You can find all of our “Bias Duality” articles in one place by clicking here! This week’s “Bias Duality” article is dedicated to the shining star the world has its eyes on, an icon of this generation and the next, NCT’s Jeno. With 98,450 votes, making for 71.5% of the total votes cast by Kpopmap readers on the poll in our previous “Bias Duality” article, Jeno was chosen by an overwhelming majority of fans to appear on this series! To participate in choosing the artist who will be featured in our next “Bias Duality” article, you can vote for your favourite idol/actor below! If you would like to see a different idol/actor (one who is not mentioned in the poll) featured in the series, please leave their name in the comments section, and we will add them to the vote lineup next time! NOTE: Our “Bias Duality” series will be going on a hiatus for the next two weeks. As such, this poll will be open until October 13, 2022, and the resulting Bias Duality article about the winner of the poll will be published on October 17, 2022. Please stay tuned and vote for the artist who should be featured in the next article! Thank you! Now onto our bias!
The Face Of The Future: Jeno’s Personal Duality & Evolution
Born on 23rd April 2000, with the dazzling diamond as his birthstone, Lee Jeno was destined for glory. Today, he is not only a beloved member of one of the most generation-defining K-Pop groups in the global music industry, NCT but is also an accomplished dancer, singer-songwriter, rapper, MC, model, philanthropist, and much much more. Jeno is a safe space, he is a bearer of joy and happiness whose eye smile can melt all our blues away, and he is an inspiration for countless dreamers who want to walk in his footsteps. Speaking of footsteps, Jeno took his first ones into the world of Korean entertainment, holding his mother’s hand. He was street-cast by an advertising agent while he was with his mother and went on to film several CFs that remain iconic even today. Years later, he joined SM Entertainment at the age of 13 and spent one of the most crucial periods of his life working tirelessly towards carving his ideal artistic self. He was introduced as a member of SM Rookies and appeared in TV shows like “EXO 90:2014” and Disney Channel Korea’s “The Mickey Mouse Club” soon after. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say, therefore, that Jeno had to grow up rather quickly and adapt to showbiz, all the while preparing to hard launch the wealth of talent he had been honing with such unstinted effort. That time finally came in 2016, when he debuted as a member of NCT, more specifically, NCT DREAM, and there was no looking back. Upon his grand debut, which was marked with incredible success, Jeno geared up to take his artistry to the next level. Dipping his toes into songwriting, Jeno soon became a regular lyricist for NCT DREAM, imparting a significantly unique colour to the group’s musical identity. He also came to be acknowledged worldwide as one of the finest and most skilled members of the NCT dance and rap line, which naturally meant that he was among the best of the best in the K-Pop scene. From then on, Jeno’s evolution as an artist has been unstoppable, to say the least. Not only has he upgraded his abilities beyond belief, but the innate mastery of his craft has posited him as a true all-rounder who has a vision for the future and isn’t afraid to chase it into reality. When it comes to personality, Jeno has always been one of those idols whose stage presence and real personality could not be more diametrically opposed. In real life, Jeno is mature, understanding, kind, and patient, but he is also recklessly playful, quirky, occasionally savage, and effortlessly funny (despite his nickname, ‘JeNo-Jam’). In fact, it requires a core understanding of Jeno’s worldview to appreciate his humour, and getting to that point is a worthy journey in and of itself. Even though Jeno is one of the younger members of NCT, he has quite a dominant and wise personality, which is also what endears him to his hyungs. One of the reasons why DoYoung calls Jeno his son is because when he took the little ones to play one time on a holiday, none of the Dreamies listened to him except for Jeno, who thanked him for spending time with them. To have such a considerate and sincere nature at such a young age speaks volumes of his inner beauty. However, at the same time, Jeno wouldn’t bat an eyelid before choosing JaeHyun over DoYoung so the sass is simply legendary. Either way, when Jeno loves someone, he won’t hesitate to show it, be clingy, and want to be by their side at all times. Hugs, cuddles, head pats, all day! This is evident from how he behaves around his members too! He’s always attentive towards them, knows them better than they know themselves, and takes care of them as a brother would. After all, they are a family, and Jeno might not admit it, but he is quite the sweetheart. On the other hand, he will also not hesitate to wrestle them, and no, we don’t mean play fighting. Jeno’s muscular build makes him quite the menace when showdowns like this happen. Finally, the version of himself that Jeno offers to fans is a whole other Jeno altogether. He is sweeter than candy, brimming with gratitude and aegyo and unabashedly himself. His special Youtube broadcast called “JSMR” or even his V-Lives, where he revels in surprising NCTzen oh so cutely, are the perfect examples of this side of him. He feels comfortable enough with NCTzen to share his deepest thoughts with them as well as his silliest ones. Jeno is so adorably in love with NCTzen that he feels like a K-Drama boyfriend come to life or a manhwa price who just wants to sweep you off your feet, but in the very next moment, he could be teasing you to no end, and you’ll still love every second of it.
God Tier - Jeno’s Vocal Duality
What do you get from someone who is nicknamed after one of South Korea’s greatest balladeers, Park HyoShin? Pure brilliance, is what. Jeno voice has always been an intrinsic part of NCT’s sonic array, and a vocal style like his is truly hard to come by. It isn’t a surprise, therefore, that Jeno has one of the most unique singing and rapping voices in all of K-Pop. Ever since Jeno’s debut, he has been appreciated by fans and critics alike for his stable voice, even when performing hardcore choreography and its bright, youthful tone. However, when it got even deeper with adulthood, its appeal skyrocketed off the charts. Jeno vocally went from the boy next door to the bad boy who turns out to be husband material. What also came with age was expertise, technique, and conviction. In terms of rap, Jeno started off on a level that many have to struggle to get to, even after years of practice. Within a short time after his debut, Jeno established himself as a rapper to have an eye on, a rising star in the scene. From speed to delivery, enunciation, and the lyrics themselves, Jeno had it all down pat. His rap in any song became a climactic point that fans looked forward to, and unsurprisingly, it was something distinct each time. Whether it be concepts or even just the style of the rap, no Jeno verse is ever the same, and it keeps getting better. While Jeno is undoubtedly an amazing rapper, he is also a stellar vocalist. There is a sense of warmth in his voice that envelops the listener in an instant. It is husky but honeyed, which conveys a gentle machismo or a rebellious toughness. From lower notes to higher riffs and everything in between, Jeno’s vocal control and modulation is simply exceptional. It is suited to pop-punk just as perfectly as it is to ballads, which means that one moment, we might be rebelling against societal norms, and in the other, we might be swooning to his serenade. If that’s not the very definition of vocal duality, we don’t know what is! Some unforgettable instances of Jeno’s vocal duality include songs like the power-packed punches of ‘Go’, ‘Drippin’, ‘Boom’, ‘Stronger’, ‘Misfit’, ‘Countdown (3, 2, 1)’ and ‘Glitch Mode’ versus the soft embrace of ‘Dear DREAM’, ‘Candle Light’, ‘Don’t Need Your Love’, ‘Rainbow’, ‘Deja Vu’, ‘Puzzle Piece’ and ‘Teddy Bear’. In other words, just put your NCT playlist on shuffle, and you’ll be just as stunned as we are.
The Tour De Force - Jeno’s Stage Duality
When we say Jeno is a force to be reckoned with, we mean every single word because the man is nonpareil when it comes to stage presence. Besides being a magnificent dancer, trained for perfection, Jeno is also a captivating performer, and yes, they are two wildly different things altogether. Jeno is flawless in technique, flexible in style, and first-rate in execution. On the other, he is unrivaled in facial expression, holds power in his eyes just as much as he does in his movements, and connects with the audience with every step. He knows how to develop a character and tell a story with his performance - an artistic feat that is not only rare but also incomparable. His ability to own the moment is matchless, to say the least, which is why he can command the audience’s attention instantly. Jeno doesn’t just dance; he embodies musicality, and that’s what sets him apart. In terms of duality, Jeno’s range goes way beyond going from looking dark and alluring to innocent and pure. That is a given, especially since he’s the king of concepts. Be it classy, cute, sporty, or spicy, Jeno knows exactly how to do justice to each one. He does, in fact, switch from mysteriously charismatic to lover boy in the blink of an eye, and while that is impressive enough, that’s not all. Jeno’s duality lies in the details and in the way he can express different shades of emotions, even within the same concept. The soft smiles to the subtle smirks, his enchanting gaze, and the fire within, everything about Jeno is magnetic on stage. His artistic expression is nuanced, original, and, best of all, spontaneous. His unique flair is bewitching, and we just can’t take our eyes off him. The man is wired for eminence, and it is almost as if this duality comes naturally to him. Some stage performances that further illustrate Jeno’s stage duality are NCT 2018’s performance of ‘Black On Black’, Jeno and SHINee’s Key performing ‘Villain’ at “SBS Inkigayo”, NCT DREAM’s performance of ‘Quiet Down’ at “SBS Inkigayo”, NCT U’s performance of ‘Universe’ at the 2021 “SBS Gayo Daejeon” and NCT DREAM’s performance of ‘Beatbox’ for “M COUNTDOWN”. What all of these stages have in common is a burning passion for performance, immense respect for the stage, and an ode to the joy that it brings him. The moment the music starts, you can see the gears shifting as Jeno invokes a persona that we can only define as his creative mirror. Similarly, once the stage is over, Jeno is back to being the soft boy we all know and love. Even when he’s in the middle of a serious concept, his radiant glow shines through from how happy he is to be doing what he loves, with the people he loves, for the people he loves. Jeno performs like his life depends on it, and it shows.
Little Samoyed Meets Supermodel - Jeno’s Aesthetic Duality
Finally, it’s time to appreciate the visual range of the man of the hour, Lee Jeno but before anything else, can we have a round of applause for the massive milestone Jeno recently achieved, which is opening the New York Fashion Week show for Peter Do’s spring 2023 collection, becoming the first K-Pop artist in history to do so. According to the designer himself, choosing Jeno to open the show was “a natural choice”, because “Jeno embodies the Peter Do man – multifaceted, confident and a trailblazer”. Now, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves, but the fact that Jeno is also a stunning model adds to that roster of very true descriptors. Now, for fans of Jeno, this might not come as a surprise because Jeno has often displayed a gift for modeling in his everyday life! His Instagram account (@leejen_o_423), which he opened only last month and, at the time of writing, has a whopping 3.6 million followers on, reflects an “off-duty model” aesthetic, and his power walk is particularly famous in and out of the NCT fandom. Now, coming to Jeno’s aesthetic duality, his facial structure is an emblem of masculine charm, but it turns into a baby face with a little smile. It is almost as if he had the angels working on the lovely details while the gods sculpted him with the sharpest features. He lives up to his adorable namesake, the samoyed puppy’s irresistible cuteness, but is also as devilishly handsome as a Greek hero. Could this man get any more perfect? At the end of the day, whether it be on screen, on the stage, or on the runway, Jeno is a maestro in his own right. Having grown up under the spotlight, Jeno has absorbed its brightness and transformed into a luminous figure of excellence that now outshines the stars. Having already made his NYFW debut, a solo debut and a major acting debut (as an adult) must be in the offing - or so we hope. Either way, the future is golden for Jeno, and we cannot wait to see what he has in store for us next. What is your favorite thing about Jeno’s duality? Tell us in the comments section down below! If you’re looking for more content about NCT on Kpopmap, here are some articles you might enjoy!
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