Chen (singer)
Kim Jong-dae (Korean: 김종대; born September 21, 1992), better known by his stage name, Chen (Korean: 첸), is a South Korean singer and songwriter. He is a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band Exo, its subgroup Exo-M and its subunit Exo-CBX, and participated in SM's projects SM the Ballad. He is predominantly known for his role as the main vocalist of Exo. Apart from his group's activities, Chen has also recorded songs for various television dramas, most notably "Best Luck" for It's Okay, That's Love (2014) and "Everytime" for Descendants of the Sun (2016).
Chen | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chen in 2019 | |||||||
| Born | Kim Jong-dae September 21, 1992 Daejeon, South Korea | ||||||
| Education | |||||||
| Occupations |
| ||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||
| Musical career | |||||||
| Genres | |||||||
| Instrument(s) | Vocals | ||||||
| Years active | 2011–present | ||||||
| Labels | |||||||
| Member of | |||||||
| Website | Official website | ||||||
| Korean name | |||||||
| Hangul | 김종대 | ||||||
| Hanja | 金鐘大 | ||||||
| |||||||
| Stage name | |||||||
| Hangul | 첸 | ||||||
| Revised Romanization | Chen | ||||||
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'en | ||||||
| Signature | |||||||
In 2019, Chen debuted as a solo singer with the extended play (EP) April, and a Flower, which peaked at number two on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart and spawned the hit single "Beautiful Goodbye". Continuing the success, his second EP, Dear My Dear, accompanied by the single "Shall We?" was released later that same year and charted at number one upon release.
Life and career
1992–2014: Early life and career beginnings
Chen was born on September 21, 1992, in Daejeon and grew up in the Jeongwang-dong neighborhood of Siheung.[1][2] He became a trainee at SM Entertainment through the company's Casting System in 2011 at the age of 19. On December 29, 2011, he was formally introduced as the fourth member of Exo. He made his first public appearance as an Exo member alongside Luhan, Tao, and Kai at the 2011 SBS Gayo Daejeon.[3]
In 2014, Chen joined the ballad group SM the Ballad, initially formed by SM Entertainment in 2010. On the group's second album Breath, he sang the Chinese version of the lead single "Breath" with Zhang Liyin. He also sang a duet with f(x)'s Krystal titled "When I Was... When U Were...", and "A Day Without You" with Shinee's Jonghyun. Chen performed his duets with Krystal and Jonghyun live at the SM the Ballad Joint Recital on February 12.[4]
In July 2014, Chen released his first solo song since debut titled "The Best Luck" as an original soundtrack for the SBS drama It's Okay, That's Love, which stars his fellow Exo member D.O.[5][6] "The Best Luck" was awarded the "Best OST by a Male Artist" and "Best OST Song" at the 5th So-Loved Awards and the 16th Seoul International Youth Film Festival respectively. Chen was also invited as a special performer at the 3rd APAN Star Awards on November 11, 2014, where he performed the track live.[7]
2015–2018: Solo activities and Exo-CBX
In June 2015, Chen co-wrote the lyrics for "Promise," a song from the reissued edition of Exo's second studio album Exodus, along with fellow members Chanyeol and Lay. In August 2015, he made his musical theatre debut playing the role of Benny in the SM C&C production In the Heights.[8] He also participated in and became the runner-up in the eleventh round of the music television show King of Mask Singer under the alias "Legendary Guitar Man".[9]
In January 2016, Chen performed John Lennon's song "Imagine" with pianist Steve Barakatt at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, as part of UNICEF's "Imagine Project."[10] In February, Chen and South Korean singer Punch released a duet titled "Everytime" as a soundtrack for the KBS drama Descendants of the Sun.[11] The song debuted at number one on Gaon's weekly digital chart.[12] In April, Chen and South Korean rapper Heize released "Lil' Something", a song produced by Vibe member Ryu Jae-hyun, as the ninth weekly single of SM Entertainment's Station music project.[13]
In August 2016, Chen collaborated with fellow Exo members Xiumin and Baekhyun on an original soundtrack titled "For You" for the SBS drama Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo.[14] In October, he collaborated with DJ Alesso on another song for the Station project titled "Years".[15][16] Later in October, together with Baekhyun and Xiumin, Chen became a member of Exo's first sub unit Exo-CBX. The group made their debut with the extended play Hey Mama!.[17]
In January 2017, Chen collaborated with Dynamic Duo in a song titled "Nosedive", becoming the first artist to be featured in the group's collaboration project "Mixxxture".[18] The song reached number two on the Gaon Digital Chart. In February, he released an original soundtrack titled "I'm Not Okay" for the MBC drama Missing 9 in which his fellow Exo member Chanyeol played a supporting role.[19]
In March, Chen was accepted into the advertisement media MBA program at Hanyang Cyber University.[20] In July, he was revealed to have co-written the lyrics for the tracks "Touch It" and "Ko Ko Bop" from Exo's fourth studio album, The War. In November, Chen collaborated with South Korean singer 10cm on a song titled "Bye Babe" for the second season of SM Entertainment's station project.[21] In December, Chen wrote the lyrics for "Lights Out" from Exo's EP Universe, which he performed alongside fellow members Suho, Baekhyun, and D.O..
On October 16, 2018, Chen released an original soundtrack titled "Cherry Blossom Love Song" for the drama 100 Days My Prince, in which fellow Exo member D.O. played the lead role.[22] He and Chanyeol also participated in writing lyrics for "Love Shot", the title track from the reissued edition of Exo's fifth studio album, Don't Mess Up My Tempo.[23]
2019–present: Solo debut and military service
On February 7, 2019, Chen released an original soundtrack titled "Make It Count" for the drama Touch Your Heart.[24] On March 8, SM Entertainment confirmed that Chen was preparing for his first solo album, which was set to be released in April.[25] Named April, and a Flower and consisting of six songs,[26] the album was released on April 1 with the title song "Beautiful Goodbye".[27] He also participated in writing the lyrics for one of the songs, "Flower".[28] April, and a Flower peaked at number 2 on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart.
In May, Chen collaborated with South Korean singer Onestar for a single titled "May We Bye".[29] In July, he was featured on Ailee's song "Love" from her album Butterfly.[30] On October 1, Chen released his second mini-album, Dear My Dear with six songs including the title track "Shall We?".[31] He participated in writing the lyrics for "My Dear", one of the songs on the album.[32] Dear My Dear debuted at number 1 on the physical album chart and iTunes top album charts in a total of 36 countries.[33][34]
On January 23, 2020, Chen and Dynamic Duo released another collaboration song titled "You".[35] In September, he released an original soundtrack titled "Your Moonlight" for the drama Do You Like Brahms?.[36] On October 16, Chen released a digital single titled "Hello",[37] before announcing that he was set to enlist for his mandatory military service.[38]
He enlisted as an active duty soldier on October 26, 2020.[39] He was discharged on April 25, 2022.[40] On October 11, SM announced his third EP, Last Scene. Initially set to be released on October 31, SM announced that the album release would be postponed to November 14 to respect the mourning period established after the crowd crush in Itaewon.[41][42][43]
Personal life
On January 13, 2020, Chen announced his upcoming marriage with his girlfriend, with a private ceremony attended by both of their families. It was also announced that Chen's fiancée was pregnant.[44] Their first child, a daughter, was born on April 29.[45] On January 19, 2022, his wife gave birth to their second child.[46]
Discography
- Extended plays
- April, and a Flower (2019)
- Dear My Dear (2019)
- Last Scene (2022)
Filmography
Dramas
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exo Next Door | 2015 | Chen | Web drama; minor role |
Variety shows
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| King of Mask Singer | 2015 | Contestant | Episodes 21 and 22; Stage Name : Legendary Guitarman |
| Travel without Manager | 2016 | Main cast | Episodes 1-8 |
Theater
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the Heights | 2015 | Benny | Main Role |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 16th Seoul International Youth Film Festival[47] | Best OST by a Male Artist | "The Best Luck" | Won |
| 2017 | 19th Mnet Asian Music Awards[48] | Best Collaboration with Dynamic Duo | "Nosedive" | Won |
| Qoo10 Song of The Year | Nominated | |||
| 9th Melon Music Awards[49] | Best Rap/Hip Hop Award with Dynamic Duo | Won | ||
| 2018 | 7th Gaon Chart Music Awards | Song of the Year – January | Nominated | |
| 2019 | 2nd Genie Music Awards | Male Solo Artist | Chen | Nominated |
| Vocal Artist | Nominated | |||
| Annual Fresh Asia Music Awards[50] | TOP 10 Asia-Pacific Gold Song of the Year | "Make It Count" | Won | |
| 11th Melon Music Awards | Top 10 Artists | Chen | Nominated | |
| Album of the Year | April, and a Flower | Nominated | ||
| 21st Mnet Asian Music Awards[51] | Best Vocal Performance – Solo | "Beautiful Goodbye" | Nominated | |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
| 34th Golden Disc Awards[52] | Digital Bonsang | Nominated | ||
| Disc Bonsang | April, and a Flower | Nominated | ||
| 29th Seoul Music Awards[53] | Popularity Award | Chen | Nominated | |
| Hallyu Special Award | Nominated | |||
| Bonsang Award | Nominated | |||
| Daesang Award | Nominated | |||
| 2020 Korea First Brand Awards[54] | Male Vocalist | Won | ||
| 2022 | 2022 Asian Pop Music Awards[a] | Top 20 Songs of the Year (Overseas) | "Last Scene" | Won |
| People's Choice Award (Overseas) | Last Scene | 4th place |
Notes
References
- ^ Kang, Hae-yeon (May 30, 2018). [아이돌 정보] 엑소 첸백시 시우민, "노재미인 저를 재미있게 편집해줘서 고맙다" 제작 소감 밝혀. Future Korea (in Korean). from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Kim, Shin-hye (January 14, 2015). 엑소 첸 “이름때문 중국인 오해, 본명은 종대”(써니의FM데이트). Newsen (in Korean). from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
- ^ "S.M.'s rookie group EXO made debut in the SBS Gayo Daejun". Newsen (in Korean). December 29, 2011. from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
- ^ Julie Jackson (February 13, 2014). "SM ballad artists serenade fans in joint recital". Kpop Herald. from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- ^ Lee, Jin-ho (July 17, 2014). . enewsWorld. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ Kim, Erika (July 23, 2014). . enewsWorld. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ tofutraveller (November 19, 2014). "APAN Star Awards 2014: Winners, Performers & Winning Fashion". Time-Travelling Tofu. from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
- ^ [SHINee, INFINITE, EXO, and f(x) Members Cast in Musical "In the Heights"]. Asiae News. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- ^ "EXO's Chen Shocks Audience On 'King of Mask Singer' As Legendary Guitar Man". KpopStarz. August 31, 2015. from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
- ^ Park Soo-young (December 30, 2015). "엑소 첸, 유명 피아니스트와 합동 무대…아동 캠페인 일환" [EXO's Chen to Perform With World-Renowned Pianist Steve Barakatt for UNICEF]. OSEN. from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- ^ "EXO's Chen, Punch sing in 'Descendants of the Sun' soundtrack". Kpop Herald. February 4, 2016. from the original on August 26, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- ^ "Gaon Digital Chart, Week 9 – 2016". Gaon Music Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. from the original on March 21, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
- ^ Kim Ji-young (April 5, 2016). "EXO's Chen to collaborate with Heize". Kpop Herald. from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- ^ Lee Ji-hae (August 10, 2016). "EXO members to sing drama's sound track". Kpop Herald. from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- ^ "[POP스포]엑소 첸XDJ 알레소, 10월 7일 콜라보 'Years' 발표(공식)". from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
- ^ "엑소 첸, 스웨덴 유명 DJ 알레소와 콜라보…7일 음원 발표". October 4, 2016. from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
- ^ SMTOWN_EN. . Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ "Dynamic Duo Teams Up With EXO's Chen on 'Nosedive'". Billboard. from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
- ^ "엑소 첸, '미씽나인' OST '안녕 못해' 오늘밤 공개..찬열 지원". Osen (in Korean). from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ Kim, So-yeon. "Jin of BTS, Chen of EXO enter graduate school at Hanyang Cyber University". from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
- ^ "EXO's Chen Joins Forces With 10cm for Performance of 'Bye Babe': Watch". Billboard. November 3, 2017. from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ "EXO's Chen to release OST Part.3 for D.O's drama '100 Days My Prince'!". from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- ^ "'K팝의 왕' 엑소, 신곡 'Love Shot'으로 연말 가요계 정조준 예고". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- ^ "엑소 첸, '진심이 닿다' OST 첫주자…'Make it count' 7일 공개 [공식입장]". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ "엑소 측 "첸, 솔로앨범 준비 중"…OST 킹의 솔로 데뷔 [공식]". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- ^ "EXO's Chen is one with nature in image teasers for upcoming album 'April, and a Flower'! ⋆ the latest kpop news and music | Officially Kmusic". March 26, 2019. from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
- ^ "사월, 그리고 꽃 - The 1st Mini Album". www.melon.com (in Korean). from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
- ^ "Chen of EXO Talks Releasing His First Solo Album 'April, and a Flower': Exclusive". Billboard. April 4, 2019. from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ "임한별, 신곡 '오월의 어느 봄날' 티저 공개..엑소 첸과 특급 듀엣". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
- ^ "Ailee Will Team Up With EXO's Chen For "LOVE" And Everyone Is Already Calling It "Legendary"". hellokpop. June 26, 2019. from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ "EXO's Chen Unveils Second EP 'Dear My Dear,' Video For 'Shall We?': Watch". Billboard. October 2, 2019. from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ "'컴백 D-5' 엑소 첸, 두 번째 하이라이트 메들리 영상 공개". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ "EXO's Chen, SEVENTEEN, BTS, And More Top Gaon Monthly + Weekly Charts; AKMU Earns Triple Crown". Soompi. October 10, 2019. from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ "EXO Chen's 2nd mini album 'Dear my Dear' tops iTunes album charts in 36 countries". allkpop. from the original on October 2, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ "[공식]다이나믹 듀오X엑소 첸, 3년만 컬래버…'혼자' MV 티저 공개". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). from the original on March 5, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ "EXO's Chen to sing new OST 'Your Moonlight' for SBS drama 'Do You Like Brahms?'". allkpop. from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ "엑소 첸, 새 싱글 '안녕 (Hello)' 15일 공개..믿듣 보컬 온다[공식]". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ "엑소 첸, 10월 26일 군대간다 [공식]". Naver (in Korean). October 16, 2020. from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ "'엑소 의리 최고' 첸, 멤버들 배웅 속 현역 입대(Ft.수호 휴가) [★해시태그]" [EXO's Chen enlists in active duty and sent off by members]. XSports News (in Korean). Naver. October 26, 2020. from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "엑소 첸, 오늘 전역…시우민·수호·디오 이어 군필 [N디데이]" [EXO's Chen, discharged today... Xiumin, Suho, D.O. Year Gunpil [N D-Day]]. News1 (in Korean). Naver. April 25, 2022. from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
- ^ Jang, In-young (October 11, 2022). "엑소 첸, 3년만 새 앨범…'사라지고 있어'" [EXO's Chen, a new album after 3 years... 'It's disappearing']. Newsis. from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ^ Yoon, Seong-yeol (October 30, 2022). "엑소 첸, 솔로 컴백 잠정 연기.."이태원 참사 희생자 애도"" [EXO Chen, solo comeback tentatively postponed.. "Mourning for victims of the Itaewon disaster"]. Starnews (in Korean). Naver. from the original on October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ Kim, Yeong-jin (November 7, 2022). "엑소 첸, 신보 '사라지고 있어' 14일 발매" [EXO Chen's new album 'Last Scene' will be release on 14th]. Asiatoday. from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ "엑소 첸, 비연예인♥︎과 결혼 발표 "저에게 축복이 찾아왔다"(전문)[공식]". Osen (in Korean). January 12, 2020. from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020 – via Naver.
- ^ Lee, Min-ji (April 29, 2020). "SM 측 "엑소 첸 오늘(29일) 득녀"(공식입장)". Newsen (in Korean). from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
- ^ Hwang Hye-jin (January 19, 2022). "SM 측 "엑소 첸 아내, 둘째 출산"(공식)" [SM side “EXO Chen’s wife gives birth to second child” (official)] (in Korean). Newsen. from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022 – via Naver.
- ^ "L, D.O, Baro, Jaejoong, Dasom, Jiyeon, Suzy and More Compete in "The 16th Seoul International Youth Film Festival"". Korean Updates. August 4, 2014. from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
- ^ Reinfrank, Alkira (March 2, 2018). "Mama Awards: Hong Kong rolls out red carpet for K-pop royalty at Asia's biggest music awards". South China Morning Post. from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ Mathew, Ilin (December 2, 2017). "Melon Music Awards 2017: Best Artist Of The Year goes to EXO; Complete winners list". International Business Times, India Edition. from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ "年榜金曲统计时间：2018年6月-2019年6月". Weibo (in Chinese). 2019. from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Gaea Katreena Cabico (October 25, 2019). "LIST: Official nominees for 2019 MAMA". The Philippine Star. from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "BTS·트와이스·위너·첸·태연…'골든디스크' 음원+음반 본상 동시후보는 5팀". Newsen (in Korean). from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ . Seoul Music Awards. December 9, 2019. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ "[영상M] 오마이걸, 2020년 기대되는 '여자아이돌'". m-i.k (in Korean). December 17, 2019. from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ "2020亚洲流行音乐大奖结果出炉 林俊杰获5奖成最大赢家" [2020 Asian Pop Music Awards results are out JJ Lin won 5 awards as the biggest winner]. VCT News (in Chinese). December 28, 2020. from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
External links
- Official website (in Korean)