Kim Chang Wan (born February 22, 1954) is a South Korean singer, composer, musician, actor, host, radio DJ and writer.
Career
Sanulrim
Kim Chang-wan, along with his younger brothers Kim Chang-hoon and Kim Chang-ik, began composing music during their mid-teens, and formed the band Mui when they were college students. After Kim Chang-wan graduated in 1975 from
Seoul National University
Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a national public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is largely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea; it is one of the three "S ...
(with a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in Agricultural Studies,
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
in Natural Fiber), they went professional and changed their band's name to
Sanulrim
Sanulrim (Hangul: 산울림), also spelled Sanullim, was a South Korean rock band that debuted in 1977. They are considered to be one of South Korea's most influential rock groups. The band consisted of brothers Kim Chang-wan, Kim Chang-hoon, a ...
(meaning "Mountain Echo"). With Kim Chang-wan as lead vocalist and guitarist, Kim Chang-hoon on rhythm guitar, bass and keyboards, and Kim Chang-ik on drums, they released their first album ''What, Already?'' in 1977, which became a critical and commercial success. The band's
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
/
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
sound (reminiscent of the
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
) was music Koreans hadn't heard before, and Sanulrim revitalized the Korean music scene, which was currently devastated after several major musicians were arrested for
marijuana
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
possession
Possession may refer to:
Law
* Dependent territory, an area of land over which another country exercises sovereignty, but which does not have the full right of participation in that country's governance
* Drug possession, a crime
* Ownership
* ...
in the 1970s. From 1977 to 1984, they released more than 10 albums and became one of the most influential and beloved figures in the Korean rock music scene. With the
K-pop
K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...
retrospective
A retrospective (from Latin ''retrospectare'', "look back"), generally, is a look back at events that took place, or works that were produced, in the past. As a noun, ''retrospective'' has specific meanings in medicine, software development, popu ...
boom during the 1990s, all of their albums were
reissue
In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or Single (music), single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions.
Reasons for reissue
New aud ...
d and a
tribute album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...
was released. They held a 30th anniversary concert in 2007 and made plans to release a 14th album. But drummer Kim Chang-ik was killed in a traffic accident in
Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, Canada on January 29, 2008, and Sanulrim disbanded after his death.
Solo artist
Having worked as a
music director
A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...
and
film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...
composer in the early 1990s, Kim Chang-wan also began acting onscreen. He has appeared in
supporting role
A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protagonist, and appears or is mentioned in the story enough to be more than just a minor character or a cameo ap ...
s in film and
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
, notably in
dramedy
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
''The Happy Funeral Director'',
omnibus ''
Beating Heart'',
medical drama
A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the chara ...
''
Behind the White Tower
''Behind the White Tower'' () is a 2007 South Korean television series that aired on MBC from January 6 to March 11, 2007 on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:40 for 20 episodes.
Based on renowned Japanese novelist Toyoko Yamasaki's representative ...
'', and
romantic comedies
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
''
Coffee Prince'', ''
Queen of Housewives
''Queen of Housewives'' (; also known as ''My Wife Is a Superwoman'') is a 2009 South Korean romantic comedy television series, starring Kim Nam-joo, Oh Ji-ho, Yoon Sang-hyun, Lee Hye-young, Choi Cheol-ho, and Sunwoo Sun. It depicts the li ...
'', and ''
My Love from the Star
''My Love from the Star'' () is a South Korean fantasy romantic comedy television series written by Park Ji-eun and directed by Jang Tae-yoo. Produced by Choi Moon-suk and Moon Bo-mi, it stars Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Soo-hyun, Park Hae-jin, Yoo In- ...
''. In 2013, he played the leading role of a
psychopath
Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent Anti-social behaviour, antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and Boldness, bold, Disinhibition, disinhibited, and Egotism, egotistical B ...
ic
plastic surgeon
Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniof ...
in the
slasher film
A slasher film is a genre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools like knife, chainsaw, scalpel, etc. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a ...
''Doctor''. The versatile Kim has also starred in a
stage play
A play is a work of drama, usually consisting mostly of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and intended for theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Reading (process), reading. The writer of a play is called a playwright.
Pla ...
(''A Nap'' in 2010), hosted variety shows and radio programs, and written several books (some containing poetry). His 1990 book ''I Want to Live Just Until 20 Years Old'' was adapted into a 1992 film.
In 2008, he founded the eponymous Kim Chang-wan Band, with himself on vocals, keyboardist Lee Sang-hoon, bassist Choi Won-sik, drummer Kang Yoon-gi and guitarist Yeom Min-yeol. They have released one album, ''Bus'', and several
EPs. Kim also contributes to soundtracks and collaborates with younger artists, such as
IU.
Discography
Filmography
Television series
Film
Television and radio shows
Theater
Books
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Chang-wan
1954 births
Living people
South Korean male singers
South Korean rock singers
South Korean singer-songwriters
South Korean composers
South Korean male television actors
South Korean male film actors
South Korean male stage actors
Seoul National University alumni
South Korean male singer-songwriters