Meet The Talented South Korean Hip-Hop And RnB Singer Zion.T
Zion. T (Hangeul: 자이언티) has the real name Kim Hae-sol. He was born on April 13th, 1989. He is a South Korean hip-hop and RnB singer under The Black Label, a subsidiary label of YG Entertainment managed by Teddy Park and Kush. Zion.T has been known as one of the best-selling singers on local online music charts for years. Through his unique voice and lyrics, he entered the spotlight, especially in the Korean hip-hop and RnB scene.
Throughout his career, Zion. T has released a studio album, Red Light (2013), two extended plays, and 10 singles. Moreover, he has even collaborated with popular K-Pop artists such as G-Dragon and Zico on some music tracks. In this Channel-Korea article, we are going to get up close and personal with Zion. T. So, stay tuned and keep scrolling down this article.
Zion.T’s Full Profile
Stage Name: Zion.T (자이언티)
Birth Name: Kim Haesol (김해솔)
Birthplace: South Korea
Date of Birth: April 13th, 1989
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Nationality: Korean
Height: 176 cm (5’9″)
Weight: 69 kg (152 lbs)
Blood Type: O
Instagram: @ziont
Twitter: @SkinnyRed
YouTube: Zion.t 자이언티 Korea
Facts About Zion.T
– Zion. T debuted under The Black Label which is one of YG Entertainment’s sub-labels.
– Zion. T attended Seoul Ajou University.
– He doesn’t like being poked into his business by other people.
– Zion.T is actually close with Crush.
– He really likes T-Pain, so he used to emulate him a lot.
– He has special skills including singing, playing the piano, and composing songs.
– Zion.T made his musical debut on April 29th, 2011, collaborating with Korean hip-hop artists, such as Dok2, Crucial Star, Simon D, Primary, and Gray.
– In April 2011, his first single, “Click Me,“ featuring Dok2, was released.
– In the beginning, Zion.T was really insecure about his voice, claiming it sounded unique, but right after people heard his music taught him that his voice wasn’t the problem, but the lack of emotions.
– Zion. T wanted to continue as an artist, so he tried hard to overcome and fix his flaws. Because in his work, he didn’t touch people, that became his new worry.
– He wasn’t able to write songs for nine months, because he thought his work wasn’t good enough.
– Zion.T still wanted to write a song filled with his own feelings and emotions.
– He would love to collaborate with Bolbbalgan4 someday.
– On April 9th, 2013, Zion.T’s first studio album, Red Light, was released with the title track “Babay,“ featuring Gaeko and the album was quite well critically received.
– In an exclusive interview with Kpopeurope in 2014, Zion.T explained that he chose his stage name because he is a Christian, so the “T” in his name represents the cross.
– He also revealed that his diction is not good and that he isn’t the type that sings high notes, however, he thinks that he delivers and appeals to emotions well.
– Zion.T is part of a crew called VV:D which includes members: Crush, Zion.T, Elo, Gray, and Loco.
– The digital single “Yanghwa BRDG (Yanghwa Bridge)” became a hit and made him a success as an artist in Korea.
– He took part in the soundtrack of the television drama series Pinocchio with the song “Kiss Me.“
– In July 2015, he participated in the biennial music festival event hosted by MBC’s variety show Infinite Challenge.
– Zion.T is a perfectionist and has high expectations from his music.
– He ever collaborated with Crush with the awesome track “Just,” which brought him the win of the Best Collaboration & Unit trophy at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards.
– In 2016, following the end of his contract with hip-hop label Amoeba Culture, he signed with The Black Label.
– In December 2017, he released his collaboration with veteran singer Lee Moonse, titled “Snow“ which was well received by the public and topped all the major music charts in South Korea.
– In October 2018, he made a collaboration with Seulgi from Red Velvet titled “Hello Tutorial.”
– He revealed that he is really fond of his sunglasses.
– In an interview, he shared that all he hopes for is for his name to be remembered even once his music career has come to an end.
– Zion. T also isn’t friends with many celebrities like most South Korean artists because he is too hesitant to approach them.
Debut with Click Me featuring Dok2
![Zion.T - Click Me (2013) (Feat. Dok2) [1집 Red Light]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ax8waD5rqvI/hqdefault.jpg)
In April 2011, Zion. T, who experts in playing piano debuted with the release of the single “Click Me” featuring Dok2. This single is composed by himself.
Actually, since day one, Zion. T has had insecurities about his music. In the early days of his career in the music industry, he worried too much about his vocal character. He felt incompatible and not emotional enough but people surrounding him gave him strength and honest input that his music has just lost the emotional feeling and it can be fixed.
As a musician, Zion. T wants his music to touch someone’s heart through his thoughts and feelings. So, he decided to go on hiatus from the music industry for nine months to find his own tune in music.
Zion.T’s Discography and Music Videos
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak positions | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | |||
| Red Light |
|
4 |
|
Extended plays
| Title | Album details | Peak chart position | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | US Heat |
US World |
|||
| Mirrorball |
|
— | — | — | N/A |
| OO |
|
8 | 24 | 2 |
|
| ZZZ |
|
12 | — | 12 |
|
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak Chart Position |
Sales | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | CHN | US World |
||||
| “Click Me” (featuring Dok2) | 2011 | — | * | — |
|
Red Light |
| “Two Melodies” (feat. Crush) | 2013 | 17 | — |
|
Red Light | |
| “Babay” (featuring Gaeko) | 9 | — |
|
|||
| “Miss Kim” (미스 김) | 25 | — |
|
미러볼 (Mirrorball) | ||
| “Yanghwa Bridge” (양화대교) | 2014 | 1 | 17 |
|
Non-album single | |
| “Just” (그냥) (with Crush) | 2015 | 1 | — |
|
Young | |
| “Eat!” (꺼내 먹어요) | 3 | 25 |
|
Non-album single | ||
| “No Make Up” | 1 | — |
|
|||
| “Knock” (쿵) | 2016 | 2 | — | — |
|
Show Me the Money 5 |
| “The Song” (노래) | 2017 | 1 | 108 | — |
|
OO |
| “Snow” (눈) (feat. Lee Moon-se) | 1 | 145 | — |
|
Non-album single | |
| “Hello Tutorial” (멋지게 인사하는 법) (feat. Seulgi of Red Velvet) |
2018 | 2 | — | — | N/A | ZZZ |
| “May” (5월의 밤) | 2019 | 19 | — | — | Non-album single | |
Collaborations
| Title | Year | Peak | Sales | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | ||||
| “Zero Gravity” (무중력) | 2015 | 38 |
|
Kang Seung Won 1st Album: Part 3 |
| “$ponsor” (스폰서) (with Haha) | 3 |
|
Infinite Challenge Music Festival | |
| “Machine Gun” (with Kush & Mino) | 2016 | 10 |
|
Show Me the Money 5 Special |
| “Confusing” (헷갈려) (with Colde) |
2019 | 92 | N/A | 유플래쉬 Special Jam |
As a featured artist
| Title | Year | Peak | Sales | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | ||||
| “On My Way (Dok2 feat. Zion.T)“ | 2011 | — | N/A | Hustle Real Hard |
| “She’s There (Vida Loca feat. Beenzino, Zion.T)“ | — | Non-album single | ||
| “It’s My Turn (Crucial Star feat. Zion.T)“ | — | A Star Goes Up | ||
| “Stay Cool” (Simon D feat. Zion.T) | 22 |
|
Non-album single | |
| “Young King Young Boss” (Dok2 feat. Zion.T) | — | N/A | Do It for the Fans | |
| “Illest Konfusion” (J.Tong feat. Beenzino, Simon D & Zion.T) | 2012 | — | Non-album single | |
| “비밀 2 (Secret 2)” (Dok2 feat. Zion.T) | — | Love & Life, The Album | ||
| “I’m Da One” (Jo Kwon feat. Zion.T) | 22 |
|
I’m Da One | |
| “깜빡 (Blink)” (Gray feat. Crucial Star & Zion.T) | — | N/A | Non-album single | |
| “? (물음표)” (Primary feat. Choiza & Zion.T) | 6 |
|
Primary And The Messengers LP |
|
| “See Through” (Primary feat Gaeko & Zion.T) | — |
|
||
| “Own Way” (Crucial Star feat. Take One, The Quiett, Zion.T) | — | N/A | FALL | |
| “니가 없을 때 (Without You)” (Infinite H feat. Zion.T) | 2013 | 31 |
|
Fly High |
| “쌔끈해 (Three Dopeboyz)” (Dynamic Duo feat. Zion.T) | 5 |
|
Lucky numbers | |
| “A Real Lady” (Swings feat. Beenzino, Gray & Zion.T) | 9 |
|
A Real Lady | |
| “너무 좋아 (I Love It)” (G-Dragon feat. Zion.T) | 20 |
|
Coup d’Etat | |
| “Go Hard” (The Quiett feat. Zion.T) | 2014 | — | N/A | 11:11 |
| “No Make Up” (GAEKO feat. Zion.T, HA:TFELT) | 2 |
|
REDINGRAY | |
| “생각나 (Thinking of You)” (Seo In-young feat. Zion.T) | 53 |
|
Non-album single | |
| “데자-부 (Déjà-Boo)” (Jonghyun feat. Zion.T) | 2015 | 1 |
|
Base |
| “SOLD OUT (Yankie feat. Tablo, Loco, Zion.T)“ | — |
|
Andre | |
| “Still On My Way” (Dok2 feat. Zion.T) | 76 |
|
MULTILLIONAIRE | |
| “I Remember You” (Psy feat. Zion.T) | 10 |
|
Chiljip Psy-da | |
| “Eureka” (Zico feat. Zion.T) | 1 |
|
Gallery | |
| “It’s Been a While” (오랜만이야) (Loco feat. Zion.T) | 2019 | 17 | N/A | Hello |
| “Run” (의 달리기) (Jinbo feat. Joe Wonsun & Zion.T) | — | Non-album single |
Other charted songs
| Title | Year | Peak position |
Sales | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | CHN | ||||
| “She” (feat. Beenzino) |
2013 | 31 | * |
|
Red Light |
| “Dodohe” (도도해) | 54 |
|
|||
| “Doop” | 59 |
|
|||
| “O” | 72 |
|
|||
| “Global Warming” (지구온난화) | 78 |
|
|||
| “Click Me (2013)” | 79 |
|
|||
| “Neon” | 91 |
|
|||
| “Neon (Directors Cut)” | — |
|
|||
| “Doop (Inst.)” | — |
|
|||
| “Spin Spin” | 74 |
|
Mirrorball | ||
| “Madame” | 95 |
|
|||
| “Modern Boy” | — |
|
|||
| “Complex” (feat. G-Dragon) | 2017 | 2 | 4 |
|
OO |
| “Sorry” (feat. Beenzino) | 5 | — |
|
||
| “Cinema” | 11 | 45 |
|
||
| “Comedian” | 19 | — |
|
||
| “The Bad Guys” | 22 | — |
|
||
| “Wishes (2015)” | 24 | — |
|
||
| “Cinema (Inst.)” | — | — |
|
||
| “Sleep Talk” (잠꼬대) (feat. Oh Hyuk) | 2018 | 69 | — | N/A | ZZZ |
| “Malla Gang” (말라깽이) (feat. E Sens) | 75 | — | |||
| “My Luv” | 82 | — | |||
| “Ideal” (아이돌) | 90 | — | |||
Soundtracks
| Title | Year | Peak position |
Sales | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | ||||
| “Kiss Me” | 2014 | 32 |
|
Pinocchio OST Part 6 |
| “Those Days” (하루 일과) | 2018 | 89 | N/A | Prison Playbook OST Part 9 |
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| “Click Me” | 2011 | GIANT COMPANY |
| “Two Melodies (feat. Crush)” | 2013 | Unknown |
| “Babay (feat. Gaeko)” | Digipedi | |
| “Miss Kim” | KIROK | |
| “Yanghwa Bridge” | 2014 | Saint EAST |
| “Just (with Crush)” | 2015 | Tiger Cave |
| “Zero Gravity” | Unknown | |
| “Eat” | Digipedi | |
| “No Make Up” | Woogie Kim (GDW) | |
| “The Song” | 2017 | Han Sa Min (Dextor-Lab) |
| “Snow (feat. Lee Moon Sae)” | ||
| “Hello Tutorial (feat. Seulgi of Red Velvet)” | 2018 | Oui Kim (GDW) |
| “Uh Huh” | HOBIN, Tezo Don Lee, Zion.T |
