1. Early life

2. Career
    2011–2012: Pre-debut  2013–2015: Debut with Cloud 9 and hosting  2016–2017: Interview and US release  2018–present: Honestly and North American Tour 

3. Discography
     Extended plays  

4. Filmography
    Television 

5. Awards and nominations
     Forbes    GQ Korea    KBS Entertainment Awards    MBC Entertainment Awards    Mnet Asian Music Awards  

6. References

7. External links

Early life

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Eric graduated from The Lovett School in 2007^[3] and from Boston College in 2011 with a major in International Studies, a minor in Asian Studies,^[4] and spent a year abroad at Peking University in Beijing, China. {{Citation needed|date=March 2019}} He had accepted a position as a Business Analyst at Deloitte Consulting in New York City, before deferring to participate in microfinance initiatives in India, after this he decided to pursue a career in entertainment. ^[4] Eric is fluent in English and Korean, highly proficient in Spanish and conversant in Mandarin.^[5]

Career

2011–2012: Pre-debut

Following a viral YouTube cover, MBC invited Eric to Seoul to compete on the popular program, "Star Audition:Birth of a Great Star 2", a show similar to X Factor.^[4][6] After eight months, Eric placed within the Top 5 contestants and jump-started his career in South Korea.

On September 25, 2012, he signed under B2M Entertainment as a solo artist.^[7]

2013–2015: Debut with Cloud 9 and hosting

On January 23, 2013, Eric made his debut with the release of his first EP Cloud 9 with lead single "Heaven's Door".{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

For 2013 to 2016, Eric was the MC of Arirang TV's After School Club and its spin off, The ASC After Show, an interactive show for K-pop artists and their fans, broadcast in 188 countries. The live shows regularly trend worldwide number one on Twitter. Eric would leave to focus on his music career.

Eric has created his niche as the "go to" personality for international celebrity interviews in South Korea through his role on MBC's Section TV – Entertainment Relay. To date, Eric has interviewed stars such as Robert Downey Jr., Miranda Kerr, Matt Damon, Jamie Foxx, Andrew Garfield, Amanda Seyfried, Paris Hilton, Barbara Palvin, Emma Stone, Noel Gallagher, Ki Hong Lee, Benedict Cumberbatch and many more. Eric's interviews, both international and Korean, have garnered rave reviews due to his wit and ability to connect with interviewees on a personal level; they have also become viral hits, regularly taking over Korea's real-time issue charts. He thus became a way for the American and Korean media to interact with one another and their respective actors and actresses.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

In April 2014, Eric returned with his first digital single, "우우 (Ooh Ooh)", and his sold out stage at the Seoul Jazz Festival alongside names such as Chris Botti, Damien Rice, Jamie Cullum, Paolo Nutini, and Craig David. In December, he released his second digital single "Melt My Heart".^[8]

In February 2015, Eric was featured on Amber Liu's EP Beautiful on the song "I Just Wanna". In March, he released his single "I'm OK" and its accompanying music video.^[9] In May, Eric released his single, "Dream", featuring 15&'s Park Ji-min for Charity Project.^[10]

In December 2015, Eric signed an exclusive contract with CJ E&M.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

2016–2017: Interview and US release

Eric released his second EP, Interview with the title track "Good For You" on March 24, 2016.^[11] That same month, he also took part in S.M. Entertainment's digital music channel SM Station by releasing "Spring Love", a duet track with Red Velvet's Wendy.^[12]

On April 16, 2016, Eric hosted and performed at SNL Korea, receiving one of the highest ratings of the season.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}} In late April, Eric joined the virtual marriage show We Got Married with Solar from Mamamoo as his partner.^[13]

On June 10, 2016, Eric released his first U.S. single, "Into You" in collaboration with electronic band, KOLAJ. "Into You" premiered worldwide on Beats 1 Radio and The Fader, subsequently leading to a number one charting on Hype Machine. Following the success of the track, he received coverage from notable publications such as Buzzfeed, LA Times, NBC News, Fuse TV, Hypebeast, Fusion, USA Today, TIME Magazine, and more. Later that month, Eric Nam headlined KCON NY 2016 and performed five of his songs, including "Into You" to a sold out Prudential Center. He then followed-up on the success of "Into You" by releasing his digital single, "Can't Help Myself" in July 2016, with the lyrics written by Epik High's Tablo and featuring AOMG rapper Loco. Eric Nam also headlined KCON LA 2016 and performed "Can't Help Myself" and "Into You" with KOLAJ to a sold out Staples Center.

Eric became the host of the new Mnet's talk show Yang and Nam Show with comedian Yang Se-hyung in November 2016. Additionally, he premiered his collaboration with Grammy award-winning producer Timbaland titled "Body" at the 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

In 2017, Eric collaborated with Gallant and Tablo on the single release of "Cave Me In". "Cave Me In" premiered worldwide on Zayn Lowe's Beats 1 Radio Show and was trending globally on YouTube and Facebook for over 72 hours upon release. The music video was shot in Hong Kong.^[14] He also featured on Seohyun's WP Don't Say No on the song "Hello", and collaborated with Jeon So-mi for the release of the single "You, Who?". Furthermore, Eric featured on DJ / dance producer, Arty's single, "Idea Of You".

Eric performed three sold-out shows in New York City and Atlanta in August 2017, featuring Alec Benjamin as his opener. These shows sold out in one minute during the presale. Due to overwhelming demand, Eric added an additional date in Atlanta and increased the venue size in New York City.^[15]

2018–present: Honestly and North American Tour

At the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, Eric was named as an Honorary Ambassador.^[16] Additionally, Eric was featured on American broadcasting network NBC primetime, in which he provided an in-depth look at K-pop with interviewers Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski.^[17]

On April 11, 2018, Eric released his second EP Honestly. Fronted by singles "Honestly" and "Potion", the latter of which features rapper Woodie GoChild and was released ahead of the album on April 9, Honestly plays up the artist’s synth and electro-pop leanings while bringing in some dancehall and reggaeton influences. Eric worked with numerous notable songwriters on the album, including Brian Lee, Tablo, Jake Torrey, and more.^[18] Additionally, Eric stated that the members of BTS helped provide him with numerous feedback as he was creating the album.^[19] In the first week, the album debuted at number six on the Billboard World Album charts.^[20]

From June 5 to June 29, Eric embarked on his 2018 North American Honestly Tour, which encompassed 15 shows in 14 cities. The tour featured special guests Loote ^[21]

Additionally, Eric released the song FLOAT, which he co-wrote with the producer Kool Kojak. Kojak has produced for artists such as Katy Perry, Flo Rida, Kesha, and Nicki Minaj. The song was picked up by Sony Pictures and featured in the official soundtrack for the movie Summer Vacation. Upon release, the movie was number one at the US box office.^[22][23]

Eric also featured on a remix for “Your Side of the Bed” with Island Records pop duo Loote.^[24]

On July 21, Eric performed at We The Fest in Jakarta, Indonesia. He was the only Korean act on the lineup, and performed along acts such as Lorde, James Bay, Miguel, SZA, and ODESZA.^[25]

Discography

Extended plays

• Cloud 9 (2013)
• Interview (2016)
• Honestly (2018)

Filmography

Television

Awards and nominations

Forbes

GQ Korea

KBS Entertainment Awards

MBC Entertainment Awards

Mnet Asian Music Awards

References

External links

• {{Facebook|ericnamofficial}}

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