HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Shim Chang-min (; born February 18, 1988), also known by his stage name Max Changmin () or simply as Max, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, and a member of the pop duo
TVXQ TVXQ (stylized as TVXQ!), an initialism for Tong Vfang Xien Qi (), is a South Korean male Pop music, pop duo consisting of Yunho, U-Know Yunho and Changmin, Max Changmin. They are known as in Japanese releases, and are sometimes referred to as ...
. Born and raised in
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...
, South Korea, Changmin was scouted by an SM Entertainment talent agent when he was fourteen years old. He made his debut as TVXQ's youngest member in December 2003. Fluent in both Korean and Japanese, Changmin has achieved commercial success throughout Asia as the main vocalist of TVXQ. He has also starred in several dramas.


Early life

Changmin was born and raised in
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...
, South Korea to a
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
family. He has two younger sisters and both of his parents are teachers. When he was fourteen years old, a talent scout from S.M. Entertainment spotted Changmin while he was singing and playing badminton at the same time during gym class. The scout suggested that he audition for S.M., but Changmin had no interest in becoming a singer. His mother, wanting a chance to meet BoA, urged Changmin to attend the casting auditions anyway. Three days after auditioning, S.M. called Changmin in for a second audition, which he passed. After winning the Best Singer and Best Artist award at S.M.'s 6th Annual Youth Best Contest, Changmin signed with the company.


Music career


TVXQ

The final lineup of TVXQ consisted of Changmin, U-Know Yunho, Kim Jae-joong, Park Yoo-chun, and
Kim Jun-su Kim Jun-su (; born December 15, 1986) or simply Junsu, also known by the stage name Xia (stylized as XIA; ; ko, 시아) is a South Korean singer, model, dancer and stage actor. He is a member of the Korean pop group and later duo JYJ, and was ...
. The group officially debuted on December 26, 2003, during a BoA and
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
showcase. They performed their debut single "Hug", which became a hit in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. TVXQ has been releasing number one albums in Korea since their second studio album '' Rising Sun'' (2005), which was also the album that gave the group their first Daesang (대상), or Grand Award, at the
Mnet KM Music Festival The MAMA Awards (formerly Mnet Asian Music Awards) is a major music awards ceremony presented annually by entertainment company CJ E&M. First held in South Korea, the majority of prizes has been won by K-pop artists, although there are other As ...
. Their fourth Korean album ''
Mirotic ''Mirotic'' is the fourth Korean studio album (seventh overall) by South Korean pop group TVXQ, released on September 26, 2008, by S.M. Entertainment. This is the group's last Korean album to feature members Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu. The ...
'' (2008) was the Album of the Year at the 2008 Mnet KM Music Festival and the 2008
Golden Disc Awards The Golden Disc Awards (, formerly spelled the Golden Disk Awards before 2015) is an annual South Korean major music awards ceremony that honors achievements in the local music industry. The awards ceremony was founded with the purpose to promo ...
. The album features the group's most well-known and bestselling single, "Mirotic." In 2005, TVXQ made their Japanese debut with the single " Stay with Me Tonight," debuting at number 37 on the
Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track download sales. In ...
. They grabbed their first number one single in Japan with " Purple Line" (2008). Their fourth Japanese album '' The Secret Code'' spawned two platinum-selling singles " Dōshite Kimi o Suki ni Natte Shimattandarō?" and Share the World" (2009), a theme song for the anime ''
One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chapte ...
''. TVXQ was plunged into legal turmoil when members Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu filed an injunction against their agency in July 2009. This led to their much-publicized departure from the group in 2010. A year later, Changmin and Yunho returned as a duo, releasing albums in both Korean and Japanese. As a duo, TVXQ set sales records and concert attendance records in Japan, becoming the country's bestselling and highest-grossing foreign music act.


S.M. The Ballad and solo career

In 2014, Changmin joined the ballad group S.M. the Ballad, initially formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2010. On the group's 2nd album ''Breath'', he sang the Japanese version of the title track "Breath" with
f(x) F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''. Hist ...
's Krystal Jung.


2015–present: ''Close to You'', ''Chocolate'', ''Human'', and ''Devil''

Changmin released his first Japanese solo mini album ''Close to You'' on November 18, 2015, one day before his enlistment. The lead single is a ballad titled "Into the Water", among six other tracks. Bundled with a DVD that includes a music video and behind-the-scenes footage, ''Close to You'' was a limited release and was only made available for purchase to members of TVXQ's Japanese fanclub, ''Bigeast''. On March 13, 2020, it was reported that the TVXQ member was preparing to release a solo album. A source from SM Entertainment confirmed the news and stated, "Changmin is currently working hard, with the goal of releasing his solo album in April." On March 23, 2020, SM Entertainment announced that Changmin would be releasing his debut mini album ''
Chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civil ...
'' on April 6. The mini-album consists of six songs of varying genres—including the title track "Chocolate" and features a collaboration with Korean singer Chungha. Although Changmin had previously released solo songs in the past, through TVXQ's albums, contributions to soundtracks and as well as a Japanese solo mini-album, ''Chocolate'' marked Changmin's official solo debut in Korea after debuting in the band more than 16 years ago. Fellow member Yunho also released his first solo mini-album ''True Colors'' the previous year. On December 8, 2021, Changmin released his second Japanese mini album ''Human''. On January 13, 2022, Changmin released his second mini album ''
Devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...
''.


Television and acting career

Changmin made his acting debut alongside
TVXQ TVXQ (stylized as TVXQ!), an initialism for Tong Vfang Xien Qi (), is a South Korean male Pop music, pop duo consisting of Yunho, U-Know Yunho and Changmin, Max Changmin. They are known as in Japanese releases, and are sometimes referred to as ...
in the miniseries ''Vacation'', which had a special premiere and screening at the main auditorium of
Yonsei University Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the " SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in t ...
. He also participated in a number of episodes of ''Banjun Drama'', a popular mini series that aired on SBS network. In 2010, Changmin had a guest role in the action thriller series '' Athena: Goddess of War'', playing a NIS explosives specialist. In 2011, Changmin took on his first lead role in the romantic comedy drama '' Paradise Ranch'' opposite Lee Yeon-hee. He also dubbed his own voice for the Japanese release of ''Paradise Ranch''. In 2012, Changmin made his big-screen debut in the Japanese film ''Fly With the Gold'' based on the novel by Takamura Kaoru. He plays Momo, a North Korean spy disguised as an engineering student. He has been praised for his fluent Osaka dialect in the film by director Izutsu Kazuyuki. Changmin was nominated for the Newcomer Award at the prestigious 37th annual
Hochi Film Award The are film-specific prizes awarded by the '' Hochi Shimbun''. Categories *Best Picture *Best International Picture *Best Animated Picture (since 2017) *Best Actor *Best Actress *Best Supporting Actor *Best Supporting Actress *Best New Artist ...
s in Japan, becoming the first Korean artist to be nominated. On January 21, 2013, it was announced that Changmin had won the Newcomer of the Year award at the 36th Japanese Academy Award. In 2013, Changmin became a co-host alongside Kang Ho-dong for the KBS variety show '' Moonlight Prince''. This was Changmin's first stint as a regular host. Following the end of the show in March, Changmin joined the cast of sports variety show '' Cool Kiz On The Block'' as a cast member and left in 2014. In 2014, Changmin starred in Mnet's four-episode miniseries ''
Mimi Mimi or MIMI may refer to: People * Mimi (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Constantin Mimi (1868–1935), Bessarabian politician and winemaker * Mimi (footballer, born 1996), Bissau Guinean footballer * Mohanad Ali (born 2 ...
''. He next starred in the historical fantasy drama The '' Scholar Who Walks The Night'' as Crown Prince Lee Yoon.


Artistry

Changmin is known for his high
tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors i ...
register, particularly his screams and high notes. He is also active as a lyricist, and has written for several of the band's music, including 2007's "Evergreen" ('' Only Love''), the Korean version of " Love in the Ice" (''
Mirotic ''Mirotic'' is the fourth Korean studio album (seventh overall) by South Korean pop group TVXQ, released on September 26, 2008, by S.M. Entertainment. This is the group's last Korean album to feature members Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu. The ...
''), "Confession" ('' Keep Your Head Down''), and "I Swear" ('' Catch Me''). Changmin has also written for other groups and artists; such as "Sleepless Night", a track in
SHINee Shinee ( ; ko, 샤이니, Syaini; ja, シャイニー, Shainī; stylized as SHINee) is a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment in 2008. The group's musical impact in their native country has earned them numerous accolades and the ...
's third album '' Chapter 2. Why So Serious? – The Misconceptions of Me''; and "Ace", the title track of Taemin's album '' Ace''; as well as "My Thoughts, Your Memories", a track on Kyuhyun's album '' At Gwanghwamun''.


Personal life

Besides his native Korean, Changmin is fluent in Japanese. Changmin graduated from Gaepo High School in 2006 and was accepted into Kyung Hee University in 2009, majoring in postmodern music. In 2011, he pursued a second degree in Film and Arts at Konkuk University. He went on to pursue a master's degree at Inha University. He is also interested in becoming a professional photographer and is a student of photographer Kim Young-joon.


Relationship and marriage

The singer originally had planned to marry his non-celebrity girlfriend on September 5, 2020, but the wedding was later postponed due to concerns over the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. The couple subsequently married in a private ceremony on October 25, 2020. His wife gave birth to their first son on October 17, 2022.


Volunteer work

In January 2008, Changmin volunteered with his father in the cleanup of the beaches in Taean, South Korea following the nation's worst
oil spill An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into ...
in history. His trip to Taean was intended to be done secretly during a short break from his activities with TVXQ during the new year and was only made known to the media and public when another volunteer posted his sighting on a fan site. The incident was later confirmed by TVXQ's agent.


Military service

On July 7, 2015, Changmin applied for the
Military Police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, Screening (tactical), ...
to fulfill his compulsory national service. He was inducted into the
Republic of Korea Armed Forces The Republic of Korea Armed Forces (), also known as the ROK Armed Forces, are the armed forces of South Korea. The ROK Armed Forces is one of the largest and most powerful standing armed forces in the world with a reported personnel strength of ...
as a conscripted policeman on November 19, 2015. Changmin received five weeks of basic training at the Chungnam Nonsan Military Training Camp and was the leader of his squad. He was honorably discharged from service on August 18, 2017.


Discography


Extended plays


Singles


Lyric credits


Filmography


Film


Television series


Musical


Travel series


Variety show


Web show


Selected awards


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1988 births Japanese-language singers of South Korea Living people Male actors from Seoul Singers from Seoul SM Entertainment artists South Korean male idols South Korean male film actors South Korean male television actors South Korean pop singers South Korean male singers South Korean Buddhists South Korean singer-songwriters TVXQ members Konkuk University alumni South Korean child singers South Korean male singer-songwriters South Korean tenors