Soobin from TXT: the reluctant K-pop band leader who resembles a panda

The leader of K-pop band TXT, Soobin sent a video for his first audition and nearly succumbed to stage fright during his second

As a boy, Soobin wanted to be a psychologist or teacher, but after taking part in a talent show, he decided on a K-pop career

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Soobin is the tallest member of TXT, a K-pop band from the same label as BTS. Photo: Handout

Published: 10:00pm, 14 Feb 2020Updated: 3:50pm, 18 Feb 2020

When Big Hit Entertainment launched BTS as their first K-pop group in 2013, the management agency was only a small player in a field dominated by giant companies such as SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment.

In the following years, BTS became a global phenomenon, but their agency failed to roll out any more K-pop outfits, leading many observers to ask: is Big Hit simply a one-hit wonder?

Big Hit responded with a resounding “no” in March 2019 when it launched the new boy group Tomorrow X Together (TXT), who had been in the works since 2017. Less than a year after their debut, TXT’s first full-length album has topped South Korea’s Gaon album chart and Billboard’s world albums chart, and reached No 140 on the Billboard 200. The group were also named best new artist at the 2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

As Big Hit did with BTS, the agency tries to highlight the personalities of the TXT members instead of moulding them into characters. But unlike their brother group, TXT is made up of younger and more playful performers. Here’s a closer look at the life so far of TXT’s leader, Soobin.

Soobin was born in Ansan in South Korea, and as a boy, he dreamed of becoming a psychologist or teacher. Photo: Handout

His early life