Danny Ahn (Korean: 데니안; born December 22, 1978) is a South Korean-American entertainer best known as the main rapper of the South Korean pop music group g.o.d. Having made his debut in the entertainment industry as a member of g.o.d in 1999, Ahn has gone into acting and has also been a radio DJ and MC.
Early life
Ahn was born in Seattle, Washington, and holds American citizenship,[4][5] although he later moved to South Korea with his family and spent most of his schooling years there. He and g.o.d bandmate Joon Park are first cousins; Ahn's father is the youngest sibling of Joon's mother.[6][better source needed] When he was in elementary school his parents divorced and he and his older sister went to live with their mother.[7][8] As a teenager, he began aspiring to become a singer after listening to Seo Taiji and Boys.[9] He studied Theater and Film at Dankook University.[10]
Career
Beginnings
Ahn's professional career began with his debut in the K-pop industry as a rapper for singer Uhm Jung-hwa. He was also part of a mixed-gender project group along with his friend Son Ho-young, Shoo and Kim Hwan-sung but it fell through; Kim was later recruited as the final member of NRG and Shoo joined S.M. Entertainment where she would debut as part of girl group S.E.S.[11]
In 1997 Ahn was recruited by his cousin Joon for a project group he was forming. Between 1997 and 1998, Son, Yoon Kye-sang and Kim Sun-a were recruited through auditions while Park Jin-young joined the group as their producer and mentor.[12] However, Kim Sun-a left to pursue acting and was replaced with Kim Tae-woo, then still a high school student.[13] The group eventually became a five-man boy band and named g.o.d, short for "Groove Over Dose".
1999–2005: Success with g.o.d
After a lukewarm response to their debut performance in January 1999, the group went on to become one of the most popular K-pop groups in the 2000s.[citation needed] Ahn occasionally composed his own rap lyrics.[14] The group later switched from SidusHQ to JYP Entertainment, with two members switching agencies while Ahn and Yoon renewed their individual contracts at SidusHQ.[15] In 2004, Yoon left the group and g.o.d continued as a quartet until December 2005.
2006–2013: Solo activities and projects
Ahn ventured into the radio industry prior to g.o.d going on hiatus in late December 2005.[16] He became as a radio DJ on KBS Cool FM and was the first host of Kiss the Radio before taking over Lee Soo-young as host of the long-running afternoon program Music Show.[17][18][19] He was invited back to be a guest DJ for the "Homecoming Day" special in 2015, in honor of KBS Cool FM's 50th anniversary.[20]
In May 2012, Ahn starred opposite Dave K. Wong as Gye Dong-hee, a friend to Ryu's Seung-hyuk in Channel A's Goodbye Dear Wife.[22] He served as a commentator/host on We Got Married along with Lee Ji-hye, with hosts Park Mi-sun and Kim Jung-min before leaving the show on May 31, 2014.[23][unreliable source] In 2013 he joined Top Gear Korea to host the fourth season.[24]
Ahn's contract with his previous agency SidusHQ expired, and he signed with Box Media in March 2014.[28] He reunited with his g.o.d bandmates to prepare for their eighth album to celebrate the fifteen anniversary of their debut. Following the release of the album in July, the group embarked on a nationwide concert tour.[citation needed]
In July 2018, Ahn re-signed with former agency SidusHQ. He had joined New Able Entertainment in 2016 but it was acquired by SidusHQ and he was one of several artists who opted to transfer to SidusHQ.[33]
Since August 2020, Ahn and his g.o.d bandmate Son Ho-young have co-hosted a talk show g.o.d's Lunch Attack which airs on Naver's streaming app Naver NOW. at noon on weekdays.[34][35]
In June 2022, Ahn renewed his contract with Cuz-9 Entertainment.[36]
^Kang, Da-yun (June 7, 2022). 데니안, 커즈나인엔터와 재계약 "신뢰와 믿음 기반" [공식] [Danny Ahn renews contract with Kurznine Entertainment "Based on trust and belief" [Official]] (in Korean). MyDaily [ko]. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2022 – via Naver.
^Yoon Byung-chul (June 9, 2022). 데니안, tvN '남편의 죽음을 알리지 마라' 출연…스타 강사 변신 [Danny Ahn to appear in tvN's 'Don't Announce Your Husband's Death'... Star Instructor Transformation] (in Korean). Korea Economy TV. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022 – via Naver.
^Kang Nae-ri (March 30, 2023). [단독] 데니안, SBS '7인의 탈출' 특별출연...김순옥 월드 입성 [[Exclusive] Danny Ahn, special appearance in SBS 'Escape of 7'...Kim Soon-ok entered the world] (in Korean). YTN. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023 – via Naver.
^Jung Jin-young (June 13, 2022). 데니안 '차박' 남주 확정… 11년 만 스크린 복귀 [Danny Ahn's 'Cha Park' Nam Joo Confirmed... Returning to the screen after 11 years] (in Korean). Ilgan Sports. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022 – via Naver.
^Choi Hee-jae (March 30, 2022). 데니안, 웹예능 '같이 축구 볼래?' MC 발탁 [공식입장] [Danny Ahn, web entertainment 'Would you like to watch soccer together?' MC Selection [Official Position]] (in Korean). xportsnews. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Naver.
