Jang Dong-woo (
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 Korean language. The le ...
: 장동우;
hanja
Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom.
(, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...
: 張東雨; born November 22, 1990
), commonly known as Dongwoo, is a South Korean singer, rapper and actor. He is the main rapper of South Korean
boy band Infinite
Infinite may refer to:
Mathematics
* Infinite set, a set that is not a finite set
*Infinity, an abstract concept describing something without any limit
Music
*Infinite (group), a South Korean boy band
*''Infinite'' (EP), debut EP of American m ...
and its sub-unit
Infinite H
Infinite H ( ko, 인피니트H) was the first official sub-unit of South Korean boy band Infinite formed under Woollim Entertainment in 2013. The sub-group consisted of Infinite member Dongwoo and ex-Infinite member Hoya. The sub-unit debuted w ...
.
Biography
Jang Dong-woo was born in Guri, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. He was trained under
JYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate founded in 1997 by J. Y. Park. It is one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, and operates as a record label, tale ...
for years. He is a former schoolmate of
Exo
Exo ( ko, 엑소; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai ...
member
Xiumin
Kim Min-seok (; born March 26, 1990), better known by his stage name Xiumin (; ), is a South Korean singer and actor. He is best known as a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band Exo, its sub-group Exo-M and its sub-unit Exo-CBX. He debu ...
. Prior to their debut with Infinite, he and
Hoya performed as a back-up dancer for various music promotion show ''
Epik High
Epik High (Hangul: 에픽하이) is a South Korean hip hop trio formed in 2001, composed of Tablo, Mithra Jin, and DJ Tukutz. Primarily based in Seoul, the group signed with Woollim Entertainment and released their first two studio albums, ...
’s'' Run.
On February 15, 2013 Dongwoo graduated from
Daekyeung University
Daekyeung College is located in Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea.
History
*Jan. 08, 1992 Jungam School Corporation founded
*Mar. 05, 1993 Daekyeung College opened
*May 15, 1998 Launched Products of “LAGOSOL”, the university's first own bran ...
's Practical Music program. He along with members Sunggyu, Hoya, Sungyeol and L, received the 'Proud Daekyung University Student award'.
On September 2, 2016, it was announced that Dongwoo's father had died from a chronic illness.
Career
2010: Debut with Infinite
Dongwoo debuted as a member of South Korean boy group
Infinite
Infinite may refer to:
Mathematics
* Infinite set, a set that is not a finite set
*Infinity, an abstract concept describing something without any limit
Music
*Infinite (group), a South Korean boy band
*''Infinite'' (EP), debut EP of American m ...
in 2010. The group officially debuted on June 9, 2010.
2012–14: Solo activities and Infinite H
In September 2012, Dongwoo, along with Infinite member Hoya, formed a sub-unit called Infinite H, releasing their first extended play titled ''
Fly High'' in early-2013. The sub-unit has a different musical direction and style concept from Infinite, placing their focus on each member's rap and performances ability.
In January 2012, he was featured in Baby Soul and Yoo Ji-a single, "She Is a Flirt". The same year he performed with Sunggyu and Baby Soul on ''Immortal Songs 2'' for the song "Woman On the Beach".
In August 2013, he and
Hoya starred in
Tasty’s "Mamama" music video. The duo contributed to the lyrics of the song.
In November 2014, he featured on Nicole's extended play ''First Romance'', track titled "7-2-Misunderstanding".
2015–present: Solo activities
Dongwoo made his debut as a musical actor, in the musical ''In The Heights''. Dongwoo plays the role of main lead "Usnavi" along with Yang Dong-geun, Jung Won-young and Key. The musical was produced by SM C&C, a subsidiary of
S.M. 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 ran from September 4 to November 22 at 'Blue Square'.
In 2015, he along with
B1A4
B1A4 () is a South Korean boy band formed by WM Entertainment. The group debuted on April 23, 2011 with the single "O.K" from the EP '' Let's Fly'', after being introduced to the public through a webtoon. They have released nine studio albums ( ...
's Baro featured in Ami's track ''Sick to the Bone''.
In October 2016, he released his first self-produced song with vocals featured by Yoon So-yoon, titled "Embedded in Mind". The song was for webtoon ''Lookism''.
On April 15, 2019, Dongwoo 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 ...
, serving as an active duty soldier.
He completed his military service on November 15, 2020.
On March 31, 2021, Dongwoo departed from Woollim after his contract expired.
On October 1, 2021, Dongwoo signed an exclusive contract with Big Boss Entertainment.
Discography
Extended plays
Singles
Songwriting credits
Filmography
Television series
Musical
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jang, Dong-woo
South Korean male rappers
South Korean male singers
South Korean male idols
South Korean pop singers
1990 births
Living people
People from Guri
Infinite (group) members
South Korean hip hop dancers