It seems like Tao is officially making his departure from Korean idol boy group EXO.
Following the news of Tao setting up his own solo studio in China, the former idol group member has now confirmed that he will also be making his solo debut as a Chinese artiste. The announcement was made through ZTAO Studio, the official Weibo account of his Chinese studio.
On 13th July (Monday), a representatives of the 22-year-old artiste confirmed on his official Weibo account that Tao will return to the music scene as a solo artiste on 23rd July.
The Weibo post reads:
7.23 Huang Z.Tao will officially be making a comeback as a solo artiste with his first mini album. Please look forward to it. #HuangZiTaosOfficialReturn
The announcement came along with a teaser poster of Tao, in which he can be seen sporting bright purple hair. Tao previously hinted at his solo debut by sharing a couple of pictures of him working in a recording studio on 26th June.
In the post, he wrote, “A man that studies hard is hot. Hello everyone, it’s been awhile.”
SM Entertainment has yet to respond to the reports about his solo debut, but vaguely confirmed that Tao is no longer part of EXO by removing him from the list of active EXO-M members on Facebook. Tao was also caught in a social media scuffle as he unfollowed everyone on Instagram after Chanyeol of EXO-K unfollowed him.
Let’s not forget the controversy where Tao replaced a music teacher with the surname “Zhang” for a Chinese children’s singing show. People were speculating that said teacher is EXO’s Lay, whose real name is Zhang Yi Xing.
It is unclear who will be involved in Tao’s upcoming solo album, but fans are already excited to see what he has in store for them.
UPDATE (20th July, 4:35pm):
Z.TAO (formerly known as Tao) has revealed a teaser for his upcoming album, titled “T.A.O”. Directed by Nick Lentz, the music video teaser is said to have a deep symbolic meaning as it captures the artist’s struggles in water.
Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=33&v=tPt2I6DBjIw
With just a few days until the official release of his new album, are you excited about his solo debut? What do you think his debut concept will look like? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
