LAY

Chinese pop star LAY (born Zhang Yixing in Hunan in 1991) has helped pioneer a genre both in his home country and abroad that blends classic Cantopop music with American trap influences. He got his first big break as a member of the celebrated K-pop group EXO in 2012. By 2014, he was pegged to perform “I’m Lay (LAY Solo),” which he wrote himself, during EXO’s first headlining tour, “The Lost Planet.” That track later appeared on EXOLOGY CHAPTER 1: THE LOST PLANET (Live). By this point, though, LAY’s career was only beginning. He broke through as a solo star with 2017’s LAY 02 SHEEP, which found him eschewing traditional K-pop styles for an innovative blend of American hip-hop with Mandopop from his home country. He ditched that sound on 2024’s “Psychic,” which found the versatile star embracing disco grooves and pop melodies with effortless cool.