Kang Hyung Ho (강형호) is a South Korean singer-songwriter under Arts & Artists. He is a member of the crossover vocal quartet Forestella.
As a soloist, he goes by the stage name PITTA. He made his solo debut on October 29, 2020 with the single "Universe".
Early life
Kang Hyung Ho is a native of Busan and enjoyed singing as a child. He wanted to enroll in a performing arts high school but was met with opposition from his parents. Instead he concentrated on his academics and was admitted into Pusan National University on a full scholarship, studying chemical engineering.[1] He worked for Lotte BP (now Lotte INEOS) as a researcher.
He formed a band called PITTA with some college friends and he was the main vocalist and guitarist. They continued to perform occasionally even after graduating, serving in the military and becoming working professionals. In 2016 he gained local celebrity status after PITTA won the Busan Amateur Band Competition.[2]
Career
2017–2018: Phantom Singer 2, debut with Forestella
Kang heard about Phantom Singer holding open auditions for its second season. At that time he had been thinking of giving up music for good but decided to audition so that he would not have any regrets. During the televised audition stage, he performed the song "The Phantom of the Opera" from the eponymous musical in both his natural tenor voice and in the countertenor register to mimic the conversation between the Phantom and Christine, shocking the panel of judges and the other contestants.[3] The clip uploaded on Naver TV went viral and garnered over a million views by the time Forestella was formed prior to the finals.[4] He never performed with any of his future Forestella members until the "random quartet" stage when he was grouped into the same quartet as Cho Min Gyu. Forestella performed four songs in the final stage and won the competition.
The group officially debuted on March 14, 2018 with their first studio album, Evolution.
2020: Solo debut with "Universe"
He made his solo debut on October 29, 2020 with the release of his first digital single "Universe". He uses the name of his former band PITTA as his stage name.
Personal life
Relationship
On March 13, 2024, Beat Interactive announced that he will be getting married to Busan MBC weathercaster Jung Min-kyung in April, whom he started dating prior to Phantom Singer 2.[5] The couple married on April 13 in Busan.[6]
Discography
EPs
- ID: PITTA (2021)
- New Normal Life (2024)
Special albums
- Be Free (2023)
Digital singles
- "Universe" (2020)
- "Dandelion" (2021)
- "The Nation" (2021)
- "Carpe Diem" (2023)
- "Wave on the Sea" (2024)
- "This Song" (2024)
- "Paradox" (2024)
- "Deep Shadow" (2025)
Collaborations
- "2021 Now N New" (with Various Artists as part of Hope TV SBS 2021) (2021)
OSTs
- "The Auditors OST Part.1" ("Knock the Door") (2024)
- "Family by Choice OST Part.2" ("Run To You") (2024)
Filmography
- Hidden Singer 5 (JTBC, 2018) – episode 6
- King of Mask Singer (MBC, 2020) – episode 237
- Lotto Singer (MBN, 2020–2021) – main cast[7]
- Immortal Songs (KBS, 2021) – performer (with Kim Kyung Ho)
Trivia
- As a member of Forestella he has occasionally introduced himself as a "te-prano", a portmanteau of "tenor" and "soprano". It refers to his three-octave vocal range (tenor to countertenor range).
- On Phantom Singer 2, Cho Min Gyu has said that Kang was the one who inspired their quartet name "Forestella". Cho, Bae Doo Hoon and Ko Woo Rim had been a trio and then a quartet (with EXP member Sime Kosta) together in the previous round and called themselves "Forest". Kang, being the "star" (stella) of the show, was added into their group, hence their new group name.
- While he was not the only season 2 contestant who was an amateur singer, he was the only one who worked in an industry unrelated to entertainment, television or the performing arts.
- The Forestella members sometimes jokingly call him "Kang daeri" (대리), which refers to his position at his (former) company.[8] It is often translated as "assistant manager" and is the rough equivalent to a lower level supervisory position in a company hierarchy.
- He enjoys rock music and is a fan of rocker Kim Kyung-ho and pop rock band Flower.[9][10]
- He served in the army.
Gallery
- Main article: Kang Hyung Ho/Gallery
References
- ↑ 인터뷰②직장인→'팬텀싱어2' 우승 강형호 "이것이 母의 빅픽처". jTBC. November 9, 2017
- ↑ 제3회 부산직장인밴드 경연대회 - 직장인 '樂 에너지' 대폭발… 시민회관이 들썩들썩. Busan Ilbo. December 6, 2016
- ↑ ‘팬텀싱어2’ 괴물보컬 강형호, 케이팝 고수 손정수와 맞대결. Hankook Ilbo. August 31, 2017
- ↑ 놀라운 음역대의 '아마추어' 강형호 'The phantom of the opera'♬. Naver TV. August 11, 2017 (clip can only be viewed in South Korea)
- ↑ Soompi: Forestella’s Kang Hyung Ho To Tie The Knot With Weathercaster Jung Min Kyung
- ↑ @pitta.come on Instagram (April 14, 2024)
- ↑ '미스터트롯' 신성, '로또싱어' 출연 확정..'가습기 보이스' 활약 기대↑. The Chosun Ilbo. August 21, 2020
- ↑ Forestella hilarious lie detector game (ENG SUB). YouTube (user name - 김존버 Johnburgh Kim). May 7, 2020
- ↑ 불후의 명곡 (2TV, 2월16일) 포레스텔라 강형호, 로커 김경호에 '팬심 ♥' "김경호 따라 헤드뱅잉했었다" 깜짝 고백!. KBS. February 16, 2019.
- ↑ '히든싱어5' 고유진, 포레스텔라 강형호 꺾고 최종 우승. JTBC. July 23, 2018
Official links
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