Xiao Zhan

Xiao Zhan (, born 5 October 1991), also known as Sean Xiao, is a Chinese actor and singer. Xiao Zhan began his career in the entertainment industry when he participated in the idol survival show X-Fire and debuted as a member of the Chinese boy group X Nine. He started his acting career in 2016 and had since won widespread attention for his dramas, including '' The Untamed'' (2019), '' Joy of Life'' (2019), '' The Wolf'' (2020), ''Douluo Continent'' (2021) and '' The Oath of Love'' (2022). He has won numerous awards and nominations for his roles.

As a singer, Xiao Zhan released a digital single "Spotlight" (光点) at the end of April 2020 and sold over 25.48 million copies within 24 hours of release. It set the Guinness World Record for the fastest-selling digital track in China. On 22 April 2021, he made his stage debut starring in Yang Hua's version of the critically acclaimed eight-hour drama "如夢之夢" (A Dream Like a Dream) in Wuhan.

Early life and education

Xiao Zhan was born on 5 October 1991, in Chongqing. From childhood, he began to learn to paint and play the violin. He studied at Modern International Art Design Academy at Chongqing Technology and Business University. During his university days, he was a member of the class literary committee and the school choir.

In 2012, he set up a photography studio with his friends and served as their main photographer. After his graduation in 2014 and prior to his debut, he worked as a photographer and graphic designer.

Music career

In 2015, after a teacher's recommendation, Xiao participated in the reality TV show ''X-Fire'' where he trained to be an idol, as one of 16 contestants. He also participated in recording the program ''Teen Channel'' by Tencent. His first stage performance alongside his teammates were at the 2016 Zhejiang TV New Year Concert, where he performed "冻结" (Freeze) and "燃烧吧少年" (Be A Man). He debuted with 8 other members in a group called X Nine in 2016, taking on the position of main vocalist. They released their first mini album ''X玖'' ''(''X Jiu'')'' in September 2016.

In 2018, Xiao sang the soundtrack for the drama ''Oh! My Emperor'' in which he also acted in, titled "踩影子" (Stepping on Shadows).

From 2019 to 2021, Xiao went on to sing for the dramas he starred in. He sang a solo track for the series, named as "曲尽陈情" (Song Ends with Chen Qing).'' ''For ''Joy of Life'', Xiao sang the ending theme song "余年" (Remaining Years). He also contributed to the OST of his 2021 drama ''Douluo Continent'' with his single "策马正少年" (Righteous Youth on Horseback).

From October 2019 up to January 2020, Xiao had been a regular at Dragon TV's singing program ''Our Song'' in which veteran singers are paired up with younger singers in the new generation.

On 25 April 2020, Xiao Zhan released his digital single "Spotlight" (光点) which went on to become the highest selling digital single of all time with over 54 million copies sold. For this song, he entered the Guinness World Records for the fastest-selling digital track in China. On 9 March 2021, the single was named the 7th Best Selling Digital Single of 2020 globally by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), having amassed 1.48 billion subscription stream equivalents worldwide. The song was also listed as one of 10 biggest-selling digital single worldwide by Guinness World Records.

In the later half of 2020, Xiao made an appearance during the finale of ''Actors, please Stand By'' Season 2, performing "用尽我的一切奔向你" (Running to You with All I Have) by Bibi Zhou. He also performed two songs during Tencent Video All Star Awards 2020, "余生请多指教" (The Oath of Love'')'' alongside Yang Zi and "最幸运的幸运" (The Luckiest Fortune (lit.)), both are the theme songs of the Chinese TV series '' The Oath of Love'' 《余生请多指教》 starring Xiao Zhan, which aired 2 years after this performance.

On 18 November 2022, Xiao Zhan's single "Spotlight" (光点) was officially released globally on the iTunes platform after two and half years. It was re-named as "Made to Love", the single shot to No. 27 on the Worldwide iTunes Song Chart within hours of its release, it climbed up to No.2 on the Worldwide iTunes Song Chart and No.4 on the European iTunes Song Chart later on the same day. It quickly topped the sales charts in dozens of countries and regions including Canada, Peru, Indonesia, Mexico, Ireland, Japan, Australia, the United States, and Brazil etc. On November 21, Spotlight is named as the best-selling singles of all time by British Far Out Magazine.

Acting career

2016-2018: Early Beginnings

In 2016, Xiao co-starred with Wang Yuwen in ''Super Star Academy'' as the main leads, played as Fang Tian Ze, the series gained 1.68 Billion Views on Tencent platform. Xiao also appeared as cameos for some series and films during the period between 2016 and 2018 such as Shuttle Love Millennium 2, ''Monster Hunt 2'' and ''The Rookies''.

In 2018, he starred in the historical romance web drama ''Oh! My Emperor Season 1 and 2'' as second male lead, played Beitang Moran. The series was well-received for its comedic and romantic storyline and had over 3.58 Billion Views in total, Xiao earned recognition with his role as a domineering, yet gentle prince. That same year, he starred in the fantasy action drama ''Battle Through the Heavens'' as support role, played Liu Xiuya''.''

2019-2020: Breakthrough

In 2019, Xiao co-starred with Wang Yibo in the Xianxia (genre)">Xianxia