WayV: Star Showcase

Hello everyone, recently I made the decision to try my best in posting more often. So to stay on track with that, I am bringing back the star showcase segment. For today’s showcase, I will be introducing you all to the Chinese pop group WayV. Now I know a few of you might already know about them, but I still wanted to put this on here for anyone else that has not heard about WayV.

WayV is the fourth sub-unit and China-based unit of the Hallyu localization project group NCT (Neo Culture Technology). The group was first introduced on August 13, 2018, as NCT China. On the 31st of December, 2018, SM Entertainment announced that the group will officially debut with the name WayV / WeiShen V. WayV is managed by Label V. The group made their official debut on January 17, 2019, with the release of a digital EP – The Vision, which had three songs. They then released their first official album – Take off on May 9, 2019.

WayV consist of seven members: Kun, Ten, Winwin, Lucas, Xiaojun, Hendery and Yangyang.

Members Profile:

Stage Name: Kun

Position: Leader & Main Vocalist

Groups: NCT U, NCT & WayV

Birth Name: Qian Kun

Born in: Fujian, China

Nationality: Chinese

Date of Birth: January 1, 1996

Height: 176cm (5’9″)

Blood Type: B

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

Spoken Languages: Mandarin & Korean

Nicknames: Kun-ge, Little Kun Kun, Xiaodan, Dandan

Education: Beijing Contemporary Music Institute

Kun was first introduced to the public through S.M Rookies, and he featured on the Chinese version of NCT U’s single – “Without You.” He officially debuted in 2018 as a member of NCT. Jason Mraz’s song “I Won’t Give Up” was what inspired him to become an artist. He is also an excellent chef.

He really does a great job leading the six other extra dorks in WayV. I also live for the bickering between him and Ten. Ten and the youngest member, YangYang, never fail to remind of his status as the oldest in their group. I just find their interactions to be downright hilarious.

Stage Name: Ten

Position: Main Dancer, Lead Rapper & Lead Vocalist

Groups: NCT U, NCT & WayV

Birth Name: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul

Chinese Name: Li Yong Qin

Born in: Bangkok, Thailand

Nationality/Ethnicity: ethnically he is Chinese, but his nationality is Thai

Date of Birth: February 27, 1996

Height: 170cm (5’7″)

Blood Type: A

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Spoken Languages: Thai, English, Korean & Mandarin

Nicknames: TNT (Ten), Dandy, Ten on Ten, Cute Devil

Education: Shrewsbury International School

Digital Singles: Dream in a Dream & New Heroes

Ten officially debuted in 2016 as part of NCT U with the single “The 7th Sense”. He also participated in the dancing survival show Hit The Stage. The song that inspired him to become an artist is “Blue Lights” by Jorja Smith. FUN FACT – he has a fear of fruits, so he never eats them.

This is my ultimate NCT bias right here. I JUST LOVE HIM. I did not take notice of him when he first debuted, but after watching Hit the stage, I was attached. I really want him and every member of WayV to gain success in their careers.

Stage Name: WinWin

Position: Dancer, Sub-Vocalist & Visual

Groups: NCT, NCT 127, NCT U & WayV

Birth Name: Dong Si Cheng

Born in: Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China

Nationality: Chinese

Date of Birth: October 28, 1997

Height: 178cm (5’10”)

Blood Type: B

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Spoken Languages: Mandarin & Korean

Nicknames: Winko, SM’s Purest Child, Yun Yun, Chick

Education: Secondary School of Beijing Dance Academy & The Central Academy of Drama

WinWin specializes in Traditional Chinese Dance, he is the most flexible member of NCT. He has a fear of heights and dislikes skinship. He made his official debut with NCT 127 in 2016. He was inspired by EXO’s “Growl” to become an idol.

I noticed that he is freer and talks more while promoting as a member of WayV. I guess that he feels more comfortable promoting in his own country, and plus, he can now speak in a language he is more familiar with. Also, thankfully, with their first album, he got more lines and screen time than he usually got while in NCT 127 or NCT U. I really want SM Entertainment to put him out there more because he has the potential.

Stage Name: Lucas

Position: Main Rapper, Sub-Vocalist, Center & Lead Dancer

Groups: NCT U, NCT & WayV

Birth Name: Wong Yuk Hei

Born in: Hong Kong, China

Nationality: Chinese-Thai (His father is Chinese, and his mother is Thai)

Date of Birth: January 25, 1999

Height: 183cm (6’0″)

Blood Type: O

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Spoken Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean & light fluency in English / Thai

Nicknames: Lucas Bieber, Fitness King, Foodcas, Kaka, Bowcas

Education: TWGHs Yow Kam Yeun College

He is known for his cheerful and happy-virus personality. He appeared in Ten’s “Dream in a Dream” MV and was inspired to become an artist after listening to Dean’s “I’m Not Sorry.” He made his official debut with NCT U in 2018. He also debuted as a model in October 2018 and walked the runway for Kye Brand.

When I first saw him in NCT U’s song “Boss,” I was like okay he is good looking, and that was it. But thankfully with WayV, I got to see a different side of him. He is really caring and very supportive of his members and the management team that takes care of WayV.

Stage Name: Xiaojun

Position: Main Vocalist

Groups: NCT & WayV

Birth Name: Xiao Dejun

Born in: Guangdong, China

Nationality: Chinese

Date of Birth: August 8, 1999

Height: 173cm (5’8″)

Blood Type: A

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Spoken Languages: Mandarin & Korean

Nicknames: Childish Kid, Junjun

Education: Shanghai Theatre Academy

His life motto is “Being complacent will result in loss, being humble will bring benefits.” He is a very emotional person and always full of positive energy. All his favourite foods are green tea flavoured. He writes and composes his own songs, and he made his official debut in 2019 with WayV. He also participated in the Chinese survival show X-Fire.

He is definitely my bias-wrecker in the group. His voice is just so soothing, and he is occasionally the only normal one among the extra dorky individuals in WayV. He still shows his silly side once in a while. I just love the vibe he gives off.

Stage Name: Hendery

Position: Sub-Rapper, Sub-Vocalist, Dancer & Visual

Groups: NCT & WayV

Birth Name: Wong Kunhang / Huang Guanheng

Born in: Macau, China

Nationality: Chinese

Date of Birth: September 28, 1999

Blood Type: O

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Spoken Languages: Mandarin & Korean

Nicknames: Huang Gua (cucumber), Lu Zai (donkey)

Education: Studied in Beijing, China

His life motto is, “Work hard to create the future.” His favourite colour is pink. He made his official debut in 2019 with WayV.

The first thing I noticed about him is that he seems to really admire Ten and they also look-alike. He is also Ten’s one and only Chinese teacher. Hendery and YangYang should never be left in the same space for too long because their silliness combined is unstoppable.

Stage Name: YangYang

Position: Main Rapper, Sub- Vocalist, Dancer & Youngest Member

Groups: NCT & WayV

Birth Name: Liu Yangyang

Born in: Taiwan, China (lived in Dusseldorf, Germany for most of his life)

Nationality/Ethnicity: ethnically Chinese but his citizenship is Taiwanese-German

Date of Birth: October 10, 2000

Blood Type: O

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Spoken Languages: German, English, Mandarin, Korean & light fluency in Cantonese/Spanish

Nickname: He does not have a nickname because everyone assumed that YangYang was actually his nickname. He likes to be called YangYang or Xiao Yang (which means Little Sheep)

YangYang’s favourite colour is Red. As a kid, his dream was to become a racer. He made his official debut in 2019 with WayV.

Although being the youngest, he seems to be really confident and bold in whatever he does, and I love that trait. He loves teasing Kun-ge about his age, and he is also a dork. It seems like all NCT members are always extra, but I still love them.

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That is my brief introduction to each member. To see a more detailed profile with some fun facts about each member, use this link: WayV Members Profile / Detailed

Also check out WayV’s Dream Launch Plan videos for more about each member, here is a link to all the videos: Dream Launch Plan Playlist. 

To stay more connected with the group, follow their Twitter and Instagram page:

WayV Official Twitter

WayV Official Instagram

I also follow a fan channel that uploads English subbed videos of all their other activities that are not posted on their official YouTube channel, so here is the link to that channel: WayV Subs – fan channel

Okay, now that I am done giving out all the essential links, it is time to tell you all how I came to love WayV.

Initially, when I heard that NCT was going to be having a Chinese sub-unit, I was super excited because of the group’s line-up. I was really looking forward to their debut. Unfortunately, their EP – The Vision, which had two new songs – “Dream Launch” and “Come Back,” and a Chinese version of “Regular” did not grab my attention. Because there are already two versions of Regular (English and Korean), so I felt that another version was not necessary. That aside, the boys did great in all songs, but the repetition of Regular killed the excitement for me.

Later on, I stumbled upon Ten and WinWin’s Performance of “Lovely” by Billie Eilish, so I decided to actually spend some time and watch all the videos on WayV’s official YouTube channel to form an actual opinion about the group. So I began with the Rainbow V project. Now I have always loved Ten because he is a fantastic dancer, singer and just a very talented individual altogether. But after watching Rainbow V, I got to appreciate the other members as well. By the end of all the performances, I was drawn to their talent, dedication and hilarious personalities. Finally, the initial excitement was back. I was pumped and ready for their first album release.

Below is a little teaser of the final performances from the Rainbow V project. To see the full Rainbow V project, simply go to their official YouTube channel. All the clips come with English subtitles. Here is a link: WayV Official YouTube Channel 

Currently, my favourite songs from this group’s minimal discography are: “Take Off,” “Dream Launch,” “Let Me Love You,” and “Come Back.” And that is all I have for this showcase. If you already listen to WayV, then please continue to show them your love and support. And if this is your first time hearing about them, then go check them out with all the links I have provided.

So guys, until my next post, take care.