the show Fighting Man alongside Jam Hsiao, Wang Kai, Jing Boran, Bai Jingting, and Yang Shuo.
On 29 April 2016, Got7 held their first concert in Seoul, where Wang performed his self-composed songs "I Love It" and "WOLO (We Only Live Once)" with his group members Yugyeom and BamBam. In November 2017, prior to the release of Got7 second Japanese extended play "Turn Up", Wang dropped out of all group activities in Japan due to health concerns and conflicting schedules. In December 2016 Wang's first solo commercial for Midea was released in China.
2017–2020: Early musical releases and Mirrors
On 26 June 2017, JYP Entertainment announced the release of Wang's first solo album in China, as well as the establishment of a dedicated management team, named TEAM WANG, for his activities in the country. Wang also established Snake or the Rabbit, which is a distribution company based in the United States, as partnership with TEAM WANG. His first single, an English track titled "Papillon", was released on 26 August and debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's China V Chart on the week of 16 September; moreover, on 30 August, he released "Novoland: The Castle in the Sky" (Chinese: 九州天空城), the theme song for iOS game Novoland: The Castle in the Sky 3D, breaking away from hip-hop and making a first try with melodious and classical music. After establishing his own studio in China, Wang began endorsing beverages, clothing brands and electronics, which include Pepsi, Snow Beer, VIVO X21, Adidas, Douyin Application, Lenovo in China, and Hogan in Hong Kong.
Wang attended the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards as an Ambassador of Great China on 12 November. On 13 November, he was appointed as Alibaba Group Tmall Global's Chief Wonderful Goods Officer. On 30 November, he released his second solo single, "Okay": similar to "Papillon", he wrote the lyrics, and composed and arranged the song together with BoyToy.
On 9 February 2018, Wang was appointed as envoy of Hong Kong Tourism. On 20 April, he released his third self-written single, "Dawn of Us", an English song once again composed and arranged in collaboration with BoyToy. While "Papillon" dealt with the theme of self-struggle and "Okay" described self-love, the track exhorts to appreciate the present and live with enthusiasm. The duo paired up again for "Fendiman", a collaboration with Fendi China. "Papillon" was included in B2 Music and Vibe Asian hip hop and rap compilation album Urban Asia Vol. 1, which was released worldwide on 9 May. Wang also featured in one of the four exclusive tracks, "Can't Breathe" by Eddie Supa, together with Stan Sono. On 14 May, his solo track "X" for Snow Beer superX was released.
On 22 October 2018, Wang signed with Canxing Culture to enter the international market. On 6 November 2018, Wang released a single, "Different Game", featuring Gucci Mane. On 18 December, Madame Tussauds Hong Kong announced the creation of Wang's wax figure, which was unveiled on 30 July. On 14 January 2019, he was appointed as the new ambassador of Fendi China. On 23 March 2019, Wang held a birthday party titled "328 Journey Festival" at the Beijing Olympics Sports Center. The 5,000 tickets were sold out in 98 seconds.
On 12 June 2019, Wang was featured on the song "Rumble" from the album Diaspora by GoldLink and Lil Nei. Then he collaborated with Qin Fen, and released the single "Another" on 19 June 2019. On 20 July, Fendi launched its first ever velvet collection called "Fendi X Jackson Wang Capsule Collection". The limited edition collection, for which Jackson designed clothes, shoes and accessories, sold out immediately after the launch. It was then released worldwide on 26 July.
On 12 September 2019, Wang held a listening session of his first album Mirrors for the press: the digital record, which expresses the emotions of the contemporary youth and incorporates elements of China's traditional culture, was produced in China, South Korea, and the United States. Wang supervised the whole process, from the initial creation to the packaging, and was personally involved in arrangements, lyrics writing, and music video shooting. The album's first single, "Bullet to the Heart", was released on 24 September with a music video directed by Daniel Cloud Campos, and tells the obstacles and hardships experienced in pursuing something. The album's second single was "Dway!", published on 22 October with its music video. In conjunction with the release of Mirrors on 25 October, the singer and artist Da Yan created an interactive video installation space titled Bullet to the Heart: 0328 at the LOVE LOVE LOVE Art of Love Exhibition at Shum Yip Upperhills Tower 1 in Shenzhen from 24 October to 3 November.
On 11 October 2019, leading up to the release of Mirrors, Wang was featured in three tracks from 88rising's album Head in the Clouds II: "Tequila Sunrise", "Walking", and "I Love You 3000 II". On 12 December 2019, he was featured on the song "Face Power" from the album Mr. Enjoy Da Money, a solo album by Higher Brothers' KnowKnow.
On 24 January 2020, Wang appeared on the stage of CCTV New Year's Gala for the first time and performed "The Beginning of Youth". On 20 March, Wang released a new self-written single, "100 Ways", mixing western and Chinese culture. The single became the first song by a Chinese and K-pop solo artist to debut on Mediabase's U.S. Top 40 radio chart. It entered the chart in May, ranking 39th, and maintained its spot with a steady rise, ranking #24 on 19 July.
On 7 July, he launched his fashion brand TEAM WANG Design, for which he served as the designer and creative director, after three years of development. The first collection titled "The Original" was presented with a pop-up store in Shanghai on 18 July, and made available in China and North America through pop-up stores. He went on to release a limited capsule collection with StockX in September.
On 4 September, Wang released the EDM single "Pretty Please", a collaboration with Swedish duo Galantis. Wang was behind the whole planning and editing of the music video, which pays homage to Hong Kong's love movies from the 90s, and directed it with Conglin. On 5 September, it was announced that Wang had invested in esports organization Victory Five. The same month, a collaboration project between TEAM WANG and the Monet exhibition in Shanghai was announced, in which Wang gave his own interpretation of the painting "Impression, Sunrise". The new painting, mixing Paris architecture with Shanghai's, was displayed in a concept space unveiled on 17 September and printed on a limited Team Wang collection consisting of t-shirt, jacket and vest, which was released on 31 October. In December, TEAM WANG Design expanded into the lifestyle sector.
In 2020, he ranked 41st on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list. He is the fastest Chinese artist to reach 10 million views on Vevo.
2021–present: Departure from JYPE, solo activities and PANTHEPACK
He left JYP Entertainment on 19 January 2021, along with other GOT7 members after their exclusive contracts expired. Since then, TEAM WANG currently operates his international activities. There were reports alleging Wang had also partnered with Sublime Artist Agency, which the latter later confirmed on 22 January. Later that month, he released the self-produced Chinese single, "Alone."
In March 2021, Wang was featured on three new singles: "Magnetic" by Rain, "So Bad" by Vava, and "M.I.A." by Afgan. On March 26, he released his new English single, "LMLY", along with a self-directed 90s Hong Kong movie inspired music video. Wang made his U.S. late-night television debut with the single on April 21, performing it live on The Late Late Show With James Corden. Also in April, Wang performed "DNA" on the Mango TV reality competition series, Sisters Who Make Waves In June 2021, Wang ranked in the top 10 on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list and was listed on Tatler Hong Kong Asia's Most Influential individuals in the culture field. In July of that year, Wang appeared on an episode of Go Fridge, and began serving as a mentor on the Tencent variety show, Girls Like Us. Wang's remix of Rich Brian, NIKI, and Warren Hue's "California" was also released in July.
On July 29, another English single, "Drive You Home", was released in collaboration with Internet Money. The self-directed and self-written cinematic music video features Wang acting himself in a reversed timeline plot. In August 2021, Wang announced hip hop group PANTHEPACK under his label Team Wang, consisting of himself as one of the members, along with rapper Ice, J.Sheon, and Karencici. Their single "BUZZ" was released on August 28, 2021, followed by their 10-track debut album, The Pack, in September 2021. Throughout 2021, Wang was honored with numerous awards, including "Best Male Artist of the Year" at the NetEase Indie Music Awards, "Most Influential Male Singer in Asia" at the Chinese Top Ten Awards, and "Best Original Music Award" for the single "Alone" at the Global Chinese Music event.
On March 7, 2022, he released the mixtape LOST & FOUND, a project consisting of older, unreleased songs. On March 31, 2022, he released the new single "Blow", which precedes the release of his full album MAGIC MAN. On April 16, he performed at Coachella with "100 Ways", "Blow" and the unreleased song "Cruel", which was then released on July 29 along with a music video. On July 12, 2022 he held a one-hour long show at Rajamangala Stadium, opening the football match between Manchester United and Liverpool. He also partnered with the Singapore Tourism Board for the SingapoReimagine global marketing campaign.
Discography
Studio albums
- Mirrors (2019)
- MAGIC MAN (2022)
Mixtapes
- LOST & FOUND (2022)
Singles
As lead artist
- "Some Strange Work" (上班有些怪) (2016)
- "Generation 2" (2017)
- "Papillon" (2017)
- "(V)ision" (2017)
- "Okay" (2017)
- "Dawn of Us" (2018)
- "Fendiman" (2018)
- "X" (2018)
- "Different Game" (feat. Gucci Mane) (2018)
- "Oxygen" (2019)
- "BULLET TO THE HEART" from Mirrors (2019)
- "DWAY!" from Mirrors (2019)
- "100 Ways" (2020)
- "Alone" (2021)
- "LMLY" (2021)
- "Jackson Wang (王嘉尔)" (2022)
- "Blow" from MAGIC MAN (2022)
- "Cruel" from MAGIC MAN (2022)
As featured artist
- "멈춰버린 시간 (Frozen in Time)" (SUNMI feat. Jackson) from Full Moon (2014)
- "Lucky Rain" (Tia Ray feat. Jackson Wang) from TIARA (2018)
- "Can't Breathe" (Eddie Supa feat. Jackson and Stan Sono) from B2 Music & Vibe Presents: Urban Asia Vol. 1 (2018)
- "Creo en Mi" (Sammi Cheng feat. Jackson Wang) from Believe in Mi (2018)
- "Hello" (Fei feat. Jackson Wang) (2018)
- "Abyss" (深淵) (Nicholas Tse feat. Jackson Wang) (2019)
- "Shaping" (塑造) (Nicholas Tse feat. Jackson Wang) (2019)
- "Hypey" (Lai Kuan-lin feat. Jackson Wang) from 9801 (2019)
- "Rumble" (GoldLink feat. Jackson Wang & Lil Nei) from DIASPORA (2019)
- "Too Busy" (BOY STORY feat. Jackson Wang) from Too Busy (2019)
- "Face Power" (KnowKnow, Higher Brothers feat. Jackson Wang) from Mr. Enjoy Da Money (2019)
- "Magnetic" (Rain feat. Jackson Wang) from PIECES by RAIN (2021)
- "So Bad" (VaVa feat. Jackson Wang) (2021)
- "M.I.A" (Afgan feat. Jackson Wang) (2021)
- "California (Remix)" (88rising, Rich Brian & NIKI feat. Jackson Wang & Warren Hue) (2021)
- "KO" (XXXL feat. Jackson Wang) (2021)
- "Damn Girl" (CrazyBoy feat. Jackson Wang) from HIP LIFE:POP LIFE (2022)
- "EASIER" (Amber Liu feat. Jackson Wang) from Z! (2022)
- "Mind Games" (Milli feat. Jackson Wang) (2022)
Collaborations
- "Stress Come On!" (스트레스 컴온!) (as part of Big Byung) (2014)
- "Ojingeo doenjang" (오징어 된장) (as part of Big Byung) (2015)
- "Mood" (with Meng Jia) (2017)
- "Bruce Lee" (李小龙) (with Al Rocco) (2018)
- "Red" (with Ice) (2019)
- "MK Circus" (with DoughBoy) from Good, Bad & Ugly (2019)
- "For The Love of It" (热爱就一起) (with G.E.M) (2019)
- "Another" (with Roi) (2019)
- "Tequila Sunrise" (with Higher Brothers feat. August 08 and GoldLink) from Head in the Clouds II (2019)
- "Walking" (with Joji feat. Swae Lee and Major Lazer) from Head in the Clouds II (2019)
- "I Love You 3000 II" (with Stephanie Poetri) from Head in the Clouds II (2019)
- "Pretty Please" (with Galantis) (2020)
- "Should've Let Go" (with JJ Lin) (2020)
- "Drive You Home" (with Internet Money) (2021)
Soundtrack appearances
- "Fresh Sunday Theme Song" (透鲜滴星期天主题曲) (With He Jiong) from Fresh Sunday OST (2016)
- "Please" (拜托了) (With He Jiong and Go Fridge cast) from Go Fridge OST (2016)
- "Go Fridge Season 3 Theme Song" (拜托了冰箱3主题曲) Go Fridge OST (2017)
- "Novoland: The Castle in the Sky" (九州天空城) from Novoland: The Castle in the Sky OST (2017)
- "U & I" (with JB) from The Package OST (2017)
- "U & I (Chinese Version)" (with JB) from The Package OST (2017)
- "Silence" (安静) from Sound of My Dream 3 (2019)
- "Born To Be Alive" from Minions: The Rise Of Gru (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2019)
Filmography
Dramas
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Dream Knight | Himself | Youku Tudou | Cameo |
| The Producers | KBS | |||
| 2018 | Bring Music Home: Perky Parents | Ah Sheng | PepsiCo | Chinese short film |
Television shows
| Year | Title | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | WIN: Who is Next | Mnet | Rap and dance battle contestant (Episode 4) |
| 2014 | Roommate | SBS | Season 2 cast member |
| Hitmaker | MBC Every 1 | Season 1 cast member with VIXX's N, Hyuk and BTOB's Sungjae | |
| 2015 | Law of the Jungle in Nicaragua | SBS | Episodes 178-180 with Jo Han-sun and Hani (EXID) |
| Inkigayo | MC from April 2015 to August 2016 | ||
| 2016 | Real Men | MBC | Cast member for Friendly Enlisting Special with BamBam |
| Go Fridge | Tencent and Zhejiang TV | Co-host with He Jiong | |
| Fresh Sunday | Hunan TV | ||
| Fighting Man | Jiangsu TV | Cast member | |
| Where is My Friend's Home | JTBC | Cast member with BamBam for episodes in Thailand | |
| Celebrity Bromance | MBC | Season 5 - Cast member with Jooheon of Monsta X Chuseok Special - Cast member with Ahn Hyo-seop | |
| Top Surprise | Hunan TV | Co-host with He Jiong and Wei Daxun | |
| Weekly Idol | MBC | Corner host of "Idols are the Best" | |
| 2017 | Go Fridge | Tencent and Zhejiang TV | Co-host with He Jiong |
| 2018 | Idol Producer | iQiyi | Cast member, rap mentor |
| Hot Blood Dance Crew | iQiyi | Cast member, dance mentor | |
| Let Go of My Baby | Tencent | Cast member | |
| Sound Of My Dream 3 | Zhejiang TV | Judge | |
| 2019 | Go Fridge | Tencent and Zhejiang TV | Co-host with He Jiong |
| Chuang | Youku | Judge | |
| 2020 | Go Fridge | Tencent and Zhejiang TV | Co-host with He Jiong |
| Street Dance of China 3 | Youku | Cast member (team captain) | |
| 2021 | Go Fridge | Tencent and Zhejiang TV | Co-host with He Jiong |
| Girls Like Us | Tencent Video | Cast member (label producer) | |
| Have Fun | ZJTV | Cast member | |
| The Late Late Show with James Corden | CBS | Performing "LMLY" |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 8th SBS Entertainment Awards | Best Male Rookie Award - Variety | Roommate | Won |
| 6th Philippine K-pop Awards | Hottest Male Award | Jackson Wang | Won | |
| 2016 | 16th Top Chinese Music Awards | The Most Loved Entertaining Couple with He Jiong | Go Fridge | Won |
| Tencent Video Star Awards | Annual Variety Star Award | Won | ||
| 16th MBC Entertainment Awards | Rookie Award in Variety Show | Real Men | Nominated | |
| I-Magazine Fashion Face Awards | Asian Male | Jackson Wang | Nominated | |
| 2017 | 2016 Sina Weibo Night Awards | Popular Artist of the Year | Won | |
| 2016 Weibo Star Award (Hong Kong) | Popularity Award | Won | ||
| Asian Music Gala | MTV Special Award | Won | ||
| 14th Esquire Man At His Best (MAHB) Awards | Fashion Music Man of the Year | Won | ||
| NetEase Attitude Awards | Most Attitude Hip Hop Singer/Composer of The Year | Won | ||
| 2018 iQiyi Scream Night | Song of the Year | "Papillon" | Won | |
| Tencent Video Star Awards | Breakthrough Singer of the Year | Won | ||
| 2018 | Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards | The Most Popular Newcomer of The Year | Jackson Wang | Won |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Next Big Thing | Won | ||
| BreakTudo Awards | K-pop Male Artist | Won | ||
| 2019 | 2018 Sina Weibo Night Awards | Weibo Original Musician of the Year | Won | |
| BreakTudo Awards | K-pop Solo Artist | Won | ||
| NetEase Cloud Music 2019 Music List | Chinese Male Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Best Selling Digital Album of the Year | MIrrors | Won | ||
| Most Popular Chinese Album of the Year | Won | |||
| Most Popular Pop Album of the Year | Won | |||
| Most Popular Collaboration of the Year | "I Love You 3000 II" | Won | ||
| Most Popular Single of the Year | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | 2019 Sina Weibo Night Awards | Male God of the Year | Jackson Wang | Won |
| Person of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Weibo King | Nominated | |||
| BreakTudo Awards | Artist on the Rise | Nominated | ||
| Channel R Radio Awards | Best Male Solo Artist | Won | ||
| Best Album | MIrrors | Nominated | ||
| Best Collaboration | "Pretty Please" | Won | ||
| 2021 | Bazaar Icons Party | Musician of the Year | Jackson Wang | Won |
| NetEase Indie Music Awards | Best Male Artist of the Year | Won | ||
| Universe Boom Super Sphere Awards | Music Stage Award | Won | ||
| GQ 2021 Men of the Year Awards | All-round Artist of the Year Award | Won | ||
| Chinese Top Ten Music Awards | Most Influential Male Singer in Asia | Won | ||
| Best Male Singer (Hong Kong and Taiwan) | Won | |||
| Best Pop Collaboration | "Should've Let Go" | Won | ||
| Global Chinese Music 2021 | Best Original Music Award | "Alone" | Won | |
| C-Pop Hit Show | Male Singer of the Year (Hong Kong and Taiwan) | Jackson Wang | Won | |
| Top Ten Songs of the Year | "Drive You Home" | Won | ||
| Channel R Radio Awards | Best Collab | Nominated | ||
| Best Song | "LMLY" | Nominated | ||
| Asian Pop Music Awards | Best Collaboration Award | "Should've Let Go" | Nominated | |
| People's Choice Award (Chinese) | Jackson Wang | Won | ||
| Esquire Gentle Gala | Annual Musical Artist | Won | ||
| 2022 | CMIC Music Awards 2020 | Male Singer of the Year | Nominated | |
| Best Music Video | "Oxygen" | Nominated | ||
| CMIC Music Awards 2021 | "Pretty Please" | Won |
Video Gallery
 | |
|---|---|
| Jay B • Mark • Jackson • Jinyoung • Youngjae • BamBam • Yugyeom | |
| Mini albums | |
| Albums | |
| Repackage albums | MAD: Winter Edition • Present: YOU&ME Edition |
| Digital singles | Home Run • One and Only You • Breath • ENCORE |
| Singles | |
| Albums | |
| Mini albums | Hey Yah • Turn Up • THE New Era • • Love Loop |
| World tours | 1st World Tour 'Fly' (2016) • World Tour 'EYES ON YOU' (2018) • World Tour 'KEEP SPINNING' (2019) |
| Japanese tours | 1st Showcase "IMPACT IN JAPAN" (2014) • 1st Japan Tour "AROUND THE WORLD" (2014) • Japan Tour "MORIAGATTEYO" (2016) • Japan Showcase Tour "MEET ME" (2017) • Japan Arena Special "MY SWAGGER" (2017) • Japan Tour "TURN UP" (2017) • Japan Connecting Hall Tour "THE NEW ERA" (2018) • Japan Arena Special "ROAD 2 U" (2018-2019) • Japan Tour "OUR LOOP" (2019) |
| Thailand tours | Thailand Tour "NESTIVAL" (2017) • Thailand Tour "NESTIVAL" (2018) • Fanfest "SEVEN SECRETS" (2019) |
| Tours/fanmeets | Asia Tour Showcase (2015) • 1st Fanmeeting Tour (2015) • Flight Log: Turbulence Fanmeet Tour (2016-2017) • Global Fanmeeting (2017) |
| Anniversary fanmeetings | 365+ 1st Fanmeeting • Amazing Got7 World 2nd Fanmeeting • We Under The Moonlight 3rd Fanmeeting • IGOT7 Research 4th Fanmeeting • Dreaming of Soccer King (Fly GOT7) 5th Fanmeeting (2019) • The Winter We Loved 6th Fanmeeting (2020) |
| Other | GOT7 2022 FANCON: HOMECOMING with I GOT 7 (2022) |