| Lai Kuan-lin | |||||||||||||
| Alias: | Edward Lai | ||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 2001 9, df=y | ||||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Taipei, Taiwan | ||||||||||||
| Signature: | 라이관린 사인.jpg | ||||||||||||
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Lai Kuan-lin, also romanized as Lai Guanlin and better known mononymously as Guanlin, (; Hangul: 라이관린, born 23 September 2001) is a Taiwanese rapper, singer and actor. He is known for finishing seventh in Produce 101 Season 2 and was a member of the South Korean boy band Wanna One.[1] He also formed a duo with Pentagon's Wooseok as Wooseok x Kuanlin in March 2019, under Cube Entertainment.
Lai was born in Taipei, Taiwan. Under his English name Edward Lai, he lived in Los Angeles, US for five years until he returned to Taiwan. He attended Lin-kou High School.
See main article: Produce 101 (season 2) and Wanna One. Lai was recruited by Cube Entertainment during the Cube Star World Audition in Taiwan in 2016. In 2017, Lai participated in the second season of Produce 101, representing Cube Entertainment. He ranked seventh during the final episode with 905,875 votes,[2] securing him a place in the show's project boy group Wanna One under YMC Entertainment.
In November 2017, Lai appeared in labelmate Jeon So-yeon's music video for her single "Jelly".[3]
As well as being active as a Wanna One member in South Korea, Lai is also active in China, receiving an offer from skincare brand Dr. Jart to be their brand ambassador,[4] resulting in a great success for the company with over 900 million KRW (US$800,000) of the endorsed product being sold in 56 minutes.[5]
After Wanna One's disbandment on 31 December 2018, Cube Entertainment announced that Lai would focus on solo activities in China and that he would debut in a new boy group later in the year. He was confirmed to be the guest on variety show Happy Camp.[6] [7]
In January 2019, Lai was confirmed as male lead in Chinese drama A Little Thing Called First Love.[8] [9] Lai, alongside Yoo Seon-ho and Ha Neul were chosen as new models for TBJ clothing brand.[10]
On 20 February 2019, Cube Entertainment announced that Lai would participate in a new group project alongside Pentagon's Wooseok titled Wooseok x Kuanlin.[11] The unit released their debut extended play, 9801 on 11 March, with the title song "I'm A Star".[12] [13] [14] Lai held his first fanmeeting 'Good Feeling' on 6 April at Olympic Hall in Seoul.[15] Followed by Bangkok (20 April), Singapore (30 April), Taipei (4 and 20 May) and Hong Kong (11 May).[16] [17] [18] [19]
In July 2019, Lai requested to terminate his contract with Cube Entertainment. One of the claims Lai made was that Cube Entertainment had sold his artist management rights in China to a third party without notifying him. After the legal dispute, Lai moved his career to China. On 17 June 2021, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in Lai's favour and ended his contract with Cube Entertainment.[20]
In June 2020, Lai was cast in youth drama Don’t Think About Interrupting My Studies as the main lead, Lin Xiao Ran alongside Li Landi as Nan Xiangwan.[21]
In 2021, Lai debuted as film director in the short film “Em Chu Em Nie Zi Bo (Winter & Spring are Fighting).” This won for the month of June 2021 in the Rome Prisma Independent Film Awards. Edward Lai won best director while the short film won Best of Fest, Best Cinematography, Best Leading Actress and Best Costume Design.[22]
In June 2024, Lai photographed with a female companion, sparking rumors of a romantic relationship. Two days after the photos surfaced, he announced his decision to “switch career paths” and retire from the entertainment industry..[23]
In 2018 and 2019, Lai Kuan-lin became an ambassador for Dr.Jart+,[4] MGTV International APP,[24] Chinese Social Assistance Foundation[25] and Green Carpet Action (Marie Claire x China Green Foundation).[26] He has endorsed Nongfu Spring (农夫山泉), TBJ, L'Oréal[27] and Downy,[28] KM Pharmaceutical (XYLIS),[29] Perfect Diary, VIVLAS Lipstick, Wolong Nuts and elleair.
In March 2021, Lai announced support for cotton from Xinjiang in mainland China, after some companies had expressed concerns about human rights abuses. The premier of Taiwan, Su Tseng-chang, later said that some of Taiwan's celebrities were selfish for expressing support for Xinjiang's cotton, and said that generations of people had worked hard in Taiwan to achieve democracy and its respect for human rights.[30]
See also: Wanna One discography.
| Year | Title | Original title | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | A Little Thing Called First Love | 初恋那件小事 | Liang Younian | Hunan TV | Lead role | |
| 2021 | Don't Disturb My Study | 别想打扰我学习 | Lin Xiao Ran | Mango TV | Lead role | |
| 2022 | Love The Way You Are | 爱情应该有的样子 | Xu Guang Xi | iQiyi | Lead Role | |
| 2019 | 14th Asia Model Awards | Asia Special Award | [32] | ||
| China Youth Public Welfare Award Ceremony | Next Generation Influencers for Global Philanthropy | ||||
| Golden Bud - The Fourth Network Film And Television Festival | Best Newcomer | A Little Thing Called First Love | [33] | ||
| Cosmo Glam Night | Person of the Year (Beauty) | [34] | |||
| Sina Fashion Awards | Popular Idol of the Year | [35] |