Cai Xukun (August 2, 1998) is a C-pop star and the leader of the boy band Nine Percent. While he is known primarily as a singer, dancer and rapper, he got his show business start as an actor in the film Half a Fairytale. However, it was the Chinese reality show Super Idol that set him on his path as a pop star. After two seasons of the show, he and several fellow contestants were launched as the boy group SWIN. The group failed to capitalize on fan anticipation, however, and in 2017 Cai sued the group's management for the right to terminate his contract and left the group. He got a second run at the music industry when he entered another idol show, Idol Producer in 2018. Cai again performed well, simultaneously beginning a solo career and joining the group Nine Percent as a result of the show. This time, he fared better on both counts. His solo debut came in the form of the single "I Wanna Get Love" in 2018, while Nine Percent debuted with the single "Rule Breaker" and the album To the Nines that same year. His meteoric ascent to pop stardom continued in the following years with the release of the EPs 1 (2018) and Young (2019) as he issued his studio debut 迷 in 2021, selling over 3 million copies in China alone. In early 2023, his single "Phenomenon" rose to umber 2 on China's Tencent Music charts. In 2024 and 2025, Cai solidified his global presence with chart-topping hits like "Ride or Die," "Afterglow" (a brand collaboration), and "Deadman." Expanding his live reach, he has performed at major international events like Head in the Clouds in Los Angeles and New York, alongside a special birthday showcase at The Fonda Theatre. In February 2026, he released the self-titled album KUN, featuring a collaboration with Free Nationals on the track "Don't Call".
