Born on 9 November 1984 in Seoul, Choi Dong-wook (Korean: 최동욱)), is known globally as South Korean popstar Se7en. Taken under the wing of YG Entertainment at the age of fifteen, he was given vital training that would set him up for the release of his debut album Just Listen in 2003. He made an impression from the off, winning the best new artist awards at the Golden Disc Awards, MBC Gayo Daejejeon, Seoul Music Awards, among others. His sophomore album came the following year, Must Listen, which spawned a hit single in "Passion" as well as the follow-up radio single "Tattoo". The LP went to number one on the monthly Recording Industry Association of Korea album chart as well as reaching a wider audience in Thailand where the singles topped the country's Channel V weekly chart. In 2005, Se7en himself also picked up the Popular Asian Artist award at the Channel [V] Thailand Music Video Awards. He expanded his reach into China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore with the release of his first Chinese album Must Listen (不得不聽) in 2006, winning three awards at the China Original Music Pop Chart Awards that summer, and boosting his membership of the world-famous Korean wave, or Hallyu. Meanwhile, in 2006 he also dropped two more Korean albums, 24/Seven and Sevolution, as well as his first Japanese album, First Seven. In 2007, he made his acting debut (in TV drama Prince Hours) as well as his English-language music debut in "This Is My Year" featuring rapper Fabolous, which was leaked on YouTube ahead of its release. Two years later, he officially released his first English-language single "Girls," an R&B-flavoured song that features rapper Lil' Kim, but despite announcing the arrival of his English-language debut, the album has yet to be released. In 2013, he took some time away from the spotlight to enlist in mandatory military service but returned to music in 2016 with new single "I'm Good," marking his first song since leaving YG Entertainment. His first album in four years followed, the mini-album I Am Seven (stylized I Am Se7en), and re-launched his career in Korea, signing a contract with Dmost Entertainment in April 2020. A string of new single releases have since materialised, including "Business" featuring QGlizzy and "MONALISA" in 2022.
