From Brazilian football striker to K-pop's versatile musical architect
In short: Before he was a chart-topping artist, Woodz was a junior striker for Sport Club Corinthians Paulista in Brazil. This journey from the football pitch to the recording studio highlights a unique evolution of identity—moving through different languages, countries, and genres to build a distinct musical brand.
Born Cho Seung-youn in 1996, Woodz's early life was defined by international movement. His parents' business interests led him to move frequently before he moved to Brazil as an elementary school student. There, he joined the youth development system of Sport Club Corinthians Paulista. Adopting the Portuguese mononym Luizinho, he played as a main striker for the club's junior affiliate team for two years. This period established a foundation of global mobility that would later define his career.
His transition to music was sparked by homesickness while studying in the Philippines. Inspired by a specific Korean ballad, he returned home and underwent rigorous training at YG Entertainment after auditioning over 50 times for various companies. He debuted as the main rapper of Uniq in 2014, but his artistic ambitions quickly expanded beyond group dynamics. By 2016, he began producing under the name Luizy before officially adopting 'Woodz' in 2018 to reflect a shift toward alternative R&B and heavy vocals.
Woodz is distinguished by his prolific work as a producer. He co-founded several collectives, including M.O.L.A and Drinkcolor, and established his own production team, Team How, in 2018. His portfolio includes writing for Chinese survival shows like Idol Producer and producing tracks for artists such as Super Junior-D&E and Babylon. After a stint in the project group X1—where he became the only debuting trainee to consistently rise in rank across all seasons of Produce 101—he returned to solo work, eventually securing his first number-one on the Circle Digital Chart in 2025 with the song 'Drowning'.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Woodz
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