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Ken (South Korean singer)

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In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.
Ken
이재환
Ken at the 25th Seoul Music Awards
Born
Lee Jae-hwan

(1992-04-06) April 6, 1992 (age 32)
Seoul, South Korea
EducationBaekseok Arts University
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actor
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Years active2012–present
LabelsJellyfish (until 2024)
Member ofVIXX

Lee Jae-hwan (Korean: 이재환 born April 6, 1992),[1] better known by his stage name Ken (Korean: 켄), is a South Korean singer and actor, formerly signed under Jellyfish Entertainment. He is one of the members of the South Korean boy group VIXX, and has been widely praised for his unique, soulful, and husky vocal tone. Ken began his acting career in 2014 in MBC Every 1's comedy drama Boarding House No. 24 as Lee Jae-hwan.[2]

Early life

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Born April 6, 1992 in Jayang-dong, Seoul, South Korea. Ken's family consists of his parents, himself and two older brothers.[citation needed] He studied at Baekseok Arts University majoring in Practical Music.[citation needed] At a young age, he entered and won many singing competitions at local festivals. He later performed and won more singing competitions in middle school as part of a team with his friends[3] prior to debuting with VIXX.

Career

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2012–2013: Debut with VIXX and OSTs

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Main article: VIXX

Despite lacking experience in dance, Ken was able to pass his audition to Jellyfish Entertainment because of his singing where he trained for five months before debuting with VIXX. During this time Ken was one of ten trainees who were contestants in Mnet's survival reality show MyDOL and was chosen to be a part of the final line-up and the 6-member boy group VIXX finally debuted with "Super Hero"[4] on May 24, 2012[5] on M! Countdown.[6][7]

In 2013, Ken contributed to The Heirs OST with "In the Name of Love" (Korean: 사랑이라는 이름으로).[8] He was also featured with J'Kyun on the song "Ponytail".[9]

In 2013, Ken made a cameo appearance in episode four of SBS' television drama The Heirs alongside his group members.[10]

2014–2015: Acting debut, Gap and musical theatre debut

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In 2014, Ken contributed to another soundtrack for the You Are My Destiny OST with the song "My Girl".[11]

In 2014, the singer landed his first acting role as a main cast member in the television comedy drama MBC Every 1's Boarding House No. 24 as Lee Jae-hwan.[2]

On June 24, 2015, Ken and Hani released a duet called "Gap".[12]

In 2015, Ken was cast in the musical Chess in the lead role of Anatoly Sergievsky, a world champion chess player from June 19, 2015 to July 19, 2015 at the Sejong Grand Theater in Seoul.[13] For the role, he had to sing at a lower register, a sharp contrast from the high notes that predominantly appear in VIXX's music.[14] His powerful vocals were showcased in the music video for one of the songs, "Anthem".[15] He also appeared in Chinese singer Lu Yu's music video "The Fourth Dimension Love" as a former boyfriend. A big fan of VIXX, the singer had personally offered the role to Ken who accepted.[16]

In 2015 Ken landed his second musical role in the first Korean production of the musical Cinderella in the lead role of Prince Christopher from September 12, 2015 to January 3, 2016 at the Chungmu Art Hall, Grand Theater in Seoul and Seongnam Arts Center Opera House.[17][18]

2016–present: Solo activities

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In February 2016, Ken contributed to the Moorim School OST with the song "When I See You" (Korean: 그댈 보면).[19] On May 24, it was announced that Ken would be collaborating with Mystic Entertainment's Yoon Jong-shin on his monthly collaboration project, Melody Monthly. The project which has included artists like Seventeen's vocal unit and Epik High's Tablo, the single "Over Sleep" was released on May 30, 2016.[20][21][22] On December 22, 2016, Ken contributed to The Legend of the Blue Sea soundtrack with the song "Fool" (Korean: 바보야).[23][24]

From April to May 2016, he was invited to Duet Song Festival to showcase his vocal abilities with his partner Choi Sang-yeob. They were wanted by the audience so many times for almost winning episodes which allowed him to appear in more than one episode. They finally won on episode six with That's Only My World (그것만이 내 세상). Finally, returned in August 2016 for the "King of Kings" special for episode 16 and 17.

In 2017, Ken was cast in three musicals: Tsukasa Domyouji in Boys Over Flowers the Musical, Hamlet in Hamlet, and as Frederick Barrett in the Titanic the Musical.[citation needed]

In 2018, Ken played in the musical Iron Mask as Louis and his twin Philip.

On December 25, 2018, it was announced that Ken joined the cast of an upcoming musical Jack the Ripper as Daniel.[25]

On April 15, 2019, it was confirmed that Ken also joining a new musical "Mefisto" in a lead role scheduled to run from May 25 to July 28.[26]

On May 20, 2020, Ken made his solo debut with his first EP "Greeting", with its lead single "Just For A Moment".[27][unreliable source?]

On July 6, 2020, Ken enlisted in the South Korean military, where he joined the military band.[28] He was discharged on January 5, 2022.[29]

On March 3, 2024, Jellyfish Entertainment announced that Ken and fellow VIXX member Leo were leaving the agency, but intended to continue their activities with VIXX.[30]

Discography

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For Ken's works with VIXX, see VIXX discography.

Extended plays

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Title Details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[31]
Greeting
Track listing
  1. "Just for a Moment (10분이라도 더 보려고)"
  2. "To Us Who Have To Endure (견뎌야 하는 우리에게)" (with Monday Kiz)
  3. "With All My Heart (진심으로 갈게)"
  4. "Meteor Shower (유성우)"
  5. "So Romantic"
  6. "Just for a Moment (10분이라도 더 보려고) (Inst.)"
 5

Singles

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Title Year Peak chart position Sales Album
KOR
[33]
As lead artist
"Just For A Moment" (10분이라도 더 보려고) 2020 — — Greeting
Collaborations
"Ponytail" (with J'Kyun) 2013 93
  • KOR (DL): 21,644+
 Non-album singles
"Gap" (with Hani of EXID) 2015 25
  • KOR (DL): 92,982+
"Over Sleep" (with Yoon Jong-shin)[A] 2016 —[B] —
"Rose" (with Ravi of VIXX) 2017 — R.eal1ze
"The Late Regret" (with Kim Hyung Suk) 2018 — Kim Hyung Suk with Friends
Original soundtracks
"In The Name of Love" (사랑이라는 이름으로) 2013 72
  • KOR (DL): 29,986+
 The Heirs OST Part 3
"My Girl" 2014 73
  • KOR (DL): 23,205+
 You Are My Destiny OST Part 5
"When I See You" (그댈 보면) 2016 — — Moorim School OST Part 4
"Fool" (바보야) 78
  • KOR (DL): 44,708+[36]
 The Legend of The Blue Sea OST Part 7
"I'll Meet You" (나랑 만나볼래요) 2018 — — My Strange Hero OST Part 1
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Notes

  1. ^ "Over Sleep" was a promotional tool for Yoon Jong-shin's 2016 Melody Monthly Project for the month of May.[34]
  2. ^ "Over Sleep" did not enter the Gaon Digital Chart, but peaked at number 35 on the Gaon Social Chart.[35]

Filmography

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For Ken's Filmography with VIXX, see VIXX videography.

Television series

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2014 The Heirs Himself Cameo ep. 4
Boarding House No. 24 Lee Jaehwan
2016 Entertainer The Show Special MC Cameo

Web series

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Year Title Role Ref.
2018 Tofu Personified Kim Joo-heon [37]

Television shows

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2015 100 People, 100 Songs Contestant [38]
King of Mask Singer Contestant as "Cracked Egg and Noodles" (Episode 11-12)
2016 Duet Song Festival with Choi Sang-yeob (Episode 3-7 & 16-17)
2019 King of Mask Singer as "Metal Boy" (Episode 187-188)
2022 2022 DIMF Musical Star Judge [39]

Musicals

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Year Title Role Notes
2015 Chess Anatoly Sergievsky Main role, Korean Version
2015-16 Cinderella Prince Christopher Main role, Korean Version
2017 Boys Over Flowers The Musical Tsukasa Domyouji Main role, Korean Version[40][41]
Hamlet Hamlet Main role, Korean Version
Titanic Frederick Barrett Lead role, Korean Version
2018 Iron Mask Louis & Philip Main role, Korean Version
2019 Jack the Ripper Daniel Lead role, Korean Version[42]
Mefisto Mefisto Lead role [43]
Dracula Dracula Main role
2020 Sherlock Holmes The Musical: The Lost Children Clive Owen Lead role, Korean
2022 Xcalibur Arthur Main role[44]
Human Court Robot Ao [45]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2018 12th Daegu International Musical Festival Rookie of the Year - Male
Hamlet
 Won

References

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  1. ^ Ken Official Profile
    • "Ken Official Profile (Korean Site)". Jellyfish Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
    • "Ken Official Profile (Japanese Site)". Jellyfish Entertainment. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "VIXX's Ken Attempts His First Acting Role for ′Boarding House No.24′". Mwave. 2014-08-13. Archived from the original on 2015-06-24. Retrieved 2015-06-24.
  3. ^ "[My Name is]빅스(3)". 10Asia (in Korean). 2013-05-02. Archived from the original on 2015-07-01. Retrieved 2015-06-24.
  4. ^ "VIXX to watch the last episode of 'Mydol' with their fans at a movie theater". Allkpop. 31 May 2012.
  5. ^ "Upcoming group VIXX releases 3rd video teaser for "Super Hero"". Allkpop. 20 May 2012.
  6. ^ "VIXX to share download links for their music and teasers on Twitter". Allkpop. 20 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Finalists from 'Mydol' reveal official group name, Vixx". Allkpop. 10 May 2012.
  8. ^ "'Heirs' releases 3 OST songs from 2AM's Changmin, VIXX's Ken, & Park Jang Hyun". Allkpop. 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2015-06-24.
  9. ^ "Hip hop artist J'Kyun releases 'Ponytail' ft. VIXX's Ken". Allkpop. 2013-10-01. Retrieved 2015-06-24.
  10. ^ "VIXX to Cameo on "The Heirs"". Soompi. 2013-10-17. Retrieved 2015-06-24.
  11. ^ "VIXX's Ken declares she's 'My Girl' for 'Fated To Love You' OST MV". Allkpop. 2014-08-06. Retrieved 2015-06-24.
  12. ^ "VIXX's Ken and EXID's Hani join hands for a sweet collab track 'One By One'". Allkpop. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  13. ^ "SHINee's Key, 2AM's Jokwon, B1A4's CNU, and VIXX's Ken Cast in Musical "Chess"". Soompi. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  14. ^ "공연의 모든 것 - 플레이DB". PlayDB (in Korean). 2015-06-08. Retrieved 2015-06-24.
  15. ^ "VIXX's Ken Simply Sounds Amazing in Musical "Chess" MV". Soompi. 2015-06-05. Retrieved 2015-06-24.
  16. ^ Dong-Joo, Kim (2015-06-05). "VIXX's Ken participates in filming MV of Chinese singer Lu Yu's new song". StarN. Retrieved 2015-06-24.
  17. ^ "VIXX Ken cast as prince in musical 'Cinderella'". dkpopnews.net. 2015-07-31. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
  18. ^ "VIXX's Ken, B1A4′s Sandeul, Baek Ah Yeon, and Others Cast in Musical "Cinderella"". Soompi. 2015-07-31. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
  19. ^ "[Mnet] 무림학교 OST Part 4 - Various Artists". Mnet. Archived from the original on 2018-06-21. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  20. ^ "VIXX's Ken The Next Feature Artist In Yoon Jong Shin's Monthly Project!". dkpopnews.net.
  21. ^ "VIXX's Ken is next to work with Yoon Jong Shin's monthly project!". Allkpop.
  22. ^ "VXX's Ken yawns like a puppy for his upcoming collab with Yoon Jong Shin!". Allkpop.
  23. ^ "VIXX's Ken drops 'Fool' MV teaser for 'The Legend of the Blue Sea' OST Part 7".
  24. ^ "VIXX's Ken Joins "The Legend Of The Blue Sea" OST's A-List Lineup". 15 December 2016.
  25. ^ "[Open Run] News - 뮤지컬 <잭더리퍼> 켄(VIXX) 합류, 10주년 기념 공연 최종 라인업 확정". Archived from the original on 2019-05-28. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  26. ^ "Nam Woohyun, Ken, Roh Tae Hyun, And Nam Tae Hyun Confirmed For Lead Role In Upcoming Musical". Soompi. 15 April 2019.
  27. ^ "VIXX's Ken thinks back on love in 'Just for a Moment' MV". Allkpop. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  28. ^ "빅스 켄, 7월 6일 현역 입대…"항상 감사한 마음뿐, 열심히 할 것"". Naver. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  29. ^ Jeong Hee-yeon (January 5, 2022). "빅스 켄 만기 전역…활동 본격 준비 [공식]" [VIXX's Ken Expires... Full-scale preparation for activities [Official]] (in Korean). Sports Donga. Retrieved January 5, 2022 – via Naver.
  30. ^ Jellyfish Ent. "x.com". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  31. ^ "KEN album charting". Gaon. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  32. ^ "Circle Chart" 2020년 6월 Album Chart [June 2020 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  33. ^ "Gaon Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  34. ^ "[Mnet] 2016 월간 윤종신 5월호 - 윤종신,켄(KEN)". Mnet. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  35. ^ "South Korean Gaon Chart: 2016년 23주차 Social Chart". Gaon Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  36. ^ Cumulative sales for "Fool":
  37. ^ "웹드 '두부의 의인화' 박지빈X켄X김진경, 첫 대본 리딩 현장 공개". Sports Chosun (in Korean). June 15, 2018.
  38. ^ "VIXX's Ken kills it with high note on "The Last Song"". koreaboo.com. 2015-05-14. Retrieved 2016-01-25.
  39. ^ Kim Ye-eun (May 2, 2022). "빅스 켄·정영주 '뮤지컬스타' 심사위원 합류 [공식입장]" [VIXX's Ken and Jung Young-joo join the judges for 'Musical Star'] (in Korean). Xportsnews. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via Naver.
  40. ^ "K-Pop Idol Stars Join the Musical Adaptation of Boys Over Flowers". Archived from the original on 2017-08-15. Retrieved 2017-04-03.
  41. ^ "VIXX's Ken Confirmed for Musical "Boys Over Flowers"". 10 January 2017.
  42. ^ "VIXX's Ken, Uhm Ki Joon, and More Confirmed for "Jack the Ripper"". 27 December 2018.
  43. ^ "Nam Woohyun, Ken, Roh Tae Hyun, and Nam Tae Hyun Confirmed for Lead Role in Upcoming Musical". 15 April 2019.
  44. ^ Lee Jae-eun (January 7, 2022). "빅스 켄, 뮤지컬 '엑스칼리버'로 복귀 [공식]" [VIXX's Ken to return to musical 'Xcalibur' [Official]]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved January 7, 2022 – via via.
  45. ^ Lee Seul-gi (August 4, 2022). "박민성 오종혁 이재환 유태양…뮤지컬 '인간의 법정' 캐스팅 공개" [Park Min-sung, Oh Jong-hyuk, Lee Jae-hwan, Yoo Taeyang... Casting revealed for musical 'Human Court] (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved August 4, 2022 – via Naver.
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