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 talented Chinese singer, songwriter, and rapper. He is also known by his stage name, Tao. He first became famous as a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band Exo and its Chinese group, Exo-M.

After leaving Exo, he started his solo career in China in 2015. He released his first mini-album called TAO under the name Z.Tao. Huang Zitao has also acted in movies like You Are My Sunshine and TV shows such as Negotiator and The Brightest Star in the Sky. He has been recognized on the Forbes China Celebrity 100 list multiple times.

Early Life and First Steps

Huang Zitao was born in Qingdao, China, on May 2, 1993. When he was a kid, he trained in Wushu, which is a type of Chinese martial arts. He was even a student athlete! In late 2010, someone from SM Entertainment, a big entertainment company, discovered him at a talent show.

Music Journey

Starting with Exo

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

On December 27, 2011, Huang Zitao was officially introduced as the third member of the K-pop group Exo. He used the stage name Tao.

During his time with Exo, Huang also appeared on TV shows. In 2013, he was part of a diving show called Splash!, but he had to leave because of an injury. In 2014, he joined the reality show Laws of the Jungle in the Solomon Islands. He left that show early too, due to a foot injury and other work plans. He also helped write rap lyrics for two songs on Zhou Mi's album Rewind.

Solo Career and Success

In June 2015, Huang Zitao started his own company in China called 黄子韬Z.TAO Studio. He then began his solo music journey.

On July 23, 2015, he released his first solo digital album, TAO. It sold over 670,000 copies in just one week! He followed this with another album, Z.TAO, which included the popular song "Crown." The music video for "Crown" was like a mini-movie, showing off Huang's amazing stunts and martial arts skills.

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

Huang held his first solo concert in Beijing on August 23, 2015. It was a special show to help people affected by the Tianjin explosions. Later that year, he released "Reluctantly," a ballad he composed himself. He won the "Best Stage Performance" award at the 2015 Migu Music Awards. His song "I'm the Sovereign" even reached number one on China's Billboard chart!

In 2016, Huang won the "Most Influential Male Singer" award at the Mobile Video Festival. His first full album, The Road, came out on August 22, 2016. It was a huge hit, selling out quickly and topping the music charts. The album included a song called "Hello, Hello" featuring the famous rapper Wiz Khalifa.

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

His Art and Style

After leaving Exo, Huang Zitao decided to focus on the Chinese music scene. He wanted to help C-Pop (Chinese pop music) become famous around the world. He writes and composes his own songs, often inspired by his own life experiences.

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

Acting Roles

Huang Zitao has starred in many movies and TV shows.

Movies

• In 2015, he made his movie debut in the romance film You Are My Sunshine.
• In 2016, he acted alongside the legendary Jackie Chan in the action comedy Railroad Tigers.
• He also appeared in the martial arts film The Game Changer and the thriller Edge of Innocence in 2017.
• In 2022, he had a role in the movie Moon Man.

TV Shows

• In 2017, he played the famous Monkey King in the web drama A Chinese Odyssey: Love You A Million Years. This show was watched over 5 billion times online!
• He starred in the drama Negotiator in 2018.
• In 2019, he played a Chinese pop star in the music romance drama The Brightest Star in the Sky.
• He also appeared in Hot Blooded Youth and Forward Forever.

Other Cool Things He Does

Brand Partnerships

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

Huang Zitao has worked with many big brands.

• In 2017, he teamed up with Loewe, a famous fashion brand, for their "FIRE OF YOUTH" campaign. He was the first Asian artist to work with them!
• He became the Brand Ambassador for Hanhoo, a beauty brand, and Yves Saint Laurent's beauty ambassador.
• He has also promoted phone brands like Sugar Phone and worked with popular companies like KFC, EVISU, Tuborg, Skechers, and Baidu.
• In 2019, he endorsed Hershey's and Nescafe Dolce Gusto. He also became the brand ambassador for Kappa and Lacoste in Asia Pacific.

His Own Businesses

On July 17, 2018, Huang Zitao started his own company called L.TAO Entertainment. This company manages his own work and also helps other artists, like Xu Yiyang, who is now his wife.

He has also opened a restaurant called "Hao Shi" and an architecture and design company called L.TAO Architecture and Design in June 2019.

Z.TAO's Man

In April 2019, Huang Zitao launched "Z.TAO's Man," a comic and 2D animation character. This superhero character represents many parts of Huang Zitao himself, and his superpower is C-pop music! Weekly episodes of the comic are released online, and a 2D animation is planned.

Personal Life

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 later started dating and confirmed their relationship in July 2024. They got engaged in August and married in December of the same year.

Discography

• The Road (2016)

Songwriting

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

Film

Television series

Variety show

Music videos

Concerts and Tours

Headliner

• 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