Cho Kyu-hyun

Cho Kyu-hyun (Korean: 조규현; born February 3, 1988), referred to as Kyuhyun, is a South Korean singer, musical theatre actor, and television host. He debuted as a new member of boy group Super Junior (and later its sub-groups Super Junior-K.R.Y. and Super Junior-M as well as former member of SM Entertainment project group SM the Ballad) in May 2006. Apart from his group's activities, he has established himself as a musical actor, notably through his participation in the original and Korean versions of stage musicals including The Three Musketeers, Catch Me If You Can, Moon Embracing the Sun, Singin' in the Rain, The Days, Robin Hood, Werther, Mozart!, The Man Who Laughs, Phantom, and Frankenstein. He was also cast in television shows including Radio Star, We Got Married, Mamma Mia, Fluttering India and in the third, fourth, seventh, and eighth seasons of New Journey to the West. He debuted as a solo artist with his debut mini album, At Gwanghwamun, on November 13, 2014, making him the first Super Junior member to debut as a solo artist.

He is one of the first four Korean artists to appear on Chinese postage stamps.

Kyuhyun was born in Nowon District, Seoul, a northeastern part of the city. His father, Cho Young-hwan, worked for the Korean Housing Corporation before opening various educational institutes in Korea. Kyuhyun's mother, Kim Hanna, pursued business ventures such as establishing an art academy, as well as a guesthouse (MOM House) located in Myeongdong. Kyuhyun also has an older sister, Ara, a violinist who studied abroad in Vienna, Austria, before returning to Korea to teach the violin.

Kyuhyun was initially urged to study law by his parents and later said that it would have been his choice in career had he not become a singer. His original plans to go into law were abandoned once he joined a band in high school, where he realized his talents in singing. He went on to place third in the Chin Chin Singing Competition in 2005 and entered SM Entertainment the following year. He faced strong opposition from his father, but the latter agreed to grant his blessings if Kyuhyun was accepted into a prestigious university. Kyuhyun subsequently enrolled in Kyunghee University with a major in Post-Modern Music and received his bachelor's degree in 2013. In 2016, he completed his master's degree in Post-Modern Music at the same university with master's dissertation entitled, "A Study on the Current Status and Future Development of K-POP: K-POP Advancement Strategies to America and Europe based on the Success Stories of K-POP in Japan and China".

Kyuhyun officially made his debut in 2006 as a new member of Super Junior (formerly Super Junior 05, the first generation of SM Entertainment's 12-member rotational boy band).

Kyuhyun made his first appearance as a part-time model of Super Junior in a news broadcast on May 23, where the group introduced their new single, U. He debuted a few days later on May 27 at SBS's I-Concert with "U", which was also the group's first comeback performance as a permanent group. The CD single "U" was released on June 7 and remained the group's most successful single until the release of "Sorry, Sorry" in 2009.

Shortly after his debut, Kyuhyun along with members Yesung and Ryeowook formed Super Junior's first sub-group, Super Junior-K.R.Y. The trio debuted on November 5 on KBS's weekly music program Music Bank. Kyuhyun subsequently released a solo track titled "Smile" for The tvN drama Hyena.

In 2008, Kyuhyun joined Super Junior Chinese sub-group Super Junior-M. The group debuted in China at the 8th Annual Music Chart Awards with the release of their first music video, "U" on April 8. The debut was followed by the release of the group's studio album, Me, in selected provinces throughout China and Taiwan. Kyuhyun also collaborated with The Grace in early 2008 to perform "Just For One Day" (하루만) for The Grace's first album Hanbeon Deo, OK?. Later that year, Kyuhyun, alongside member Ryeowook, featured in the song "Wish" (소원) in labelmate TVXQ's repackaged edition of Mirotic.