Ko Eun-sung

2016–2020: Phantom Singer and military enlistment Ko's career took off after appearing in the first season of JTBC's audition program Phantom Singer from late 2016 to early 2017, where he won third place as part of vocal quartet Hpresso. While on the show, he starred as mutant Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, a new interpretation of Shakespeare's tragedy set in a world shaken by a nuclear war. At the end of 2017, he was double-cast with Hong Kwang-ho as the titular character in Hamlet: Alive.

Having stayed close to fellow Phantom Singer contestant and Hpresso member Kwon Seo-kyung for two years, in June 2018 Ko collaborated with him to release a duet extended play, Musica, which included their eponymous cover of Paolo Meneguzzi's song first seen on the show. To commemorate the release of the album, they held a joint concert at Lotte Concert Hall on September 2. Later that month, Ko applied for the army band to fulfill his mandatory military service and enlisted the following November. While serving he starred in the army's original musicals Shinheung Military Academy and Return. He was discharged on June 23, 2020, and chose the musical Murder Ballad, which would open in August, as his comeback work. At the same time, he was cast as Anatole Kuragin in Great Comet, the Korean version of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 by Dave Malloy.

2021–2025: First album, Tomorrow's National Singer and further roles In January 2021, Ko reunited with Hpresso and returned to Phantom Singer after four years for a special "All Stars" edition which gathered the top 3 groups of all previous editions. He was then able to perform in Great Comet, which premiered on March 21 after being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea.

Celebrating his 10th debut anniversary, Ko released his first solo album, an EP titled Start Over, on April 13, 2021. He also held his first solo concert at the Blue Square Mastercard Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 12th and 13th of June. Later in July, he performed as the titular character in Hedwig: he was hesitant to accept the role at first, fearing that he might ruin the show if his performance was poor, but was praised by the audience for his powerful vocals, diction, and natural stage presence. While starring in Hedwig, Ko joined TV Chosun's K-pop audition program Tomorrow's National Singer and ranked 6th overall, embarking in a nationwide concert tour with the other members of the top 10 as part of group KKD. In April 2022, he was cast as Light Yagami in Death Note, a musical based on the best-selling manga of the same name. It was followed by a starring role as Tony in West Side Story, which ran from November 2022 to February 2023 in Seoul. Ko then released an EP in French, Les Chansons, which included covers of Hymne à l'amour by Edith Piaf and Le Festin from the original soundtrack of Ratatouille; he held a commemorative concert for it at Lotte Concert Hall on March 4, 2023. left Ko performing in Monte Cristo, January 2024.Ko received an offer to appear in Memphis, a musical based on the true story of DJ Dewey Phillips, at the same time he was performing in West Side Story. Despite not being impressed by main character's Huey solo, "Memphis Lives in Me", that they played for him, he did some more research and found the other songs to be upbeat and good. Since the production was not a replica of the original musical, which deals with racial discrimination in 1950s America, he felt that there was room to adapt it to Korean sensibilities and that he could make it entertaining, so he accepted the role.

Ko began 2024 by reprising his role of Anatole in Great Comet, which earned him the Best Supporting Actor award at the 9th Korea Musical Awards. and in The Rose of Versailles, from the same name manga series by Riyoko Ikeda. In December, he was cast as the titular character in the musical Cyrano, an adaptation of the play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, based on the true story of Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac. In the meantime, he voiced Fiyero in the Korean dub of the American musical film Wicked by Jon M. Chu. He also returned to Memphis as Huey after two years, and joined the musical Man in Hanbok, which blended European stage aesthetics to Korean sentiments with a double setting in Renaissance Italy and Joseon Korea, in the dual role of genius scientist Yeong-sil and modern scholar Kang Bae. At the same time, he reprised his part as Fiyero in the Korean dubbing of Wicked: For Good, while also providing the voice to the Cowardly Lion and Chistery. Ko was cast as Dracula in the eponymous musical. Having loved vampire themes since childhood, he called the role a "dream" that he took without hesitation. He will be joining the musical A Tale of Two Cities as Sydney Carton from November 2026.

Artistry Ko is known for his accurate pronunciation of lyrics in foreign languages, which he studies autonomously in his free time. His French repertoire also includes Reste by Gims and Sting, for which he received the former's praise, and L'envie d'aimer by Daniel Lévi. In 2023, he released an extended play of chansons.

Stage

Musical Label: Stomp Music Format: CD, digital download28 KOR: 1,181 Start Over Released: April 13, 2021 Label: Jeongmil, Dreamus Format: CD, digital download95 Les Chansons Released: February 27, 2023 Label: Library Company, Danal Entertainment Format: CD, digital download — "—" denotes releases that it did not chart or were not released in that region.

Filmography

Film

Television