Most idols have a long journey of trainee life behind them,

but ENHYPEN‘s Jake has a completely different story. In just one year,

he went from a teen in an Australian high school to the winner of one of
the biggest survival shows in K-Pop history. Here’s Jake’s surprising full
journey.

Jake Sim, whose Korean name is Sim Jaeyoon, was born on November
15, 2002 in the Australian city of Brisbane, Queensland.

When he was younger, Jake was more of an athlete than a performer.

While attending school in Cairns, he played his favorite sport—soccer. In
his Behind the Profile shoot, Jake revealed his special skill is working out,
so it seems like his sporty nature has followed him to this day.

Of course, despite his athleticism, Jake was musically inclined too. On I-
LAND, he told viewers he’s been playing the violin for years.
But Jake’s drive to become an idol didn’t truly hit him until 2017—
November that year, to be specific. One day, 15-year-old Jake sat down
to watch the American Music Awards, and one performance really stood
out to him: BTS‘s “DNA”. It was then that Jake decided he wanted to be a
star on stage just like them.

And in 2019, it seems he finally got his shot. At the time, 16-year-old
Jake was a hardworking student at St. Peters Lutheran College, a private
school known for its impressive music program. In May that year, BTS’s
agency, Big Hit Entertainment, announced they’d be holding global
auditions around the world—including a date in Australia.