Kim Ryeo-wook (born June 21, 1987), better known by the mononym Ryeowook, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and musical actor. He is best known as a member of boy group

Super Junior Super Junior (; stylized in all caps), also known as SJ or SuJu, is a South Korean boy band. The group is composed of Leeteuk, Heechul, Yesung, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Siwon, Donghae, Ryeowook, and Kyuhyun. Han Geng, Kibum, and ...

and its subgroups, Super Junior-K.R.Y. and Super Junior-M. Along with four other Super Junior members, he is one of the first Korean artists to appear on Chinese postage stamps. He began a solo career in 2016 with his first EP ''

The Little Prince ''The Little Prince'' (, ) is a novella written and illustrated by French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first published in English and French in the United States by Reynal & Hitchcock in April 1943 and was published po ...

''.

Career

Pre-debut

Ryeowook was discovered through the ''CMB Youth ChinChin Festival'' in 2004 and signed a contract with

SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...

soon afterwards, impressing the judges with his singing talent. Before Kyuhyun was added in 2006, Ryeowook was the last to join

several weeks before their debut in 2005.

2006–2009: Debut with Super Junior, K.R.Y and Super Junior-M

Ryeowook made his debut as part of the 12-member project group ''Super Junior 05'' on 6 November 2005 on SBS' music programme ''

Popular Songs Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

'', performing their first single, "

Twins (Knock Out) "Knockout" is the debut single recorded by the United Kingdom, British pop music, pop/rock music, rock group Triple 8, released on 21 April 2003 in the United Kingdom. The single reached a peak position of number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. Track ...

". Their debut album '' SuperJunior05 (Twins)'' was released a month later on 5 December 2005 and debuted at number three on the monthly MIAK K-pop album charts. In late 2006, Ryeowook, along with fellow Super Junior members Kyuhyun and

Yesung Kim Kang-hoon (born Kim Jong-woon; August 24, 1984), better known by his stage name Yesung, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, radio personality, and television presenter. He debuted in 2005 as a member of Super Junior and its subgroup ...

, formed a subgroup named Super Junior K.R.Y., a group specializing in R&B ballads. The trio debuted on 5 November 2006 on KBS' ''Music Bank'', performing the Hyena soundtrack called "The One I Love". Ryeowook made his acting debut in 2007 in the film ''

Attack on the Pin-Up Boys ''Attack on the Pin-Up Boys'', also known as ''Flower Boys' Series of Terror Events'' or simply ''Flower Boys'' (), is a 2007 South Korean high school mystery comedy film, and is the first film produced by SM Pictures, a subsidiary of SM Ente ...

'', a high-school

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

/ mystery film, in which he plays the eccentric vice president of the student council. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Comedic Performance at the Korean Movie Awards. In April 2008, he was put into seven-member sub-group Super Junior-M, a

Mandopop Mandopop or Mandapop refers to Mandarin popular music. The genre has its origin in the jazz-influenced popular music of 1930s Shanghai known as Shidaiqu; later influences came from Japanese enka, Hong Kong's Cantopop, Taiwan's Hokkien pop ...

subgroup of Super Junior for the Chinese music industry. They debuted in China at the 8th Annual Music Chart Awards at the same time as the release of their first music video, " U", on 8 April 2008. This was followed by the release of the debut Chinese-language

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

'' Me'' in selected provinces in China on 23 April and 2 May in Taiwan. In November 2012, Super Junior K.R.Y. held a concert tour in Japan, Super Junior K.R.Y. Special Winter Concert. They announced that they would be releasing their first single six years after debut. The teaser for '' Promise You'' was released on 21 November 2012, followed by the single on 23 January 2013. It debuted at number two on the Oricon's daily singles chart.

2009–2018: Solo activities

Ryeowook's first composition to be officially released was "Love U More", in the repackaged '' Sorry, Sorry'' Version C. Ryeowook made his musical theatre debut in ''Temptation of Wolves'' alongside Park Hyung-sik of ZE:A and Lim Jeong-hee. It ran from 14 July to 30 October 2011 at the COEX Artium. On 16 and 23 June, following the footsteps of bandmates Yesung and Kyuhyun, Ryeowook joined KBS' ''Immortal Songs 2'' with Sunggyu of Infinite, where singers render their own versions of songs from music legends, and winners are selected by voting. He took first place in the 11 August episode where singers Lee Sang-woo and Lee Sang-eun were guests. He recorded his last episode on 16 August, which was broadcast on 25 August.

2016–present: Solo debut

Ryeowook made his solo debut on January 28, 2016. Ryeowook's debut solo album's title is ''

''. The release of ''The Little Prince'' was anticipated not only as Ryeowook's first official solo album since his debut 11 years ago but also because it was the first release under Super Junior's own label, Label SJ, established by SM Entertainment in 2015 during the group's 10th anniversary. The title track, bearing the same name as the album, is a ballad inspired by French author

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, vicomte de Saint-Exupéry (29 June 1900 – 31 July 1944), known simply as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (, , ), was a French writer, poet, journalist and aviator. Born in Lyon to an French nobility, aristocratic ...

's novel ''

''. The title track "The Little Prince" is a ballad song and a conversation between a man in pain from love and The Little Prince. In addition to Ryeowook's solo promotions and album release, he held his first solo concert through SMTOWN's The Agit series called "Ever Lasting Star - RyeoWook" from 19 February until 21 February at the SMTOWN's Coex Artium in Samseong-dong, Seoul. On January 2, 2019, Ryeowook released his second solo album, '' Drunk on Love''. On May 3, 2022, Ryeowook released his third solo album ''A Wild Rose''.

Artistry

With three octaves in his range, Ryeowook is a

lyric tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below mi ...

. He has also been known for his frequent usage of falsettos. South Korean

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

tic singer

Sumi Jo Sumi Jo, OSI (; ; born 22 November 1962) is a South Korean lyric coloratura soprano known for her Grammy Award-winning interpretations of the bel canto repertoire. Life and career Early life and education Jo was born Jo Su-gyeong in Ch ...

, whom he collaborated with for a formal performance, praised his musicianship. She called his skills "outstanding" and acknowledged his professionalism on stage. With his second EP, '' Drunk on Love'', Young Post noticed a variety of genres and styles interpolated: from a

pop ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Ballads ...

-like style;

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

; R&B; and to more of a style reminiscing of

lounge music Lounge music is a type of easy listening music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It may be meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place, usually with a tranquil theme, such as a jungle, an island paradise or outer space. The ra ...

Personal life

Ryeowook received his secondary education from Deokwon Arts High School and graduated in February 2006. The same year, he entered

Inha University Inha University () is a private research university located in Incheon, South Korea. Known traditionally for research and education in the engineering and physical sciences, the university was established by the first president of South Korea, S ...

and graduated on 24 February 2012, with a major in theater and film studies. Ryeowook enlisted for his military service on 11 October 2016, and was discharged on July 10, 2018. Ryeowook first publicly acknowledged his relationship with Ari, a former member of

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

, in 2020. On March 29, 2024, Ryeowook announced their forthcoming marriage through an Instagram post, where he conveyed the news to his fans via a handwritten letter. The couple married on May 26, 2024.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Collaboration singles

Soundtrack appearances

Other charted songs

Other appearances

Filmography

Film

Television

Web shows

Musical/Theatre

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Ryeowook 1987 births Inha University alumni Japanese-language singers of South Korea Mandarin-language singers of South Korea Living people Musicians from Incheon Singers with a three-octave vocal range South Korean male idols South Korean male pop singers South Korean male film actors South Korean pianists South Korean radio presenters South Korean rhythm and blues singers 21st-century South Korean singer-songwriters South Korean male television actors South Korean television presenters Super Junior members Super Junior-K.R.Y. members Super Junior-M members South Korean male pianists South Korean male singer-songwriters Male actors from Incheon