Henry Lau facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Henry Lau
Henry Lau in 2018
Born	(1989-10-11) October 11, 1989 (age 35) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Alma mater	Berklee College of Music
Occupation	Singer songwriter musician record producer
Years active	2007–present
Musical career
Genres	K-pop Mandopop R&B
Instruments	Vocals violin piano guitar drums
Labels	SM Monster Entertainment Group
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	劉憲華
Simplified Chinese	刘宪华
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Liú Xiàn Huá Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Lau4 Hin3-waa4 Hong Kong Romanisation Lau Hin-wa
Korean stage name
Hangul	헨리
Transcriptions Revised Romanization Henri McCune–Reischauer Henri

Henry Lau (traditional Chinese: 劉憲華; simplified Chinese: 刘宪华; Korean: 헨리; born October 11, 1989), known as Henry, is a talented Canadian singer, songwriter, and musician. He is also a record producer. Henry works in South Korea and China.

He started his music journey in 2008 as part of the group Super Junior-M. Later, in 2013, he began his solo career with an album called Trap. One of his songs, "It's You," released in 2017, became super popular. It was the most streamed Korean song from a TV show on Spotify for two years in a row! In 2018, Henry started his own company, Monster Entertainment Group.

Henry also acts! He made his Hollywood movie debut in 2019 in A Dog's Journey. In 2020, he starred in the action-fantasy movie Double World. This movie was special because it was released worldwide on Netflix and a Chinese streaming service at the same time.

You might also know Henry from TV shows like Real Man and I Live Alone. He won awards for his work on these shows, showing how much people enjoy watching him.

Henry's Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Henry Lau was born on October 11, 1989, in Willowdale, Toronto, Canada. His father is from Hong Kong, and his mother is from Pingtung, Taiwan. He has an older brother, Clinton, who is now the CEO of Henry's company, Monster Entertainment Group. He also has a younger sister, Whitney.

Henry started playing the piano at age four and the violin at age five. His violin teacher was Arkady Yanivker, a famous violinist from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Henry also learned to play the electric violin. He earned high awards for his skills in both violin and piano from the Canadian Royal Conservatory of Music. In high school, he learned a hip hop dance style called boogaloo popping. He even combined his love for violin and popping in a unique way!

Henry never thought he would become a singer. His friends suggested he audition for SM Entertainment in 2006. He was one of only two people chosen out of three thousand! For his audition, he played a Vivaldi piece on the violin while dancing. He also sang without music. He decided to join SM Entertainment because it allowed him to do everything he loved: dancing, singing, and playing instruments.

Henry is very good with languages. He speaks English, Mandarin, and Korean fluently. He can also speak some Cantonese.

Henry's Journey to Stardom

Joining Super Junior-M and Early Music

Henry first appeared as a violinist in Super Junior's music video "Don't Don" in 2007. In 2008, he officially joined Super Junior-M, a sub-group of Super Junior. They released their first album, Me, in April 2008. Henry and Super Junior-M also appeared in a TV drama called Stage of Youth.

In 2009, Super Junior-M released their mini-album, Super Girl. This album won many awards. Henry also sang on a song called "Love Me" with another artist, Zhang Liyin. He even performed his own song, "Sick of Love," during Super Junior's tour.

Learning and Growing as a Musician

In 2010, Henry took a break to study music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. There, he learned more about singing and producing music. He even wrote a song called "All My Heart" with Leeteuk, the leader of Super Junior. He also worked on songs for other artists and joined Super Junior on their tours.

Henry's solo song "Off My Mind" was part of Super Junior-M's album Perfection in 2011. He continued to write and produce music. He also performed with other K-pop stars like BoA and Key.

In 2012, Henry starred in his first movie, Final Recipe. He played a young chef who enters a cooking contest to save his grandfather's restaurant. To prepare for the role, Henry practiced cooking for hours every day!

Solo Debut and TV Success

Henry in Bangkok in February 2013

Super Junior-M released their second album, Break Down, in 2013. Henry's production team, NoizeBank, helped produce two songs on the album. NoizeBank is a group of Henry and his friends from Berklee.

On May 30, 2013, Henry made his solo debut! He was the first male solo artist from SM Entertainment in 13 years. His first solo album, Trap, was a big hit. The main song featured Kyuhyun from Super Junior and Taemin from Shinee.

In 2014, Henry joined the TV show Real Man. He became very popular because of his positive attitude and eagerness to learn about Korean culture. This led to more TV appearances and advertisements. He also released his second solo album, Fantastic, in July 2014.

More TV Shows and Hit Songs

In 2015, Henry started acting in Korean dramas. He released songs for the drama Persevere, Goo Hae-Ra [ko]. He also joined the reality show We Got Married. Later, he played a supporting role in the drama Oh My Venus.

Throughout 2016, Henry was very busy in China, appearing on many reality shows. He also worked with other artists, co-composing songs and releasing collaborations through SM Station.

In 2017, Henry became a regular cast member on the popular South Korean show I Live Alone. He impressed everyone by using live loops to create music. He even composed a song called "Girlfriend" on the show, which became a number one hit!

Henry at Esquire China's MAHB Awards in November 2017

He released more singles like "Real Love" and "I'm Good." He also co-produced "Lemonade Love" and rearranged "Rebirth" for Red Velvet. In October, he released "It's You," which became the most streamed Korean song from a TV show on Spotify for two years.

New Beginnings and Global Projects

In 2018, Henry decided to leave SM Entertainment and start his own studio in China. He later founded Monster Entertainment Group with his brother, Clinton. He also joined the busking TV show Begin Again.

He continued his acting career, starring in the Chinese film Double World, which was released globally on Netflix in 2020. He also made his American film debut in A Dog's Journey in 2019. Henry became a judge on the Chinese reality show Super-Vocal, which is about classical singers.

Henry at the Korea First Brand Awards in December 2019

In 2019, Henry released "Untitled Love Song," his first song under his new label. He also released the R&B song "I LUV U" and "Don't Forget." He continued to be a judge on Chinese reality shows.

In 2020, Henry released "Thinking of You" and collaborated on the song "Nice Things." He also participated in the fourth season of Begin Again. Forbes Korea recognized him as a '2020 Korea Power YouTuber' for his positive influence through his 'Henry Together' series. He even featured in "Take Over," the official song for the 2020 League of Legends World Championship.

In November 2020, Henry released his third album, Journey, which reached number one on the Gaon Album Chart. Critics praised the album for showing his unique musical style and use of different instruments. In December, he was awarded '2020 Art Patron of the Year' for supporting the arts through his YouTube series and his role as an ambassador for Orchestra of Dream. In 2021, he joined Street Dance of China as a team captain and released a song called "Home" with Roy Wang.

Henry's Musical Talents

Henry is known for being a multi-instrumentalist. This means he can play many instruments, including the violin, piano, drums, and guitar. He often uses loop pedals during his live performances. These pedals allow him to record and play back sounds in real-time, creating a full band sound by himself. People in China have even nicknamed him "one-man band" because of his amazing performances where he plays many instruments at once!

Other Things Henry Does

In May 2018, Henry opened a Taiwanese restaurant called Xiao Zhan in Seoul. He has since opened a second location. In October 2021, Henry's artwork was shown at the START Art Fair in London, celebrating K-pop's global influence.

Helping Others: Henry's Ambassadorships

Since 2019, Henry has been a Goodwill Ambassador for important non-profit groups like International Vaccine Institute and Save the Children. In 2020, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism named him a promotional ambassador for Orchestra of Dream. This program helps provide music education to children and young people who might not otherwise have the chance. Henry even performed with the orchestra! In 2021, he became an ambassador for a campaign that collects and shares used musical instruments with those in need.

Discography

Extended Plays

• Trap (2013)
• Fantastic (2014)
• Journey (2020)

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

Ambassadorship

• PR ambassador in preventing school violence (2022)

Images for kids

• 

  Henry Lau in 2018

See also

In Spanish: Henry Lau para niños