Zhang Yixing

Zhang Yixing (English: Lay Zhang, Korean: Zhang Yixing, October 7, 1991 -), formerly known as Zhang Jiashai, stage name Lay (Korean: ray, Romanized: Re I), is a male singer, songwriter, music producer, dancer, actor, and founder and president of an entertainment group in mainland China. Zhang Yixing was born in Changsha, Hunan. When he was a child, he was a child star and participated in TV series and various variety shows. The most well-known thing is that he participated in the talent competition program "Star Academy" organized by Hunan Economic Television in 2005 and won the third place in the finals. In 2008, he passed the selection of SM Casting System and became a trainee under the South Korean entertainment company SM Entertainment. In 2012, he debuted as a member of the Korean boy group EXO and the Chinese sub-unit EXO-M, serving as the lead dancer and sub-vocalist in the team. In 2015, Zhang Yixing established Zhang Yixing Studio in China and began to focus on the development of his personal film and television career. He was the first SM Entertainment artist to obtain the right to open and independent development in China. In 2016, Zhang Yixing created and released his first solo mini-album "Lose Control" and broke various records on domestic and foreign music charts. In 2018, his second official solo album "NAMANANA" released, ranked No. 21 on the Billboard 200 weekly album chart (the best result achieved by a Chinese singer on this list), No. 1 on the Billboard World Albums and No. 4 on the year-end list (the highest-ranking solo singer on the list), and No. 1 on the US Independent Albums and No. 34 on the year-end list. Zhang Yixing himself also ranked second on the World Albums Artists year-end list. He is the only Chinese singer on the list and has the best performance among solo singers on the list. The album is also the best-selling digital album in China in 2018. As of 2025, Zhang Yixing has created and released more than 200 music works, including 6 regular albums and 6 EPs. In terms of film and television, Zhang Yixing has participated in many movies and TV series and won the 4th Chinese-British Film Best Supporting Actor for "The Ex 2: The Spare Tire Strikes Back". He won the 25th Huading Award for Best Supporting Actor for "A Good Show". He was nominated for the 37th Popular Film Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor for "Desperate" and won the 38th Tokyo Film Festival for "Silent Love".