Kim Ryeo-wook (born June 21, 1987), best known mononymously as Ryeowook, is a Korean singer-songwriter and occasional actor. He is one of the four lead vocalists of the super boy band Super Junior, and is also a member of Super Junior-K.R.Y and Super Junior-M, two subgroups that are branched out from the main group. Along with four other members of Super Junior, he is one of the first Korean artists to appear on Chinese postage stamps.Biography
Kim Ryeowook was discovered through the CMB Youth ChinChin Festival in 2004 and signed a contract with SM Entertainment soon afterwards after impressing judges with his singing talent. Trained in areas of singing, dancing, and acting, Ryeowook placed particular efforts into his vocal training andmusic composition as he was most concerned in those areas. He plays piano, and will play the accompaniment for other members solos every so often during concerts.
Career
Super Junior
Ryeowook was the last to join Super Junior before Kyuhyun, only joining the group several weeks before their official debut in 2005. Having undergone only two months of training under SM Entertainment, Ryeowook's late addition was rumored to be a replacement of a previous SM trainee that was supposed to debut as a member of Super Junior 05, the first generation of Super Junior.
On November 6, 2005, Ryeowook along with eleven other members of Super Junior 05, officially debuted on SBS's Popular Songs performing the first single "TWINS (Knock Out)." The group released their full studio album a month later, and the album debuted as #3 on the monthly MIAK K-pop album charts. As the group's second single, "Miracle", came to an end, his talent agency was about to recruit new members for the next Super Junior generation, Super Junior 06, with Ryeowook staying as an undergraduate member. However, plans changed and the company declared a halt in forming future Super Junior generations. The group dropped the suffix "05" and became officially credited as Super Junior. The new group hit big after they released their first CD single "U" the following summer in 2006, which became Super Junior's most successful single in the music charts, leading Super Junior to set #1 records in their music career since then. A year later in the fall of 2007, the group released their second official album, Don't Don, which became Super Junior's best-selling album and Korea's second best-selling album of the year.
In late 2006, Ryeowook became a member of Super Junior's first subgroup, Super Junior-K.R.Y. The trio debuted on November 5, 2006 on KBS's Music Bank. In early 2008, Ryeowook was placed in another Super Junior subgroup, Super Junior-M. The subgroup specializes in singing Mandarin songs, including Mandarin versions of Super Junior's Korean songs, bringing the K-pop influence into the Chinese music industry. Super Junior-M is the first international music group in the Chinese music industry to have members of both Chinese and Korean descent. The seven-member group debuted in China on April 8, 2008 at the 8th Annual Music Chart Awards with the release of their first single music video, "U". The subgroup released their first Chinese-language studio album, Me on May 2, 2008. The album debuted on Taiwan's G-music combo charts as #2 and #1 on many of China's and Thailand's music charts.
Ryeowook is also featured in one of K.Will's song "Teardrops". Ryeowook is the first member of Super Junior to have a solo in a Super Junior album in their fourth album entitled Bonamana in the song One Fine Spring Day.
Acting
Ryeowook made his acting debut in the film, Attack on the Pin-Up Boys, a high-school comedy/mystery film, in which he plays the eccentric vice president of the student council. Ryeowook's acting gained positive feedback from critics and he was nominated Best Supporting Actor and Best Comedic Performance at the Korean Movie Awards.
Musical
Ryeowook was cast, together Park Hyung Sik(ZE:A) and Lim Jeong Hee, in the musical "Temptation of Wolves". This musical runs from July 14 to October 30.
Composing
Ryeowook successfully composed a song by himself titled "Memories in Breeze"
Ryeowook's first composition to be officially released was "Love U More", found on the repackaged Sorry, Sorry Version C. He co-wrote the lyrics with fellow Super Junior member Sungmin. Ryeowook is also credited for musical arrangement in the liner notes of the album.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Attack on the Pin-Up Boys (꽃미남 연쇄 테러사건) | Himself | limited release in South Korea |
Drama
| Year | Broadcast | Title | Role | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | CCTV | Stage Of Youth (青春舞台) | Li Xu(Guest star) | Mandarin Chinese |
Music video appearances
| Year | Song Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "S.E.O.U.L." | Super Junior & Girls' Generation |
| 2010 | "When Falling in Love with a Friend" | Him & Beige |
Awards
| Year | Award | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Korean Movie Awards for Best Supporting Actor | Attack on the Pin-Up Boys | Nominated |
| Korean Movie Awards for Best Comedic Performance | Nominated |
