Kang Daniel
강다니엘
- Birth Name: Kang Eui Geon (강의건)
- Stage Name: Kang Daniel (강다니엘)
- Birthday: December 10, 1996 (27 yrs western, 29 Korean)
- Position: Vocalist
- Nationality: Korean
- Height: 180 cm (5'11″)
- Specialties: Skateboarding and Fashion
- Music Companies: KONNECT Entertainment, MMO Entertainment, YMC Entertainment, Swing Entertainment
Past Company: Stone Music - Fandom Name: Danity
Kang Daniel is a South Korean singer, he was born as Kang Eui-geon (강의건) in Busan, South Korea as the only child of his family. He decided to legally change his name due to family and relatives having difficulty pronouncing his birth name.
Later on, due to the suggestion from a teacher, Daniel began dancing. During a guest appearance at variety show Hello Counselor, he revealed that he was ostracized in elementary school because of his appearance and developed passion and built self-esteem through dancing. Prior to appearing on Produce 101 Season 2, Daniel had trained for two years and one month.
He initially started as a trainee under B2M Entertainment until management separation, and then became a trainee under MMO Entertainment. One of the most notable moments during his time as trainee was his appearance on Her Secret Weapon, performing "Invitation" by Uhm Jung-hwa, where he served as a backup dancer to Fiestar's Cao Lu and Spica's Sihyun.
In 2017, Daniel represented MMO Entertainment in the boy group reality survival show, Produce 101 Season 2. He is known for finishing first in the final episode and becoming the center of the project boy group Wanna One under YMC Entertainment.
Daniel officially debuted with Wanna One during Wanna One Premier Show-Con on August 7, 2017, at the Gocheok Sky Dome with the debut mini-album 1×1=1 (To Be One). During the preparation for this debut, he was also confirmed to join the MBC variety show, It's Dangerous Beyond The Blankets which premiered on August 27, 2017. On the same month, he was featured on the cover of Weekly Chosun magazine, one of the major news and current events publication in South Korea, with an article focusing on his popularity among the general public. Following the conclusion of the mini-album promotion on August 30, 2017, he was chosen as the first male celebrity to appear on the cover of InStyleKorea fashion magazine in its 14 years history for its October 2017 issue. He was also signed as a cast member for SBS variety show Master Key, for which he was awarded the Rookie Award (Variety Category) at the 2017 SBS Entertainment Awards.
He was recognized for his brand recognition and marketing power, having topped both 'Male Model Brand Power Ranking' and 'Individual Boy Group Members Brand Power Ranking', published by the Korean Corporate Reputation Research Institute. By the end of 2017, he ranked second in Most Favorite Idols survey conducted annually by Gallup Korea which involves 1,500 Korean men and women aged 13 to 29 as respondents.
In January 2018, his name was included in Forbes Korea Power Leaders 2030 annual list, under "Entertainment" field category. The list, consisting 30 individuals within the age range of 20 to 39 considered as rising stars in their respective fields, was selected by six panels of industry experts alongside Forbes journalists.
On December 18, 2018, Swing Entertainment released an official statement that Wanna One's contract will end on its original planned date, December 31, 2018. Swing also stated that all agencies came to an agreement that will allow the members to attend scheduled year-end shows and award ceremonies throughout January 2019. The group will conclude activities with a final concert (titled "Therefore") held across four days, ending on January 27, 2019. The concert was be held at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, where the group held their debut showcase.
On January 31, 2019 it was announced that Kang Daniel had joined LM Entertainment to begin his solo career.
On June 11, 2019 Kang Daniel announced that he had started his own one-man agency entitled KONNECT Entertainment and opened an office in the Gangnam district of Seoul, South Korea.
Later that year on August 29th Kang Daniel released the news that his brand new fan name would be "Danity", a word that combines "Daniel" and "-ity" to mean that every moment that Kang Daniel and his fans spend together is special. Just as "-ity" is a suffix that can be added to many different words, "Danity" means that there is no limit to the memories that Kang Daniel and his fans make together.
