Byun Baek-hyun (Korean: 변백현; born May 6, 1992), knownmononymously asBaekhyun, is a South Korean singer and actor. He is a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy bandExo, its subgroup Exo-K and its subunit Exo-CBX. In 2019, Baekhyun became a leader of the supergroupSuperM.
Following the release of several albums and extended plays with Exo, Baekhyun began pursuing a solo career in 2019 by releasing his debutextended play,City Lights, which sold more than half-a-million copies in 2019 and is the best-selling album by a solo artist of the 2010s in South Korea.[1]City Lights was followed by two million-selling EPs,Delight (2020), the first album by a solo artist in South Korea to have sold over 1 million copies in 19 years, andBambi (2021).[2][3] He has been labeled as the "Genius Idol",[4] and won three consecutiveMnet Asian Music Awards forBest Male Artist from 2019 to 2021.
Early life
Baekhyun was born on May 6, 1992,[5] inBucheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. He has a brother named Baek-beom who is seven years older than him.[6] Baekhyun began training to be a singer when he was 11 years old, influenced by South Korean singerRain.[7] He attended Jungwon High School in Bucheon, where he was the lead singer in a band calledHonsusangtae (lit. "coma") and won a local music festival. He received piano lessons from Kim Hyun-woo, member of South Korean rock bandDickPunks.[8] In addition to musical activities, Baekhyun trained as amartial artist in his youth and has a dan 3black belt inHapkido.[9][10]
Baekhyun was spotted by anSM Entertainment agent while he was studying for the entrance exams to theSeoul Institute of the Arts. He later joined SM Entertainment in 2011 through the S.M. Casting System.[11]
Baekhyun was officially revealed to beExo's ninth member on January 30, 2012, as the vocalist of Exo.[12] The group officially debuted in April 2012 and has since gained significant popularity and commercial success.
In February 2014, Baekhyun and fellow Exo memberSuho became regular hosts for theSBS music television showInkigayo.[13] They left the position in November 2014 to focus on Exo's upcoming comeback.[14] In July 2014, Baekhyun made his musical theatre debut, playing the main role of Don Lockwood in the South Korean production of the musicalSingin' in the Rain bySM C&C.[15]
In April 2015, Baekhyun released his first solo song since debut titled "Beautiful" as the soundtrack for Exo's web-dramaExo Next Door. The song became the first soundtrack single from a web drama to top digital charts.[16] In May 2015, Baekhyun was announced to be starring in action filmDokgo alongside actorYeo Jin-goo.[17] However, production of the film was announced to have been cancelled in January 2016.[18] In December 2015, Baekhyun paid tribute to the late South Korean singer Kim Hyun-sik by performing his song "Like Rain Like Music" atSBS' year-end music programGayo Daejeon. The studio recording of his rendition was later released digitally.[19]
In January 2016, Baekhyun andMiss A memberSuzy released a duet titled "Dream".[20] The song quickly reached the top on online real-time music charts[21] and later debuted at number one onGaon'sweekly digital chart.[22] "Dream" also won first place five times in total on music television programsMusic Bank andInkigayo. In April 2016, Baekhyun received aYinYueTai V-Chart Award for Most Popular Singer in South Korea. In May 2016, Baekhyun and South Korean singerK.Will released a folk-ballad duet titled "The Day" as part of SM Entertainment's music projectSM Station.[23]
In August 2016, Baekhyun made his small screen debut in theSBS historical dramaMoon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, a South Korean adaptation of the Chinese novelBu Bu Jing Xin.[24] For his performance in the drama he received a New Star Award at the2016 SBS Drama Awards.[25] He also collaborated with fellow Exo membersChen andXiumin on an original soundtrack for the series titled "For You".[26] In October 2016, together with Chen and Xiumin, Baekhyun became a member of Exo's first official sub unitExo-CBX.[27] Their debutextended play,Hey Mama!, was released on October 31.[28] In November 2016, Baekhyun began participating in SM Entertainment'sLeague of Legends tournament "2016 S.M. Super Celeb League", where he and labelmateHeechul played the game with both professional players and fans from South Korea and China.[29]
In February 2017, Baekhyun andSistar memberSoyou released a duet titled "Rain".[30] The song reached number one on every South Korean online music chart, an achievement known as "all-kill",[30][31] making him the first SM Entertainment artist to achieve "all-kill" in both 2016 and 2017 with "Dream" and "Rain" respectively. In April 2017, Baekhyun released a single titled "Take You Home" for the second season of the Station project.[32] The song peaked at number twelve on Gaon's weekly digital chart.
In July 2019, Baekhyun debuted as a solo artist, the third soloist among Exo members,[36] by releasing theEPCity Lights.[37] The EP went on to sell over 550,000 copies in 2019, breaking the record for the best-selling album by a solo artist in the history of South Korea'sGaon Music Chart. It topped the Gaon weekly and monthly chart and placed sixth on the year-end chart, as well as first among albums released by solo artists. It eventually became the best-selling solo album of South Korea in the 2010s.[1] In August, Baekhyun was confirmed as a member ofSuperM, a "K-pop supergroup" created by SM Entertainment in collaboration withCapitol Records that would be aimed at the American market.[38][39] SuperM debuted with aself-titled EP and began promotions in October.[40] In December, Baekhyun was awardedBest Male Artist at the2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards following the success of his debut EPCity Lights, and its lead single "UN Village".[41]
Early in 2020, Baekhyun released two soundtrack singles, "My Love" and "On the Road", for the television seriesDr. Romantic 2 andHyena respectively.[42][43] In May, Baekhyun collaborated withBolbbalgan4, featuring on her single "Leo".[44] The song peaked at number two on Gaon's weekly digital chart. In the same month, Baekhyun released his second EPDelight, featuring the lead single "Candy". The EP garnered over 732,000 pre-orders, making it the most pre-ordered album by a soloist in South Korean history.[45] By July,Delight had sold more than 1,000,000 copies, becoming the first album by a solo artist in South Korea to do so sinceAnother Days (2001) byKim Gun-mo.[3] Also in July, Baekhyun released a remake ofBoA's track "Garden in the Air" from her albumGirls on Top (2005) through SM Station as the first release from a project dedicated to BoA's 20th debut anniversary.[46] Later in 2020, he released two more soundtrack singles, "Every Second" forRecord of Youth, and "Happy" forDo You Like Brahms?. On December 6, Baekhyun won the Mnet Asian Music Award for Best Male Artist for a second consecutive year.[47] Later in December, he released a digital single titled "Amusement Park".[48]
On January 3, 2021, Baekhyun held his first solo concert,Baekhyun: Light, in a digital format as in-person concerts were not possible due to restrictions related to theCOVID-19 pandemic. Broadcast throughBeyond Live, the concert drew 110,000 viewers from 120 countries.[49] A day later, he released "Get You Alone," the lead single from hisself-titled debut Japanese EP, which was released on January 21. The EP has been certified Gold by theRecording Industry Association of Japan.[50] On March 30, Baekhyun released his third Korean-language EP (fourth overall)Bambi and itslead single of the same name,[51] his last release before enlisting for South Korea'smandatory military service.[52] The album replacedDelight as the most pre-ordered album by a solo artist in South Korea at over 833,000 copies.[53] It debuted atop the Gaon Album Chart and is Baekyun's second consecutive Korean-language album to have sold over one million copies.[54] In December, he won his third consecutiveMnet Asian Music Award forBest Male Artist.[55]
2023–present: Contract dispute and INB100
In June 2023, it was announced that Baekhyun, Chen and Xiumin had ended their contracts with SM Entertainment on the grounds of overdue payment and unreasonable deals.[56] On June 3,Ten Asia announced that Baekhyun has established his own company called "I&B100" and founded it on June 23 of last year before the issue of renewal contracts with SM was raised. Baekhyun will continue to work "separately and together" with SM through his own label during the contract renewal period.[57] On June 19, SM and the three members announced that both parties had resolved their differences over contract dispute and the members had decided to stay with the agency.[58]
On October 23, 2023, Baekhyun performed as Ezreal in avirtual boyband unveiled by esports publisherRiot Games alongsideØZI,Tobi Lou and Cal Scruby named "Heartsteel", with the group releasing their debut song, "Paranoia".[59]
On January 8, 2024, Baekhyun officially began his solo activities under his own label, INB100, along with fellow Exo members Xiumin and Chen while Exo activities remains under SM Entertainment.[60][61] In January 2024, INB100 announced that Baekhyun would embark on a concert tour, titledLonsdaleite, traveling throughout Asia, starting from Seoul on March 16, 2024.[62]
On July 28, 2024, Baekhyun announced would made his comeback in September 2024 during his encore concert "Lonsdaleite[dot]".[63]
Voice
Baekhyun'stenor voice, described as "soaring" byRefinery29 and "standout" byBillboard, has been one of the focal points of his discography.[64][65]
Other ventures
Fashion and endorsements
In May 2017, Baekhyun collaborated withMontblanc for the brand's digital watch and released the advertisement video on social media.[66] In May 2018,Vogue magazine revealed that Baekhyun collaborated with Privé, and would be launching his own brand, "Privé by BBH", aunisex street-wear brand, on July 1. Baekhyun is now theco-creative director of the brand.[67][68] In an interview withForbes, Baekhyun explained that he wants to "encourage people to embody being fearless" when they wear clothes from his brand.[69]
In September 2020, Baekhyun was announced as thebrand ambassador ofBurberry. He was featured on the cover ofHarper's Bazaar Korea October issue, making him the first K-Pop male artist to be featured solo on the magazine's cover.[70][71] Baekhyun has also been named brand ambassador by beauty brand TirTir and health food brand Life Pharm.[72][73]
Philanthropy
In September 2024, INB100 announced that Baekhyun donated₩50 million (US$38,294.74) in January 2024 to the Friends of the National Museum of Korea to support the recovery of Korean artifacts currently overseas, following his attendance at the organization's 50th-anniversary ceremony.[74]
On May 6, 2021, Baekhyun enlisted in South Korea'smandatory military service.[52] Having been diagnosed withhypothyroidism, he served as a public service worker instead of an active-duty soldier,[76] and was discharged on February 5, 2023.[77] The following day, he held a live broadcast onYouTube to greet his fans.[78]
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