With over 600 days of waiting (yes, we were counting every day), WayV made their long-awaited comeback on December 28 with their fourth mini album, Phantom. In celebration of the new music and content that has been released, here are seven things to know about WayV’s main vocalist, Xiaojun.
Born To Be A Star
Xiao Dejun was born on August 8, 1999 in Guangdong, China and was raised by a family of musicians. His father is a singer and was also well-known for his impersonation of a Hong Kong singer named Anita Mui. Being a singer seemed to always be a dream for Xiaojun, so he studied vocal pop in high school. He also was accepted into a top university, Shanghai Theatre Academy, in the musical department. Xiaojun was always on stage even before his debut, and there are many pre-debut videos of him performing different musical numbers.
In 2015, he went on a survival show called X-Fire, which was produced by eeMedia and his future company, SM Entertainment. The show gave the audience a first glimpse at his talent for music. He was eventually introduced as a member of SM Rookies and later made his debut in 2019.
Enchanting Vocalist
The main vocal role in SM Entertainment is owned by many critically acclaimed vocalists and Xiaojun is the latest addition to this legacy. His range goes from soulful low notes to high notes, adding an interesting element to any song that he is part of. He is featured prominently in WayV’s “All For Love” and NCT U’s “Make A Wish.” Another vocal highlight is his performance with fellow member, Kun, in their unit project “Back To You.”
The main vocalist has had many different solo opportunities to show his talents, including his appearance on Lee Mujin Service. He was also featured on Raiden’s song, “Golden,” with rapper pH-1 and performed this for thousands of fans for the SMTOWN concerts in Suwon and Osaka. His [PlayV] covers of EXO’s “For LIfe” and Sam Kim’s “Who Are You” can serve as introductions to his vocal talent range.
Captivating Dancer
While Xiaojun’s role is WayV’s main vocalist, his dancing is also a skill of his that should be recognized. In addition to his dancing in NCT, he also has a background in b-boying and musical theater.
The main vocalist has shown different videos on social media of him practicing dancing, including his cover of the viral “New Thing” challenge and “Naughty” by Red Velvet – IRENE & SEULGI. It was mentioned on a Weibo live that Xiaojun and Ten provided input and choreography parts for their upcoming release “Phantom.” He has also choreographed parts for his [PlayV] dance video to WayV’s “Good Time.” When he was quarantining in China during the break, he even made time to practice his dancing in his hotel room.
His Affectionate Personality
During the three years that Xiaojun has been active, fans have been introduced to many different sides to his personality. His fellow members describe him as the mood maker of the group that can ‘…get super emotional sometimes.” For example, during an episode of Dream Plan, he made a song for Winwin to encourage him to be confident in himself and his skills. Another time, when Ten was away in China to do solo activities, Xiaojun always made sure to keep in touch with and sent videos of himself and WayV dancing.
Princess Bella
Xiaojun is the father of a playful beagle named Bella. She is one of the three pets shared by the members of WayV. Xiaojun has had Bella since she was a puppy and has shared the good and the bad of raising such a lively beagle on his social media. Some of these moments are accidents, like the viral video of Bella peeing on the floor during one of his lives.
On an Instagram live, he talked about Bella’s separation anxiety and his hopes of helping her through it. He sends her to school to help out with her confidence, and often shows his acts of love for Bella on social media. It’s the small moments that he shares with fans that shows how their duo really is.
The Lonely Master Chef Xiao
In April of 2021, Xiaojun released a series on the WayV YouTube channel called “The Lonely Master Chef Xiao” where he taught viewers how to cook some of his most interesting recipes. Some of these dishes included the Guangdong Taco, the Oreo Cake, and the Green Tea Slime Dessert. They may not be a first or second choice for dinner, but his efforts were seen. His self-made instructions were sometimes successful and other times not. Regardless, Xiaojun was able to showcase his comedic side.
Changyan
To the surprise of WayZenNi, Xiaojun was casted as a main character named Changyan in Hello, My Youth, a Youku web series about high school freshmen navigating their new boarding school. Changyan is a young freshman who is a “very intelligent and warm person who does a lot of things quietly.” Although he is good at studying, Changyan dreams of being a comic artist. All episodes of Hello, My Youth are available to watch on YouTube. Since this role, Xiaojun has mentioned that he would also like to try an action drama in the future.
Phantom Era is Here
WayV’s fourth mini-album, Phantom was released on December 28. Be sure to follow WayV on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to keep up with more Phantom news.
Want to learn more about Xiaojun? Check out a roundup of his best vocal moments here!
