Kim Jong-woon (born August 24, 1984), better known by his stage name Yesung, is a Korean pop singer and an occasional actor. He is a member of the large boy band Super Junior and is regarded as one of the four lead vocalists. He was once a radio host for his own radio program, M.I.R.A.C.L.E for You, which ended its broadcast in September 2007. His stage name Yesung (Hanja: 藝聲) is translated to "art-like voice" and is derived from the phrase "예술가의 성대", meaning "vocal chords of an artist."
Yesung was born in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, has a younger brother, Kim Jong-jin. At a young age, he has expressed interest in singing. In 1999, Yesung joined a broadcasted singing competition and won gold at the Chun-an Singing Competition. In 2001, Yesung's mother signed him up to audition for SM Entertainment's Starlight Casting System, a casting audition that selects artists to sign under the label. He impressed the judges with his "artistic voice", and signed under SM Entertainment that same year. In late 2004, Yesung was recruited into the large all-male rotational boy band Super Junior.
On November 6, 2005, Yesung officially debuted on SBS's music program Popular Songs as a member of Super Junior 05, the first generation of Super Junior. The group performed their first single "TWINS (Knock Out)" with an audience of about 500 fans. A full studio album was released a month later, which debuted at #3 on the monthly MIAK K-pop album charts.[1]
In March 2006, SM Entertainment began to recruit new members for the next Super Junior generation. However, plans changed when the company added in a thirteenth member, Kyuhyun, and the company declared a halt in forming future Super Junior generations. The group dropped the suffix "05" and became officially credited as Super Junior. The re-polished group hit big after they released their first CD single "U" the following summer, which became Super Junior's most successful single in the music charts until the release of "Sorry, Sorry" in March 2009.
During his career with Super Junior, Yesung was put into two subgroups, smaller groups that are branched off of the larger Super Junior group. In November 2006, Yesung was placed in Super Junior's first subgroup, Super Junior-K.R.Y, a group specializing in singing mournful, R&B ballads. Almost two years later, Yesung became a member of Super Junior-Happy. On May 10, 2008, Yesung was sent to the hospital after he collapsed from running 70 kilometers for a charity marathon. On August 8, Yesung was sent to the hospital again after falling from a 1.5m stage while rehearsing a performance for the KBS music program, Music Bank. The injury severed his old injuries from the neck and waist and Yesung was not treated out of the hospital until two days later.
Yesung alone contributed in the drama OST, Tazza, a highly rated drama which started on September 16, 2008. He sang 사랑참아프다 (Love Really Hurts). This ballad song has been consistently used during the drama itself. He has performed the song live several times, including in the 3rd Anniversary Party of Super Junior.
[edit]Hosting
From September 2006 to September 2007, Yesung was a host for his own radio program, M.I.R.A.C.L.E for You, where members of Super Junior often appear as guests. However, before the radio show's first anniversary, Yesung had to end the program so he could concentrate on Super Junior's second album, Don't Don. The last air date for the radio show was September 8, 2007.[2]
[edit]Acting
Yesung's career began in the summer of 2007 with the release of Attack on the Pin-Up Boys, a high school comedy starring the whole of Super Junior. Yesung stars as the school's rock star who gets attacked by a mysterious force, which shoots him toward national stardom. In 2009, Yesung was casted to play Jung Myung-soo in the musical South Korean Mountain Fortress, which will show from October 9 to November 4, 2009.[3]
Film
Year Title Role Other notes
2007 Attack on the Pin-Up Boys
꽃미남 연쇄 테러 사건 himself limited release in South Korea
Yesung (Kim Jong-Woon)
Birth name Kim Jong-woon
Born August 24, 1984 (age 25)
Cheonan, South Chungcheong, South Korea
Origin Seoul, South Korea
Genre(s) Pop, dance, R&B
Occupation(s) Singer, dancer, actor
Instrument(s) Singing, piano
Voice type(s) Baritone
Years active 2005–present
Label(s) SM Entertainment
Associated acts SM Town
Super Junior
Super Junior-K.R.Y
Super Junior-Happy
Stage name
Hangul 예성
Hanja 藝聲
Revised Romanization Yeseong
McCune–Reischauer Yesŏng
Birth name
Hangul 김종운
Hanja 金鐘雲
Revised Romanization Gim Jong-un
McCune–Reischauer Kim Chong-un
