Huang Zitao facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Huang Zitao
Huang at the Ports 1961 Opening Ceremony in Shanghai 2015
Born	(1993-05-02) May 2, 1993 (age 32) Qingdao, Shandong, China
Other names	Tao, Z.Tao
Alma mater	Qingdao Foreign Service Vocational School
Occupation	Rapper singer songwriter businessman record producer actor
Years active	2011–present
Spouse(s)	Xu Yiyang ​ (m. 2024)​
Musical career
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	C-pop K-Pop R&B Hip-hop EDM
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	SM TH Z.TAO Studio L.TAO
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	黄子韬
Traditional Chinese	黃子韜
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Huáng Zǐtāo Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Wong4 Zi2-tou1
Korean name
Hangul	타오
Transcriptions Revised Romanization Tao McCune–Reischauer T'ao

Huang Zitao (Chinese: 黄子韬; pinyin: Huáng Zǐtāo), born on May 2, 1993, is a famous Chinese rapper. He is also known by his stage name Tao. He used to be a member of the popular South Korean-Chinese boy band Exo. He was also part of Exo's Chinese group, Exo-M.

After leaving Exo, he started his solo music career in China in 2015. His first solo music was a mini-album called TAO. For his solo work, he used the stage name Z.Tao. Huang Zitao has also become a successful actor. He appeared in movies like You Are My Sunshine. He also starred in TV shows such as Negotiator and The Brightest Star in the Sky.

Huang Zitao has been recognized for his success. He was listed among the top Chinese celebrities by Forbes magazine. He ranked 25th in 2017, 35th in 2019, and 37th in 2020.

Early Life and Beginnings

Huang Zitao was born in Qingdao, Shandong, China, on May 2, 1993. When he was a child, he learned Wushu, which is a type of Chinese martial arts. He was a student athlete because of his Wushu training. In late 2010, someone from SM Entertainment discovered him at a talent show. This company is a big entertainment agency in South Korea.

Music Career Highlights

Starting with Exo (2011–2015)

Huang Zitao (Z.TAO) at the Fashion Kode 2014

On December 27, 2011, Huang Zitao was officially introduced as the third member of Exo. He used the stage name Tao during his time with the group. In 2013, he joined a celebrity diving show called Splash!. However, he had to leave the show early due to injuries.

In 2014, he appeared on the reality TV show Law of the Jungle. This show took place in the Solomon Islands. He also left this show early because of a foot injury. He also had other work commitments at that time.

In June 2015, Huang Zitao started his own agency in China. It was called 黄子韬Z.TAO Studio. Later, in August 2015, he decided to end his contract with SM Entertainment. He felt his 10-year contract was unfair and limited his freedom. However, the court decided that his contract with SM Entertainment was valid until 2022.

Solo Success and Popularity (2015–Present)

On July 23, 2015, Huang Zitao released his first solo music. It was a digital EP called TAO. This EP sold 670,000 digital copies in its first week. He then released a second EP, Z.TAO, on August 19. The music video for its song "Crown" was like a 7-minute short film. Huang Zitao did his own stunts and martial arts in the video.

Huang Zitao (Z. Tao) at Is Blue Concert in Shanghai, June 15, 2019

On August 23, he held his first solo concert in Beijing. This concert was also a benefit event to help those affected by the Tianjin explosions. In October 2015, he released a new song called "Reluctantly." He composed this song himself. He won the "Best Stage Performance" award at the 2015 Migu Music Awards. He also released a song called "I'm the Sovereign" for a game. This song reached number one on China's Billboard chart.

In 2016, Huang Zitao won the "Most Influential Male Singer" award. His first full album, The Road, was released in August 2016. He worked on it in Los Angeles. The album's lead song, "The Road," came out in April. He started a concert tour for the album in Nanjing. He also released a music video for "Hello, Hello" with Wiz Khalifa. Another song, "Adore," sold over 30,000 copies. The Road album sold very quickly and reached number one on sales charts.

In April 2017, Huang Zitao became the Promotional Ambassador for the 17th Top Chinese Music Awards. He also won the "All-Round Artist" award there. He started his first Asia Tour, called Z.Tao Promise Concert Tour. In 2018, he joined the dance show Street Dance of China. He also became the main producer and host for the Chinese version of Produce 101.

Artistry and Music Style

After leaving Exo and returning to China, Huang Zitao wanted to help the Chinese music industry grow. He hoped to see C-Pop become famous worldwide. He writes and composes his own songs. He gets ideas from his own life experiences.

Even though he is mainly a rapper, he also sings Mandopop ballad songs. His music mixes different styles like hip hop, EDM, and sounds from Chinese musical instruments. He looks up to Jay Chou as his biggest musical inspiration.

Acting Career

Huang Zitao started his acting career in the romance movie You Are My Sunshine in 2015. In 2016, he starred in the action comedy Railroad Tigers with the famous actor Jackie Chan.

In 2017, he appeared in the martial arts film The Game Changer. He also starred in the romantic thriller Edge of Innocence. That same year, he played the Monkey King in a web drama called A Chinese Odyssey: Love You A Million Years. This show was very popular and had over 5 billion views online.

In 2018, Huang Zitao starred in the TV drama Negotiator. He also appeared in the youth drama The Files of Teenagers in the Concession. In 2019, he played a Chinese pop star in the music romance drama The Brightest Star in the Sky.

Other Activities

Endorsements and Brand Partnerships

Huang Zitao (Z.Tao) at Is Blue Concert in Shanghai, June 15, 2019

Huang Zitao has worked with many big brands. In June 2017, he teamed up with Loewe, a fashion brand. He was the first Asian artist to work with them. In July 2017, Hanhoo, a beauty brand, chose him as their Brand Ambassador.

In September 2017, he became the beauty ambassador for Yves Saint Laurent. He also promoted the game Shenwu3 and released a song for it called "Silently." He has promoted phone brands like Sugar Phone. He has also been a brand ambassador for KFC, EVISU, Tuborg, Skechers, and Baidu mobile app.

In September 2018, he worked on the Chinese version of "Stay Open" for Tuborg. Sephora also launched its first ad campaign in China with him as their ambassador. In 2019, he endorsed Hershey's and Nescafe Dolce Gusto. Kappa also chose him as their brand ambassador.

Lacoste made Huang Zitao their first brand ambassador for the Asia Pacific region in September 2019. However, in 2021, he stopped working with Lacoste. This was because the company did not make a clear statement about not boycotting Xinjiang cotton.

Businesses and Projects

On July 17, 2018, Huang Zitao started his own company called L.TAO Entertainment. This company manages his own work and also signs other artists. One artist he signed is Xu Yiyang, who was a trainee at SM Entertainment.

Huang Zitao has also started other businesses. In June 2019, he opened a restaurant called "Hao Shi." He also started an architecture and design company called L.TAO Architecture and Design.

Z.TAO's Man

In April 2019, Huang Zitao launched a comic and 2D animation character called Z.TAO's Man. This character is a superhero who represents C-pop music. Huang Zitao has been working to promote C-pop since he started his solo career. Z.TAO's Man has weekly episodes on Sina Weibo's comic platform. A 2D animation series is also planned.

Personal Life

Marriage

In May 2020, Huang Zitao became a mentor on the show Produce Camp 2020. Xu Yiyang, an artist from his company, was a contestant on the show. They started dating rumors shortly after. They officially confirmed their relationship on July 14, 2024. The couple announced their engagement on August 16, 2024, and got married on December 2, 2024.

Discography

• The Road (2016)

Songwriting Contributions

Year	Song	Album	Lyrics	Music
2014	"Rewind" (Chinese Version)	Rewind	Y (with Zhou Mi, Zhou Weijie)
	"Love Tonight"		Y (with Zhou Mi)
2015	"T.A.O"	T.A.O	Y (with Chen Hongyu)	Y
	"One Heart"		Y (with Dai Yuedong)
	"Yesterday"		Y
	"M.O.M"	The Road	Y	Y
	"Crown (皇冠)"	Z.TAO	Y (with Osamu)
	"Cinderella Girl"		Y	Y (with Palace Court)
	"Feel Awake"
	"Alone"		Y	Y
	"Intro (Vox Up)"	N/A	Y	Y
	"Reluctantly (舍不得)"	The Road	Y	Y
	"I'm the Sovereign(我是大主宰)"		Y (with Wang Yunyun)	Y (with Palace Court)
2016	"The Road"		Y	Y
	"Underground King"		Y	Y
	"Hello, Hello"		Y (with Daryl K, Kenn Miel, Wiz Khalifa)
	"Adore"		Y (with Daryl K, Andie Sandoval)	Y (with DarylK, Andie Sandoval, Calvin C)
	"Mystery Girl"		Y	Y
	"19(十九岁)"		Y (with Wang Yunyun)
	"Black White (AB)"		Y	Y
2017	"New Day"		Y	Y
	"Promise"	N/A	Y	Y
	"Collateral Love"		Y	Y
	"Uncover(揭穿)"		Y	Y
	"Still in Time(還來得及)"		Y	Y
	"You(想成为你)"		Y (with Wang Yunyun)	Y
2018	"Beggar"		Y	Y
	"Hater"		Y	Y
	"Misunderstand"		Y	Y
	"Silently(默默)"			Y
	"Stay Open"		Y	Y
	"KOC"		Y	Y
	"Break Up (分手不分離)"		Y	Y
2019	"Single (单身)"		Y	Y
	"Once Beautiful (好不好)"		Y	Y
	"NPNG (不劳不获)"	Art is Blue	Y (with GAI)	Y (with GAI)
	"One (你也会像我一样)"		Y	Y
	"Fault (错)"	Music is Blue	Y	Y
	"AI"		Y	Y
	"The Legendary Man (带风的少年)"
	"The Best of Us (最好的我们)"		Y	Y
2020	"Wish (心愿)"		Y	Y
	"Ice Cream (冰激凌)"		Y	Y
	"The Happiest Moment (最开心的瞬间)"		Y	Y
	"Attack (抨击)"		Y	Y
	"Black Card ( 黑卡)"		Y (with GAI)	Y (with GAI)
2021	“She and You (她与你)”
	“Ending (后果)”

Filmography

Movies

TV Series

Variety Shows

Music Videos

Concerts and Tours

Headliner Tours

• Z.Tao Mini Concert Tour (2015)
• Z.Tao The Road Concert (2016)
• Z.Tao Promise Concert Tour (2017)
• Z.Tao 2018 Is GoØd Concert Tour (2018)
• Z.Tao 2019 Is Blue Concert (2019)

Awards and Nominations