[BIRTHDAY BIOS] Vanner's Yeonggwang says greatest gift is staying together

K-pop

Published: 22 Sep. 2023, 07:00 Updated: 05 Oct. 2023, 19:24

[BIRTHDAY BIOS] Vanner's Yeonggwang says greatest gift is staying together

Yeonggwang of boy band Vanner, winner of Celeb Confirmed's September birthday vote [CELEB CONFIRMED]

In a galaxy of talented stars that shine in K-pop, birthdays are one of the biggest festivities for fans to get together and remember just how much they love their dearest artists. To add to the celebration, the Korea JoongAng Daily’s entertainment brand Celeb Confirmed will take votes from fans on their favorites from stars born in the respective month and dive into their careers, achievements and more in the newest series Birthday Bios.

As this month's winner of Celeb Confirmed’s K-pop birthday vote, Yeonggwang of boy band Vanner took the No. 1 place with a whopping 71 percent of ballots cast on fans’ favorite among September-born stars.

Born on Sept. 22, 1997, Vanner member Yeonggwang had a clear goal in his mind when he first debuted in the world of K-pop, so much so that he made his stage name out of his goal.

The stage name Yeonggwang is a mash-up of the names Ahn Yeong-jun, his real name, and Lee Gi-kwang, the talented singer of boy band Highlight who inspired the Vanner member to become a K-pop artist himself.

Yeonggwang started dreaming his K-pop dream after watching Lee Gi-kwang perform “Beautiful Night” (2012) with boy band Highlight, then known as Beast.

It was in 2018 when he joined the other Vanner members to train for their debut, which came in February 2019.

Yeonggwang, along with his four bandmates, sought to perfect their live performance skills through over 200 gigs in Japan before releasing the band’s first album, “V,” in Korea.

Boy band Vanner [KLAP ENTERTAINMENT]

Vanner’s story of perseverance and determination is one that puts not only Vanner fans, but also many who are well-acquainted with the industry, to tears.

Vanner endured four years with only lukewarm reactions from a K-pop market that was hit with the Covid-19 pandemic soon after the group’s debut. Even the biggest bands struggled through the global unrest, let alone a newly-debuted band from a small company.

All the employees from their agency, Music&New, left, leaving just the chief and the band's five members to take care of their own management. The members took part-time jobs to make ends meet and took care of managerial work such as updating their website, simply because there was no one else to do it.

It was only in 2023 that the members finally got a second chance as they were featured on cable channel JTBC’s reboot program for undervalued boy bands in a show named “Peak Time,” as Team 11:00. The series aired from February to April and highlighted boy bands who had already debuted but were less well-known.

Vanner won the show for its excellence in all aspects throughout the series and took home a cash prize of 300 million won ($226,000) and the opportunity to release a new album and showcase it with JTBC's help.

Yeonggwang of boy band Vanner, winner of Celeb Confirmed's September birthday vote [KLAP ENTERTAINMENT]

The band’s new album “Veni, Vidi, Vici” dropped on Aug. 21 with the upbeat funky dance track “Performer” and five other tracks, including a new version of the band's 2020 single “Form.”

“We haven’t held a showcase in such a long time,” Yeonggwang said to the press on the day of the album’s release. “We will always a be a Vanner that doesn’t forget the resolutions we made on day one.”

Ever since day one of his career, Yeonggwang has been known for his playful boyishness that made his fans feel both comfortable and excited, winning him the moniker “mood maker.” His friendly demeanor has been attributed to his nature but also to the many different part-time jobs he worked before and after his debut, including a job at a local theater where smiling warmly at customers is a must.

Yeonggwang of boy band Vanner, winner of Celeb Confirmed's September birthday vote [KLAP ENTERTAINMENT]

He is also known among fans for his similarity to the fox character Nick Wilde in Disney’s 2016 animated hit “Zootopia.” His other nicknames include “Frog prince” and “Bright-eyed maniac.” His hobbies are playing basketball and drawing, according to his agency Klap Entertainment.

“Thank you VVS for making me the winner,” Yeonggwang told the Korea JoongAng Daily after winning the birthday vote. VVS is the name of Vanner’s fan club.

“I’ve been so happy every year on my birthday, even without doing anything grand, because VVS had celebrated it for me. For me, the greatest gift of my life would be for us to stay healthy and happy together, just like we are now.”

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]