Samuel Arredondo Kim (born January 17, 2002), better known by his stage name Samuel, is an American singer who was a part of the short-lived hip hop duo
1Punch
1Punch (Hangul: 원펀치) was a South Korean duo formed by Brave Entertainment in Seoul, South Korea, consisting of One and Punch (now known as Samuel). They debuted on January 23, 2015, with their single "Turn Me Back" (돌려놔) from the sin ...
in 2015.
In April 2017, he participated in the reality television series
season 2 Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album)
* '' 2econd Season''
See also
*
{{disambig ...
of ''
Produce 101
''Produce 101'' is a reality television talent competition franchise created by South Korean entertainment conglomerate CJ E&M, based around the formation of a K-pop girl group or boy group. The format is noted for having no panel of judges, emp ...
'' during the first half of 2017. In the final episode, he ranked 18th and was not able to join the show's project group. One month after the show ended, he began his solo career as Samuel, with the release of his first EP ''Sixteen'' on August 2.
Early life
Samuel was born in Los Angeles, California, to a Mexican father (José Arredondo) and a South Korean mother.
Career
2012–2013: Pre-debut
Samuel made his first appearances to the public at the age of eleven, when he appeared in the live broadcast series ''
Seventeen TV'' as a trainee under
Pledis Entertainment. In 2013, he left the agency.
2015–2016: 1Punch and collaboration with Silentó
In 2015, Samuel debuted as a part of hip-hop duo named
1Punch
1Punch (Hangul: 원펀치) was a South Korean duo formed by Brave Entertainment in Seoul, South Korea, consisting of One and Punch (now known as Samuel). They debuted on January 23, 2015, with their single "Turn Me Back" (돌려놔) from the sin ...
(with rapper
One) under a collaboration between
Brave Entertainment
Brave Entertainment (; also known as Brave Sound Entertainment) is a South Korean entertainment company founded in 2008 by Brave Brothers.
Company
Brave Entertainment was founded in 2008 by Kang Dong Chul, known by his stage name Brave Brothers ...
and D-Business Entertainment, taking "Punch" as his stage name. They debuted on January 23 with the release of "Turn Me Back", which is the title track of their album, ''The Anthem''.
Eight months later, One was scouted by
YG Entertainment
YG Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production comp ...
, leading to the disbandment of the duo. Under the name PUNCH, Samuel collaborated with
Silentó
Richard Lamar "Ricky" Hawk (born January 22, 1998), better known as Silentó () or Prince Silentó, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for his 2015 debut single " Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)", which charted at number thr ...
to release the single "Spotlight" in 2016, for which they won the
26th Seoul Music Award for Global Collaboration. He later joined Silentó on tour in the US.
2017–present: ''Produce 101'', solo debut and lawsuit
In April 2017, Samuel participated in the second season of the popular survival show ''
Produce 101
''Produce 101'' is a reality television talent competition franchise created by South Korean entertainment conglomerate CJ E&M, based around the formation of a K-pop girl group or boy group. The format is noted for having no panel of judges, emp ...
'' under his own name, representing Brave Entertainment. During the first elimination, he was ranked 2nd, but did not make the final cut for the 11-member team, finally ranking 18th overall. The result was met with surprise from many viewers, who had expected Samuel to become part of the lineup of
Wanna One
Wanna One () was a South Korean boy band formed by CJ E&M through the second season of ''Produce 101''. The group was composed of eleven members: Kang Daniel, Park Ji-hoon, Lee Dae-hwi, Kim Jae-hwan, Ong Seong-wu, Park Woo-jin, Lai Kuan-lin, Yo ...
.
Samuel debuted as a solo artist on August 2. His debut mini album, ''Sixteen'', was released on August 2, with the title track "Sixteen" featuring rapper
Changmo
Ku Chang-mo (Hangul: 구창모; born May 31, 1994), known mononymously as Changmo (창모; stylized in all caps), is a South Korean rapper and producer. He released his debut album ''M O T O W N'' on March 18, 2016. In October 2016 he joined ...
.
Samuel's first full-length album, ''Eye Candy'', was released on November 16, 2017, with a total of ten tracks including the lead single "Candy".
In December 2017, it was announced that Samuel had signed a contract with ‘Pony Canyon’ for his Japanese promotions.
Samuel officially debuted in Japan on February 7, 2018, with his first Japanese single, "Sixteen (Japanese Ver.)". The music video of "Sixteen (Japanese Ver.)" was released on January 18.
In March 2018, Samuel released his second mini album, ''One'', with the title track "One" featuring
BtoB
}
BtoB ( ; ; acronym for Born to Beat; often stylized as BTOB) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 by Cube Entertainment. The group consists of Seo Eun-kwang, Lee Min-hyuk, Lee Chang-sub, Im Hyun-sik, Peniel Shin and Yook Sung-jae. Or ...
member
Jung Il-hoon
Jung Il-hoon (; born October 4, 1994), simply known as Ilhoon, is a South Korean rapper, songwriter, record producer, host, actor and entertainer. He was the main rapper of the South Korean boy band BtoB. He is well known for his collaborations ...
.
In April 2018, Samuel released his second Japanese single, "Candy (Japanese Ver.)", on May 16. The music video of the track was released on May 2.
On May 30, 2018, Samuel released his repackaged album, ''Teenager'', featuring Lee Ro Han, who was a runner-up to MNet's "School Rapper Season 2".
In the course of 2018, Samuel, together with Chinese singer
Zhou Zhennan Zhou may refer to:
Chinese history
* King Zhou of Shang () (1105 BC–1046 BC), the last king of the Shang dynasty
* Predynastic Zhou (), 11th-century BC precursor to the Zhou dynasty
* Zhou dynasty () (1046 BC–256 BC), a dynasty of China
** West ...
, collaborated and participated in
Tencent
Tencent Holdings Ltd. () is a Chinese multinational technology and entertainment conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen. It is one of the highest grossing multimedia companies in the world based on revenue. It is also the wo ...
's ''The Collaboration Season 2''. The duo eventually placed first and won the competition.
On November 17, 2021, Samuel won a lawsuit against Brave Entertainment to terminate his contract.
Personal life
On July 16, 2019, Samuel's father José Arredondo was found dead at his condo in
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He died from blunt force trauma and stab wounds. Later in July of 2019, Mexican authorities arrested a suspect who was a family acquaintance and "friend of
rredondofor 20 years."
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
Soundtracks
Other appearances
Filmography
Reality shows
Television series
Radio shows
Awards and nominations
References
{{Authority control
2002 births
Brave Entertainment artists
Living people
American K-pop singers
21st-century South Korean singers
South Korean child singers
South Korean male singers
South Korean male idols
South Korean pop singers
South Korean people of Mexican descent
Produce 101 contestants
American expatriates in South Korea
American musicians of Mexican descent
American musicians of Korean descent
American male pop singers
21st-century American singers
21st-century American male singers
Hanlim Multi Art School alumni
Singers from Los Angeles