Yasuo Namekawa, better known by his stage name Kang-nam, is a Korean-Japanese singer.
Background
Kangnam was born on March 23, 1987 in Tokyo, Japan, and is half-Korean (his mother is Korean) and half-Japanese (his father is Japanese). He was born into a rich and harmonious family. Even though his father didn’t want him to be a musician, he didn’t give up.
He didn"t succeed his father"s business.
Education
Kangnam attended Hawaiian Mission Academy in Honolulu for a period before transferring to another school to finish high school. Kangnam briefly attended Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he majored in Communications, but he left the school to pursue music instead.
Career
Early life and career beginnings (1987–2010)
Kangnam is an only child. He spent most of his childhood in Japan, and also spent some years in Hawaii. Kangnam has stated in interviews that his family is wealthy, but he does not receive financial support from them.
School life
He then returned to Japan to finish his studies.
Career in of Korea (2011–present)
In 2012, Kangnam appeared in a CF for Epson, an electronics company that specializes in image-related products. Also in 2012, Kangnam took on his first acting role in the tvN sitcom "21st Century Family", and he became the host of the Japanese rendition of Mnet"s Jjang.
On the October 3, 2014 episode of "I Live Alone" Rainbow segment Kangnam revealed that he had only $3 in his bank accountant In subsequent Entertainment Relay interviews, he reported that his income had increased significantly, as he became involved with more CFs and variety shows.
In October 2014, Kangnam became a permanent cast member on MBC"s I Live Alone.
In November 2014, Kangnam became an exclusive model for the shoestore American Broadcasting Company Mart, alongside model Nam Joo Hyuk. Kangnam finally saw the fruit of his labors towards the end of 2014, four years after his debut, hitting a year-end festival stage as an Military Cross, as part of the "Lucky Boys" project for 2014 Business School Gayo Daejun. On the December 26 episode of MBC"s "I Live Alone," Kangnam opened up about attending year-end festivals for the first time since his debut: "Singers usually appear on television to sing at the end of each year.
Every year, I have been watching television thinking ‘I’ll do that next year,’ and somehow four years have passed.”
On December 26, 2014, Kangnam released his second solo track, "What Do I Do", which soared to #1 on Daum"s real time charts.
Kangnam also ranked #1 on several real time searches, including Naver, Melon, Mnet, and more. In February 2015, he was appointed the honorary ambassador for the fourth KCON music festival and convention for its first time in Japan.
Kangnam is also scheduled to perform at the April 22 concert. He has said that his fluency in both languages will allow him to "act as the bridge between the exchange of culture from both countries.".
Membership
He is the vocalist and oldest member of the South Korean hip-hop group, M.I.B. He made his recording debut in of Korea with the single, "Say My Name," just before his debut as a member of M.I.B.
In March 2008, Kangnam debuted with the stage name Ya-Cha as a new member of the Japanese band Kick Chop Busters (Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath). In of Korea, Kangnam debuted as a member of M.I.B (band) under the label Jungle Entertainment on October 25, 2011, with the title track "G.D.M" aka "Girls, Dreams, Money." His single track "Say My Name" was released on October 17, 2011 as part of a spin-off promotion to prove that each member is capable of standing alone.