Jang Su-won (Korean: 장수원; born July 16, 1980) is a South Korean singer.[1] He is best known as a member of the South Korean boy group Sechs Kies and the duet group J-Walk, along with fellow Sechs Kies member Kim Jae-duck.[2][3]
Jang Su-won | |
|---|---|
| 장수원 | |
 Jang in November 2016 | |
| Born | July 16, 1980 |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse |
Ji Sang-eun (m. 2021) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Labels | |
| Member of | Sechs Kies, J-Walk |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 장수원 |
| Hanja | 張水院 |
| Revised Romanization | Jang Su-won |
| McCune–Reischauer | Chang Su-won |
Career edit
SechsKies edit
Jang Su-won followed a friend to try out for DSP audition and got selected. At the interview, he said he was good at nothing and was picked because of this honest answer. It was revealed later that Kang Sung-hun, who had the power of choosing members, chose him for his good looks and positive attitude.[4][5]
He was in his second year of high school when he debuted as Sechs Kies in 1997. He was known to be the most considerate and the youngest of member of the group. Though he had little parts in the group, he was noted for his ease at singing. Sechs Kies achieved great success and became an icon of the 1990s. However, they suddenly disbanded after promotion of fourth album in May 2000.[6]
J-Walk edit
In 2002, Su-won teamed with Kim Jae-duck to form J-Walk under Kiss Entertainment and began to sing more.[2] They released their first album, entitled Suddenly same as hit song in March 2002. "Suddenly" went as high as No. 2 on the music charts. However, their follow up album "Someday" was not as successful.[7] They took SBS Gayo Daejeon Popularity Award with Kang Sung-hun in 2002.
They subsequently collaborated with their former DSP label-mate Click-B to form a project boy group, JnC, under Kiss Entertainment. After releasing their debut project album in 2004, one of Click-B's members left, leaving JnC inactive.[8]
Their first EP Sun Shower(여우비) was delayed until 2007 when they signed with Vitamin Entertainment.[9] J-Walk released their third album My Love in 2008 and Eun Ji-won helped them by participating in the music video and featuring in the title song. Since Kim Jae-duck entered the military shortly after, Su-won had to promote the album by himself. Su-won entered the military in December 2009 and served in Division 15's military band. He was released from the army in October 2011.[10]
After they were discharged from army, J-Walk has signed under A&G Modes and released some digital songs.[11] They returned with mini album "Love...Painfully" with main track "Strive" in December 2013.[12]
Robot Actor edit
In September 2013, Su-won starred in the idol edition of "Love and War" but he was criticized for his poor acting, which has been labeled "robot-acting" and "unwatchable".[13] In 2014, people stopped criticizing him because of his nice attitude and good performance on the show Radio Star. Moreover, he regained fame with his imitations of his poor acting at variety shows which led to many offers of CFs (advertisements).[14] Jang Su-won also starred in the drama "Misaengmool", which was a parody version of the popular drama "Misaeng" as the main character Jang Geu Rae.[15] However, people were dissatisfied with his improved acting skills, and even missed his "robot-acting."[16]
2016: Reunite As SechsKies edit
In 2016, SechsKies finally reunited after their disbandment 16 years ago in a famous Korean variety TV show called "Infinite Challenge". They held a pop-up reunion concert on 14 April, the day before the anniversary of SechsKies' debut.[17] After Infinite Challenge aired, Sechs Kies earned many more fans; their hit songs ranked high in music charts and “Couple” was seen in 11th place in Music Bank.[18]
With their growing popularity, YG Entertainment officially announced that they signed a contract with SechsKies except for Ko Ji Yong on May 11.[19] On October 7, SechsKies released a new digital single "Three Words (세 단어)" which topped all 8 major music charts shortly after release, achieving all-kill status. It also ranked high in Asian music charts and global iTunes in Taiwan and is among top tracks on iTunes charts in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and others.[20]
It is revealed that Su-won wanted to get back together the most in the Radio Star and led the way so he enjoys reunion very much. Also, he received more invitation after reunion and joined many different activities and TV shows.[21]
On November 23, YG announced that SechsKies' new album will be released on December 1, 2016. The new album "2016 Re-ALBUM" contains 10 past hit songs of SechsKies that were rearranged and remastered by YG producers, and is prepared a special gift for fans.[22]
SechsKies continued the Yellow Note concert tour on December 10 in Daegu and on December 24–25 in Busan. On October 31, all SechsKies tour concert seats for December were sold out within a few minutes.
On December 16, YG announced SechsKies is to hold a "Yellow Note Final in Seoul" concert on January 21 and 22 at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium.[23] On December 22, all 13,000 tickets were sold out within three minutes.
At the end of the year, SechsKies won several awards including Click! Star Wars Awards Hall of Fame, the 6th Gaon Chart Music Awards The Kpop Contribution of The Year, the 8th Melon Music Awards Hall of Fame, the 31st Golden Disc Awards Best Male Group Performance and the 26th Seoul Music Awards Bonsang.
2017: The 20th Anniversary edit
On April 19, YG announced that SechsKies' new album "The 20th Anniversary" will be released on April 28, 2017. Along with the release of the album, two title tracks will be promoted are "Sad Song" and "Be Well". The album topped the charts in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia and United States. SECHSKIES's album also topped Mnet, Bugs, Genie and Naver Chart. All the songs in the album made it to the top 100 on the Melon chart, which is remarkable and shows that SECHSKIES has a wide fan base. SechsKies album topped Gaon Chart and Hanteo real time chart, daily chart and weekly chart. "Be Well" also topped Gaon Digital Chart, Download Chart, BGM Chart and Mobile Chart for the 1st week of May. SechsKies held consecutive wins for the title track "Be Well" on MBC Music Core in May. They also won for the #1 spot on KBS Music Bank.[24][25][26]
On May 4, SechsKies held their first fansign event after 18 years at Time Square located in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. The venue was filled with more than 3,000 fans gathered to see them.[27]
On May 12, YG announced that SechsKies' will debuting in Japan after 20 years debut in Korea. SechsKies' album "The 20th Anniversary" Japan Edition will be released on July 19. YG announced SechsKies' will held their first Japan Fan Meeting at the Yokohama Bay Hall in Kanagawa on July 23 and at the Namba Hatch in Osaka on September 3.[28]
On June 9, YG announced SechsKies' will held their first Korea Fan Meeting since their reunion at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Seoul on July 15. On June 26, all tickets were sold out within one minutes.
On August 7, YG announced SechsKies is to hold "20th Anniversary Concert" on September 23 at the Gocheok Sky Dome. On August 22, all tickets were sold out within a few minutes.[29]
After collaboration edit
Su-won opened his own clothing line in the United States and provided uniforms for JYJ Kim Junsu's Hotel.[30] He also has opened a Singapore restaurant, "Yummy Kampong," in Dongdaemun.[31]
Personal life edit
On June 12, 2021, Jang's agency announced that he and his non-celebrity girlfriend were planning their wedding.[32] and the wedding was held on November 14, 2021, in a private ceremony.[33] On March 21, 2024, Jang's wife announced that she was pregnant with the couple's first child.[34]
Discography edit
J-Walk edit
- Suddenly (2002)
- Someday (2002)
- Sun Shower (여우비)(EP) (2007)
- My Love(2008)
- Frappuccino (EP) (2013)
- Love...Painfully (EP) (2013)
JnC edit
- The New History Begins (J-Walk & Click-B Project Album), (2004)
Others edit
- 1990s with Joon Park, Lee Ji-hye, EXID's Hyerin (Digital single from The Event King Of The Month), (2016)
Music credits edit
| Artist(s) | Song Information |
|---|---|
| SECHSKIES |
|
| J-Walk |
|
| Kang Sung-hun |
|
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Seventeen: The Movie | |
| 2005 | Baribari Zzang | |
| 2015 | Sweet Temptation | Suwon |
Variety Shows edit
| Year | Network | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | QTV | Wardrobe Fairy | |
| 2015 | SBS | Law of the Jungle | Episode 154 - 162 |
| MBC | Spot!Tasty Food | ||
| 2015 | tvN | Actor School | |
| DongA TV | To You | ||
| tvN | Lets Go! Time Exploration Season 3 | ||
| K Star | Reform Show | ||
| Channel A | Now On My Way to Meet You | ||
| MBN | Beyond Imagination Show – Real? Fake! | ||
| JTBC | Event King | ||
| SKB | Oksuri 5 Brothers | ||
| 2017 | NaverTV | Plan Man: New Beginning | |
| 2015, 2016, 2017 | SBS | Running Man | Ep. #243, 326, 383 - guest |
Endorsement edit
| Year | Company Name | Item | Co-star |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Mr Hammer | Snack | Sechs Kies |
| 1998 | Elite | Uniform | Sechs Kies |
| 2014 | LG U+ | cellular carrier | |
| Kunlun | Mobile application | ||
| LG Chem | chemicals | ||
| 2015 | Nongshim | Snack | Kim Ye-won |
| Spopad | EMS exercise machines | ||
| 2016 | Body and balance hospital | Medicine Service | |
| ECLADO | cosmetic |
References edit
- ^ "About the artist". Official SECHSKIES Facebook. YG.
Jang Suwon is the official English name.
- ^ a b Gang, Hye-ran (강혜란) (2010-01-23) TV 음악프로에 나들이 나온 사라 장[permanent dead link] (in Korean) JoongAng Ilbo[dead link]
- ^ 젝스키스 장수원 28일 군입대, 2년간 현역복무 예정 (in Korean) MSN News[dead link]
- ^ autobiography from SechsKies forth albums Come'Back,DSP Entertainment
- ^ ‘라디오스타’ 강성훈, 젝스키스 결성 비화 공개 “내가 원하는 멤버로 뽑았다” ["Radio Star" Kang Sunghun Reveals the Secret behind SECHSKIES formation "I picked the members I wanted"] (in Korean). SE Daily. June 2, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
- ^ [연예가소식]인기댄스그룹 '젝스키스' 해체 발표 [Sechskies announced disbandment]. The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). 18 May 2000. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ Artist of the week – J-Walk soompi
- ^ JNC (JNC)-Artist search
- ^ "J-Walk (제이워크)Artist Search". Archived from the original on 2016-12-03. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ (in English)Eun Jiwon Prepares to Welcome Jang Suwon Back Archived 2016-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Cozy Up with J-Walk through Their New Video for “First Day of Snow” soompi
- ^ J-Walk Returns with Mini Album “Love…Painfully” and MV soompi
- ^ (in English)Jang Suwon, Kang Min Kyung, Lizzy, Park Dong Bin To Appear On "Radio Star"
- ^ (in English)Star regains fame with his bad acting
- ^ (in English)“Misaeng” Parody Drama to Air in January
- ^ (in English)Jang Suwon Reveals People Wanted Him To Continue Acting Terribly
- ^ (in English)Excited fans swarm at the surprise reunion of Sechskies on 'Infinity Challenge'!
- ^ (in English)VIDEOSechs Kies re-emerges on Music Bank K-Chart with 1998 hit track, “Couple”
- ^ (in English)Sechskies officially sign on with YG Entertainment!
- ^ (in English)Sechs Kies releases new single, tops charts
- ^ (in English)Jang Suwon and Kim Jaeduck Show up at Kyunghee University
- ^ "YG LIFE | YG announced, "Rebirth of hit songs… SECHSKIES releases new album 'Re-ALBUM'" (Official announcement)". Archived from the original on 2016-11-24. Retrieved 2016-11-23. YG announced, "Rebirth of hit songs… SECHSKIES releases new album ‘Re-ALBUM’" (official announcement)
- ^ Hit 90's band Sechs Kies to hold concert in Seoul
- ^ [공식] '20주년' 젝스키스, 28일 컴백 확정..17년만에 신보 발표
- ^ ‘음악중심’ 젝키, 2주 연속 1위…트와이스·빅스 컴백
- ^ ‘뮤뱅’ 젝스키스, 방송 출연 없이도 1위…이것이 ‘젝키 파워’다
- ^ 젝스키스, 18년만의 팬사인회 3천명 운집..즉석 하이터치회까지
- ^ 젝스키스, 데뷔 20년만에 日정식데뷔…7월 19일 앨범 발표
- ^ [공식]젝스키스, 9월 23일 고척돔서 20주년 콘서트 개최
- ^ (in English)Jang Suwon Says He Provides Uniforms for Kim Junsu's Hotelmwave
- ^ Taking the taste of Singapore to Seoul
- ^ Kim Na-young (June 12, 2021). "젝스키스 장수원, 결혼 전제 열애 中 "평생 함께 하고픈 사람"(공식입장 전문)" [Sechs Kies Jang Su-won, “The person I want to be with for the rest of my life” (full of official position)]. Mk Sports (in Korean). Retrieved June 12, 2021 – via Naver.
- ^ Hwang Hye-jin (October 28, 2021). "젝스키스 장수원, 11월 14일 스타일리스트와 비공개 결혼" [Sechs Kies Jang Su-won, privately married to a stylist on November 14] (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved October 28, 2021 – via Naver.
- ^ Shin, Hyo-ryeong (March 21, 2024). "젝키 장수원, 아빠된다 "시험관 힘들었지만…아기천사 찾아와"" [Jang Su-won of Sechskies becomes a father, “The test tube was difficult, but a baby angel came to visit”] (in Korean). Newsis. Retrieved March 21, 2024 – via Naver.