Woodz
Cho Seung-youn | |
|---|---|
| Born | Cho Seung-youn August 5, 1996 Seoul, South Korea |
| Other names | Woodz, Luizy |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, rapper, producer |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Known for | Member of Uniq and X1; solo artist Woodz |
Cho Seung-youn (, born August 5, 1996), widely recognized by his stage name Woodz (; often stylized in all caps), is a South Korean artist known for his work as a singer-songwriter, rapper, and producer. He first gained prominence as the lead rapper of the South Korean-Chinese boy group Uniq, which was formed by Yuehua Entertainment in 2014. Subsequently, he co-established the music collectives M.O.L.A in 2015 and Drinkcolor in 2016, and later founded his own production team called Team HOW in 2018.
Woodz made his solo debut under the alias Luizy in July 2016 with the hip-hop single "Recipe" after participating in the fifth season of the rap competition Show Me the Money. In 2018, he adopted the Woodz persona to signify a transition toward alternative R&B, releasing vocal-centric tracks such as "Pool", "Different", and "Meaningless". In addition to his solo endeavors, he has contributed as a songwriter and producer for various artists in both South Korea and China, as well as for television programs like The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project and Idol Producer.
In 2019, Woodz competed on the survival program Produce X 101, where he secured fifth place and debuted with the project group X1 under Swing Entertainment. Following X1's disbandment in January 2020 due to the Mnet vote manipulation investigation, Woodz resumed his solo career with the release of his debut EP Equal on June 29, 2020, led by the single "Love Me Harder" ().
Early life and education
Born on August 5, 1996, in Seoul, South Korea, Woodz grew up as an only child. His parents were entrepreneurs: his mother operated a Chinese restaurant and travel agency located in Gangnam, Seoul, while his father managed a Korean restaurant in the Philippines. These family businesses resulted in frequent relocations throughout his childhood.
Originally aspiring to become a professional football player, Woodz joined the youth academy of Brazilian Série A club Sport Club Corinthians Paulista during his final year of elementary school. He resided in São Paulo’s Penápolis and Santos districts while playing as a primary striker for Corinthians’ junior squad for two years, using the moniker Luizinho. Later, he spent one year studying English at Reedley International School in Manila.
Although his early musical preferences leaned toward Korean ballads rather than urban genres or K-pop, Woodz began watching South Korean music shows from abroad to combat homesickness. Inspired by Lee Seung-gi’s track "Let's Go On a Vacation," he decided to return to South Korea to pursue a career in music. Due to his time overseas, he enrolled at Hanlim Multi Art School’s Practical Dance Department one year later than usual. After completing high school in 2016, he was accepted into Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts’ Division of Entertainment Broadcasting before transferring to Global Cyber University’s Department of Entertainment and Media.
2014–2015: Early career developments
Before joining YG Entertainment as a trainee, Woodz auditioned more than 50 times at major agencies including SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment. After undergoing eighteen months of training with YG Entertainment, he became part of Uniq’s pre-debut lineup. Uniq was a multinational ensemble managed primarily by Chinese company Yuehua Entertainment, with members trained under both Yuehua and YG Entertainment. The group made their debut on South Korean music show M Countdown on October 16, 2014. Their debut single "Falling in Love," released on October 20, was recorded bilingually in Mandarin and Korean. This was followed by their first mini-album EOEO, also featuring songs in both languages, which came out on April 24, 2015.
Serving as Uniq’s main rapper and a sub-vocalist, Woodz played an active role in shaping the group’s musical style by writing his own rap parts and contributing lyrics for their Korean tracks. Due to rising political tensions between China and South Korea toward the end of 2015, Uniq’s activities within Korea slowed down significantly. While other members shifted focus toward acting careers during this period, Woodz concentrated on developing his music further. On August 14, 2015, he co-founded the musical collective M.O.L.A., launching with the song "My Way" on YouTube. This project included artists such as Park Ji-min from 15& and producer Nathan. Over time, M.O.L.A expanded to feature additional members like Pentagon’s Kino, Seventeen’s Vernon, and guitarist Hoho.
2016–2018: Solo Launch and Growth in Music Production
In 2016, Woodz sought to join the rap competition series Show Me the Money 5; he had attempted to enter the previous season but was unable to participate because of scheduling conflicts with Uniq's promotions for "EOEO." Although his stint on the show ended early, he attracted favorable attention. Shortly after, on July 26, 2016, he co-established the production collective Drinkcolor alongside producers Eden, Oddtom, and Nathan from M.O.L.A. Just three days later, Woodz made his solo debut under the name Luizy with "Recipe," a hip-hop track he produced himself in collaboration with rapper Flowsik. In August 2016, he released "Baby Ride" featuring Im Hyun-sik from BtoB, and reunited with Im for the song "Eating Alone" in March 2017. That same year, Woodz appeared as a featured artist on Lee Gi-kwang's track "Dream."
In November 2017, Iconic Sounds invited Woodz to their annual songwriting camp, where he co-produced the track "Always" with Sophia Pae and others; this song was included in The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project. This opportunity marked his initial production credit for another artist and coincided with his decision to stop using the Luizy moniker, opting instead to be credited by his birth name.
Woodz adopted his current stage name in February 2018 while collaborating on Eden's album Ryu: 川, contributing both as co-producer and featured artist. He further expanded his portfolio by writing and producing for various musicians, including crafting the debut evaluation song "It's Ok" for the Chinese survival program Idol Producer. Yuehua Entertainment announced his official use of Woodz during his solo promotions in May 2018; that month he released digital singles "Pool" and "Different," both co-produced with Cha Cha Malone of AOMG. Additionally, he contributed production work for C-pop project group MR-X's singles and co-wrote and co-produced Jun Sung Ahn's solo debut track "Hold It Down." Woodz also participated in the creation of Super Junior-D&E's EP Bout You and Babylon's album Caelo.
Seeking greater creative autonomy, Woodz established his own production unit named Team How, which was introduced through the documentary miniseries How: How Ordinary, We're in October 2018. This team comprises manager Lee Il-kyu, stylist Kim Hyup, graphic designer Robbroy, and co-producer Nathan. In November 2018, Woodz released the digital single "Meaningless."
2019: Participation in Produce X 101 and Formation of X1
Woodz maintained his musical activities into early 2019 by co-producing Groovy Room's January single "This Night" and ONF's February track "Ice & Fire" from their EP We Must Love. In March, it was revealed that he would compete on the survival program Produce X 101. During filming, he continued producing music; notably, Suran launched her lead single "Don't Hang Up," which Woodz co-wrote in March. He also co-produced "Blossom," a promotional track for Pepsi’s K-pop collaboration featuring VIXX's Ravi and GFriend’s Eunha.
For his audition on Produce X 101, Woodz performed his self-composed song "Dream." Starting at rank 67th in May 2019, he steadily climbed the rankings to finish fifth by July, earning a place in the final lineup of boy group X1. The group debuted on August 27, 2019, with their EP Emergency: Quantum Leap. Unfortunately, following allegations of vote manipulation affecting several Mnet franchises including Produce X 101, X1 officially disbanded on January 6, 2020.
2020–present: Resumption of solo pursuits
Woodz made a comeback as a solo artist on June 29, 2020, unveiling the extended play Equal along with its lead track "Love Me Harder" (). His virtual showcase hosted on V Live drew over 320,000 simultaneous viewers and accumulated more than 200 million "hearts." He actively promoted "Love Me Harder" and the B-side "Accident" through various Korean music programs, also delivering performances of songs such as "Buck."
In the latter part of 2020, Woodz introduced his second EP Woops! featuring the main single "Bump Bump," which he promoted alongside the song "Trigger" () on South Korean music shows. March 2021 saw his return with the single album Set, including the track "Feel Like." October 2021 marked the release of his third EP Only Lovers Left, highlighted by dual lead singles "Kiss of Fire" and "Waiting." To broaden his global audience, he co-produced and co-wrote three English-language tracks and secured his inaugural solo victory on a music program with a win on The Show.
On May 4, 2022, Woodz launched his fourth EP titled Colorful Trauma, led by the single "I Hate You." He also revealed plans for a concert scheduled in Bangkok, Thailand, set for September 3, 2022.
Woodz's exclusive agreement with Yuehua Entertainment concluded on October 19, 2022. Shortly thereafter, on October 25, he inked a contract with EDAM Entertainment, joining fellow artists such as IU and Shin Se-kyung. In February 2023, EDAM Entertainment released a teaser for "Abyss," a pre-release song from Woodz's fifth EP Oo-Li. Remarkably, the single "Drowning" from Oo-Li climbed to number one on the Circle Digital Chart in May 2025, more than two years post-release.
Military enlistment
On December 10, 2023, Woodz communicated through his fancafe that he will commence his mandatory military service as an active-duty soldier starting January 22, 2024.
Artistry
Woodz is deeply involved in his solo projects, writing all his lyrics and producing the majority of his music. Initially performing under the name Luizy, his sound was rooted in hip hop with elements of pop and electronic music. The transition to Woodz in 2018 signified a move toward a more sophisticated style centered around contemporary R&B while maintaining openness to diverse genres. His musical approach incorporates alternative R&B, ambient textures, and dream pop influences while preserving a unique climactic tone. Moving away from his earlier emphasis on rapping, Woodz now prioritizes vocal performance as an expression of his artistic evolution.
His compositions tackle a wide range of themes and ideas. For example, "Recipe," released following his elimination from Show Me the Money 5, conveyed themes of ambition and resistance. The track "Baby Ride" presented a breezy summer atmosphere. Central to many songs are love and relationships; "Pool" is an exuberant love anthem whereas "Different" contemplates acceptance after breakups. The single "Meaningless" addresses darker existential issues including mental health—a subject often overlooked in South Korea—serving as a candid personal reflection or "diary" for Woodz.
Extended plays
| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions | Physical sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | |||
| Equal |
|
4 |
|
| Woops! |
|
2 |
|
| Only Lovers Left |
|
4 |
|
| Colorful Trauma |
|
4 |
|
| Oo-Li |
|
9 |
|
Single albums
| Title | Album information | Highest chart rankings | Physical copies sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | |||
| Set |
{{hidden|Track listing|# "Feel Like"
} |
4 |
|
| Amnesia |
{{hidden|Track listing|# "Amnesia"
} |
— | |
| The symbol "—" indicates the release did not chart or was unavailable in that region | |||
Singles
| Title | Year | Highest chart positions | Associated album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | ||||
| As lead artist | ||||
| "Baby Ride" (feat. Im Hyun-sik) |
2016 | — | Baby Ride | |
| "How Have You Been" (Template:Korean) | — | |||
| "Pool" | 2018 | — | rowspan="3" Template:Non-album singles | |
| "Different" | — | |||
| "Meaningless" (Template:Korean) | — | |||
| "Love Me Harder" (Template:Korean) | 2020 | —[lower-alpha 1] | Equal | |
| "Bump Bump" | 127 | Woops! | ||
| "Feel Like" | 2021 | 22 | Set | |
| "Lullaby" | — | Template:Non-album single | ||
| "Kiss of Fire" | —[lower-alpha 2] | Only Lovers Left | ||
| "Waiting" | 35 | |||
| "I Hate You" (Template:Korean) | 2022 | 102 | Colorful Trauma | |
| "Abyss" | 2023 | — | Oo-Li | |
| "Journey" | — | |||
| "Drowning" | 1 | |||
| "Amnesia" | — | Amnesia | ||
| As featured artist | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Year | Highest chart rankings | Album | |
| "Dream" (Lee Gi-kwang feat. Luizy) |
2017 | — | One | |
| "Dance" (Eden feat. Woodz) |
2018 | — | Ryu: 川 | |
| "Wave" (Killagramz feat. Woodz) |
— | Hue.休 | ||
| "Pick Up the Phone" (Park Ji-min feat. Kino, Woodz, NATHAN) |
— | jiminxjamie | ||
| "Bad" (Kriz feat. Woodz) |
— | Template:Non-album singles | ||
| "—" indicates the track did not chart or was not available in that market | ||||
| Collaborations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Title | Year | Highest chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Recipe" |
- | "Eating Alone" |
- | "Drive" |
-}
Film
Television shows
Radio shows
Web shows
Songwriting creditsAll listed credits are sourced from the Korea Music Copyright Association unless indicated otherwise.
Awards and nominations
External links | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- ↑ Cumulative sales of Equal: 143,791 (CD) + 5,769 (Kit)
- ↑ Cumulative sales of Woops!: 95,531 (CD) + 5,300 (Kit)
- ↑ Sales breakdown for Set: 84,428 (CD) + 5,149 (Kit)
- ↑ Guo (February 29, 2016). Yang, Yang (ed.). "《梦想合伙人》办"咸鱼翻身"发布会". Mtime (in 中文). Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- ↑ Ji, Xiaowen, ed. (May 11, 2016). "《大话西游3》定妆照亮相". Mtime (in 中文). Retrieved November 4, 2019.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Ahn, Eun-jae (September 28, 2021). Sports Seoul https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/468/0000791278.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Lee Ho-young. https://entertain.naver.com/now/read?oid=408&aid=0000139374.
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