Wonho (singer)

Lee Ho-seok (Korean: 이호석, born March 1, 1993), known by his stage name Wonho (Korean: 원호), is a South Korean singer under Highline Entertainment.[1] He is a former member of South Korean boy band Monsta X, which debuted under Starship Entertainment in 2015.[2] Wonho made his solo debut on September 4, 2020, with the EP Love Synonym Pt.1: Right for Me.

In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.
Wonho
Wonho performing at AFMF in May 2019
Born
Lee Ho-seok

(1993-03-01) March 1, 1993
Sanbon-dong, Gunpo, South Korea
Occupation
  • Singer-songwriter
  • producer
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2015–present
Labels
Associated acts
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationI Ho-seok
McCune–ReischauerI Hosŏk
Websitewonho-official.com

Career

Early life and debut

Wonho was born on March 1, 1993 in Sanbon-dong, Gunpo, South Korea.

Prior to his official debut, Wonho was part of a project group called Nu Boyz (along with #Gun, Shownu and Jooheon) formed under Starship Entertainment in August 2014. The quartet uploaded multiple tracks to their company's YouTube channel and performed at the opening show of the Starship X concert on December 5, 2014.[3]

In late December, Starship Entertainment and Mnet launched a competition program called No.Mercy and Wonho was selected along with six other participants including Shownu and Jooheon (former members of Nu Boyz) as a member of Starship Entertainment's new boy group Monsta X on the final episode of the show.[4][5]

2015–2019: Monsta X
Main article: Monsta X
Wonho at a fanmeet on May 21, 2016

Wonho debuted in Monsta X, a hip-hop boy group, with the release of their first extended play, Trespass on May 14, 2015.[5][6] Wonho was a vocalist in Monsta X until late 2019 and beginning in 2017, regularly participated in writing, composing and arranging songs for the group.[7][8]

Since 2018, Wonho has featured in several photoshoots for magazines, as well as partnering with brands and promoting campaigns by various fashion magazines. He has appeared alongside his groupmates of Monsta X on several occasions, including Nylon alongside Shownu in January 2018 and GQ in August,[9][10] in both Ceci Korea in June 2018 and MAPS with Minhyuk in December,[11][12] and Grazia with Hyungwon in March 2019.[13] He also participated in a collaboration project with Elle and Tom Ford, alongside Shownu, in promotion of Tom Ford's latest perfume line in August 2019.[14] He also made solo appearances, such as a feature in Dazed in September 2019.[15]

Wonho has been recognized as a celebrity who focuses on fitness and physique, and in several interviews surrounding his photoshoots, he has talked about healthy habits and emphasizing the importance of exercising.[16] In October 2018, he partnered with Under Armour as part of a collaboration with Dazed, to promote an active and healthy lifestyle.[17] He again promoted a healthy lifestyle as part of a photoshoot for Elle's "Body Challenge" campaign in May 2019.[18]

On October 31, 2019, Starship Entertainment announced Wonho's departure from Monsta X following allegations surrounding him,[19] after rumors about the illegal use of marijuana when he was younger surfaced on social media.[20][21][22]

The narcotics investigation team of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency launched an inquiry into the allegations and on March 14, 2020, Starship Entertainment released an official statement announcing that the investigation had been concluded; Wonho had been cleared of all allegations and the rumors were false.[23]

2020-present: Solo debut, Love Synonym part one and two, and first solo concert

Wonho signed with Highline Entertainment, a subsidiary of Starship Entertainment, as a solo artist on April 10.[24] The agency announced that he would be promoting as a solo artist and producer going forward.[25] On May 6, Maverick Entertainment revealed through a Twitter post that they had signed a management agreement with Wonho for his international activities.[26][27][28]

On August 9, Wonho announced the release of his first solo album, Love Synonym Pt.1: Right for Me.[29][30][31] On August 14, Wonho released the pre-release English-language single "Losing You", along with its music video.[32] "Losing You" gained praise for showing Wonho's all-around musicality, including his vocals, participation in the songwriting, composing, and producing of the song.[22][33] The album was released on September 4 with the title track "Open Mind", accompanied by a music video.[28] Wonho had his debut showcase the same day, hosted through V Live.[34][35]

Wonho held his first solo concert on September 27. Due to restrictions from COVID-19, the concert was held online through the streaming platform LiveXLive.[36] Through his concert, Wonho announced his first comeback, with a new EP, which was originally intended to be released by the end of 2020, although without a set date. He pre-released a song from the upcoming EP, "Flash" through his concert.[37][38] On February 3, 2021, Wonho announced that his new EP, Love Synonym Pt.2: Right for Us will be released on February 26.[39]

Discography
See also: Monsta X discography

Extended plays
Title Details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[40]		 JPN
[41]		 UK
Down.
[42]		 US
World
[43]
Love Synonym Pt.1: Right for Me 18319
Love Synonym Pt.2: Right for Us
  • Release date: February 26, 2021[38]
  • Label: Highline Entertainment
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming audio
Track listing
  1. Lose
  2. Devil
  3. Best Shot
  4. Weneed
  5. Ain't About You (feat. Kiiara)
  6. Flash
  7. Lose (English version)
  8. Outro: And[47]
 To be released

Singles
Title Year Peak chart position Sales Album
KOR
[48]		 US
World
[49]
As lead artist
"Losing You" 2020 —— Undisclosed Love Synonym Pt.1: Right for Me
"Open Mind" —[upper-alpha 1]4
As featured artist
"0 (Young)"
(Jooyoung, Mad Clown and Giriboy feat. No.Mercy contestants)[51]		 2015 71— No.Mercy OST Part 3
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Producing and writing credits
Year Artist Song Album Type Ref
2015 Monsta X "Steal Your Heart" Trespass Writing [53]
2017 "Oi" The Clan Pt. 2.5: The Final Chapter Writing
Composing		 [54]
"5:14 (Last Page)" Writing [55][56]
"I'll Be There" Writing
Composing
Arranging		 [57][58]
"From Zero" The Code [59]
2018 "If Only" The Connect: Dejavu [60][61]
"Heart Attack" Take.1 Are You There? Writing [62][63]
"I Do Love U (널하다)" Writing
Composing
Arranging

[64]

 [65][62]
"Spotlight (Korean Ver.)" Writing [62][66]
2019 "No Reason" Take.2 We Are Here Writing
Composing
Arranging		 [67][68]
"Mirror" Follow: Find You Writing
Composing
Arranging		 [69][70]
2020 "Who Do U Love? (will.i.am remix; feat. French Montana)" All About Luv Writing
Arranging		 [71][72]
"Middle of the Night" Writing
Composing		 [73]
"Breathe For You" Monsta X's Puppy Day (Web Reality Show) OST Writing [74][75]
Wonho "Losing You" Love Synonym Pt. 1: Right for Me Writing
Composing
Arranging		 [76]

Music videos
Year Title Artist Director Ref
2020 "Losing You" Wonho PinkLabel Visual [32]
"Open Mind" Desert Beagle [28]

Filmography
Main article: Monsta X § Filmography

Awards and nominations
See also: List of awards and nominations received by Monsta X
Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, recipient of the award, and the result of the nomination
Award ceremony Year Category Recipient Result Ref.
Golden Disc Awards 2021 Disc Bonsang Love Synonym Pt.1: Right for Me Nominated [77]

Notes
  1. "Open Mind" did not enter the Gaon Digital Charts, but peaked at no. 15 on the Gaon Download Charts.[50]

References
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  2. Choi, Shin Ae (November 12, 2014). "Mnet and Starship to Launch Survival Program 'No.Mercy' to Debut New Hip-Hop Boy Group". Yahoo!. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  3. Lee, Jung-hyuk (November 6, 2014). "가요계 점령한 '스타쉽X', 올나잇 콘서트 12월 5일 개최" ['Starship X' occupied by the music industry, all night concert held on December 5, 2014]. Chosun (in Korean). Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  4. Park, Gyu-oh (November 13, 2014). "New idol group to be born through Mnet's 'No.Mercy'". K-pop Herald. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
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  7. Benjamin, Jeff (March 24, 2020). "Monsta X Earn First No. 1 on World Digital Song Sales Chart With 'From Zero' produced by Wonho". Billboard. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
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