Samuel (singer)

For the R&B singer-songwriter, see Sam Kim. For the Italian singer songwriter, see Samuel Umberto Romano.

Samuel Arredondo Kim (born January 17, 2002), better known by his stage name Samuel (Korean: 사무엘), is an American singer based in South Korea. He was a part of the short-lived hip hop duo 1Punch in 2015. He participated in the reality television series season 2 of Produce 101 during the first half of 2017. In the final episode, he ranked 18th and was not able to join the show's project group. One month after the show ended, he began his solo career, with the release of his debut extended play (EP) Sixteen on August 2, 2017.

Samuel
Samuel in August 2017
Born	Samuel Arredondo Kim (2002-01-17) January 17, 2002 (age 22) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Singer
Years active	2015–present
Musical career
Genres	K-pop R&B Hip hop
Instrument	Vocals
Labels	Samuel Management & Entertainment Music Group[1] Pony Canyon
Formerly of	1Punch
Korean name
Hangul	김사무엘
Revised Romanization	Gim Samuel
McCune–Reischauer	Kim Samuel

Early life

Samuel was born in Los Angeles, California,^[2] to a Mexican father (José Arredondo) and a South Korean mother.^[3][4]

Career

2012–2013: Pre-debut

Samuel made his first appearances to the public at the age of eleven, when he appeared in the live broadcast series Seventeen TV as a trainee under Pledis Entertainment.^[5][6] In 2013, he left the agency.^[7]

2015–2016: 1Punch and collaboration with Silentó

In 2015, Samuel debuted as a part of hip-hop duo named 1Punch (with rapper One) under a collaboration between Brave Entertainment and D-Business Entertainment, taking "Punch" as his stage name.^[8] They debuted on January 23 with the release of "Turn Me Back", which is the title track of their album, The Anthem.^[9] Eight months later, One was scouted by YG Entertainment, leading to the disbandment of the duo. Under the name Punch, Samuel collaborated with Silentó to release the single "Spotlight" in 2016,^[10] for which they won the 26th Seoul Music Award for Global Collaboration.^[11] He later joined Silentó on tour in the US.^[12]

2017–2021: Produce 101, solo debut and lawsuit

See also: Produce 101 Season 2

In April 2017, Samuel participated in the second season of the popular survival show Produce 101 under his own name, representing Brave Entertainment. During the first elimination, he was ranked 2nd, but did not make the final cut for the 11-member team, finally ranking 18th overall.^[13] The result was met with surprise from many viewers, who had expected Samuel to become part of the lineup of Wanna One.^[14]

Samuel debuted as a solo artist on August 2.^[15] His debut mini album, Sixteen, was released on August 2, with the title track "Sixteen" featuring rapper Changmo.^[16]

Samuel's first full-length album, Eye Candy, was released on November 16, 2017, with a total of ten tracks including the lead single "Candy".^{[17][unreliable source?]}

In December 2017, it was announced that Samuel had signed a contract with 'Pony Canyon' for his Japanese promotions.^[18][19]

Samuel officially debuted in Japan on February 7, 2018, with his first Japanese single, "Sixteen (Japanese Ver.)".^[20][21] The music video of "Sixteen (Japanese Ver.)" was released on January 18.^[22]

In March 2018, Samuel released his second mini album, One, with the title track "One" featuring BtoB member Jung Il-hoon.^[23]

In April 2018, Samuel released his second Japanese single, "Candy (Japanese Ver.)", on May 16.^[24] The music video of the track was released on May 2.

On May 30, 2018, Samuel released his repackaged album, Teenager, featuring Lee Ro Han, who was a runner-up to MNet's "School Rapper Season 2".^{[25][unreliable source?]}

In the course of 2018, Samuel, together with Chinese singer Zhou Zhennan, collaborated and participated in Tencent's The Collaboration Season 2. The duo eventually placed first and won the competition.^{[citation needed]}

In June 2019, Samuel announced to work independently onwards, filed a name trademark, and set-up a one-man agency.^[26][27]

On November 17, 2021, Samuel won a lawsuit against Brave Entertainment to terminate his contract.^[28]

2024–present: Now

On April 21, Samuel made his comeback after five years and released his new self-produced EP Now, along with its lead single titled "YEH YEH!".^[1]

Personal life

On July 16, 2019, Samuel's father José Arredondo was found dead at his condo in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.^[29] He died from blunt force trauma and stab wounds.^[30] Later in July 2019, Mexican authorities arrested a suspect who was a family acquaintance and "friend of [Arredondo] for 20 years."^[31]

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Details	Peak chart positions	Sales
		KOR [32]
Eye Candy	Released: November 16, 2017 Label: Brave, Kakao Formats: CD, digital download Track listing Candy (캔디) Never Let U Down Love Love Love Paradise Crush On You (끌려) Stunning (찬란하게) Jewel Box (보석함) Masquerade (가면놀이) (feat. Maboos) Dream Sixteen (식스틴) (feat. Changmo) (Remix)	6	KOR: 25,153[33]

Extended plays

Title	Details	Peak chart positions	Sales
		KOR [34]
Sixteen	Released: August 2, 2017 Label: Brave, Kakao Formats: CD, digital download Track listing Jewel Box (보석함) Sixteen (식스틴) (feat. Changmo) I Got It With U (feat. Kim Chung-ha) 123 (One Two Three) (feat. Maboos) I'm Ready	4	KOR: 34,386[35]
One	Released: March 28, 2018 Label: Brave, Kakao Formats: CD, digital download Track listing One (feat. Jung Il-hoon of BTOB) SOS Princess I Can't Sleep Clap Your Hands Just a While (잠시만)	8	KOR: 16,900[36]
	Re-released: May 30, 2018 (Teenager) Label: Brave, Kakao Formats: CD, digital download Track listing Teenager (틴에이저) (feat. Lee Ro Han) Kka Kka (까까) (feat. Maboos) One (feat. Jung Il-hoon of BTOB) SOS Princess I Can't Sleep Clap Your Hands Just a While (잠시만)	11

Singles

Title	Year	Peak chart positions		Sales	Album
		KOR [37]	JPN [38]
Korean
"Spotlight" (with Silentó)	2016	—	—	—	Non-album single
"Sixteen" (식스틴) (feat. Changmo)	2017	88		KOR: 22,655[39]	Sixteen
"Candy" (캔디)		—		—	Eye Candy
"Winter Night" (겨울밤)	2018	—			Non-album single
"One" (feat. Jung Il-hoon of BtoB)		—			One
"Teenager" (틴에이저) (feat. Lee Ro Han)		—			Teenager
"Archive People" (with Brave Hongcha)	2019	—			Non-album single
"Now"	2024	TBA			Now
Japanese
"Sixteen"	2018	—	19	JPN: 3,020[40]	Non-album singles
"Candy"			30	JPN: 1,563[41]
"One"	2019		52	—
"—" denotes songs that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Soundtracks

Title	Year	Album	Collab	Ref.
Say you love me (좋아한다 말해)	2017	Pink Pink OST	Kriesha Chu	[42]
Thousand Times	2018	Cross OST	N/A	[43]
Time to Shine	2018	Sweet Revenge 2 OST	BIGSTAR Feeldog	[44]

Other appearances

Title	Year	Album	Collab	Ref.
"CHANEL BAG" (샤넬백)	2016	SUNGLASSES	ELECTROBOYZ	[45]
"Chan Chan Chan" (찬찬찬)	2019	Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend (Sing the Lyrics of Kim Byeong Geol)	Hong Kyung-min	[46]

Filmography

Reality shows

Year	Title	Notes
2012	Made in U	Contestant
2017	Produce 101 Season 2
	Leaving The Nest 2	Cast member
	Photo People
2018	The Collaboration Season 2	Contestant

Television series

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2018	Sweet Revenge 2	Seo Robin	Main Cast
2018	Pops in Seoul	Host

Radio shows

Year	Title	Network	Role	Notes	Ref.
2022–present	Radio'n Us	Arirang Radio	DJ	March 14, 2022–present	[47]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated Work	Result
2017	26th Seoul Music Awards	Global Collaboration Award	"Spotlight" with Silentó	Won
	19th Mnet Asian Music Awards	Best New Male Artist	Kim Samuel	Nominated
		Artist of the Year		Nominated
	Yahoo! Asia Buzz Awards[48][unreliable source?]	Most Searched KR New Singer		Won
2018	32nd Golden Disk Awards	New Artist of the Year		Nominated
		Global Popularity Award		Nominated
	27th Seoul Music Awards	Bonsang Award		Nominated
		Popularity Award		Nominated
		Hallyu Special Award		Nominated
	Soribada Best K-Music Awards	New Hallyu Performance Award		Won

References

1. Yoo, Soo-kyung (April 20, 2024). [단독] 가수 사무엘 컴백, 내일(21일) 앨범 'NOW' 공개 [[Exclusive] Singer Samuel's comeback, album 'NOW' released tomorrow (21st)] (in Korean). Hankook Ilbo. Retrieved April 21, 2024 – via Naver.
2. Kim, So-jeong (July 18, 2019). 美 매체, 김사무엘 언급하며 부친 사망 보도..."용의자 추적 중". Edaily (in Korean). Retrieved July 19, 2019.
3. Willis, Jackie (July 18, 2019). "Jose Arredondo, Father of K-Pop Star Samuel, Is Found Dead in Cabo". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
4. Lee, Min-jae (August 19, 2017). 김사무엘 꽃미모 화제...'혼혈 여부'·'국적' 등 팬들 의문 다수. Kookje Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved July 19, 2019.
5. "김사무엘, 원펀치 전에는 세븐틴 멤버?..사진보니 '같은 멤버 같아!' – 한국스포츠경제". Sporbiz.co.kr. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
6. "'프로듀스101' 냉정한 레벨 분류...김사무엘·장문복·박지훈 '주목'(종합)" (in Korean). Retrieved June 26, 2017.
7. "'프로듀스 101 시즌2' A등급 김사무엘 누구...세븐틴 그 꼬마가 이렇게 컸다고?". News20.busan.com. April 8, 2017.
8. "스페셜 : 네이버 뮤직". Music.naver.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
9. 스페셜:제2의 듀스 원펀치, 2015년 가요계가 그들을 주목한다. Music.naver.com (in Korean). Naver. January 23, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
10. "펀치 X 사일렌토 'SPOTLIGHT' : 네이버 포스트". M.post.naver.com (in Korean). May 20, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
11. "'서가대' 엑소, 4년 연속 대상..방탄은 앨범·트와이스는 음원상[종합]". Retrieved May 28, 2017.
12. "Samuel (aka Punch) | K-Pop Amino". Aminoapps.com. January 17, 2002. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
13. "[종합] '프로듀스101 시즌2' 1등 김종현 2등 라이관린 3등 박지훈, 2차 순위발표식 총정리 – :: 스타투데이". Star.mk.co.kr. November 30, 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
14. "[Oh!쎈 초점] 김종현·김사무엘 탈락..'프듀2', 국프 말 잃게 한 충격반전" (in Korean). Retrieved June 26, 2017.
15. "김사무엘, 솔로 데뷔 준비 '신곡 녹음 완료'". Retrieved June 17, 2017.
16. "더보기 사무엘, 미니 앨범 '식스틴' 데뷔...8월2일 발표". News Donga. July 10, 2017. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
17. "Watch: Samuel Calls You His "Candy" In Sweet Comeback MV". Soompi. November 16, 2017.
18. "[공식입장] '프듀2' 사무엘, 日 포니캐년 손잡고 일본 진출 확정". mosen.mt.co.kr. December 4, 2017.
19. OSEN (December 4, 2017). "[공식입장] '프듀2' 사무엘, 日 포니캐년 손잡고 일본 진출 확정". mosen.mt.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved April 23, 2021.
20. "Yonhap News Agency". Yonhap News Agency.
21. "Samuel[サムエル]、日本デビュー日に教会広場でフリーライブ決定". BARKS. January 24, 2018.
22. "「SIXTEEN-Japanese Ver.-」ミュージックビデオ公開". samuel-official.jp. January 18, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
23. "'최파타' 사무엘 "비투비 정일훈, 분위기 남달라...덕분에 노래 살았다" – 스포츠투데이 – TV보다 재밌다". stoo.asiae.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved April 3, 2018.
24. "2018年5月16日(水) JAPAN 2nd Single「Candy -Japanese Ver.-」発売決定". Samuel Official Site.
25. "Samuel Kim releases tracklist for his 2nd repackaged mini album 'Teenager'". Allkpop. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
26. Kim, Yoon-ji (June 10, 2019). 김사무엘, 브레이브 떠나 단독 활동?…“믿음 지킬것” [Kim Samuel leaves Brave and pursues solo activities?...“Keep the faith”] (in Korean). E Daily. Retrieved April 21, 2024 – via Naver.
27. Kang, Nae-ri (June 14, 2019). [단독] 사무엘, 이름 상표 출원 신청…1인 기획사 설립하나? [[Exclusive] Samuel applies for a name trademark…Should I set up a one-person agency?] (in Korean). YTN. Retrieved April 21, 2024 – via Naver.
28. "김사무엘, 브레이브와 전속계약 분쟁서 승소 "하늘이 내 편 들어줘"". Naver (in Korean). Retrieved November 17, 2021.
29. Shewfelt, Raechal (July 17, 2019). "K-pop star Samuel's father Jose Arredondo killed in Mexico, fans urge him to 'stay strong'". Yahoo! News. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
30. Herman, Tamar (July 31, 2019). "Mexican Authorities Arrest Suspect in Murder of K-Pop Star Samuel's Father". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
31. Goldstein, Joelle (July 30, 2019). "Mexican Man Arrested for Allegedly Killing K-Pop Star Samuel's Dad in Cabo San Lucas". People Magazine. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
32. "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved September 22, 2017.

    • "Eye Candy". November 12–18, 2017.
33. Cumulative sales for Eye Candy:

    • "2017년 11월 Album Chart (See #15)". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
34. "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved September 22, 2017.

    • "Sixteen". August 5, 2017.
    • "One". March 25–31, 2018.
    • "Teenager". June 2, 2018.
35. Cumulative sales for Sixteen:

    • "2017년 08월 Album Chart (See #12)". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
36. Cumulative sales for One:

    • "2018년 04월 Album Chart (See #42)". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
    • "2018년 05월 Album Chart (See #33)". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
37. "Gaon Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved September 22, 2017.

    • "Sixteen". August 5, 2017.
38. "Samuelの作品" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 21, 2018.

    • "ONE": ONE -Japanese Ver.-(初回限定盤A) [ONE -Japanese Ver .- (First Press Limited Edition A)] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
39. "Circle Chart" 2017년 31주차 Download Chart [Week 31 of 2017 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
40. 週間 CDシングルランキング (2018年02月05日～2018年02月11日） [CD single weekly ranking from February 5, 2018 to February 11, 2018] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
41. 週間 CDシングルランキング (2018年05月14日～2018年05月20日） [CD single weekly ranking from May 14, 2018 to May 20, 2018] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
42. "코미카 웹툰 '분홍분홍해' OST 선봬". 더게임스 (in Korean). December 27, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
43. CJENMMUSIC Official (February 12, 2018), [크로스 OST Part 2] 사무엘 (Samuel) – Thousand Times MV, retrieved April 25, 2018
44. "사무엘 (Samuel, 김사무엘) on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
45. "Sunglasses ELECTROBOYZ". iTunes. July 30, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
46. "불후의 명곡 – 전설을 노래하다 (인생의 희노애락을 노래하다 작사가 김병걸)". Melon (in Korean). March 23, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
47. Jin Ju-hee (March 10, 2022). "사무엘, 'Radio'n Us' DJ 발탁...14일 부터 진행" [Samuel selected as DJ for 'Radio'n Us'... From the 14th] (in Korean). MK Sports. Retrieved March 10, 2022 – via Naver.
48. "On December 6, Samuel Kim attended the '2017 Yahoo Asia Buzz Awards' in Hong Kong, accepting the award for the 'Most Searched KR New Singer". Retrieved December 6, 2017.