Kangnam (singer)

In this Japanese name, the family name is Namekawa.
KangNam
Background information
Birth name Yasuo Namekawa(滑川康男)
Born (1987-03-23) March 23, 1987
Tokyo, Japan
Genres Hip-Hop, K-pop
Occupation(s) singer, guitarist, pianist
Years active 2008–present
Labels Jungle Entertainment
Associated acts M.I.B, Cream, 5Zic, SIMS

Yasuo Namekawa (born March 23, 1987), better known by his stage name Kang-nam, is a Korean-Japanese singer. He is the vocalist and oldest member of the South Korean hip-hop group, M.I.B. He made his recording debut in Korea with the single, "Say My Name," just before his debut as a member of M.I.B.

Biography

Early life and career beginnings (1987–2010)

Kangnam was born on March 23, 1987 in Tokyo, Japan, and is half-Korean (his mother is Korean) and half-Japanese (his father is Japanese). An only child, he spent most of his childhood in Japan, and also spent some years in Hawaii. In March 2008, Kangnam debuted with the stage name Ya-Cha as a new member of the Japanese band Kick Chop Busters (KCB).[1] However, he left the band and Japan in 2010 for unknown reasons, without his parents' knowledge. Kangnam has stated in interviews that his family is wealthy, but he does not receive financial support from them.[2]

School life

Kangnam attended Hawaiian Mission Academy in Honolulu for a period before transferring to another school to finish high school.[3] He then returned to Japan to finish his studies. Kangnam briefly attended Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he majored in Communications, but he left the school to pursue music instead.[4]

Career in Korea (2011–present)

In Korea, Kangnam debuted as a member of M.I.B (band) under the label Jungle Entertainment on October 25, 2011, with the title track "G.D.M" aka "Girls, Dreams, Money." His single track "Say My Name" was released on October 17, 2011 as part of a spin-off promotion to prove that each member is capable of standing alone. Kangnam is also an accomplished guitarist and pianist.[5]

In 2012, Kangnam appeared in a CF for Epson, an electronics company that specializes in image-related products.[6] Also in 2012, Kangnam took on his first acting role in the tvN sitcom "21st Century Family", and he became the host of the Japanese rendition of Mnet's Jjang.[7]

On the October 3, 2014 episode of 'I Live Alone' Rainbow segment Kangnam revealed that he had only $3 in his bank account. In subsequent Entertainment Relay interviews, he reported that his income had increased significantly, as he became involved with more CFs and variety shows.[8] In October 2014, Kangnam became a permanent cast member on MBC's I Live Alone.[9] In November 2014, Kangnam became an exclusive model for the shoestore ABC Mart, alongside model Nam Joo Hyuk.[10]

Kangnam as one of the MCs of KCON JEJU 2015

Kangnam finally saw the fruit of his labors towards the end of 2014, four years after his debut, hitting a year-end festival stage as an MC, as part of the "Lucky Boys" project for 2014 SBS Gayo Daejun. On the December 26 episode of MBC's "I Live Alone," Kangnam opened up about attending year-end festivals for the first time since his debut: "Singers usually appear on TV to sing at the end of each year. Every year, I have been watching TV thinking ‘I’ll do that next year,’ and somehow four years have passed.” [11]

On December 26, 2014, Kangnam released his second solo track, "What Do I Do", which soared to #1 on Daum's real time charts. Kangnam also ranked #1 on several real time searches, including Naver, Melon, Mnet, and more.[12]

In February 2015, he was appointed the honorary ambassador for the fourth KCON music festival and convention for its first time in Japan. Kangnam is also scheduled to perform at the April 22 concert. He has said that his fluency in both languages will allow him to "act as the bridge between the exchange of culture from both countries."[13][14]

Solo career in Japan (2016)

Kangnam will release his Japanese solo debut single album 「Ready to Fly」 on May 25, 2016 under CJ Victor Entertainment.[15]

Discography

For Kangnam's work with M.I.B, see M.I.B's discography.

Digital singles

Year Title Peak chart positions Album
KOR
Gaon

[16]

2011 "Say My Name" — Digital single
2014 "What Do I Do" — Digital single
2015 "Chocolate" — Digital single
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Featurings

Year Title Peak chart positions Sales Album
KOR
Gaon

[17]

2015 "My Type" (prod. Verbal Jint) 2 KOR: 778,193+ Digital single

Filmography

Television series

Year Network Show Role Notes
2012 Mnet[18] W. Military AcademyIi Himself Main cast
tvN[19] 21st-Century Family Unknown Guest
2013 KBS[20] Happy Together 3 Himself Guest (Episode 257)
KBS[21] Hello Counselor Himself Guest (Episode 139)
2013 SBS I Can Hear Your Voice Thief Cameo (episode 17)
2014 MBC I Live Alone Himself Guest (episode 73, episode 75) Regular Cast (Episode 77)
JTBC Inside Story Salon Himself Main Cast
MBC Hello! Stranger Japanese Representative Regular Cast
SBS Pinocchio Song Cha-ok's student Cameo (Episode 20)
SBS Running Man Himself Guest (Episode 220, Episode 248)
MBC[22] Animals Himself Main cast
2014-2015 JTBC Off to School Himself Regular Cast
2015 KBS Invisible Man Himself Main Cast
Mnet Unpretty Rapstar [23] Himself Guest (Episode 3)
MBC King of Mask Singer Contestant Episode 37 (with the stage name "Musical Prodigy Conductor Mozart")
SBS Running Man Himself Guest

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2014 MBC Entertainment Awards New Star of the Year I Live Alone Won

References

  1. ↑ "Kick Chop Busters". J Pop Asia. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "Kangnam talks about M.I.B not being popular, the debts to his company + desire to work with San E & Jay Park". All K-Pop. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "Kangnam to re-attend school he got expelled from in Hawaii for 'I'm Going to School'". All K-Pop. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "'Inside Story Salon' it turns out Kangnam attended the prestigious Temple University". Naver via Osen. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  5. ↑ "M.I.B Profiles". Freelance. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  6. ↑ "M.I.B's Kangnam jams on the electric guitar in his first CF for Epson". All K-Pop. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  7. ↑ "M.I.B's Kangnam to star in new sitcom, '21st-Century Family'". All K-Pop. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "M.I.B's Kangnam reveals his income from being an idol". All K-pop. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "M.I.B's Kangnam becomes a fixed member of 'I Live Alone'". All K-pop. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  10. ↑ "M.I.B's Kangnam and Nam Joo Hyuk become new models for 'ABC Mart'". All K-pop. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  11. ↑ "M.I.B's Kangnam Talks About Attending Year-End Festival for the First Time Since Debut". Soompi. 2014-12-27. Retrieved 2014-12-27.
  12. ↑ "M.I.B's Kangnam scores #1 on music charts for the first time since debut". All K-pop. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  13. ↑ "KCON 홍보대사 강남 "센스있게 한류 알릴 것"". JoongAng Ilbo. March 22, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  14. ↑ Oh, MiJung (March 23, 2015). "M.I.B′s Kangnam Appointed as Honorary Ambassador for ′KCON 2015 Japan′". CJ E&M Mwave. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  15. ↑ ""韓国で大活躍"KangNam「ずっと日本デビューしたかった！」デビュー曲MVをKstyle独占先行公開！". KStyle (in Japanese). 21 April 2016.
  16. ↑ "Gaon chart search". Gaon. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  17. ↑ "Gaon chart search". Gaon. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  18. ↑ "M.I.B To Appear In First Reality Program "W Military Academy"". DKP News. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  19. ↑ "Kangnam To Debut In New tvN Sitcom". DKP News. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  20. ↑ "MIB's Kangnam to make his variety show debut through 'Happy Together 3'".
  21. ↑ Hello Counselor - The Summer Special with Koyote & KangNam of M.I.B!.
  22. ↑ Ahn, Woorim (January 9, 2015). "MBC new variety program 'Animals' Confirms Its Casts". bnt news. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Kangnam and Verbal Jint to give contestants pointers on unpretty". soompi rapstar. Retrieved February 2, 2015.

External links

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