Lay Zhang

Lay Zhang, legally named Zhang Yixing and originally named Zhang Jiashuai, is a Chinese singer, rapper, and actor born on October 7, 1991. He first achieved international prominence as a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo and its Chinese branch Exo-M under SM Entertainment, before building a prolific career as a solo musician, television personality, and film actor in China.

Born in Changsha, Hunan, China, Zhang began his career as a child performer. He appeared in the television drama We The People in 1998 and later participated in various television shows, including placing third in the 2005 talent competition Star Academy. In 2008, while attending the High School Attached to Hunan Normal University, the sixteen-year-old successfully passed a Wuhan casting audition for SM Entertainment and subsequently moved to South Korea to begin training.

Zhang made his official debut with Exo in April 2012 under the stage name Lay, inspired by a character from the drama Meteor Garden. In addition to group activities, he performed with SM Entertainment's dance ensemble SM the Performance and contributed self-composed songs to group projects. In April 2015, SM Entertainment established a dedicated personal studio for his solo pursuits in China. That same year, he joined the reality show Go Fighting! as a regular cast member and released an autobiography, Standing Firm at 24, which topped multiple bestselling lists and broke pre-sale records.

Zhang launched his feature film career with Ex-Files 2: The Backup Strikes Back in 2015, earning a supporting actor honor for his performance, and starred in Oh My God. His acting profile expanded significantly in 2016 through major roles in the television series To Be A Better Man and the hit mystery drama The Mystic Nine. In October 2016, he made his official solo music debut with the release of the extended play Lose Control, which led the Gaon Album Chart. He followed this with roles in the action comedy Kung Fu Yoga, the historical feature The Founding of an Army, and the drama series Operation Love, as well as the release of his first full-length solo album, Lay 02 Sheep, in 2017.

In 2018, Zhang expanded his reach to international audiences. He performed at Lollapalooza alongside DJ Alan Walker and released his second full-length album, Namanana, which reached the twenty-first position on the Billboard 200 chart. Alongside his music releases, he appeared in the film The Island, joined talent programs such as Idol Producer and Rave Now in mentorship roles, and later starred in television projects including The Golden Eyes and Empress of the Ming. In 2019, he embarked on his first solo international concert tour, Grand Line, and became the first Chinese artist invited to attend the Grammy Awards red carpet.

In 2020, Zhang established his own agency, the Chromosome Entertainment Group, and released his fourth studio album, Lit. His work across film and television continued with major projects such as the 2023 film No More Bets. His commercial and popular standing has been highlighted by several appearances on the Forbes China Celebrity 100 list, where he reached twentieth place in 2017, eleventh in 2019, fifth in 2020, and sixth in 2021.