Super Junior's Kim Ryeowook, 28, kickstarted the year on the right note. He marked the release of his first solo album "The Little Prince" and the title track topped music charts.
The album is among the works of K-pop artists that soared in Billboard's Top World Albums Chart, as well as other album sales charts, including South Korea's Hanteo and Aladdin, Soompi reported.
The Mnet Asian Music Awards' K-Pop Chart Show M Countdown that includes Ryeowook's soulful rendition of "The Little Prince" has also gone viral.
Ryeowook has showcased not just his singing talent but also his acting ability. Last Christmas Day, he was happy to learn that tickets to the Korean adaptation of English novelist Mark Haddon's play "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" had sold out.
The British play won several awards, including seven Olivier Awards in 2013, as well as Best Play and Best Actor in a Play at the 2015 Tony Awards held in New York.
Ryeowook excitedly watched "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" at the West End Gielgud Theatre in England last October, which he immediately posted on his Twitter account.
In an interview with PlayDB, the K-pop vocalist was quoted as saying that the drama was a "new challenge" for him. He tackled the role of the exceptionally intelligent teenage boy named Christopher afflicted with Asperger's syndrome, who sets out to investigate the murder of a neighbor's dog.
He expressed that he just wanted to show various images of himself, as a singer, talent, and actor. image I can on stage, whether that image be as a singer, as a variety talent, or as an actor.
Ryeowook is known to be among the most go-getting K-pop artists of his generation. His fans are thrilled about the way his career has picked up, and how he has lived up to his promises. One of these was the launch of a solo album in 2016.
For three days in February, Ryeowook is preparing to mount a solo concert that will serve as a meet-and-greet opportunity with fans. Venue for the upcoming event is the SMTOWN COEX Artium in Seoul.
Ryeowook follows the steps of Super Junior member Kyuhyun in launching a solo album.
Watch a clip of Ryeowook as he sings the track from his first solo album, a ballad inspired by the book "The Little Prince" written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
