Lay


  • I. Introduction

    Zhang Yixing (张艺兴), known professionally as Lay Zhang or Lay (레이 o), is a Chinese singer, rapper, dancer, producer, songwriter, actor and model. He is a main dancer, sub vocalist and sub rapper in the South Korean-Chinese boy group EXO, as well as a soloist. He is also brand ambassador of over 30 brands, ranging from Aquafina to Valentino, and tops the list of k-pop idols with most endorsement deals. He is also listed in Forbes China Celebrity 100, where he ranked 6th in 2021.


    II. Career

    III. 2012-2014: Childhood Acting and EXO Debut

    Lay began acting in Chinese dramas at 6, then continued to participate in TV shows and movies. He auditioned in 2008 for SM Entertainment's global casting auditions in Changha, Hunan and moved to South Korea to begin training.


    In 2012, Lay made his debut as a member of the boy group EXO as a main dancer, sub vocalist and sub-rapper. The group originally promoted as both a larger group and within two sub-units, a Korean unit singing in Chinese EXO-K and a Chinese unit singing in Mandarin, EXO-M. EXO-M included 4 Chinese members: Lay, Kris, Luhan and Tao, as well as 2 Korean members, Xiumin and Chen.


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    The group achieved great success, including setting records inside and outside of Korea.



    Lay began songwriting and composing for projects. During the group's first headlining tour, Lay composed and performed "I'm Lay" for his solo performance. He also composed a song for a TV program on Hunan TV, and composed and wrote lyrics for songs on EXO's album, Love Me Right.


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    IIII. 2015-16: Growth of EXO and Solo Activities

    In 2014, after member Kris and Luhan filed lawsuits against SM and departed the group, the sub-units were dismantled and EXO continued to release in both Korean and Mandarin under the main group.


    In April 2015, SM Entertainment announced a personal studio for Lay's activities in China. He became a regular cast member on multiple shows and acted in multiple films. He also released a best-selling autobiography that broke online sales record and made him the youngest celebrity author to enter the charts.


    He released his first solo song "Monodrama" through the SM Station Project, then formally released a solo song "What U Need?" in October 2016, reaching #4 on the China V Chart and U.S. Billboard's World Digital Songs.


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    He released his debut EP Lose Control, featuring six Mandarin tracks and the music video of the title track. Lay produced the EP, as well as overseeing composition, arrangement and songwriting. He also translated the lyrics into three languages: English, Korean and Japanese. The song "Lose Control" reached #1 on Billboard's China V Chart, while the album reached #1 on the Korean Gaon Album Chart. It also reached #4 on the U.S. Billboard World Albums Chart.



    He also continued to perform with EXO and acting in films, including the highest-grossing comedy film in China.


    He also was appointed as a publicity ambassador by the Communist Youth League of China, becoming the first celebrity to hold the title.


    III. 2017-2018: Growing Popularity in China

    He made his first appearance at the significant CCTV Spring Gala Festival in January 2017.


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    He made his last public appearance with EXO in February as part of its EXO PLANET 3 - EXO'rdium tour. With his growing career in China and rising political tensions between China and South Korea, Lay announced in June 2017 that he would not take part in EXO's next album and would focus on his solo career in mainland China. He is still listed as formally in the group, but has been absent from EXO albums and public appearances, although he still maintains relationships with members and often publicly supports their own solo and group activities in social media until June 2021.


    Lay continued to act in multiple films and TV series, then released his first album, Lay 02 Sheep, in October. It broke five records on QQ Music on its first day of sales: Gold, Double Gold, Triple Gold, Platinum and Diamond in approximately 9 hours. He served as producer, as well as working on composition, arrangement and lyric writing and directing the album's music videos. The album won Album of the Year at the 2017 Tencent Video Star Awards and 25th ERC Chinese Top Ten Awards. He also won Producer of the Year at the ERC Awards.



    He also released his second extended play Winter Special Gifton December 22, which again broke records on QQ Music.


    He was appointed as the presenter and production director of iQiyi's popular talent recruiting show Idol Producer.


    He also gained greater recognition and endorsement deals, ranking #20 on Forbes China Celebrity 100 in 2017.


    Lay continued to be in high-demand throughout 2018, including starring in TV variety shows like Go Fighting, films like The Island, and making his first U.S. appearance at the Lollapalooza music festival.


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    He also released his second album, Namanana, on October 19. The album contains 11 Chinese songs and 11 English song. It broke eight records on QQ Music and reached Double Diamond within 11 minutes and 11 seconds, becoming the fastest digital album to break all the certifications. It became QQ's best-selling album of the year. It also debuted at 21 on U.S. Billboard 200, making Lay the highest-ranked Mandopop artist on the chart. It also reached 1st on the World Albums and Independent Charts. It also reached #1 on iTunes charts in 26 countries.



    IV. 2019-2021: Continued Success and EXO comeback

    Lay continued releasing musical collaborations, including songs with Jason Derulo and NCT 127, Far East Movement and Steve Aoki. He also returned to TV with a second season of Idol Producer and a historical drama Empress of the Ming.


    He continued to acquire major endorsements, serving as the ambassador of Samsung Galaxy A8s and the fashion brand Valentino. He also appeared at the U.S. Grammy Awards as its promotion ambassador and was the only Chinese celebrity invited to the red carpet event and live ceremony.


    He released a digital EP Honey, which again set records for sales on QQ music. He supported the release with his first international concert tour, selling out tickets for many shows in less than 30 seconds.


    He finished 2019 by releasing a single dedicated to his grandmother who died earlier in the year.


    Grandma

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    In 2020, he released two parts of his fourth album, Lit, in June and July. The album again broke his previous record on QQ Music, breaking 9 certification records at the time of its release. The lead single reached #11 on Billboard's World Digital Song Chart.


    He continued to appear as a mentor or competitor of a number of reality and variety shows, including I'm a Singer-Songwriter 2, We Are Young and Street Dance of China.


    Segment from Street Dance of China

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    On October 7, he announced the formation of an entertainment company, Chromosome Entertainment Group, which utilizes a trainee system for debuting idols.


    He released his fourth album, Producer, on February 5, 2021.


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    Lay reappeared on EXO's seventh EP, Don't Fight the Feeling, celebrating the group's ninth anniversary. He participates in the songs on the release, as well as appearing in the music video for the lead single, although his parts were shot separately in China due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


    On October 15, 2021, he released his fourth EP, East.


    IVI. 2022: A Fresh Start

    In February 2022, he released a single album Dawn to Dusk. On April 8, 2022, Lay announced he was leaving SM Entertainment, but would remain as a member of EXO. He also released a new single "Jiu." In September, he released his fifth EP, West, and launched his second solo tour Grandline 2: Infinite Lands with dates in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the U.S.

    V. Discography


    VI. Filmography


    VII. Music Videos


    VIII. Trivia

    - There's a well-known interview where Lay talks about a cat he owned, which had the name cat. Today, he owns three cats - with names: Lulu, Luobo and Laosan. They have their own Weibo!

    - Lay is fluent in Mandarin and Korean.

    - Prior to debuting with EXO, he briefly worked for SHINee on their concert tour as a dance replacement for Jonghyun.

    - He was the first Chinese artist to enter iTunes top 60 for his solo work.

    - First Chinese singer to enter top 10 of Billboard Social 50 chart.

    - First spokesperson in China for CK Jeans & Underwear, Perrier and Valentino.

    - First spokesperson in Asia for MAC and Converse.

    - Lay reappeared in an EXO video and song for the first time in over 3 1/2 year as part of the special 9th anniversary album "Don't Fight The Feeling."

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