Kangnam (singer)

Yasuo Namekawa (born March 23, 1987), better known by his stage name Kangnam, is a Korean-Japanese singer and television personality who was the vocalist and oldest member of the South Korean hip-hop group, M.I.B. He made his recording debut in South Korea with the single, "Say My Name," just before his debut as a member of M.I.B.

Kangnam
Background information
Birth nameYasuo Namekawa (滑川康男)
Born (1987-03-23) March 23, 1987
Tokyo, Japan
Genres
  • Hip hop
  • K-pop
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • television personality
  • Actor
Years active2008–present
LabelsBonboo ENT
Associated actsM.I.B, Cream, 5Zic, SIMS
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 2019)​

Biography

Early life and career beginnings (1987–2010)

Kangnam was born on March 23, 1987, in Tokyo, Japan, to a Korean mother and a Japanese father. As an only child, he spent most of his childhood in Japan and also spent some years in Hawaii. In March 2008, Kangnam debuted with the stage name Ya-Cha as a new member of the Japanese band Kick Chop Busters (KCB).[1] However, he left the band in 2010 for unknown reasons, without his parents' knowledge. Kangnam has stated in interviews that his family is wealthy, but he does not receive financial support from them.[2]

School life

Kangnam attended the Hawaiian Mission Academy in Honolulu for a brief period before transferring to another high school.[3] He then returned to Japan to finish his studies. Kangnam briefly attended Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he majored in Communications, but left the school to pursue music instead.[4]

Career in South Korea (2011–present)

In South Korea, Kangnam debuted as a member of M.I.B (band) under the label Jungle Entertainment on October 25, 2011, with the title track "G.D.M", which stands for "Girls, Dreams, Money." His solo song "Say My Name" was released on October 17, 2011, as part of a spin-off promotion to prove that each member is capable of standing alone. Kangnam is also an accomplished guitarist and pianist.[5]

In 2012, Kangnam appeared in a CF for Epson, an electronics company that specializes in image-related products.[6] Also in 2012, Kangnam took on his first acting role in the TV sitcom "21st Century Family", and he became the host of the Japanese rendition of Mnet's Jjang.[7]

On the October 3, 2014, episode of I Live Alone Rainbow segment Kangnam revealed that he had only $3 in his bank account. In subsequent Entertainment Relay interviews, he reported that his income had increased significantly, as he became involved with more CFs and variety shows.[8] In October 2014, Kangnam became a permanent cast member on MBC's I Live Alone.[9] In November 2014, Kangnam became an exclusive model for the shoestore ABC Mart, alongside model Nam Joo-hyuk.[10]

Kangnam as one of the MCs of KCON JEJU 2015

Kangnam finally saw the fruit of his labours towards the end of 2014, four years after his debut, when he was the emcee for a year-end festival stage as part of the "Lucky Boys" project for 2014 SBS Gayo Daejun. On the December 26 episode of MBC's I Live Alone, Kangnam opened up about attending year-end festivals for the first time since his debut: "Singers usually appear on TV to sing at the end of each year. Every year, I have been watching TV thinking ‘I'll do that next year,’ and somehow four years have passed.” [11]

On December 26, 2014, Kangnam released his second solo track, "What Do I Do", which soared to #1 on Daum's real-time charts. Kangnam also ranked #1 on several real-time searches, including Naver, Melon, and Mnet.[12]

In February 2015, he was appointed the honorary ambassador for the fourth KCON music festival and convention for its first time in Japan. Kangnam also performed at the concert on April 22. He has said that his fluency in both languages will allow him to "act as the bridge between the exchange of culture from both countries."[13][14]

Solo career in Japan (2016)

Kangnam released his Japanese solo debut single album Ready to Fly on May 25, 2016, under CJ Victor Entertainment.[15]

Personal life

On March 16, 2019, Kangnam's agency confirmed that he and Olympic speed skater Lee Sang-hwa are dating. They got to know each other after appearing on the SBS variety show Law of the Jungle ("in Last Indian Ocean" part).[16][17] On August 11, 2019, Kangnam announced his decision to forfeit his Japanese citizenship and has begun the process of becoming a naturalized Korean citizen.[18] Kangnam married Lee on October 12, 2019.

Discography

For Kangnam's work with M.I.B, see M.I.B's discography.

Studio albums
Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[19]
Just Do Well Yourself (댁이나 잘하세요)
  • Released: June 16, 2018
  • Label: JA Entertainment
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 — N/A

Extended plays
Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[19]
Chocolate
  • Released: September 10, 2015
  • Label: Jungle Entertainment
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 16

Singles
Title Year Peak chart positions Sales Album
KOR
[21]		 JPN
[22]
Korean
"Say My Name" 2011 — — N/A Non-album single
"What Do I Do" (어떡하죠) 2014 56 — Chocolate
"My Type" (전통시장)
with Jessi, Cheetah		 2015 2 — Unpretty Rapstar Compilation
"Chocolate"
feat. San E		 — — N/A Chocolate
"Traditional Market" (전통시장)
with Tae Jin-ah		 — — Jin Jin Ja Rah
"Human Destiny" (사람팔자)
with Tae Jin-ah		 2016 — — Non-album singles
"Jangjigijang" (장지기장)
with Tae Jin-ah		 2018 — —
"Just Do Well Yourself" (댁이나 잘하세요) — — Just Do Well Yourself
Japanese
"Ready to Fly" 2016 — 80 N/A Non-album single
"—" denotes song did not chart or was not released in that region.

Filmography

Television series
Year Network Show Role Notes
2013 SBS I Can Hear Your Voice Thief Cameo (episode 17)
2014 Pinocchio Song Cha-ok's student Cameo (episode 20)

Variety show
Year Title Network Notes
2012 W. Military Academy Mnet Main cast
21st-Century Family tvN Host
2014 Inside Story Salon JTBC Main cast
Hello! Stranger MBC Regular cast
Animals MBC Main cast
2014–2015 Off to School JTBC Regular cast
2015–present Law of the Jungle SBS Cast member (Editions in Yap, Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, East Timor, Kota Manado,
Sumatra, Wild New Zealand, Komodo, Cook Islands, Mexico, Sabah, Indian Ocean)
2015 Invisible Man KBS2 Main cast
King of Mask Singer MBC Episode 37 (with the stage name "Musical Prodigy Conductor Mozart")
2016 Cool Kiz On The Block KBS2 Cast member (Episodes 146–149 & 151–163, 166–167)
2017 Elementary School Teacher Main cast
Thinking About My Bias MBC Cast member
Battle Trip KBS2 Contestant with Lee Tae-gon (Episodes 65–67)[25]
2018 태어나서 처음으로 E Channel Main cast
2019 Same Bed, Different Dreams 2: You Are My Destiny SBS Cast member[26][27]
2020 Law of the Jungle – Tribe Chief and GrannySBSEpisode 427–
Cast member with Kim Byung-man, Kim Soo-mi , Park Mi-sun, Jessi, Kim Kang-woo ,Yang Ji- il[28]

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2014 MBC Entertainment Awards New Star of the Year I Live Alone Won
2016 SBS Entertainment Awards Rookie Award, Male Law of the Jungle Won
2019 2019 SBS Entertainment Awards[29] SNS Star Award Same Bed, Different Dreams 2: You Are My Destiny Won

References
  1. "Kick Chop Busters". J Pop Asia. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  2. "Kangnam talks about M.I.B not being popular, the debts to his company + desire to work with San E & Jay Park". All K-Pop. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  3. "Kangnam to re-attend school he got expelled from in Hawaii for 'I'm Going to School'". All K-Pop. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  4. "'Inside Story Salon' it turns out Kangnam attended the prestigious Temple University". Naver via Osen. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  5. "M.I.B Profiles". Freelance. Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  6. "M.I.B's Kangnam jams on the electric guitar in his first CF for Epson". All K-Pop. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
  7. "M.I.B's Kangnam to star in new sitcom, '21st-Century Family'". All K-Pop. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  8. "M.I.B's Kangnam reveals his income from being an idol". All K-pop. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  9. "M.I.B's Kangnam becomes a fixed member of 'I Live Alone'". All K-pop. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  10. "M.I.B's Kangnam and Nam Joo Hyuk become new models for 'ABC Mart'". All K-pop. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  11. "M.I.B's Kangnam Talks About Attending Year-End Festival for the First Time Since Debut". Soompi. December 27, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  12. "M.I.B's Kangnam scores #1 on music charts for the first time since debut". All K-pop. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  13. "KCON 홍보대사 강남 "센스있게 한류 알릴 것"". JoongAng Ilbo. March 22, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  14. Oh, MiJung (March 23, 2015). "M.I.B′s Kangnam Appointed as Honorary Ambassador for ′KCON 2015 Japan′". CJ E&M Mwave. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  15. ""韓国で大活躍"KangNam「ずっと日本デビューしたかった！」デビュー曲MVをKstyle独占先行公開！". KStyle (in Japanese). April 21, 2016.
  16. Dong Sun-hwa (March 17, 2019). "Olympic champ, K-pop star in love". The Korea Times. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  17. Ku Bon-woo (March 18, 2019). "Speed Skater Lee Sang-hwa in Relationship with Singer Kang-nam". The Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  18. "Kangnam Confirmed To Be Preparing For Korean Naturalization". Soompi. August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  19. "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean).
  20. "2015년 09월 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  21. "Gaon Digital Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean).
  22. "週間　シングルランキング". Oricon News (in Japanese).
  23. Cumulative sales of "What Do I Do":
  24. "2015년 Download Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  25. "'배틀트립' 이태곤, 멕시코 칸쿤 '해저 박물관' 위해 스쿠버 다이빙 자격증 취득". Sports Dong-a (in Korean). Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  26. "'동상이몽2' 강남♥이상화, 전격 합류…결혼 비하인드 공개 공식입장" (in Korean). Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  27. "동상이몽2' 강남♥이상화, 혼전 임신 NO…함께 행복하게 쉬고 싶어서 결혼 결정"" (in Korean). Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  28. Kang Seon-ae (November 9, 2020). "72세 김수미, '정글의 법칙' 뜬다…제시와 '센 케미' 기대". sbsfune.sbs (in Korean). Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  29. "[2019 SBS 연예대상]이상윤·양세찬·김희철·윤상현 우수상". Naver (in Korean). December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
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