I. Introduction
Crush is an award-winning South Korean KR&B singer, songwriter and producer. In addition to a successful career as a soloist and featuring on many top 20 songs on the Korean Gaon charts, he has written and produced songs for artists like BoA, Hyolyn, Zico, Dean, punchnello, Jay Park, Sik-K, Heize, Loco and Dynamic Duo.
II. Career
Born and raised in Seoul, Crush said in interviews that he began making music at 14 and sending demos to Amoeba Culture, the record label of popular K-hip hop group Dynamic Duo. He eventually made his debut with the single "Red Dress" in 2012, then released several more singles before he was signed to Amoeba Culture. He released his debut album, Crush On You, in 2014. Like much of his work, he wrote and arranged songs on the album. The album went to #6 on the Gaon charts, as well as earning him his first awards. In 2015, he won Best R&B Soul Album, as well as being nominated for Rookie of the Year and Best R&B & Soul Song for "Hug Me" (feat. Gaeko).
Describing himself as a lover of R&B, jazz and hip hop, and fusing those sounds into work, he became a popular artist on features and collaborations. His collaboration singles also gained attention with "Oasis" (feat. Zico), which reached #5, nominated in the 2015 awards season at the Melon Music Awards. In 2016, "Just (그냥)" (feat. Zion.T) became his first #1 on the charts and winning Best Collaboration at the MAMA Awards. It was also nominated in the Seoul Music Awards and Korean Music Awards.
He continued his string of top 10 hits with a collaboration with Taeyeon, "Don't Forget (잊어버리지마)." The song reached #2, selling 2.5 million copies, and earned him his first music show win and an award for Best Vocal Performance - Male Solo at the MAMA Awards and Best R&B/Soul Artist at the Golden Disc Awards. He was also nominated for a range of awards for the song, including Melon Music Awards, MAMA, Gaon Chart Awards and Seoul Music Awards.
He released his first EP, Interlude, in May 2016. It reached #13 in Korea and #14 on the U.S. Billboard World Albums Chart. The title track "woo ah" (우아해) went to #4 in Korea. A second EP, Wonderlust, was released in October 2016 and reached #8 on the Gaon charts. Its title track "Fall" (어떻게 지내) reached #2. He also featured on hits from another artists including Geeks "Sometimes" and Zico's "Bermuda Triangle." Both songs reached #2 on the Gaon charts, with Bermuda Triangle also reaching #3 on the US Billboard charts.
He continued to release singles and OSTs, including the single album Outside and a hit OST "Beautiful," from Guardian: The Lonely and Great God OST, that reached #2 on the charts and sold 2,500,000 copies.
He released his third EP, Wonderlost, in 2018. It reached #18 on the Korean charts, with the the title track "Bittersweet" (잊을만하면) reaching #3.
In 2019, he signed with P Nation and released his second full album, From Midnight to Sunrise. The album debuted at #19 on the Gaon chart and won R&B Album of the Year at the Korean Hip Hop Awards.
In 2019, he combined with fellow artists Zico, Crush, Penomeco, Stay Tuned and Millic for the hip hop project group FANXY CHILD.
In 2020, he released his fourth EP, With Her, which featured songs with female artists like Taeyeon, BiBi and Lee Hi. The EP reached #21 with his duet with Taeyeon reaching #8 and becoming his 13th top 10 single as a soloist, which is not even counting his collaborations. Nine of his solo songs were top five hits.
He enlisted for his mandatory military service in November 2020.
III. Discography
IIII. Performer - Solo (Albums/EPs)
| Artwork | Title | Format | Release | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crush On You | album | 2014 | KOR #6 | |
| Interlude | EP | 2016 | KOR #13 US World #14 |
|
| Wonderlust | EP | 2016 | KOR #8 | |
| Wonderlost | EP | 2018 | KOR #18 | |
| From Midnight to Sunrise | album | 2019 | KOR #19 | |
| With Her | EP | 2020 | KOR #21 |
IIIII. Performer - Singles
IIIIII. Performer - OSTs
IIIIV. Performer - Collaborations
IIIV. Songwriter
Guide: L=Lyricist, C=Composer, A=Arranger, P=Producer
US = Billboard US World Digital Songs Chart
KOMCA: Searching Works (search 10003254 under Writers & Publishers)
IV. Videography
Collaborations (partial list of top 10 singles)
V. Awards and Nominations
References:
KOMCA: Searching Works (search 10003254 under Writers & Publishers)
GAON charts
Billboard charts
