Renjun

Huang Renjun was born on 23 March 2000 in Jilin, China.^[1][2] Growing up near the Korean Peninsula, he learned Korean at school.^[1][3] From a young age, Renjun liked K-pop artists such as Rain and Wonder Girls and watched the South Korean reality competition television series K-pop Star (2011–2017), where he first learned about entertainment companies such as SM Entertainment.^[3] After discovering the boy band Exo, Renjun decided to audition for SM, traveling to Shenyang in 2015 where he passed and became a trainee.^[1][3][4] At SM, trainees could receive lessons in singing, musical instruments, acting, modeling, beatboxing, public speaking, foreign languages, and dance styles such as ballet and jazz, depending on their interests and strengths.^[4]

In August 2016, SM announced that Renjun would join NCT, a boy band designed with a concept of unlimited members where smaller sub-units would debut independently and occasionally collaborate under the sub-unit NCT U.^[5][6] He debuted on 25 August with NCT's third sub-unit, NCT Dream, performing their first single, "Chewing Gum", on the television music program M Countdown.^[6] Initially established as NCT's teen unit, all members debuted as minors under a graduation system where they would leave the group upon reaching adulthood; however, the graduation concept was scrapped in 2020.^[5][7] Music critics described NCT Dream as the unit with the most compelling narrative, remarking on how their transition from teen pop to a blend of hip-hop and R&B music reflected the members' artistic growth from adolescence to adulthood.^[8][9] Renjun contributed to the band's first full-group album, NCT 2018 Empathy (2018), and made his first appearance under NCT U with the track "From Home", released in October 2020.^[10][11] Grammy.com stated that NCT became one of the most influential K-pop acts; in particular, NCT Dream achieved commercial success, recording ten consecutive million-seller albums.^[9][12]

In August 2019, Renjun began hosting the radio show Akdong Seoul on the South Korean station TBS, broadcasting in both Chinese and Korean.^[1][13][14] Initially scheduled for a limited two-month run, the broadcast was extended until October 2020.^[1][13] In 2020, Renjun and his bandmate Chenle graduated from the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy, which released their graduation song, "A New Beginning", on 20 May.^[1][15] In September 2023, Renjun and Chenle received the Recommended Popular Artist Award at the Weibo Music Awards.^[16] Later that December, Renjun collaborated with Chenle and his bandmates Kun and Xiaojun as NCT U to release the single "Marine Turtle" under the NCT Lab project.^[17] Recorded in both Chinese and Korean, the synth-driven pop track metaphorically compares the determination to move forward in life to a marine turtle hatching from its egg.^[17]

In April 2024, Renjun paused his promotional activities due to physical health issues and symptoms of anxiety; earlier that month, he had expressed distress after a sasaeng had obtained his personal phone number and sent him abusive messages.^[18] Although he participated in NCT Dream's single "Rains in Heaven" later that August, he remained absent from their ongoing concert tour, The Dream Show 3: Dream( )scape.^[19] Renjun officially resumed his activities in October, joining the group for the European leg of the tour.^[20]

Renjun digitally released his debut extended play (EP), Echoes Between Us, on Chinese music platforms on 1 June 2026, with its title track pre-released on 26 May.^[21] Comprising three songs, the EP depicts the process of accepting a break-up and moving forward.^[22] On 13 June, Renjun held a sold-out showcase at the Mango Hall of the Hunan International Exhibition and Convention Center in Changsha, China.^[22] The following month, he and Chenle embarked on a fanmeeting tour, titled Roommate, visiting five cities in China.^[23] In August, Renjun won the Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the Tencent Music Entertainment Awards, where he performed "Echoes Between Us".^[24] That same month, SM announced that Renjun had renewed his exclusive contract, with his activities in China set to be managed by their newly established subsidiary, STE.^[25][26]

In 2020, Renjun was the spokesperson for the Chinese water park Oyf Hot Spring World.^[27] After praising a fan's perfume by the Thai brand Janua, causing several products to sell out in November 2024, Renjun was appointed as the brand's ambassador in September 2025.^[28][29] Later that November, Renjun became the brand ambassador for the Chinese cosmetics brand Babi's sunscreen line.^[30]

In May 2017, Renjun and Chenle volunteered in a classroom in Nanjing through a CJ Group program that aimed to improve educational facilities and cultural opportunities for the children of migrant workers.^[31]