Kim Ryeo-wook (born June 21, 1987
), better known by the mononym Ryeowook, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and musical actor. He is best known as a member of boy 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 ...
and its subgroups,
Super Junior-K.R.Y.
Super Junior-K.R.Y. is the first sub-unit of South Korean boy band Super Junior, formed in 2006. it is composed the three main vocalists of Super Junior, Yesung, Ryeowook, and Kyuhyun.
History
During the year 2006, Kyuhyun, Ryeowook and Yesun ...
and
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 ...
. Along with four other Super Junior members, he is one of the first Korean artists to appear on Chinese postage stamps. He began a solo career in 2016 with first EP ''
The Little Prince
''The Little Prince'' (french: Le Petit Prince, ) is a novella by French aristocrat, writer, and military pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first published in English and French in the United States by Reynal & Hitchcock in April 1943 an ...
''.
Career
Pre-debut
Ryeowook was discovered through the ''CMB Youth ChinChin Festival'' in 2004 and signed a contract with
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 ...
soon afterwards impressing the judges with his singing talent. Before
Kyuhyun was added in 2006, Ryeowook was the last to join
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 ...
several weeks before their debut in 2005.
2006–2009: Debut with Super Junior, K.R.Y and Super Junior-M
Ryeowook made his debut as part of the 12-member project group ''Super Junior 05'' on 6 November 2005 on
SBS' music programme ''
Popular Songs
Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...
'', performing their first single, "
Twins (Knock Out)
"Knockout" is the debut single recorded by the British pop/rock group Triple 8, released on 21 April 2003 in the United Kingdom. The single reached a peak position of number 8 on the UK Singles Chart.
Track listing
;CD 1
#"Knockout" 3:22
#"Take ...
". Their debut album ''
SuperJunior05 (Twins)'' was released a month later on 5 December 2005 and debuted at number three on the monthly MIAK K-pop album charts.
In late 2006, Ryeowook, along with fellow Super Junior members Kyuhyun and
Yesung
Kim Kang-hoon (born Kim Jong-woon; August 24, 1984), better known by his stage name Yesung is a South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, radio personality and television presenter. He debuted in 2005 as a member of Super Junior and its subgroups ...
, formed a subgroup named
Super Junior K.R.Y., a group specializing in R&B ballads. The trio debuted on 5 November 2006 on
KBS' ''Music Bank'' with performing Hyena soundtrack called "The One I Love". Ryeowook made his acting debut in 2007, in the film, ''
Attack on the Pin-Up Boys
''Attack on the Pin-Up Boys'', also known as ''Flower Boys' Series of Terror Events'' or simply ''Flower Boys'' (), is a 2007 South Korean high school mystery comedy film, and is the first film produced by SM Pictures, a subsidiary of SM Entert ...
'', a high-school
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
/
mystery
Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
*Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange''
Films
* ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film
* ''Mystery'' ( ...
film, in which he plays the eccentric vice president of the student council. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Comedic Performance at the Korean Movie Awards.
In April 2008, he was put into seven-member 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 ...
, a
Mandopop
Mandopop or Mandapop refers to Standard Chinese, Mandarin popular music. The genre has its origin in the jazz-influenced popular music of 1930s Shanghai known as Shidaiqu; with later influences coming from Japanese enka, Hong Kong's Cantopop, Ta ...
subgroup of Super Junior for the Chinese music industry. They debuted in China at the 8th Annual Music Chart Awards, simultaneously with the release of their first music video, "
U" on 8 April 2008. This was followed by the release of the debut Chinese-language
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
, ''
Me'' in selected provinces in China on 23 April and 2 May in Taiwan.
In November 2012, Super Junior K.R.Y. held a concert tour in Japan,
Super Junior K.R.Y. Special Winter Concert. They announced that they would be releasing their first single six years after debut. The teaser for ''
Promise You'' was released on 21 November 2012, followed by the single on 23 January 2013. It debuted at number two on the Oricon's daily singles chart.
2009–2018: Solo activities
Ryeowook's first composition to be officially released was "Love U More", in the repackaged ''
Sorry, Sorry Sorry, Sorry may refer to:
* ''Sorry, Sorry'' (album) , a 2009 album by Super Junior
** "Sorry, Sorry" (Super Junior song), from the 2009 album ''Sorry, Sorry''
* "Sorry, Sorry" (Femi Kuti song), from the 1998 album ''Shoki Shoki''
*"Sorry Sorry", ...
'' Version C. Ryeowook made his musical theatre debut in ''Temptation of Wolves'' alongside
Park Hyung-sik
Park Hyung-sik (born November 16, 1991), known mononymously as Hyungsik, is a South Korean singer, actor, and dancer. He is a member of the South Korean boy group ZE:A, and its sub-group ZE:A Five. As an actor, he is known for his roles in '' ...
of
ZE:A and
Lim Jeong-hee
Lim Jeong-hee (Hangul: 임정희; born May 17, 1981, in Seoul, South Korea), also known as J-Lim, is a South Korean singer that debuted in 2005 under JYP Entertainment. One of her notable performances in 2005 was the 5th Pattaya Music Festival ...
. It ran from 14 July to 30 October 2011 at the COEX Artium.
On 16 and 23 June, following the footsteps of bandmates Yesung and Kyuhyun, Ryeowook joined KBS' ''Immortal Songs 2'' with
Sunggyu of
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 ...
, where singers render their own versions of songs from music legends and winners are selected by voting. He took first place in the 11 August episode where singers Lee Sang-woo and Lee Sang-eun were guests. He recorded his last episode on 16 August, which was broadcast on 25 August.
2016–present: Solo debut
Ryeowook made his solo debut on January 28, 2016.
Ryeowook's debut solo album's title is ''
The Little Prince
''The Little Prince'' (french: Le Petit Prince, ) is a novella by French aristocrat, writer, and military pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first published in English and French in the United States by Reynal & Hitchcock in April 1943 an ...
''. The release of ''The Little Prince'' was not only anticipated as Ryeowook's first official solo album since his debut 11 years ago but it is also because it is the first release under Super Junior's own label, Label SJ, established by SM Entertainment in 2015 during the group's 10th anniversary. The title track bearing the same name as the album is a ballad inspired by French author
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry, simply known as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (, , ; 29 June 1900 – 31 July 1944), was a French writer, poet, aristocrat, journalist and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of s ...
's novel ''
The Little Prince
''The Little Prince'' (french: Le Petit Prince, ) is a novella by French aristocrat, writer, and military pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first published in English and French in the United States by Reynal & Hitchcock in April 1943 an ...
''.
The title track "The Little Prince" is a ballad song and a conversation between a man in pain from love and The Little Prince.
In addition to Ryeowook's solo promotions and album release, he held his first solo concert through SMTOWN's The Agit series called "Ever Lasting Star - RyeoWook" from 19 February until 21 February at the SMTOWN's Coex Artium in Samseong-dong, Seoul.
On May 3, 2022, Ryeowook released his third solo album ''A Wild Rose''.
Artistry
With three octaves in his range, Ryeowook is a
lyric tenor
A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is widel ...
. He has also been known for his frequent usage of falsettos.
South Korean
operatic
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...
singer
Sumi Jo
Sumi Jo, OSI (; ; born 22 November 1962) is a South Korean lyric coloratura soprano known for her Grammy award-winning interpretations of the bel canto repertoire.
Life and career Early life and education
Jo was born Jo Su-gyeong in Changw ...
, whom he collaborated with for a formal performance, praised his musicianship. She called his skills "outstanding"; acknowledged his professionalism on stage.
With his second EP, ''Drunk on Love'',
Young Post
The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
noticed a variety of genres and styles interpolated: from a
pop ballad
A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. Cur ...
-like style;
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 ...
;
R&B; and to more of a style reminiscing of
lounge music
Lounge music is a type of easy listening music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It may be meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place, usually with a tranquil theme, such as a jungle, an island paradise or outer space. The rang ...
.
Personal life
On 24 February 2012, Ryeowook graduated from
Inha University
Inha University (인하대학교(仁荷大學校)) is a private research university located in Incheon, South Korea.
Known traditionally for research and education in the engineering and physical sciences, the University was established by the ...
with a major in theater and film studies.
Ryeowook enlisted for his military service on 11 October 2016, and was discharged on July 10, 2018.
Discography
Extended plays
Singles
Collaboration singles
Soundtrack appearances
Other charted songs
Other appearances
Filmography
Film
Television
Musical/Theatre
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
* at SM Entertainment
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Ryeowook
1987 births
Inha University alumni
Japanese-language singers of South Korea
Mandarin-language singers of South Korea
Living people
Musicians from Incheon
Singers with a three-octave vocal range
South Korean male idols
South Korean pop singers
South Korean male singers
South Korean male film actors
South Korean Roman Catholics
South Korean pianists
South Korean radio presenters
South Korean rhythm and blues singers
South Korean singer-songwriters
South Korean male television actors
South Korean television presenters
Super Junior members
Super Junior-K.R.Y. members
Super Junior-M members
21st-century South Korean singers
Male pianists
South Korean male singer-songwriters