Get To Know Eric Nam, South Korea’s Multi-Hyphenate Artist And All-Around Good Guy

You may have seen a clip on your TikTok FYP, where a store staff was caught on tape while harassing and hurling hurtful words toward Solar, Mamamoo’s main vocalist and leader. Surely, the guy she was with caught your eye. We wouldn’t be surprised if you were smitten with him; he not only calmed and comforted the seemingly agitated Solar, but politely diffused the situation like a gentleman that he was—and still is. 

The clip, as it turned out, was just a prank played during one of the episodes of “We Got Married,” a South Korean reality TV show that pairs up celebrities to pretend as a married couple and complete missions together. And the guy you may ask? If you haven’t Googled him yet, allow us to introduce you to Eric Nam (남윤도). An “outrageously, good-looking, talented, super witty, hard-working, ethical, morally just, incomparable person, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur guy,” he jokingly described himself in one of his interviews. 

Or he might not be kidding at all. It’s Eric Nam, we’ll never know!

Welcome to Nam Nation! Here are more interesting tidbits about Eric, apart from him being able to speak four languages fluently (Mandarin, English, Korean, and Spanish), that we thought you’d want to know:

He’s a favorite interviewer of international celebrities who are visiting South Korea.

Eric has interviewed Robert Downey Jr., Chris Pratt, Michael B. Jordan, the late Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’O, Ryan Reynolds, and Tom Holland, to name a few. This was one of his many opportunities that catapulted him to become one of the trusted hosts and interviewers in South Korea. 

The ever-charismatic Eric has a knack for making his guests feel at ease while talking about various topics—from skincare, love, scuba diving, to more serious, life-changing issues. Creating a safe space for everyone, no matter the title or status, is indeed his gift. This paved the way for him to be able to interview most, if not all, of the K-Pop’s sought-after idols and personalities.

His mini album, Interview, made cameo appearance in the hit K-drama Goblin.

It’s the episode (Ep. 2) where Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) had realized he was frequently summoned by Ji Eun Tak (Kim Go Eun) so he decided to immerse himself in the latest about pop culture to be able to relate to her generation. In a desperate attempt to do so, he barged into the Grim Reaper’s (Lee Dong Wook) bedroom, holding up two music albums, one of which was Eric’s, and asked the Grim Reaper which of the two he should get.

In a conversation with American radio DJ, Zach Sang, Eric mentioned that the mini album’s concept was an opportunity to rebrand and reframe what the word interview means to him in Korea. “Reclaim the word interview and turn it into music,” he explained. 

He was bullied in school.

For someone as gentle and kind as Eric, it comes a surprise that he was once a victim of bullying. But, he was able to overcome it eventually. Perhaps, this may be one of the reasons why he is who he is today—an all-around good guy!

“I realized that there is nothing wrong with me, there’s nothing wrong with you. Whatever you’re going through, there’s nothing wrong with us… We are the way we are and the only thing we can do that we can control is to make an effort to be the best version of ourselves. Being better so that we can overcome whatever obstacle, craziness, bully, challenge there is,” Eric shares in “Always an Outsider” episode in Mindset by DIVE Studios.

Eric was reported to be playing the role of a doctor named Jonah Yoon and acting alongside Bill camp and Michelle Ok Kyung Lee in a Hollywood psychological thriller Transplant.

Eric Nam—the hitmaker behind tracks like “I Don't Know Anymore,” “Lost On Me,” and “Any Other Way”—performed in Manila for his “Before We Begin” Asia Tour in January 2020.

Lead photos from @ericnam