TO TELL you the truth, I discovered the genius of Baekhyun while watching the popular fantasy drama Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. I thought to myself, who is this adorable yet annoying prince always fighting to get IU’s attention?
After a few more episodes, I was sold. I like him already as an actor. Only to be blown away yet again to know that he is, first and foremost, a idol – an excellent singer and dancer at that!
Listening to his song “Dream” with the talented Suzy solidified my appreciation for this uber talented individual. Now that he released his second EP AND contributed to the soundtrack of excellent dramas, let me show you what a genius Baekhyun is!
EARLY LIFE
Born Byun Baek-Hyun on May 6, 1992 at Wonmi-gu, South Korea, he goes by the name Baekhyun, one of the many artists that uses mononym. He has an older brother. At a young age, he already knew that he wanted to enter the entertainment industry, specifically to become a singer. He often joked with his friends that he would become a celebrity someday.
He went to Jungwon High School and attends the Jyung Hee Cyber University, taking online classes on Culture and Arts at the Department of Business Administration. Apart from this traditional education, he also received some piano lessons. He was scouted at their school gates by one of SM Entertainment’s scout. That time, he was studying for the entrance examinations to the Seoul Institute of the Arts.
DEBUT with EXO and other ventures
Baekhyun was among the idols that only trained for a short time prior to their debuts. He became an official SM Entertainment trainee in 2011. After training for a couple of months, he finally debuted with other members of the South-Korean Chinese boy band EXO.
He also honed his hosting skills when he became a regular host at the music television program Inkigayo. He had to leave the post in less than a year to focus on EXO’s comeback. Not satisfied with singing, dancing, and hosting, he also ventured in musical theatre where he made his debut at the musical Singing in the Rain, playing the role of Don Lockwood.
COLLABORATIONS AND ACTING CAREER
His first solo single, “Beautiful” was used as one of the soundtrack for the web drama “EXO Next Door”. He also collaborated with Suzy from the all-girl group Miss A on the duet “Dream”. This duet won multiple awards on music programs such as Music Bank and Inkigayo.
He also collaborated with Sistar member Soyou on the song “Rain”. This collaboration reached first place in numerous online music charts, making him the first SM Entertainment artist to accomplish such prestige in two consecutive years – 2016 and 2017.
In 2016, he was casted in the star-studded Korean drama “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo” as one of the princes. His performance in this series earned him the New Star Award at the 2016 SBS Drama Awards.
SOLO CAREER
After working with EXO for several years, he finally pursued his solo career in 2019. He released his first EP, called City Lights. This achieve a lot of success, selling close to million copies in 2019. It’s massive sales considered this EP the best-selling album of a solo artist in the 2010s.
His second EP, Delight, was released in 2020. Delight surpassed the commercial success that his first EP achieved. It solidified Baekhyun and his artistry and talent in the South Korean world of music. This achievement garnered him the title “Genius Idol”.
With his appealing voice and creativity, his work became a popular inclusion to various Korean drama soundtracks. He sang the song “Every Second” for the popular drama Record of Youth, “Happy” for the drama Do You Like Brahms, “My Love” for the medical drama series Dr. Romantic 2 and “On The Road” for the drama Hyena. All these, just this 2020!
Okay, now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to listen to the entire Delight album. Spotify here I come!
