Hong Kyung Min

Infobox musical artist
Name = Hong Kyung Min


Img_capt =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Hangul:홍성민
Hanja: 洪性旻
Revised Romanization: Hong Seong Min
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1976|02|09
Origin = Flagicon|South Korea South Korea
Instrument = Guitar, Keyboard, Drums, Saxophone, Harmonica
Genre = K-Pop, Rock, Ballad, Latin Dance
Occupation = Singer, Actor, DJ
Years_active = 1997 - present
Label =
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URL = [http://www.hongkyungmin.co.kr/ Official Site] Infobox Korean name
title=Stage name
hangul=홍경민
hanja=洪景民
rr=Hong Kyeong-min
mr=Hong Kyŏng-min
tablewidth=255
color=khaki

Hong Kyung Min (Hangul: _ko. 홍경민, born on February 9 1976) is a K-pop singer known for his versatility. He is one of a few singers in Korea that excels at many different styles of music, from rock to dance to ballad. He has also proven himself a talented musician and a well rounded entertainer.

Music career

1997-2000

He made his debut as a rock-ballad singer in 1997 with the song “Now” ("이제는"). Hong Kyung Min's style of rock was much unlike any other rock singer. Different from rock singers with loud high-pitched tones, Hong Kyung Min's mid-to-low voice color and stable tone approached listeners with a more comforting sensation.

Although he was acknowledged as a talented singer with his strong husky voice appealing to many music lovers, his place in the pop music market was not significant. However, in 2000, the single “Shaky Friendship” ("흔들린 우정") was released from his third album and became a strong success. The single's release marked a change of style, as Hong broke away from his previous rock-styled songs and moved into the Latin music genre. His third album was a strong success and the best-selling album of Hong's careerFact|date=July 2008, with 280,422 copies sold in its release year. [ [http://miak.or.kr/stat/kpop_2000_2h.htm 2000 Album Chart] . Recording Industry Association of Korea. Retrieved July 18 2008.] As his new style of music continued to increase his popularity, Hong Kyung Min was nicknamed affectionately as “Korea's Ricky Martin”.

2001–2002

Hong Kyung Min's success continued on into 2001, as he released his fourth album, with the hit track "Take It" ("가져가"), a single that blended rock and dance music. His fifth album, "Forever and A Day", saw a brief return to his pop ballad roots with the title track "After" ("후").

2002 marked the five-year milestone in Hong Kyung Min's career. To celebrate he released a two disc compilation entitled "The Hong Kyung Min Best 1997-2002 History" which featured a new disco themed track "Her Charm" ("그녀의 매력"). One disc dubbed "Passion" showcased upbeat dance tracks, while the other disc ("Mood") contained ballads, showcasing Hong's diversity as a singer.

2002 also marked Hong Kyung Min's entrance into the army, putting the singer on hiatus for the next two years.

2004-Present

Having finished full military service at the end of 2004, Hong Kyung Min returned with his sixth album, "Listen and Repeat", with a hit rock song "Tonight". Also featured on this album is "To My Friend", the music video for which had appearances by Hong's real life friends Cha Tae Hyun and Kim Jong Kook.

In September 2006 the singer released his seventh album, "Evolution of Rhythm", which marked Hong's return to the rock genre. With the promotion of his new album, 2006 saw an increase of guest appearances on celebrity talk and game shows. A guest appearance on SBS game show "New X-Man" saw Hong demonstrate his talent of imitating other singers by singing Shin Seung Hoon's "I Believe" in eight different celebrity voices.

The following year marked the ten-year anniversary of Hong Kyung Min's career. On August 28 2007 he released his eighth album "Music for My Life, Life for My Music", a pop ballad album reflecting on the last decade. Close friend and composer Jo Young Soo composed the title song "Fool" ("못난이"), a ballad featuring a harmonica. The sixth track of the album, "Neighbour People, Fighting!!" ("동네 사람들, Fighting!!"), was personally composed and written by Hong Kyung Min himself.

On June 28 2008 he released his ninth album titled "Keep Going". Hong Kyung Min once again changes gears, this time putting more focus into upbeat dance tracks. The album's main track "Come Back, Come Back" ("돌아와 돌아와") features hip-hop duo Mighty Mouth. This marks the first time in six years that Hong Kyung Min has released a dance song as the lead single of his album.

Acting career

In July 2002 Hong Kyung Min made his film debut, starring as himself in the lead role of the satirical comedy "Emergency Measure No. 19" ("긴급조치 19호"). While the film featured many Korean entertainers as guests, the film received largely negative reviews. During an appearance on "New X-Man", Kyung Min mentioned the film as something that he was embarrassed about, but remarked that it was hard not to watch it simply because it was so bad.

Hong eventually moved onto dramas, as he starred opposite actress Lee Young Ah on the MBC romantic comedy series "Love Can't Wait" ("사랑은 아무도 못말려") which aired from January 2 2006 to June 30 2006. He then starred in "Fugitive, Lee Doo Young" (도망자 이두용), a KBS2 mini-series which ran from September 27 2006 to October 5 2006.

In 2007, he had a supporting role in the SBS Drama "The Person I Love" ("사랑하는 사람아"). Starring opposite Kim Dong Wan and Han Eun Jung, the series aired from January 5 2007 to March 27 2007. In the same year, Hong debuted in Japan with the film "I Won't Forget You" ("あなたを忘れない"). The film was released simultaneously in both Japan and Korea. He also performed a song on the movie's soundtrack in both Korean and Japanese languages. The Korean version being penned by Hong himself.

Discography

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Name = Volume 1 - Dedicate


Released = July 1997
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Name = Volume 2 - Free Throw II Shot


Released = September 1998
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Name = Volume 3 - The Third


Released = July 2000
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Name = Volume 4 - The Fourth


Released = March 2001
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Name = Volume 5 - Forever and A Day


Released = December 2001
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Name = Best Hit Album - The Hong Kyung Min Best 1997-2002 History


Released = July 2002
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Name = Volume 6 - Listen and Repeat


Released = December 2004
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Name = Re-make Album - Emotion in Memory


Released = October 2005
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Name = Volume 7 - Evolution of Rhythm


Released = September 2006
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Name = Digital Singles - "That time was great..."


Released = January 2007
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Name = Volume 8 - Music for My Life, Life for My Music


Released = August 28 2007
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Name = Volume 9 - Keep Going


Released = June 28 2008
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Filmography

Dramas

* 2006: MBC "Love Can't Wait"
* 2006: KBS2 "Fugitive, Lee Doo Young"
* 2007: SBS "The Person I Love"

Movies

* 2002: "Emergency Measure 19"
* 2007: "I Won't Forget You "

References

External links

* [http://www.hongkyungmin.co.kr Official Website]
* [http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/enter/music_artists_detail.htm?No=10173 KBS World biography]