WONHO

Born on March 1st, 1993 in Sanbon-dong, Gunpo, South Korean singer-songwriter and record producer Lee Ho-seok rose to prominence in the mid-2010s under the stage name Wonho. Primed for stardom under the watchful eye of K-pop powerhouse Starship Entertainment, he first made his mark as a member of the four-piece group Nu Boyz alongside singer Shownu and rappers #Gun and Jooheon, with whom he released a slew of well-received singles. However, the group soon disbanded following the launch of Starship’s televised 2014 talent show, No.Mercy, in which they selected seven vocalists to form their new all-male hip-hop group, Monsta X. Successfully securing a place in the group alongside his former colleagues Shownu and Jooheon, Wonho enjoyed a meteoric rise with the collective, who had become one of the world’s biggest K-pop groups by the time that he parted ways with them in 2019. Inking a new deal with Starship subsidiary Highline in 2020, Wonho promptly launched a solo career, with his debut single, the English-language number “Losing You”, landing in August 2020 and garnering tens of millions of streams. His first solo album, Love Synonym Part 1: Right for Me, followed in September. The LP proved a huge success, topping South Korea’s Gaon Album Chart and reaching #9 on Billboard’s World Albums Chart. It was also nominated for a coveted Golden Disc Award.