Young K

A key member of the prominent K-pop group Day6, vocalist and bassist Young K is also an accomplished solo artist whose mature pop ballads and melodic rock anthems showcase his thoughtful songwriting and soaring hooks. As with virtually everything Day6 has released, all of Young K's projects, starting with the Eternal EP (2021) and continuing with the full-lengths Letters with Notes (2023) and Youngest (2026), have hit the Top Ten of the Korean pop chart. Young K's extensive outside work as a featured artist and songwriter is highlighted by the chart-topping Baek A Yeon collaboration "Shouldn't Have." Born in Seoul, Young K (Kang Young-hyun) was raised in South Korea until he moved to Toronto during adolescence. While in school, he formed a couple bands with friends and auditioned for JYP Entertainment, sparking a long-term affiliation with the talent development corporation. Young K became a JYP trainee in 2010, and was ultimately selected to become part of Day6, who debuted in 2015 with The Day, their first of many Top Ten recordings. Also in 2015, Young K contributed a guest verse to "Shouldn't Have," a number one hit for Baek A Yeon. As Day6 remained in full flight, Young K continued to diversify as an all-around collaborator. In 2021, by which point he had become the DJ host of KBS CoolFM's Kiss the Radio program, as well as a member of the Day6 sub-unit Even of Day, he released Eternal, an EP containing the charting singles "Guard You" and "Come as You Are." He then fulfilled his mandatory military service, returning to music in 2023 with the album Letters with Notes, which likewise featured two charting singles with "Let It Be Summer" and "Nothing But." The same year, Young K made his first of many solo soundtrack appearances, contributing "With You" to the webtoon No Office Romance! and "Butterfly" to the television series Castaway Diva. Amid more work with Day6 and additional pursuits, Young K took a step back from solo activity but resumed in 2026 with Youngest. Highlighted by the resilient rocker "Shut the Door," the album trumped his previous solo releases by entering the Korean album chart at number two. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi