Huang Zitao is a Chinese singer-songwriter, rapper, martial artist, and actor born on May 2, 1993, in Qingdao, Shandong, China. As a child, his naughty behavior led his father to enroll him in Wushu Martial Arts training at the age of 5 to learn discipline. Huang was a student athlete and practiced Wushu throughout his school-years, competing in martial arts competitions in his hometown.
Zitao developed a passion for music from a young age and decided to pursue a career in the field upon leaving school. In 2010, he participated in the MBC Star Audition, where he was scouted by a representative from Korea's SM Entertainment and chosen to debut in the K-Pop group EXO.
During his time as an EXO member, Tao continued to practice Wushu with actor and martial arts choreographer Bruce Khan and performed Wushu Taolu routines during concerts and variety programs. He made his acting debut in the Chinese movie You Are My Sunshine alongside good friend Huang Xiaoming.
In 2015, it was announced that Huang Zitao would be leaving EXO and SM Entertainment. He later filed for contract termination with SM Entertainment and made his successful solo musical debut with his digital mini-album T.A.O under the stage name Z.Tao. The album broke records by selling 670,000 units in a week.
Tao's subsequent mini-album featured an action-packed short movie with big and dramatic cinematic visuals for his single Crown, which acted as the short movie's soundtrack. He co-starred with model and actress Jessica Gomez and actor Jeff Kober.
Aside from his music career, Tao expressed his wish to become a martial artist actor and promote Chinese martial arts like Jackie Chan. He was confirmed to be one of the supporting characters in Jackie Chan's upcoming movie, Railroad Tigers, and also starred in the movie Summer, Portrait of a 19-year-old.
Tao was also confirmed as the main character in director Gao Xixi's movie The Game Changer, about gang wars in Shanghai's republican era, and will take the lead in the TV adaptation of the movie series A Chinese Odyssey as the Monkey King, Zhi Zun Bao. He will also star in the movie adaptation of the Famen temple code fantasy novels, directed by Tsui Hark, as the character Zhao Ye.
Michelle Yeoh, the Chinese Malaysian actress, praised Tao for his Wushu skills and wished for him to successfully pass down Chinese martial arts to the next generations after meeting him on the variety show The Negotiator.
