Jej was born and raised in the Philippines to a traditional Filipino family. He started singing karaoke after watching his parents sing in choir. When he was 15, his parents moved the family to America for a better life and landed in South Dakota. At 18, Jej joined an a cappella camp in Los Angeles and knew music was his calling. The family packed up and followed Jej to California where he studies music at USC and was formerly the music director of the school's a cappella group. Outside of school, Jej has a part-time job at a restaurant.