Kim Hae-sol (born April 13, 1989),[2] known professionally as Zion.T (Korean: 자이언티), is a South Korean hip hop and R&B singer. He has released 2 studio albums, Red Light (2013)[3] and Zip (2023),[4] as well as 3 EPs. He has also been featured on tracks by well-known K-pop artists such as G-Dragon, Zico, and Psy.
Zion.T 자이언티 | |
|---|---|
 Zion.T at the MBC Radio DJ Concert in September 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kim Hae-sol[1] |
| Born | April 13, 1989 South Korea |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels |
|
| Zion.T | |
| Hangul | 김해솔 |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization | Gim Hae-sol |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kim Haesol |
| Stage name | |
| Hangul | 자이언티 |
| Revised Romanization | Jaieonti |
| McCune–Reischauer | Chaiŏnt'i |
Personal life
editIn an interview with Kpopeurope in 2014, Zion.T explained that he chose his stage name because "I am a Christian and so the "T" in my name is representative of the cross."[5]
In a 2017 CBS No Cut News interview, he said he was influenced by the American musician T-Pain. "There was a time when T-Pain's style of hip hop vocals were in. I really like T-Pain, so I used to emulate him a lot. This is something only my friends know, but I even had the nickname 'Zion.T-Pain'."[6]
Career
editZion.T made his musical debut in 2011, collaborating with Korean hip hop artists such as Dok2, Crucial Star, Simon D, Primary and Gray. His first single, "Click Me", featuring Dok2, was released in April 2011.
On April 9, 2013, Zion.T's first studio album, Red Light, was released with the title track "Babay", featuring Gaeko.[3][7]
That year, he featured on tracks by Infinite H, Dynamic Duo, Swings and G-Dragon.[8] In December, he released the EP Mirrorball ("미러볼") with the title track "Miss Kim" (미스 김).[9]
In 2014, he released the digital single "Yanghwa BRDG", which became a hit and contributed to his rising mainstream success as an artist in Korea.[10]
He also appeared on the soundtrack of the television drama series Pinocchio with the song "Kiss Me", and featured on songs by Seo In-young and The Quiett.[citation needed]
On February 1, 2015, he collaborated with the Korean R&B singer Crush on the single "Just" (그냥).[11] The same year, he released the digital singles "Zero Gravity" (무중력), "Eat" (꺼내 먹어요)[12] and "No Make Up" (노메이크업) and featured on singles by SHINee's Jonghyun, Yankie and Psy. That July, he participated in the biennial music festival event hosted by the MBC variety show Infinite Challenge, which resulted in a spike in domestic sales of his previously released singles.[13] For the event, he partnered with the Infinite Challenge cast member Haha to perform under the name Eutteugeottasi (으뜨거따시) with the song "$ponsor", later released in an album of the songs performed at the event.[14]
Zion.T finished the year with two wins at the annual Mnet Asian Music Awards,: Best Vocal Performance (Male) for "Eat " 꺼내먹어요 and Best Collaboration, with Crush, for the song "Just" 그냥, beating more well-established artistes in an idol-focused industry.[15]
In 2016, following the end of his contract with the hip hop label Amoeba Culture, he signed with The Black Label, a sub-label of YG Entertainment.[16][17] On February 1, 2017, he released his first EP under The Black Label, OO.[18]
In December 2017, he released his collaboration with the veteran singer Lee Moon-se, the song "Snow". It topped all major music charts in South Korea. Lee Moon-se said he listened to Zion.T's song more than 200 times to faithfully represent his song, and showed great affection towards Zion.T and his musical career.[19]
In August 2022, Zion.T established his own entertainment company, Standard Friends, and signed Wonstein as his first artist. He will still be represented by The Black Label as a singer.[20][21]
Discography
editStudio albums
- Red Light (2013)
- Zip (2023)
Filmography
editTelevision shows
edit| Year | Title | Network | Role | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Korean | |||||
| 2016 | Show Me The Money 5 | 쇼미더머니 5 | Mnet | Producer | with Kush | |
| 2017-2018 | Mix Nine | 믹스나인 | JTBC | Judge | ||
| 2018 | Hidden Singer | 히든 싱어 | Participant | (Season 5; Episode 11) | ||
| 2019 | My Major is Hip Hop | 내 전공은 힙합 | V Live YouTube |
Cast Member | with Mino | [22] |
| Sign Here | 사인히어 | MBN | Judge | Episode 5 | ||
| 2020 | Song Farm! | 곡FARM! | Mnet | Producer | ||
| Show Me the Money 9 | 쇼미더머니 9 | with Giriboy | ||||
| 2021 | Show Me the Money 10 | 쇼미더머니 10 | with Slom | [23] | ||
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Best R&B & Soul Album | Red Light
|
Won | |
| 2015 | 7th MelOn Music Awards | Top 10 Artists | — | Won |
| Artist of the Year | Nominated | |||
| 17th Mnet Asian Music Awards | Best Male Artist | Nominated | ||
| Artist of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Best Vocal Performance - Male[25] | "Eat (꺼내 먹어요)" - Zion.T | Won | ||
| Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
| "Just (그냥)" - Zion.T X Crush | Nominated | |||
| Best Collaboration & Unit | Won | |||
| 2016 | 25th Seoul Music Awards[26] | Bonsang Award | — | Won |
| Popularity Award | Nominated | |||
| Hallyu Special Award | Nominated | |||
| 30th Golden Disk Awards | Digital Daesang | "Eat (꺼내 먹어요)" - Zion.T | Nominated | |
| Digital Bonsang | Won | |||
| Popularity Award | — | Nominated | ||
| Global Popularity Award | Nominated | |||
| 5th Gaon Chart Music Awards | R&B Discovery of the Year | Won | ||
| 2017 | 19th Mnet Asian Music Awards | Best Male Artist | Nominated | |
| Best Vocal Performance - Male | "The Song (노래)" - Zion.T
|
Nominated | ||
| 9th MelOn Music Awards | Album of the Year | OO | Nominated | |
| Top 10 Artists | — | Nominated | ||
| Best R&B/Soul Award | "The Song (노래)" - Zion.T | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | 32nd Golden Disk Awards | Digital Bonsang | Nominated | |
| Global Popularity Award | — | Nominated | ||
| 27th Seoul Music Awards | Bonsang Award | Nominated | ||
| Popularity Award | Nominated | |||
| Hallyu Special Award | Nominated | |||
| 7th Gaon Chart Music Awards | Song of the Year – February | "The Song (노래)" - Zion.T
|
Nominated | |
| Song of the Year – December | "Snow" (눈) (feat. Lee Moon-se)
|
Nominated |
Listicles
edit| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forbes | 2016 | Korea Power Celebrity | 35th | [27] |
References
edit- ^ "Zion.T". KBS World. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
- ^ 자이언티 프로필 (in Korean). Naver.
- ^ a b "Zion.T Releases New Solo Album with Dynamic Duo and Other Hip-Hop Artists". Mwave. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ Lim, Jeong-won (December 6, 2023). "[Interview] R&B artist Zion.T breaks musical silence with Zip". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- ^ "Exclusive Interview with Zion.T – Part 1". Kpopeurope. January 29, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
- ^ "자이언티가 직접 밝힌 개성 강한 창법의 비결" [The secret of unique singing method revealed by Zion.] (in Korean). Naver. February 4, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
- ^ 네이버 뮤직 :: Zion.T [Red Light] 작업 노트. Naver (in Korean). Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ "Zion T was Grateful when G-Dragon Sent a Love Call". Mwave. October 4, 2013. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
- ^ "Zion T. Teases Fans with a "Trot-Dub" Comeback". MTV. December 16, 2013. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
- ^ "Zion.T Gets Emotional And Real With 'Yanghwa BRDG' MV". Mwave. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ Oak, Jessica (February 4, 2015). "Zion.T & Crush Drop Silky R&B Jam 'Just'". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
- ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (May 19, 2015). "Zion.T Tells You to ′Eat′ in New MV". Mwave. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
- ^ "[뮤직톡톡] '무한도전'이 뒤흔든 음원차트…이건 예고편" [Music chart shaken by 'Infinite Challenge'... this is a preview]. Naver. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ "′Infinity Challenge′ Song Festival Team Profile Photos Released". Mwave. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
- Kim Yu-jin (August 23, 2015). "'Infinite Challenge' songs sweeping charts". Kpop Herald. Retrieved January 1, 2016. - ^ "MAMA History Winner 2015". Mwave (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 23, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "Zion . T becomes family with BIGBANG at last". SBS PopAsia. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ Lee, Eun Jung (March 17, 2016). "자이언티, 아메바컬쳐 떠난다…YG '테디 레이블'로 이적" [Zion.T leaves Amoeba Culture... Transfer to YG 'Teddy Label']. Yonhap News (in Korean).
- ^ K, J. (January 31, 2017). "Watch: Zion.T Drops Eccentric And Charming MV For Self-Composed Track "The Song"". Soompi. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
- ^ "이문세, 자이언티와 컬래버.."'눈' 200번 이상 들었다" [Lee Moon-se and Zion.]. Chosun (in Korean). January 14, 2018.
- ^ Yim, Seung-hye (August 23, 2022). "Korean singer-producer Zion. T starts company for creators, Standard Friends". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
- ^ Park, Dong-jae (August 26, 2022). "원슈타인 전속계약, 자이언티 크리에이티브 회사 스탠다드프렌즈 합류 '관심↑'". Break News (in Korean). Retrieved September 11, 2022.
- ^ Jang, Min-su (January 15, 2020). "V오리지널 새해 라인업 공개...참신+트렌디 예능·드라마 기대 UP - 싱글리스트". Single List (in Korean). Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Han Seung-soo (July 27, 2021). "쇼미더머니10' 두 번째 프로듀서는 자이언티·슬롬" [Show Me the Money 10' 2nd Producer Zion T and Slom]. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved July 27, 2021 – via Naver.
- ^ "자이언티, 최우수 알앤비&소울 음반상.."불참 죄송"". Chosun (in Korean). February 28, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
- ^ "Zion.T readies new album with YG". Korea JoongAng Daily. January 26, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ "EXO wins third consecutive Grand Prize at Seoul Music Awards". Korea Herald. January 15, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ Cho, Deuk-jin; Kim, Sun-yeop (February 23, 2016). "SPECIAL EDITION 13th (1) 2016 KOREA POWER CELEBRITY 40 LIST". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 18, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2021 – via Joins.
External links
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