Kim Hyung-soo (; born December 30, 1981), better known by his stage name K.Will (), is a South Korean singer. The name is a combination of the first letter 'K' of his last name 'Kim' and the English word 'Will'. He debuted in 2007 and has since become known for his chart-topping ballads. He has also been dubbed the "Prince of OST" for his frequent Korean drama soundtrack appearances.
K.Will has released four full-length albums: Left Heart (2007), Missing You (2009), The Third Album (2012–2013), and The Fourth Album (2017–2018).
Career
2003–2008: Career beginnings and breakthrough with Left Heart Prior to his debut, K.Will trained to be a singer for five years under producer Bang Si-hyuk. He also worked as a "guide vocal," singing demos of songs that would ultimately be recorded by other artists including TVXQ, g.o.d. and Rain. During this time, he was dubbed the "male Mariah Carey," after a video of him singing Carey's songs became popular on South Korean websites.
K.Will released his debut album, Left Heart (), on March 6, 2007 via Bang's label Big Hit Entertainment. Producer Park Jin-young composed the album's title song, which reached number 3 on the Melon digital chart shortly after its release.
In January 2008, K.Will left Big Hit and joined his agent Kim Shi-dae's new company Starship Entertainment. On December 2, 2008, he released the digital single "Love 119", featuring rapper MC Mong. The single reached number 1 on various online music charts.
2009–2011: Missing You, first "all-kill" and Immortal Songs K.Will released his first extended play, Dropping the Tears (), featuring a title track of the same name, on March 31, 2009. The song topped online music charts the day after its release. On November 5, he released his second album, Missing You (). The album's title song was a success on South Korean charts. K.Will held his first solo concert, a sold-out performance at Yonsei University in Seoul, on December 25.
On March 10, 2010, K.Will released the single "Present" (), featuring Eun Ji-won. The song was an instant success, topping real-time online music charts following its release. That May, K.Will held a sold-out solo concert in Tokyo, followed by a concert in Osaka in July. In December, he also sold out two solo concerts in Seoul.
On January 21, 2011, K.Will released the single "Amazed" (), featuring rapper Simon D and Hyolyn of girl group Sistar. The song rapidly reached the top of several music charts. On March 10, K.Will released his second mini album, My Heart Beating (), featuring the lead single of the same name. The single was an "all-kill", topping all major South Korean real-time music charts simultaneously. It was K.Will's first number 1 single on the weekly Gaon Digital Chart. The single also marked the first time K.Will won first place on a South Korean music chart television show, with his April 3 win on Inkigayo.
K.Will held his third solo concert in Seoul on June 25, 2011, featuring guests Wheesung, Lee Hyun and Sistar. He held his annual Christmas concert over three days in December, featuring special guests Wonder Girls and Orange Caramel. He also finished out the year as a contestant on the TV show Immortal Songs 2, which he left in January 2012 after setting a record of five consecutive wins in the singing competition.
2012–2016: The 3rd Album and continued chart-topping success On February 14, 2012, K.Will released his third mini album, I Need You (). The title song of the same name peaked at number 1 on the Gaon Digital Chart, while the album's pre-release single, "I Hate Myself" (), reached number 2. On October 11, K.Will released The 3rd Album, Part 1, including the title track "Please Don't..." (). The song was an instant success on South Korean music charts. The music video, starring Ahn Jae-hyun, Seo In-guk, and Dasom, received both domestic and international attention for its twist ending featuring a same-sex crush.
On April 4, 2013, K.Will released The 3rd Album, Part 2, with the lead single "Love Blossom." The song was another hit, debuting at number 2 on the Gaon Digital Chart. K.Will released his fourth mini album, Will in Fall, on October 18. The lead single, "You Don't Know Love" (), was his third number 1 hit on the Gaon Digital Chart.
On June 25, 2014, K.Will released his fifth mini album, One Fine Day, featuring the lead single "Day 1" (), which peaked at number 2 on the Gaon Digital Chart. He released his fifth mini album, [Re:] and its lead single "Growing" (), on March 25, 2015. The song was an instant hit in South Korea, and also performed well on Chinese digital charts.
In 2016, K.Will again topped the charts. His digital single "You Call It Romance" (), featuring Davichi, ranked number 2 on the Gaon Digital Chart following its January release. That March, his song "Talk Love" (말해! 뭐해?), from the soundtrack to the television series Descendants of the Sun, reached number 1 on the chart.
2017–present: The 4th Album K.Will released The 4th Album Part 1 [Nonfiction] on September 26, 2017, along with an accompanying music video for the title track "Nonfiction" (). On October 28, 2018, K.Will revealed the tracklist for The 4th Album Part.2 [想像; Mood Indigo], and an album teaser was released three days later. The album was released on November 6, with K.Will co-producing each song.
In February 2020, K.Will renewed his contract with Starship Entertainment.
On August 12, 2022, it was announced that K.Will will begin the nationwide Here and Now tour, to be held in October.
Discography
Left Heart (2007) Missing You (2009) The 3rd Album (2012–2013) The 4th Album (2017–2018)
Tours
I Need You (March–April 2012) K Daebak Tour (February 2014) Bromance Show (with Wheesung) (May 2019)
2018-19 Concert Tour: The K.Will (December 2018–February 2019) 2019-20 Concert Tour: The K.Will (December 2019–March 2020) Here and Now (October–December 2022)
Filmography
Television dramas Year Title Role Notes 2009 Soul Special Park Ju-ho Web series 2011 Spy Myung-wol Himself Cameo in episode 102015Hyde Jekyll, MeHimselfCameo in episode 18 The Producers Himself Cameo in episode 9
Reality television Year Title Notes 2011–2012Immortal Songs 2Contestant2014–2015Real MenCast member2016Vocal War: God's VoiceContestant2017King of Mask SingerContestant as "Cute Baby Seahorse"2019Super HearerHearer2021Tomorrow's National SingerJudge
Musical productions TitleYearsRoleLocationNotesHell's Kitchen2026DavisGS Art Center (Gangnam District, Seoul)Written by Kristoffer Diaz, Directed by Michael Greif, Music by Alicia Keys
Awards and nominations
Award ceremonyYearCategoryNominee / WorkResultCyworld Digital Music Awards2011Song of the Month - March"My Heart Beating"Daegu International Musical Festival Awards2017Best New PerformerK.Will (for Notre-Dame de Paris)Gaon Chart Music Awards2012Artist of the Year in Digital Music - FebruaryK.WillGolden Disc Awards2007Rookie Artist of the Year2009Digital Bonsang"Dropping the Tears"2010Album BonsangMissing You2012Digital Bonsang"My Heart Beating"Song of the Year2013Digital Bonsang"I Need You"Song of the Year2014Digital Bonsang"Love Blossom"2015Digital Bonsang"Day 1"Song of the YearKorea Entertainment Arts Awards2010Male Ballad Singer AwardK.WillKorean Video Festival2009Photogenic AwardMAMA Awards2007Best New Artist"Left Heart""2007 Mnet KM Music Festival Part1". MAMA. Retrieved 2014-12-14.2010Best Vocal Performance - Solo"Missing You"2011"My Heart Beating"2012"I Need You"Best Male ArtistK.Will2013Best Vocal Performance - Male"Love Blossom"2014"Day 1"Melon Music Awards2009Top 10 Artist (Bonsang)K.Will 2012Best R&B/Ballad Award"Please Don't"2013"You Don't Know Love"Winners from the '2013 MelOn Music Awards'!Seoul Music Awards2012R&B Ballad AwardK.Will20132014TV Writers Association2007Top Rookie Singer Award
References
External links