Henry Lau (; ko, 헨리; born October 11, 1989), often mononymously referred to as Henry, is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, 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 ...
and
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. He debuted in 2008 as a member of
Super Junior-M
Super Junior-M (stylized as SJ-M), an initialism for Super Junior-Mandarin, is a Chinese sub-unit of the South Korean boy band Super Junior. The sub-unit is the first international music group in the Chinese music industry to have members of both ...
and launched his solo career in 2013 with ''
Trap
A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research.
Trap or TRAP may also refer to:
Art and entertainment Films and television
* ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...
''. His original soundtrack "It's You" released in 2017 became the most streamed Korean OST on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019.
In 2018, Henry left
SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
following the expiration of his contract, and subsequently joined Monster Entertainment Group.
Henry made his Hollywood debut in 2019 with the film ''
A Dog's Journey'' produced by
Amblin Entertainment
Amblin Entertainment, Inc., formerly named Amblin Productions and Steven Spielberg Productions, is an American film production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg, and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshal ...
. In 2020, he starred in the action-fantasy movie ''
Double World
''Double World'' () is a 2020 fantasy action film based on the video game '' Zhengtu''. The film was directed by Teddy Chan and produced by Cheang Pou-soi, Soi Cheang, and stars Henry Lau, Peter Ho, Lin Chenhan, and Jiang Luxia. Development began ...
''. The film was released on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
and the Chinese streaming service
iQIYI, becoming the first movie produced in Mainland China to have a simultaneous global release.
Henry is also known for his television work in the programs ''
Real Man
''Real Man'' is the sixth studio album by American country music singer Billy Dean. It was released August 25, 1998, via Capitol Records Nashville. The album includes two singles: the title track and "Innocent Bystander", which respectively reac ...
'' and ''
I Live Alone'', for which he received the Best Newcomer Award (2014) and Excellence Male Award (2017) respectively at the
MBC Entertainment Awards
The MBC Entertainment Awards () is a Korean awards ceremony held annually and sponsored by MBC. The awards ceremony is held at the end of each year and lasts approximately 140 minutes, being broadcast in two parts on MBC.
Hosts
History of w ...
.
Early life
Henry Lau was born on October 11, 1989, in
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
. His father is from
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
with
Teochew ancestry and his mother is from
Pingtung, Taiwan. He was raised in the neighbourhood of
Willowdale located in the district of North York.
His father works in real estate while his mother was a stay-at-home mom.
He has a younger sister, Whitney (born in 1993), and an older brother, Clinton (born in 1988), who also serves as the CEO of his current label, Monster Entertainment Group.
He attended
Zion Heights Junior High School
Zion Heights Junior High School (now middle school) was an intermediate school for students in Grade 7 to Grade 9 (now Grade 6 to Grade 8 since 2016) in the north-eastern end (Bayview Woods-Steeles area of Willowdale) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada ...
, then
North Toronto Collegiate Institute
North Toronto Collegiate Institute (North Toronto CI, NTCI, NT, or North Toronto) is a non-semestered, public high school institution with over 1,200 students located in North Toronto area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school is operated an ...
for grade 9 and
A.Y. Jackson Secondary School for the rest of his high school years.
In his last year of high school, Henry was chosen at the 2006
SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
Global Audition in Toronto;
he was one of two out of three thousand applicants who were recruited. He was accepted by the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
for both
music education
Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...
and violin performance programs, but chose not to attend after accepting SM's offer.
Henry started learning how to play the piano from his mother at the age of four, and began taking violin lessons at the age of five.
His teacher was Arkady Yanivker, a soloist and former violinist of the
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1906, the TSO gave regular concerts at Massey Hall until 1982, and since then has performed at Roy Thomson Hall. The TSO also manages the Toronto ...
. He later learned to play the electric violin in 2005. He received the
Canadian Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) Regional Gold Medal for Level 10 in violin, and has also achieved Level 10 in piano.
In high school, he learned a hip hop dance style called
boogaloo popping.
He was heads of both the after-school violin club and popping club, where he came up with the idea of simultaneously doing both after the two clubs had conflicting meeting times.
He never expected to become a singer and did not know anything about K-pop before his friends suggested him to audition for SM.
For his audition, Henry performed a
Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...
piece on the violin while incorporating popping during the piece's fast passages, as well as a cappella singing; he received an offer from the company the following week.
At the time, he applied for colleges for classical music, but ultimately decided to go "down the K-pop road", as he explains, "I'll be dancing and singing, but that doesn't mean I won't be able to play the violin anymore or piano. I decided that I had to go down this road because that was the only way I could do pretty much everything."
He initially declined the offer because his father wanted him to go to university. After his mother was impressed during a visit to the company in South Korea, she convinced his father for him to accept the offer.
Henry is able to speak four languages. Aside from speaking native English, he is fluent in
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
and
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
and can speak conversational
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...
.
Career
2007–2012: Career beginnings and Super Junior-M
Henry appeared as a violinist in South Korean group
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 ...
's music video for "
Don't Don
''Don't Don'' (Korean: ) is the second studio album by South Korean boy band Super Junior. It was released by SM Entertainment on September 20, 2007 in South Korea. This is the group's first album as thirteen members, with the addition of Kyuh ...
" in September 2007.
The song features a violin part, which is performed by Henry. In October 2007,
SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
announced that he would debut as a member of a Super Junior China sub-group,
Super Junior-M
Super Junior-M (stylized as SJ-M), an initialism for Super Junior-Mandarin, is a Chinese sub-unit of the South Korean boy band Super Junior. The sub-unit is the first international music group in the Chinese music industry to have members of both ...
, the following year. The announcement caused controversy among Super Junior fans due to rumours that SM wanted to add Henry as the fourteenth member of Super Junior, which led fans to form an "Only 13" campaign.
Henry described the situation as "if Backstreet Boys wanted a new Boy," and the backlash led to him "being on the sidelines for years."
Super Junior-M debuted by releasing a promotional single "
U", a Mandarin remake of Super Junior's 2006 best-selling Korean single on April 8, 2008. They also debuted in China on the same day at the 8th Annual Music Chart Awards. Their debut album, ''
Me'' was released on April 23, 2008''.'' Together with the Super Junior-M members, Henry made a cameo appearance in the
CCTV2 drama ''
Stage of Youth'' in 2009.
A year and a half after debut, Super Junior-M made their sophomore release with the mini-album, ''
Super Girl'', on September 23, 2009. The mini-album won many awards and even earned the group a nomination for 'Best Vocal Group' at the
21st Golden Melody Awards, the Chinese equivalent of the
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
. He featured on the track "Love Me" () from label-mate
Zhang Liyin
Zhang Liyin (born February 28, 1989) is a Chinese singer and songwriter of Yi ethnicity. She has released singles in both China and South Korea, singing in both languages. Zhang has released only one studio album since her debut in 2006, but it ...
's first single album, ''
Moving On'', which was released on October 29, 2009. He performed on Super Junior's second Asian tour, ''
Super Show 2'', as part of Super Junior-M, and also performed a self-composed English solo song, "Sick of Love", which remains unreleased.
In 2010, he took a brief hiatus to study music composition at
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 ...
in
Boston, Massachusetts, where he learned to sing and produce music.
At Berklee, he became friends with fellow student
Gen Neo
Gen Neo ( zh, s=梁根荣; ko, 젠니오; born June 18, 1989), is a Singaporean singer-songwriter, producer and composer based in South Korea, under BAMM Entertainment.
Early life
Gen Neo was born on June 18, 1989 in Singapore. He attended Cath ...
, and convinced him to go to Korea to work with him.
He composed a song with Super Junior's leader
Leeteuk
Park Jeong-su (born July 1, 1983), known professionally as Leeteuk (), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, presenter, radio personality and actor. He debuted as the leader of the boy band Super Junior in November 2005 and since then has part ...
called "All My Heart" ( ko, 진심;
Revised Romanization
Revised Romanization of Korean () is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. It was developed by the National Academy of the Korean Language from 1995 and was released to the public on 7 July 2000 by South Korea's Min ...
: ''Jinsim'') for Super Junior's fourth repackaged album, ''
Bonamana
''Bonamana'' (; literally: ''Beauty'') is the fourth studio album by South Korean boy band Super Junior. It is the first album with ten out of the original 13 members to take part, also marking the first album not to feature all active members. ...
'', released on June 28, 2010.
He was featured on
Jonghyun and
Jinho
Jo Jin-ho (; born April 17, 1992), commonly known by the mononym Jinho, is a South Korean singer, lyricist, dancer, composer, vocal coach and member of South Korean boy group Pentagon under Cube Entertainment. He is a former SM Entertainment tra ...
's duet titled "Don't Lie" from
SM the Ballad
SM the Ballad (stylized as S.M. THE BALLAD) is a South Korean ballad project group composed of singers from SM Entertainment. The group released its first extended play, ''Miss You'', in 2010 and its second extended play, ''Breath'', in 2014.
H ...
's first album ''Miss You'', released on November 29, 2010. Henry joined Super Junior on the ''
Super Show 3 Tour
''Bonamana'' (; literally: ''Beauty'') is the fourth studio album by South Korean boy band Super Junior. It is the first album with ten out of the original 13 members to take part, also marking the first album not to feature all active members. ...
''.
Henry's solo song "Off My Mind" () was included in Super Junior-M's second EP ''
Perfection
Perfection is a state, variously, of completeness, flawlessness, or supreme excellence.
The terminology, term is used to designate a range of diverse, if often kindred, concepts. These have historically been addressed in a number of discrete a ...
'' which was released on February 25, 2011. The lyrics to the song were written with Geo Neo while studying at Berklee.
He worked with Leeteuk again on a song called "Andante" ( ko, 안단테;
Revised Romanization
Revised Romanization of Korean () is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. It was developed by the National Academy of the Korean Language from 1995 and was released to the public on 7 July 2000 by South Korea's Min ...
: ''Andante'') for Super Junior's fifth repackaged album, ''
A-CHa
''Mr. Simple'' (reissue name ''A-Cha'') is the fifth studio album by the South Korean boy band Super Junior. It was released on August 3, 2011, by SM Entertainment, distributed by KMP Holdings and digitally release on August 2. On September 19 ...
'', released on September 19, 2011.
He toured with Super Junior as a member of Super Junior-M for their fourth tour, ''
Super Show 4
Super Show 4 was the first live world concert tour and fourth international tour by South Korean boy band Super Junior, in support of their fifth studio album, '' Mr. Simple''. The world tour commenced with two shows in Seoul in November 2011 an ...
''. Together with fellow Super Junior-M member
Zhou Mi, he performed "
Santa U Are the One" on
SM Town
SM Town (stylized as SMTOWN) is a musical collective for the recording artists under South Korean entertainment company SM Entertainment.
SM Town artists have performed at the annual SM Town Live world tours since the SM Town Live '08 Asia tour ...
's eighth winter album, ''
2011 SMTown Winter – The Warmest Gift'', released on December 13, 2011.
In March 2012, he featured on
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- ...
's single "
One Dream
"One Dream" is a Korean-language song performed by South Korean pop singer BoA. It features Henry of Super Junior-M and Key of Shinee. The song was used as the theme song for the reality series ''K-pop Star'' and included in BoA's fifteenth alb ...
" alongside
Key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
which served as the opening song for
SBS's audition program ''
K-pop Star
''Survival Audition K-pop Star'' ( ko, 서바이벌 오디션 K팝 스타) is a South Korean reality TV competition series where three entertainment/talent agencies in South Korea hold worldwide auditions to find the next potential K-Pop stars. ...
''. The single was included in BoA's seventh Korean studio album, ''
Only One'', released on July 22, 2012. He became a member of the project group Younique Unit with
Eunhyuk
Lee Hyuk-jae (born April 4, 1986), better known by his stage name Eunhyuk, is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, dancer and television host. He is a member of the South Korean boy group Super Junior and its subgroups Super Junior-T and ...
,
Taemin
Lee Tae-min (born July 18, 1993), better known mononymously as Taemin, is a South Korean singer, actor and dancer. He debuted as a member of the boy band Shinee in May 2008 and the supergroup SuperM in 2019, both under SM Entertainment, and ...
,
Kai,
Luhan
Lu Han (Chinese: 鹿晗, born April 20, 1990), also known mononymously as Luhan, is a Chinese singer and actor. He was a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo and its sub-group Exo-M, before leaving the group in October 2014. Tha ...
, and
Hyoyeon
Kim Hyo-yeon (born September 22, 1989), referred to as Hyoyeon or DJ Hyo, is a South Korean singer, dancer, DJ, and television personality. She debuted as a member of the girl group Girls' Generation in August 2007, which went on to become one ...
, for a collaboration between SM Entertainment and
Hyundai Hyundai is a South Korean industrial conglomerate ("chaebol"), which was restructured into the following groups:
* Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested
** Hyundai Mobis, Korean car parts company
** Hyundai ...
.
Their single "
Maxstep" was released on October 31, 2012. The same year, Henry was cast as the lead in his film debut, ''
Final Recipe'', alongside Malaysian actress
Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng, ( ; born 6 August 1962) is a Malaysian actress. Credited as Michelle Khan in her early Hong Kong films, she rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in a series of Hong Kong action films where she performed her own ...
. The film tells the story of young aspiring chef Mark, played by Henry, who participates in an international cooking contest to save his grandfather's restaurant from going out of business. In preparation for the role, Henry studied under chef and practised cooking 3–4 hours a day for several months.
2013–2014: Debut as a soloist and variety shows
![Henry Lau in Bangkok](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Henry_Lau_in_Bangkok.jpg)
Super Junior-M's second studio album, ''
Break Down'', was released on January 7, 2013, along with the title track. The album includes two songs, "Go" and "It's You", that were produced by Henry's production team, NoizeBank.
NoizeBank is a music production team comprising Henry and his Berklee classmates
Gen Neo
Gen Neo ( zh, s=梁根荣; ko, 젠니오; born June 18, 1989), is a Singaporean singer-songwriter, producer and composer based in South Korea, under BAMM Entertainment.
Early life
Gen Neo was born on June 18, 1989 in Singapore. He attended Cath ...
, Neil Nallas, and Isaac Han. On February 6, he was confirmed to be a contestant in ''
MasterChef Korea Celebrity
''MasterChef Korea Celebrity'' () is a South Korean competitive cooking game show. It is spin-off of '' MasterChef Korea'', itself an adaptation of the British show ''MasterChef'', and features celebrity contestants. The program was broadcast on O ...
'', the celebrity version of ''
MasterChef Korea
''MasterChef Korea'' (Korean: ''마스터셰프 코리아'') is a South Korean competitive reality television cooking show based on the British television cooking game show ''MasterChef''. The first season premiered on O'live Network on 27 April ...
''.
On May 30, 2013, it was announced that Henry would make his solo debut. He was SM Entertainment's first male solo artist in 13 years since
Kangta
Ahn Chil-hyun (born October 10, 1979), known professionally as Kangta (stylized sometimes in all caps and formerly as KangTa), is a South Korean singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, actor and radio personality. He is well known as a ...
.
His first solo
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. , ''
Trap
A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research.
Trap or TRAP may also refer to:
Art and entertainment Films and television
* ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...
'' was released on June 7, 2013. The title track featured Super Junior's
Kyuhyun and
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 th ...
's
Taemin
Lee Tae-min (born July 18, 1993), better known mononymously as Taemin, is a South Korean singer, actor and dancer. He debuted as a member of the boy band Shinee in May 2008 and the supergroup SuperM in 2019, both under SM Entertainment, and ...
. The Chinese version of the ''Trap'' EP was released on August 14. Follow-up promotions for the second single, "1-4-3 (I Love You)", which featured label-mate
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In Ma ...
of
f(x), commenced on August 23.
In February 2014, Henry joined the cast of the Korean military-variety show ''
Real Man
''Real Man'' is the sixth studio album by American country music singer Billy Dean. It was released August 25, 1998, via Capitol Records Nashville. The album includes two singles: the title track and "Innocent Bystander", which respectively reac ...
'' with fellow celebrities
Chun Jung-myung
Chun Jung-myung (, born November 29, 1980) is a South Korean actor. Chun made his break into the entertainment industry in the KBS teen drama ''School 2'' (1999). He is best known for his leading roles in TV dramas such as '' Fashion 70's'' (200 ...
,
Park Gun-hyung
Park Gun-hyung (; born November 1, 1977) is a South Korean actor. Park made his acting debut in musical theatre in 2001 and has since been active on both television and stage. He starred in the ballroom dancing film ''Innocent Steps'' (2005), ...
,
K.Will
Kim Hyung-soo (; born December 30, 1981), better known by his stage name K.Will (), is a South Korean singer. The name is a combination of the first letter 'K' of his last name 'Kim' and the English word 'Will', which means will. He debuted in ...
. He quickly became the break-out star and variety favourite because of his natural optimism and eagerness to learn Korean culture, despite being Canadian-born and completely unfamiliar with the Korean military. In addition, his appearance in ''
Star King'' along with his appearance in ''Real Man'' propelled his rising popularity. This led to more variety show and
CF work, such as being chosen as the first guest in JTBC's ''
Crime Scene
A crime scene is any location that may be associated with a committed crime. Crime scenes contain physical evidence that is pertinent to a criminal investigation. This evidence is collected by crime scene investigators (CSI) and law enforcement ...
'', and solo endorsements with KFC Korea and Sprite Korea.
After almost seven months of production, his second EP, ''
Fantastic
The fantastic (french: le fantastique) is a subgenre of literary works characterized by the ambiguous presentation of seemingly supernatural forces.
Bulgarian-French structuralist literary critic Tzvetan Todorov originated the concept, charac ...
'' was released on July 14, 2014. Henry made his Japanese debut with the single album ''Fantastic'' on October 8, which included Japanese versions of the songs "Fantastic" and "Trap". In December, he appeared in
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 comm ...
's classical music variety show ''
Always Cantare
''Always Cantare'' () is a 2014 South Korean television program. The first season consists of 4 episodes and aired on tvN from December 5 to 26, 2014. The second season began on June 20, 2015 and airs on Wednesdays at 23:00.
Ratings
In the rating ...
''.
2015–2017: Television work and single releases
In January 2015, Henry made his Korean acting debut in
Mnet
M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...
's music drama '. He released two songs, "The Way#Lies" and "Love +" for the drama's original soundtrack, the latter being a duet with co-star
Yoo Sung-eun. Henry teased his upcoming album in February 2015 but the project was delayed for an unknown reason. In March 2015, it was confirmed that Henry had joined ''
We Got Married
''We Got Married'' () was a South Korean reality variety show that aired on MBC from 2008 to 2017. The show paired up celebrities who pretended to be married couples and completed various challenges together. The show ran for four seasons and ...
'' and was partnered with
Yewon. In June, he appeared in the second season of ''
Always Cantare
''Always Cantare'' () is a 2014 South Korean television program. The first season consists of 4 episodes and aired on tvN from December 5 to 26, 2014. The second season began on June 20, 2015 and airs on Wednesdays at 23:00.
Ratings
In the rating ...
''.
In November, he played a supporting role in the drama ''
Oh My Venus
''Oh My Venus'' () is a South Korean television series starring So Ji-sub and Shin Min-a. It aired on KBS2 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 ( KST) time slot for 16 episodes beginning on November 16, 2015.
Plot
Kim Young-ho, a.k.a. John Kim, i ...
'' acting alongside
So Ji-sub and
Sung Hoon
Sung Hoon (born Bang In-gyu on February 14, 1983) is a South Korean actor and a model.
Early life
Sung Hoon's birth name is Bang In-gyu but he legally changed his name to Bang Sung-hoon because since little, he was often sick and had so many su ...
.
Throughout 2016, Henry became more active in China appearing in a slew of reality shows including ''
Sisters Over Flowers 2'' and ', the latter of which he hosted with
He Jiong
He Jiong (, born 28 April 1974) is a Chinese television host, singer, actor, director and a former Arabic lecturer in Beijing Foreign Studies University. In 2020, he ranked 53rd on ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list.
Early life and education
...
''.'' Henry co-composed the lead single of
Se7en's ''
I Am Seven'', titled "Give It To Me", which was released on October 13, 2016. Next, he collaborated with
Sistar
Sistar (, often stylized as SISTAR) was a South Korean girl group formed in 2010 by Starship Entertainment. The group consisted of Hyolyn, Bora, Soyou and Dasom. They made their official debut with the song " Push Push" on 3 June 2010. Their ...
's
Soyou
Kang Ji-hyun (born February 12, 1992), known professionally as Soyou, is a South Korean singer. She is best known as a former member of the South Korean girl group Sistar.
Life and career
1992–2010: Early life and career beginnings
Soyou ...
on the song "Runnin'" which was released on October 14 through
SM Station
SM Station is a digital music project by South Korean record label SM Entertainment. It undertook to release one digital single every Friday starting from February 3, 2016. The project's first season ended on February 3, 2017, with 52 songs. Its ...
. On October 26, 2016, Henry and
Mark
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* F ...
released "I Want To Enter Your Heart" for the OST of ''
Sweet Stranger and Me
''Sweet Stranger and Me'' () is a 2016 South Korean television series based on the 2015 webtoon of the same name by Yoo Hyun-sook. It was aired every Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 ( KST) on KBS2.
Synopsis
Flight attendant Hong Na-ri aimlessly r ...
''; the track was written and composed by Henry.
![헨리(Henry),14th MAHB Award](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/%ED%97%A8%EB%A6%AC%28Henry%29%2C14th_MAHB_Award.jpg)
Henry appeared on the Chinese reality show ''
Back to Field'', which aired in January 2017, as one of the three fixed cast members alongside He Jiong and
Huang Lei
Huang Lei (Born December 6, 1971) is a Chinese actor, director, singer and screenwriter. He was born in Nanchang, Jiangxi, and now lives in Beijing.
Huang ranked 58th on ''Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned b ...
. The same month, he guested on the popular South-Korean reality show ''
I Live Alone'' which shows the single lifestyles of celebrities. His appearance led to an increase in the show's ratings and he attracted attention for using
live loops to reinterpret "
Uptown Funk
"Uptown Funk" is a song by British record producer Mark Ronson from his fourth studio album, ''Uptown Special'' (2015), featuring American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars. It was released as the album's lead single on 10 November 2014 via dow ...
". Subsequently, Henry became a fixed cast member. During his appearance on the show, he composed a brief passage of a song which was then informally titled as "What should I do?". The song continued to garner attention through his appearance on ''
You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook
''You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook'' () is a South Korean talk show and live music television program airing from April 24 2009 until July 22nd 2022. It was hosted by You Hee-yeol, also known as his one-man band, Toy. The program has aired since April ...
'' for its beautiful melody and its eccentric "revolutionary" lyrics. The finished track, titled "Girlfriend" (;
Revised Romanization
Revised Romanization of Korean () is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. It was developed by the National Academy of the Korean Language from 1995 and was released to the public on 7 July 2000 by South Korea's Min ...
: ''Geuriwoyo'') was officially released on March 18, 2017, and peaked at number one on multiple South Korean daily digital charts and number three on the Gaon Download Chart. The track is a soulful R&B piece that incorporates the sound of strings and piano. The lyrics expresses the heartfelt sadness and longing for a past lover, which correlates with the Korean title of the song "그리워요" (lit. Missing you).
On April 29, 2017, he released the single "Real Love" (;
Revised Romanization
Revised Romanization of Korean () is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. It was developed by the National Academy of the Korean Language from 1995 and was released to the public on 7 July 2000 by South Korea's Min ...
: ''Sarang jom hago sipeo'') and its acoustic version on May 10. On June 23, he released the single "I'm Good" featuring rapper Nafla. In July 2017, Henry joined the
Naver TV
Naver TV (; formerly Naver TV Cast) is a South Korean online video streaming and video sharing service developed and operated by Naver. The service primarily distributes web dramas and entertainment shows.
Original programming Dramas 2013
* ' ...
variety show ''Snowball Project'', a collaboration between artists from
SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
and
Mystic Entertainment
Mystic Story (formerly Mystic Entertainment, , abbreviated as MSTSTR) is a South Korean entertainment company established by South Korean singer-songwriter Yoon Jong-shin. It has four subsidiaries, including Mystic Actors (formerly Family Actors ...
. He co-produced the song "Lemonade Love" with
Yoon Jong Shin, which was released by
Mark
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* F ...
and
Parc Jae Jung. He also rearranged Yoon Jong Shin's 1996 song, "
Rebirth
Rebirth may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Film
* ''Rebirth'' (2011 film), a 2011 Japanese drama film
* ''Rebirth'' (2016 film), a 2016 American thriller film
* ''Rebirth'', a documentary film produced by Project Rebirth
* ''The Re ...
", for
Red Velvet and released the collaboration single "U&I" with
Sunny on the show. On August 30, he released "That One". In October, he released "It's You", which he co-composed for the original soundtrack of the drama
''While You Were Sleeping'' (2017). The song became the most streamed Korean OST on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019.
In December, he appeared on the fourth season of the Chinese reality show
''Perhaps Love''.
2018–present: Independent label, acting roles, and ''Journey''
In January 2018, it was announced that Henry will arrange and perform a new version of the 1986 song "Daughter's Love" () for the soundtrack of the film ''
The Monkey King 3''. In February, he released the soulful R&B single "Monster" in three languages - English, Chinese, Korean. On April 30, 2018, it was announced that Henry had completed his contract with SM Entertainment and had decided to leave the agency. He then set up his own studio in China. Henry joined second season of the busking variety show ''
Begin Again'', which aired in May 2018. He returned for the second season of Chinese variety show ''
Back to Field'', which aired from April to June 2018.
The same year, he was cast in the lead role in the
Chinese film adaptation of the popular video game, ''
Zhengtu''. The film, under its English title ''Double World'', was released globally on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
in July 2020. In August 2018, Henry was cast as Trent in ''
A Dog's Journey'', which was released in May 2019 and marks his American film debut. He was suggested to the filmmakers by
Alibaba Pictures
Alibaba Pictures Group is a Chinese film company under the Alibaba Group. The film company was formerly ChinaVision Media, of which Alibaba Group bought a majority stake in late 2014. It subsequently was renamed from ChinaVision to Alibaba Pictur ...
, which co-produced the film. On October 27, Henry held his first fan-meeting at Sangmyung Art Center in Seoul. In November 2018, Henry announced that he had joined Monster Entertainment Group, an agency based in South Korea that he founded with his brother, Clinton, to help build his brand globally.
Later that month, he briefly signed with AXIS, a music label founded by former
YG creative director SINXITY. In December, Henry became a judge on the Chinese reality show for
bel canto
Bel canto (Italian for "beautiful singing" or "beautiful song", )—with several similar constructions (''bellezze del canto'', ''bell'arte del canto'')—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing.
The phrase was not associat ...
and classical singers ''
Super-Vocal''; the show earned high ratings. On December 26, 2018, South-Korean band
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 ...
announced they would be releasing a special 20th anniversary album titled
''Then & Now'', which will feature a remake of the group's 2001 song "
Road
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation.
There are many types of ...
," rearranged by
MeloMance
MeloMance (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 writing system for the K ...
's Jung Dong-hwan and sung by Henry,
IU,
Urban Zakapa
Urban Zakapa () is a South Korean R&B singer-songwriter group formed in 2009 by Fluxus Music. Originally a 9-member group, in 2012 they became a trio, consisting of Park Yong-in, Jo Hyunah and Kwon Soon-il. The group's name is an abbreviation fo ...
's Jo Hyun Ah, and
Yang Da-il
Yang Da-il (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 writing system for the ...
.
![191217 Henry at the 2020 Korea First Brand Awards](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/191217_Henry_at_the_2020_Korea_First_Brand_Awards.jpg)
He returned as part of the cast of ''Begin Again'' for its third season, which was broadcast in July 2019. On May 9, 2019, he released "Untitled Love Song" (;
Revised Romanization
Revised Romanization of Korean () is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. It was developed by the National Academy of the Korean Language from 1995 and was released to the public on 7 July 2000 by South Korea's Min ...
: ''Jemok eomneun Love Song''), his first release under his new label Monster. He previously teased the song in April during an appearance in ''
Idol Room
''Idol Room'' () was a South Korean television program which aired on JTBC every Tuesday at 18:30 (KST) and was hosted by Jeong Hyeong-don and Defconn. The program is inspired by JTBC Newsroom, and it is produced in order to be the idol-specia ...
''. In August, he released the R&B ballad "I LUV U" which he performed live for the first time in
Amalfi, Italy during the filming of ''Begin Again''. He released the single "Don't Forget" (;
Revised Romanization
Revised Romanization of Korean () is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. It was developed by the National Academy of the Korean Language from 1995 and was released to the public on 7 July 2000 by South Korea's Min ...
: ''Hangangui bam'') in October which was co-written by and features indie duo
Rocoberry
Rocoberry (Hangul: 로코베리) is a South Korean indie pop duo consisting of members Roco and Conan (also known as Berry). They are best known for composing songs for Korean dramas, including the 2017 hit song, "I Will Go to You like the First ...
. He released the Chinese version of his single "I LUV U" titled "But, I Love You" () in December. He also appeared as a judge on the Chinese reality shows ' and ''Miss Voice'' in the last quarter of the year.
In February 2020, Henry released the single "Thinking of You" and its accompanying music video in collaboration with
Atelier Cologne. The same month, he featured alongside
AlunaGeorge
AlunaGeorge are an English electronic music duo from London, consisting of singer-songwriter Aluna Francis and producer George Reid.
Career
2009: Formation
The duo first met in June 2009, when Reid remixed Francis' band My Toys Like Me's trac ...
on the
electropop
Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
track "Nice Things" produced by
Far East Movement
Far East Movement (abbreviated FM) is an American hip hop and electronic music group based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and as of August 2018 consists of Kev Nish (Kevin Nishimura), Prohgress (James Roh), DJ Virman (Virman Coquia), ...
. In May, he was announced to participate in the fourth season of ''Begin Again'' (the first season to be held in Korea due to the pandemic), which aired from June to September. In August, he was selected by ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' Korea as a '2020 Korea Power YouTuber' for spreading "positive influence" through his YouTube series 'Henry Together' where he collaborates with young musical prodigies. On September 17, 2020, Henry featured in "Take Over", the official song of the
2020 ''League of Legends'' World Championship, alongside
Jeremy McKinnon
Jeremy Wade McKinnon (born December 17, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as a founding member and the lead vocalist of A Day to Remember. He has produced full-length albums for The Ghost Inside, Neck Dee ...
and
MAX. In October, he was confirmed to play the male lead in the second season of the American series ''
Dramaworld
''Dramaworld'' is a comedy-drama set in Los Angeles and Seoul, South Korea with 10 short episodes (each 10–20 minutes long). The series follows the adventures of Claire Duncan, an American college student and huge fan of Korean Dramas, after gett ...
'', which was released on
Lifetime in April 2021.
On November 18, 2020, Henry released his third EP, ''
Journey
Journey or journeying may refer to:
* Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations
** Day's journey, a measurement of distance
** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road
Animals
* Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...
'', alongside its lead single "Radio". The album peaked at number one on the Gaon Album Chart. ''SeoulBeats'' described the album as "captivating" in their review and noted that it "
ives
Ives is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include:
Surname:
* Alice Emma Ives (1876–1930), American dramatist, journalist
* Burl Ives (1909–1995), American singer, author and actor
* Charles Ives (1874–1954), Amer ...
nods to his complicated musical past", being a multi-instrumentalist and idol turned singer-songwriter. The writer notes Henry's "penchant for interesting instrument choices, loop , and electronic mixing" that makes ''Journey'' "
tandout from most other solo releases as of late".
Henry was awarded the '2020 Art Patron of the Year' in December by the Arts Council Korea in recognition of his furtherance of arts through his original YouTube series 'Henry Together' and his role as the ambassador of Orchestra of Dream.
In August 2021, he joined the fourth season of
Street Dance of China
''Street Dance of China'' (''SDC''; simplified Chinese: 这!就是街舞; traditional Chinese: 這!就是街舞; pinyin: Zhè! Jiùshì jiēwǔ) is a Chinese dance competition show produced by Youku, Tmall, and Master, and co-produced with ...
as one of the four team captains alongside
Wang Yibo
Wang Yibo (, pronounced [ wǎŋ.íː.pʷǒ.html"_;"title="Help:IPA/Mandarin.html"_;"title="nowiki/>Help:IPA/Mandarin">wǎŋ.íː.pʷǒ">Help:IPA/Mandarin.html"_;"title="nowiki/>Help:IPA/Mandarin">wǎŋ.íː.pʷǒ_born_5_August_1997)_is_a_Chine ...
, Lay Zhang, and Han Geng. The same month, he released the collaboration song "Home" with Roy Wang, a track he co-composed for Wang's album ''Summer Time''.
Musicianship
Henry is a multi-instrumentalist and plays the violin, piano, drums, and guitar. He is known for his performance style which often involves the use of multiple instruments and
loop pedals during live performances. He has been nicknamed "one-man band" by Chinese netizens after a viral performance at the
Zhejiang TV
Zhejiang Television (ZJTV, ) is a satellite television channel owned by Zhejiang Radio and Television Group serving Zhejiang Province
Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Rep ...
Autumn Festival in 2019, during which he performed using live looping and played drum pads, a glass bottle, kick drum, marimba, piano, and electric violin while singing.
Other ventures
In May 2018, Henry opened Xiao Zhan, a Taiwanese cuisine restaurant in
Sinsa-dong, Gangnam
Sinsa-dong is a ward of Gangnam-gu in Seoul, South Korea. This district contains many department stores, hairshops, churches, boutiques, cafes and restaurants.
Transportation
The area is served by Sinsa station on the Seoul Subway Line 3, and S ...
. He has since opened a second branch in
Secho-dong. In October 2021, Henry's artwork was featured at the START Art Fair held at London's
Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery is a London gallery for contemporary art and an independent charity opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985. Exhibitions which drew upon the collection of Charles Saatchi, starting with US artists and minimalism, moving to the D ...
as part of a special exhibit recognising K-pop's global influence.
Ambassadorships
Since 2019, he has been a Goodwill Ambassador for the nonprofit organizations
International Vaccine Institute and
Save the Children
The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...
charity. In May 2020, the
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) is a central government agency responsible for the areas of tourism, culture, art, religion, and sports. It has two vice ministers, three assistant ministers, one commission, and ...
named Henry as the promotional ambassador for
El Sistema
El Sistema (which translates to The System) is a publicly financed, voluntary sector, music-education program, founded in Venezuela in 1975 by Venezuelan educator, musician, and activist José Antonio Abreu.Lesniak It later adopted the motto "M ...
Korea, also known as Orchestra of Dream, which supports the musical education of children and young people including those who are underprivileged. Henry performed with members of the orchestra at their 10th Anniversary Concert in November 2020. In June 2021, Henry was appointed ambassador for
Seoul Metropolitan Government
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is a local government of Seoul, South Korea. The mayor is elected to a four-year term by the citizens of Seoul and is responsible for the administration of the city government. The Seoul Metropolitan Government d ...
's 2021 Instrument Donation and Sharing Campaign which aims to distribute used musical instruments to institutions and individuals in need.
Discography
Extended plays
* ''
Trap
A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research.
Trap or TRAP may also refer to:
Art and entertainment Films and television
* ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...
'' (2013)
* ''
Fantastic
The fantastic (french: le fantastique) is a subgenre of literary works characterized by the ambiguous presentation of seemingly supernatural forces.
Bulgarian-French structuralist literary critic Tzvetan Todorov originated the concept, charac ...
'' (2014)
* ''
Journey
Journey or journeying may refer to:
* Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations
** Day's journey, a measurement of distance
** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road
Animals
* Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...
'' (2020)
Filmography
Awards and nominations
Ambassadorship
* PR ambassador in preventing school violence (2022)
References
External links
Henry Lauat Monster Entertainment Group
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lau, Henry
1989 births
Living people
21st-century Canadian male singers
21st-century Canadian violinists and fiddlers
Berklee College of Music alumni
Canadian contemporary R&B singers
Canadian expatriates in China
Canadian expatriates in South Korea
Canadian male dancers
Canadian male drummers
Canadian male guitarists
Canadian male pianists
Canadian male singer-songwriters
Canadian male violinists and fiddlers
Canadian multi-instrumentalists
Canadian musicians of Chinese descent
Canadian musicians of Hong Kong descent
Canadian musicians of Taiwanese descent
Canadian pop singers
Canadian record producers
Korean-language singers of Canada
K-pop singers
Mandopop singers
Musicians from Toronto
People from Willowdale, Toronto
Super Junior-M members