Lil Ghost (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wang Linkai
Born	(1999-05-20) 20 May 1999 (age 26) Yantai, Shandong, China
Other names	Xiao Gui Lil Ghost Imp
Occupation	Singer-songwriter rapper
Musical career
Genres	C-pop Hip hop
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2017–present
Labels	Gramarie Entertainment
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	王琳凱
Simplified Chinese	王琳凯
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Wáng Línkǎi

Wang Linkai (Chinese: 王琳凯), born on May 20, 1999, is a Chinese rapper and singer. He is widely known by his stage name Xiao Gui (Chinese: 小鬼; pinyin: Xiǎo Guǐ), which means Lil Ghost in English. He mainly creates rap music.

Wang Linkai started his career in 2017 on a rap TV show called The Rap of China. The next year, he became very famous after joining the reality show Idol Producer. He joined the Chinese boy band Nine Percent through this show. After the group broke up in 2019, Wang Linkai began his solo music career.

Early Life and Background

Wang Linkai was born in Haiyang City, Yantai, Shandong Province. He grew up in Xiamen City, Fujian Province. He is currently studying at Beijing Contemporary Music Academy.

His father was a military officer, and his mother was part of the army's art group. Because of this, Wang Linkai spent his early years growing up in the army. He became interested in hip-hop music when he was about 12 or 13 years old. Later, he moved to Beijing for school.

Music Career Highlights

Starting Out: Rap Shows and Boy Bands (2016–2019)

Wang Linkai joined Gramarie Entertainment as a trainee. In 2017, he took part in iQiYi’s hip-hop show The Rap of China. He made it into the top 70 contestants. This was the official start of his career in entertainment.

In the same year, he signed with iQiYi's company, Guoran Sky. He also appeared in a music video for Will Pan, who was a judge on the show. Wang Linkai then released his first song, "Bingo!Ca$h," with another contestant named J.zen.

In January 2018, Wang Linkai joined iQiYi's reality show Idol Producer. He finished in 8th place with over 7.8 million votes. This allowed him to join the boy band Nine Percent. The group released their first music album, "TO THE NINES," on November 20.

In March 2019, Wang Linkai became a regular cast member on iQiYi's RV reality show, Flower Road. In May, he won the Best Newcomer Artist and Most Popular Artist awards at the Music Pioneer Awards. On May 20, he released his first solo music collection, Lil Ghost 2.0. In August, he won the Newcomer of the Year award at the Global Chinese Pop Chart Awards. His song "Good Night" was also named a Golden Melody of the Year.

On September 26, 2019, Nine Percent released their second and final album, More Than Forever. The group officially disbanded on October 6. Wang Linkai performed with Nine Percent for their last concert in Guangzhou on October 12. After this, the members started their solo careers.

Solo Music Journey (2020–Present)

In March 2020, Wang Linkai joined the Zhejiang Satellite TV music show Sound from Heaven. On April 8, he released his second music collection, From M to W. In June, he took part in Mango TV's rap music show Rap Star and the variety show Crossover Singer. On October 17, he joined the virtual character talent show Dimension Nova. On November 8, he joined Oriental TV's show "China Dream Voice Our Song Season 2."

In 2021, Wang Linkai released several new songs. These included "Don't Call Me Da Vinci (Punk Version)" and "Mood (Lil Ghost Remix Explicit)." The "Mood" remix, which featured 24KGoldn and Iann Dior, was very popular. On July 3, he started his first concert tour, "FINDING GHOST," at the Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai).

In 2023, Wang Linkai went on his second concert tour, called "DEADLINE." In 2024, he joined the music variety show Melody Journey. He also worked with other songwriters on songs like "I Want to Write a Song for You" and "Worst Kind of Love."

TV Shows and Appearances

Television Series

Reality and Variety Shows

Music Releases

Extended Plays (EPs)

Studio Albums

Singles

Collaborations

Helping Others: Public Welfare

Wang Linkai has also been involved in charity work:

• On April 28, 2018, the group Nine Percent donated 2 million RMB to the "Beijing Hanhong Love Charity Foundation."
• On February 9, 2020, during the coronavirus outbreak, Wang Linkai donated 200,000 RMB to hospitals in Xianfeng County and Badong County.
• On July 21, 2021, he donated 200,000 yuan to the Red Cross Society of Zhengzhou. This was to help people affected by heavy rain in Henan Province.

Awards and Recognition

• In September 2017, he received the "Ruili Sunshine Fund" Vitality Charity Role Model Award.
• On August 29, 2018, he won the All-Media Recommended New Artist of the Year award. His song "Good Night" won the Golden Song of the Year award.
• On May 11, 2019, he won several awards at the Pioneer Awards. These included the 2018 Pioneer Creative Newcomer Award and Most Popular Singer Award. His song "Up" won the Pioneer Golden Melody Award.
• On June 30, 2019, he won the Best Popular Idol Award at the 2019 China Fashion Awards.
• On December 6, 2019, he was named Expressive Singer of the Year at the iQiYi Scream Night.
• On November 28, 2020, he won the most popular male rapper award on QQ Music.
• On December 10, 2020, he received the Music Icon of the Year award at the MAHB Esquire Awards.
• On January 23, 2021, he won the Rap Musician of the Year award from QQ Music.