Jukjae
Jeong Jae-won, known professionally as Jukjae, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is affiliated with Abyss Company.
Career
Jeong graduated from Seoul Institute of the Arts with a bachelor's degree in practical music in 2008 and began his musical career as a guitarist.On November 10, 2014, Jukjae debuted with his first studio album, "One Word". He also wrote the lyrics, composed the music, arranged, produced, sang, and played guitar on this album under the name Jeong Jaewon. The following year, on April 23, 2015, he released the digital single "사랑한대".
On March 9, 2017, Jukjae released his first EP, "FINE." The title song, "Let's Go See the Stars," is one of Jukjae's signature songs, and became a hot topic after being covered by actor Park Bo-gum.
On June 29, 2019, he held his first solo concert in about three years, "One Step Further", at the Seogang Merry Hall Grand Theater.
On September 1, 2020, Jukjae signed an exclusive contract with his agency, Antenna. On November 9, he released his second studio album, "The LIGHTS," their first in about eight years. On November 12, he released his second EP, "2006." Jukjae described it as "an album that contains songs that best express my true colors." On December 4, he won the Best Session Award at the MelOn Music Awards 2020.
On June 30, 2023, Jukjae's exclusive contract with Antenna ended. On July 3, he signed an exclusive contract with Abyss Company.
In December 2025, Fender Music Korea released the JUKJAE Stratocaster Baggy, the first signature guitar by a Korean artist.
Personal life
In an interview, Jukjae said, "When we think of a band, we often think of the vocalist and the supporting musicians separately, but I want to be a musician who shows what it means to have both instruments and voices working in harmony and to make the most of both."In addition to his singing career, Jukjae is also actively involved in music, arranging and playing guitar for albums and concerts by fellow musicians such as IU, Akdong Musician, Jung Eun-ji, Taeyeon, Ha Sung-woon, and Lim Han-byul. He was particularly active as the guitarist for the so-called "IU team" during IU's live sessions. Jukjae's activities as part of the IU team came to an end with the IU special episode of "Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook," which aired on KBS2 on September 18, 2020.
In July 2025, Jukjae announced his marriage to Heo Sung-yeon, the older sister of Kara member Youngji. The wedding took place in October of the same year.