S.E.S. (band)
Encyclopedia
S.E.S. (Hangul
: 에스.이.에스) was a popular pop
girl group
that signed with SM Entertainment
. Lasting from 1997 to 2002, they were viewed as the female version of H.O.T.
, another SM group who also enjoyed phenomenal popularity during the same years.
S.E.S. was the first highly successful female K-pop group. They were not unchallenged: groups like Fin.K.L
and Baby V.O.X debuted soon after S.E.S. and were also successful. Although an intense rivalry developed between S.E.S. and Fin.K.L fans, members of both groups have always stated that there was no rivalry and that they in fact were friends. However, while S.E.S. managed to consistently have high sales numbers for their albums, it was Fin.K.L who won a daesang (대상) (the Korean equivalent of the Grammy Award
) for "Artist of the Year", from various music award shows.
Through the years, the members have gone through various style and image changes, from cute to sexy to mature, without losing their strong fanbase. S.E.S. broke up at the end of 2002, and its members have gone solo to varying degrees of success.
, where she was living at the time, which showcased her bubbly personality. SM executives saw the video and agreed that Eugene could be a star. The last member to join was Shoo, who was the only member to go through a "real" audition process. Executives figured that Shoo would be a nice fit to the group, and so the group was formed. They quickly began training, going through voice, dance, and interview lessons.
's "Propose" show, they displayed their talent: Eugene demonstrated her piano training, while Bada showed off her strong voice, Shoo backing her up with her harmony. Lee Soo Man
's promotional strategy worked: "I'm Your Girl" (which had Shinhwa
members Eric Mun
and Andy Lee rapping in the introduction) and "Oh, My Love!" became huge hits for S.E.S., and they quickly became one of the top-selling groups in K-Pop. As Bada was the main singer, she usually took the choruses of songs and had solos in which she could show off her vocal range. Eugene was quickly chosen by fans as the pretty member of the group, while Shoo, although not unpopular, was not noted for any special talents except being fluent in Japanese.
Their second album, Sea & Eugene & Shoo
, was released in 1998. They changed little from their first album, although for their first single, "Dreams Come True" (a cover of Finnish group Nylon Beat
's "Like A Fool"), they had a very space
-themed look with funky hair and shiny outfits. The music video followed the theme as well, which had the girls take on fairy images. This song also became a huge hit, along with "너를 사랑해 (I Love You)", which saw them returning to their cute looks. The album sold over 650,000 copies.
They also managed to release a Japanese album, Meguriau Sekai, in 1998, although it fared poorly. In between their Korean albums, S.E.S. would continue to release Japanese singles and albums, but these were never as widely received as their Korean works.
and cost over US$1,000,000;a large amount spent on a music video at that time. Their second single, "Twilight Zone", which was a R&B-pop song, also saw the continuation of this edgy, grown-up theme, although all of them changed their hair colour into darker shades. However, this concept was abandoned at the end of their promotional schedule, as all three girls reverted to a simpler image; the dance for "Twilight Zone" changed as well. Promotional activities stopped at the end of January 2000.
. This again was accompanied by a change in image. This album saw them move away from the cute image entirely, having instead a "mature women" concept. All the members wore suits for their performances, and their look was significantly more sophisticated. The style of their songs also moved away from light pop music: instead of having cute poppy songs (like their first two albums), or R&B-pop songs (like their third album), this album was very jazzy. "감싸 안으며 (Show Me Your Love)" was their first single from this album. A cover of j-pop
star Misia's "Tsutsumi Komu Youni...", the song was a slow, jazzy ballad that was technically one of their best singles, showing off the vocal abilities of all three singers. This single and album continued S.E.S.'s winning streak, helping to cement their status as K-pop's reigning queens. They also released a second single, "Be Natural", which did fairly well but was under-promoted in comparison to "Show Me Your Love".
, and it matched the sunny theme of the song quite well. "Just In Love" was a very popular song, and it was heavily promoted. However, Bada collapsed from exhaustion during a performance on one of Korea's major music shows. Because of this, S.E.S. stopped promotional activities early and released the other singles without "real" music videos (being compilation or montage videos instead) or promotion efforts. The album underperformed compared to the group's previous works, although it still managed to sell more than 350,000 copies.
for one scene. This song also did well and returned S.E.S. to the top of the charts. "Just A Feeling", their second single from this album, was an energetic dance track with an equally energetic video. However, their promotional schedule for the song was limited and it was not performed as often as their other singles. "Feeling" became one of their few singles to not hit the top spot on the music show charts.
Their last album as a group, Friend (their "5.5"th), was released at the end of the year. Their single was titled "Soul II Soul (S.II.S.)", which was a play on words (as the number 2 can be pronounced as "E" in Korean). The music video, though, was quite dark, as Bada is seen writing letters while crying, Eugene is cutting up bunnies in a room (suggesting mental instability), and Shoo is seen caressing a large ball of light on her bed. However, it did not create much controversy, because it was officially announced that S.E.S. was breaking up at the end of 2002. Although Eugene was the first to leave, news reports stated that the girls had promised each other at the end of 2000 that they would break up in a couple of years, no matter what. The news did not increase sales of their last album: final numbers ended up being under the 100,000 mark.
The other two have since signed with other companies: Bada is under JIIN Entertainment, while Eugene is with PFull Entertainment
. Both of them have pursued solo music careers, with varying degrees of success. While Bada's first album had strong sales, her second performed dismally. Her last record, though, has resuscitated her career. Eugene, on the other hand, had two albums with mediocre sales numbers, both with a strong first single. She has since moved on to acting, however.
All three members have said that S.E.S. may regroup sometime in the near future. Only time will tell if this will actually happen, but the three of them are still together in some capacity, being close friends. In fact, when receiving a special award from MTV
Korea in November 2005, the three re-united and sang a song from their fifth album, to the surprise and delight of their fans.
In 2007, the group reunited again celebrating their 10th Anniversary, and in 2008, they appeared as a group on the Korean show Happy Sunday, though a reunion is not clear. In October 2009, they made another appearance together as a group on the show Come to Play.
Japanese albums
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 에스.이.에스) was a popular pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
that signed with SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment
S.M. Entertainment is an independent Korean record label, talent agency, producer, and publisher of pop music, founded by Lee Soo-man in South Korea...
. Lasting from 1997 to 2002, they were viewed as the female version of H.O.T.
H.O.T.
H.O.T. was a popular five-member South Korean boy band in the mid to late 1990s. Their name is an acronym, standing for "High-five Of Teenagers". They were formed by SM Entertainment in 1996 and disbanded in 2001.H.O.T...
, another SM group who also enjoyed phenomenal popularity during the same years.
S.E.S. was the first highly successful female K-pop group. They were not unchallenged: groups like Fin.K.L
Fin.K.L
Fin.K.L was a Korean pop girl group that debuted in 1998.Their name stands for Fin Killing Liberty, and was intended to mean that the group stood against "the oppression of all freedom" . The group's name was selected by a poll of young people by the record company before the group's inception...
and Baby V.O.X debuted soon after S.E.S. and were also successful. Although an intense rivalry developed between S.E.S. and Fin.K.L fans, members of both groups have always stated that there was no rivalry and that they in fact were friends. However, while S.E.S. managed to consistently have high sales numbers for their albums, it was Fin.K.L who won a daesang (대상) (the Korean equivalent of the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
) for "Artist of the Year", from various music award shows.
Through the years, the members have gone through various style and image changes, from cute to sexy to mature, without losing their strong fanbase. S.E.S. broke up at the end of 2002, and its members have gone solo to varying degrees of success.
Pre-debut: Discovery
The official biography video states that Bada was the first one discovered in 1996, when Lee Soo Man saw her singing at her performing arts school. Taken by her voice, he quickly offered her a recording contract, and was therefore the first member to be chosen. Eugene, on the other hand, did not first appear in person. She, in fact, sent in a video from GuamGuam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, where she was living at the time, which showcased her bubbly personality. SM executives saw the video and agreed that Eugene could be a star. The last member to join was Shoo, who was the only member to go through a "real" audition process. Executives figured that Shoo would be a nice fit to the group, and so the group was formed. They quickly began training, going through voice, dance, and interview lessons.
1997–1998
They released their first album in 1997 under SM Entertainment, and had their public debut in November 1997. Their look at the time was very innocent, with their songs being cute love songs. However, they also made sure that they were seen as talented entertainers. In much of their promotional work, including an appearance on Korean diva Lee SoraLee Sora
Lee So-Ra is a Korean singer.She released her first album in 1995. Her sixth album, Nunsseopdal won her the Korean Music Awards for Best Female Vocalist in 2005...
's "Propose" show, they displayed their talent: Eugene demonstrated her piano training, while Bada showed off her strong voice, Shoo backing her up with her harmony. Lee Soo Man
Lee Soo Man
Lee Soo Man is a South Korean entrepreneur and the founder & chairman of S.M. Entertainment Co.,Ltd. Group, which includes two subsidiaries specializing in K-pop groups....
's promotional strategy worked: "I'm Your Girl" (which had Shinhwa
Shinhwa
Shinhwa is a popular South Korean boy band and hip hop group. The group has six members , and debuted on March 24, 1998. It has enjoyed massive success alongside the likes of Sechs Kies, g.o.d., Turbo , Fin. K.L., H.O.T. and S.E.S...
members Eric Mun
Eric Mun
Eric Mun Jung Hyuk, , mononymously credited as Eric, was born on 16 February 1979. He is a South Korean entertainer, known as the leader and rapper of six-member boy band Shinhwa and his lead roles in Korean dramas The Phoenix and Super Rookie.-Career:Eric attended John Burroughs Middle School...
and Andy Lee rapping in the introduction) and "Oh, My Love!" became huge hits for S.E.S., and they quickly became one of the top-selling groups in K-Pop. As Bada was the main singer, she usually took the choruses of songs and had solos in which she could show off her vocal range. Eugene was quickly chosen by fans as the pretty member of the group, while Shoo, although not unpopular, was not noted for any special talents except being fluent in Japanese.
Their second album, Sea & Eugene & Shoo
Sea & Eugene & Shoo
Sea & Eugene & Shoo is an album in 1998 by S.E.S..This is the group's second album, a month after their Japanese single was released.It sold approximately 680,000 copies...
, was released in 1998. They changed little from their first album, although for their first single, "Dreams Come True" (a cover of Finnish group Nylon Beat
Nylon Beat
Nylon Beat was a Finnish pop band that was very popular during 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, consisting of the girl duo Jonna Kosonen and Erin Koivisto...
's "Like A Fool"), they had a very space
Space
Space is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction. Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum...
-themed look with funky hair and shiny outfits. The music video followed the theme as well, which had the girls take on fairy images. This song also became a huge hit, along with "너를 사랑해 (I Love You)", which saw them returning to their cute looks. The album sold over 650,000 copies.
They also managed to release a Japanese album, Meguriau Sekai, in 1998, although it fared poorly. In between their Korean albums, S.E.S. would continue to release Japanese singles and albums, but these were never as widely received as their Korean works.
1999–2000
At the end of 1999, their third album, Love was released. It was their best-selling album, selling over 762,000 copies; this is currently the record for best-selling album in Korea by a female group. This album also saw a marked change in their image, away from cutesy girls into edgy singers. All of them dyed their hair and had unusual leather outfits for their promotional activities. In fact, Bada bleached her hair blonde without the knowledge of her management, thinking that it would fit the album concept well. Their fans ate this up, and the title song from the album, "Love", a medium tempo pop song, became a huge single for S.E.S.. This was helped by their sophisticated video, which was made in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and cost over US$1,000,000;a large amount spent on a music video at that time. Their second single, "Twilight Zone", which was a R&B-pop song, also saw the continuation of this edgy, grown-up theme, although all of them changed their hair colour into darker shades. However, this concept was abandoned at the end of their promotional schedule, as all three girls reverted to a simpler image; the dance for "Twilight Zone" changed as well. Promotional activities stopped at the end of January 2000.
2000–2001
December 2000 saw the release of S.E.S.'s fourth album, A Letter From GreenlandA Letter from Greenland
A Letter From Greenland is an album in 2000 by S.E.S.. This is S.E.S.' fourth Korean album. It sold approximately 300,000 copies. Singles include "감싸안으며 " and "Be Natural"...
. This again was accompanied by a change in image. This album saw them move away from the cute image entirely, having instead a "mature women" concept. All the members wore suits for their performances, and their look was significantly more sophisticated. The style of their songs also moved away from light pop music: instead of having cute poppy songs (like their first two albums), or R&B-pop songs (like their third album), this album was very jazzy. "감싸 안으며 (Show Me Your Love)" was their first single from this album. A cover of j-pop
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
star Misia's "Tsutsumi Komu Youni...", the song was a slow, jazzy ballad that was technically one of their best singles, showing off the vocal abilities of all three singers. This single and album continued S.E.S.'s winning streak, helping to cement their status as K-pop's reigning queens. They also released a second single, "Be Natural", which did fairly well but was under-promoted in comparison to "Show Me Your Love".
2001
In the summer of 2001, a special album was released (receiving the ".5" label). Called Surprise, their 4.5th album was a collection of their Japanese songs re-recorded in Korean (with new instrumentals). The first single, "꿈을 모아서 (Just In Love)", brought S.E.S. back to a happy, poppy theme, although they avoided the cutesy images from their debut. The video was filmed in ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and it matched the sunny theme of the song quite well. "Just In Love" was a very popular song, and it was heavily promoted. However, Bada collapsed from exhaustion during a performance on one of Korea's major music shows. Because of this, S.E.S. stopped promotional activities early and released the other singles without "real" music videos (being compilation or montage videos instead) or promotion efforts. The album underperformed compared to the group's previous works, although it still managed to sell more than 350,000 copies.
2002
Their last major album, Choose My Life-U, was released in early spring of 2002. This was a continuation of their sophisticated theme, with the album booklet full of suggestive pictures of the girls. Their first single "U" was quite different, being very dance-intensive; the video showed the girls in dominant roles and positions, with Eugene even becoming a dominatrixDominatrix
Dominatrix or mistress is a woman or women who takes the dominant role in bondage, discipline and sadomasochism, or BDSM. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "mistress", "ma'am", "domina" or "maîtresse"...
for one scene. This song also did well and returned S.E.S. to the top of the charts. "Just A Feeling", their second single from this album, was an energetic dance track with an equally energetic video. However, their promotional schedule for the song was limited and it was not performed as often as their other singles. "Feeling" became one of their few singles to not hit the top spot on the music show charts.
Their last album as a group, Friend (their "5.5"th), was released at the end of the year. Their single was titled "Soul II Soul (S.II.S.)", which was a play on words (as the number 2 can be pronounced as "E" in Korean). The music video, though, was quite dark, as Bada is seen writing letters while crying, Eugene is cutting up bunnies in a room (suggesting mental instability), and Shoo is seen caressing a large ball of light on her bed. However, it did not create much controversy, because it was officially announced that S.E.S. was breaking up at the end of 2002. Although Eugene was the first to leave, news reports stated that the girls had promised each other at the end of 2000 that they would break up in a couple of years, no matter what. The news did not increase sales of their last album: final numbers ended up being under the 100,000 mark.
Post-S.E.S.
Currently, all the members are busy working on individual careers. Although Shoo was the only member who had decided to stay with SM after the first contract expired, she later chose to also leave SM Entertainment in 2006. Shoo has differed from her former band mates in that she did not pursue a solo music career; instead, she has done musicals such as Bat Boy, which have added to her credibility as a singer.The other two have since signed with other companies: Bada is under JIIN Entertainment, while Eugene is with PFull Entertainment
PFull Entertainment
PFull Entertainment is a Korean entertainment company who currently represents Fly to the Sky, Bin, Eugene, and Cats.-External links:*...
. Both of them have pursued solo music careers, with varying degrees of success. While Bada's first album had strong sales, her second performed dismally. Her last record, though, has resuscitated her career. Eugene, on the other hand, had two albums with mediocre sales numbers, both with a strong first single. She has since moved on to acting, however.
All three members have said that S.E.S. may regroup sometime in the near future. Only time will tell if this will actually happen, but the three of them are still together in some capacity, being close friends. In fact, when receiving a special award from MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
Korea in November 2005, the three re-united and sang a song from their fifth album, to the surprise and delight of their fans.
In 2007, the group reunited again celebrating their 10th Anniversary, and in 2008, they appeared as a group on the Korean show Happy Sunday, though a reunion is not clear. In October 2009, they made another appearance together as a group on the show Come to Play.
Members
- Bada (바다, a.k.a. Sea) (b. February 28, 1980) was the lead singer of the group, with the greatest vocal power and range. "Bada" means "sea" in Korean, thus the "Sea" in "S.E.S." She has since become a solo artist.
- Eugene (유진) (b. March 3, 1981) was the "face" of S.E.S., taking the lead in many group advertisements. After the break-up, Eugene has done both music and acting.
- ShooShoo (singer)Yoo Soo-Young , more commonly known as Shoo , is a South Korean singer, actor, and a member of the pop group S.E.S.. Although Korean, she lived in Japan for most of her early life. She got her start in the group by trying out in auditions for SM Entertainment...
(슈) (born October 23, 1981) was capable in singing and dancing. During her time in S.E.S., she was known for her wild hair and her goofy appeal. Shoo went into musicals after the break-up, including the Korean version of Bat Boy: The MusicalBat Boy: The MusicalBat Boy: The Musical is a musical with a book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming and music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe, based on a June 23, 1992 Weekly World News story about a half-boy, half-bat, dubbed "Bat Boy", found living in a cave....
.
Discography
Korean albums- S.E.S.S.E.S. (album)S.E.S. is an album in 1997 by S.E.S.. This is S.E.S.' debut album. It sold approximately 650,000 copies. Its title track "I'm Your Girl" featured Eric and Andy of Shinhwa before their debut where they rapped for the song...
(1997) - Sea & Eugene & ShooSea & Eugene & ShooSea & Eugene & Shoo is an album in 1998 by S.E.S..This is the group's second album, a month after their Japanese single was released.It sold approximately 680,000 copies...
(1998) - LoveLove (S.E.S. album)Love is an album in 1999 by S.E.S.. This is S.E.S.' third Korean album. It sold approximately 780,000 copies. Singles include "Love" and "Twilight Zone".-Track listing:# Opening # Twilight Zone # 첫 사랑 # Love...
(1999) - A Letter from GreenlandA Letter from GreenlandA Letter From Greenland is an album in 2000 by S.E.S.. This is S.E.S.' fourth Korean album. It sold approximately 300,000 copies. Singles include "감싸안으며 " and "Be Natural"...
(2000) - SurpriseSurprise (S.E.S. album)Surprise is a compilation in 2001 by S.E.S.. This is also considered their 4.5 album . It sold approximately 350,000 copies. The album is composed of Korean covers of the group's Japanese songs. The only single was "꿈을 모아서 ", originally "Yume wo Kasanete". A bonus track, Fate World, was also...
(2001) - Choose My Life-UChoose My Life-UChoose My Life-U is an album in 2002 by S.E.S.. This is S.E.S.' fifth Korean album. It sold approximately 400,000 copies. The singles include "U" and "Just A Feeling ".-Track listing:# Just A Feeling...
(2002) - FriendFriend (album)Friend is an album in 2002 by S.E.S.. This is S.E.S.' last Korean album. It sold approximately 95,000 copies. The single was "S.II.S ", but the group never performed it on television....
(2002)
Japanese albums
- "Reach Out (S.E.S. album)Reach Out (S.E.S. album)Reach Out is an album in 1999 by S.E.S.. This is S.E.S.' first Japanese album.-Track listing:# という名の誇り# LIKE A SHOOTING STAR# 夢をかさねて# Believe In Love# Sweetyハミング# 時の雫# Searchin’ For My Love# めぐりあう世界# Little Bird# Dreams Come True...
" (1999) - "Prime: S.E.S. the Best" (2000)
- "Be Ever WonderfulBe Ever WonderfulBe Ever Wonderful is an album in 2000 by S.E.S.. This is S.E.S.' third Japanese album.-Track listing:# BRAND NEW ★ WORLD # Do & Be # A Song For You # W/O/U # Love~いつまでもオンジェ・カジナ~ # TO: My Sweety Lover...
" (2000) - "Here & There – S.E.S. Singles Collection" (2001)
- "Beautiful SongsBeautiful SongsBeautiful Songs is a compilation in 2003 by S.E.S.. This is S.E.S.' last album. It's made up of their Korean songs, but there are more album tracks present than there are singles...
" (2003)