Aron | |
|---|---|
| 아론 | |
_%25EC%2595%2584%25EB%25A1%25A0(Aron)_%25EB%2594%2594%25EC%258A%25A4%25ED%258C%25A8%25EC%25B9%2598HD_05.png) Aron in July 2019 | |
| Born | Aaron Kwak[1] (1993-05-21)May 21, 1993 (age 31)[2] Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Education | Loyola High School |
| Occupations |
|
| Musical career | |
| Genres | K-pop |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 곽영민 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Gwak Yeong-min |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kwak Yŏngmin |
| Stage name | |
| Hangul | 아론 |
| Revised Romanization | Aron |
| McCune–Reischauer | Alon |
Musical artist | |
| Signature | |
 | |
Aaron Kwak (born May 21, 1993), formerly known by the stage nameAron, is an American media personality, singer, and rapper based in South Korea. He began his professional career in 2012 as a main rapper of the South Korean boy groupNU'EST. Following his contract's expiration withPledis Entertainment in 2022, Aron established his solo career as a freelance radio and television host, appearing in various South Korean programs.
Aron was born on May 21, 1993, in Los Angeles, California.[3] He attendedLoyola High School and was on the varsity golf team, earning the Rookie of the Year Award in 2008 fromDaniel Murphy High School.[1][4] He tested within the top 0.5% on theSATs with a score of 2180 out of 2400.[5] Aron had been accepted intoNew York University and intended to major in journalism but ultimately did not attend after choosing to become a singer.[3][5][6]
While attending the LA Korean Festival in 2009, Aron was invited to take part in the Pledis USA Personal Auditions, where he performed "So Sick" byNe-Yo and participated in a one-week trial boot camp in South Korea.[7][8] He subsequently signed withPledis Entertainment.[7] After finishing high school, he returned to South Korea and trained for nine months.[7] Prior to debuting, Aron appeared as a back-up dancer inAfter School Blue's "Wonder Boy" in 2011. He participated in Pledis Entertainment's Christmas single "Love Letter" and was also featured in an alternate music video for the song as a member of Pledis Boys.[9] He performed with After School with the rest of Pledis Boys, now dubbed "After School Boys", at theSBS Gayo Daejeon.[10]
Along with four other Pledis Boys, Aron debuted in the boy bandNU'EST in 2012 as a sub-vocalist. From April 8, 2013, to April 19, 2015, he hostedArirang Radio'sMusic Access radio program.[3] In 2014, he was featured as a guest artist on the song "Got it Figured Out" byChad Future.[11][12] From August 14, 2015, to April 24, 2016, he hosted his own radio show,Aron's Hangout, onSBS PopAsia.[13][14]
From 2017 to 2018, Aron promoted with the other NU'EST members as the sub-groupNU'EST W in the absence ofMinhyun, who was exclusively promoting withWanna One at the time.[15] During the group's activity, he wrote the lyrics for his solo songs, "Good Love" and "Wi-Fi."[16][17] He was also featured as a guest artist on the song "Loop" byRaina.[18]
From 2020 to 2021, Aron hosted the radio show"To.Night" on Naver NOW with bandmateRen.[19][20]
It was announced on February 28, 2022, that NU'EST's exclusive contract with Pledis Entertainment will expire on March 14, 2022, and that Aron (alongside membersJR and Ren) will leave the agency, therefore concluding their 10-year career as a group.[21]
On March 21, 2022, Aron announced he was hosting a podcast titledKorean Cowboys with South Korean television personality Joel Lane.[22]
In May 2022, Aron was introduced as a host for the second season of Real Korea 5, a lifestyle channel. Within the same month, Aron held his first solo fan meeting at the Yonsei University's Centennial Memorial Hall to celebrate his 30th birthday with the fans.
In July 2022, Aron became a co-host of theArirang TV talk showAfter School Club.
In November 2022, Aron opened his private messaging service thru Wonderwall's "Fromm".
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales(DL) | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [23] | |||||
| "Got it Figured Out" (Chad Future feat. NU'EST's Aron) | 2014 | — | — | Chad Future: The First Mini Album | |
| "Loop" (밥 영화 카페) (Raina feat. Aron of NU'EST) | 2017 | 55 |
| Loop | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–present | After School Club | Host | [25] |
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–2015 | Music Access | DJ | [3] |
| 2015–2016 | Aron's Hangout | [13][14] | |
| 2020–2021 | To.Night | [19][20] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-present | Korean Cowboys | Co-host | Podcast | [26] |
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Fact Music Awards | 2018 | Fan N Star Hall of Fame Award | Aron | Won | [27] |
Jun Hyun-moo: A Catholic boys' school... /Aron: Yes, [my mom] sent me there on purpose. /Text: Loyola High School: Private Catholic boys' high school with 153 years of history in Los Angeles.
Text: Daniel Murphy High School, 2008 Varsity Golf, Rookie of the Year, Aaron Kwak /Aron: Rookie of the year. /Jun Hyun-moo: Award for rookies? /Aron: Yes. /Hyun-moo: In 2008? /Aron: Yes. Freshman in high school, in 2008.
Aron: So, um... I was accepted into New York University when I was in high school, but it wasn't like, the journalism... that part of the school, but I-I went in as undeclared, and I was going to study journal... journalism... So, I got accepted, but I never went.
Aaron: I was casted in 2009 in LA at a festival called JangTuh. [...] I got casted and there and I went to an audition. I sang "So Sick" by Ne-Yo. [...] But um, they actually called me — very similar to you — like, a week later, saying, "We wanna fly you out to Korea, you know, put you on, like, a training system for a week, andthen, you know, like, we'll decide if we wanna sign you or not." So, I think that winter I went to Korea — came to Korea for like a week or two — trained, and I signed my official contract. And then [I] went back to the States, finished high school, came to Korea, trained for nine months, and debuted as a member of the K-pop group NU'EST.
