Yang Yo-seob (born January 5, 1990), more commonly known as Yoseob, is a South Korean singer and musical actor. He is the main vocalist of the boy group
Highlight.
Biography
Yang was born in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
, South Korea on January 5, 1990,
in a small family with one older sister, Yang Hae-yeon.
His name Yoseob was the Hanja version of the name Joseph, which was later sinicized by the decision of his grand father. He first gained interest in music and started practicing singing after listening to
Brian McKnight
Brian Kelly McKnight (born June 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, radio host and multi-instrumentalist. He is most recognized for his strong head voice, high belting range and melisma.
McKnight is known for h ...
's music. He then listened to a lot of music of a similar style, but realized that he should not be biased towards a certain genre and started listening to dance music and rock as well. When he was in high school, he joined a school band where he performed a lot of hard rock and metal during their performances. Yang wanted to try modern rock; however, his seniors at that time said that it would ruin the mood and ultimately not be a success.
Yang became a
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 ...
trainee, but left after receiving a bad grade from practice reviews. He moved agencies, to M Boat Entertainment (a former sister company of
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 compa ...
) where he was trained for five years before transferring to Cube Entertainment where he became a member of
Beast. While still a trainee at Cube Entertainment, he became a backup dancer for
AJ, his soon-to-be group member and former high school friend, now known as Lee Gi-kwang, in the music videos and live performances of "Wiping the Tears" and "Dancing Shoes".
Yang is the main vocalist of Beast.
He released a digital single together with
Dalmatian's Daniel titled "First Snow and First Kiss"
and participated in singing original sound tracks (OSTs) for various Korean dramas such as "Happy Birthday" for ''More Charming by the Day''
and "I Cherish That Person" for ''My Princess''.
and "Loving You" – for All My Love. Yang has also participated in various TV shows, including KBS' "Oh! My School".
Yang Yoseob attended Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts, formerly known as Dong-Ah Broadcasting College, and graduated in 2014.
On January 24, 2019, Yang began 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 ...
as a conscripted police officer and was discharged on August 30, 2020.
Career
Highlight (formerly known as Beast)
The group has released five studio albums, thirteen Korean EPs and various singles. Yang is the main vocalist.
Solo career
Along with fellow Beast member
Junhyung, MC
Lee Hyukjae
Lee Hyuk-jae (; born on July 5, 1973) is a South Korean comedian.
Filmography Television shows
* ''Road Show Quiz Expedition'' (KBS2
The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 19 ...
,
Moon Heejun (formerly of
H.O.T.) and
Kim Sook, Yang welcomed Japanese tourists for the "Visit Seoul 2010" campaign, where
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
** ...
celebrities and Japanese tourists explored Seoul through
MBC's ''Star Guide Doshiraku'' to boost visibility of Seoul's famous landmarks and cuisine.
On July 16, 2010, Yang participated in the official soundtrack of the Korean drama ''More Charming By The Day'' as part of its promotional campaign, with the song "Happy Birthday".
On November 29, 2010, Yang released a digital single together with Dalmatian's Daniel titled "First Snow and First Kiss". Both were friends from their trainee years at M Boat Entertainment and had released a UCC series, "To Pick On Mr. Daniel", which became a hot topic when it was selected as number one amongst the weekly TOP 5 UCCs by a sports newspaper.
He also became a permanent cast member on KBS' ''Oh! My School'' (a.k.a. ''100 Points out of 100''), along with other idols such as
MBLAQ
MBLAQ ( ko, 엠블랙, ja, エムブラック; an acronym for Music Boys Live in Absolute Quality) is a South Korean boy band created by South Korean singer Rain under J. Tune Camp. The group consists of Seungho, G.O, and Mir, and formerly L ...
's
Lee Joon
Lee Chang-sun (born February 7, 1988), better known by his stage name Lee Joon, is a South Korean actor, singer, model and DJ. He is best known as a former member of the South Korean boy band MBLAQ. He had notable roles in '' Gapdong'' (2014), ...
,
Secret
Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret.
Secrecy is often controvers ...
's
Hyoseong,
T-ara
T-ara (; ko, 티아라) are a South Korean girl group formed by MBK Entertainment in 2009, consists of four members: Qri, Eunjung, Hyomin and Jiyeon. T-ara's career is marked by hook-heavy dance-pop music, a result of their close partner ...
's
Soyeon,
Miss A
Miss A (stylized as "MISS A" or "miss A", Hangul: ) was a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group debuted in July 2010 with the single "Bad Girl Good Girl" as a quartet consisting of Fei, Jia, Min, and Suzy. Their de ...
's
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Am ...
, and
Simon Dominic
Jung Ki-suck (; born 9 March 1984), better known by his stage name Simon Dominic (), is a South Korean hip hop recording artist. He debuted in 2009 as a member of the hip-hop duo Supreme Team, which disbanded in 2013. As a solo artist, he has ...
.
Yang was cast in his first musical as Ji Yong in ''Kwang Hwa Moon Love Song''. The musical started its performances on March 20, 2011, and ended on April 10, 2011. He also contributed to the soundtrack of ''
My Princess'', with the song "Cherish That Person" which was released on February 7, 2011.
On May 1, 2011, KBS announced plans of creating a new singing variety program featuring an all idol cast titled ''Immortal Songs 2 – Sing the Legends''; Yang was one of the artists cast in the original line-ups. He received first place on the show's pilot episode with his performance of "Eomma (엄마, lit. Mother)", which helped silence the critics that had dismissed his singing abilities as just a hype.
However, on June 8, 2011, the show announced that Yang would leave the show due to his conflicting overseas promotions schedule with Beast. He expressed that although he felt extremely stressed competing against his peers, he felt regret having to leave. Yang said "when we decided on the withdrawal, I did feel some relief. It was too nerve-wracking and burdensome. However, at the same time, I felt regret. I don't think I was able to show my all. If another opportunity came by to be on the show again, I would definitely take it. I think I will. I want to show different sides of myself."
Yang was featured in
Bang Yong-guk
Bang Yong-guk (born March 31, 1990), also known mononymously as Yongguk, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and best-selling author who served as the leader of boy group B.A.P up until his departure from TS Enterta ...
's first solo track, "
I Remember" which was jointly composed by Bang and One Way's Chance. The track has gained a lot of interest from netizens and become a hot topic. Yang was not able to sing "I Remember" with Bang Yongguk live.
On September 27, 2011, KBS' 'Poseidon' released part one of their original soundtrack series which featured Yang’s vocals. His song, "No", was a collaboration piece between Rado (of Huh Gak's "Hello") and production duo Ji In and Wontag, the men behind MBLAQ's latest releases. The song features sorrowful lyrics of a man who has no choice but to let go of his lover.
Yang released his solo album on November 26, 2012. All five songs were produced by fellow band member,
Jun Hyung, including the title song, "Caffeine". A music video for "Caffeine" was released two days later, on November 28. A music video for his song "Even then, I" was released on February 14, 2013, as a valentines gift for his fans.
Yang was chosen as one of the judges and coaches in Mnet The Voice Korea Kids or Voice Kids for short. The contestants were between the ages of 6–14 years old. He was also chosen as the most desired coach by the contestants of Voice Kids.
Yang joined MBC's ''I Live Alone'', a real-variety show that showcases the daily lives of single celebrities (men) who live alone.
In December 2013, he starred as the title character in a Seoul production of
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and was mentioned in the New York Times.
Yang left ''I Live Alone'' in which he received much love as the youngest member of the show after a short six months on broadcast due to his responsibilities and schedules as a member of Beast. He said that due to their Japan Tour 2014, along with their upcoming comeback planned to be in April 2014, he would be unable to participate in the show.
It was announced in March 2014 that Yang would be participating in the musical-remake of the 2004 hit romantic comedy drama series ''Full House'' as the lead character, Lee Young-jae. The musical was on stage in April 2014.
On September 20, 2021, Yang released his first studio album ''Chocolate Box'', with "Brain" serving as the lead single.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Chocolate Box'' (2021)
Songwriting credits
Filmography
Variety shows
Television dramas
Web shows
Musical theatre
Radio show
Concerts
Korean tours
* 2018 YANG YOSEOB Solo Concert <白> - Kyunghee University Grand Peace Palace, Seoul (June 16–17, 2018)
Awards & nominations
Golden Ticket Awards
, -
, 2012
, Himself
, Musical Rising Star Award
,
, -
Mnet Asian Music Awards
The MAMA Awards (formerly Mnet Asian Music Awards) is a major music awards ceremony presented annually by entertainment company CJ E&M. First held in South Korea, the majority of prizes has been won by K-pop artists, although there are other As ...
, -
,
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, "Caffeine"
,
Best Dance Performance – Male Solo
,
, -
SBS MTV Best of the Best
, -
, 2013
, "Caffeine"
, Best Male Artist
,
, -
Golden Disc Awards
The Golden Disc Awards (, formerly spelled the Golden Disk Awards before 2015) is an annual South Korean major music awards ceremony that honors achievements in the local music industry. The awards ceremony was founded with the purpose to promo ...
, -
, 2018
, "白"
, Bonsang (Album)
,
, -
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 ...
, -
, 2018
, Himself
, Best Newcomer Award (Radio)
,
, -
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yang, Yo-seob
Highlight (band) members
1990 births
K-pop singers
Living people
Cube Entertainment artists
South Korean male singers
South Korean pop singers
South Korean dance musicians
South Korean male idols
People from Seoul
21st-century South Korean singers
Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts alumni
21st-century South Korean male actors