Kim Ryan is the Featured Idol of April 2022
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Kim Ryan (김라이언) is a South Korean soloist under Bee Entertainment. He debuted on March 2nd, 2022 with the mini album LION.
History[]
Early Life[]
Kim Ryan was born on October 13th, 2003, in Incheon, South Korea.
Pre-debut[]
In November 2018, Ryan was announced to have joined Bee Entertainment as a part of the STYLE BEES along with Lee Seobin and Bae Kyulseong. At the 2019 Bee Entertainment Trainee Showcase, Ryan performed ROCKSTARS by FPS and performed TROUBLE by Hyolin as a part of the vocal team. At the Bee Family Christmas Showcase 2019, Ryan performed Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives with other Bees trainees.
The 2020 Bee Entertainment Trainee Showcase was canceled due to the pandemic, so Ryan was unable to perform. On December 25th, 2020, Ryan participated in Bee Entertainment’s Snow Light single album as a part of the Snow Bees. At the Bee Family Christmas Showcase 2020, Ryan performed This Christmas by Donny Hathaway.
At the 2021 Bee Entertainment Trainee Showcase, Ryan performed FOLLOW THE LOVE by FPS as a part of the A+ unit and Alive by Snowflake as a part of the vocal team. In July 2021, Bee Entertainment decided to begin preparations to debut another soloist, as Hyolin was planning to retire from the industry due to health reasons. After careful consideration, Ryan was chosen to become the company’s next solo artist due to his skills in dance and vocals.
Career[]
On January 20th, 2022, Kim Ryan was announced to the public as Bee Entertainment’s next solo artist. Bee Entertainment revealed that Ryan would release two pre-debut singles before his debut. The first of the two pre-debut singles Find You was released on January 29th, 2022. Despite being a pre-debut release, Find You reached 5th place on Tune In! and stayed in KTB Music Show’s top 5 for three weeks with two weeks in 3rd place and one week in 5th place.
The second pre-debut single 귤 (Tangerine) was released on February 12th, 2022. 귤 (Tangerine) matched Find You’s success, reaching 3rd place on KTB Music Show, 3rd place and 4th place on The Core Music Show, and 3rd place on Smile Groove Music Show.
Kim Ryan debuted on March 2nd, 2022, with the mini-album LION and the title track “라이언 (LION)”. The mini-album included both of his pre-debut singles as b-sides. Ryan’s reputation for being a 4th generation artist with music that was friendly towards the general public had grown since the release of 귤 (Tangerine). With “라이언 (LION)”, that reputation exploded into mainstream success. Several clips of the song had been released before March 2nd as a part of the marketing campaign for the debut release. The campaign was successful, as the clips found their way into various online spaces and caused “Kim Ryan” to rank in music search trends. “라이언 (LION)” debuted at #99 on the MelOn Daily Chart, but rose swiftly to #49, eventually reaching a peak of #25. On the Gaon Digital Chart, “라이언 (LION)” debuted at #74 and rose to #12. Ryan received his first win for “라이언 (LION)” on March 3rd at The Core Music Show. This was followed by a second win on March 6th at Hallyumak.
On May 20th, Ryan was featured on LXXK’s comeback DEEP in the track “SINKING”.
On July 14th, Ryan performed at SGA Summer Blast Festival 2022.
On July 14th, Ryan was featured on YUKI’s comeback Like Dancing in the track “FANcy”. The track video for the song was released on July 19th.
On August 13th, Ryan announced his official fandom name. He announced that individually, the fans are SAJAYAN, and collectively the fans are PRYDE. On August 17th, gossip site Transmit leaked what appeared to be an album cover for Ryan’s upcoming comeback titled School Days. On August 19th, Ryan confirmed the leak and announced the comeback.
On September 4th, 2022, Ryan made his first comeback with the EP School Days and the title track “LONELY”. “LONELY” was a melancholic, tropical acoustic pop track that appealed strongly to the general public, even more than “라이언 (LION)” did. “LONELY” reached the top 10 of the MelOn Daily Chart, and topped several other digital charts for a few days in a row. On the Circle Digital Chart, “LONELY” rose to #4. The first win for “LONELY” came from The Core Music Show on September 8th. This was followed by wins on Smile Groove Music Show on September 9th, and Hallyumak and The Shining Star on September 11th. On September 9th, Ryan performed “Timeless” by NCT U as a part of a special stage on Smile Groove Music Show.
Ryan performed “TROUBLE” by Hyolin, “La-La-Latte”, “Our Way To Go” by FINEKIZ, “CRUSH” by Clover, “1 of 9” by H6bble, and “마음의 아픔” by Geonu on October 19th on Personal Live.
Ryan released Chilly Wind as a part of the Christmas Wishes Project. The song’s sentimental and powerful storytelling within its lyrics caught the attention of the public.
At the Shining Groove Awards, Ryan won Best Rookie Artist. At The Collective Performing Arts Awards, Ryan was nominated for Soloist of the Year. At the Seoul Music Performance Awards, Ryan was nominated for the Best Solo Vocal Performance Award for LONELY, the Best New Male Soloist Award, and the Rookie Song of the Year Award for 라이언 (LION). Ryan went viral for performing a duet with Siren at the MBS Artist Awards despite not being nominated at the show after a fan tweeted “kim ryan why are you there you aren't even nominated”. Ryan also performed at the pre-recorded Moonlight Fireworks Festival.
Kim Ryan was listed in the top 10 of South Korean pop culture magazine KSLICE’s 2022 list of South Korean artists who are popular with teenagers.
On January 4th, 2023, Ryan was announced as a cast member for the upcoming drama Linewalkers. He was casted as the role of Jeon Eunwoo, the lead vocalist of the rival band in the show. Linewalkers aired from February 2023 until May 2023.
On January 23rd, Ryan performed as a special guest performer at FPS’s disbandment concert. He performed “LIKE A BEAST” with the Star10 members, “보상 (Return)” with the other Bee Entertainment artists excluding FPS, and “Victory” with Hyunjin of Bright Lights, Siyeon of Snowflake, Do Young of rm8z, Yanhwa of Star10, Oliver of VALERIAN, and FPS.
On March 26th, Ryan released a pre-release single titled Go Crazy!. This was followed on March 28th by the announcement of a studio album.
On April 18th, Ryan featured on Jihan’s debut Heartborne in the track “심장 잠금 (Heart Lockdown)”.
On April 19th, 2023, Ryan made a comeback with the studio album Heartbeat and the title track “낭만적 인 (romantic)”. “낭만적 인 (romantic)” was a shift from Ryan’s expected sound with more of an electronic club feel, but it didn’t deter the song from entering the charts. “낭만적 인 (romantic)” underperformed compared to “LONELY” on the digital charts, but peaked at the same peak of #4 on the Circle Digital Chart. In terms of wins, “낭만적 인 (romantic)” received wins on MBS Rankdown, Hallyumak, and The Core Music Show.
After promotions for Heartbeat, Ryan decided to take a creative hiatus in order to prepare his next comeback.
At the MBS Artist Awards, Ryan was nominated for Best Ballad/Folk for 사이의 순간에 (in the moments between). At the KAMA Awards, Ryan won SAMSUNG Galaxy Male Soloist of the Year.
In December, Chilly Wind climbed back up the charts along with other winter songs. The song received a win on MBS Rankdown on January 6th, 2024.
On January 11th, 2024, Ryan announced that he would be releasing a pre-release single before his comeback on February 12th. On January 27th, Ryan released love you in secret.
On January 29th, Ryan was announced as a cast member for the upcoming drama IDOL: Part Time. He was cast as Kim Hyunwoo, the main role.
On February 12th, Ryan made a comeback with the studio album love me not and the title track "He Who Relies on the Flower Will Surely Be Stung by Thorns".
Personality[]
Contrasting the chaos of other Bee Entertainment artists, Kim Ryan is cool, calm, and collected. Reflecting his personality in his music style, Ryan is someone with a natural comforting aura. He was known throughout his time as a Bee Entertainment trainee for his soft, gentle nature. With the chaos and ruckus of the other trainees, whether it be in the background of rm8z's documentary or in the MCs of the trainee showcases, Ryan always stood out for his calm demeanor. He gained a small group of fans from this, who nicknamed him "The Gentle Giant", referencing his height.
Upon his debut, Ryan began to showcase more of his personality outside of his gentle attitude. He has a witty sense of humour, and enjoys making people laugh. This, mixed with his quiet personality, can create some comedic moments when he is around other idols. To Ryan, laughter is important, and he wants to share that with his fans. His humour is also seen in his name for his pet hamster, James The Mighty.
Ryan is admittedly quite competitive. He has explained that he used to get so competitive that he would feel really bad about it. Now, he is still competitive, but doesn't let it get in his way. He uses it to motivate himself to do well with music. Ryan also channels it towards his hobbies, including the many sports he enjoys.
Discography[]
2022[]
- LION (Mini-album)
- School Days (EP)
2023[]
2024[]
- love you in secret (Pre-release Single)
- love me not (Studio Album)
Music Show Placements[]
Awards[]
The Collective Performing Arts Awards[]
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Soloist of the Year | Kim Ryan | Nominated |
Knet Asia Music Awards[]
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | SAMSUNG Galaxy Male Soloist of the Year | Kim Ryan | Won |
MBS Artist Awards[]
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Best Ballad/Folk | 사이의 순간에 (in the moments between) | Nominated |
Seoul Music Performance Awards[]
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Best Solo Vocal Performance Award | LONELY | Nominated |
| Best New Male Soloist Award | Kim Ryan | Nominated | |
| Rookie Song of the Year Award | 라이언 (LION) | Nominated |
Shining Groove Awards[]
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Best Rookie Artist | Kim Ryan | Won |
Trivia[]
- He lived in Australia for a few years when he was young.
- He also lived in China for a while.
- His mother is from New Zealand so he grew up speaking English.
- He has a younger sister.
- He has a hamster named James The Mighty.
- He specialized in dance during his training, but is also skilled in singing.
- He went to an arts school in Seoul and did very well.
- He is interested in sports, particularly basketball, and first-person shooter games, as well as playing Dungeons and Dragons.
- He joined Bee Entertainment as part of the STYLE BEES trainees in 2018.
- He is friends with Aspeix’s Matthew and Novella’s Junghwan and Noah.