Shownu


Son Hyun-woo, known professionally as Shownu, is a South Korean singer, dancer, and actor. He is a member of South Korean boy group Monsta X and its sub-unit Shownu X Hyungwon under Starship Entertainment.

Career

Early life and pre-debut

Shownu was born in Chang-dong, Dobong-gu in Seoul, South Korea on June 18, 1992.
He was initially a trainee of JYP Entertainment, for about two years, after winning first place in the JYP auditions in 2009. Shownu auditioned for JYP Entertainment, as it had been the company of the singer Rain, who inspired him to become an idol. He also gained praise from the company for his dancing skills but still decided to leave, citing "conflicts with the company" and "feeling of stagnation".
Shownu continued to participate in the idol industry, becoming the backup dancer of Lee Hyori and doing promotions with her, as well as appearing in the music videos for "Bad Girls" and "Going Crazy". He also appeared in the music videos, such as "Talk to My Face" by D-Unit and "Pitapat" by Bestie.
After Shownu auditioned and joined Starship Entertainment, he became part of the project group Nu Boyz, alongside Monsta X members' Joohoney and Wonho, as well as #Gun.
In December 2014, Shownu competed in Mnet's survival reality show No.Mercy and debuted in the hip-hop boy group Monsta X, alongside the other six contestants, in 2015.

2015–2017: Debut in Monsta X and solo activities

He debuted as the leader and main dancer of Monsta X, with the EP Trespass, on May 14, 2015.
Since debut, Shownu had made significant solo appearances on variety and reality shows, including being a regular cast member for two seasons of Lipstick Prince, which landed him a commercial film after winning the show, as well as appearing as a contestant on King of Mask Singer in 2018, as "Okey Donkey", while guesting for more than ten variety shows. He also appeared in Sistar's "Shake It" music video.
In June 2016, Shownu made his first solo appearance in a magazine for InStyle Korea.

2018–2021: Solo appearances and other solo activities

In January, he was selected to host the Korean-Japanese music show The Power of K, alongside Block B's U-Kwon and Momoland's Nancy, which was broadcast simultaneously in Korea and Japan.
On October 26, Shownu collaborated with the British band PREP's lead single "Don't Look Back", for their forthcoming album, alongside Hwang So-yoon of Se So Neon. Shownu had sought out PREP for collaboration as he was already a fan of the group. He also appeared in magazines with member Wonho for Nylon Korea in January, GQ Korea in August, and in October for Dazed Korea. Shownu also made a solo appearance in Taiwanese magazine Bella in February.
In 2019, he was again featured in a magazine alongside Wonho, for Elle Korea in August, as well as on the cover of BEAUTY+ in October and again in November 2020.
Shownu is a credited writer on "Mirror" from Follow: Find You, and as a writer and composer on three of Monsta X's tracks from their sixth studio album All About Luv; including "Who Do U Love?" featuring French Montana, "Middle of the Night", and "Beside U" featuring Pitbull. Shownu also co-wrote "Someone's Someone", alongside the Before You Exit members.
In 2020, prior to the release of Monsta X's eighth EP Fantasia X, he injured his back, and the group delayed their comeback by two weeks to allow Shownu time to heal properly from his injury. Prior to the group's live-streamed concert "Live From Seoul with Luv", scheduled for July 25, he had to undergo emergency left eye retinal detachment surgery, and then the concert was postponed to August 8, to give Shownu the time to recover from surgery. He featured alongside Monsta X members in magazines several times in 2020, including appearing alongside Minhyuk and Joohoney for Harper's Bazaar Korea in May, Kihyun for W Korea in June, and with Joohoney for Esquire Korea in November.
In August, it was announced he would be featuring on the soundtrack for She's My Type, alongside group member Minhyuk, marking his first soundtrack appearance, independent of Monsta X, since 2011. The song is titled "Have a Goodnight", and was released on September 11. On October 15, Shownu released a rock-style song for the soundtrack of the Korean television drama Tale of the Nine Tailed, titled "I'll Be There".
In October, he had a solo feature in Dazed Korea for Monsta X Dazed Project, GQ Korea for a fashion film, and appeared on the back cover of 1st Look Magazine Korea.
In November, Shownu began appearing as a judge on Mnet's survival reality show Cap-Teen, making him the youngest judge on the show.
In March 2021, Shownu appeared in Elle Korea, as well as in Dazed Korea. Shownu with Monsta X member Minhyuk were chosen as the cover models for the first issue of Y Magazine Korea. Shownu was invited to the grand opening of the Dolce & Gabbana store, held in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. On March 17, it was announced that he would become part of the horror film Urban Myths.
On May 4, Starship announced that he would be taking a hiatus from Monsta X and would not promote for their upcoming comeback due to health problems related to his eye retinal detachment.
In July, Shownu with other Monsta X members' Hyungwon and I.M joined the Pepsi's "Taste of Korea" summer campaign, releasing a promotional single "Summer Taste", alongside Rain, Brave Girls members' Yujeong and Yuna, and Ateez members' Hongjoong and Yunho.

2023–present: Continued solo activities and sub-unit debut

In May, he attended an event commemorating the renewal of the Delvaux's store, held in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
In June, Shownu was announced to join as a judge on Mnet's dance competition show Street Woman Fighter 2, starting on August 22. He also graced the cover for July issue of Singles. On June 21, Shownu attended the Korea launching party event of SimiHaze Beauty, held in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. On June 29, he appeared at the pop-up opening event of TAG Heuer's "Iconic Collection Carrera", with Hyungwon, in commemoration of its 60th anniversary, held in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
On July 25, Shownu formed Monsta X's first official sub-unit Shownu X Hyungwon, along with Hyungwon. The duo released their debut EP The Unseen, with the lead single "Love Me a Little". He participated in the choreography.
In August, Shownu had graced the cover of Allure Koreas September issue.
On September 8, he attended the launch event of Canada Goose's "Live in the Open" F/W collection, in collaboration with Rok Hwang and Matt McCormick, held in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. On September 14, Shownu attended the launch event of Calvin Klein's capsule collection, in collaboration with Son Heung-min, held in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. The brand hosted its Fall 2023 Calvin Klein Jeans' collection event, celebrating fashion and music, where he also attended on October 19, held in Tokyo. On September 26, Shownu attended the Aspesi's pop-up store opening, held in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.
On October 23, he attended the launch event of Hermès' "Please Check In" S/S collection, held in Seoul.
On November 8, Shownu attended the launch event of Boucheron 2023 Carte Blanche's "More is More" exhibition, held in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. He was a special guest for 2023 Fuerza Bruta Wayra in Seoul on November 26, December 1, and December 3, with four additional appearances.
On December 1, Shownu attended the launch event of Swarovski's flagship store, held at Dosan Park in Seoul.
In January 2024, he attended the launch event of Marni's special capsule collection, in collaboration with YK Jeong, held in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Shownu was also chosen to be part of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, playing the role of Anatole, the aristocratic and seductive hedonist, charming and attractive officer who captivates women in an instant, and narcissist who enjoys women and alcohol, which will run from March 26 to June 16.
On February 28, he attended the launch event of MAC Cosmetics' MACximal Silky Matte Lipstick pop-up store, held at Lotte World Atrium Square in Songpa-gu, Seoul.
In June, it was announced that Shownu will host a new web variety show Nopogy, alongside NCT 127's Jungwoo.
In July, he appeared on KBS2's reality competition program Make Mate 1 as a surprise advisor of the team that performed Monsta X's "Love Killa".
In April 2025, Shownu had a surprise collaboration with world-renowned DJ and producer Steve Aoki at the 2025 EDC Korea.
On October 24, he participated in the soundtrack for TVING's dating reality show Transit Love Season 4, titled "As You Wish".

Personal life

Shownu was a swimmer for six years and has participated in the provincial championships. He also practiced veganism.

Military service

Shownu enlisted for his mandatory military service on July 22, 2021 and served as public service worker due to previous surgery for left eye retinal detachment. He was officially discharged from military on April 21, 2023.

Artistry

Musical style and influences

As the lead vocalist of Monsta X, Shownu has been described to possess "cool singing ability", "soft voice", and "appealing singing method". He also has been described to possess "comfortable and simple tone", with "stable voice tone" and "singing style that goes well with pop songs".
Shownu has cited singer and actor Rain, as well as international artists Michael Jackson, Chris Brown, and Bruno Mars as his role models.

Public image and impact

Shownu had been described as an "all-round artist" and was dubbed as the "Next Generation Beastly Idol". He had also appeared on various South Korean entertainment programs and received praise for his muscular body, charisma, and charm.
Besides being the main dancer of Monsta X, Shownu also contributed to the group's choreography and had been praised for his skills by fellow choreographers. He had released his own choreography of Ariana Grande's "Side to Side", Richard Parker's "Psychic", Charlie Puth's "LA Girls", Trevor Daniel's "Falling", and the Weeknd's "Heartless", while created the choreography of Bruno Mars' "Versace on the Floor" and Monsta X's "Mirror" that were performed at the group's world tours.
Shownu appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan Korea for its 20th anniversary issue, which became sold out as soon as its sales began. After the 1st Look Magazine Koreas release, Moschino perfume's Toy 2 sold out at Olive Young's online mall and also ranked first in perfume brand ranking, branding it as "Shownu's perfume". After his appearance for Fuerza Bruta Wayra in Seoul, its official SNS increased by 100%, with the number of followers reached almost two million, and it recorded more than 260,000 new attendees. Shownu's appearance for New York Fashion Week also recorded the highest number of views online among all its fashion shows.
He was consistently placed in Tumblr's "Most Popular K-pop Stars", ranking 49th in 2018, 40th in 2019, 48th in 2020, and 66th in 2021, as well as in "Individual Boy Group Members Brand Power Ranking" published by the Korean Corporate Reputation Research Institute, with the highest ranking at 13th in November 2019.
Entertainer Lee Eun-ji, Olympic medalist boxer Im Ae-ji, and comedian Park Na-rae are fans of Shownu.