Chang Kiha (; born February 20, 1982) is a South Korean singer-songwriter, actor, essay writer and radio host. He is best known as the lead singer of the indie rock band

Kiha & The Faces Kiha & The Faces (Korean: 장기하와 얼굴들) was a South Korean indie rock band lead by singer Chang Kiha. The band debuted in 2008 with the single, "Cheap Coffee," and have since become one of South Korea's most popular and commercially succ ...

Early life

Chang was born in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

on February 20, 1982. His father ran a manufacturing company, and Chang later said he did not experience any financial hardships growing up. Chang graduated from the prestigious

Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a national public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is largely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea; it is one of the three "S ...

. While in college, he played drums for the rock group Nunco Band.

Career

Music

Chang debuted with his

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band

in 2008. The band's first single, "Cheap Coffee," was a hit, and the band has since become one of South Korea's most popular indie rock groups.

Acting

In 2013, Chang made his acting debut playing supporting role on the daily sitcom ''

Potato Star 2013QR3 ''Potato Star 2013QR3'' () is a South Korean television sitcom. It aired on tvN from September 23, 2013 to May 15, 2014 on Mondays to Thursdays at 20:50 for 120 episodes. Plot A mysterious asteroid nearly crash-lands on Earth in 2013 and causes s ...

''. He received positive reviews from the public for his portrayal of guitarist Jang Yul.

Radio

Chang hosted the radio show ''Chang Kiha's Great Radio'' on

SBS Power FM HLSQ-FM, also known as SBS Power FM (), is a K-pop music radio station of the Seoul Broadcasting System. The station is heard nationwide via syndication with local FM stations in Korea via HLDG-FM in Busan, HLDE-FM in Daegu, HLDH-FM in Gwan ...

from 2012 to 2015. He left the show to focus on his music career.

Music style

Kiha is known for his specific style of music, where he "talks like he sings, sings like he talks.” Kiha does his own thing. Dramabeans have once reviewed him as "the guy who's so unconcerned with being cool that he IS cool. By ignoring trends, he thereby sets his own."

Personal life

On October 8, 2015, Chang and IU declared they had been in a romantic relationship from 2013. Despite remaining in good terms as friends, they split in January 2017.

Discography

Kiha and The Faces

Filmography

Variety shows

Television series

Web shows

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chang, Ki-ha 1982 births Living people South Korean folk rock singers South Korean rock guitarists South Korean drummers South Korean television personalities South Korean male television actors South Korean radio presenters Musicians from Seoul Seoul National University alumni 21st-century South Korean male singers 21st-century guitarists 21st-century drummers South Korean male singer-songwriters