Renjun

2000–2015: Early life and career beginnings

Huang Renjun was born on 23 March 2000 in Jilin, China. Growing up near the Korean Peninsula, he learned Korean at school. 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. After discovering the boy band Exo, Renjun decided to audition for SM, traveling to Shenyang in 2015 where he passed and became a trainee. 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.

2016–2025: NCT

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

In August 2019, Renjun began hosting the radio show Akdong Seoul on the South Korean station TBS, broadcasting in both Chinese and Korean. Initially scheduled for a limited two-month run, the broadcast was extended until October 2020. 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. In September 2023, Renjun and Chenle received the Recommended Popular Artist Award at the Weibo Music Awards. 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. 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.

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. 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. Renjun officially resumed his activities in October, joining the group for the European leg of the tour.

2026–present: Echoes Between Us

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. Comprising three songs, the EP depicts the process of accepting a break-up and moving forward. On 13 June, Renjun held a sold-out showcase at the Mango Hall of the Hunan International Exhibition and Convention Center in Changsha, China. The following month, he and Chenle embarked on a fanmeeting tour, titled Roommate, visiting five cities in China. In August, Renjun won the Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the Tencent Music Entertainment Awards, where he performed "Echoes Between Us". 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.

Endorsements

In 2020, Renjun was the spokesperson for the Chinese water park Oyf Hot Spring World. 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. Later that November, Renjun became the brand ambassador for the Chinese cosmetics brand Babi's sunscreen line.

Philanthropy

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.

Extended plays

Singles

Other charted songs

Writing credits

Radio

Joint fan meetings

Showcases

Awards and nominations

Listicles