Chen (첸) is a South Korean singer and a member of the boy group EXO under SM Entertainment. He debuted solo on April 1st, 2019 with the album ‘April, and a Flower’. He is also a member of EXO-CBX a subunit of EXO.
Chen (EXO) Profile
| Stage Name | Chen (첸) |
| Birth Name | Kim Jong Dae (김종대) |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Birthday | September 21st, 1992 |
| Active Years | 2012–present |
| Age | 32 (in 2024) |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Height | 173 cm (5’8”) |
| Weight | 63 kg (138.8 lbs) |
| Nationality | Korean |
| Blood Type | B |
| MBTI | ISTJ |
Chen (EXO) Facts:
Early Life:
– He was born in Daejeon, South Korea.
– He went to Jeongwang High School.
– He did his bachelor’s from Hanseo University.
– He did his MBA in Advertisement Media from Hanyang Cyber University.
Personal Life:
– His family consists of his parents and an older brother.
– He is currently married and is a father of two daughters.
– He comes from Gimhae Kim’s Clan.
– He has been seen participating in charity work very often due to his interest in philanthropy. (Sohu)
– He is Catholic and his Christian name is Matthew.
– His father is also a main vocalist.
– His parents first did not approve of him being a singer.
– The younger sister of Xiumin is a fan of Chen.
– His message to his younger self was to enjoy each passing moment a bit more. (teenvogue)
– If he was not a member of EXO, he would have been a vocal trainer.
– He can speak in the Gyeongsang-do dialect.
– He was nicknamed ‘Dancing Machine’ by his fans.
– He is known to be a good flirt among his fans.
– He has a really close bond with fellow member Xiumin.
– He always makes sure his throat isn’t dry by drinking water after drinking coffee or keeping the humidifier on while sleeping. (Get Real)
– His role models are Super Junior.
– He is known to be the friendliest with his fans, especially older fans.
– One of his nicknames is ‘Assistant Instructor Kim’ because he is known for training Exo-Ls on how to wave their lightsticks.
– On January 13, 2020, SM Entertainment confirmed his marriage to his non-celebrity girlfriend, who was pregnant at the time.
– Suho said that Chen is the most friendly and delicate person among the people he knows. (MMTG)
– On April 29, 2020, they welcomed their first child, a baby girl, in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul. In November 2021, it was announced that he had his second baby, also a girl. (Koreatimes)
– He goes around showing his daughter’s photos to the staff.
– He enlisted in the military on October 26, 2020, and completed his service on April 25, 2022.
– On October 23rd, 2023, he had his official wedding ceremony.
– His superpower in the group is ‘Lightening’.
– He said that love is about being honest and real with yourself and your partner. (NME)
– His fans say he resembles ‘Tadashi Hamada’ from Big Hero 6.
– Before debuting, one of his friend’s mother was in a coma, he would visit her often and sang to her, and read to her without his friend knowing.
– He gave credit to his followers for inspiring him and enabling him to continue making songs to this day. (teenvogue)
– He would like to make Xiumin the director if he were to start a company. (Sohu)
– He eats raw honey when he loses his voice.
– He prefers to keep his YouTube channel to be centered around singing. If he were to make other content, he would make a separate channel for it.
– He always sings Buzz songs when he goes to karaoke.
– His ultimate goal is to transcend the limits of genres.
– His morning routine includes waking up, washing up, having coffee, having breakfast, and then planning his own schedule. (Get Real)
– Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” is a song that he will never get tired of.
– He would like to tell his past self that he is not living this life alone and to get close to more people.
– His nickname is “Kim Dajeong” (“dajeong” meaning affectionate) because he is affectionate.
– If naked in public, he would choose to cover an essential part rather than his face.
– If he found a 50000-dollar check covered in poop, he wouldn’t pick it up.
– He used to take part in karaoke singing battles in high school. (MMTG)
– Advice he would like to give to his younger self would be to learn to enjoy each moment a bit more.
– He gets inspiration for his lyrics from day-to-day life.
Career:
– He initially joined the SM The Ballad group that was formed in 2010.
– He became a trainee at SM through their casting system in 2011.
– He was introduced as the fourth member of EXO-M.
– He made his theater debut in 2015 by playing ‘Benny’ inthe musical ‘In the Heights’.
– He has contributed to the songwriting of several EXO tracks, including “Lights Out,” “She’s Dreaming,” and “Ko Ko Bop” (co-credited).
– He also collaborated with Punch to sing a duet song ‘Everytime’ for ‘Descendants of the Sun’ which debuted at number one on Gaon weekly digital chart.
– His training period is of 11 months.
– He is a lead vocalist in the group.
– In 2016, he collaborated with Baekhyun and Xiumin for the soundtrack ‘For You’ from Scarlet Heart: Ryeo.
– He made his EXO-CBX group debut with Baekhyun and Xiumin in 2016.
– In January 2017, he had a collaboration with Dynamic Duo on a song called “Nosedive.” He became the first artist to be featured in the group’s collaboration project called “Mixxxture.”
– He released his first solo album ‘April, and a Flower’ on April 1st 2019.
– He also appeared in ‘King of Masked Singer’ in 2015.
– On August 17, 2023, he released his first Japanese mini album “Polaris”.
Likes & Dislikes
– His favorite genre of music is ballads.
– Autumn is his favorite season.
– He likes to wear warm tone clothes.
– He would like to do a collaboration with Junny.
– Donald Duck and Garfield are his favorite cartoons.
– He likes the color pink.
– His favorite destination for holiday is Miami.
– He likes the baseball team Hanhwa Eagles. (KBS Music Bank)
– He enjoys listening to Justin Timberlake and Maroon 5.
– His favorite actor is Lee Min Ho and his favorite actress is Han Ji Won.
Food Preferences
– He doesn’t like oysters or salted seafood.
– He relishes lamb kabab, Chinese cuisine, hotpot, steamed buns, fried cakes, and fried bread twists.
Abilities
– He learned taekwondo in his early years.
– He can play the piano.
– He can speak English pretty well.
– He can hit high notes for about three and a half octaves.
Personality & Habits
– He is very considerate and gentle but is also known as a prankster in EXO.
– He has a habit of sticking out his tongue whenever he laughs.
– He is a morning person and usually wakes up at 7 or 8 in the morning.
– He enjoys spending time alone and doesn’t feel awkward eating out by himself.
– He gets too embarrassed to watch videos of his old performances.
– He is forgetful, and because of that, he relies on writing things down.
– One of his hobbies is listening to music.
– He is very loud and hyper.
Contract Dispute
– On June 1st, 2023, Chen along with Xiumin and Baekhyun announced to end of their contracts with SM Entertainment due to overdue payments and absurd deals. However, on June 19th, SM announced that they had resolved their dispute and members had decided to stay with the company.
Major Works
– His popular songs include “Everytime”, “For You” and “Before the Petals Fall”.
– He also sang the OST “When Cherry Blossoms Fade” for the drama “100 Days My Prince.”
Awards
– He won several awards including the Male Vocalist Award and Best Collaboration Award with Dynamic Duo for ‘Nosedive’
Social Media Handles
Weibo: weibo.com
Streaming Platform Links
Genie | Spotify | Bugs | Melon | Apple Music | Deezer
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