Wanna One’s Daniel Kang: K-pop star and reality TV show survivor who isn’t afraid of hard work
Kang was overall winner of the gruelling South Korean show Produce 101 and joined K-pop group Wanna One. Raised by his mother in Busan, he was into break dancing as a teen and seized a final chance to make the big time
Anyone who watches South Korean reality television shows will know that even American Idol and The Voice pale in comparison with its incredibly competitive entertainment.
Produce 101 is not only one of the toughest K-pop idol reality TV contests, it’s the most realistic in the way it depicts the difficult training and often brutal selection process the young hopefuls must go through before they finally emerge as fully fledged K-pop stars.
Season one of the show produced the girl group AOA, while season two led to the creation of one of the most popular boy groups of 2018: Wanna One. Each of the 11 members “survived” the reality TV show and went on to earn a much-coveted spot in the group.
Among them, the group’s main dancer, supporting vocalist and rapper, Daniel Kang, has emerged a clear winner. We take a look back at his role in the group.
His early life
Born Kang Eui-geon, Daniel grew up in Busan with his mother. A long-term break dancer, he has been taking dance lessons since he was at school.
“Ever since middle school I have been a B-boy. I entered an art school based on my grades, but the tuition was so expensive that I dropped out. My mother raised me alone, so our financial situation was really difficult,” he said during an interview on the Radio Star South Korean talk show.