Kris Wu is a Chinese Canadian rapper and convicted serial rapist.
He was formerly a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band Exo and its subgroup Exo-M under SM Entertainment, before departing from the group in 2014.
Early life and Education
Li Jiaheng was born on November 6, 1990, in Guangzhou, Guangdong, to Stacey Yu Wu (born Wu Xiuqin) and Li Kaiming. His parents divorced when he was a toddler, and he was raised solely by his mother.
At the age of 10, he moved to Vancouver, Canada, with his mother. He returned to China at 14 and briefly attended Guangzhou No. 7 Middle School before he and his mother went back to Vancouver. There, he attended Point Grey Secondary School and Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School under the name Kevin Li. When he was 17, his legal name was changed to Wu Yi Fan.
At 18, Wu auditioned for SM Entertainment’s Canadian global auditions in Vancouver. After passing the auditions, he became a trainee for the company and was offered a role in Exo in 2012.
Career
On February 17, 2012, Wu was unveiled as the eleventh member of Exo. Following their debut in April 2012, Exo swiftly rose to prominence as one of the most popular K-pop groups in South Korea and worldwide. Their studio album XOXO, along with the hit track “Growl” in 2013, garnered immense commercial success. Notably, XOXO became the first album by a Korea-based artist in twelve years to surpass one million copies sold and ranks as the 12th best-selling album of all time in Korea. Before parting ways with the group, Wu contributed to Exo’s Overdose album, released in May 2014, which emerged as the best-selling album of 2014 in South Korea.
Wu ventured into the music scene further by releasing “Time Boils the Rain” as part of the soundtrack for the Chinese blockbuster Tiny Times 3 in July 2014. Subsequently, he achieved recognition as the youngest celebrity to be honored with a wax figure at Madame Tussauds Shanghai and was named “Newcomer of the Year” by Esquire China in the following year.
His cinematic debut transpired in Somewhere Only We Know, directed by Xu Jinglei, released on February 14, 2015. The film clinched the top spot in the Chinese box office, grossing US$37.81 million in just six days post-release. Wu’s performance earned him the “Best Newcomer Award” at the 3rd China International Film Festival London.
Continuing his success in the film industry, Wu starred in Mr. Six, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. The film proved to be a box office sensation, amassing over US$137 million and ranking among the highest-grossing films in China. Concurrently, he featured in other notable films such as So Young 2: Never Gone and Sweet Sixteen, earning accolades including the “Newcomer with the Most Media Attention” award at the Shanghai International Film Festival and “Best Actor” at the Gold Crane Award.
Wu’s versatility extended beyond acting as he made his runway debut at Burberry’s Fall 2016 Men’s Show in London and participated in the 2016 NBA All-Star Game as a member of Team Canada.
In January 2017, Wu marked his Hollywood debut in D. J. Caruso’s XXX: Return of Xander Cage. Additionally, he ventured into music, releasing the single “Juice” as part of the film’s soundtrack, featuring Vin Diesel in the music video. Wu continued to showcase his acting prowess in Stephen Chow’s film, Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back, portraying Tang Sanzang.
He represented China at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles in February 2017, followed by his second invitation to play in the 2017 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans. Notably, Forbes listed Wu in their 30 Under 30 Asia 2017 list, recognizing his significant impact in his respective fields.
Further expanding his acting portfolio, Wu starred in Luc Besson’s science fiction film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets in July 2017. Later that year, he released “Deserve”, featuring American rapper Travis Scott, which soared to No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes chart, making Wu the sole Chinese artist to achieve this feat.
As of April 2018, Wu’s music is set for international release, excluding Japan and Korea, through a partnership of Universal Music China, Interscope in the United States, and Island Records in the United Kingdom. His debut album Antares, featuring hit singles like “Like That” and “Freedom” (featuring Jhené Aiko), dropped on November 2, 2018.
Continuing his musical endeavors, Wu released the single “Big Bowl, Thick Noodle” on April 19, 2019, followed by his Alive Tour across various cities in China. On his 29th birthday, November 6, 2019, he unveiled his second single, “Eternal Love”, accompanied by a microfilm starring himself and Japanese model Kōki.
In April 2020, Wu launched the four-track EP Testing, preceded by the single “Aurora” on April 15. The EP garnered an impressive one million pre-orders on the Tencent streaming platform QQ Music within just 87 minutes, setting a new record. It features three Chinese songs and one in English.
Controversy and legal issues
On May 15, 2014, Wu initiated legal action against the agency to terminate his contract. SM Entertainment expressed surprise despite having faced contract disputes previously.
Subsequently, on July 30, 2015, SM Entertainment filed a lawsuit against Wu and associated Chinese companies at the Beijing court, citing infringements on EXO members’ rights and financial losses. Wu countered, alleging mistreatment by SM Entertainment, citing health issues, including myocarditis.
Regarding the sexual abuse allegations, on July 8, 2021, Du Meizhu accused Wu online of sexual assault involving multiple women and girls, some underage, while unconscious or under alcohol influence. Wu denied the allegations, triggering investigations. Several companies severed ties with Wu as authorities detained and later arrested him on suspicion of rape.
On November 25, 2022, Wu was sentenced to 13 years in prison for rape and group lewdness, with deportation following his term. Additionally, he was fined for tax evasion. Despite appealing, the court upheld the original conviction on November 24, 2023.
Personal life
Wu is proficient in five languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, English, Korean, and Japanese.
In 2016, an individual claiming to be Wu’s ex-girlfriend accused him of infidelity.
During the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests in August 2019, Wu posted photos of the Chinese flag on his official Weibo account with the hashtags “the Chinese national flag has 1.4 billion flag bearers” and “I am a flag bearer.”
Net Worth
Undisclosed