I.M

South Korean rapper I.M, born Im Chang-kyun on January 26, 1996, in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, had a nomadic childhood due to his father's work as a scientist, including a stint as a professor at Harvard University in Massachusetts, USA and this early exposure to English allowed him to learn the language before mastering Korean. Starting in 2013, he auditioned for various opportunities in South Korea and while initially picked by Special K Entertainment for the boy band Nu'bility, the group never got off the ground. Instead, his career took off with the hip-hop group Monsta X after a televised competition organised by Starship Entertainment. Despite his involvement with Monsta X, I.M released several solo mixtapes from 2015 to 2020, including Madeleine in 2016 and Fly With Me in 2018. In 2021, he began focusing more on his solo career, and his EP Duality made it to the 44th spot on South Korean music charts. In 2023, his second EP, Overdrive, blended elements from various music genres, including trap, deep soul, R&B, and jazz and achieved even greater success, reaching number 6.