| Kim Dong Wan | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | 김동완 (金烔完) |
| Also known as | Upright Guy [1] (바른 생활 사나이)[2] |
| Born | 21 November 1979 |
| Origin | South Korea |
| Genres | K-pop, J-pop, Dance, R&B |
| Occupations | singer, actor |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | SM Entertainment (1998-2003) Good Entertainment (2004-2007) H2 Entertainment Liveworks (2010-present) Shinhwa Company (2011-present) |
| Associated acts | Shinhwa |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 김동완 |
| Hanja | 金烔完 |
| Revised Romanization | Gim Dong-wan |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kim Tong-wan |
Kim Dong Wan (Hangul: 김동완, Hanja: 金烔完) was born on 21 November 1979. He is a South Korean entertainer, known as a member of six-member boy band Shinhwa. He has since 2002 has been making a name for himself as an actor, with roles in television dramas such as A Farewell to Sorrow and Children of Heaven. He has said that given the opportunity he would prefer a career in acting rather than as a singer,[3] although since the release of his debut album he says that now he prefers singing more.[4] From Shinhwa, Kim is the fourth member to go solo, following Lee Min Woo, Shin Hye Sung, and Jun Jin.
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Kim made his debut in 1998 as a vocalist in the boy band Shinhwa. Although he is not lead vocalist, he began singing bigger parts on Shinhwa's 7th album, Brand New. One song from the album, "Liar", actually only has Kim as the vocalist, along with Eric Mun as the rapper. He also wrote, composed, and arranged a song on the album, titled "Set Free". Though he had branched out as a solo artist, he is part of Shinhwa and just released Shinhwa's 9th album.[5]
Kim was one of several Korean celebrities praised by the Japanese media for giving generous donations for flood victims in 2006.[6]
On April 16, 2007, Kim appeared as a guest on MC Mong's "Pleasure and Pain" radio show. When asked about an incident early in his career where he injured his nose, he confessed that he in fact had plastic surgery to change its shape.[7][8]
Kim released his debut solo album, Kimdongwan Is, on July 5, 2007, which featured collaborations with his fellow Shinhwa members, including Lee Andy rapping in the song "Loving Summer", Shin Hye Sung singing a duet with Kim in "The One Left Alone", and Eric rapping in "My Love".[9] The other members have contribute to the album as well, with Lee Min Woo writing, composing and arranging the song "My Love," and with Jun Jin helping him with choreography.[10] Kim expressed gratitude for their contributions, saying, "I’ve been working together with the group Shinhwa, thus there was a lot of pressure working on the solo album, but since the other members showed up and helped me with most of it, it has been a great big help for me". Kim's first single was the ballad, "Handkerchief", a song about a guy who consoles his girlfriend and wipes away her tears. Despite Shinhwa's genre in music like American R&B and bubblegum pop, Kim said he wanted his album to be more J-pop influenced, having redone a song by Glay and Exile in the album.[4]
For the debut album, Kim also lost a lot of weight, saying that "it's not good for a ballad singer to have a muscular image. Someone singing ballads should have a lean, 'hungry-looking' image."[4] His album sold over 25,000 copies in two days, with 41,490 copies sold by the end of 2007, allowing it to rank 19th for the year.[11] In 2008, he released his 2nd solo album, The Secret; Between Us. The album featured collaborations with Tiffany of SNSD, Jade Valerie, Shinhwa bandmate, Eric and Heritage.
Kim enlisted for mandatory military service in November at an army training camp in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do[12] He was discharged on 17 December 2010, after serving 24 months as an administrative worker at the Seodaemun-gu District Office.[13]
He has since played the lead role of Hedwig in theatrical musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Sang Sang Art Hall in Seoul.
| Single # | Single Information | Track Listing |
|---|---|---|
| 1st |
Title: Promise
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| Album # | Album Information | Track Listing |
|---|---|---|
| 1st |
Title: Kimdongwan Is
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| 2nd |
Title: The Secret; Between Us
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| Album # | Album Information | Track Listing |
|---|---|---|
| 1st |
Title: Kim Dongwan Japan Premium Best
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| Year | Awards | Category | Work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actor | Spin Kick | Nominated | |
| 2005 | KBS Drama Awards | Best Actor | A Farewell to Sorrow | Won | |
| Best Couple | Nominated | ||||
| 2007 | SBS Inkigayo | Mutizen Award | "Handkerchief" | Won |
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