Kang Daniel is a South Korean singer best known for winning first place on the reality survival show Produce 101 Season 2 and debuting as the center of the project boy group Wanna One.
Kang Daniel was born on December 10, 1996, in Yeongdo-gu, Busan, South Korea. During his childhood, his family encountered financial hardships following a failed business venture run by his father. After his parents divorced, he was raised by his mother. These early challenges significantly shaped his character and artistic motivations.
Daniel began dancing as a form of emotional release and self-healing after facing bullying in elementary school due to his appearance. In a 2017 appearance on KBS’s Hello Counselor, he shared that a teacher recommended he take up dance to build confidence and cope with the teasing. This marked the beginning of his passion for performance.
To further cultivate his skills, Daniel attended Peniel International High School of the Arts, where he majored in modern dance. He also trained at the Nataraja Academy, a dance institution in Busan. Additionally, he was active in Busan’s b-boying scene under the stage name FLAC, which helped him build a strong foundation in various dance styles.
In 2017, Kang Daniel participated in Produce 101 Season 2, a competitive reality show designed to form a new K-pop boy group through audience voting. He ultimately ranked first in the final episode, securing the center position in the group Wanna One.
Wanna One officially debuted on August 7, 2017, with the showcase-concert Premier Show-Con at the Gocheok Sky Dome. The group released their debut extended play, 1×1=1 (To Be One), featuring the title track “Energetic.” A repackaged version, 1-1=0 (Nothing Without You), followed on November 13, 2017, with the title song “Beautiful.”
The releases were both commercial successes. By December 2017, combined sales surpassed 1.5 million copies, marking Wanna One as the first K-pop group to surpass one million unit sales for a debut album. The group received widespread acclaim, earning 23 music show trophies in just five months and winning accolades such as Best New Artist at the 2017 Melon Music Awards and both Best New Male Group and Best Male Group at the 2017 Mnet Asian Music Awards.
| Birth Date: | 10 Dec, 1996 |
| Age: | 23 yrs |
| Occupations: | Singer Entrepreneur |
| Citizenship: | South Korea |
| Birth Place: | Busan |
| Education: | Kyung Hee Cyber University |
| Gender: | Male |
| Description: | South Korean singer |
| Net Worth 2021: | 5 million |
