Hong Kyung-min (; born February 9, 1976) is a South Korean singer and actor. As a singer, Hong has released 10 albums and is best known for his 2000 hit song "Shaky Friendship" ().
Music career 1997–2000 He made his debut as a rock-ballad singer in 1997 with the song "Now" ("이제는"). Hong Kyung Min's style of rock was much unlike any other rock singer. Different from rock singers with loud high-pitched tones, Hong Kyung Min's mid-to-low voice color and stable tone approached listeners with a more comforting sensation.
Although he was acknowledged as a talented singer with his strong husky voice appealing to many music lovers, his place in the pop music market was not significant. However, in 2000, the single "Shaky Friendship" ("흔들린 우정") was released from his third album and became a strong success. The single's release marked a change of style, as Hong broke away from his previous rock-styled songs and moved into the Latin music genre. His third album was a strong success and the best-selling album of Hong's career, with 280,422 copies sold in its release year.2000 Album Chart . Recording Industry Association of Korea. Retrieved July 18, 2008. As his new style of music continued to increase his popularity, Hong Kyung Min was nicknamed affectionately as "Korea's Ricky Martin".
2001–2002 Hong Kyung Min's success continued on into 2001, as he released his fourth album, with the hit track "Take It" ("가져가"), a single that blended rock and dance music. His fifth album, Forever and A Day, saw a brief return to his pop ballad roots with the title track "After" ("후").
2002 marked the five-year milestone in Hong Kyung Min's career. To celebrate he released a two disc compilation entitled The Hong Kyung Min Best 1997–2002 History which featured a new disco themed track "Her Charm" ("그녀의 매력"). One disc dubbed "Passion" showcased upbeat dance tracks, while the other disc ("Mood") contained ballads, showcasing Hong's diversity as a singer.
2002 also marked Hong Kyung Min's entrance into the army, putting the singer on hiatus for the next two years.
2004–present Having finished full military service at the end of 2004, Hong Kyung Min returned with his sixth album, Listen and Repeat, with a hit rock song "Tonight". Also featured on this album is "To My Friend", the music video for which had appearances by Hong's real life friends Cha Tae-hyun and Kim Jong-kook.
In September 2006 the singer released his seventh album, Evolution of Rhythm, which marked Hong's return to the rock genre. With the promotion of his new album, 2006 saw an increase of guest appearances on celebrity talk and game shows. A guest appearance on SBS game show New X-Man saw Hong demonstrate his talent of imitating other singers by singing Shin Seung-hun's "I Believe" in eight different celebrity voices.
The following year marked the ten-year anniversary of Hong Kyung Min's career. On August 28, 2007, he released his eighth album Music for My Life, Life for My Music, a pop ballad album reflecting on the last decade. Close friend and composer Jo Young Soo composed the title song "Fool" ("못난이"), a ballad featuring a harmonica. The sixth track of the album, "Neighbour People, Fighting!!" ("동네 사람들, Fighting!!"), was personally composed and written by Hong Kyung Min himself.
On June 28, 2008, he released his ninth album titled Keep Going. Hong Kyung Min once again changes gears, this time putting more focus into upbeat dance tracks. The album's main track "Come Back, Come Back" ("돌아와 돌아와") features hip-hop duo Mighty Mouth. This marks the first time in six years that Hong Kyung Min has released a dance song as the lead single of his album.
Acting career In July 2002 Hong made his film debut, starring as himself in the lead role of the satirical comedy Emergency Act 19 (긴급조치 19호). While the film featured many Korean entertainers as guests, the film received largely negative reviews. During an appearance on New X-Man, Hong mentioned the film as something that he was embarrassed about, but remarked that it was hard not to watch it simply because it was so bad.
Hong eventually moved onto dramas, as he starred opposite actress Lee Young-ah on the MBC romantic comedy series Love Can't Wait (사랑은 아무도 못말려) which aired from January 2, 2006, to June 30, 2006. He then starred in Fugitive, Lee Doo-young (도망자 이두용), a KBS2 miniseries which ran from September 27, 2006, to October 5, 2006.
In 2007, he had a supporting role in the SBS Drama The Person I Love (사랑하는 사람아). Starring opposite Kim Dong-wan and Han Eun-jung, the series aired from January 5, 2007, to March 27, 2007. In the same year, Hong debuted in Japan with the film 26 Years Diary (あなたを忘れない). The film was released simultaneously in both Japan and Korea. He also performed a song on the movie's soundtrack in both Korean and Japanese languages. The Korean version being penned by Hong himself.
Personal life In 2014, Hong married award-winning gugak musician Kim Yu-na, who specializes in the haegeum. The couple first met on the set of Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend when she was one of the musicians accompanying him. They have two daughters Ra-won (born 2016) and Ra-im (born 2019). Hong and his daughters are cast members of the reality show The Return of Superman.
Discography Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales KORDedicate Released: July 1997 Label: Doremi Media Format: CD, cassette rowspan="2" rowspan="2" Free Throw II Shot Released: September 1998 Label: EMI Format: CD, cassetteHong Kyung Min 3 Released: July 15, 2000 Label: Wooffer Entertainment Format: CD, cassette 2 KOR: 280,422Hong Kyung Min 4 Released: March 19, 2001 Label: Wooffer Entertainment Format: CD, cassette 10 KOR: 159,387Forever and a Day Released: December 1, 2001 Label: Wooffer Entertainment Format: CD, cassette 6 KOR: 108,468Listen and Repeat Released: December 17, 2004 Label: Maru Entertainment Format: CD, cassette — rowspan="2" Evolution of Rhythm Released: September 26, 2006 Label: Maru Entertainment Format: CD, cassette —Music for My Life, Life for My Music Released: August 28, 2007 Label: Maru Entertainment Format: CD 20 KOR: 4,148Keep Going Released: July 1, 2008 Label: Maru Entertainment Format: CD 27 KOR: 3,181Someday Released: August 20, 2009 Label: Maru Entertainment Format: CD, digital download rowspan="2" Special Edition Released: February 4, 2010 Label: Maru Entertainment Format: CD, digital download 14
Compilations albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales KORThe Hong Kyung Min Best 1997–2002 History Released: August 5, 2002 Label: Wooffer Entertainment Format: CD, cassette —
Remake albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales KOREmotion in Memory Released: September 30, 2005 Label: Maru Entertainment Format: CD, cassette — rowspan="2" Immortal Song (불후의 명곡) Released: December 28, 2011 Label: Maru Entertainment Format: CD, digital download 18
Feature album Song Album InformationWe Will Protect You Song: We Will Protect You Released: February 4, 2021 Label: Sound Republica Artist: Dream-I Format: CD, digital download
Digital singles Single # Single Information 1"That time was great..." Released: January 2007 Language: Korean With Kim Ah-sun2"I Don't Know" Released: December 2008 Language: Korean 3"Cheer Up Song" Released: 2016 Language: Korean With Cha Tae-hyun 4"DaDaDa" Released: July 17, 2018 Language: Korean 5"Archive People" Released: February 17, 2019 Language: Korean With Cha Tae-hyun and Samuel 6"그대가 그대라서" Released: April 15, 2019 Language: Korean 7"Good Old Days" (그날처럼) Released: January 28, 2020 Language: Korean Feat. Ma Ji 8"Ballad for the Daughter (딸 있는 이를 위한 발라드)" Released: June 5, 2020 Language: Korean 9"Takedown" Released: June 6, 2020 Language: Korean With Cha Tae-hyun 10"More Money" Released: May 13, 2021 Language: Korean With Novasonic 11"Shaky Friendship" Released: August 11, 2021 Language: Korean With No Band
Filmography Film 2002: Emergency Act 19 2007: 26 Years Diary 2017: Because I Love You
Television drama YearTitleNetworkRole2003ArgonMBCHan Joon-young2005–2006Can Love Be Refilled?KBS22006Love Can't WaitMBCKim Tae-kyungFugitiveKBS2Lee Doo-youngBehind the White TowerMBCCameo2007The Person I LoveSBS Yoon Tae-joo2012The Strongest K-Pop SurvivalChannel ACEO JangI Do, I DoMBC Cameo2014Lovers of MusicKBS2Cameo (as MC of Survival Song, Ep 5)A Better TomorrowNaver TVNoh Do-jeon2015The ProducersKBS2 Cameo (as station producer)2017Hit the TopPark Young-jae2019The Golden GardenMBC Cameo
Variety show YearTitleRole 2008We Got Married (Pilot: "2008 Lunar New Year Special")2014–presentAsk MathMC2017Dragon Club – Childish Bromance Main cast2019King of Mask SingerContestant as "Right King", episodes 199–2002019–2020The Return of SupermanCast with his children Ra-won and Ra-im2020Voice TrotContestant2020–presentPerfect LifeMC2020–2021Trot National Festival Coach 2022 Camping in LoveHost 2023 Golf Battle: Birdie Buddies 5 Cast Member Express Delivery Mongolia Edition Cast Member
Radio show YearTitle2001–2002Hong Kyung-min's Declaration of Freedom2003–2004Hong Kyung-min's Invincible Armed Forces Broadcasting System2011–2012South Korea's English Headquarter2020–2021Ssaeng Soo Da 2022 Cultwo Show (Special DJ)
Awards and nominations AwardYearCategoryNomineeResult Golden Disc Awards2000Main Prize (Bonsang)"Shaky Friendship"KBS Entertainment Awards2015Top Entertainer AwardImmortal Songs 22019Grand Prize (Daesang)The Return of Superman2020Best Entertainer AwardThe Return of SupermanTop Excellence AwardThe Return of SupermanImmortal Songs 2KBS Song Festival2000Singer of the Year – Youth Sector (Bonsang)Hong Kyung-min2001MAMA Awards2000Best Artist"Shaky Friendship""2000 MMF part 1". MAMA. Retrieved June 25, 2014.2001Best Dance Performance"Take It""2001 MMF part 1" . MAMA. Retrieved July 23, 2014.MBC Drama Awards2006Special Award – Serial DramaLove Can't WaitSBS Gayo Daejeon2000Popularity AwardHong Kyung-min2001Dance Award
References
External links
Hong Kyung-Min biography at KBS World