Jang Wooyoung, born on April 30, 1989, better known as Wooyoung, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. From a young age, he harboured a passion for dancing and aspired to pursue a career in music, despite initial opposition from his father. Undeterred, Wooyoung secretly took dance classes with the support of his mother, furthering his skills by studying as a high school dance major at the Seoul School for Arts. Determined to make his dream a reality, Wooyoung auditioned for JYP Entertainment every six months, displaying his persistence and dedication and in 2007, his hard work paid off when he emerged as the winner of JYP Entertainment's inaugural annual official audition, triumphing over 5,000 contestants. On September 4, 2008, Wooyoung made his debut as a member of the popular South Korean boy band 2PM with their first single "10 Points out of 10 Points" from the single album Hottest Time of the Day. Over the years, 2PM released seven studio albums in Korea, including chart-topping records such as 01:59PM (2009), Hands Up (2011), Grown (2013), No.5 (2015), and Gentlemen's Game (2016). They also achieved success in Japan with five studio albums, including smash hits Legend of 2PM (2013), Genesis of 2PM (2014), 2PM of 2PM (2015), and Galaxy of 2PM (2016). In May 2012, Wooyoung embarked on a solo career and released his first solo mini-album titled 23, Male, Single in July, earning him several Golden Disk nominations and winning the SBS MTV Best of the Best Award for Best Male Soloist and the Best Korean New Solo Artist at the YinYueTai V-Chart Awards. He soon expanded his solo career in Japan, making his solo debut in March 2015 with the single "R.O.S.E." releasing two extended plays soon after, namely Party Shots in April 2017 and It Is Still... later that year, both of which reached number 2 on the Oricon charts. In addition to his musical pursuits, Wooyoung ventured into acting, making his debut in the 2011 KBS drama series Dream High. This experience ignited a new passion, and he expressed a desire to continue balancing his acting career with his musical endeavours. Wooyoung's contributions to the music industry continued with the release of his second Korean EP, Bye, in January 2018, which peaked at number 4 on the charts. In June 2023, he released his third Japanese EP, Off the Record, which reached number 6.
