Significations et usages de Kangta

Ahn Chil-Hyun (Hangul: 안칠현) was born on 10 October 1979, mononymouly credited by his stage name Kangta (Hangul: 강타). He is a South Korean pop, R&B singer, first known as the lead singer the boy band H.O.T. and solo singers since the disbandment in 2001.

  Biography

  Pre-debut and H.O.T.

Kangta was discovered at Lotte World, a theme park, when he was only 13 years old. He debuted as a back-up dancer together with future band member Moon Hee Jun for singer Yoo Young-jin. Kangta eventually decided to become a singer with Moon Hee Jun and three others, Jang Woo Hyuk, Tony An, and Lee Jae Won to form H.O.T. in 1996.

He is an experienced songwriter and composer, having written over 100 songs^[1] for H.O.T.'s albums as well as for other groups and singers like NRG and Fly to the Sky. When H.O.T. disbanded in March 2001, Kangta was the first member to debut solo. He released his first solo album "Polaris", which became a huge hit; it was followed by his second album "Pinetree" in 2002. His first solo concert took place in the summer of 2003.

In 2006, Kangta was chosen as a runner up for Best Korean Singer overseas, according to Arirang International Broadcasting. A poll was issued over the internet, allowing only people outside of Korea to vote. Shinhwa's song "Once In A Lifetime" won by 60% of the vote, beating Kangta, who came in second with 20.3 percent.^{[citation needed]}

  2004: Acting career

Kangta received several offers and has accepted a drama offer in China. In 2004, he starred in a drama called Magic Touch of Fate together with Taiwanese actors and actresses, Ruby Lin and Alec Su. Kangta portrayed the role of the evil magician Jin-Xiu.

Soon afterwards, Kangta returned to Korea and released his much-awaited third album. In 2005, Kangta released "Persona", which included tracks that were very different from his previous two albums. The main single of the album, "Persona" had a similar melody to Babyface's "The Loneliness". Kangta surprised his fans when he said he wanted to become an actor. A month later, he starred in a KBS drama, Loveholic.

Kangta also acted in his second Chinese drama,^[2] Love In The City 2. In Love In The City 2 Kangta portrayed the life of a successful CEO with a dull life.

In March Kangta was announced to be starring in JTBC's 2012 drama Happy Ending as Kim So Eun's love interest.^[3][4]

In 2007, he filmed two dramas and Love in the city 2 aired on October 1, 2007. In January 2007, Kangta took part in the Hallyu Festival in Osaka which also featured Jun Jin and Lee Min Woo of Shinhwa, SG Wannabe and actor Song Seung Heon at the Osaka Dome.^[5]

  2008: Military service

In 2008, Kangta was initially scheduled for military service at the beginning of the year, but SM Entertainment helped him defer it to April so he could release his last album "Eternity". The album was released on March 12, 2008.^[6] On March 29 and March 30, Kangta held his last solo concert before enlistment at Yonsei University's main auditorium. His concert, "Eternity", was aimed at looking back at his last twelve years as a singer and thanking his fans.^[7][8] On April 1, 2008, Kangta officially began his military duties in Euijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province.^[9] Every male in Korea is required to serve for two years in the military, and Kangta has completed his service period on February 19, 2010.

  2010-present; Comeback and Chinese debut

After two years and five months of hiatus from the entertainment industry due to Korean military service, Kangta comes back with his first Chinese mini album entitiled "静享七乐 (Rest in the Seven Tunes)", with its lead single, Love, Frequency (Breaka Shaka).^[10] The digital single was released online on September 13, 2010. The mini-album marked Kangta's entrance to the Chinese market. Meanwhile, the teaser for the single, as well as the digital mini-album, was released through SM Entertainment's official YouTube page on September 9, 2010.^[11] The mini album and the music video was released September 13, 2010.^[12]

  Group projects

  S (Supreme)

After planning for years, Kangta worked with his celebrity friends Shin Hye Sung from Shinhwa and Lee Ji Hoon to form the project group "S", standing for "Supreme". They released their first solo project album called "Fr. In. Cl." or Friends in Classic. They have won several awards since then. Their title track, "I Swear" was written, composed, and arranged by Kangta while Shin Hye Sung wrote the English lyrics.

  Kangta & Vanness

Early 2006, Kangta collaborated with Vanness Wu of F4 from Taiwan, and formed Kangta & Vanness. Their first debut was in Thailand ending the ceremony for the 2006 MTV Asia Awards. They released their single "Scandal" and have been busy promoting their single all over Asia. "Scandal" was a success over Asia and a repackaged version was released in mid-July. On September 12, they held a showcase in Malaysia, Berjaya Times Square.

On Arirang TV's talk-show "Heart to Heart", Kangta announced that he would be entering the Army in early 2008, so activities have been put on hold.

  Filmography

  Film

• 2002: Emergency Act 19 (Cameo)
• 2002: Resurrection of the Little Match Girl
• 2012: I AM. (Himself)

  Television drama

• 2005: Magic Touch of Fate
• 2005: Loveholic (KBS)
• 2007: Love In The City 2 (CCTV)
• 2012: Happy Ending (JTBC)
• 2012: Secret Garden (Chinese Version)

  Discography

  Solo albums

• Polaris - August 19, 2001
• Pine Tree - August 21, 2002
• 1st Concert Pinetree: 20020824 Live - March 28, 2003
• Persona - June 13, 2005
• Kangta & Best - October 3, 2005
• Eternity - March 12, 2008
• Breaka Shaka - September 9, 2010

  Collaborations

• Fr. In. Cl. - September 24, 2003
• Scandal - May 19, 2006
• Scandal Special Edition - July 20, 2006

  Affiliated albums

• Christmas In SMTOWN - December 15, 1999
• Christmas Winter Vacation In SMTOWN.com - December 8, 2000
• Christmas Winter Vacation in SMtown.com - Angel Eyes - December 4, 2001
• Summer Vacation In SMTown.com - June 10, 2002
• 2002 Winter Vacation in SMTOWN.com - My Angel My Light - December 6, 2002
• 2003 Summer Vacation in SMTOWN.com - June 18, 2003
• 2004 Summer Vacation in SMTOWN.com - July 2, 2004
• '06 SUMMER SMTOWN - June 20, 2006
• 2006 WINTER SMTOWN - Snow Dream - December 12, 2006
• 2007 SUMMER SMTOWN - FRAGILE - July 5, 2007
• 2007 WINTER SMTOWN - ONLY LOVE - December 7, 2007
• 2011 Winter SMTown – The Warmest Gift - December 13, 2011

  Related publications

• Kang Ta Bromide 'A Letter to my Polaris' Photo Album (July 26, 2002)
• Kang Ta Special Photo Album Vol. 2 - Dear Memories (December 29, 2002)
• Kang Ta's Sentimental Journey Limited Edition Photo Album (October 12, 2005)

  References

  External links

• (Korean) SM Entertainment's Official Site
• (Korean) H.O.T.'s Official Site