Jo Seong-hyeon (; born July 5, 1983) better known as by his stage name Eru (Hangul: 이루), is an American-born South Korean singer and actor based 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 ...

. His stage name Eru has the meaning that he would accomplish his dreams as a musician. Its also a name that is made from Lee (李) which is the surname of his mother and lu (鏤), which means to inscribe his name on something. He is known as "

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

's Prince," given his popularity in that country.

Biography

Eru was born Jo Seong-hyeon on July 5, 1983 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, United States to South Korean parents. He is the second and youngest son of one of the most popular veteran South Korean

trot The trot is a ten-beat diagonal horse gait where the diagonal pairs of legs move forward at the same time with a moment of suspension between each beat. It has a wide variation in possible speeds, but averages about . A very slow trot is someti ...

singers,

Tae Jin-ah Jo Bang-heon (Hangul: 조방헌; born February 16, 1953), better known by his stage name, Tae Jin-ah (), is a South Korean trot singer and entertainer. He debuted in 1973 with the song, "My Heart Express Train," and rose to fame soon after wit ...

.The Korea Time
Soaring Higher than an Eagle, Eru
Retrieved March 15, 2008. Eru lived in New York until he was 7 years old,Sports Hankook

Retrieved March 15, 2008. then his family moved to

, where he attended numerous international schools including

Seoul American High School Seoul American High School often abbreviated as SAHS was a secondary school in Yongsan Garrison, Seoul, South Korea operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA). The school was part of the Pacific West District of the Depa ...

. In 2003, Eru attended the prestigious

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

(

Piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

Department) in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. Eru entered the K-Pop scene himself during a break from Berklee. In late December 2007, Eru released a statement revealing his intentions of fulfilling his military service duties in the latter half of 2008, since he became a Korean citizen 2 years ago. On May 1, 2008, Eru entered the boot camp to start 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 ...

at Nonsan Military Training Center. Eru stayed there for four weeks to receive basic training and was subsequently assigned to public service duty. He completed his duty within two years, and returned home on May 27, 2010. In addition to his singing activities, he was attending

Dankook University Dankook University (commonly referred to as Dankook), abbreviated as DU or DKU, is a prestigious private research university in Yongin and Cheonan, South Korea. The university was established in 1947. It was the first university established after ...

Career

Pre-debut

Eru wanted to be a producer so he composed many songs. But after a while, he decided that he did not want other people to sing his songs. He wanted to sing them himself. He thought that the person who composes the songs understands them better. That's when he decided to become a singer. Eru went through two years of training before making his debut as a singer in 2005. Eru's debut album included works from musicians such as Joo Young-hoon, Lee Hyun-jung (the composer of

Big Mama Big mama () is a Chinese language neologism for an Internet censor on web bulletin board systems in the People's Republic of China. Big mamas are human censors and moderators on different online platforms who remove politically sensitive inform ...

's "Break Away"), and vocal trainer No Young Joo, who trained

BoA Kwon Bo-ah (; born November 5, 1986), known professionally as BoA, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer and actress. One of the most successful and influential Korean entertainers, she has been dubbed the " Queen of K- ...

, Fly to the Sky and

Lee Soo-young Lee Soo-young (Hangul: 이수영; born Lee Ji-yeon, Hangul: 이지연 on April 12, 1979) is a South Korean ballad singer. She debuted in 1999 with the hit album, ''I Believe'', and quickly gained popularity due to her strong singing skills. Duri ...

. A 100-member string orchestra also participated in his debut album.KBS World
Eru
Retrieved March 14, 2008.

Debut

Eru debuted with released his first single from his 1st album was "다시 태어나도" (''""If I Was Reborn""'') on September 5, 2005. Eru released his 2nd album ''Level II'' on September 16, 2006. The first single from his 2nd album, "까만안경" (''"Black Glasses"'') which features singer

Daylight Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sunligh ...

, gained significant popularity among young people and topped on- and offline charts. The song would later be showered with numerous awards, including Jukeon's song of the month (October 2006) and SBS's Bonsang Award. After the huge success of "까만안경", Eru released his second single "흰눈" (''"White Snow"''), which he wrote himself.Arirang T
Eru-White Snow
Retrieved March 15, 2008. "흰눈" was also successful, reaching #1 on various online charts and winning several awards, including

Cyworld Cyworld () is a South Korean social network service. Cyworld was originally part of SK communication, and became an independent company in 2014. Members cultivate relationships by forming ''Ilchon'' (, Hanja: ) or "friendships" with each other ...

's Song of the Month (January 2007). The music video for "흰눈" was shot in

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

, Japan and featured Eru and entertainer

Lee Hyun-ji Lee Hyun-ji (; born January 19, 1987) is a former singer from South Korea. She began her career as a member of the electronica group Banana Girl before debuting as a solo artist in 2008 with the album, ''Kiss Me Kiss Me''. She has since retired f ...

. Aside from his own music videos, Eru appeared in female singer Magolpi's debut music video "Flight Girl", where his role was as a composer, along with six other Korean artists, including

Yoochun Park Yoo-chun (born June 4, 1986), formerly known as Micky Yoochun and better known by the mononym Yoochun, is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actor. He is a former member of the South Korean boy bands JYJ and TVXQ. He has starred in dram ...

TVXQ TVXQ (stylized as TVXQ!), an initialism for Tong Vfang Xien Qi (), is a South Korean male pop duo consisting of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin. They are known as in Japanese releases, and are sometimes referred to as DBSK, an abbreviation of ...

Kangin Kim Young-woon (born January 17, 1985), better known by his stage name Kangin (lit. meaning: "strong benevolence"), is a South Korean former singer, actor, television host and radio personality. He is best known as a former member of Super Jun ...

Heechul Kim Hee-chul (; born July 10, 1983), better known mononymously as Heechul, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, presenter and actor. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Super Junior and has further participated in its subgroup Super ...

and

Shindong Shin Dong-hee (born September 28, 1985), better known by his stage name Shindong (lit. meaning: "prodigy"), is a South Korean rapper, singer, dancer, host, radio personality and video director. He is best known as a member of Super Junior and i ...

Super Junior Super Junior (; stylized in all caps), also known as SJ or SuJu, is a South Korean boy band formed by Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM Entertainment in 2005. They are also dubbed by the media as the "King of Hallyu Wave" due to their prominent ...

, Park Joon-hyung of

g.o.d Groove Over Dose, known by the acronym g.o.d (), is a South Korean boy band formed by SidusHQ. Debuting in 1999, the group became one of the most popular boy bands of the early 2000s in South Korea. The members had gone on to solo careers in t ...

, and

Kim Jang-hoon Kim Jang-hoon (; born 14 August 1963) is a South Korean singer, known for his rock ballads. Early life and education Kim dropped out of school and worked as a DJ at cafes. In 1991, he released his debut album. Cho Dongik mainly wrote and arra ...

. Eru released his 3rd album ''Eru Returns'' on September 19, 2007 and it became the #1 album during October 2007, selling 42,228 copies in South Korea. The lead single from this album, "둘이라서" (''"Because We Are Two"''), enjoyed enormous popularity, winning SBS's Bonsang Award. The music video for this song featured celebrities

Ahn Sung-ki Ahn Sung-ki (born January 1, 1952) is a South Korean actor. One of the country's most respected actors, he has appeared in more than 130 films during his career of over 60 years. Career A native of Seoul, Ahn was the son of a veteran filmmaker ...

Bong Tae-gyu Bong Tae-gyu (born 19 May 1981) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Television show Hosting Radio shows Music video appearances Theater Awards and nominations References External links Bong ...

and

Park Joong-hoon Park Joong-hoon (born March 22, 1966) is a South Korean actor. Early life and family Park was born and raised in Seoul. He was classmates with retired basketball legend Hur Jae at Yongsan High School and attended Chung-Ang University toget ...

. Eru also released "겨울나기" (''"Wintering"'') and "마네킹" ("''Mannequin''")" as singles from ''Eru Returns''. The star-studded music video cast for "겨울나기" included Eru, actresses Lee So-yeon and

Kim Ja-ok Kim Ja-ok (October 11, 1951 – November 16, 2014) was a South Korean actress. Kim was born in Busan in 1951. Kim dropped out of Hanyang University majoring in Film. Kim started her acting career after admitted to a public recruit by MBC TV. ...

, actor

Park Sang-myun Park Sang-myun (; born January 27, 1968) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his comic roles, notably in '' My Wife Is a Gangster'' (2001). Career Park Sang-myun graduated in 1987 with a Theater degree from Seoul Institute of the Arts ...

, trot singers

and

Song Dae-kwan Song Dae-kwan (, born June 2, 1946) is a South Korean singer of Trot music. He often appears on the KBS 1TV ' Golden Oldies ( ko, 가요무대)'. Early life and education Song was born in 1946 in what was then Jeonlla Province, now North Jeol ...

, comedians

Lee Kyung-kyu Lee Kyung-kyu (born August 1, 1960) is a South Korean actor, comedian, MC, film producer, and screenwriter. He was the highest paid entertainer on the KBS network in 2010, with earnings of . Lee patented his instant noodle recipe ''Kkokkomyeo ...

and

Ji Sang-ryeol Ji Sang-ryeol (born December 26, 1970) is a South Korean actor, comedian, and host. Ji has made numerous appearances in dramas and TV Shows. He is well known for his blunt yet humorous personality in TV Shows such as ''X-Man'' and being of the ...

, singer Kim Heung-gook, and others. His first solo concert took place on February 16, 2008 in

. Eru released a music video titled "White Tears," his single for his fourth album. His fourth album was released on August 23, 2010. In 2013, he collaborated with Indonesian comedian

Sule Sule may refer to: * Sule (river), a river of Lower Saxony, Germany * Sule Skerry, a skerry in the North Atlantic off the north coast of Scotland * Sule Stack, a stack in the North Atlantic off the north coast of Scotland * Punta Sulè, a mountai ...

in a multi-lingual music video titled "Saranghaeyo". In 2017, Eru had a supporting role in the

drama series In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-gen ...

You Are Too Much ''You Are Too Much'' () is a 2017 South Korean television series starring Uhm Jung-hwa, Jang Hee-jin (replacing Koo Hye-sun), Kang Tae-oh, and Jung Gyu-woon. The series aired from March 4 till August 27, 2017 on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:45 ...

'', where his character Park Hyun-Sung had increased screen time in later episodes, and he also sung the end credits song "Sad Love".

Scandal

In September 2010, Eru was accused by ex-girlfriend Choi Hee-jin, a song lyricist, that Eru's father, Tae Jin-ah, forced her to get an abortion after she became pregnant, and tried to give her US$2,000 that she claimed she didn't accept. She aired her claims on her

account. Choi was later arrested for online slander and blackmail of Tae Jin-ah and Eru.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

*2006: KBS Drama

The Vineyard Man ''The Vineyard Man'' () is a 2006 South Korean television series adapted from Kim Rang's bestselling book. Synopsis The story revolves around the life of Lee Ji-hyun (Yoon Eun-hye), a city girl who wants to show the world that beneath her seemi ...

OST *2007: KBS Drama

Capital Scandal ''Capital Scandal'' (; lit. "Scandal in Gyeongseong") is a 2007 South Korean television series starring Kang Ji-hwan, Han Ji-min, Ryu Jin, and Han Go-eun. It aired on KBS2 from June 6 to August 2, 2007 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for ...

OST *2008: SBS Drama

First Wives' Club ''First Wives' Club'' () is a 2007 South Korean drama series starring Kim Hye-sun, Kim Hae-sook, Oh Hyun-kyung, Ahn Nae-sang, Lee Joon-hyuk and Son Hyun-joo. The weekend drama aired on SBS from September 29, 2007 to October 5, 2008 on Saturday ...

OST *2009: KBS Drama My Too Perfect Sons OST *2010: KBS Drama

King of Baking, Kim Takgu ''Bread, Love and Dreams'' () is a 2010 South Korean television drama starring Yoon Shi-yoon, Eugene, Joo Won and Lee Young-ah. It tells the story of how a determined young baker overcomes many trials towards his goal of becoming the best bak ...

OST *2011: KBS Drama I Believe in Love OST *2011: SBS Drama My Love By My Side OST *2011: SBS Drama Living in Style OST *2012: MBC Drama Rascal Sons OST *2013: KBS Drama

Secret Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

OST *2014: SBS Drama

Temptation Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...

OST *2016: MBC Drama

Blow Breeze ''Blow Breeze'' () is a 2016 South Korean weekend drama starring Son Ho-jun, Lim Ji-yeon, Han Joo-wan, Oh Ji-eun, Hwang Bo-ra and Jang Se-hyun. It is aired on MBC on Saturdays and Sundays at 20:40 for 50 episodes from August 27, 2016. Plot Mi ...

OST *2017: MBC Drama

OST *2020: TV Chosun Drama Kingmaker: The Change of Destiny OST *2021: MBC Drama A Good Supper OST

Filmography

Television series

Awards

References

External links

*
Eru
at The Awesome Entertainment {{DEFAULTSORT:Eru Living people 1983 births People who renounced United States citizenship Berklee College of Music alumni Dankook University alumni K-pop singers Korean-language singers of the United States Singers from New York (state) Seoul American High School alumni South Korean composers South Korean pianists South Korean pop singers South Korean rhythm and blues singers Male pianists 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century South Korean male singers 21st-century pianists