Full Profile and Facts of Hwang Chi-yeol
Name: Hwang Chi-yeol Date of Birth: December 3rd, 1982 Birthplace: Gumi, North Gyeongsang, South Korea Zodiac: Sagittarius Height: 180 cm Weight: 70 kg Blood Type: B Hwang Chi-yeol is a solo artist who was born on December 3rd, 1982. His father was an engineer, while his mother was a teacher. He is the youngest out of three children in the family. Hwang Chi-yeol made his debut in 2007, however, due to circumstances, he had to disappear from the entertainment world. He started to gain popularity again after he was invited to appear in Hunan television satellite’s I Am A Singer. After he got famous again, he started to appear in various television shows in Korea and China, as well as releasing albums. He was also appointed as Tourism Ambassador for Peace of Gangwon Province, Korea Tourism Honorary Ambassador, Honorary Ambassador for the North Gyeongsang Province, and Honorary Ambassador of Korea Airport Railroad (AREX).
Hardships During the Debut Era
Hwang Chi-yeol made his official debut in 2007 with the release of his first full-length album Five Senses. He had the chance to appear on various television programs and radio shows for around one year, but he had to disappear from the stage after his previous management company closed because of financial difficulties. After that, Hwang Chi-yeol had to spend his days working part-time jobs and teaching at music schools as a vocal coach for a living. However, a twist of fortune came to him where China’s Hunan satellite television invited him to participate in the fourth season of a program titled I Am a Singer, a Chinese adaptation of a popular South Korean television singing competition. As a result of his appearance in the program, he became popular across the country and got the nickname “man of the continent.” He won the No. 1 spot for two seasons of the Chinese show and grabbed many chances to appear in many popular Chinese entertainment shows. After getting back into the spotlight, now Hwang Chi-yeol is active again as a solo artist with his beautiful voice.
Appearance on KBS’ Immortal Songs
In 2017, Hwang Chi-yeol made his appearance on Immortal Songs 2 as a host together with Shin Dong-yup, Jung Jae-hyung, and Moon Hee-joon. He made an appearance on the 196th episode of Immortal Songs 2 and joined as a host in the 285th episode until the 354th episode. Not only he appeared as a host, but he also showcased his skills in singing as a competitor on the show. He made a total of 3 wins during his appearances. You can watch his performances on Immortal Songs 2 in the videos below!
So, what do you think about Hwang Chi-yeol’s performances on Immortal Songs 2? Do you like them? You can find more of his Immortal Songs 2 performance videos on the KBS channel on YouTube!
Controversy
It’s not an exaggeration to say that every celebrity’s action and words are always being carefully watched by the public. Even just a single mistake can cause a misunderstanding, and the next day the celebrity’s action or words will become a controversy whether they are doing it consciously or not. Hwang Chi-yeol has also experienced this, where he ignited an online war of words between Korean and Chinese media by commenting on China’s air and water quality. While Hwang Chi-yeol told his story about his recent trip to Changsha during a talk show titled Radio Star, he said that his managers had already warned him about China’s bad air and water quality beforehand. He said that when he arrived at the airport, the air quality was really bad and the water didn’t taste the same. However, at the end of his story, he said that it didn’t matter overall and the environment doesn’t really affect him. Not long after, the singer’s social media was filled with hate comments, mainly from Chinese netizens that said, “Don’t come to China to earn money,” “You are not welcome in China,” and many others. Because of this, Hwang Chi-yeol posted an official apology in Korean and Chinese for causing a misunderstanding. He wrote on Weibo that he actually wanted to express that despite the difference in air quality between his country and China, it didn’t affect his enthusiasm to participate in the shows in China. However, the apology caused another controversy because a media outlet in Korea questioned whether it was necessary for him to apologize at all to China. The program also blamed a translation error in the Chinese subtitles and accused China’s netizens of cyber-bullying Hwang Chi-yeol. This comment triggered another backlash from Chinese netizens, saying, “If you insult the place where I was born and grew up, am I not allowed to insult you back? Would it be okay for one of our celebrities to call Seoul a fourth-tier city?” and other angry comments on Weibo. What do you think about this issue? Do you think that Hwang Chi-yeol should apologize to China, or do you agree with Korean media that he shouldn’t have apologized at all?
Hwang Chi-yeol’s Discography
Studio albums Extended plays Singles