Eric Nam

Eric Nam (born November 17, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality based in South Korea.

He graduated from Boston College in 2011 with a major in International Studies and a minor in Asian Studies.

Nam accepted a position as a business analyst at Deloitte Consulting in New York City, deferring the opportunity to participate in microfinance initiatives in India.

He subsequently decided to pursue a career in entertainment.

After a cover Nam posted on YouTube gained media attention, South Korean broadcasting company MBC invited Nam to Seoul to compete on the program Star Audition: Birth of a Great Star 2, a show similar to the music competition television series The X Factor.

His final placement within the top five contestants jump-started his career in South Korea.

On September 25, 2012, Nam signed with B2M Entertainment as a solo artist.

Since his debut in 2013, he was named GQ Korea 's Man of the Year in 2016, included on Forbes ' 30 Under 30 Asia in 2017, and honored as one of YouTube Music's Global Trending Artists on the Rise in 2019.

Eric Nam was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia.

On January 23, 2013, Nam made his debut with the release of his first extended play (EP) Cloud 9 with lead single "Heaven's Door".

That year, Nam also joined Arirang TV's interactive show After School Club and its spin-off, The ASC After Show, as MC.

In April 2014, Nam released his first digital single, "우우 (Ooh Ooh)", and performed at the Seoul Jazz Festival alongside artists such as Chris Botti, Damien Rice, Jamie Cullum, Paolo Nutini, and Craig David.

That December, Nam released his second digital single, "Melt My Heart".

In February 2015, Nam featured on Amber Liu's song "I Just Wanna" from her EP Beautiful.

In March, he released the single "I'm OK" and its accompanying music video.

In May, Nam released the single "Dream", featuring 15&'s Park Ji-min, for charity.

In December, Nam signed an exclusive contract with CJ E&M.

He left the program in 2016 to focus on his music career.

His appearances on After School Club and MBC's Section TV Entertainment Relay were positively received and helped established Nam as one of the "go-to" personalities for international celebrity interviews in South Korea.

Nam released his second EP, Interview, with the lead single "Good For You" on March 24, 2016.

That same month, he also took part in SM Entertainment's digital music channel SM Station, releasing the duet "Spring Love" with Red Velvet's Wendy.

On April 16, Nam hosted and performed on Saturday Night Live Korea, receiving one of the highest ratings of the season.

Later that month, Nam joined the virtual marriage show We Got Married with Mamamoo's Solar as his partner.

On June 10, Nam released his first US single, "Into You", a collaboration with electronic band KOLAJ.

"Into You" premiered worldwide on Beats 1 Radio and The Fader, charting at a number one on Hype Machine.

Later that month, Nam headlined KCON NY 2016 and performed five songs, including "Into You", to a sold-out crowd at Prudential Center.

He then released his digital single "Can't Help Myself" in July 2016, with lyrics written by Epik High's Tablo and featuring rapper Loco.

Nam also headlined KCON LA 2016 and performed "Can't Help Myself" and "Into You" with KOLAJ to a sold-out Staples Center.

Nam became the host of the new Mnet talk show Yang and Nam Show alongside comedian Yang Se-hyung in November 2016.

Additionally, he premiered his collaboration with producer Timbaland, "Body", at the 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

In 2017, Nam collaborated with singer Gallant and rapper Tablo on the single "Cave Me In".

The song premiered worldwide on Beats 1 Radio and trended globally on YouTube and Facebook for over 72 hours after its release.

The music video was shot in Hong Kong.

Nam also featured on Seohyun's "Hello" from her EP Don't Say No and collaborated with Jeon Somi on the single "You, Who?".

Furthermore, Nam featured on DJ and record producer Arty's single "Idea of You".

Nam performed three sold-out shows in New York City and Atlanta in August 2017 with singer Alec Benjamin as his opening act.

The shows sold out in one minute during presale; due to overwhelming demand, Nam added the date in Atlanta and increased the venue size in New York City.

At the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, Nam was named an Honorary Ambassador.

He appeared on the primetime Olympic broadcast of American television network NBC, providing an in-depth look at K-pop with interviewers Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski.

On April 11, 2018, Nam released his third EP, Honestly.