Shin Hyo-seob (; born May 3, 1992), professionally known as Crush (), is a South Korean
R&B and
hip hop singer-songwriter and producer. Crush often uses Jazz musical instruments in his style of music, implementing modern tunes. He debuted on April 1, 2014, with the single "Sometimes" and released his first album ''
Crush on You'' on June 5, 2014.
Thirteen of Crush's singles have peaked in the top ten on the
Gaon Digital Chart
The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...
, with nine of Crush's singles also becoming top five hits including "Just", "Beautiful", "Don't Forget", "Bittersweet" and "Sleepness Night".
Life and career
Early life and career beginnings
Crush was born Shin Hyo-seob on May 3, 1992.
Raised 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 of ...
, he began listening to
R&B and
hip hop music at a young age and aspired to become a singer.
Dynamic Duo's debut album ''Taxi Driver'' left a "deep impression" on him, which inspired him to begin
rapping
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
.
He began making music during his first year of middle school with a friend and sending
demos
Demos may refer to:
Computing
* DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system
* DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR
* Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems
* plural for Demo (computer programming ...
to the group's record label
Amoeba Culture
Amoeba Culture () is a South Korean independent record label established in 2006 by Dynamic Duo and Go Kyung-min. The label is home to prominent artists such as Dynamic Duo, Rhythm Power, and Ha:tfelt. The label had the third largest sales am ...
. Nicknamed "Shi Syeob" (), he wrote the moniker "C-sub" in English as a tentative stage name. His friend misread it as "Crush", which he took an immediate liking to and decided to use.
Crush attended
Hoseo University
Hoseo University is a private Christian university with four campuses; Main Campus in Asan, South Korea, other campuses in Cheonan, South Korea, known for its large size, 3.471074 km, Dangjin, South Korea and Seoul, South Korea(Venture Grad ...
and graduated from the Department of Practical Music.
While taking a break from school, Crush sent Zion.T his demos after meeting at a hip hop party. The two became acquainted and, along with
Gray
Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed ...
,
Loco
Loco or El Loco may refer to:
Places United States
* Loco, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Loco, Oklahoma, a village
* Loco, Texas, an unincorporated community
* Loco Mountain (Labinero, Montana), a mountain peak of the Crazy Mountain ...
, and
Elo, formed the music crew VV:D in 2012.
Crush released the single "Red Dress" featuring TakeOne on December 7, 2012. He contributed to his first song as a record producer and guest artist on
Loco
Loco or El Loco may refer to:
Places United States
* Loco, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Loco, Oklahoma, a village
* Loco, Texas, an unincorporated community
* Loco Mountain (Labinero, Montana), a mountain peak of the Crazy Mountain ...
's single "No More".
In the following year, he released the singles "Crush on You" and "Where Do You Wanna Go" with Taewan and
Gary. In July 2013, Crush signed an exclusive contract with
Amoeba Culture
Amoeba Culture () is a South Korean independent record label established in 2006 by Dynamic Duo and Go Kyung-min. The label is home to prominent artists such as Dynamic Duo, Rhythm Power, and Ha:tfelt. The label had the third largest sales am ...
.
2014–2015: Debut and rising popularity
Crush officially debuted on April 1, 2014, with a single titled "Sometimes". His first album, ''
Crush on You'', was released on June 5, 2014, and went on to win Best R&B & Soul Album at the 12th
Korean Music Awards
The Korean Music Awards () is an annual South Korean music awards show that honors both mainstream and underground musical artists from a variety of genres. Unlike other major South Korean music awards, which largely rely on record sales to det ...
. In 2014, Crush also collaborated with
Gaeko
Kim Yoon-sung (born January 14, 1981), known professionally as Gaeko (, literally ''dog's snout'') is a South Korean hip hop recording artist. He and Choiza comprise the hip hop duo Dynamic Duo, which rose to fame upon the release of their de ...
for the single "Hug Me". In August, he sang the OST "Sleepless Night" for the
SBS drama ''
It's Okay, That's Love
''It's Okay, That's Love'' () is a 2014 South Korean television series starring Jo In-sung, Gong Hyo-jin, Sung Dong-il, Lee Kwang-soo, and Do Kyung-soo. It aired on SBS from July 23 to September 11, 2014, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 ...
''. In October, Crush released the track "Sofa".
In 2015, Crush collaborated with
Zion.T
Kim Hae-sol (born April 13, 1989), known as Zion.T (), is a South Korean hip hop and R&B singer signed to The Black Label, a subsidiary label of YG Entertainment managed by Teddy Park and Kush. He has released a studio album, ''Red Light'' ( ...
for the single "Just". The song was released on January 30, 2015, and debuted at number one on the
Gaon Singles Chart
The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...
. Crush and Zion.T won Best Collaboration at the 17th
Mnet Asian Music Awards
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 ...
. In July, Crush released the single "Oasis" which featured
Block B
Block B ( ko, 블락비) is a South Korean boy band managed by KQ Entertainment, and consists of seven members: Taeil, B-Bomb, Jaehyo, U-Kwon, Park Kyung, Zico, and P.O. Block B has received several accolades, including nominations for se ...
's
Zico. In November, Crush held his first solo concert, ''Crush on You''.
2016–2018: Breakthrough and widespread recognition
In January 2016, Crush released the single "Don't Forget" featuring
Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece ensem ...
's
Taeyeon
Kim Tae-yeon (; born March 9, 1989), known mononymously as Taeyeon, is a South Korean singer. She debuted as a member of girl group Girls' Generation in August 2007, which went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and on ...
. "Don't Forget" won first place on
Show Champion
''Show Champion'' (Korean: 쇼 챔피언) is a South Korean music television program broadcast live by MBC M every Wednesday at Bitmaru Broadcasting Center in Ilsan.
Hosts
* Shindong (February 14, 2012 – December 25, 2012)
* Hahm Eun-jung ...
on January 27, marking his first music show win. Crush also went on to win Best Vocal Performance - Male Solo at the 18th
Mnet Asian Music Awards
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 ...
.
In 2016, Crush became an active member of the hip-hop crew Fanxy Child, consisting of
Zico (rapper, producer),
Dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles ...
(singer, producer),
Penomeco
Jeong Dong-uk (Korean: 정동욱; born October 7, 1992), better known by his stage name, Penomeco (Korean: 페노메코), is a South Korean rapper and singer-songwriter. He released his debut single "Right There" on October 16, 2014. He also relea ...
(rapper), Millic (DJ, producer), Staytuned (producer).
In July 2018, Crush released his third
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. ''Wonderlost''. As with his previous projects, Crush was heavily involved in the songwriting, composition, and production of his album, stating: “I’m able to do the full production… I can make my own arrangements, and oversee the entire process.”
In December 2016, Crush also released the hit OST “Beautiful” for the
tvN TVN may refer to:
* TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel
* Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster
* TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi
* TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a c ...
drama
''Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,'' and later received a nomination for Best OST at the 19th
Mnet Asian Music Awards
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 ...
.
2019: Second full-length album and continued popularity
On June 4, 2019, Crush stated on his Instagram that he would be leaving Amoeba Records to start his own agency. However, on July 17, 2019, he announced that he had decided to sign with
Psy
Park Jae-sang (, ; born December 31, 1977), known professionally as Psy (stylized in all caps as PSY) (; ; ), is a South Korean singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Psy is known domestically for his humorous videos and stage perf ...
's agency, P Nation. On December 5, 2019, Crush released his critically acclaimed second full-length album ''From Midnight To Sunrise'', with "Alone" and "With You" serving as the album's double lead singles. Crush once again took control of songwriting and production for the album, and introduced
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major f ...
elements alongside R&B. ''From Midnight To Sunrise'' won R&B Album of the Year at the
Korean Hip-hop Awards
The Korean Hip-hop Awards (KHA; Hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writi ...
.
In February 2020, Crush released the OST "Let Us Go" for the televisionn series ''
Crash Landing on You
''Crash Landing on You'' () is a 2019–2020 South Korean television series written by Park Ji-eun, directed by Lee Jeong-hyo and starring Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Seo Ji-hye, and Kim Jung-hyun. It is about a successful South Korean businesswoma ...
''. In May 2020, it was announced that Crush had asked
Joy
The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness.
Dictionary definitions
Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...
of
Red Velvet to feature on the lead single of his next album. The song, titled "Mayday", topped multiple music charts upon its release. On October 20, 2020, Crush released his fourth extended play ''
With Her.''
On October 31, 2022, P Nation announced that the opening of tickets reservations for Crush's upcoming tour, the Crush on You Tour, would be postponed to respect the
mourning period established after the
Seoul Halloween crowd crush
On the night of 29 October 2022, a crowd crush occurred during Halloween festivities in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul, South Korea. At least 158 people were killed and 196 others were injured. The victims were mostly young adults.
The cro ...
.
Personal life
On November 12, 2020, Crush enlisted for his
mandatory military service
Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
. On August 11, 2022, Crush was discharged from his military service.
On August 23, 2021, Crush was confirmed to be in a relationship with singer and actress
Joy
The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness.
Dictionary definitions
Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...
, whom he had collaborated with during the previous year.
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Soundtrack appearances
Other charted songs
Awards and nominations
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crush
1992 births
21st-century South Korean singers
Hoseo University alumni
Living people
MAMA Award winners
Place of birth missing (living people)
Singers from Seoul
South Korean hip hop singers