Yasuo Namekawa, known by his stage name Kangnam, is a South Korean-Japanese singer, actor, and television personality. He was born on March 23, 1987, in Tokyo, Japan, to a Korean mother and a Japanese father. Raised in Japan and spending some years in Hawaii, Kangnam developed an early interest in music and performance. He began his musical journey in 2008 as Ya-Cha, a member of the Japanese band Kick Chop Busters. In 2010, he left the band and moved to South Korea, where he joined the hip-hop group M.I.B. The group debuted on October 25, 2011, with the title track "G.D.M." Around the same time, Kangnam released his solo song "Say My Name." In 2014, he gained recognition as a television personality, becoming a permanent cast member of MBC's I Live Alone and modeling for ABC Mart. Around this period he earned multiple awards, such as the MBC Entertainment Award for New Star of the Year in 2014 and the SBS Entertainment Award for Rookie Award, Male in 2016. He released his second solo track, "What Do I Do," which topped Daum's real-time charts. The track was also included in his EP Chocolate (2015), which made it to number 16 on the Korean charts. He also released his first Japanese solo album, Ready to Fly, in 2016. In 2017, Kangnam released the collaborative single "Traditional Market" with Tae Jin-ah, followed by "Human Destiny" in 2018. That year, he also released his Korean studio album Just Do Well Yourself, featuring the single "Jangjigijang." He renounced his Japanese citizenship and became a naturalized South Korean citizen in February 2022.