Wonho (singer)

Lee Ho-seok (), known by his stage name Wonho (), is a South Korean singer under Highline Entertainment. He is a former member of South Korean boy band Monsta X, which debuted under Starship Entertainment in 2015. Wonho made his solo debut on September 4, 2020 with the EP "".
Career.
Early life and debut.
Prior to his official debut, Wonho was part of a project group called Nu Boyz, along with labelmates #Gun, Shownu and Jooheon, formed under Starship Entertainment in August 2014. The quartet uploaded multiple tracks to their company's YouTube channel and performed at the opening show of the Starship X concert on December 5, 2014.
In late December, Starship Entertainment and Mnet launched a competition program called "No.Mercy". On the final episode of the show, Wonho was selected along with six other participants including Shownu and Jooheon (former members of Nu Boyz) as a member of Starship Entertainment's new boy group Monsta X.
2015–2019: Monsta X.
Wonho debuted in Monsta X, a hip-hop boy group, with the release of their first extended play, "Trespass", on May 14, 2015. Wonho was a vocalist in the group and beginning in 2017 regularly participated in writing, composing and arranging songs for the group.
Since 2018, Wonho has featured in several photoshoots for magazines, as well as partnering with brands and promoting campaigns by various fashion magazines. He has appeared alongside his groupmates of Monsta X on several occasions, including "Nylon" alongside Shownu in January 2018 and "GQ" in August, in both "Ceci Korea" in June 2018 and "MAPS" with Minhyuk in December, and Grazia with Hyungwon in March 2019. He also participated in a collaboration project with "Elle" and Tom Ford, alongside Shownu, in promotion of Tom Ford's latest perfume line in August 2019. He also made solo appearances, such as a feature in "Dazed" in November 2019.
Wonho has been recognized as a celebrity who focuses on fitness and physique, and in several interviews surrounding his photoshoots, he has talked about healthy habits and emphasizing the importance of exercising. In October 2018, he partnered with Under Armour as part of a collaboration with "Dazed", to promote an active and healthy lifestyle. He again promoted a healthy lifestyle as part of a photoshoot for "Elle"'s "Body Challenge" campaign in May 2019.
On October 31, 2019, Starship Entertainment announced Wonho's departure from Monsta X following allegations surrounding him, after rumors about the illegal use of marijuana when he was younger surfaced on social media.
The narcotics investigation team of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency launched an inquiry into the allegations and on March 14, 2020, Starship Entertainment released an official statement announcing that the investigation had been concluded; Wonho had been cleared of all allegations and the rumors were false.
2020: Solo debut with "Love Synonym Pt.1: Right for Me" and first solo concert.
Wonho signed with Highline Entertainment, a subsidiary of Starship Entertainment, as a solo artist on April 10. The agency announced that he would be promoting as a solo artist and producer going forward. On May 6, Maverick revealed through a Twitter post that they had signed a management agreement with Wonho for his international activities.
On August 9, Wonho announced the release of his first solo album, "". On August 14, Wonho released the pre-release English-language single "Losing You", along with its music video. "Losing You" gained praise for showing Wonho's all-around musicality, including his vocals, participation in the songwriting, composing, and producing of the song. The album was released on September 4 with the title track "Open Mind", accompanied by a music video. Wonho had his debut showcase the same day, hosted through V Live.
Wonho held his first solo concert on September 27. Due to restrictions from COVID-19, the concert was held online through the streaming platform LiveXLive. Through his concert, Wonho announced his first comeback, with a new EP, which was originally intended to be released by the end of 2020, although without a set date. He pre-released a song from the upcoming EP, "Flash" through his concert.
2021: "Love Synonym Pt.2: Right for Us", second concert, and third comeback.
Wonho's second EP "" was released on February 26. Five songs from the EP debuted on the "Billboard" World Digital Song Sales chart, he occupied 20% of positions the chart in one week. 
He held an online concert, "Weneedlove", through LiveXLive on March 28. During the concert, Wonho announced his intention for his next comeback in summer of 2021.
In May, Wonho released a music video for the song "Ain't About You" from his second EP, in collaboration with Kiiara.
Songwriting.
All credits are adapted from the KOMCA, unless stated otherwise.