Heejun Han

Biography

Han Hee-jun (Korean: 한희준; born April 20, 1989), also known as Heejun Han, is a South Korean singer. He finished in ninth place on the eleventh season of American Idol in 2012. He also finished in the top six of K-pop Star 3 in 2014. In 2026, Han began promoting under the name Jude.

Early life

Han was born on April 20, 1989 in Anyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea. He has an older brother. Han and his family immigrated to the United States when he was 12, moving to Flushing, Queens in New York. He graduated from Francis Lewis High School.
Han returned to South Korea from 2009 to 2010 to train to be a singer. When he moved back to the United States, Han worked for the non-profit Milal Mission in New York, working with children with disabilities. He later said the experience pulled him out of a depression and that the children motivated him to audition for American Idol.

2012: American Idol

Han auditioned for the eleventh season of American Idol in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in early 2012. He received praise from the judges for his performance of Michael Bolton's "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" and advanced to the next round.
Han advanced through the semi-finals with a performance of "Angels" by Robbie Williams. He then advanced through the finals with performances of "All in Love Is Fair" by Stevie Wonder, "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx and "My Life" by Billy Joel. However, after finishing in the bottom three for two weeks in a row, Han was eliminated from the show, finishing in ninth place.
After the show concluded, Han performed as part of the American Idols Live! Tour 2012, which began July 6, 2012 and ran until September 21, 2012.

2013–2014: Debut single and K-pop Star 3

Han released his debut single, "Bring the Love Back", featuring rapper Pusha T, on September 17, 2013.
In 2013, he tried out for the third season of K-pop Star and passed the audition. He reached the Top 6 of K-pop Star 3.

2015–present: Korean releases and After School Club

Since then he has concentrated on his K-pop career and released the single "Q&A" feat. Tiffany from Girls' Generation.
In 2018, he replaced Jae of Day6 as co-host of After School Club.
In 2026, Han announced he would begin promoting under the name Jude.