Who is EXO’s Chanyeol?

K-pop has taken the world by storm. The stars of the genre have managed to connect with a significant part of the world despite any language barriers and cultural differences. One of the biggest stewards of the phenomenon is EXO.

The nine-piece boyband has been dishing out catchy anthems since 2012. Each member has garnered fame in their own right, but perhaps the most heavily talked about member is Park Chanyeol.

Known mononymously as Chanyeol, the vocalist has collaborated with a number of artists, starred in TV dramas and movies, and shared his solo material on top of his work with EXO. If you’re not yet familiar with Chanyeol, see our introduction to the K-pop idol, below.

Who is EXO’s Chanyeol

Like many other K-pop stars, Chanyeol became a trainee with SM Entertainment. The talent program has launched countless successful groups in the K-Pop scene. Chanyeol started his journey with the program in the early ’00s. Very quickly after, he garnered an affinity for rapping. He now covers that role in EXO.

Prior to hopping on the fast track to K-pop fame, Chanyeol was trained as an actor—which would later come in handy for his various roles in K-dramas.

It was actually the Jack Black-helmed School of Rock that turned his head to music. Luckily for the K-pop fans, Black’s alluring pitch for the musician’s way of life in the film was hard to ignore. It was an apt choice for Chanyeol, given his success.

EXO

While many K-pop bands/artists will mix their native language with English to be better digested in other markets, EXO sings exclusively in Korean, Mandarin, and Japanese.

The band originally debuted with 12 members, but legal battles with SM Entertainment dwindled that lineup down. In 2023, the band has nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, and Sehun.

On top of EXO’s favor with fans, they have been heavily lauded in the Korean award show circuit. They’ve won five consecutive Album of the Year Awards at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, two consecutive Artist of the Year awards at the Melon Music Awards, and more.

Chanyeol’s Solo Pursuits

In 2015, Chanyeol started to get back to his acting roots taking on a supporting role in Salut d’Amour. Since then, he has starred in several other feature films and television dramas.

His most recent solo release was a track called “Good Enough.” The synth-led track offers a sonic hand to hold in the wake of the anxiety that can occur while following your dreams. Check out the track, below.

Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images For Tommy Hilfiger