After a heavy schedule of appearances around the world since last November, South Korean K-pop group EXO are finally winding down their EXO Planet #4 – The Elyxion tour.
The tour started in Seoul and included two sold-out shows in Hong Kong in June, and the boys returned to home turf for three more sold-out shows in Seoul in mid-July.
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While the tour will end with two shows at Macau’s Cotai Arena on August 10 and 11, the nine members of the boy band show no signs of slowing down. Last month, the group celebrated their first “Twitterversary” by introducing a new Twitter emoji to the platform, featuring a black and yellow logo.
Central to the group’s success has been Chanyeol, the group’s main rapper and vocalist.
His early life
Born Park Chanyeol, the 25-year-old grew up in Seoul, the South Korean capital, with his older sister. Chanyeol’s parents enrolled him in a private acting school when he turned 16. He says he decided on a career in music after watching the Jack Black film School of Rock while in junior school.
His role in EXO
After studying music and learning to play the drums, Chanyeol joined South Korean entertainment company SM Entertainment in 2008. He underwent a few more years of training before he was announced as the last member of EXO in 2012.
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As the main rapper in the group, Chanyeol is known for his smooth vocal skills, as well as for being a multi-instrumentalist who now plays guitar, piano and other instruments.
His image
Chanyeol admits he is known for having a baby face as well as a surprisingly deep voice. He is also renowned for his bright smile, and fans have given him the nickname “Wealthy Teeth”. Asked by Japan’s Nonno magazine about his best features, Chanyeol said: “[I like] everything [about myself]. I think my eyes and ears really set me apart, though.”
His solo work
In 2015, Chanyeol starred in a supporting role in Salut d’Amour, a South Korean romantic comedy about an old man who falls in love with a neighbour. Since then, he has starred in several more films, including the Chinese movie So I Married an Anti-fan, as well as TV dramas. Soon, he’ll be on TV screens again, playing a supporting role in upcoming drama Memories of the Alhambra.
In his words
“When I was younger, I played the drums and was in a band, so I only played and listened to rock music. In high school, my tastes expanded to hip hop, then during my time as a trainee I listened to a lot of jazz and hip hop.
“Normally [I listen to] dubstep while learning dance moves, and I listen to electronic music sometimes too … My playlists are on shuffle so I always end up listening to a variety of music,” he said in an interview with South Korea’s The Celebrity magazine.
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“The lyrics I write come more from an abundance of imagination rather than a lot of experiences. Every day before I sleep, I have all kinds of thoughts and when I fall asleep, I imagine my very own movie … I think I write my lyrics according to how I feel during this time,” he said of his approach to songwriting in the interview with The Celebrity.
