Biography of Bobby

Kim Ji-won is widely known by his stage name Bobby. He is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter and a member of iKon under 143 Entertainment. The sub-unit he formed with Mino in 2016 is named MOBB. He is popularly recognised and known for winning the Mnet’s survival show: ‘Show Me The Money 3’.

Early Life and Education

Career

Bobby underwent two years of training under the label and participated in the survival show ‘Win: Who Is Next?’ under Team B in 2013. He adopted his stage name Bobby from Bob Marley who was his greatest influence and idol. In the survival show, team A won the programme and he continued his training under YG Entertainment.

In 2013, he was featured in the music video ‘Ringa Linga’ by the label-mate Taeyang of Big Bang along with B.I (Kim Han-bin), and Jinhwan from Team B, Winner’s Mino and Taehyun and Blackpink’s Lisa.

He and B.I participated in the Mnet’s Show ‘Me The Money 3’ in 2014. Under the mentoring of DoK2 and The Quiett, he won first place under the team Illionaire. While in the show, he released the singles ‘YGGR#HipHop’, ‘Go’, ‘Guard Up’, ‘Bounce’ and ‘L4L (Lookin’ for Luv)’.

He also participated in the reality show ‘Mix & Match’, whose filming was amidst the appearance of ‘Show Me The Money’. Team B debuted in the show, under the group name iKon alongside trainee Jung Chan-woo.

Bobby was featured along with Beenzino, Verbal Jint, B.I, and Mino in Epik High’s single ‘Born Hater’ in 2014. The same year he was featured in the single ‘I’m Different’ by YG Family unit Hi Suhyun, the South Korean duo of Lee Hi and Akdong Musician’s Lee Suhyun.

He was featured with DoK2 on the track ‘Come Here’ by Masta Wu. In 2014, Mnet’s Asian Music Award, he performed ‘Born Hater’, ‘Come Here’, with Epik High. He also performed his single ‘YGGR’ with Dok2, The Quiett and Masta Wu. His name was listed in GQ Korea’s 2014 Men of the Year list. On 4 December 2014, he appeared as a guest at GQ Party.

On 15 September 2015, the South Korean boy band iKon released the single ‘My Type’ with the lead singles ‘Rhythm Ta’ and ‘Airplane’. The band attended their first music show SBS’ Inkigayo for their third win for ‘My Type’. On 24 December 2015, the band released their debut album ‘Welcome Back’.

In 2016, Bobby was featured on Lee Hi’s single Video from her studio album ‘Seoulite’. For the ninth episode of ‘Show Me the Money 5’, he featured in Reddy’s song ‘Like This’, which they performed together. He collaborated with Winner’s Mino under the group name MOBB. He released his single ‘Holup’ in 2016 as a part of the four-track extended play ‘The MOBB’. In 2016, they released their lead single ‘Full House’ and in 2017, they released ‘Hit Me’ along with their music videos.

He and B.I featured Psy’s single ‘Bomb’ from his studio album ‘4×2=8’ in 2017. On 14 September 2017, he released his first solo studio album ‘Love and Fall’ for which he was both producer and composer for all songs on the album. He also released the Japanese version of his debut studio album.

On 25 January 2021, he released his second studio album ‘Lucky Man’. On 21 March 2023, he released his first single album ‘S.i.R’ under the label 143 Entertainment. The album consists of two songs titled ‘Drowning’ and ‘Cherry Blossoms’ which are both written and composed by him. In the track ‘Drowning’, it features Sole, the Korean R&B singer-songwriter.

Achievements

• He won first place on the Mnet’s survival show titled ‘Show Me The Money 3’.
• He was featured on GQ Korea’s 2014 Men of the Year list. He also appeared as a guest at GQ party.
• He along with Lisa are the main faces and models of ‘NONA9ON’.
• In 2014, he won the program overall as a part of team Illionaire. He won $100,000 US dollars and a special concert for the same.

Military Life

Personal Life

On 20 August 2021, he officially announced through his Instagram post about his forthcoming wedding to his non-celebrity fiancée. In September 2021, the label YG Entertainment announced that he welcomed his first child, a baby boy.

Net Worth and Lifestyle

His net worth is estimated to be around $2-3 million US dollars.

He is the main rapper and vocalist in the South Korean boy band iKon. His major source of income is his successful career in the music industry. He is from a religious family and bought his parents a house in Korea with the money he won at SMTM 3. He is an emerging artist highly focused on his future endeavours and he also does charitable events in his leisure time.

Awards

Interesting Facts about Bobby

1. He is the winner of ‘Show Me The Money 3’.
2. He learned to play guitar, drum and piano.
3. His first solo album ‘Love and Fall’ was released in 2017.
4. He was a part of Team B on WIN.
5. He as a child fell into a pool and was saved by a mysterious woman, whom he wanted to thank later but disappeared at once.

FAQs

1. When is Bobby’s birthday?
   He celebrates his birthday on 21 December.
2. How old is Kim Ji-won?
   As of 2023, he is 28 years old.
3. Does Bobby have a baby?
   His non-celebrity fiancée gave birth to a baby boy in 2021.
4. Is Bobby enlisted for military service?
   From the information gathered from various sources, he is yet to be enlisted.
5. Is Bobby married?
   He officially announced his engagement with his non-celebrity fiancée in 2021.
6. What is the Instagram ID of Bobby?
   @bobbyindaeyo is his Instagram ID.