Kang Young-hyun ( ko, 강영현; born December 19, 1993), known professionally as Young K, is a Korean musician, singer, songwriter and rapper. He is best known as the bassist, vocalist and rapper of South Korean rock band
Day6
Day6 (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean pop rock band under the label JYP Entertainment. The group debuted on September 7, 2015, with the EP ''The Day,'' which peaked at No.2 on ''Billboard''s World Album Chart a week following its re ...
.
Early life
Kang was born on December 19, 1993, in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. He was raised in Ilsan, South Korea and moved to
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Canada, to attend middle and high school at
York Mills Collegiate Institute
York Mills Collegiate Institute (York Mills C.I., YMCI or York Mills) is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Toronto District School Board, offering grades 9–12. It is located in North York along York Mills Road ...
. Since sixth grade, he has not lived with his parents. During this time, he went by his English name, Brian Kang.
Kang moved to Korea in 2010 and became a trainee at
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 ...
(JYP). After he signed a contract with JYP, his father retired and moved to Toronto with his mother.
On October 5, 2017, he received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from
Dongguk University
Dongguk University (Korean: 동국대학교, Hanja: 東國大學校) is a private, coeducational university in South Korea, fundamentally based on Buddhism. Established in 1906 as Myeongjin School (명진학교; 明進學校) by Buddhist pioneers ...
. He graduated from University on August 23, 2018.
Career
2010–2015: Pre-debut
During his time in high school, Kang pursued music in a three-member band called "3rd Degree". They performed at various locations in Toronto and put up videos on YouTube (including some original songs composed by Kang).
In 2010, Kang and his bandmate, Don Lee, were contacted by JYP Entertainment for an audition and were accepted as trainees. Lee later left JYP to pursue a career in dentistry. Kang went on to appear in the fourth episode of ''WIN: Who is Next?'' as a part of JYP's rapping team with
Got7's
Mark Tuan
Mark Tuan (born Mark Yien Tuan (; ko, 마크투안), on September 4, 1993), known mononymously as Mark, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and model. He is a member of the South Korean boy group Got7.
Biography
Born as Mark Yien Tu ...
and
Jackson Wang
Jackson Wang (; ko, 왕잭슨; born 28 March 1994) is a Hong Kong rapper, singer, dancer, record producer, fashion designer, and music video director. He is the founder of record label Team Wang and is the creative director and lead designer ...
against the combined rapping teams of
Team A and
Team B
Team B was a competitive analysis exercise commissioned by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to analyze threats the Soviet Union posed to the security of the United States. It was created, in part, due to a 1974 publication by Albert Wohlstett ...
, where he became known for the verse, "
YG, get an attitude!" He was also a part of JYP's vocalist team alongside his eventual
Day6
Day6 (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean pop rock band under the label JYP Entertainment. The group debuted on September 7, 2015, with the EP ''The Day,'' which peaked at No.2 on ''Billboard''s World Album Chart a week following its re ...
bandmates Junhyeok,
Jae, Sungjin and
Wonpil
Kim Won-pil ( ko, 김원필; born April 28, 1994), also known by his mononym Wonpil, is a South Korean singer, pianist, keyboardist, singer-songwriter, composer and actor. He is the keyboardist of pop rock band Day6 and its sub unit Even of Day ...
.
In 2014, Kang was selected as a member of five-member rock band 5Live under JYP, but their debut was cancelled. The band was reformed as Day6 after the addition of drummer Dowoon in 2015.
2015–present: Day6, Solo activities, Even of Day and solo debut
On September 7, 2015, he made his debut as a member of Day6 and released their debut
EP, ''
The Day The Day may refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Day'' (1914 film), an Australian silent film
* ''The Day'' (1960 film), a short film
* ''The Day'' (2011 film), a Canadian film
* ''The Day'' (2022 film), a Bangladeshi–Iran joint production ...
'', with the lead single "Congratulations".
Kang has been credited with much of the songwriting in Day6's discography.
In September 2015, he was featured in fellow JYP artist, the solo artist
Baek A-yeon
Baek A-yeon (; born March 11, 1993) is a South Korean singer and songwriter signed under Eden Entertainment. She is best known as the second runner-up contestant of ''K-pop Star.''
As a soloist, she has released a total of five extended plays ...
song titled “Shouldn’t Have” where he did and wrote the rap part. The song went on to become a sleeper hit, reaching number one on several Korean music real-time charts a month after its release among fierce competition. He was also featured in a song of Korean indie musicians
Park Sae-byul
Park Saebyul (; born October 24, 1985) is a South Korean indie singer-songwriter.
Life and career
Park Saebyul was born in Seoul and graduated from Yonsei University in 2010 with a major in psychology.
Before her debut, she served as a keyboa ...
& Like Likes, in the song titled "Sky High": Kang did the rap part. He has also been featured as rapper in JYP label mate
Park Ji-min's single "Young해".
On March 14, 2018, he made his debut as a member of Day6 in Japan with first Japanese single "
If ~また逢えたら~". The single also serves as theme song for the Japanese drama ''Repeat''.
In 2019, he composed and contributed lyrics to a track for the solo debut of
B.A.P
B.A.P (; an acronym for Best Absolute Perfect) was a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 under TS Entertainment.
B.A.P made their musical debut with the single "Warrior" on January 26, 2012, followed by the release of their debut EP ''Warrio ...
's
Youngjae entitled "Hope".
Together with Got7's
Youngjae he became the new DJ of
MBC Radio
Missinipi Broadcasting Corporation, or MBC Radio, is a radio network in Canada, serving First Nations and Métis communities in the province of Saskatchewan.
The network's flagship station is CJLR in La Ronge. The MBC network broadcasts to more ...
''
Idol Radio
''Idol Radio'' () is a South Korean radio show created by MBC Radio specially for idols. It is listenable through MBC Standard FM and watchable through formerly Naver V Live (website), V Live and currently Universe (platform), Universe. The episo ...
'' starting from May 18, 2020. The first season of the show ended on September 25.
On August 31, 2020, Kang, Dowoon and Wonpil debuted as
Even of Day
Day6 (Even of Day), also known as Even of Day is the first sub-unit of the band Day6 based in South Korea, consisting of Young K, Wonpil and Dowoon. Formed by JYP Entertainment, they debuted on August 31, 2020 with their first EP '' The Book of U ...
, a sub-unit of Day6 and released their debut EP ''
The Book of Us: Gluon'', with the lead single "Where the Sea Sleeps" (파도가 끝나는 곳까지).
On September 19, 2020, Young K collaborated with American pop duo
X Lovers
X Lovers was a Los Angeles-based pop music duo consisting of London Jackson and Jacob Chatelain.
London (guitar, vocals, songwriting) and Jacob (production) met as fourth-grade classmates in Nevada City, California. They began playing music toget ...
with a remix version of "Love".
On October 16 and 23, 2020, Kang and Wonpil made a surprise appearance as a cameo in the web drama ''Let Me Off the Earth''.
On November 23, 2020, Kang became the new DJ for ''
Kiss The Radio
Kiss the Radio is a popular radio program broadcast on KBS Cool FM, airing from 22:10 to 00:00 KST every day.
History
''Kiss the Radio'' began broadcasting in 2004 with singer-rapper Danny Ahn of first-generation boy band g.o.d as its first D ...
''.
On January 14, 2021, Kang featured as rapper in Thai singer
Apiwat Ueathavornsuk
Apiwat Ueathavornsuk (previously spelled Eurthavornsuk, th, อภิวัชร์ เอื้อถาวรสุข, born 1982), nicknamed Stamp, is a Thai singer-songwriter and musical theatre actor.
Biography
Apiwat Ueathavornsuk was born ...
(Stamp)'s single "Sugar High".
On May 28, 2021, Kang featured in
Ben&Ben
Ben&Ben (formerly known as The Benjamins) are a folk pop band in the Philippines. Formed in 2015, the band have since been known for their popular hits that include " Pagtingin" and " Lifetime", among others. One of the most popular acts in th ...
remake song 'Leaves' and this also comes as Kang's first collaboration with a Filipino act
On September 6, 2021, Kang made his solo debut with the extended play ''Eternal'' and its title track "Guard You".
Personal life
On August 16, 2021, Young K announced that he will enlist as part of 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 ...
on October 12, 2021, where he will be serving in
KATUSA
Korean Augmentation To the United States Army (KATUSA
Korean: 카투사) is a branch of the Republic of Korea Army that consists of Korean drafted personnel who are augmented to the Eighth United States Army (EUSA). KATUSA does not form an i ...
. During his military service, Young K won the “2022 Eighth Army Best Warrior Competition” in KATUSA category, held from May 8 to May 13, 2022. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal along with additional gifts from local military support groups and many other rewards.On November 20, the Eighth Army (US 8th Army) released the current situation of Young K, who had just been promoted to Sgt (US Army Sergeant Major, a rank equivalent to Sergeant Major in the
Republic of Korea Army
The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國 陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the l ...
), through its official SNS, an official on November 20.
He also appeared in the 8th episode of
tvN TVN may refer to:
* TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel
* Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster
* TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi
* TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...
variety program, ''
The Backpacker Chef'', which aired on July 14, 2022.
Discography
Extended plays
Singles
Songwriting credits
The lists of songwriting credits below is the lists that Young K was credited for other artists, besides Day6 and his solo.
Source
KOMCA
Filmography
Television series
Web series
Radio presenting
Variety show
Notes
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young K
1993 births
Living people
JYP Entertainment artists
South Korean bass guitarists
South Korean male rappers
South Korean male singers
South Korean pop rock singers
Day6 members
Male bass guitarists
21st-century bass guitarists
21st-century male musicians