Cai Xukun facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cai Xukun
蔡徐坤
KUN 2025 LA Showcases
Born	(1998-08-02) August 2, 1998 (age 27) Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
Other names	KUN
Occupation	Singer-songwriter dancer actor
Years active	2012–present
Musical career
Genres	C-pop Contemporary R&B Classic pop Indie rock
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	KUN Studio
Chinese name
Chinese	蔡徐坤
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Cài Xúkūn Bopomofo ㄘㄞˋ ㄒㄩˊ ㄎㄨㄣ Wade–Giles ts'ai hsü k'un

Cai Xukun (born August 2, 1998), also known as Kun (stylized as KUN), is a Chinese singer, songwriter, and actor. He became famous in 2018 after winning the talent show Idol Producer. He was part of the boy group Nine Percent before starting his solo music career. From 2020 to 2022, he was also a cast member on the TV show Keep Running.

Early life and education

Kun was born on August 2, 1998, in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China. He spent some of his childhood in Huaihua, Hunan, with his grandparents. He later grew up in Shenzhen, Guangdong. In elementary school, he was chosen as the principal's assistant and student union president. He also won many essay writing competitions.

Kun was considered for the group TFBoys, but his parents wanted him to focus on school. They felt he was too young for the entertainment world. After elementary school, he moved to Shenzhen for middle school. Around age 16, he studied in the United States at Grace Brethren High School in Simi Valley, California.

Music career beginnings

2012–2014: First acting roles

In April 2012, Kun appeared on Hunan TV's show Up Young!. He made it into the top 200 contestants. In August of that year, Kun started acting. He played a young Du Yu Feng in Half a Fairytale. He also played Xixi in the TV series 女刑警李春春 (Female Criminal Li ChunChun). In 2014, he played a young Huo Ke in Lock Me Up, Tie Him Down.

2015–2017: Super Idol and SWIN

In 2015, Kun returned from the U.S. to join the South Korean-based reality show Super Idol. This show was made by Anhui TV and MBC. During the two seasons, Kun trained hard and improved his performance skills. He finished in the Top 3.

After Super Idol, Kun debuted as a member of the Chinese boy group SWIN. However, the group did not have many chances to perform or appear in public. This caused their popularity to decrease. In early 2017, Kun decided to leave the company.

2018: Idol Producer and rising fame

After a break from the entertainment industry, Kun joined Season 1 of the reality show Idol Producer in late 2017. He was an independent trainee.

Kun performed his own song, "I Wanna Get Love," in the first episode. He quickly gained many fans and became a popular topic on the show. He often ranked first and stayed at the top throughout the program. In the final round, he received over 47 million votes. On April 6, 2018, Kun officially debuted as the leader and center of the boy group Nine Percent.

Soon after Idol Producer ended, a web-drama called I Won't Get Bullied by Girls was released. Kun had filmed this show in 2017. He played the main role of Ye Lin. The show became very popular because of Kun's fame. By May 3, it had over 700 million views.

From April to May 2018, Kun's first single "I Wanna Get Love" was China's number one song for almost three weeks. In July, Kun started his own personal studio. On August 2, 2018, his 20th birthday, Kun released the EP 1 for free. It included three songs: "Pull Up," "You Can Be My Girlfriend," and "It's You." "Pull Up" became a huge hit and broke 10 records on QQ Music, a big music platform in China. Kun also edited the music video for "Pull Up." He then released another single, "Wait Wait Wait," on August 23, which quickly topped many music charts.

On October 12, Kun performed "You Can Be My Girlfriend" live for the first time at a charity event. He donated 600,000 RMB to help build facilities for students in rural areas. On December 8, "Wait Wait Wait" was named one of the Top Ten Pop Songs of the Year at the Migu Music Awards. This was Kun's first major music award.

2019: Ambassador, new music, and solo tour

On January 10, 2019, Kun was named "China and Jamaica's Goodwill Ambassador." He hoped to encourage cultural exchanges between the two countries. He also wanted to be a good role model for young people. A week later, he released "The Lunar Song," the theme song for the movie The Knight of Shadows: Between Yin and Yang. This song was a special collaboration with Jackie Chan.

On January 18, a documentary series called Cai Xukun's Unfinished was released. It showed different parts of his life. The next day, Kun released an artistic music video for "Wait Wait Wait," directed by Dave Meyers.

On February 5, for Chinese New Year, Kun performed "That Spring" at Beijing TV's Spring Festival Gala. This was his first song written entirely in Chinese. On February 18, he released his first Chinese single, "No Accident." The song was composed by Yoga Lin and had lyrics written by Kun. An animated music video for "No Exception" was released a week later. "No Exception" quickly became number one on many music charts in China.

On March 1, Kun announced his first solo tour, "KUN ONE North America/U.K. Tour 2019." It included shows in Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and London. Tickets for the Los Angeles and New York shows sold out in minutes. On March 15, Kun released his first DJ mix, "Bigger," on Spotify.

On April 19, Kun released a song called "Hard to Get." He first performed it during his solo tour. The music video was released on May 3 on his new YouTube Channel. In June, Kun was a guest judge on World's Got Talent. He also performed a mix of "It's You" and "Hard to Get."

On July 26, Kun released the single Young. Its music video was filmed in many places around the world. Kun was very involved in making the song and video. The song quickly topped charts and sold over 63 million copies, setting a record for digital albums in 2019.

On October 31, Kun performed his single "Rebirth" (重生). It was later re-released in January 2020 as a collaboration with American producer and DJ Kshmr. This was Kun's first time working with a foreign artist. The song shows Kun's desire to be fearless and grow.

2020: Youth With You and "Lover"

In January 2020, it was announced that Kun would be the Youth Representative for iQiyi's Youth with You Season 2. He was a mentor on the show alongside Lisa of Blackpink, Ella Chen, and Jony J.

In March, Kun and actress Tong Liya released "The Mountains and Rivers Are on My Chest." This song aimed to support those fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. In April, he joined the cast of Keep Running. He also released the song "Home" to support people during the COVID-19 Pandemic lockdowns. The song quickly became a top trending topic on Chinese social media.

On May 24, Kun released his single "Lover." It quickly reached number one on QQ Music's charts. "Lover" was first performed on Youth with You Season 2 as a collaboration with the trainees. Kun helped write and produce the song. The song was very successful, with its dance challenge being used over 400 million times on Chinese social platforms.

At the end of 2020, he was ranked 31st on the Forbes China Celebrity 100 list.

2021–2022: First studio album and "Hug Me"

On April 6, 2021, Kun announced his new album, 迷 (Mi). It received over 1 million pre-orders within 2 hours on QQ Music, making him the fastest artist to do so in 2021. He was involved in the album's production and directed the music video for "#0000FF."

On December 16, Madame Tussauds Hong Kong revealed Kun's wax figure. It wears the outfit he wore at World's Got Talent in 2019.

On July 2, 2022, Kun released the single "Hug Me." It became a big hit, ranking among the top ten most streamed songs of 2022 on major Chinese music platforms. He released a remix of "Hug Me" on June 22, 2023.

2023: World Tour and new music

On February 23, 2023, KUN announced his first live concert, KUN 2023 ART LAB LIVE. On March 22, he announced his 2023 WORLD TOUR-迷宫重启, with stops in Macau, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur.

On October 9, after his Kuala Lumpur concert, KUN released a live version of his new song "Spotlight." The studio version of "Spotlight" was released on November 22.

2024–Present: More new songs and global recognition

On January 31, 2024, KUN released the single "Ride or Die." It quickly reached number one on QQ Music and became a top-selling song. In June, KUN released "Afterglow," a collaboration with Versace. This song also topped many Chinese music platforms and reached the top of iTunes charts in several countries.

In May 2025, KUN released his single "Deadman." In June 2025, KUN was announced as a special guest performer at Head in the Clouds Los Angeles. He was also announced for Head in the Clouds New York, which will be held on September 20. In July 2025, KUN announced a special showcase called ONE NIGHT ONLY at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, California. This show will be held on August 2, 2025, as a birthday gift for his fans.

Brand partnerships

Kun has worked with many well-known brands. In 2018, he became a brand ambassador for Yoseido skincare, L'Oréal Paris, and the smartphone company Vivo. Aussie also named him their global spokesperson.

In 2019, Levi's announced Kun as their brand ambassador. On May 31, Prada named Kun as its China ambassador, making him the first Chinese spokesperson for the brand. He also attended Prada's fashion show in Shanghai.

In 2020, Kun became an ambassador for brands like Kosé, Givenchy Beauty, and Proya. He also became the new spokesperson for FILA, an Italian sportswear company.

In 2021, the British fragrance brand Jo Malone appointed Kun as their brand ambassador, along with hair brand Schwarzkopf. Since 2023, Prada Beauty has named Kun as their fragrance ambassador.

In 2022, the Swiss watch company TAG Heuer named Kun its Chinese ambassador. The company's CEO said Kun has "remarkable talent" and is "incredibly athletic, truly daring and never stops challenging the limits."

In 2023, the South Korean sunglasses brand Gentle Monster announced a collaboration with Kun. He worked as the director for their 'Crystal Clear' project.

In May 2024, the Italian luxury fashion brand Versace appointed Kun as their global brand ambassador. In August, Kun was appointed the global brand ambassador of Avia, a footwear company. In December, Maison Margiela Fragrances announced Kun as their spokesperson for Bath and Body.

In February 2025, Mugler Fragrance announced KUN as their Global Brand Ambassador for Mugler Angel Fantasm. On February 28, 2025, Charlotte Tilbury Beauty announced Kun as their global brand ambassador. On April 19, 2025, KUN was officially announced as XIONGMAO熊猫户外服饰 global brand ambassador. On July 21, KUN was officially announced as Shu Uemura Art of Hair Global Brand Ambassador.

As of July 2025, KUN has six active brand endorsements.

Music style and influences

Kun has said that Stevie Wonder and Lana Del Rey have influenced his music. He writes and produces most of his own solo songs. This includes "I Wanna Get Love," his EP 1, and "Wait Wait Wait." He also helped write the lyrics for "Rule Breaker" and "Good Things" for Nine Percent's album To the Nines. His music style is very diverse. It includes future R&B, urban R&B, hip-hop, pop, dance, and electronic soul.

Charity work

Since he became famous, Kun has encouraged his fans to support good causes.

In August 2018, Kun donated 32,000 RMB to a center for children with autism. On October 13, 2018, he performed at the BAZAAR Stars' Charity Night. He anonymously donated 600,000 RMB. These funds helped build places for students in rural areas to learn music and other activities.

In December 2018, Kun joined the "Battle Against Poverty" project started by Jackie Chan. Kun visited a poor area on Hainan Island to help. He introduced local products, like salted duck eggs, during a live broadcast. Thanks to his popularity, all 80,000 eggs sold out in one minute!

Kun's fans have also made big donations to different charities. They have bought school supplies and helped build roads in villages. By the end of 2018, fans had donated about 5 million RMB.

On May 12, 2019, Kun was named the Goodwill Ambassador of the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation. He promised to raise awareness for disaster prevention. On June 16, he became the Arts and Philanthropy Ambassador for Ullens Center for Contemporary Art. He promotes educational programs for children from less fortunate backgrounds.

On June 17, 2019, an earthquake hit Sichuan, China. Kun donated 100,000 RMB to help with relief efforts. He also gave 30,000 RMB worth of books and school supplies to a local school.

Kun started a charity fund on October 17, 2019, to help poor children in remote Chinese areas. He donated over 600,000 RMB and plans to donate 3 million RMB more over the next three years. This money will mainly support primary school choirs and other charity activities.

On January 26, 2020, Kun donated 600,000 RMB to help those affected by the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China. His fan clubs also raised over 500,000 RMB for the cause.

Discography

• Mi (迷) (2021)

Appearances

Tours and Concerts

• Kun One Tour (2019): San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, London, Toronto, Vancouver
• Kun World Tour (2023): Macau, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur

Music Festivals

• Head in the Clouds Los Angeles (June 01, 2025)

Filmography

Films

Television series

Television shows

Awards and recognition

Forbes China Celebrity 100

Images for kids

• 

  KUN 2025 LA Showcases

See also

In Spanish: Cai Xukun para niños