It’s hard to be a Kpop fan and not know who Byun Baekhyun is. As the main vocalist of Kpop legends EXO, successful solo artist and leader of SuperM, Baekhyun is everywhere. Let’s take a look at his stellar career.
Baekhyun debuted as a member of EXO in 2012, with title track Mama. EXO are widely acknowledged to be one of the most successful Kpop groups of all time, and have contributed greatly to the worldwide success of Korean music.
Baekhyun’s first ever solo song was Beautiful, which was part of the original sound track for the 2015 web-drama EXO Next Door, in which he also featured as an actor. This melodious track showed off his dulcet tones and quickly became a hit.
Since then, Baekhyun has made waves as a solo artist. He is well known for his exemplary voice and star-studded collaboration tracks. Notable collaborations include Dream, featuring former Miss A member Suzy, and Rain, featuring former Sistar member Soyou. Baekhyun’s versatile voice is well suited for duets.
In 2016, Baekhyun debuted as a member of EXO’s first sub-unit, EXO-CBX. The group made waves in the Kpop industry, with high-powered and catchy title track Hey Mama!. Baekhyun even tried his hand as a rapper, which was met with much excitement. EXO-CBX have been hugely successful, having released two Korean mini-albums, several singles and a Japanese album.
Bakehyun’s career took a major leap in July of 2019, when he officially debuted as a solo artist under SM Entertainment. He was the third EXO member to make their official debut, after Lay and Chen. Baekhyun’s first mini album City Lights, featuring title track UN Village, was the best-selling solo album in South Korea since 2003, until it was surpassed by his second mini-album Delight in 2020. City Lights shows off Baekhyun’s impressive vocal range and technical prowess as a singer.
2019 was indeed a successful year for Baekhyun, as he was announced to be the leader of SM Entertainment’s supergroup SuperM. This group is hugely successful both in South Korea and internationally, and are gearing up for the release of their 1st Album Super One. There has even been talk of a potential Grammy award nomination for SuperM.
Baekhyun’s most recent comeback was in May 2020, with a second mini album and title track Candy. With this track, Baekhyun completely switched up his style from the charismatic RnB of UN Village to a more upbeat and playful colour. It seems that RnB is one of Baekhyun’s best suited styles, as he returns to the genre with the sizzling B-side track Love Again.
There is no doubt that whatever Baekhyun puts his mind to, be that acting, designing a fashion label, or singing, he will succeed.
What will Baekhyun be up to next? Watch this space.
