Happy 26th Birthday to D.O. – here’s what you need to know about the singer in K-pop boy band EXO

Jan 12 , 2019

Actor and K-pop star D.O. – one of the main singers with South Korean boy band EXO – celebrates his 26th birthday on Saturday. Photo: Facebook/@weareoneEXO.

Saturday marks the 26th birthday of singer-actor D.O., one of the members of the K-pop boy band EXO.

Since the group made its debut in 2012, it has gone from strength to strength – winning many music awards and making countless television and film appearances – and made a significant contribution to the South Korean music scene.

EXO’s album ‘Don’t Mess Up My Tempo’ is its fifth million-seller

The softly spoken “birthday boy” D.O., whose real name is Do Kyung-soo, is one of the big reasons for the band’s success.

As he celebrates his birthday, check out some of the stand-out moments in his career.

2012: the start of his music career

D.O. started training as a vocalist during his first year of secondary school.

His impressive performance at the Gyeonggi Youth Concert led to a successful audition for SM Town – the name for the recording artists managed by the South Korean entertainment agency SM Entertainment – led to him spending two years as a trainee at the agency during his last two years at school. He then made his debut as EXO-K’s eighth member on January 30, 2012.

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2014: makes his film and television acting debut

While D.O. is known as one of EXO’s main vocalists, he has also successfully ventured into acting. His first role was as the son of a grocery store worker in the South Korean film drama, Cart. He performed the song Crying Out, featured on the film’s original soundtrack.

In the same year, D.O. made his television acting debut in the South Korean drama series, It’s Okay, That’s Love. His performance won him the awards of best young actor at the 16th Seoul International Youth Film Festival and best new actor at the 3rd APAN Star Awards.

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2016: starring role in ‘Annoying Brother’

The 2016 comedy drama film Annoying Brother saw D.O. play a blind national judo athlete, who permanently damages his optic nerves during an international event.

His fine performance saw him win several accolades, including most popular actor at the 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards, best newcomer at the Korean Film Shining Star Awards, best star at the 13th JIMFF Awards and best new actor at the 38th Blue Dragon Film Awards.

How D.O. of Korean boy band EXO made it big on the silver screen

2018: poignant part in ‘Along With The Gods: The Last 49 Days’

D.O. played the part of a soldier named Won Dong-yeon in the hit fantasy drama film Along With The Gods: The Last 49 Days.

His poignant performance earned him three awards: most popular star at the 27th Buil Film Awards, most popular actor at The Seoul Awards and best new actor at the 18th Director’s Cut Awards.

The film has set a number of records in South Korea, including a total of 42 million advanced tickets snapped by film fans and the highest opening-day attendance.

It is now ranked as the 13th most-watched South Korean film of all time.

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K-pop idols

The softly spoken star, who started training as a vocalist while still at school and joined the group in 2012, is also an award winning film and television actor