Hendery

Profile file

Hendery’s name appears in several forms because his career crosses Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean and English contexts. Wong Kunhang reflects the Cantonese reading associated with Macau, while Huang Guanheng is the Mandarin reading commonly used in Chinese promotion. Hendery is his English name and professional identity. A careful profile preserves those forms without treating one language as more real than another.

Macau, Beijing and an unexpected street casting

Hendery grew up in Macau as the youngest of four siblings and the only son. His route to idol training did not begin with a fixed plan to become a rapper. He studied in Foshan and later moved to Beijing to pursue acting, with comedy among his early interests. That background helps explain why he is unusually comfortable committing to a joke, improvising a character or letting himself look ridiculous for the sake of a scene.

An SM Entertainment representative cast him while he was out in public. Street-casting stories can sound like instant-debut fairy tales, but the invitation was only an entry point. Hendery still had to train in dance, rap, vocals, Korean and performance before a lineup existed. SM introduced him through SMROOKIES in September 2018 alongside Xiaojun and YangYang as part of the SR18B cohort.

The trainee period required several kinds of adaptation at once. Hendery moved between cities, languages and a company system built around exact repetition. His comic instincts survived that process, but performance training gave them structure. Onstage, the same willingness to exaggerate becomes a useful sense of timing: he knows when to sharpen an expression, when to pull back and how to make a brief reaction readable from a distance.

WayV: from The Vision to a stable group identity

SM announced WayV at the end of 2018, and the group debuted on January 17, 2019 with the digital EP The Vision. Hendery joined Kun, Ten, WinWin, Lucas, Xiaojun and YangYang in the original seven-member lineup. The title track Regular was a Mandarin version of an existing NCT 127 song, which gave listeners a familiar entry point while WayV began establishing its own tone.

Take Off and Take Over the Moon followed in 2019. The latter supplied songs such as Moonwalk, Love Talk and King of Hearts, records that helped define WayV as more than a translated branch of another unit. Hendery’s rap delivery works best when the music leaves room for texture. He can push into a heavier attack, but he also uses conversational phrasing and small changes in emphasis to keep a verse moving.

WayV’s first full album, Awaken the World, arrived in 2020 with Turn Back Time. The record widened the group’s electronic and R&B range and gave Hendery more opportunities to appear in writing credits. Kick Back followed in 2021. A planned single unit with Lucas did not proceed, so it should not be listed as a debut or active subunit. Unreleased plans are part of production history, not a discography.

After a long period of disrupted group activity, WayV returned with Phantom at the end of 2022. The group then released its second full album, On My Youth, in 2023. An Associated Press review highlighted the album’s movement through hip-hop, pop, electronica, neo-soul and ballad writing. That variety suits Hendery because his performance identity includes both edge and absurd humor; he can contribute to the theatrical weight of a title track and then relax into brighter group material.

The 2024 mini albums Give Me That and FREQUENCY continued WayV’s six-member activity. Give Me That leaned into funk and old-school energy, while FREQUENCY restored a harder electronic attack. The group expanded its touring work and strengthened a public identity that now stands on its own even when releases remain connected to the larger NCT system.

NCT, NCT U and the difference between debut dates

WayV is an NCT unit, but Hendery’s public NCT introduction came later than his WayV debut. The NCT 2020 project formally placed Hendery, Xiaojun and YangYang inside the full NCT lineup. Hendery participated in Resonance Pt. 1 and performed on Misfit, a rap-unit track built around contrasting flows from members across several NCT teams.

He has continued to appear in large NCT projects and flexible NCT U combinations. The system allows a member to belong to a permanent home team while joining songs selected by concept. That does not create a new group membership period every time the lineup changes. CVM Sekai therefore uses 2019–present for Hendery’s WayV card and explains the 2020 NCT expansion inside the career narrative.

Rap, lyric credits and the work behind the punch line

Hendery is frequently reduced to the funny member because his variety reactions circulate easily. That misses the documented writing work in WayV’s catalog. He has participated in lyrics for group tracks including King of Hearts, We go nanana, Only Human, Electric Hearts and Stand By Me. Credits should be checked release by release, but the pattern is clear: he has contributed language and rap construction across multiple eras.

Writing for an idol group differs from writing a standalone personal statement. A verse must fit an assigned character, connect to the member before it and leave room for the next vocal section. WayV also works across Mandarin, Korean and English versions, so sound, meaning and mouth shape can pull in different directions. Hendery’s multilingual environment makes that negotiation central to his craft.

His rap voice has a dry, slightly rough edge that contrasts with YangYang’s speed and precision. Hendery often sounds strongest when he lets the rhythm breathe instead of filling every beat. His dancing follows a similar principle. He can hit large movements, but his more valuable skill is knowing how to carry energy through a formation so a transition does not collapse between focal moments.

Offstage comedy supports rather than cancels that discipline. Good variety performers understand setup, delay and payoff, all of which are forms of timing. Hendery’s ability to switch from chaotic banter to a controlled performance is not inconsistency. It is evidence that he knows which version of himself the format needs.

Personal studio and BORN THIS Way in 2026

In May 2026, Hendery established a personal studio for his activity in China. The studio account gives him a dedicated structure for local schedules and individual development while he continues as a WayV member. A personal studio is not the same thing as leaving SM Entertainment or debuting a separate music group. It is a management channel that can support magazine work, appearances and future projects.

The timing fits a broader phase of growth. A June 2026 Wonderland China interview framed the studio as a new chapter and discussed his interest in exploring more possibilities. The useful standard is to follow confirmed work rather than converting that language into unannounced acting roles or solo albums. Hendery has songwriting credits and personal content, but this profile will not invent a solo music debut before one exists.

WayV also announced the 2026 concert tour BORN THIS Way. Official Weverse notices list the tour and its Seoul ticketing process, confirming active group plans for the second half of the year. Hendery remains part of the advertised group activity as of August 2026. No official notice announces his departure.

His status line is therefore Active member and songwriter, with WayV 2019–present used for the years. The personal studio belongs in the individual-career section, and tour performances remain attached to both Hendery and the WayV group profile. This keeps the site’s relationships accurate without multiplying the same artist into disconnected pages.

Public personality, interests and sensible boundaries

Hendery’s public persona is energetic, imaginative and unusually unafraid of embarrassment. WayV variety programs show him building jokes from small details, creating characters and reacting physically when a quieter response would disappear on camera. His original interest in comedy makes that behavior feel less accidental than a compilation of funny moments suggests.

Fans also associate him with fantasy imagery and a Prince Eric resemblance, but those nicknames are fandom language rather than professional roles. More reliable personal notes come from official self-introductions and group content: he enjoys music, movies and trying ideas that let him perform a character. Food stories and member teasing are best treated as light context, not permanent psychological evidence.

Profiles should also resist surveillance. Public schedules, released interviews, verified credits and official social accounts are fair material. Rumors about private friendships or relationships do not improve a music profile. Hendery has enough documented work that recycled gossip would only make the page less accurate.

Zodiac side quest

Western sign: Libra. Libra is associated with balance, social awareness and aesthetic judgment. It is a playful match for someone who can negotiate a multilingual group and switch between elegant stage styling and full variety chaos.

Chinese zodiac: Earth Rabbit. Hendery was born after Lunar New Year in 1999, making him an Earth Rabbit. Rabbit years are often linked with diplomacy and quick social reading, while Earth adds steadiness. Astrology is a side quest, not a career explanation.

YouTube tracking history

CVM Sekai tracks WayV and NCT official channels for group releases, NCT U projects, performance films, dance practices, behind-the-scenes footage, and clearly credited Hendery content. Group and unit work remains attached to the relevant group pages and this canonical member profile. It does not create an Artist classification without a formal solo music release.

Sources

• SM Entertainment artist information
• Official 2026 BORN THIS Way tour notice
• Hendery official Instagram
• WayV official YouTube
• CVM Sekai WayV group profile
• All member profiles

This page is current through August 2026 and separates released work from canceled plans and unconfirmed future projects.