Kim Dong-ryul

In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.

Kim Dong-ryul (Korean: 김동률; born March 15, 1974) is a South Korean singer-songwriter. He composes, arranges, writes lyrics, produces, and performs his own music. He has been active since 1993.

Kim Dong-ryul
Born	(1974-03-15) March 15, 1974 (age 50) Seoul, South Korea
Genres	Pop, jazz, ballad
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, record producer, TV presenter, radio DJ
Instrument(s)	Vocal, piano
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Music Farm (2007–present) Woollim Entertainment (2004) Daeyoung AV (1993–2004)
Website	www.kimdongryul.com

Kim Dong-ryul
Hangul	김동률
Hanja	金東律
Revised Romanization	Gim Dongryul
McCune–Reischauer	Kim Tongnyul

Career

Exhibition era (1993–1997)

As an architectural major in Yonsei University, Kim Dong-ryul formed the duet Exhibition with his close friend, Seo Dong-wook. Dong-ryul composed their songs and played the piano while Dong-wook played bass guitar.

The duet became famous through an MBC University Song Festival in 1993.^[1] They emerged champion and won the special prize with the song "In Dreams" which Seo wrote and Kim composed. From then onwards, Kim began his career of singing, composing, and writing lyrics.

Kim's first album An Essay of Memory, which famous singer Shin Hae-cheol produced, was released in 1994. Even though the duet were new figures in the world of popular music, they did the composing, piano, bass, and computer programming themselves. The album received positive reviews and climbed onto the top ten chart, going on to sell over 600,000 copies.

In 1994, Kim and Seo enlisted in military service together. Upon release, the duet released their second album Strangers in 1996. The album was also produced by Shin Hae-cheol, and instrumentalists Yi, Byeong-Woo, Kim Se-hwang, and Jeong Won-young participated in it. Strangers also received positive reviews from critics, but there was a plagiarism dispute regarding "A Testament", a song on the album. The song came under suspicion because of its similarity to "The Girl Who Fell from the Sky", from the soundtrack in Studio Ghibli's animated film Laputa: Castle in the Sky. Experts decided that the main melody and ways of using instruments were similar, so "A Testament" became a dishonourable song for the duet.^[2]

In 1997, the duet decided to return to normal school life. They then released their last album Graduation with five songs which had special personal meanings for them.^[1] Especially, "First Love" which was composed by Kim Dong-ryul when he was 14 years old and "In Dreams" which was the song that made the duet very popular.^[3]

Carnival era

After disbanding, Seo Dong-wook became a normal student. But Kim Dong-ryul said, "The only thing I can do is music." He created the project group Carnival with Lee Juck, with whom he became close with through the Jam concert of a popular radio program, At Starry Nights. Both of them were 24, singers and composers. But their music styles were very different. Kim Dong-ryul's songs were still slightly naive and mostly standard classical ballads, while Lee Juck's songs were poignant and heretical.^[4]

The two decided to collaborate^[5] and their music was of the funk genre. They worked with world-famous brass session team, Jerry Hey, and Korean singer and jazz pianist, Kim Gwang-min; subsequently they released the album Carnival in 1997. It had a retro theme, and was a great success for them. They won the Golden Disc Award.^[1]

Solo era

After the success of Carnival, Kim composed several popular songs such as "For a Thousand Days" for Lee Seung-hwan and "Show" for Kim Won-jun. In 1998, he released his first solo album The Shadow of Forgetfulness with a piano-based sound recalling early Elton John.^[6] Critics wrote that he had managed to create a new ballad style which featured classical and polished melodies.^[6] After the first album, he held his first solo concert on Christmas Day in 1998.^[1]

Even though he was already successful and a well-acknowledged artiste, Kim decided to study music more. He entered Berklee College of Music in 1999 and majored in film scoring.^[1] While studying there, he wanted to make real Korean-style music and he became more interested in Korean traditional music and culture.

At the end of his first academic year, he released his second solo album Hope. In this album, he collaborated with not only the London Symphony Orchestra but also 'Samulnori' which is a traditional Korean percussion quartet. In 2001, he released his third solo album Homecoming. He continued to integrate Korean traditional music and classical sound. The critics commented on this album that it had a well-rounded sound and the overall atmosphere was natural and stable.^[7]

After graduating top of his class, Kim returned to Korea and released his fourth solo album Exposing in 2004. The song "At Long Last" (이제서야) from this album topped the KBS charts in April.^[8] Kim had tried to incorporate some new music styles in Exposing, such as bossa nova, samba, and pop-opera. His music became more comprehensive and mature. Especially, song arrangements were more refined than before.^[9]

Kim Dong-ryul held his second solo concert in Seoul and Busan in August 2004 and released the live recording album Invitation in 2005. He put his music and experience of the past ten years into this recording album. From 2005 to 2007, he hosted the TV music program Kim Dong-ryul's For You and the radio program Kim Dong-ryul's Music Island. A 'Best-Of' compilation album was released in 2007.^[1]

In 2008, Kim released his fifth album Monologue. It peaked at number one on the charts and sold nearly 100,000 copies. This record was momentous to the Korean music industry because the rate of physical album sales then had been very low.^[10] Most songs from the album became very popular among all generations.^[11]

After this breakthrough, Kim held three concerts in 2008. All the advance tickets were sold out in less than 20 minutes. The concerts were designed to be full-scale in every way and Kim rearranged his songs to be accompanied by an orchestra.

In January 2018, Kim released an EP, Reply,^[12] after a three-year hiatus which sold 14,374 copies in the first month of sales.^[13] In September of that year, he released a single titled "Song", which is an extension of his latest EP Reply.^[14]

Solo discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions			Sales
		KOR (MIAK) [15]	KOR (Circle) [16]	US World [17]
Shadow of Forgetfulness	Released: September 22, 1998 Label: Daeyoung A/V Formats: CD, cassette	5	—	—	KOR: 203,657[18]
Hope (희망)	Released: August 16, 2000 Label: Daeyoung A/V Formats: CD, cassette	4	—	—	KOR: 190,758[19]
Homecoming (귀향)	Released: October 26, 2001 Label: Daeyoung A/V Formats: CD, cassette	10	—	—	KOR: 267,828[20]
Outpouring (토로)	Released: March 9, 2004 Label: EMI Formats: CD, cassette	2	22	—	KOR: 129,261[21]
Monologue	Released: January 25, 2008 Label: Music Farm Formats: CD, LP	1	34	—	KOR: 112,662[22]
Walking With (동행)	Released: October 1, 2014 Label: Music Farm Formats: CD, LP, digital download	*	2	3	KOR: 57,435[23]
An asterisk (*) denotes a defunct chart.

Live albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions		Sales
		KOR (MIAK) [15]	KOR (Circle) [24]
2004 The Second Concert "Invitation"	Released: February 18, 2005 Label: EMI Formats: CD	16	—	KOR: 12,509[25]
2008 Concert "Monologue"	Released: May 18, 2009 Label: Music Farm Formats: CD	*	77
Live 2012 "Gratitude" / 2014 "Walking With"	Released: August 6, 2015 Label: Music Farm Formats: CD, digital download		6	KOR: 7,728[26]
Live 2019 An Old Song (오래된 노래)	Released: September 30, 2020 Label: Music Farm Formats: CD, LP, digital download		18
An asterisk (*) denotes a defunct chart.

Extended plays

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions		Sales
		KOR (Circle) [27]	US World [17]
KimdongrYULE	Released: November 15, 2011 Label: Music Farm Formats: CD, LP, digital download	1	—	KOR: 27,724[28]
Reply (답장)	Released: January 11, 2018 Label: Music Farm Formats: CD, LP, digital download	6	7	KOR: 14,374[29]

Singles

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		KOR [30]
"Consideration" (배려)	1998	—	Shadow of Forgetfulness
"Wall" (벽) (feat. Yangpa)	2000	—	Hope
"Shall I Love You Again?" (다시 사랑한다 말할까)	2001	—	Homecoming
"At Long Last" (이제서야)	2004	—	Outpouring
"Thanks" (감사)	2007	—	Thanks
"Let's Start Again" (다시 시작해보자)	2008	—	Monologue
"Departure" (출발)		30
"Replay"	2011	10	KimdongrYULE
"How I Am" (그게나야)	2014	1	Walking With
"Reply" (답장)	2018	3	Reply
"That's The Way It Is" (그럴 수밖에)		64	Non-album singles
"Song" (노래)		65
"Fairy Tale" (동화) (feat. IU)		4
"Brink of Summer" (여름의 끝자락) (feat. Kim Jeong-won)	2019	—[a]
"Golden Mask" (황금가면)	2023	—[b]
"After All This Time" (옛 얘기지만)		190
"Stroll" (산책)	2024	93

Band discography

Exhibition

• Exhibition (1994)
• Exhibition 2 (1996)
• Graduation (졸업) (1997)

Carnival

• Carnival (1997)

Verandah Project

• Day Off (2010)

Awards and nominations

Award	Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
Cyworld Digital Music Awards	2008	Song of the Month – April	"Like a Child" (아이처럼)	Won	[33]
Gaon Chart Music Awards	2015	Song of the Year – October	"How I Am" (그게나야)	Won
Golden Disc Awards	2008	Album Bonsang	Monologue	Won	[34]
		Album of the Year		Nominated	[35]
		Digital Song Bonsang	"Like a Child"	Nominated
		Popularity Award	Kim Dong-ryul	Nominated
	2015	Digital Song Bonsang	"How I Am"	Nominated
Korean Music Awards	2005	Best Pop Album	Outpouring	Nominated
	2009		Monologue	Won
		Album of the Year		Nominated	[36]
		Musician of the Year	Kim Dong-ryul	Nominated
		Best Pop Song	"Departure" (출발)	Nominated
MAMA Awards	2008	Lyricist Award	"Let's Start Again" (다시 시작해보자)	Won
		Best Male Artist		Nominated	[37]
		Best Ballad/R&B Performance		Nominated
		Album of the Year	Monologue	Nominated
	2014	Best Vocal Performance – Male	"How I Am"	Nominated	[38]

Notes

1. "Brink of Summer" did not enter the Circle Digital Chart, but it peaked at number 45 on the component Download Chart.^[31]
2. "Golden Mask" did not enter the Circle Digital Chart, but it peaked at number 41 on the component Download Chart.^[32]

References

1. Kim Dong-ryul's official website – Profile page Archived December 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (in Korean)
2. 김동률의 작곡 이야기 – 김동률이 씀. Archived from the original on July 12, 2009. Retrieved July 7, 2008.
3. "불화 없었다", 김동률이 말하는 전람회 해체 이유 – 머니투데이:스타뉴스
4. "▒ NO1.뉴미디어'마이데일리 ▒".
5. "* IZM – New Stream *". Archived from the original on October 31, 2007.
6. "* IZM – New Stream *". Archived from the original on July 13, 2009.
7. "* IZM – New Stream *". Archived from the original on July 13, 2009.
8. 페이지를 찾을 수 없습니다.. KBS World.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
9. "* IZM – New Stream *". Archived from the original on July 13, 2009.
10. 김동률-앤디, 2008년 첫달 음반판매 1, 2위 – 머니투데이:스타뉴스
11. "* IZM – New Stream *". Archived from the original on July 13, 2009.
12. "Kim Dong-ryul to drop new EP 'Reply'". Kpop Herald.
13. "Gaon Chart – January 2018". Gaon Chart. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
14. "Kim Dong-ryul releases orchestra-influenced single 'Song'". Kpop Herald.
15. Music Industry Association of Korea chart positions:

    • "Shadow of Forgetfulness charting". Archived from the original on August 22, 1999. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
    • "Hope charting". Archived from the original on July 2, 2006. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
    • "Homecoming charting". Archived from the original on June 5, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
    • "Outpouring charting". Archived from the original on June 29, 2004. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
    • "Monologue charting". Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
    • "2004 The Second Concert "Invitation" charting". Archived from the original on March 20, 2005. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
16. Circle (formerly Gaon) Album Chart positions:

    • Outpouring: 2014년 49주차 Album Chart. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
    • Monologue: 2014년 45주차 Album Chart. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 20, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
    • Walking With: 2014년 41주차 Album Chart. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
17. "Kim Dong Ryul Chart History: World Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
18. "February 1999 K-pop Album Sales Volume" (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on July 18, 2007. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
19. "2000 K-pop Album Sales Volume" (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on May 16, 2007. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
20. "February 2002 K-pop Album Sales Volume" (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on March 31, 2005. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
21. "2004 K-pop Album Sales Volume" (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
22. "August 2008 K-pop Album Sales Volume" (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
23. Cumulative sales of Walking With:

    • "2014 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
    • "February 2015 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
24. Circle (formerly Gaon) Album Chart positions:

    • 2008 Concert "Monologue": 2016년 02주차 Album Chart. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
    • Live 2012 "Gratitude" / 2014 "Walking With": 2015년 33주차 Album Chart. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
    • Live 2019 An Old Song: 2020년 49주차 Album Chart. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
25. "March 2005 K-pop Album Sales Volume" (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on June 9, 2005. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
26. "August 2015 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
27. Circle (formerly Gaon) Album Chart positions:

    • KimdongrYULE: 2011년 48주차 Album Chart. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
    • Reply: 2018년 02주차 Album Chart. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
28. "2011 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
29. "January 2018 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
30. Circle (formerly Gaon) Digital Chart positions:

    • "Departure": "2014년 05주차 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
    • "Replay": "2011년 49주차 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
    • "How I Am": "2014년 41주차 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 26, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
    • "Reply": "2018년 03주차 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
    • "That's The Way It Is": "2018년 13주차 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
    • "Song": "2018년 37주차 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
    • "Fairy Tale": "2018년 50주차 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 10, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
    • "After All This Time": "Digital Chart, 2023 Weeks 48". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved February 8, 2025.
    • "Stroll": "Digital Chart, 2024 Weeks 44". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved February 8, 2025.
31. "Download Chart, 2019 Weeks 34". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved February 8, 2025.
32. "Download Chart, 2023 Weeks 19". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved February 8, 2025.
33. "지난 시상식, Page 7". Digital Music Awards (in Korean). Cyworld. Archived from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
34. "동방신기, 골든디스크 대상‥빅뱅-서태지는 본상에도 없어". Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). December 11, 2008. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
35. "[포토엔]트로트 퀸 장윤정, 블랙 퍼 더욱 우아하게~". Newsen (in Korean). December 10, 2008. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
36. "록밴드 언니네이발관, '한국대중음악상' 최다 5부문 후보" [Rock band Unnie Nabalkwan, nominated for the most 5 categories at the 'Korean Popular Music Awards']. Star News (in Korean). February 4, 2009. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022 – via Naver.
37. "2008 Mnet KM Music Festival Part1" Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. MAMA. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
38. "[Full Ver.] 2014 Mnet Asian Music Awards Part1". mwave. MAMA. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2015.

1. About Composers
2. Moneytoday
3. My Daily
4. IZM Neo Music Community
5. IZM Neo Music Community
6. IZM Neo Music Community
7. KBS ^{[permanent dead link‍]}
8. IZM Neo Music Community
9. Moneytoday
10. IZM Neo Music Community

External links

• Official website at MusicFarm Records (in Korean)