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On April 8, 2022, Lay left SM Entertainment after his contract expired but he insisted that he's still a part of Exo.
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'''Zhang Yixing''' (Chinese: 张艺兴; born October 7, 1991), also known professionally as '''Lay Zhang''' or simply '''Lay''' (Korean: 레이, also stylized '''LAY'''), is a [[SingerSongwriter singer-songwriter]], record producer, dancer, actor, and member of [[KoreanPopMusic Korean-Chinese]] [[BoyBand boy band]] Music/{{EXO}} and its Chinese sub-group EXO-M. He began his career as a child star in 2005, when he rose to fame as the third-place winner of ''Star Academy'', a TV show based in his hometown of Hunan, China. In 2008, 16-year-old Zhang auditioned for SM Entertainment at the company's global casting auditions held in Changsha. Shortly after, Zhang moved to South Korea for his idol training upon passing the auditions.

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'''Zhang Yixing''' (Chinese: 张艺兴; born October 7, 1991), also known professionally as '''Lay Zhang''' or simply '''Lay''' (Korean: 레이, also stylized '''LAY'''), is a [[SingerSongwriter singer-songwriter]], record producer, dancer, actor, and member of [[KoreanPopMusic Korean-Chinese]] [[BoyBand boy band]] Music/{{EXO}} and its Chinese sub-group EXO-M. He began his career as a child star in 2005, when he rose to fame as the third-place winner of ''Star Academy'', a TV show based in his hometown of Hunan, China. In 2008, 16-year-old Zhang auditioned for SM Entertainment Creator/SMEntertainment at the company's global casting auditions held in Changsha. Shortly after, Zhang moved to South Korea for his idol training upon passing the auditions.
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Cleanup requirement.


%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

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%% * GettingCrapPastThe Getting Crap Past The Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.
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* 2017 - ''Kungfu Yoga'', as Xiao Guang (supporting main character)

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* 2017 - ''Kungfu Yoga'', ''Film/KungFuYoga'', as Xiao Guang (supporting main character)
Tabs MOD

Removed: 94

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No Pronunciation Guide is now a disambig. Dewicking


* NoPronunciationGuide: His real name Yixing isn't pronounced '''yiksing''' but '''i-shing'''.
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* JackOfAllTrades: Music/{{EXO}}'s main dancer who also is sadly given only a little amount of lines in their group songs, but as of 2019, he has released 2 solo albums and 3 EPs in China. ''And he wrote all his songs by himself, while helping out with the choreography''. And not just his title songs have performances: most of his songs are performed with dances. He is a regular cast member and has participated in five seasons of the show "Go Fighting!" which is considered as the Chinese equivalent of the Korean variety show "Infinite Challenge". He is also the main mentor and producer of the two seasons of "Idol Producer". And he also acts in dramas and movies.

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* JackOfAllTrades: Music/{{EXO}}'s main dancer who also is sadly given only a little amount of lines in their group songs, but as of 2019, he has released 2 solo albums and 3 EPs [=EPs=] in China. ''And he wrote all his songs by himself, while helping out with the choreography''. And not just his title songs have performances: most of his songs are performed with dances. He is a regular cast member and has participated in five seasons of the show "Go Fighting!" which is considered as the Chinese equivalent of the Korean variety show "Infinite Challenge". He is also the main mentor and producer of the two seasons of "Idol Producer". And he also acts in dramas and movies.
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cleaning


* YouAreNumber6: His designated [[ArcNumber number]] in Music/{{EXO}} promotions is 10, the date of his birthday.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: He's had his hair in blue and purple.

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* YouAreNumber6: His designated [[ArcNumber number]] in Music/{{EXO}} promotions is 10, the date of his birthday.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: He's had his hair in blue and purple.
birthday.
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* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Most of his works, but especially ''Honey''.

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%% * GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Most of his works, but especially ''Honey''.GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.
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* GriefSong: His song ''Grandma'', dedicated to his grandmother, who passed away without being able to come to his concerts even once.

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* 2019 - Good Night

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* 2019 - Good Night晚安[[labelnote:*]]Good Night[[/labelnote]]
* 2019 - 我不好[[labelnote:*]]I'm Not Fine[[/labelnote]]
* 2019 - 外婆[[labelnote:*]]Grandma[[/labelnote]]
* 2020 - Love You More (Collaboration with Steve Aoki and will.i.am)
* 2020 - 玉[[labelnote:*]]Jade[[/labelnote]]
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* YouAreNumber6: His designated [[ArcNumber number]] in Music/{{EXO}} promotions is 10, the date of his birthday.
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'''Zhang Yixing''' (Chinese: 张艺兴; born October 7, 1991), also known professionally as '''Lay Zhang''' or simply '''Lay''' (Korean: 레이, also stylized '''LAY'''), is a singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actor, and member of [[KoreanPopMusic Korean-Chinese]] [[BoyBand boy band]] Music/{{EXO}} and its Chinese sub-group EXO-M. He began his career as a child star in 2005, when he rose to fame as the third-place winner of ''Star Academy'', a TV show based in his hometown of Hunan, China. In 2008, 16-year-old Zhang auditioned for SM Entertainment at the company's global casting auditions held in Changsha. Shortly after, Zhang moved to South Korea for his idol training upon passing the auditions.

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'''Zhang Yixing''' (Chinese: 张艺兴; born October 7, 1991), also known professionally as '''Lay Zhang''' or simply '''Lay''' (Korean: 레이, also stylized '''LAY'''), is a singer-songwriter, [[SingerSongwriter singer-songwriter]], record producer, dancer, actor, and member of [[KoreanPopMusic Korean-Chinese]] [[BoyBand boy band]] Music/{{EXO}} and its Chinese sub-group EXO-M. He began his career as a child star in 2005, when he rose to fame as the third-place winner of ''Star Academy'', a TV show based in his hometown of Hunan, China. In 2008, 16-year-old Zhang auditioned for SM Entertainment at the company's global casting auditions held in Changsha. Shortly after, Zhang moved to South Korea for his idol training upon passing the auditions.
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'''Zhang Yixing''' (Chinese: 张艺兴; born October 7, 1991), also known professionally as '''Lay Zhang''' or simply '''Lay''' (Korean: 레이, also stylized '''LAY'''), is a singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actor, and member of Korean-Chinese boy band Music/{{EXO}} and its Chinese sub-group EXO-M. He began his career as a child star in 2005, when he rose to fame as the third-place winner of ''Star Academy'', a TV show based in his hometown of Hunan, China. In 2008, 16-year-old Zhang auditioned for SM Entertainment at the company's global casting auditions held in Changsha. Shortly after, Zhang moved to South Korea for his idol training upon passing the auditions.

to:

'''Zhang Yixing''' (Chinese: 张艺兴; born October 7, 1991), also known professionally as '''Lay Zhang''' or simply '''Lay''' (Korean: 레이, also stylized '''LAY'''), is a singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actor, and member of Korean-Chinese [[KoreanPopMusic Korean-Chinese]] [[BoyBand boy band band]] Music/{{EXO}} and its Chinese sub-group EXO-M. He began his career as a child star in 2005, when he rose to fame as the third-place winner of ''Star Academy'', a TV show based in his hometown of Hunan, China. In 2008, 16-year-old Zhang auditioned for SM Entertainment at the company's global casting auditions held in Changsha. Shortly after, Zhang moved to South Korea for his idol training upon passing the auditions.
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''Studio Albums''

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''Studio Albums'''''Studio Albums'''



''Mini Albums''

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''Mini Albums'''''Mini Albums'''



''Singles''

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''Singles'''''Singles'''
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[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3ec216a3565183af422579be8ede81b0541df9c4r1_1280_1669v2_hq.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''That China [[AnimalMotifs sheep]].'']]

'''Zhang Yixing''' (Chinese: 张艺兴; born October 7, 1991), also known professionally as '''Lay Zhang''' or simply '''Lay''' (Korean: 레이, also stylized '''LAY'''), is a singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actor, and member of Korean-Chinese boy band Music/{{EXO}} and its Chinese sub-group EXO-M. He began his career as a child star in 2005, when he rose to fame as the third-place winner of ''Star Academy'', a TV show based in his hometown of Hunan, China. In 2008, 16-year-old Zhang auditioned for SM Entertainment at the company's global casting auditions held in Changsha. Shortly after, Zhang moved to South Korea for his idol training upon passing the auditions.

Zhang is employed by SM Entertainment for his activities as a member of EXO, but in April 2015, Zhang established a personal agency for his solo activities (mainly based in China), serving as an exclusive management and record label. In September 2018, Zhang signed an agreement with Easy Entertainment whereby his personal studio will collaborate with Easy Entertainment to create a new team to manage Zhang's promotional activities.

In October 2016, he released his first solo EP, ''Lose Control'', in both China and South Korea, peaking at number one on the Gaon Album Chart as well as number four on Billboard's US World Albums chart, and made him the first Chinese artist to enter the iTunes Top 60. The EP contains tracks that Zhang personally wrote by himself, which later became the standard in his releases. He has also written songs for EXO and several Chinese television programs.

The release of his second album ''NAMANANA'' marked Zhang's foray into the US music market, with the album containing 22 songs, 11 of which are in Chinese language with English counterparts for each. The album debuted at 21 on Billboard 200, making him the highest ranked Mandopop artist on the chart. The album also ranked 1st on the World Albums and Independent Albums charts.

He's not just any musician, though. In September 2015, he released his autobiography, ''Standing Firm at 24'', which broke several online book records and making him take the fourth place on 'The 10th Chinese Celebrity Writers List', becoming the youngest celebrity author to enter the charts. In July 2016, Zhang was appointed by the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) of Changsha as a publicity ambassador, the first celebrity to hold such title. In September 2017, he came in at the 20th spot on the 2017 Forbes China Celebrity 100 List with estimated earnings of 120 million yuan; he came in the 11th spot in 2019. Zhang is a brand ambassador of over 30 brands, including Converse, MAC Cosmetics, Chaumet Paris, Ray-Ban, Milka Chocolate, H&M, Perrier, Calvin Klein, Valentino, Huawei Nova (2015-2018), and Samsung (2018-2019).
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[[folder:Discography]]
''Studio Albums''
* 2017 - Sheep
* 2018 - NAMANANA
''Mini Albums''
* 2016 - Lose Control
* 2017 - Winter Special Gift
* 2019 - Honey
''Singles''
* 2014 - Airport tears
* 2014 - I'm Lay
* 2015 - Dancing Young
* 2015 - Youth and Happiness (OST of ''Oh My God'')
* 2015 - Alone (OST of ''Ex Files 2'')
* 2015 - Wonderful Day
* 2016 - Man's Business (with ''Go Fighting'' cast, OST of ''Go Fighting Movie: Royal Treasure'')
* 2016 - Monodrama (For SM Station)
* 2017 - Prayer (OST of ''Operation Love'')
* 2019 - Lovebird (Collaboration with Far East Movement)
* 2019 - Good Night
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Filmography]]
'''TV Dramas'''
* 1998 - ''We The People'', as Huan Huan (cameo character)
* 2016 - ''To Be a Better Man'', as Xiao Cai (supporting character)
* 2016 - ''The Mystic Nine'', as Er Yue Hong (main character)
* 2017 - ''Operation Love'', as Yan Xiaolai (main character)
* 2018 - ''The Golden Eyes'', as Zhuang Rui (main character)
'''Movies'''
* 2015 - ''Ex-Files 2'', as Li Xianghe (special appearance)
* 2015 - ''Oh My God'', as Le Yi (main character)
* 2016 - ''Go Fighting movie: Royal Treasure'', as himself
* 2016 - ''The Mystic Nine Side Story: Flowers Bloom in February'', as Er Yue Hong (main character)
* 2017 - ''Kungfu Yoga'', as Xiao Guang (supporting main character)
* 2017 - ''The Founding of an Army'', as Lu Deming (supporting character)
* 2018 - ''The Island'', as Ma Xiaoxing (main character)
* 2018 - ''Unexpected Love'', as Han Ben (main character)
'''Web Dramas'''
* 2015 - ''[[WebVideo/EXONextDoor EXO Next Door]]'', as himself (supporting character)

[[/folder]]
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Tropes relating to his works with Music/{{EXO}} can be found on that page.

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!Lay provides examples of the following tropes:
* AffectionateNickname: "Xing" and "Xingxing" which come from his name, "Dandan" (Eggy), "Leiyi'" (cute pronunciation of Lay), "Little Lamb", "healing unicorn", "International Bee", "Little Fox", "Changsha Xiaojiaoao" (Changsha's little pride), "Changsha Xiaoaojiao" (Changsha's little tsundere), "shuài shuài" (handsome handsome), "Zhang zhong" (President Zhang), "Zhang PD" (Producer Zhang).
* AnimalMotif:
** ''The'' sheep. Specifically, ''that'' China sheep.
** In Music/{{EXO}} promotions, he's associated with the [[{{Unicorn}} unicorn]].
** In "Go Fighting!" he is also referred to as a little fox.
** With the release of his song "Honey", he is now associated with a bee. This time, the ''international'' bee.
* AlbumIntroTrack: ''The Assembly Call'' in Lay's ''NAMANANA'' album.
* ArcNumber: 10 or 1007, which relate to his birthdate, October 7.
* {{Catchphrase}}: Lay's personal motto and catchphrase is "努力努力再努力" ("Work hard, work hard, and work harder"). This is included in ''SHEEP'''s lyrics and is his display name on Weibo.
** Lay also has a specific way of saying ''aiyowei'' (a Chinese expression for shock or surprise).
Lay also has his golden advice for the trainees in "Idol Producer": ''BALANCE.''
* ChildPopstar: Started out as this in China.
* ChristmasSongs: ''When It's Christmas'' and ''Goodbye Christmas''.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Primarily purple, but his releases have a different color assigned: purple for ''Lose Control'', red for ''SHEEP'', green/yellow for ''NAMANANA'', and yellow/orange/black for ''Honey''.
* ADogNamedDog: His first pet (a cat) didn't have a name. In his [=BuzzFeed=] interview:
--> '''Lay''': I just called the cat "hey, Cat". In Chinese, "hey 猫 (cat)".
* DancingIsSeriousBusiness: He is a dance singer and one of the main dancers of Music/{{EXO}}.
* EiffelTowerEffect: In Lay's ''I Need U''.
* {{Fanboy}}: Of Michael Jackson and has imitated his style for a few performances. He used to impersonate Michael's moves to impress his mother. Lay later becomes a part of a Michael Jackson tribute single "Let's Shut Up And Dance" with Jason Derulo and NCT 127.
* FunWithAcronyms: The name "Lay" can be interpreted as "'''L'''ook '''A'''t '''Y'''ixing." Additionally, his previous Instagram username of zyxzjs stands for '''Z'''hang '''Y'''i '''X'''ing (his real name) '''Z'''hang '''J'''ia '''S'''huai (his birth name).
* FunWithForeignLanguages: The Chinese title of ''Honey'' is 和你, which means "with you" and is pronounced like "honey".
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Most of his works, but especially ''Honey''.
* GratuitousEnglish: Even before debuting in the US, he tends to add English words when speaking in Korean.
* HealingHands: His designated [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual superpower]] in Music/{{EXO}} promotions.
* HotterAndSexier: His releases get progressively sexier.
* WoundThatWillNotHeal: Ironically, Lay has a slight form of haemophilia, which almost took his life when he had a tonsil operation at a young age. He was seen with bloody hands a few times in public.
* IHaveManyNames: His birth name is Zhang Jiashuai. His name was then changed to Zhang Yixing, which is his current name and what he's called as in Chinese promotions. His stage name is Lay or Lay Zhang and it's what he uses in albums and other promotions.
* JackOfAllTrades: Music/{{EXO}}'s main dancer who also is sadly given only a little amount of lines in their group songs, but as of 2019, he has released 2 solo albums and 3 EPs in China. ''And he wrote all his songs by himself, while helping out with the choreography''. And not just his title songs have performances: most of his songs are performed with dances. He is a regular cast member and has participated in five seasons of the show "Go Fighting!" which is considered as the Chinese equivalent of the Korean variety show "Infinite Challenge". He is also the main mentor and producer of the two seasons of "Idol Producer". And he also acts in dramas and movies.
* MeaningfulName: Yixing means "''art flourish''". Play for fun, but 'Lay' also means "''tired''" in Chinese (累; ''lei''), and this often gets him teased. It's actually a minor TearJerker, given his body condition. But according to Lay, SM Entertainment got it from [[Manga/BoysOverFlowers Huaze Lei]].
--> '''Lay''': "At that time the company (preparing for debut), they said they think the name "Lay" is not bad. I asked why. They said in [[Manga/BoysOverFlowers "Meteor Garden"]] there is a character called Huaze Lei, who is [[TheQuietOne quiet and doesn't say much]], [[ElegantClassicalMusician but plays the violin and is talented and likes music quite a bit.]] At that time how could I think much? Sure, as long as I can debut, sure sure, you guys do what you want, I'm fine, I'm fine with it. I didn't think it'd become an attribute I can't shake off, 'tired'."
* NoPronunciationGuide: His real name Yixing isn't pronounced '''yiksing''' but '''i-shing'''.
* ThePerfectionist: When asked who was a perfectionist in [[Music/{{EXO}} EXO-M]] during an interview, Lay pointed at himself. This is shown in his solo works.
* SingerNameDrop:
** In ''Dancing Young'': "Y-I-X-I-N-G, My name is, ZHANG YIXING!" and of course, ''[[CaptainOblivious I'm Lay]]''.
** In the Chinese version of ''NAMANANA'', a lyric says "Lay you got feeling".
** He also has a song titled ''Lay Me Down''.
* StageNames: Lay and Lay Zhang.
* TranslatedCoverVersion: ''NAMANANA'' has all of its songs both in Chinese and in English, but interestingly, the lyrics aren't direct translations and the meaning of the songs are different in each language.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: He's had his hair in blue and purple.

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