Zhou Mi (born April 19, 1986) is a Chinese singer active in South Korea and China signed under SM and co-managed with Baymon for his China-based activities. He debuted in 2008 as an exclusive member of the Super Junior's Chinese sub-group Super Junior-M,"Super Junior-M debuts in China new album sweeps music scene (Super Junior-M出道中国 新碟引爆内地歌坛)" Ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved December 25, 2011 and later participated in SM Entertainment's project group SM the Ballad. Aside from group activities, he also participates in various television variety shows, radio shows, and dramas. He released his first solo EP entitled Rewind in 2014. In 2016, SM established its own management group for his activities in China, Zhoumi Studio (周觅工作室).
Early life Zhou Mi was born in Wuhan, Hubei province, China on April 19, 1986, the only child of his family. He has been interested in music since childhood.
Zhou Mi studied Broadcasting at Beijing Normal University at Xicheng District as well as a campus in Zhuhai Guangdong.
Career 2002–2007: Pre-debut In 2002, at age 16, Zhou Mi attended and won his first large-scale singing competition, MTV's Second Annual National Newcomer Singing Competition. After winning the national championship, he was approached for a record deal but turned it down to continue his studies. This happened multiple times up until 2006.
In 2003, Zhou Mi won the title of Lively Star in the Wenquxing Star Ambassador Selection Competition. The contest earned him both a guest spot on Hunan TV's Happy Camp variety show and a spokesperson role for Wenquxing, an electronic dictionary maker.
At the Seventh Annual Shanghai Asian Music Festival Newcomer Singing Competition in 2004, Zhou Mi earned first place in the coastal region, as well as the National Newcomer Award.
Zhou Mi continued to participate in multiple singing competitions in 2005, even after moving from Beijing to Zhuhai, in southern Guangdong Province, for his studies. In 2005, he won four national championships and one regional championship, as well as a popularity contest at his university. He also was invited to sing at a Wang Leehom fanmeeting.
Zhou Mi made a name for himself in the Chinese entertainment scene by participating in competitions. In 2006, Zhou Mi joined CCTV's Challenging the Host, a televised national competition for aspiring MCs from all over China. As a representative of Guangzhou, Zhou Mi and 79 other contestants attended an offscreen training camp, learning about broadcasting from professionals and CCTV mentors. Zhou Mi proceeded to the next round easily during the 80 to 40 challenge (Guangzhou vs. Haarbin, aired May 25, 2006), and again during the 40 to 16 challenge aired July 30, 2006. Before the final 16 could compete, Zhou Mi received an offer from SM Entertainment and decided to put his studies on hold in order to go to Korea in late 2006. In 2007, Zhou Mi won the grand prize at the SM UCC Star Audition, although he didn't audition live. The auditions were conducted online from March 27 to early July 2007. His Korean friend, Kim Ki Hoon, signed him up to audition through the "Recommend a Friend" category, where he uploaded a video of Zhou Mi singing. he performed a song from South Korean Band Toy (토이) with the titled 내가 너의 곁에 잠시 살았다는걸 (That I was Once by Your Side), and then he signed a contract with SM Entertainment and began his trainee career.
Zhou Mi was appeared as MC the showcase of Zhang Liyin, and a few months later, he debuted in China as a member of Super Junior-M.
2008–2009: Career beginnings
Zhou Mi debuted as the main vocalist of Super Junior-M in 2008. They debuted in China at the 8th Annual Music Chart Awards, simultaneously with the release of their first music video, "U" on April 8, 2008. Their first studio album, Me, was released on April 23, 2008. Their album debuted in Korea's MIAK Monthly Charts as #10 " MIAK Monthly Charts of April Retrieved May 17, 2008. and reached #1 in China's Top in Music chart. Top in Music For this album he wrote three songs: "Love Song", "A Man in Love", and "Marry U".
Super Junior-M's first mini-album, Super Girl, was released on September 23, 2009. For this album he wrote two songs entitled "Confession" and "You and Me". The mini-album won many awards and even earned the group a nomination for "Best Vocal Group" at the 21st Golden Melody Awards, the Chinese equivalent of the Grammy Awards.
2010–2012: Hosting, comeback with Super Junior-M, and acting debut In 2010, alongside his group activities, Zhou Mi also hosted a Chinese show entitled Korean Impression. This is a mainland travel-based show that focuses on Korea's latest news and cultural history. Each episode covers several cultural topics unique to Korea, including things like recent fashion trends, Kpop idols, cuisine, and cultural attractions. Zhou Mi wrote three songs for Kangta's Chinese EP Breaka Shaka in 2010 - the lead single "Breaka Shaka", "Remember", and "Many Times".
In February 2011, Zhou Mi played a supporting role in the Chinese drama Melody of Youth, which became his debut in that industry. He was also featured in the OST on the ending theme song "Youth Melody", and, along with other cast members, "Dandelion". Super Junior-M's second EP Perfection was released on February 23, 2011. For this album he wrote the song "True Love". Avex Taiwan Perfection EP info February 25, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-02 The album was one of the best-selling albums of 2011 in Taiwan. 南海網 SJ-M《太完美》台灣再版 官方網站18日正式開通 2011-05-19. Retrieved 2014-05-21 He joined Super Junior-M with Henry Lau for the single "Santa U Are The One" taken from SMTown's eighth winter album, 2011 Winter SMTown – The Warmest Gift, which was released in December 2011. Zhou Mi participated in the OST for Siwon and Donghae's Taiwanese drama series Skip Beat! on the track "Goodbye (不留紀念)". This song was released on December 11, 2011.
In 2012, Zhou Mi was cast as the main role in the idol drama When Love Walked In alongside label-mate Victoria Song, and Calvin Chen of the group Fahrenheit. The drama premiered on August 27 on Anhui, Hubei, Shaanxi and Sichuan Satellite TV, and reached the number one spot in viewership ratings.
2013–2014: Comeback group, SM The Ballad, and solo debut with Rewind
Super Junior-M's second studio album, Break Down, was released on January 7, 2013, along with a single by the same name. The album includes three songs written by Zhou Mi - "Go", "It's You" and "Tunnel". The music for these songs were composed by fellow Super Junior-M member Henry Lau and his team Noize Bank. Their Korean-language version of "Break Down" was released on January 31. On the same day, they made their official debut in Korea on Mnet's M Countdown. Malaysian singer and composer Michael Wong contributed to this album by composing a song for Zhou Mi, called "Distant Embrace", with lyrics by Hong Kong singer and actress Crystal Cheung. The lyrics of "Distant Embrace" are about the faint pain of a love. On April 7, 2013, Zhou Mi released a travel scrapbook entitled Thai Perfect which documented his travel experience in Thailand. Two versions of the book were released on December 5, 2013, one written in traditional Chinese, the other in simplified Chinese. In April 2013, Zhou Mi was cast in the movie Rhythm of Rain (聽見下雨的聲音). He played a big boy who has a bright personality who is very sincere. This movie was directed by lyricist Vincent Fang and was released on October 4, 2013. Later in 2013, Zhou Mi was chosen to be a radio DJ on MBC's C-Radio Idol True Colour with Miss A members Jia and Fei. The program on the new media platform showcases content produced by the network and targets the large number of 'hallyu' or 'Korean wave' fans in China. The network produced one episode each week, and the show was released to Chinese viewers on a Chinese video site such as Youku and Tudou, without going through a Chinese broadcasting station.
In February 2014, Zhou Mi became a new member of the ballad group SM The Ballad, initially formed in 2010. Zhou Mi participated in the group's second album, Breath, performing the Chinese version of "Blind". Zhou Mi performed his song at the S.M. The Ballad Joint Recital on February 12.SM ballad artists serenade fans in joint recital The Korea Herald. February 13, 2014. Retrieved on 2015-01-09. He also performed this song on Arirang's music program Simply K-Pop, MBC M's music program Show Champion, and SBS MTV's music program The Show. In February 2014 Zhou Mi also appeared on music competition program Immortal Song (不朽之名曲), he performed Wild Lilies Also Have A Spring (野百合也有春天) by Michelle Pan. In March 2014, Super Junior-M's third mini album, Swing, was released. The EP consists of six songs, which were released for digital download on March 21, 2014, in China and Taiwan by S.M. Entertainment. In this album, Zhou Mi contributed lyrics to their lead single, "Swing", and another song entitled "Fly High". The group released the album on Korean music sites, such as MelOn, genie, Naver music and more, on March 31, 2014, and promoted it on Korean music programs. In July 2014, Zhou Mi was chosen to host the Korean-Chinese Variety Show titled Strongest Group with his labelmate Victoria Song. Zhou Mi then wrote the Chinese version of the track "Run" for another SM group, EXO's, second EP Overdose. In August 2014, Zhou Mi served as one of the main cast members and stood out as the universal interpreter or translator and a key facilitator on Super Junior-M’s Guest House. This is a Chinese-Korean reality/variety travel program produced by SBS in collaboration with Youku Tudou. It featured Super Junior-M members acting as tour guides and hosts, offering fans a special “guesthouse” experience with hidden spots, food, and cultural activities in Korea. He also hosted the “Auditions with Zhou Mi” segments where fans competed for the chance to join the show. These were humorous and highlighted his charming, witty personality. The program mixed travel reality with fan-interaction elements, and Zhou Mi’s bilingual abilities and easygoing charm made him a central figure. In September 2014, Zhou Mi and his labelmate Victoria and Amber made joint appearances in Taipei, Taiwan, representing the South Korean fashion retail group ELAND, which helped merge Korean streetwear trends with the local market. On October 22, 2014, Zhou Mi became an MC for season 4 of the SBS MTV's music program The Show with Park Ji-yeon (T-ara) and Hongbin (VIXX). His first solo EP Rewind was released on October 31, 2014. This single featured members of each sub-group of EXO as rappers - the Chinese version featured EXO-M's rapper Tao, and the Korean version featured EXO-K's rapper Chanyeol. All tracks on his debut album were written by Zhou Mi himself. In December 2014, Zhou Mi and his labelmate TRAX performed on Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend (불후의 명곡: 전설을 노래하다): Lee Bong Jo, they performed a song entitled "Despite Your Smile (웃는 얼굴 다정해도)" by Yoon Bok-hee.
2015–2019: Acting role, What's Your Number?, and fanmeeting
Zhou Mi appeared as the Talk MC on the new season of fashion survival show Fashion King - Secret Box, which premiered on April 25, 2015. This was a survival show starring top Korean and Chinese celebrities. In 2015, Zhou Mi was cast in the drama Best Couple He played as Yan Xi Cheng, who comes from a poor background and through hard work becomes a top star. He finds himself emotionally involved with his first love, fake wife and admirer. This drama is set in the modern day Korean entertainment industry and is the first TV production project from China's e-commerce company Alibaba. This drama aired in China in early 2016, and garnered more than 100 million views. Zhou Mi also participated in Super Junior special album, Devil, was released to celebrate the group's 10th anniversary. He wrote lyrics for "Forever with You", which was sung by Super Junior-M.