【明報專訊】Profile﹕．Age: 25

．Nationality: Chinese

■Fencer-turned-idol

Jackson Wang (王嘉爾) is not an ordinary K-pop idol. Born into a family of athletes including a medalist fencer father and a gymnast mother, Jackson started his fencing training at 10 and became a member of the Hong Kong team. His talent in fencing won him first place in an international game in 2011 and a scholarship to study at the prestigious Stanford University in the US.

Instead of pursuing his studies, Jackson chased his music dreams in South Korea and practised as an idol trainee. He debuted as a rapper in the boy band GOT7 in 2014, and has created a number of hit songs and acted in various dramas.

■Photo Story

Jackson poses for Madame Tussauds' artisans so that they can make a wax figure of him for public visits. He described having his own figure as ''a childhood dream come true''.

■Cross-culture influencer

Jackson's musical talent has brought him fans and appreciation from the commercial world. He has been invited by fashion brands to be their spokesperson and has composed a song for one of the brands he works with.

■English highway﹕influencer

An influencer is someone who affects or changes the way that other people behave.

e.g. The social media helps many online influencers draw attention to their work.

■Glossary

medalist (n) 獎牌得主

prestigious (adj) 有名望的

trainee (n) 練習生

commercial (adj) 商業的

[Smarties' Power English 第247期]