Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul[4] (Thai: นิชคุณ หรเวชกุล; RTGS: Nitchakhun Horawetchakun; born June 24, 1988), better known mononymously as Nichkhun (Korean: 닉쿤[a]), is a Thai and American[6][7][8] rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and model who is currently based in South Korea as a member of the South Korean boy band 2PM.
Early life and family
Nichkhun was born in Rancho Cucamonga, California, U.S. to Thai Chinese parents and is a dual national of Thailand and the United States.[9][10][11] His maternal grandparents emigrated to Thailand from Hainan, and he has said that he has extended family and distant ancestors from Guangzhou.[10][12] His mother, Yenjit Horvejkul (née Mekworewut), is the chief executive officer of her family's pharmaceutical business, Union Medical, which imports pharmaceutical products from abroad and is a major government contractor.[13][14][15] His wealthy background earned him the nickname "Thai Prince" in South Korea.[13] The second of four children, Nichkhun has an older brother Nichan Bert (born September 11, 1986),[16] and two younger sisters, Nichthima Yanin (born July 22, 1990)[17] and Nachjaree (Chereen) (born October 20, 1994).
After moving back to Thailand, the family resided in the Bangkok suburbs and Nichkhun and his siblings attended Thai-medium schools. He had no inclination towards the performing arts as a child and was a competitive badminton player.[18] At the age of twelve, he boarded at Wanganui Collegiate School in New Zealand for a year and a half and was sent back to Racho Cucamonga, where he and his brother lived with an aunt while attending school.[19][20] He attended Etiwanda High School before transferring to Los Osos High School.[21][22] He was scouted by a scout manager of JYP Entertainment at the Los Angeles Korean Music Festival as a high school senior and offered a trainee contract, despite having no background in singing or dancing.[3] In 2006, he moved to South Korea for training, becoming the first non-ethnic Korean trainee at the company.[citation needed]
Career
Pre-debut
While still a trainee, Nichkhun was first introduced through JYP Entertainment's 2006 audition program SuperStar Survival in the episode filmed in Thailand.[23] The following year, he made his debut in Thailand using his nickname "Khun", appearing as a backup dancer in a milk advertisement with Rain, who had become immensely popular in Southeast Asia due to Full House.[24][25]
In January 2008, he was among the thirteen male trainees chosen to participate in Mnet's Hot Blooded Men, a program that showed the intense physical training that the male trainees had to go through for the opportunity to debut in either a four-member ballad group (2AM) or a seven-member dance group (2PM) under JYP Entertainment.[26] In July, it was announced that he would be one of the panelists in the second season of popular talk show-cum-variety program Ya Shim Man Man alongside industry veterans Kang Ho-dong, singer-songwriter Yoon Jong-shin, talk show host Kim Je-dong and pop stars MC Mong, Seo In-young, and Jun Jin.[27][28][29] He eventually left the program in November, having made his debut with 2PM several months prior.[30]
On September 4, 2008, Nichkhun debuted as part of 2PM in their first single "10 Points out of 10 Points" (Korean: "10점 만점에 10점") from their single album "Hottest Time of the Day". They have released five studio albums in Korea and four studio albums in Japan.
Solo activities
2010–2015: Host, variety show, designer and acting roles
Nichkhun in July 2011
Nichkhun was one of the hosts for the Korean Music Wave in Bangkok in 2010, 2011, and 2013. In 2010, along with Taecyeon and Yoon Eun-hye, Nichkhun played one of the main characters in a 12-minute music video drama for Cass Beer, which was released on February 8.[31] He also hosted JYP's talent competition Superstar Survival. In June 2010, he was cast in the second season of the variety show We Got Married, pairing up with Victoria of f(x). The couple, known as Khuntoria, was featured on the show leaving in September 2011.[32] In 2011, Nichkhun appeared in the music video of the single "Touch (觸動)" by Taiwanese Mandopop artist Will Pan, which premiered on January 31. He also starred in the Japanese live-adaptation film of Ouran High School Host Club as Lawrence, the president of a Singaporean corporation.[33]
In 2012, Nichkhun made his Thai acting debut in the anthology film Seven Something and took on the role of a young marathon runner. The romantic anthology film was produced by Thailand's film studio and distributor GTH and released on July 26, 2012.[34][unreliable source?]
In 2013, it was reported that he had been cast as a lead character in the Chinese television series One and a Half Summer, a role which required him to speak both Mandarin and English. The series aired between June and July 2014 on Dragon Television, becoming one of the most streamed dramas of the year despite sluggish television ratings.[35][36]
In 2014, Japanese network NTV's Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo mystery drama special was broadcast on January 4. Nichkhun took on the role of a young student who was involved in a serial murder case set in the jungles of Malaysia.[37][unreliable source?] Nichkhun started filming for his Chinese drama Looking for Aurora in June. The drama held its production press conference in Shenzhen on August 28.[38][unreliable source?] In August, Nichkhun also debuted as a designer[39] and released bag collection in collaboration with Korean fashion brand ‘rosa.K.’ The ‘ROSA.K x Nichkhun Collaboration’ consisted of three different lines: Dustin, Lawnick, and Dave, and the showcase was held on August 26, 2014.[40][unreliable source?] Nichkhun teamed up with CNBLUE's Jung Yong-hwa, B1A4's Baro, Infinite's L, and Winner's Mino for project group Lucky Boys (Super 5) for the 2014 SBS Gayo Daejun. Nichkhun and Baro also hosted the show.[41]
In 2015, Nichkhun made a cameo appearance in the Chinese movie Forever Young, starring Li Yi Feng and Zhang Hui We,[42] and a Thai movie Touch the Sky - Chalui.[43] Nichkhun also became a mentor on a Chinese music reality show Youth Trainee on Zhejiang Television.[44]
2016–2020: Acting roles, host, first mini album and solo concert
In 2016, Nichkhun and actor Lee Jung-jin released a travel essay and photobook called '여행, 바람을 품은 지도' (Journey, Map that embraces the Wind) on May 3. The photos in the book were taken during their trip to Hawaii, USA.[45]
In 2017, 2PM held their final concerts before their first members enlisted and Nichkhun began focusing more on solo activities. He starred in his first Korean-language role, playing a doctor on JTBC's web series Magic School.[46][47] In September, Nichkhun announced his first-ever solo Asia fan meeting tour since making his debut in 2008. His fan meetings 'Nichkhun (of 2PM) 1st Asia Fan Meeting Tour <Khunvitation>' were held in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan between November 29–30 and December 13–14, respectively. His fan meeting <Khunvitation> in Seoul, South Korea, was held on December 3.[48][49]
In 2018, Nichkhun continued his fan meeting tour in Thailand and China.[48] He portrayed the half-Japanese, half-Thai boyfriend of Urassaya Sperbund's character in Brother of the Year, which ranked No. 1 in Thai box offices and became the second highest-grossing domestically-produced movie of the year.[50] Nichkhun released his first solo mini album Me in Japan on December 19, 2018 and all songs in the album were composed by him. Prior to the release of his album, Nichkhun held his first solo concert "NICHKHUN (From 2PM) Premium Solo Concert 2018 HOME" in Osaka on November 23 and 24, and in Tokyo from December 20 to 22.[51][unreliable source?] Nichkhun's Chinese web drama Shall We Fall in Love (勇往直前恋上你) premiered on Tencent on December 27, 2018.[52]
Nichkhun traveled to work in several countries in 2018, especially to shoot for travel and food programs, including JTBC and Thailand's ONE31The Team Chef[53][54] and JTBC Let's Eat Dinner Together[55] in South Korea, tvN Galileo: Awakened Universe[56][57] in the United States, tvN Asia One Night Food Trip – International Edition 2[58] in the Philippines, tvN Asia Wok The World[59] in Singapore, and The Tourism Authority of Thailand Experience Thailand and More[60] in Thailand, Myanmar, and Indonesia.
In 2019, Nichkhun released his solo album Me in South Korea on February 18.[61] The album was available for streaming in South Korea, China, and Thailand. A special song called "Umbrella" dedicated to his fans was released in five different languages Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai, and English.[62] Nichkhun held his solo concerts 'Home' in Seoul on May 11 and 12. He also held his encore concerts called 'Nichkhun Solo Concert 'Home' Encore in Japan ~Sweet 624~' on June 27 and 28 in Tokyo.[63][unreliable source?] On July 27, Nichkhun held his solo concert called Nichkhun Solo Concert 'Home' in Bangkok with Dr.Jill in Thailand.[64] Nichkhun started filming for Viu Original Thai series called My Bubble Tea in July 2019[65][66] and a Thai horror movie, CJ Major Entertainment's Cracked in August 2019.[67][68] On October 28, Nichkhun announced the release of his second mini album in Japan titled 'Story of...' and solo concerts called "NICHKHUN (From 2PM) Premium Solo Concert 2019-2020 'Story of...'" [69] On December 19, his album 'Story of...' was released in digital format simultaneously in Japan and Korea. The physical format of the album was released on December 25.[70] Nichkhun held his solo concerts 'Story of...' in Osaka on December 26 and 27.[71]
In 2020, Nichkhun continued his tour "NICHKHUN (From 2PM) Premium Solo Concert 2019-2020 'Story of...'" in Tokyo on January 6 and 7.[72] He then joined the Thai audition program The Brothers as a mentor along with Jesdaporn Pholdee, Ananda Everingham and Mario Maurer. However, in the midst of filming, he was forced to return to South Korea as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened in Thailand.[73] The participants selected from the program eventually debuted in 2022 as T-pop boyband Proxie.
On May 22, 2020, his Thai romantic comedy My Bubble Tea began airing on Viu and starred Phiravich Attachitsataporn and Manasaporn Chanchalerm. The Viu Original drama revolves around Manasaporn's character who concocts a special tea so that she can make her boss (played by Nichkhun) fall in love with her.[74][66] The highly-rated drama won several awards at the 2020 Asian Academy Creative Awards, including a Best Supporting Actor (Thailand) for his role.[75]
On September 21, 2020, Nichkhun and Day6's Jae Park took on role as a member of crime-fighting boyband "4 2 Sing" in season three of Big Hero 6: The Series.[76][77] Nichkhun played twins Dae and Hyun-ki, one half of the boy band "4 2 Sing", while Jae Park played another set of twins, Kwang-sun and Ye Joon, also "4 2 Sing" members.
In 2021, Nichkhun and Hwang Chan-sung made special cameo appearances in Vincenzo to support their bandmate Ok Taec-yeon.[79] He featured in the single "How Cute is This?" (น่ารักอะไรเบอร์นี้) by Thai pop star Saksit Vejsupaporn, his first time rapping in Thai, but was unable to participate in the music video as tightened COVID-related restrictions prevented him from returning to Thailand.[80]
In 2022, the horror movie Cracked was finally released after having production repeatedly delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He then starred in the Viu Thailand original series Finding the Rainbow as one of the three protagonists alongside Sushar Manaying and Itthipat Thanit. His role as Thai-American businessman Wilson won critical acclaim and he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 2023 Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards.[81]
Nichkhun starred in the Hollywood film The Modelizer, a romantic comedy directed by Keoni Waxman, alongside Byron Mann, Rayssa Bratillieri, Dominika Kachlik, and Kenneth Tsang. It was filmed on location in Hong Kong.[82] Originally titled Hong Kong Love Story, it was renamed The Modelizer and released through Vertical Entertainment on July 14, 2023.[83]
Other activities
Despite being mostly based in South Korea, Nichkhun has continued to support various charitable causes in Thailand.[84][85] He was appointed “Friend of UNICEF” on April 9, 2013 and participated in fundraising campaigns and field visits.[86][87] In 2015, he was awarded a recognition plaque from UNICEF Thailand for his work.[88]
Impact and public image
Nichkhun is the first Thai national to debut in a K-pop idol group and achieve success.[89][90][91] Prior to his debut, the "foreigners" in the industry were predominantly either of partial Korean parentage or ethnic Koreans from the North American or Japanese diasporas. He is often mentioned as a pioneer as his popularity in South Korea further contributed to the Korean Wave (Hallyu) in Thailand, which was still an emerging market for K-pop at the time of his debut.[92][93][91] In 2012 he was awarded the Kerd of the Year, which recognizes the most popular and influential Thai celebrities chosen by host Woody Milintachinda and voted by the public.[94]
During his pre-debut appearances in SuperStar Survival and Hot Blooded Men, Nichkhun initially gained attention from viewers for his looks. In an unprecedented move, he was cast as a panelist in the SBS talk show-cum-variety program Ya Shim Man Man 2 despite being a foreigner with a limited command of the Korean language and an idol trainee who had yet to debut;[27] after the first episode aired, he ranked first in the Naver online search rankings, with an opinion-editorial in The Hankyoreh noting that he "rose to stardom without saying a single word".[95][96] Domestic pop culture commentators noted that his popularity with Korean viewers led to increased awareness of long-held xenophobic attitudes towards Southeast Asia that has been engrained in the domestic entertainment industry, particularly after he was confronted with indirect derogatory remarks related to his Thai nationality on several television programs he appeared on.[97][98][99]
His public profile as a member of 2PM has made him one of the most recognizable faces in the Korean entertainment industry who hail from Southeast Asia.[100][91] He has been cited multiple times by South Korean and Thai government officials in diplomatic talks and was appointed the Goodwill Ambassador for the 2018 Thai Festival held in Seoul to celebrate 60 years of formal diplomatic relations between both countries.[101][102][103] Due to his fluency in English besides Korean and Thai, he has featured in tourism campaigns and presented travel documentaries sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.[104][105]
Personal life
As a male citizen of Thailand, he was subject to the military draft lottery in 2009 and subsequently received an exemption from military service as his home district had met the required quota.[106][107]
An avid sportsman, Nichkhun was previously a competitive badminton player during his schooling years and continues to play amateurly.[108] His appearances on Our Neighborhood Arts and Physical Education in the badminton episodes alongside the likes of retired legends Lee Dong-soo and Ha Tae-kwon led Yonex Korea to appoint him as its brand ambassador in 2014, the first non-professional athlete to be chosen.[109][110][18]
On July 24, 2012, Nichkhun was involved in a vehicular collision with a motorcyclist in Gangnam. It was reported that the singer had been driving under the influence of alcohol when he crashed into a motorcycle. His BAC measured at 0.056%, thus his license was suspended. Nichkhun personally apologized for the incident, resulting in him taking a hiatus from the entertainment industry.[111]
^Within the Korean entertainment industry and in Korean-language printed media, his name is rendered as "Nick-kun" in Hangeul due to a misspelling by a staff member when he joined JYP Entertainment. In Thai, the ch in his name is pronounced as [tʃ] (as in "cheese"). He later stated in an interview that he never corrected the error after realizing that Koreans found it easier to pronounce "Nick-kun" and viewed it as a nickname.[5]
^"เปิดธุรกิจครอบครัว"นิชคุณ หรเวชกุล"คู่สัญญารัฐ-ฟันรายได้ 900 ล." [Opening the family business "Nichkhun Horvejkul", a government contract partner, earning 900 million in revenue.]. ISRA News Agency (in Thai). Thai Press Development Foundation. July 26, 2012. Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
^ ab'우리동네 예체능' 닉쿤 배드민턴 실력에 '레전드'들도 "깜짝" ['Our Neighborhood Arts and Physical Education' Nickhun's Badminton Skills Surprise 'Legends']. The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). January 8, 2014. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
^닉쿤 中영화 '치자화개' 출연..기대감↑ [Nichkhun appears in the Chinese movie 'Forever Young'.. Anticipation ↑] (in Korean). February 23, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
^2PM닉쿤·missA지아 中 새 예능 고정출연..중국 활동 박차 [2PM's Nichkhun and missA's Jia make regular appearances in Chinese variety shows...Spurring activities in China] (in Korean). April 13, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
^ ab週間 アルバムランキング (2018年12月17日～2018年12月23日）) [Oricon Weekly CD Album Ranking from December 17, 2018, to December 23, 2018] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
^Kim No-eul (December 21, 2022). "이다희·성시경·박소담·닉쿤 '골든디스크 어워즈' MC 낙점[공식]" [Lee Da-hee, Seong Si-kyung, Park So-dam, and Nichkhun selected as MCs for the 'Golden Disc Awards' [Official]] (in Korean). MT Star News. Retrieved December 21, 2022 – via Naver.
^Hwang Mi-hyun (January 7, 2022). "닉쿤, 中 최대 포털 시상식서 '올해의 아시아 아이돌' 수상" [Nichkhun wins 'Asian Idol of the Year' at China's largest portal awards ceremony] (in Korean). News1. Retrieved January 7, 2022 – via Naver.
^Park, Jae-hwan (September 12, 2023). "아시아콘텐츠어워즈&글로벌OTT어워즈 후보작 발표.. "더 글로리, 무빙, 만장적계절, 그리고 퍼스트러브하츠코이" [Asian Content Awards & Global OTT Awards Nominees Announced... "The Glory, Moving, All Seasons, and First Love Hatsukoi"] (in Korean). KBS. Retrieved September 12, 2023 – via Naver.
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