Lee Joo-heon (Korean: 이주헌; born October 6, 1994), better known by the stage name Joohoney and formerly mononymously known as Jooheon, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is a member of the South Korean boy group Monsta X under Starship Entertainment. He made his solo debut with the EP Lights in 2023.
2014: Debut and career beginnings
Prior to his debut with Monsta X, Joohoney was part of a project group called Nu Boyz, with #Gun, Shownu, and Wonho, formed under Starship Entertainment in August 2014. The quartet uploaded multiple mixtapes on their company's YouTube channel and performed at the opening show of Starship X concert in December 2014.
In December 2014, Starship Entertainment and Mnet launched a survival program named No.Mercy and Joohoney was selected, along with six other participants (including Shownu and Wonho), as part of the new boy group Monsta X on the last episode of the show.
2015–2016: Show Me the Money 4 and Tribe of Hip Hop
In January 2015, Joohoney was featured in the collaboration track "Coach Me", with San E and Sistar's Hyolyn. Joohoney alongside group member Kihyun, participated in the soundtrack of the South Korean drama Orange Marmalade titled "Attractable Woman", which was released in May 2015, and produced by Crazy Park and his team.
In June, Joohoney auditioned for the fourth season of Mnet's rap competition show Show Me the Money. He was eliminated in the third round in a 1-on-1 battle against rapper Lee Hyun-joon, but was later brought back for a second chance where he lost to One.
In April 2016, Joohoney was one of the producers for JTBC's hip-hop competition show Tribe of Hip Hop, appearing as the youngest producer on the show.
2017–present: Mixtape releases and other solo activities
In January 2017, Joohoney released a solo music video for the song "Rhythm".
In August 2018, Joohoney released his mixtape DWTD. For the release, he released a music video for the track "Red Carpet", then a few months later, in October, he released a second MV, this time for the track "Should I Do". It charted in several countries, including ranking at number eight and twenty-two on the weekly Billboard's World Album and Top Heatseekers Album charts, respectively.
In February 2019, he changed to the stage name Joohoney, from using his given name Jooheon, for English-language activities.
In June, Joohoney appeared on Produce X 101 as a battle rap trainer for the contestants' first elimination battle.
In January 2020, Joohoney took a temporary break from Monsta X in order to focus on his mental health. He continued promotions again in late March, prior to the release of their Korean EP Fantasia X.
On October 9, Joohoney released his mixtape Psyche. He also pre-released the music video for the track "Intro: Ambition" on October 7, and then released the music video for "Smoky" simultaneous to the release of the mixtape. "Smoky" was described by Daniel Waters of MTV as an "emo-k-pop crossover", with Teen Vogue describing the chorus as "a sort of angsty rock 'n roll anthem" that both described as "cathartic". On October 21, Joohoney released a music video for the title track "Psyche".
In December 2020, Joohoney collaborated with Lovelyz's Kei on the OST "Ride or Die" for the drama Run On. The song was released on December 23.
In May 2021, Joohoney featured on the remake of the song "If You Love Me" by NS Yoon-G, originally released in 2012 with a feature by Jay Park.
On August 5, MBC's Idol Radio announced its second season, with Joohoney as a DJ for the show, alongside group member Hyungwon. The first episode aired on August 9, with the show streaming weekly through Universe and airing on MBC Radio.