Lay (entertainer)

Zhang Yixing (Lay)

Lay in November 2016
Background information
Chinese name 張藝興 (traditional)
Chinese name 张艺兴 (simplified)
Pinyin Zhāng Yìxīng (Mandarin)
Jyutping Zoeng1 Ngai6 Hing1 (Cantonese)
Ethnicity Han
Born (1991-10-07) October 7, 1991
Changsha, Hunan, China
Occupation
Genre(s)
Instrument(s)
Label(s)
Years active 2012–present
Associated acts
Website lay.smtown.com

Zhang Yixing (simplified Chinese: 张艺兴; traditional Chinese: 張藝興; pinyin: Zhāng Yìxīng); Korean: 장이씽; Japanese: レイ, 張芸興; born October 7, 1991),[1] better known by his stage name Lay (Korean: 레이), is a Chinese singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, actor, model, author and voice actor. He is a member and the main dancer of the South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo and its sub-unit Exo-M.[2] He first became known after participating in the Chinese TV talent show Star Academy in 2005.[3] In January 2015, Lay was ranked 5th on Baidu's "2014 Top 10 Most Popular Celebrities" list.[4] In September 2015, he released his autobiography titled Standing Firm at 24, which broke several online book records.[5] In July 2016, Lay was appointed by the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) of Changsha as the publicity ambassador, the first celebrity to hold such title.[6][7] On October 28, 2016, Lay released his mini album Lose Control in both South Korea and China.[8] The EP was a commercial success peaking at number 1 on the Gaon Album Chart as well as number 4 on Billboard's US World Albums chart[9][10] and made him the first Chinese artist to enter the iTunes Top 60.[11]

Early life

Lay was born in Changsha, Hunan, China[1] on October 7, 1991.[12] His first known acting role was at 6 years old starring as Huan Huan in We The People[13] in 1998. In 2000, at 9 years old, he participated in a Chinese TV show as the fan club member of the actor and singer Jimmy Lin, giving him his first contact with the entertainment industry.[1] Lay began his career as a local child star in the province of Hunan, after winning third place in a competition organized by the popular TV show Star Academy in 2005.[3] He also appeared in an episode of Yue Ce Yue Xin Kai and Liu Na's variety show, Na Ke Bu Yi Yang between 2005 and 2006.[14] In April 2006, he auditioned to star in the series The Duke of Mount Deer directed by Zhang Jizhong. Despite being one of the finalists, he did not win the role.[15]

In 2008, Lay joined S.M. Entertainment after a successful audition with the company's global casting system in Changsha. At the time of the auditions, he was 16 years old and was studying for his college entrance exams and had become an S.M. trainee, for which he moved to Korea for training.[3] Prior to this, he studied at the High School Attached to Hunan Normal University[16] where he had been featured as an outstanding student for his achievements.

In 2011, prior to debut with Exo, he briefly worked with SHINee during their concert tour as Jonghyun's dance replacement.[12]

Career

2012–14: Debut with EXO

Lay became the sixth member of South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo and was formally introduced to the public on January 17, 2012, debuting as the fourth Chinese member of the Mandarin sub-unit Exo M.[17] Following the release of the singles "What Is Love" and "History" in 2012, he and the other 11 members held their pre-debut showcase in Seoul's Olympic Stadium on March 31,[18] and a second showcase and press conference in Beijing in the Great Hall of the Beijing University of International Business and Economics. [19] The group officially debuted on April 8, 2012 with their title song "Mama", and Exo M's first performance in China was publicly televised at the 12th Yinyue Fengyun Bang Awards.

In December 2012, Lay was featured in S.M. Entertainment's project dance group S.M. The Performance featuring SM's best dancers, alongside fellow Exo member Kai and labelmates Yunho, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Minho and Taemin.[20] On December 29, the group performed their single "Spectrum", which was released the following day, at the 2012 SBS Gayo Daejeon.[21] As his group gained commercial success, EXO's studio album XOXO (album) became the first album to sell more than a million copies in South Korea in 12 years. [22] Their 2014 album Overdose (EP) had even entered US Billboard's 200 chart.[23][24]

Early in 2014, Lay composed and performed the song "I'm Lay" for his solo performance during Exo's first headlining concert tour The Lost Planet.[25] Later in 2014, he performed another self-composed song titled "I'm Coming" on a special year-end television program on Hunan TV.[26]

2015: Solo activities and acting career beginnings

In April 2015, S.M. Entertainment announced that a personal studio had been established for Lay's activities in China.[27] In May 2015, he became a regular cast member of the Chinese reality television show Go Fighting!.[28] In June 2015, Lay composed the song "Promise" from the repackaged edition of Exo's second studio album, Love Me Right. He also wrote the lyrics for the Chinese version of the song, while the Korean version was co-written by Chen and Chanyeol.[29]

On September 18, 2015, the limited edition of Lay's autobiography Standing Firm At 24 was published, while the standard edition became available on October 7.[30] The book documents important events throughout his life and broke several online sales records by selling 68,537 copies in the first 24 minutes of pre-sales.[31] With less than 3 month sale of 1.4 million in royalties, he took the 4th place on 'The 10th Chinese Celebrity Writers List', released by China's 3 influential media outlets, WCC Daily (mainstream), Cover News (Digital) and Great Star Media, becoming the youngest celebrity author to enter the charts. He was also the champion of the 2015 installment of the 'Annual Celebrity Book Sales', and took the top spot of 'Asia's Best Books', twice during its monthly ranking and six times for the weekly chart. He also locked in standings for Rakuten's listings, with 400,000 copies sold within 6 months, and has received much reader acclaim and praise.[32]

The same month, he was cast in the upcoming Indian-Chinese movie Kung Fu Yoga, starring Jackie Chan and directed by Stanley Tong,[3][33] and was later announced to be starring as the male lead alongside labelmate Krystal in the upcoming South Korean-Chinese movie Unexpected Love[34] which was postphoned for release in August 2017, the poster for which was revealed in the Cannes Film Festival.

In November 2015, Lay made his big screen debut with a supporting role in the Chinese movie Ex Files 2: The Backup Strikes Back, which was a box office hit, garnering 2 billion in sales within 10 days of its release. He later won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 2016 China Britain Film Festival for his performance.[35] He also wrote and recorded an original soundtrack for the movie titled "Alone (One Person)", which reached number one on the Baidu Music Chart,[36] and later won Best Movie Original Soundtrack awards at the 16th Top Chinese Music Awards and 4th V-Chart Awards. Lay also starred in the Chinese movie Oh My God and collaborated with his co-stars Coco Jiang Wen and Li Xiaolu on an original soundtrack for the movie titled "Happy Youth",[37][38] which debuted at number 8 on the Billboard V Chart.[39]

2016–present: Rising popularity and solo debut

In January 2016, Lay and the other cast members of Go Fighting! appeared in the Chinese movie Royal Treasure. In April 2016, he received the Most Popular Newcomer award at the 16th Top Chinese Music Awards. In May 2016, Lay made his small screen debut in the Chinese television series To Be A Better Man,[40][41] and released a Chinese song titled "Monodrama" as part of S.M. Entertainment's Station music project.[42] Written by Lay and co-composed and arranged with Divine Channel,[43] "Monodrama" broke records by staying at number 1 on YinYueTai's VChart for 5 consecutive weeks.[44]

In May 2016, Lay starred in the Chinese television drama The Mystic Nine, a prequel to The Lost Tomb. The series achieved unprecedented success, placing first in television ratings and setting a record for the most online views garnered in a day, and has accumulated over 10 billion views in total.[45] The television series went on to have a side story named The Mystic Nine Side Story: Flowers Bloom in February, which focused solely on Lay's character Er Yue Hong.

In October 2016, Lay's career as a solo singer began with the release of "What U Need?" (stylized as "what U need?") as a surprise gift for his fans on his birthday.[46][47][48] The song hit the #4 spot on the China V Chart as well as on Billboard's World Digital Songs, and had made it to the top 60 on the US iTunes chart, historically making Lay the first Chinese artist to appear on the chart.[49] He performed the song for the first time on October 10 at the 2016 Asia Song Festival in Busan, South Korea.[50][51] On October 28, one day after holding a press conference at Shanghai Town & Country Community, Lay released his debut extended play Lose Control, containing 6 Mandarin tracks, and the music video for the title song.[52] Lay was involved in much of the production of album as the producer, and was personally in charge of the composition, arrangement and writing the lyrics of every song – as well as translating the lyrics himself into three other languages other than Chinese including English, Korean and Japanese.[53] The song "Lose Control" stayed as #1 on Billboard's China V Chart for 6 weeks in a row.[54] Lose Control broke the record in South Korea for the most sales by a solo artist, with pre-orders surpassing 200,000 copies before the physical album was released, making the album No.1 in sales. Lay also became the first solo artist to sell more than 40,000 album copies within a day and 125,000 within a week from the album's release.[55] Over 1,000,000 copies of the digital album has been sold on Xiami.[56] He performed "Lose Control" for the first time on The Show on November 15.,[57] Lose Control was a commercial success peaking at number 1 on the Gaon Album Chart.

Later in November, Lay was announced to be starring in a Chinese remake of the hit Japanese drama TV series Operation Love (Chinese TV series)[58] which started airing on Dragon TV from April 24, 2017 with 32 episodes.

Discography

Extended play

Filmography

Films

Title Year Role Notes
SMTOWN The Stage 2015 Himself Documentary of SM Town.[59]
Ex-Files 2: The Backup Strikes Back. Lee Xiang He Special appearance
Oh My God Le Yi Supporting lead
Go Fighting! The Movie: Royal Treasure 2016 Himself Special appearance; spin off film
The Mystic Nine Side Story: Flowers Bloom in February Er Yuehong Web film; aired on IQiyi
Kung Fu Yoga 2017 Xiao Guang Supporting role
The Founding of an Army Lu Deming Supporting role
Unexpected Love Han Bing Lead role
Cars 3 Jackson Storm (voice) Chinese dub; main antagonist

Television series

Title Year Role Network Notes
We The People 1998 Huan Huan BMN: Beijing Television Predebut
Exo Next Door 2015 Lay Naver TV Cast Special appearance
To Be A Better Man 2016 Xiao Cai JSBC: Jiangsu Television
ZRTG: Zhejiang Television		 Supporting role
The Mystic Nine Er Yuehong SMG: Dragon Television
IQiyi		 Supporting lead
Operation Love 2017 Yan Xiaolai SMG: Dragon Television
Tencent QQ		 Lead role

Bibliography

Year Title Notes ISBN
October 1, 2015 Standing Firm at 24 Autobiography ISBN 978-7550260917

References

  1. 1 2 3 Mark Russell (April 29, 2014). K-Pop Now!: The Korean Music Revolution. Tuttle Publishing. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-4629-1411-1.
  2. ↑ "EXO-M Official Website". exo-m.smtown.com. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "EXO-M, Dreamers who chase dreams". Entertainment: Shanghai TV Magazine. November 2013.
  4. ↑ "Luhan, EXO's Lay, f(x)'s Victoria, and K-drama "You Who Came From The Stars" tops Baidu's charts". Koreaboo. January 12, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  5. ↑ "엑소 레이 문집, 초당 50부 판매 신기록…'엑소 효과'" (in Korean). Naver. September 17, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  6. ↑ "EXO member becomes Hunan youth league ambassador". en.people.cn. July 15, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Zhang Yixing NETEase Interview". YouTube. August 15, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Watch #EXO's Lay Wants You To "Lose Control" With Him In New MV". Soompi. October 28, 2016.
  9. ↑ https://edit.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/7573722/most-viewed-k-pop-videos-mvs-america-world-october-2016
  10. ↑ "Lay – Chart history – Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  11. ↑ Renzxoxo (November 10, 2016). "'EXO's Lay' To Perform "Lose Control" For The Very First Time In Korea". goodmomusic.net. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  12. 1 2 "Lay Naver Profile". Naver Profiles (in Korean). Naver.
  13. ↑ http://www.weibo.com/2231861990/EfT8UiW7Y
  14. ↑ "051228 LAY (张艺兴) 越策越开心". Tudou (in Chinese). December 28, 2005. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  15. ↑ "兴坨小猪参加《鹿鼎记》角逐韦小宝" (in Chinese). tieba.baidu. January 26, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  16. ↑ "EXO's Lay Featured as Outstanding Student in His Former High School". hellokpop.com. May 2, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  17. ↑ "SM releases tenth Exo teaser, featuring Lay". Allkpop. January 16, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  18. ↑ "KPOP NEWS – EXO Debuts in Front of 3000 Fans – Mwave". mwave.interest.me. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  19. ↑ "KPOP NEWS – EXO Blows Away China with Successful Debut Showcase – Mwave". mwave.interest.me. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Group SM The Performance". Jpopasia. December 30, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  21. ↑ "DANCE UNIT SM ENTERTAINMENT 'SM THE PERFORMANCE' MERILIS "SPECTRUM"". Wordpress. December 30, 2012. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  22. ↑ "KPOP NEWS – EXO's Album 'XOXO' Sells Over a Million Copies – Mwave". mwave.interest.me. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  23. ↑ "EXO-K's 'Overdose' EP Enters Billboard 200". billboard.com. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  24. ↑ "EXO Keeps Their Astounding Momentum Going With 'Overdose'". billboard.com. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  25. ↑ "EXO 首場個唱將加場" (in Chinese). kpopn. May 8, 2014.
  26. ↑ "EXO Lay to Reveal Self-Composed Song "I'm Coming" on Chinese End-of-the-Year Show". Soompi. December 30, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  27. ↑ "SM Entertainment establishes individual studio in China to support Lay of EXO-M". Koreaboo. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  28. ↑ "EXO Lay Becomes Regular Cast Member of Chinese Variety Show 'Go Fighting'". Soompi. May 13, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  29. ↑ "EXO Reveals More Details on New Repackaged Album Ahead of Release". Soompi. June 1, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  30. ↑ "EXO's Lay to release an autobiography photobook in October". Koreaboo. September 12, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  31. ↑ "EXO's Lay Breaks Record With Pre-Order of His Book". Soompi. September 17, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  32. ↑ "EXO's Lay Tops Multiple Book Charts With Autobiography". hellokpop. March 24, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  33. ↑ Tamar Herman (September 28, 2015). "EXO's Lay To Appear Alongside Jackie Chan in Upcoming Indian-Chinese Film 'Kung Fu Yoga'". KpopStarz. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  34. ↑ "EXO's Lay and f(x)'s Krystal confirmed to act together in film 'Biyeon'". allkpop. October 7, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  35. ↑ "EXO's Lay Cinches 'Best Supporting Actor' Award At 2016 China Britain Film Festival". Hello Kpop. June 28, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  36. ↑ "新歌榜-百度音乐排行榜_百度音乐-听到极致". music.baidu.com. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  37. ↑ "엑소 레이, 장쯔이 제작 영화로 中 스크린 진출" (in Korean). Naver. March 28, 2015.
  38. ↑ "엑소 레이, 장쯔이 세 번째 제작 영화 '종천아강'으로 스크린 데뷔" (in Korean). 10asia. March 18, 2015.
  39. ↑ "China V Chart | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  40. ↑ "엑소 레이, 특별출연으로 중국 드라마 데뷔" (in Korean). TVReport. August 18, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  41. ↑ Ilin Mathew (August 19, 2015). "EXO Member Lay to Make Acting Debut in Chinese Drama". International Business Times. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  42. ↑ crystalcove. "Watch: EXO's Lay Sings Of Unrequited Love In Solo Track "Monodrama"". Soompi. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  43. ↑ "엑소 레이, SM STATION 16번째 주인공..첫 솔로곡". Osen. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Lay's Monodrama topping 9 charts and breaking the VChart record with 1,968,909 views in 48hrs !!!". onehallyu. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  45. ↑ "EXO Lay's drama 'The Mystic Nine' reaches 10 billion views online!". Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  46. ↑ "Lay asks "What U Need?" in surprise MV release for his birthday". Allkpop. October 7, 2016.
  47. ↑ leonid (September 29, 2016). "EXO's Lay To Release New Song For Fans On Birthday". Soompi. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  48. ↑ kminjungee (October 6, 2016). "Watch: EXO's Lay Asks "What U Need" In First Release From Upcoming Solo Album". Soompi. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  49. ↑ "엑소 레이, 中 가수 중 최고 성적 '해외차트 올킬'". October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  50. ↑ Han Hyuk-seung (October 9, 2016). "EXO 레이 '솔로로 멋지게'". My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  51. ↑ "KPOP NEWS – [Video] EXO′s Lay Surprises Fans with ′what U need?′ on Birthday". mwave.interest.me. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  52. ↑ Ahn Eun-kyung (October 27, 2016). "엑소(EXO) 레이, 28일 첫 솔로 앨범 'LOSE CONTROL'의 전곡 공개…'관심폭발'". Top Star News (in Korean). Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  53. ↑ Kang, E. (October 20, 2016). "Release Date And Details Of EXO Member Lay's First Mini Album Revealed". Soompi. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  54. ↑ "LAY 'Lose Control' Ranks No.1 on the Billboard China V Chart for 6 Consecutive Weeks.". Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  55. ↑ "[브레이크뉴스] 엑소 레이, 'LOSE CONTROL'로 국내 선주문량 20만장 이어 中 차트까지 접수". 브레이크뉴스. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  56. ↑ "Lose Control on Xiami". h.xiami.com.
  57. ↑ "엑소 레이, 솔로로 韓음악방송 활동…'루즈컨트롤' 첫선". Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  58. ↑ "엑소 레이, '프로포즈 대작전' 中 리메이크판 주연 – 스타뉴스". star.mt.co.kr. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  59. ↑ "'SMTOWN The Stage' concert documentary film to be released this summer". Allkpop. May 15, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lay (entertainer).
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.