Lots of new projects dropping powered by Canadian production. The latest is chart-topper Kris Wu, or 吴亦凡, who has officially released his album debut, Antares, with significant support from some ‘A-List’ Canadian producers.
Antares is a 14-track project featuring tracks in both English and Mandarin, with production coming from a variety of dope producers including Toronto’s WondaGurl, Frank Dukes, and Murda Beatz.
The album showcases Wu’s magnetic appeal and powerful vocal presence on songs like “Freedom” (featuring Jhené Aiko), a melodic rap track accompanied by an intergalactic video, and “Like That,” a lush and dreamy single that debuted at #73 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit #1 on the US iTunes chart after premiering in May.
Other features include Travis Scott (“Deserve”), and Rich the Kid (“Coupe”).
Kris Wu (Photo: Facebook)
For those just getting familiar with Kris Wu, if you look at his complete portfolio of work, you’ll be amazed at his versatility and creative growth. From music to acting and modeling – and even philanthropic initiatives – it’s easy to see why Kris is succeeding. The real question is, how has he managed to find the time to get everything done.
Kris was born and raised in Guangzhou, China, before moving to Vancouver for the first time at 10 years of age. After returning to China the next year, the former member of South Korean-Chinese boy band EXO returned to BC to attend high school, including Point Grey Secondary School and Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School.
At the age of 18, he passed an audition for SM Entertainment’s Vancouver-based Canadian Global Auditions, and moved to South Korea where he became a trainee for the company.
Kris Wu (Photo: Facebook)
In 2012, Kris joined SM Entertainment’s 12-member group EXO, which quickly became one of the most popular K-pop groups in South Korea.
“The album became the first album by a Korea-based artist in twelve years to sell over one million copies, and is the 12th best selling album of all time in Korea.” – Yonhap
As an actor, Kris has starred in a bunch of big films including his 2017 Hollywood debut, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, as well as Mr. Six (2015) and Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017), which are among the highest-grossing Chinese films of all time. He’s won dozens of awards for his efforts including over 10 last year alone.
Currently, Kris is focused on promoting his album debut, Antares, with the single “Freedom” receiving visual support in early October.
Check out Antares and the “Forever” video below and stay tuned for more videos coming soon.
Antares is available on various digital streaming platforms including Amazon, Apple Music and Spotify.
You can follow @KrisWu on Instagram.
