Park Ji-won (; born October 11, 1994), better known by his stage name Zior Park (), is a South Korean rapper and music video director.

Life and career

Early life and career beginnings

Zior Park was born Park Ji-won on October 11, 1994. He graduated from an

information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...

(IT) high school and attended an engineering university for one semester before quitting. Park moved to the United States in his early 20s and lived in New York and

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, California, with the intent of meeting

angel investor An angel investor (also known as a business angel, informal investor, angel funder, private investor, or seed investor) is an individual who provides capital for a business or businesses start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or owners ...

s with a proposal to create a music startup company in

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo County ...

. Following a dispute with the friends in South Korea who were drafting the plan, the proposal fell through and Park never received it. Unable to keep up with rent, he became homeless and lived in his car for a month. At time time, he was a fan of

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...

and took note of how his songs topped charts. Park decided to become a rapper and returned to his home country.

Career

Park released the collaborative single "Noise" with Mommy Son and Kim Seung-min on May 14, 2019. He released his first full-length album ''Thunderbird Motel'' and its two lead singles "Sleepwalk" and "Can't Stop This Thunder" in March 2020. Park released his first mini-album ''Where Does Sasquatch Live? Part 1'' on February 16, 2023. The lead single "Christian" is an

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

track which satirically points out how everyone lives in a contradictory manner. A month after its release, the song entered and gradually rose on music charts, ultimately peaking at number seven on the national Circle Digital Chart.

Musical style

Park is a hip hop and R&B musician, and he writes his lyrics entirely in English. He cites

Willy Wonka Willy Wonka is a fictional character appearing in British author Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' and its 1972 sequel ''Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator''. He is the eccentric founder and proprietor ...

of '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' as his role model. He aims to sell fantasy, saying that "the elements needed for a brand includes music of course, as well as video and fashion". Park also draws inspiration by

Jack Sparrow Captain Jack Sparrow is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the '' Pirates of the Caribbean'' film series. The character was created by screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and is portrayed by Johnny Depp. The characte ...

Cruella de Vil Cruella de Vil is a fictional character in British author Dodie Smith's 1956 novel ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians''. A pampered and glamorous London heiress and fashion designer, she appears in Walt Disney Productions' 17th animated feature fi ...

, and Harley Quinn. As a music video director, he utilizes the monikers Chuck Blueman and Chet Black.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances

Soundtrack appearances

Awards and nominations

, - ! scope="row", 2021 , Awards for Beatmaker Award , , Zior Park , ,

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Park, Zior 1997 births 21st-century rappers English-language singers from South Korea Living people South Korean contemporary R&B singers South Korean male rappers South Korean music video directors