Ahn Chil-hyun (born October 10, 1979), known professionally as Kangta, is a South Korean singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, actor and radio personality. He is well known as a member of South Korean boygroup H.O.T.

1996–01 H.O.T.

Kangta was discovered at Lotte World, a theme park, when he was only 13 years old. He debuted as a back-up dancer together with future band member Moon Hee Jun for singer Yoo Young-jin. Kangta eventually decided to become a singer with Moon Hee Jun and three others, Jang Woo Hyuk, Tony An, and Lee Jae Won to form H.O.T. in 1996. The group disbanded in 2001, after the group contract expired and they decided not to renew it.

2001–03: Solo debut

Soon after H.O.T. disbanded in March 2001, Kangta made his solo debut after renewing his contract with S.M. Entertainment. He released his first solo album "Polaris", which became a huge hit; it was followed by his second album "Pinetree" in 2002. His first solo concert took place in the summer of 2003.

2004–08: Acting roles and military service

Kangta received several offers and has accepted a drama offer in China. In 2004, he starred in a drama called Magic Touch of Fate together with Taiwanese actors and actresses, Ruby Lin and Alec Su. Kangta portrayed the role of the evil magician Jin-Xiu. Soon afterwards, Kangta returned to Korea and released his much-awaited third album. In 2005, Kangta released "Persona", which included tracks that were very different from his previous two albums. The main single of the album, "Persona" had a similar melody to Babyface's "The Loneliness". Kangta surprised his fans when he said he wanted to become an actor. A month later, he starred in a KBS drama, Loveholic.

In 2006, Kangta was chosen as a runner up for Best Korean Singer overseas, according to Arirang International Broadcasting. A poll was issued over the internet, allowing only people outside of Korea to vote. Shinhwa's song "Once In A Lifetime" won by 60% of the vote, beating Kangta, who came in second with 20.3 percent.[citation needed]. Kangta also acted in his second Chinese drama,[1] Love In The City 2. In Love In The City 2 Kangta portrayed the life of a successful CEO with a dull life. In March Kangta was announced to be starring in JTBC's 2012 drama Happy Ending as Kim So Eun's love interest.

In 2007, he filmed two dramas and Love in the city 2 aired on October 1, 2007. In January 2007, Kangta took part in the Hallyu Festival in Osaka which also featured Jun Jin and Lee Min-woo of Shinhwa, SG Wannabe and actor Song Seung-heon at the Osaka Dome. Kangta enlisted for mandatory military service in April 2008 for 21 months of active duty. During which time he starred in military musical, Mine with rapper Yang Dong-geun. It is about the true life story of Lieutenant Lee Jong-myung, who lost his legs in a land mine explosion near the demilitarized zone, in June 2000, when he saved fellow soldier, Sul Dong-seob from the minefield.

2010: Chinese debut

After two years and five months of hiatus from the entertainment industry due to Korean military service, Kangta released his first Chinese extended play, Breaka Shaka. The lead single was released on September 13 and the EP was released on September 14. The EP marked Kangta's entrance to the Chinese market.

2016: 'Home' Chapter 1

On March 2014, Kangta, alongside labelmate BoA, was appointed as a de facto creative director of S.M. Entertainment. In October 2016, S.M. Entertainment announced that Kangta will be held concert for celebrate his 20th debut anniversary titled Coming Home, as a part of SM Entertainment's concert series The Agit. The concert will be held from November 4 till November 6 at SMTown Theatre. On October 11, S.M. Entertainment confirmed that Kangta currently preparing his new album. In the same day, it was confirmed that Kangta will be made appearance on JTBC's A Hyung I Know and will be aired on October 29. Kangta released his first Korean extended plays 'Home' Chapter 1 on November 3. The album contains five tracks, with the lead single titled "Diner".

Personal life

He is an experienced songwriter and composer, having written over 100 songs[11] for H.O.T.'s albums as well as for other groups and singers like NRG and Fly to the Sky.

Group projects

S (Supreme)

After planning for years, Kangta worked with his celebrity friends Shin Hye Sung from Shinhwa and Lee Ji Hoon to form the project group "S", standing for "Supreme". They released their first solo project album called "Fr. In. Cl." or Friends in Classic (2003). They have won several awards since then. Their title track, "I Swear" was written, composed, and arranged by Kangta while Shin Hye Sung wrote the English lyrics.

On 14 October 2014, it was announced that group 'S' would be making a comeback after over a decade with a new mini-album titled Autumn Breeze, scheduled to be released on October 27. SM Entertainment stated that "Kangta wrote and produced all the songs on the upcoming album. Kangta’s unique music style and the trio’s harmonious voices will create beautiful ballads that will satisfy the fans". On October 18, the group performed their new song Without You (하고 싶은 거 다) at SM Entertainment's agency-wide concert SM Town in Shanghai.The music video for the song Without You was released on October 24, starring Yuri of Girls' Generation. The group is slated to be on Korean singing program Immortal Songs 2 on November 3 as part of their promotions.

Kangta & Vanness

Early 2006, Kangta collaborated with Vanness Wu of F4 from Taiwan, and formed Kangta & Vanness. Their debut was in Thailand ending the ceremony for the 2006 MTV Asia Awards. They released their single "Scandal" and have been busy promoting their single all over Asia. "Scandal" was a success over Asia and a repackaged version was released in mid-July. On September 12, they held a showcase in Malaysia, Berjaya Times Square. On Arirang TV's talk-show "Heart to Heart", Kangta announced that he would be entering the Army in early 2008, so activities have been put on hold.- Wikipedia