15 Male Solo Artists That Stole Our Hearts In 2016

As 2016 comes to a close and the 12th Annual Soompi Awards are upon us, it is time to vote for our favorites! Dramas and groups have had a big year, but solo artists have as well. Here is a list of  the 15 talented artists that have been nominated for Best Male Solo. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite solo musician this year!

A talented vocalist and well known artist, Crush has had a busy year. Not only has he reached America and Europe on his “Crush On You” tour, but he has released two EPs, “Interlude” and “Wonderlust.” As his popularity continues to rise, it is no surprise he collaborated with Zico and Dean for the addictive track “Bermuda Triangle” as well.  His voice is truly a force to be reckoned with and we look forward to what he has planned for 2017!

A cheerful gentleman, Eric Nam stole the hearts of many during his appearance on “We Got Married” with MAMAMOO’s Solar this year. He also released his second mini album “Interview” and his first U.S. single “Into You,” which performed very well on the charts. He then released his digital single “Can’t Help Myself” in July, and continues to win over fans with his playful and bright personality.

Gary has had an eventful year this year, as he has recently decided to move on from “Running Man” to focus on music. In January he released the track “Lonely Night” featuring Gaeko, which stayed on the charts for over twenty weeks. He did not stop there and recorded his first drama OST for “Entertainer,” and even released his first Chinese song “It’s Okay.”

Han Dong Geun has faced an eventful year and he even revealed to the public that he struggles with epilepsy. However, he is not letting his health stop him, and one of his two-year old tracks even achieved an all-kill on the Korean music charts. His appearances on the shows “Duet Song Festival,” “Radio Star,” and “King of Masked Singer” have helped contribute to his sudden surge in popularity. It is encouraging to see an artist overcoming so much to bring us music!

Many people know John Park from the survival shows “Superstar K” and “American Idol,” and he finally made his long-awaited comeback with his single “Thought of You.” He has also shown off his brains on “Problematic Men” with his past university grades, but shared that his intelligence did not always fit with his old goofy image! Smart or silly, we are anticipating John Park’s plans for next year as well.

A member of the popular group SHINee, Jonghyun has managed to continue group promotions and see growth in his solo career! He has released a song for SM STATION and released his first solo album this year with the title track “She Is.” Besides his own releases, he is also becoming a recognized producer in the K-pop industry as his composing skills are becoming known.

Even though we have not seen a lot of K.Will himself, his music releases speak for themselves. In May, he collaborated with EXO’s Baekhyun for the track “The Day” through SM STATION. He released memorable OSTs for the dramas “Descendants of the Sun” and “Moonlight Drawn by Clouds,” and this ballad-king also received his first musical role in the production “Notre Dame de Paris” earlier this year.

Often referred to as SM’s ballad prince, Kyuhyun has had a crazy schedule with all of his solo promotions. He kicked off this year with “Knick Knack,” a solo Japan tour that followed his Japanese debut track “Bridge to You.” Even though he took a break mid-year because of vocal nodules, he came back strong with a solo concert, numerous TV show appearances, and his comeback album “Waiting Still.” Hopefully we will get to see more of Kyuhyun soon, especially as news is buzzing of a possible Super Junior reappearance!

Lee Juck’s music has been sneaking into the hearts of fans for years now, and 2016 was no exception. His voice filled the homes of many, as he sang the OST “Don’t Worry Dear” for “Reply 1988” and the OST “Interlocked Fingers” for “Moonlight Drawn by Clouds,” both of which filled us with feelings of melancholy reminiscence. He proved his prowess as a singer when his OST “Don’t Worry Dear” took home the award for Best OST at the Mnet Asian Music Awards.

Lim Chang Jung released his 13th album “I’M” with the title track “The Love That I Committed” this year. He has also impressed with his spots on the monthly brand reputation ranking during the past couple months. Making television appearances on shows like “Knowing Brother” and “Please Take Care Of My Refrigerator,” he has once again come to the limelight!

Selling out solo concerts and sweeping the music charts is no big deal for Park Hyo Shin. He made his highly anticipated comeback with the surreal music video “Breath,” which was followed by  his album “I Am Dreamer” with the title track “Beautiful Tomorrow.” Despite his introverted personality he even made his first official appearance on TV after seven years on “Yoo Hee Yeol’s Sketchbook.” We hope we get to hear more from him soon!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL2E1JDw2cA

Park Kyung’s songs make us think of charming romantic comedies, and we can not help but come back for more. Whether it is “Inferiority Complex,” his collaboration with GFRIEND’s Eunha, or his hilariously nostalgic solo “Oguel Oguel,” we keep coming back! He has been on “Celebrity Bromance,” and became a permanent member of “Problematic Men.” Park Kyung is going to have all the ladies soon, especially with his impossibly high IQ of 156!

The members of Super Junior have had quite a busy year, and Ryeowook is no different. He made his solo debut earlier this year with his first album and music video “The Little Prince.” Not only did he also have his first solo concert this year, but he also departed for his mandatory military service in October. We already miss his beautiful voice and are waiting for his return!

The maknae of SHINee, Taemin released his first full solo album this year as well as a mini album for his Japanese debut. Not only has he been promoting solo, but he has also taken part in SHINee’s promotions and concert tours. He appeared on “Hit the Stage” and numerous other television programs, photoshoots, and interviews this past year. We do not know how he managed his unrealistically packed schedule this past year, but we are beginning to wonder if he is even human!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewjucLierFc

On top of being the leader of Block B, Zico has been doing just fine solo as well! His seductively smooth song “I Am You, You Are Me” had everyone’s attention as soon as it was released. The recognition of his production abilities has also skyrocketed recently with the success of his compositions like “Flower Road.” His collaboration track “Bermuda Triangle” with Crush and Dean came out just in time for the end-of-year awards. He has won many awards this year, the most notable being Best Male Artist at the 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

You can see all of these nominees here: [viki]http://www.viki.com/videos/1115409v-soompi-awards-best-male-solo-episode-11?utm_source=soompi&utm_medium=feature&utm_campaign=top-15-male-solo-kpop-artists-2016&utm_content_id=929411wpp[/viki]

VOTE NOW!

The 12th Annual Soompi Awards is sponsored by Spottoon, a premium comics library, and held in partnership with American network Fuse and Korea’s top production house ZANYBROS.

t0ky0nights is a K-pop enthusiast whose interests include many forms of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean entertainment. She can be found dancing or writing articles, and lyrics most of the time. Check out her monochrome Instagram account here.