Eric Nam
Eric Nam (; born November 17, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, television host and content creator of Korean descent. He was named "2016 Man Of The Year" by GQ Korea, honored "30 Under 30 Asia 2017" by Forbes, and YouTube Music's Global Trending "Artist on the Rise."

Early life

Eric Nam was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. He has two younger brothers, Eddie and Brian Nam, both of whom are soccer players. Eddie played varsity soccer for Wofford College and Northeastern University, whereas Brian played soccer for Columbia University. Nam graduated from The Lovett School in 2007 and from Boston College in 2011 with a major in International Studies, a minor in Asian Studies, and spent a year abroad at Peking University in Beijing, China.  He had accepted a position as a business analyst at Deloitte Consulting in New York City, before deferring to participate in microfinance initiatives in India. After this, he decided to pursue a career in entertainment. Nam is fluent in English, Korean, and proficient in Spanish.

Career

2011–2012: Pre-Debut
Following a viral YouTube cover, MBC invited Nam to Seoul to compete on the popular program, "Star Audition:Birth of a Great Star 2", a show similar to X Factor. After eight months, he placed within the top five contestants and jump-started his career in South Korea.

On September 25, 2012, Nam signed under B2M Entertainment as a solo artist.

2013–2015: Debut with Cloud 9 and hosting
On January 23, 2013, Nam made his debut with the release of his first EP Cloud 9 with lead single "Heaven's Door".

From 2013 to 2016, Nam was the MC of Arirang TV's After School Club and its spin-off, The ASC After Show, an interactive show for K-pop artists and their fans, broadcast in 188 countries. The live shows regularly trend worldwide number one on Twitter. He left to focus on his music career.

Nam has created his niche as the "go-to" personality for international celebrity interviews in South Korea through his role on MBC's Section TV – Entertainment Relay. Nam's interviews, both international and Korean, have garnered rave reviews due to his wit and ability to connect with interviewees on a personal level; they have also become viral hits, regularly taking over Korea's real-time issue charts. He thus became a way for the American and Korean media to interact with one another and their respective actors and actresses. 

In April 2014, Nam released his first digital single, "우우 (Ooh Ooh)", and he sold out stage at the Seoul Jazz Festival alongside names such as Chris Botti, Damien Rice, Jamie Cullum, Paolo Nutini, and Craig David. In December, he released his second digital single "Melt My Heart".

In February 2015, Nam was featured on Amber Liu's EP Beautiful on the song "I Just Wanna". In March, he released his single "I'm OK" and its accompanying music video. In May, Nam released his single, "Dream", featuring 15&'s Park Ji-min for Charity Project.

In December 2015, Nam signed an exclusive contract with CJ E&M.

2016–2017: Interview and US release
Nam released his second EP, Interview with the lead single "Good For You" on March 24, 2016. That same month, he also took part in SM Entertainment's digital music channel SM Station by releasing "Spring Love", a duet track with Red Velvet's Wendy.

On April 16, 2016, Nam hosted and performed at SNL Korea, receiving one of the highest ratings of the season. In late April, Nam joined the virtual marriage show We Got Married with Solar from Mamamoo as his partner.

On June 10, 2016, Nam released his first U.S. single, "Into You", in collaboration with the electronic band KOLAJ. "Into You" premiered worldwide on Beats 1 Radio and The Fader, subsequently leading to a number one charting on Hype Machine. Later that month, Nam headlined KCON NY 2016 and performed five of his songs, including "Into You", to a sold-out Prudential Center. He then followed up on the success of "Into You" by releasing his digital single "Can't Help Myself" in July 2016, with the lyrics written by Epik High's Tablo and featuring AOMG rapper Loco. Nam also headlined KCON LA 2016 and performed "Can't Help Myself" and "Into You" with KOLAJ to a sold-out Staples Center.

Nam became the host of the new Mnet's talk show Yang and Nam Show with comedian Yang Se-hyung in November 2016. Additionally, he premiered his collaboration with Grammy award-winning producer Timbaland titled "Body" at the 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

In 2017, Nam collaborated with Gallant and Tablo on the single release of "Cave Me In". "Cave Me In" premiered worldwide on Zayn Lowe's Beats 1 Radio Show and was trending globally on YouTube and Facebook for over 72 hours upon release. The music video was shot in Hong Kong. He also featured on Seohyun's WP Don't Say No on the song "Hello", and collaborated with Jeon So-mi for the release of the single "You, Who?". Furthermore, Nam featured on DJ / dance producer Arty's single, "Idea of You".

Nam performed three sold-out shows in New York City and Atlanta in August 2017, featuring Alec Benjamin as his opener. These shows sold out in one minute during the presale. Due to overwhelming demand, Nam added the date in Atlanta and increased the venue size in New York City.

2018–2019: Honestly and North American Tour
At the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, Nam was named as an Honorary Ambassador. Additionally, Nam was featured on American broadcasting network NBC primetime, in which he provided an in-depth look at K-pop with interviewers Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski.

On April 11, 2018, Nam released his third EP Honestly. Fronted by singles "Honestly" and "Potion", the latter of which features rapper Woodie GoChild and was released ahead of the album on April 9. Honestly plays up the artist's synth and electro-pop leanings while bringing in some dancehall and reggaeton influences. Nam worked with numerous songwriters on the album, including Brian Lee, Tablo, Jake Torrey, and more. Additionally, Nam stated that the members of BTS helped provide him with numerous feedback as he was creating the album. In the first week, the album debuted at number six on the Billboard World Album charts.

From June 5 to June 29, Nam embarked on his 2018 North American Honestly Tour, which encompassed 15 shows in 14 cities. The tour featured special guests Loote

Additionally, Nam released the song "Float", which he co-wrote with the producer Kool Kojak. The song was picked up by Sony Pictures and featured in the official soundtrack for the movie Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation. Upon release, the movie was number one at the US box office.

Nam also featured on a remix for "Your Side of the Bed" with Island Records pop duo Loote.

On July 21, 2018, Nam performed at We the Fest in Jakarta, Indonesia. He was the only Korean act on the lineup.

2019–2020: Before We Begin, World Tour, and The Other Side 
On May 8, 2019, Nam released the digital single, “Runaway.”

On April 17, 2019, he debuted his podcast show titled K-Pop Daebak w/ Eric Nam. With episodes releasing every Monday, it quickly gained a sizable audience. K-Pop Daebak was named “New & Noteworthy” and “Best Listens of 2019” by Apple Podcasts, as well as “Top 10 Music Podcasts” by Spotify in 2019.

On November 14, 2019, Nam released his first English album Before We Begin.

On December 10, 2019, Nam released his second podcast, I Think You're Dope w/ Eric Nam. The show reached number one on the Music Podcast Charts in over 25 countries including the US, U.K., and South Korea.

On January 9, 2020, Nam began his first official World Tour spanning 34 cities across Asia, North America, and Latin America. In March 2021, Nam announced the cancellation of the Latin American leg of his World Tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Los Angeles dates of the North American leg of the tour were postponed to September 10 and 12, 2020, before those shows were cancelled as well.

On July 30, 2020, Nam released his fourth EP, The Other Side. Nam said of the album in an interview "I think this one is a little more playful, a little more upbeat, a little brighter." The tracks "The Other Side" and the lead single "Paradise" were hits in South Korea and other countries around Asia. Day6 vocalist Young K co-wrote four of the songs with Nam.

2021–present: There and Back Again 
On May 21, 2021, Nam released the single "Echo" in collaboration with Indian singer and composer Armaan Malik and Indian-American composer Kshmr. On June 4, it was announced that Eric Nam's contract with CJ ENM had expired.

On October 15, 2021, Nam released the new digital single, "I Don't Know You Anymore," which marked his first independent release.

On October 19, 2021, Nam announced his There and Back Again World Tour 2022.

On November 12, 2021, Nam released another digital single, "Any Other Way".

On January 7, 2022, Nam released his second English album There and Back Again, which includes the singles "I Don't Know You Anymore" and "Any Other Way".

Discography

 Before We Begin (2019)
 There and Back Again (2022)

Filmography

Television

Awards and nominations

Forbes

GQ Korea

KBS Entertainment Awards

MBC Entertainment Awards

Mnet Asian Music Awards

References

External links

1988 births
Living people
American expatriates in South Korea
American male pop singers
American musicians of Korean descent
American contemporary R&B singers
American television hosts
American YouTubers
B2M Entertainment artists
Boston College alumni
Korean-language singers of the United States
American K-pop singers
Musicians from Atlanta
South Korean male idols
Uiryeong Nam clan
21st-century American singers
21st-century American male singers
Male YouTubers
The Lovett School alumni
Peking University alumni
Forbes 30 Under 30 recipients