Zhoumi from Super Junior-M: the multilingual Chinese vocalist who is loved in Korea and China
- Music lover Zhoumi started out in singing competitions before he was picked up by SM Entertainment
- He joined all-Chinese subgroup Super Junior-M, singing in Mandarin and Korean
While the K-pop industry has welcomed several stars from China, not all have had the same impact as Zhoumi. He has not only been a strong presence on stage and television, but he has also worked behind the scenes to help connect the Chinese and Korean cultures.
Here’s Zhoumi’s story so far.
His early life
Zhou Mi was born in Wuhan, the capital city of China’s Hubei province, in April 1986. An only child, he developed an early love of music and often spent his allowance on CDs.
While Zhoumi was accepted to study broadcasting at the prestigious Beijing Normal University, he had also been creating a name for himself in the Chinese entertainment world by competing in – and winning – various singing and hosting competitions. After taking part in a televised MC competition in China, Zhoumi received an offer from K-pop agency SM Entertainment and put his studies on hold to pursue a career in South Korea.
After training at the South Korean label, Zhoumi made his debut as a member of Super Junior-M, the all-Chinese splinter group of K-pop boy band Super Junior.
His role in Super Junior-M
Zhoumi had an instant impact as a main vocalist for the group, with his voice shining in Super Junior-M singles such as Me and Super Girl released in Mandarin and Korean, and which topped the charts both in China and Korea.
From the very first Super Junior-M album Me in 2008, Zhoumi was a key lyricist for the act, helping write more than a dozen songs for the group. He was credited as the sole songwriter for Swing, the title track of the group’s 2014 album of the same name. The multilingual star also helped translate some previously released Korean songs and adapting their lyrics for a Chinese audience for Super Junior-M tracks.
His solo career
Zhoumi’s work in broadcasting, songwriting and singing has led to a rich career in the Korean and Chinese pop markets.
By 2010, Zhoumi had begun branching out with solo activities including hosting a Chinese show about Korean news and culture, as well as writing three songs for the debut Chinese album from his SM Entertainment label mate Kangta. A year later, Zhoumi snagged a supporting role in the Chinese television drama Melody of Youth, alongside Super Junior member Heechul. He also sang on the accompanying soundtrack.
Zhoumi’s solo activities have kept him in close contact with idols, including songs with members of Super Junior and NCT, hosting a radio show with Jia and Fei of girl group Miss A, acting as an MC for the weekly K-pop music programme The Show alongside idols like T-ara’s Jiyeon and GFriend’s Yerin, acting in the top-rated drama When Love Walked In alongside Victoria Song of f(x), as well as hosting a Korean-Chinese variety show with her.
Zhoumi has also acted in 2013 film Rhythm of Rain, and released his first solo album, Rewind, in 2014 featuring songs in Korean and Chinese.
His image
Local South Korean media praise Zhoumi for his ability to successfully host television shows in Korean.
The star is known for helping his Korean bandmates with their pronunciation and language skills during studio recording sessions, often staying late with them, and acting as a translator when promoting in China.
In 2020, he was moved to write and compose the song I’ll Be There as a tribute to frontline medical workers and those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In his own words
Despite his large and varied body of work, Zhoumi still questions himself when it comes to new challenges. After he went solo, Zhoumi admitted during a 2015 interview with BNTNews that it “was really hard to fill the stage all on my own … thinking about it now, it was really the worst. All I could think was that I screwed it up” after releasing his first solo album.
“I think when I release my next solo album, I’ll be able to do a good job, because I’ve gained so much experience from being an MC on music shows … I always want to show new sides of myself and I hope I’ll have more chances in the future to do so.”
