Kim Jong-in, known professionally as Kai, is a South Korean singer, dancer, actor, and model. He is a main dancer of Exo and a member of Exo-K and SuperM. He has also developed a solo music career, appeared in television and web dramas, and participated in variety programs and concert tours.
Background
Kim Jong-in was born on January 14, 1994, in Suncheon, South Korea. He began dancing at the age of eight, initially studying jazz dance. After seeing The Nutcracker, he became interested in ballet and began training in the third grade; he later studied hip-hop dance after entering training with S.M. Entertainment.
In 2008, Kim won the Singing Jjang of the 10th S.M. Teen Best Contest and joined S.M. Entertainment as a trainee. His early training combined vocal preparation with several dance traditions and formed the foundation for his later work as a performance-focused singer.
Education
Kim graduated from the School of Performing Arts Seoul in February 2012. The Seoul institution specializes in arts education for students preparing for professional careers in music, dance, theater, and related entertainment fields.
His professional education also developed through S.M. Entertainment, one of South Korea's major music and talent-management companies. The company's trainee system provided the institutional setting in which he developed as a singer and dancer before debuting with Exo.
Career
Kim entered S.M. Entertainment's training system in 2008 and became the first Exo member formally introduced to the public through teaser trailers. His first teaser appeared in December 2011, followed by additional trailers during the next three months. He made his first televised performance on December 29, 2011, at the SBS Gayo Daejeon with Luhan, Chen, and Tao.
He debuted with Exo in 2012 and became one of the group's main dancers. Exo was formed by S.M. Entertainment as a South Korean-Chinese boy group and became one of the leading acts of the Korean Wave. Kim also performed in Exo-K, the group's Korean subunit, and participated in the dance project Younique Unit, whose members performed the single "Maxstep" and the dance piece "Spectrum" in 2012. He appeared in Girls' Generation-TTS's music video "Twinkle" and had earlier appeared with fellow Exo members in TVXQ's "HaHaHa Song" music video.
Kim expanded his activities beyond Exo through the performance group S.M. The Performance and the supergroup SuperM, formed by S.M. Entertainment with Capitol Records and featuring members of several S.M. groups. In 2014 he appeared on Taemin's song "Pretty Boy." He began his acting career with the web drama Choco Bank in 2016 and later held leading roles in Andante, Spring Has Come, and other television productions. He was also part of Netflix's unscripted series New World, which combined survival missions, competitions, and variety entertainment.
Kim debuted as a solo recording artist with the extended play KAI in 2020 and followed it with Peaches in 2021, Rover in 2023, and Wait On Me in 2025. He entered mandatory service as a public service worker on May 11, 2023, and completed his service on February 10, 2025. After returning to entertainment activities, he released Wait On Me and began the 2025 Kaion solo concert tour, his first solo concert tour.
Connections
Kim's principal professional connections are with Exo, Exo-K, S.M. The Performance, and SuperM. These groups place his work within the performance-centered system developed by S.M. Entertainment and its associated artists.
