Shinhwa
Encyclopedia
Shinhwa is a popular South Korea
n boy band
and hip hop group. The group has six members (with 3 vocalists and 3 rappers), and debuted on March 24, 1998. It has enjoyed massive success alongside the likes of Sechs Kies
, g.o.d.
, Turbo (group)
, Fin. K.L., H.O.T.
and S.E.S. Shinhwa is the Korean
word for myth
or legend
.
Initially formed under SM Entertainment
, Shinhwa signed a new contract with a new record label, Good Entertainment
, in July 2003. While still under Good Entertainment as Shinhwa, each of the members have all left the entertainment to start their own to concentrate on their solo activities, from acting to going solo. Aside from singing and performing as a group and individuals as well as acting, the members of Shinhwa are also mentors to the Korean boy band Battle
.
and girl group S.E.S., created by Lee Soo Man
, producer and co-founder of SM Entertainment
. Lee scouted for possible candidates to create another band to match their standards.
The first member scouted was Shin Hye Sung
, who attended Granada Hills High School, after a stand-out audition in Los Angeles, California
. Andy Lee
was then chosen to join the group as he was once a candidate for H.O.T. At that time his parents prohibited him from joining H.O.T because he was too young. Eric Mun
joined not long after Andy. Eric attended John Burroughs Middle School located in Los Angeles, CA and Sunny Hills High School located in Fullerton, CA. Following Eric came Lee Min Woo
, who was discovered by a SM scout when he won 1st place at a student dance competition. Kim Dong Wan
was spotted by a scout on the street and was initially interrested in acting, but joined after he saw a preview video of the existing members. Finally, Jun Jin
made it as the final member through an audition backed by his high school friend, Kangta
. Among the six, only two had had previous exposure to the media; Eric and Andy were introduced in 1997 as rappers in fellow SM group S.E.S.'s song "I'm Your Girl".
With the formation complete, the six-member group, named Shinhwa, debuted under SM Entertainment
on 24 March 1998 with a performance of their first single "해결사" (The Solver) on KM Music Tank. Their second single, "으샤으샤" (Eusha Eusha), is a light-hearted track where they adopted a cute image to match the concept of the song, complete with outfit in white and blue colors. Their third single, "천일유혼" (Sharing Forever) also charted well but was not as successful as the previous two. However, they were accused of being another copy of H.O.T. and were involved in controversy when a tragic water accident occurred, and "으샤으샤" (Eusha Eusha), which was about a fun trip at the beach, was used as a reminder of the accident. Hence, their debut album Resolver
did not perform as well as expected and the band almost disbanded.
Shinhwa's second album, T.O.P.
, was released on 19 April 1999. It garnered considerable success with its title song. The album debuted at #4 and peaked at #3, selling 377,500 copies and charting for 24 weeks on the Korean monthly chart. With the release of T.O.P, Shinhwa began to move away from their "cute" image to an edgier image concept. Riding on the success of their second album, the group received the "1998's Best Music Video from a new male pop group" award from M.Net, their first major music award.
, was released on May 27, 2000. The album was as successful as Shinhwa's previous two albums, selling approximately 423,873 copies. It debuted at number one and was the band's first number one album. It contained three successful singles: "Only One", "All Your Dreams", and "First Love". The album spent approximately 24 weeks on the charts.
With the success of Only One, Shinhwa won three awards that year: the SBS Gayo "Popularity Award", the KMTV song "Bonsang Award", and the "Popular Singers Award". Their revised dancing style also garnered them much popularity, as it took after the likes of popular American
boy bands N'Sync and Backstreet Boys
. The group once again underwent a drastic change in appearance, taking on a distinctly gothic
image, with most of the members bleaching their hair. On January 13 and January 14 of that year, Shinhwa also held one their first concerts ever, entitled First Mythology.
Shinhwa's fourth album, Hey, Come On!
, was released on June 8, 2001, debuting at #3 with the lead single "Hey, Come On!" rapidly climbing up the music charts. The album's release coincided with the rise of the Korean Wave
, spreading the group's popularity overseas. The album was a strong seller and managed to sell 430,706 copies. Though a success, Shinhwa promoted the album with only one single. In yet another change in appearance, the members took on a cleaner look, moving completely away from the goth image in the previous album. Hey, Come On! charted for 28 weeks on the Korean monthly chart and was ranked #11 on the 2001 year-end chart.
While their album was a stronger seller, Shinhwa was associated with controversies at the time, giving the group a heavy publicity with the absence of group member Andy and the alleged copying of Shinhwa's popular single, "Hey, Come On!" by Taiwan
ese boy band
, Energy
.
On January 31, 2002, Shinhwa released a compilation album entitled, My Choice
. The album featured some of the members' favorite songs and some of their most popular tracks as well. In contrast to Hey, Come On!s strong sales, My Choice was met with moderate success, selling more than 171,368 copies and debuted and peaked at #4 before it was dropped from the Korean monthly Chart. However, when the yearly chart was released, My Choice ranked #31, selling a total of 183,098 copies.
, Perfect Man, on March 29, 2002. The album also marked the return of member Andy Lee. The album was accompanied with another change in the group's appearance as they moved away from their "clean" look into a more preppy style by sporting trendy clothing and styles. Perfect Man debuted at #1 on the Korean monthly chart, becoming Shinhwa's second #1 album. The title track became popular among their fans, letting Shinhwa promote the album with a second single, "I Pray 4 U". The album was once again a strong seller, selling 355,333 copies and was #14 on the year end chart "Top 100 Albums in 2002" where the album sales was 362,639 copies. It charted for approximately 23 weeks.
On August 25, 2003, Shinhwa experienced one of its first international breakthroughs in Asia
when Perfect Man was ranked #10 on the Singapore
-Mandarin chart. With this recognition, they were chosen to be Korea's representative in the POP Asia 2002 ceremony in Japan
and were later invited to be Korea's representative in Japan's Asia Dream concert (ABU award ceremony).
Towards the end of 2002, Shinhwa made history in the Korean music industry by becoming the longest-running Korean boy band with the release of its sixth album, Wedding
, on December 6, 2002. They also became the second artist in South Korea to release two albums in a single year. Wedding debuted and peaked at #3 and sold 273,714 copies.
With the expriation of the group's contract, SM Entertainment offered them a second contract but the group rejected it and signed with new company, Good Entertainment
. However, they had to go to court to retain the use of their name. Which they won and duly moved from SM Entertainment to Good Entertainment. Because the contract with Good Entertainment did not begin until 2004, Shinhwa members pursued solo activities in 2003.
Shinhwa released a compilation album entitled Winter Story 2003-2004
on December 30, 2003, which sold over 100,000 copies. The lead single "Young Gunz" was often requested at radio stations. Because it was a success, Shinhwa began releasing Winter Story every winter afterwards.
Shinhwa had another live concert from April 18 to April 20, 2003 named The Everlasting Mythology. They also went on their Winter Story Tour, which traveled to six cities: Seoul
, Pusan, Daejeon
, Incheon
, Daegu
, and Kwangju as well as going to Japan with a concert call SHINHWA First Live in Tokyo, where they also held a Japanese fan meeting called Have Fun With Shinhwa On M.Net Tour.
The members of Shinhwa pursued solo activities in 2003. Min Woo went solo under the name "M," releasing his first album entitled Un-touch-able, while Hye Sung collaborated with Kangta
and Lee Ji Hoon
for a project group S
. Jun Jin branched out into acting with the drama Forbidden Love alongside actress Kim Tae Hee
. Andy and Jun Jin also participated in a Korean sitcom Nonstop 4 as well as Banjun Drama
. Eric also began acting in dramas soon after acting in several CF
s.
. It debuted at #3 and peaked at #1 in November, selling 320,337 copies. Unlike their previous albums, Brand New had a different beat, transitioning from bubblegum pop
to dance songs. The group heavily promoted Brand New with four singles: "Angel", "Oh!", "Crazy", and title track. The album was ranked #4 on the 2004 year-end chart.
On December 10, 2004, Shinhwa was awarded the Daesang for Best Artist of The Year for the first time at the Seoul
Gayo Daesang Awards. Several weeks later, on December 29, Shinhwa was awarded their second Daesang at the 2004 SBS Gayo Daejun Awards, winning two of the possible 4 Daesang in that year with Rain and Lee Soo Young
receiving the other two. In 2004, of all musical artists and groups, Shinhwa received the most awards, totaling thirteen or more, from various places: the m.net KMTV Music Video Festival, Seoul Gayo Daesang, Golden Disc Awards and MBC
, KBS, SBS Gayo
Awards. The awards other than Best Artist of the Year included Best Male Artist, Best Dance Artist, and Overseas Choice Award.
After the success of Brand New they began touring. In August of that year, they held a Korea-China-Japan summer camp called Shinhwa Summer Story 2004. The camp was dedicated entirely for their non-Korean fans. Hundreds of non-Korean fans flew to Korea from all over Asia for the opportunity to spend a few days with the band. They also toured in Japan and held a concert, selling 13,000 tickets within a week.
In yet another change in appearance, Shinhwa's image matured from the preppy style in Perfect Man to a more sophisticated look. They began wearing black suits, which was rather uncommon among boy bands at that time. Although they previously dyed their hair in various colors (from purple to silver), in Brand New they stopped completely, leaving their hair in either brown or black. They also trimmed their hair to a neat style or cut it short, which was uncommon among boy bands because "shaggy hair" was in style.
Though they have written lyrics for their music before, Shinhwa took more creative control over their music and began writing a majority of their lyrics. Eric wrote some rap lyrics for some of the songs while Minwoo Lee took charge and began writing full lyrics. Some songs that he had written are: "All of My", "Oh", and "U". He later went on to write the song "Superstar" for the group Jewelry
, which became a hit. The other members also co-wrote various other songs.
Although, Shinhwa was mostly on hiatus throughout 2005, they released two popular singles, "How Do I Say" and "Hey Dude!". They also held the Tropical Summer Story Festival concert. For a majority of 2005, Shinhwa hosted a reality show called Let's Coke Play Battle Shinhwa!. The show was almost identical to the American reality show, American Idol
where people audition and sing, hoping to become singers. (see Notable Achievements below.) To end the year, Shinhwa released their second Winter Story album, Winter Story 2004-2005
, selling in excess of 102,345 copies.
On May 11, 2006, Shinhwa returned to the K-pop
scene, with the release of their eighth album, State of the Art, which debuted at #1. Brand New and State Of The Art became Shinhwa's first consecutive #1 albums in a row. Heavily promoted, the album sold approximately 215,641 copies domestically, with their lead single "Once in a Lifetime" being #1 on the Hottracks Sales Chart, followed by SG Wannabe
's "3RD MASTERPIECE". Their second single, "Throw My Fist" debuted at #1 with Zhang Liyin's "Timeless" at #2. State Of The Art became the third best selling album for the year of 2006, behind SG Wannabe's 3RD MASTERPIECE and TVXQ
's "O"-Jung. Ban.Hap. ("O"-正.反.合.).
After State of the Art, Shinhwa began working on their first Japanese album and single. To prepare for their Japanese album release, Shinhwa held a press conference in Japan on April 14, 2006 and performed at MNET's anniversary celebration in Japan on April 15, 2006. The press conference came as a result of Shinhwa's effort to break into the Japanese market, with the release of their first Japanese language
single This is the Sun in Our Hearts on June 14, 2006, which debuted at #9 on the Oricon Chart, and their first official album, Inspiration #1
, in Japan on August 16, 2006, which debuted at #4. Both sold in excess of 100,000 copies each. Shinhwa also had their first Asia tour that lasted 5 months. The tour started with their first concert on May 13, 2006 at the Olympic Park, Seoul
, and reached Shanghai
, Thailand
, Singapore
, Japan
, as well as others locations for a total of 9 cities throughout Asia. Shinhwa also did concerts at Budokan Hall in Tokyo
, and Osaka-jo Hall
on September 24 and 26th as the part of their Asian Tour.
Their concert in Shanghai was successful; all tickets were sold out. When Shinhwa landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport
, almost 1,500 fans were waiting for them, causing a traffic jam around the airport and setting a record in China
for having the most fans greet them in the airport. The members had to be escorted one by one out of the airport with personal bodyguards, including 40 policemen and 10 other personal bodyguards. At the concert, a sea of orange and balloons filled the concert. To underline Shinhwa's Shanghai concert as a success, the Chinese media stated that Shinhwa was "hotter than Bi or Lee Junki", two Korean celebrities who are very successful throughout Asia.
The other members manage to have pursued their own solo activities as well. Eric finished his drama Que Sera, Sera
and although he is currently the only member in Shinhwa who hasn't pursued a solo singing career, reports have mentioned that this is a possibility in the near future. Jun Jin, who released his first single the previous year, finished promoting it and was supposedly preparing for his first album, with the help of Min Woo, which would be released around September. However, he did not release an album or single from him. Andy starred in the musical, "Music In My Heart (Season 3)."
In the midst of their solo activities, Shinhwa was said to be working on their ninth album. Originally set to be released on October 2007 with tours from October to December, their ninth album was then push back to being released in December. However, due to each of the members having hectic schedules, the album release date was pushed into March 2008. While Shinhwa was not expected to release an album in 2007, they released their compilation album Winter Story 2007-2008
on December 6, 2007, which debuted at #1 on the Korean monthly chart.
Shortly after the release of Winter Story 2007-2008, Shinhwa staged their Asia Concert with a two-day performance on the 8th and 9 December in Saitama, Japan
followed by a concert in Shanghai. The concert's theme was "Forever Shinhwa" to commemorate Shinhwa's 9 years of activities and to announce the beginning of their 10th year together.
Celebrating their anniversary, Shinhwa staged a 10th anniversary concert and released their 9th album
. Because the concert was the last concert before the members left for the army, all 22,000 seats available for the concert were sold out.
After their 10th anniversary and the release of their 9th album, the members contaiue to work on their solo career. Dong Wan released his 2nd solo studio album and JunJin releaseing his 1st solo studio album and join as the 7th member on Infinity Challenge. Min Woo released his 3rd solo studio album, along Hye Sung his own 3rd solo studio album. Hyesung would then also release Part 2 of his 3rd album on January 2009. Eric would go on to star in a drama, Strongest Chil Woo
. Dong Wan then released a single album and Jun Jin also released a mini album. Min Woo released another mini album in Summer of 2009 and Andy continued with his career as a musical actor and released his 2nd studio album.
, with Dong Wan in November at an army training camp in Gongju
, Chungcheongnam-do
Both served non-active duty eg public service worker, after under going four weeks of basic training. Jun Jin enlisted on 22 October 2009 at the Nonsan military camp in Chungcheongnam-do
Province for four weeks of basic training and continued as public service worker. On 11 January 2010, Andy also enlisted for mandatory military service
and was the only member to serve 21 months of active duty. Min Woo was last of the members to enlist in February 2010, he also served non-active duty after under going four weeks of basic training. Hye Sung is exempted from military service due to serious and recurring injuries in his knee substained during a concert in 2001.
On November 2010, Eric was discharged from his military service and Dong Wan on 17 December after serving 24 months as an administrative worker at the Seodaemun-gu
District Office. Andy was discharged from active duty of 31 October 2011 from the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu
, Seoul. Jun Jin is due to be discharged on 14 November 2011.
Shinhwa Company was established to maintain a systematic and independent activity for the Shinhwa as a group. Strong commitment of all group members made possible for this company to establish. Open-world entertainment CEO, Seok-Woo Jang, held the trademark of Shinhwa originally, by allowing members to have the license, Shinhwa Company launched.
Shinhwa members have been worked closely with Open-world entertainment since early 2011 for the establishment of Shinhwa Company. Open World Entertainment's CEO Seok-woo Jang allowed Shinhwa members to hold the right of license as long as members stay together as a group.
July 1, 2011 Shinhwa became first pop group as a substantial shareholder, president of their own company in the Korean music industry history. Company runs by leader Eric as of now, however, after release of Min-Woo Lee from Korean mandatory military service in the February of 2012, Min Woo and Eric will be co-representative to lead the entire activities expected to take in the Shinhwa Company.
In July 2004, they were selected to represent Korea in the MTV Buzz Asia Awards along with Namie Amuro
for Japan and F4
for Taiwan. They were also selected to sing at the finale. Shinhwa was also the most searched artist in the Yahoo! Singapore search engine for an entire week in 2004, becoming the first Korean artist to do so, on their first visit to Singapore
in October 2004.
The group was also the face of Swiss watch
brand Rado
in Asia for a January 2005 campaign.
In March 2005, along with their management team, Good Entertainment, music channel, MNET
and Coca-Cola
, the group hosted a reality TV show, called "Let's Cokeplay Battle Shinhwa." The show, which set out to search for a new Shinhwa (new legend group), lasted 8 months long and attracted over 1,800 applicants throughout Korea to audition. The final show took place on November 4, 2005 at Olympic Park, Seoul
, where Shinhwa members chose the 6 final members of the new Shinhwa from the 12 finalists. The 6 male winners (making the group now known as Battle
), along with 2 other female finalists (as solos) immediately underwent training and debuted in 2006 under Good Entertainment.
A star was named after Shinhwa in 2005. In order to commemorate its launching, USC Korea, the official Korean partner USC (Universal Star Council), an American website that provides services for registering names for stars in the sky, offered a star to be named after them. The star is among the Aries
constellation. Ironically, it matched the debut date of Shinhwa which falls on March 24, 1998. The star Shinhwa is the brightest among the more than 2 thousand stars with Korean names that can be seen with the naked eye. The star is best seen in November.
In 2006, Shinhwa was chosen as best Korean singer overseas, according to a poll held by Arirang International Broadcasting. A vote was issued on the internet, allowing only foreigners to vote. Shinhwa's song "Once In A Lifetime" won 60% of the vote, beating Kang Ta, who came in second with 20.3 percent followed by TVXQ
with 17.3 percent. Super Junior
took fourth place followed by Bada, Se7en, BoA
, SG Wannabe
, Buzz
, and Baek Ji-young, with all of them winning less than 1 percent of the votes. Shinhwa won the award again in 2007 for their song Pretty, beating TVXQ
by a close percentage of 50.76% to 48.55%. The other candidates, Super Junior
, Se7en, Rain, Big Bang, BoA
, SS501, Paran and Jang Nara
, all received once again less than one percent of the votes.
songs (as seen with their song Eusha, Eusha) like other pop singers at the time. They also did regular pop
songs as well, with the release of their 4th album Hey, Come On!
. Shinhwa would continued to release pop music (although they have done alternative rock
as well) until their contract with SM Entertainment ran up. It would be in the release of their 7th album, Brand New
that Shinhwa would transition into dance
songs. With the release of their 8th album, State Of The Art, Shinhwa can still be seen having dance songs as well as, though their hit song, Once In A Lifetime shows a more slow pop style. Because they have change many musical styles over the years, Shinhwa have created a variation of popular music for their fans and general K-pop
listeners, though throughout the years, they have as well created their own distinct style of music.
While Shinhwa is known best as artists who do dance songs, the members have branch out to do various styles. Min Woo's first album show him as an R&B singer, though his #1 hit song, Just One Night is more of a jazz genre. His later albums would be R&B/dance vein of his previous albums. Hye Sung have branch out to do ballad
s song, as ballads are becoming popular throughout South Korea. Dong Wan,Jun Jin and Andy had also followed within his footsteps, doing ballad songs.
, with a few free style moves once in a while (often from Min Woo). They also feature break dancers in the background of many of their performances as well as female dancers dancing with and around them. Shinhwa's own members Min Woo and Jun Jin also break dance
and often teach it to their fans. Shinhwa's unique style of dancing is credited to member Min Woo, who is their main choreographer (although they do have another choreographer as well). Min Woo was discovered by an SM Entertainment scout while he was in a dance group, which can explain why he has choreographed some of Shinhwa's most technically challenging dances. Jun Jin, another member who is skilled in dancing as well assists Min Woo. Their dance moves has been describe as "evil," "complicated," and "difficult-to-follow" with few people being able to copy their dance moves.
and third
albums, bleaching their hair and wearing dark make up. Their outfits also matched their appearances, being either shiny or dark. With the release of their fourth album
, Shinhwa would change from the gothic
style of before into a much more simple and cleaner look. Their fifth album would change them into a more preppy style. With the style, Shinhwa would began to sport mondern trend clothing and styles. Shinhwa would continue this preppy style into their sixth album
, though it was obvious that they were beginning to mature their looks. When they released their seventh album
, Shinhwa began to change their appearance once again, wearing black suits and looking significantly more sophisticated than most boy bands at the time. They also stopped with the dyeing hair and heavy make up, as well as leaving their hair shaggy and long. Shinhwa's eighth album continued their sophisticated look, with the group wearing black suits for most of their performances. For their 9th album, Shinhwa's new look was displayed in their MV Run, in which they describe it to be "Mexican Mafia".
Chart and the Billboard Chart
, the charts are released monthly, not weekly.
ese boy band
Energy
covered Shinhwa's song, Hey, Come On! causing tensions between the fans of Shinhwa and Energy. As it was later noted, Jeff Vincent and Peter Rafelson who wrote Hey, Come On! had sold the song to Energy, therefore, it was legal. Even so, fans of Shinhwa were angry over that fact. The Taiwanese group 5566 also covered Shinhwa's "Dark", a song included in Shinhwa's 4th album.
's 5-year contract with Shinhwa ended, thus allowing the band to either sign another contract or switch label. Lee Soo Man
, the head of SM Entertainment, only wanted to sign on Eric and Minwoo, but due to his offer, they both rejected. The two wanted to stick with the group as Shinhwa and not go solo. The band rejected the offer and switched over to the fairly new management at the time, Good Entertainment. The movement sparked controversy when Lee denied their permission to use the name Shinhwa with the different company. However, after the argument was taken to court, Shinhwa won, allowing them to still use the name "Shinhwa."
The members of Shinhwa, except Hye Sung, have acted in various TV series and movies (although all have appeared on numerous variety shows, both separately and as a group).
Many of the members have released solo albums as well.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
and hip hop group. The group has six members (with 3 vocalists and 3 rappers), and debuted on March 24, 1998. It has enjoyed massive success alongside the likes of Sechs Kies
Sechs Kies
Sechs Kies or 6kies is former Korean hip hop boy band from Daesung Entertainment and onetime rival of H.O.T. Currently, the two members, Kim Jae Duc and Jang Soo Won, have associated with Click-B to form another group, JnC....
, g.o.d.
G.o.d.
g.o.d. was a Korean pop music group. The name is an acronym for Groove Over Dose. Their name is lower cased to avoid confusion with God. The group was one of the few groups to have an album become a "million seller" in K-pop. The members have gone to solo careers after dis-forming.- Career:The...
, Turbo (group)
Turbo (group)
Turbo was a popular South Korean duo in the mid to late 90's.-Early years:Turbo was formed in October 1994 to compete against the then popular dance group, Deux. Leader and former DJ Kim Jung Nam was responsible for the rap and choreography while Kim Jong Kook, former vocalist for a high school...
, Fin. K.L., 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...
and S.E.S. Shinhwa is the Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
word for myth
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
or legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
.
Initially formed under 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...
, Shinhwa signed a new contract with a new record label, Good Entertainment
Good Entertainment
Good Entertainment is record label owned by CJ Music that was formed April 2003. Most notably, they were the producer of popular boy band Shinhwa...
, in July 2003. While still under Good Entertainment as Shinhwa, each of the members have all left the entertainment to start their own to concentrate on their solo activities, from acting to going solo. Aside from singing and performing as a group and individuals as well as acting, the members of Shinhwa are also mentors to the Korean boy band Battle
Battle (Korean band)
Battle is a Korean boy band that debuted on December 17, 2006 with the release of their first single "Crash". They are most popular for winning the reality show, Let's Coke Play! Battle Shinhwa! The group includes Ryu, Tae-hwa, Lio, Chris, and Hwi-chan...
.
Group members
Shinhwa has six members:- Eric MunEric MunEric 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...
: (Birth name: Mun Jung Hyuk, 문정혁, 文晸赫) - 16 February 1979 (age 32) - leader and rapper - Lee Min WooLee Min WooLee Min Woo , mononymously credited as M as a solo artist, was born on 28 July 1979. He is a South Korean entertainer, known as a member of six-member boy band Shinhwa. Lee was the fourth member picked for the group. As part of Shinhwa, he has recorded nine studio albums as a vocalist and a rapper...
: (이민우, 李珉宇) - 28 July 1979 (age 32) - vocalist, composer and choreographer - Kim Dong WanKim Dong WanKim Dong Wan was born on 21 November 1979. He is a South Korean entertainer, known as a member of six-member boy band Shinhwa. He has since 2002 has been making a name for himself as an actor, with roles in television dramas such as A Farewell to Sorrow and Children of Heaven...
: (김동완, 金烔完) - 21 November 1979 (age 32) - vocalist - Shin Hye SungShin Hye SungShin Hye Sung was born Jung Pil Kyo on 27 November 1979. He is a South Korean singer, known as the lead vocalist of six-member boy band Shinhwa. His stage name "Hye Sung" means comet. His English name is Steve Jung...
: (신혜성, 申彗星, Birth name: Jung Pil Kyo, 정필교, 鄭弼敎) - 27 November 1979 (age 32) - lead vocalist - Jun JinJun JinJun Jin was born Park Choong Jae on 19 August 1980. is a South Korean entertainer, known as a member and rapper of six-member boy band Shinhwa. He debuted as a dancer and rapper in Shinhwa in 1998 but started singing small parts in 2002; the release of Shinhwa's 5th album...
: (전진, 前進, Birth name: Park Choong Jae, 박충재, 朴忠裁) - 19 August 1980 (age 31) - rapper, vocalist and choreographer - Andy Lee: (Birth name: Lee Sun Ho, 이선호, 李先皓) - 21 January 1981 (age 31) - rapper and maknae
Beginnings and debut: 1998-1999
In order to capitalize on the success of boy band 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...
and girl group S.E.S., created by 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....
, producer and co-founder of 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...
. Lee scouted for possible candidates to create another band to match their standards.
The first member scouted was Shin Hye Sung
Shin Hye Sung
Shin Hye Sung was born Jung Pil Kyo on 27 November 1979. He is a South Korean singer, known as the lead vocalist of six-member boy band Shinhwa. His stage name "Hye Sung" means comet. His English name is Steve Jung...
, who attended Granada Hills High School, after a stand-out audition in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Andy Lee
Andy Lee (musician)
Andy Lee Sun Ho , mononymously credited as Andy was born on 21 January 1981. He is known as a rapper and youngest in six-member boy band Shinhwa. Besides rapping for his band, Andy has ventured out into acting, with successful roles on Seoul Broadcasting System Good Sunday's Banjun Drama...
was then chosen to join the group as he was once a candidate for H.O.T. At that time his parents prohibited him from joining H.O.T because he was too young. 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...
joined not long after Andy. Eric attended John Burroughs Middle School located in Los Angeles, CA and Sunny Hills High School located in Fullerton, CA. Following Eric came Lee Min Woo
Lee Min Woo
Lee Min Woo , mononymously credited as M as a solo artist, was born on 28 July 1979. He is a South Korean entertainer, known as a member of six-member boy band Shinhwa. Lee was the fourth member picked for the group. As part of Shinhwa, he has recorded nine studio albums as a vocalist and a rapper...
, who was discovered by a SM scout when he won 1st place at a student dance competition. Kim Dong Wan
Kim Dong Wan
Kim Dong Wan was born on 21 November 1979. He is a South Korean entertainer, known as a member of six-member boy band Shinhwa. He has since 2002 has been making a name for himself as an actor, with roles in television dramas such as A Farewell to Sorrow and Children of Heaven...
was spotted by a scout on the street and was initially interrested in acting, but joined after he saw a preview video of the existing members. Finally, Jun Jin
Jun Jin
Jun Jin was born Park Choong Jae on 19 August 1980. is a South Korean entertainer, known as a member and rapper of six-member boy band Shinhwa. He debuted as a dancer and rapper in Shinhwa in 1998 but started singing small parts in 2002; the release of Shinhwa's 5th album...
made it as the final member through an audition backed by his high school friend, Kangta
Kangta
Ahn Chil-Hyun , better known by his stage name Kangta is a South Korean pop, R&B singer, first known as the lead singer the boy band H.O.T. ....
. Among the six, only two had had previous exposure to the media; Eric and Andy were introduced in 1997 as rappers in fellow SM group S.E.S.'s song "I'm Your Girl".
With the formation complete, the six-member group, named Shinhwa, debuted under 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...
on 24 March 1998 with a performance of their first single "해결사" (The Solver) on KM Music Tank. Their second single, "으샤으샤" (Eusha Eusha), is a light-hearted track where they adopted a cute image to match the concept of the song, complete with outfit in white and blue colors. Their third single, "천일유혼" (Sharing Forever) also charted well but was not as successful as the previous two. However, they were accused of being another copy of H.O.T. and were involved in controversy when a tragic water accident occurred, and "으샤으샤" (Eusha Eusha), which was about a fun trip at the beach, was used as a reminder of the accident. Hence, their debut album Resolver
Resolver (Shinhwa album)
Resolver was Shinhwa's debut album. It was released on May 5, 1998 and became quite popular among the fans. The boy band was first seen performing on KM Music Tank with their first song, Resolver. The song grew to be popular and reached a few number one on some chart. Their second single from...
did not perform as well as expected and the band almost disbanded.
Shinhwa's second album, T.O.P.
T.O.P (Shinhwa album)
T.O.P, which stands for Twinkling Of Paradise, was Shinhwa's second album. It garnered much success with T.O.P climbing the charts quickly , follow by Shinwha's second single, Yo!. Shinhwa's second album made a greater impact than their first one as it as it coincided with the breakup of H.O.T...
, was released on 19 April 1999. It garnered considerable success with its title song. The album debuted at #4 and peaked at #3, selling 377,500 copies and charting for 24 weeks on the Korean monthly chart. With the release of T.O.P, Shinhwa began to move away from their "cute" image to an edgier image concept. Riding on the success of their second album, the group received the "1998's Best Music Video from a new male pop group" award from M.Net, their first major music award.
Breakthrough success: 2000-2001
Shinhwa's third album, Only OneOnly One (Shinhwa album)
Only One was released on May 27, 2000, becoming Shinhwa's third album. The album was delayed three months to give SM Entertainment's new group at the time, Fly to the Sky a chance to debut. With the release, the group continued their successes with the album's title song, including two others,...
, was released on May 27, 2000. The album was as successful as Shinhwa's previous two albums, selling approximately 423,873 copies. It debuted at number one and was the band's first number one album. It contained three successful singles: "Only One", "All Your Dreams", and "First Love". The album spent approximately 24 weeks on the charts.
With the success of Only One, Shinhwa won three awards that year: the SBS Gayo "Popularity Award", the KMTV song "Bonsang Award", and the "Popular Singers Award". Their revised dancing style also garnered them much popularity, as it took after the likes of popular American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
boy bands N'Sync and Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...
. The group once again underwent a drastic change in appearance, taking on a distinctly gothic
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
image, with most of the members bleaching their hair. On January 13 and January 14 of that year, Shinhwa also held one their first concerts ever, entitled First Mythology.
Shinhwa's fourth album, Hey, Come On!
Hey, Come On!
Hey, Come On! was Shinhwa's fourth album and it debuted at #3. As with the past albums, Hey, Come On! was well received by the fans and the title track climbed up the chart rapidly. The album's release coincided with the rise of the Korean Wave, spreading the group's popularity overseas...
, was released on June 8, 2001, debuting at #3 with the lead single "Hey, Come On!" rapidly climbing up the music charts. The album's release coincided with the rise of the Korean Wave
Korean wave
The Korean Wave, also known as the Hallyu , refers to spread of South Korean culture around the world. The term was coined in China in mid-1999 by Beijing journalists surprised by the fast growing popularity of Korean entertainment and culture in China...
, spreading the group's popularity overseas. The album was a strong seller and managed to sell 430,706 copies. Though a success, Shinhwa promoted the album with only one single. In yet another change in appearance, the members took on a cleaner look, moving completely away from the goth image in the previous album. Hey, Come On! charted for 28 weeks on the Korean monthly chart and was ranked #11 on the 2001 year-end chart.
While their album was a stronger seller, Shinhwa was associated with controversies at the time, giving the group a heavy publicity with the absence of group member Andy and the alleged copying of Shinhwa's popular single, "Hey, Come On!" by Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
, Energy
Energy (band)
Energy is a Taiwanese pop rock boy band formed in 2002. The original band consisted of five members, namely Milk, Ady, Toro, Penny and Joe. Toro and Milk left the band in 2003 and 2005 respectively. Xiao Gang joined the band in mid 2007...
.
On January 31, 2002, Shinhwa released a compilation album entitled, My Choice
My Choice
My Choice is a compilation album released by Shinhwa on January 31, 2002. In this album, they featured some of the members' favorite songs, as well as the songs that were popular amongst the fans...
. The album featured some of the members' favorite songs and some of their most popular tracks as well. In contrast to Hey, Come On!s strong sales, My Choice was met with moderate success, selling more than 171,368 copies and debuted and peaked at #4 before it was dropped from the Korean monthly Chart. However, when the yearly chart was released, My Choice ranked #31, selling a total of 183,098 copies.
Making history and leaving SM Entertainment: 2002-2003
A few months after the release of My Choice, Shinhwa released their fifth studio albumStudio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, Perfect Man, on March 29, 2002. The album also marked the return of member Andy Lee. The album was accompanied with another change in the group's appearance as they moved away from their "clean" look into a more preppy style by sporting trendy clothing and styles. Perfect Man debuted at #1 on the Korean monthly chart, becoming Shinhwa's second #1 album. The title track became popular among their fans, letting Shinhwa promote the album with a second single, "I Pray 4 U". The album was once again a strong seller, selling 355,333 copies and was #14 on the year end chart "Top 100 Albums in 2002" where the album sales was 362,639 copies. It charted for approximately 23 weeks.
On August 25, 2003, Shinhwa experienced one of its first international breakthroughs in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
when Perfect Man was ranked #10 on the Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
-Mandarin chart. With this recognition, they were chosen to be Korea's representative in the POP Asia 2002 ceremony in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and were later invited to be Korea's representative in Japan's Asia Dream concert (ABU award ceremony).
Towards the end of 2002, Shinhwa made history in the Korean music industry by becoming the longest-running Korean boy band with the release of its sixth album, Wedding
Wedding (Shinhwa album)
Wedding was released on December 26, 2002, becoming Shinhwa's sixth studio album. With the release of Wedding, Shinhwa also broke the record for being the longest running boy band in the history of Korea, a record they are still currently holding as they have not yet disbanded...
, on December 6, 2002. They also became the second artist in South Korea to release two albums in a single year. Wedding debuted and peaked at #3 and sold 273,714 copies.
With the expriation of the group's contract, SM Entertainment offered them a second contract but the group rejected it and signed with new company, Good Entertainment
Good Entertainment
Good Entertainment is record label owned by CJ Music that was formed April 2003. Most notably, they were the producer of popular boy band Shinhwa...
. However, they had to go to court to retain the use of their name. Which they won and duly moved from SM Entertainment to Good Entertainment. Because the contract with Good Entertainment did not begin until 2004, Shinhwa members pursued solo activities in 2003.
Shinhwa released a compilation album entitled Winter Story 2003-2004
Winter Story 2003-2004
Winter Story 2003-2004 became Shinhwa's second compilation album, and first Winter Story album. It was released on December 30, 2003, and surprisingly sold 100,000 copies, with their single, Young Gunz becoming very popular throughout the radio station.-Tracks:*Note: Those that are bolded are...
on December 30, 2003, which sold over 100,000 copies. The lead single "Young Gunz" was often requested at radio stations. Because it was a success, Shinhwa began releasing Winter Story every winter afterwards.
Shinhwa had another live concert from April 18 to April 20, 2003 named The Everlasting Mythology. They also went on their Winter Story Tour, which traveled to six cities: Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, Pusan, Daejeon
Daejeon
Daejeon is South Korea's fifth largest metropolis and the provincial capital of Chungnam. Located in the center of the country, Daejeon had a population of over 1.5 million in 2010. It is at the crossroads of Gyeongbu railway, Honam railway, Gyeongbu Expressway, and Honam Expressway. Within the...
, Incheon
Incheon
The Incheon Metropolitan City is located in northwestern South Korea. The city was home to just 4,700 people when Jemulpo port was built in 1883. Today 2.76 million people live in the city, making it Korea’s third most populous city after Seoul and Busan Metropolitan City...
, Daegu
Daegu
Daegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the...
, and Kwangju as well as going to Japan with a concert call SHINHWA First Live in Tokyo, where they also held a Japanese fan meeting called Have Fun With Shinhwa On M.Net Tour.
The members of Shinhwa pursued solo activities in 2003. Min Woo went solo under the name "M," releasing his first album entitled Un-touch-able, while Hye Sung collaborated with Kangta
Kangta
Ahn Chil-Hyun , better known by his stage name Kangta is a South Korean pop, R&B singer, first known as the lead singer the boy band H.O.T. ....
and Lee Ji Hoon
Lee Ji Hoon
Lee Ji-hoon is a South Korean singer and actor. He is known as the "prince" of K-pop.- Biography :Lee made his debut in the Korean pop music scene on 15 October 1996, he was still in high school at that time. His debut number "Why the Heaven" recorded an instant hit, putting him on top of the...
for a project group S
S (group)
S was a South Korean project group consisting of three members: Kangta, Lee Ji Hoon and Shin Hye Sung. The group was active only in 2003, under the SM Entertainment label.-History:...
. Jun Jin branched out into acting with the drama Forbidden Love alongside actress Kim Tae Hee
Kim Tae Hee
'Kim Tae-hee is a South Korean actress and model. She has appeared in several Korean Dramas such as My Princess, Iris and Stairway to Heaven.- Career :...
. Andy and Jun Jin also participated in a Korean sitcom Nonstop 4 as well as Banjun Drama
Banjun Drama
Banjun Drama is a minidrama series that airs on Sundays as part of SBS's Good Sunday programme. Each Banjun Drama is usually unrelated to previous dramas, unless it is split into parts, and generally has a large twist in the story at the end...
. Eric also began acting in dramas soon after acting in several CF
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
s.
Good Entertainment and continuous success: 2004-2005
Shinhwa's first album with Good Entertainment was entitled Brand NewBrand New (Shinhwa album)
Brand New was Shinhwa's 7th album, as well as their first album with Good Entertainment. With four singles, Brand New, Angel, Crazy, and Oh, Shinhwa heavily promoted the album, going on tours as well as performing on various stages. Debuting at #3, Brand New made its way to #2 and then dropped to...
. It debuted at #3 and peaked at #1 in November, selling 320,337 copies. Unlike their previous albums, Brand New had a different beat, transitioning from bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
to dance songs. The group heavily promoted Brand New with four singles: "Angel", "Oh!", "Crazy", and title track. The album was ranked #4 on the 2004 year-end chart.
On December 10, 2004, Shinhwa was awarded the Daesang for Best Artist of The Year for the first time at the Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
Gayo Daesang Awards. Several weeks later, on December 29, Shinhwa was awarded their second Daesang at the 2004 SBS Gayo Daejun Awards, winning two of the possible 4 Daesang in that year with Rain and Lee Soo Young
Lee Soo Young
Lee Soo Young is a Korean ballad singer. She made her debut in 1999 in Korea with the hit “I Believe.” Currently, she has nine released albums and five mini-albums and sang six OSTs...
receiving the other two. In 2004, of all musical artists and groups, Shinhwa received the most awards, totaling thirteen or more, from various places: the m.net KMTV Music Video Festival, Seoul Gayo Daesang, Golden Disc Awards and MBC
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...
, KBS, SBS Gayo
K-pop
K-pop is a musical genre consisting of electropop, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B music originating in South Korea...
Awards. The awards other than Best Artist of the Year included Best Male Artist, Best Dance Artist, and Overseas Choice Award.
After the success of Brand New they began touring. In August of that year, they held a Korea-China-Japan summer camp called Shinhwa Summer Story 2004. The camp was dedicated entirely for their non-Korean fans. Hundreds of non-Korean fans flew to Korea from all over Asia for the opportunity to spend a few days with the band. They also toured in Japan and held a concert, selling 13,000 tickets within a week.
In yet another change in appearance, Shinhwa's image matured from the preppy style in Perfect Man to a more sophisticated look. They began wearing black suits, which was rather uncommon among boy bands at that time. Although they previously dyed their hair in various colors (from purple to silver), in Brand New they stopped completely, leaving their hair in either brown or black. They also trimmed their hair to a neat style or cut it short, which was uncommon among boy bands because "shaggy hair" was in style.
Though they have written lyrics for their music before, Shinhwa took more creative control over their music and began writing a majority of their lyrics. Eric wrote some rap lyrics for some of the songs while Minwoo Lee took charge and began writing full lyrics. Some songs that he had written are: "All of My", "Oh", and "U". He later went on to write the song "Superstar" for the group Jewelry
Jewelry (group)
Jewelry is a South Korean girl group. After releasing their first album with low sales, the group eventually rose to prominence via their second album and reached their commercial peak with their fourth album Superstar, which spawned a number-one hit for them...
, which became a hit. The other members also co-wrote various other songs.
Although, Shinhwa was mostly on hiatus throughout 2005, they released two popular singles, "How Do I Say" and "Hey Dude!". They also held the Tropical Summer Story Festival concert. For a majority of 2005, Shinhwa hosted a reality show called Let's Coke Play Battle Shinhwa!. The show was almost identical to the American reality show, American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
where people audition and sing, hoping to become singers. (see Notable Achievements below.) To end the year, Shinhwa released their second Winter Story album, Winter Story 2004-2005
Winter Story 2004-2005
Winter Story 2004-2005 is a compilation album by Korean musical group Shinhwa. It was released on December 20, 2004, making it the group's second Winter Story album. The album met with same success as the other albums released by Shinhwa...
, selling in excess of 102,345 copies.
Returning to the K-pop scene after hiatus: 2006
On January 14, 2006, Shinhwa renewed their contract with Good Entertainment for another 3 years and on March 24, 2006, they celebrated their 8th anniversary, making them the longest-running boy band in Korea.On May 11, 2006, Shinhwa returned to the K-pop
K-pop
K-pop is a musical genre consisting of electropop, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B music originating in South Korea...
scene, with the release of their eighth album, State of the Art, which debuted at #1. Brand New and State Of The Art became Shinhwa's first consecutive #1 albums in a row. Heavily promoted, the album sold approximately 215,641 copies domestically, with their lead single "Once in a Lifetime" being #1 on the Hottracks Sales Chart, followed by SG Wannabe
SG Wannabe
SG Wannabe is a popular South Korean ballad trio that debuted in 2004 with their song, "Timeless". The three members are Kim Yong Jun , Kim Jin Ho , and Lee Seok Hoon...
's "3RD MASTERPIECE". Their second single, "Throw My Fist" debuted at #1 with Zhang Liyin's "Timeless" at #2. State Of The Art became the third best selling album for the year of 2006, behind SG Wannabe's 3RD MASTERPIECE and TVXQ
TVXQ
TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang Xien Qi , is a South Korean pop group formed in 2003 under SM Entertainment. In South Korea they are known as Dong Bang Shin Ki , often abbreviated by international fans as DBSK; they were later introduced in Japan as Tohoshinki under the Avex sub-label Rhythm Zone...
's "O"-Jung. Ban.Hap. ("O"-正.反.合.).
After State of the Art, Shinhwa began working on their first Japanese album and single. To prepare for their Japanese album release, Shinhwa held a press conference in Japan on April 14, 2006 and performed at MNET's anniversary celebration in Japan on April 15, 2006. The press conference came as a result of Shinhwa's effort to break into the Japanese market, with the release of their first Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
single This is the Sun in Our Hearts on June 14, 2006, which debuted at #9 on the Oricon Chart, and their first official album, Inspiration #1
Inspiration (Shinhwa album)
Inspiration #1 was Shinhwa's first Japanese album, as they tried to break into the Japanese market. State Of The Art peaked at #4 on the Oricon Chart in Japan and sold over 100,000 copies.-Tracks:#Girls Exclusive...
, in Japan on August 16, 2006, which debuted at #4. Both sold in excess of 100,000 copies each. Shinhwa also had their first Asia tour that lasted 5 months. The tour started with their first concert on May 13, 2006 at the Olympic Park, Seoul
Olympic Park, Seoul
The Seoul Olympic Park, shortened to Olpark, is an Olympic Park built to host the 1988 Summer Olympics. Olympic Park is located in Songpa-gu, Bangi-dong.- Competition facilities :*Olympic Velodrome, Seoul*Olympic Fencing Gymnasium...
, and reached Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Thailand
Thailand
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...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, as well as others locations for a total of 9 cities throughout Asia. Shinhwa also did concerts at Budokan Hall in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, and Osaka-jo Hall
Osaka-jo Hall
, or Osaka Castle Hall, is a multi-purpose arena, in the Kyōbashi area, of Osaka, Japan. The hall opened in 1983 and can seat up to 16,000 people...
on September 24 and 26th as the part of their Asian Tour.
Their concert in Shanghai was successful; all tickets were sold out. When Shinhwa landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport
Shanghai Pudong International Airport
Shanghai Pudong International Airport is the primary international airport serving Shanghai, China, and a major aviation hub in Asia. The other major airport in Shanghai, Hongqiao, mainly serves domestic flights...
, almost 1,500 fans were waiting for them, causing a traffic jam around the airport and setting a record in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
for having the most fans greet them in the airport. The members had to be escorted one by one out of the airport with personal bodyguards, including 40 policemen and 10 other personal bodyguards. At the concert, a sea of orange and balloons filled the concert. To underline Shinhwa's Shanghai concert as a success, the Chinese media stated that Shinhwa was "hotter than Bi or Lee Junki", two Korean celebrities who are very successful throughout Asia.
Going on hiatus, solo activities, and 10th anniversary: 2007
In 2007, Shinhwa went on hiatus again. They also celebrated their 9th anniversary on March 24, 2007. With Shinhwa on hiatus, the members expanded their solo activities even further, including the members leaving Shinhwa's management company to start their own: M Rising (Min Woo), New Dream Entertainment (Andy), JF Story Entertainment (Jun Jin), H2 Entertainment (Dong Wan), and Top Class Entertainment (Eric). Dong Wan also released his first album entitled Kim Dongwan is on July 5, 2007. Min Woo released his third album on July 10, 2007 and though he had intended to release his third album in the U.S., he released it in Korea instead. Hye Sung released his second album on August 8, 2007. The three solo artists were successful and consider themselves friendly rivals.The other members manage to have pursued their own solo activities as well. Eric finished his drama Que Sera, Sera
Que Sera, Sera (TV series)
Que Sera Sera is a passionate, violent and twisted television drama series about emotional abuse, the notion that love is a zero-sum game and that sometimes, you can even buy love. Starring Eric Moon as Kang Tae Joo.-Synopsis:...
and although he is currently the only member in Shinhwa who hasn't pursued a solo singing career, reports have mentioned that this is a possibility in the near future. Jun Jin, who released his first single the previous year, finished promoting it and was supposedly preparing for his first album, with the help of Min Woo, which would be released around September. However, he did not release an album or single from him. Andy starred in the musical, "Music In My Heart (Season 3)."
In the midst of their solo activities, Shinhwa was said to be working on their ninth album. Originally set to be released on October 2007 with tours from October to December, their ninth album was then push back to being released in December. However, due to each of the members having hectic schedules, the album release date was pushed into March 2008. While Shinhwa was not expected to release an album in 2007, they released their compilation album Winter Story 2007-2008
Winter Story 2007-2008
Winter Story 2007-2008 is a compilation album by Korean musical group Shinhwa. It was released on December 6, 2007, making it the group's fourth Winter Story album. It is the group's first album in 11 month, since the release of their Winter Story 2006-2007 last year...
on December 6, 2007, which debuted at #1 on the Korean monthly chart.
Shortly after the release of Winter Story 2007-2008, Shinhwa staged their Asia Concert with a two-day performance on the 8th and 9 December in Saitama, Japan
Saitama, Saitama
' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...
followed by a concert in Shanghai. The concert's theme was "Forever Shinhwa" to commemorate Shinhwa's 9 years of activities and to announce the beginning of their 10th year together.
Celebrating their anniversary, Shinhwa staged a 10th anniversary concert and released their 9th album
Volume 9
Volume 9 was released on April 3, 2008, shortly after South Korean boy band Shinhwa's 10th anniversary becoming Shinhwa's ninth album. It was first released as a limited edition, with only 50,000 copies available. Each one came with a hologram serial number and a 120 page photobook. The regular...
. Because the concert was the last concert before the members left for the army, all 22,000 seats available for the concert were sold out.
After their 10th anniversary and the release of their 9th album, the members contaiue to work on their solo career. Dong Wan released his 2nd solo studio album and JunJin releaseing his 1st solo studio album and join as the 7th member on Infinity Challenge. Min Woo released his 3rd solo studio album, along Hye Sung his own 3rd solo studio album. Hyesung would then also release Part 2 of his 3rd album on January 2009. Eric would go on to star in a drama, Strongest Chil Woo
Strongest Chil Woo
Strongest Chil Woo is a South Korean historical drama aired on KBS2. Also known as "The Mighty Chilwu", while the Korean title was : 최강칠우 . Something like Robin Hood during the Joseon period...
. Dong Wan then released a single album and Jun Jin also released a mini album. Min Woo released another mini album in Summer of 2009 and Andy continued with his career as a musical actor and released his 2nd studio album.
Mandatory military service: 2008-2011
In October 2008 Eric enlisted for mandatory military serviceConscription in South Korea
Conscription, or mandatory military service or compulsory national service, is legislated in South Korea, with military service stated as one of the Four Constitutional Duties for all citizens...
, with Dong Wan in November at an army training camp in Gongju
Gongju
Gongju , also spelt Kongju, is a city in South Chungcheong province, South Korea. It is located at .- History :Gongju was formerly named Ungjin and was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538. In this period, Baekje was under threat from Goguryeo...
, Chungcheongnam-do
Chungcheongnam-do
Chungcheongnam-do or Chungnam is a province in the west of South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the south-western half of the former Chungcheong Province and remained a province of Korea until the country's division in 1945, thereafter becoming part of South Korea...
Both served non-active duty eg public service worker, after under going four weeks of basic training. Jun Jin enlisted on 22 October 2009 at the Nonsan military camp in Chungcheongnam-do
Chungcheongnam-do
Chungcheongnam-do or Chungnam is a province in the west of South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the south-western half of the former Chungcheong Province and remained a province of Korea until the country's division in 1945, thereafter becoming part of South Korea...
Province for four weeks of basic training and continued as public service worker. On 11 January 2010, Andy also enlisted for mandatory military service
Conscription in South Korea
Conscription, or mandatory military service or compulsory national service, is legislated in South Korea, with military service stated as one of the Four Constitutional Duties for all citizens...
and was the only member to serve 21 months of active duty. Min Woo was last of the members to enlist in February 2010, he also served non-active duty after under going four weeks of basic training. Hye Sung is exempted from military service due to serious and recurring injuries in his knee substained during a concert in 2001.
On November 2010, Eric was discharged from his military service and Dong Wan on 17 December after serving 24 months as an administrative worker at the Seodaemun-gu
Seodaemun-gu
Seodaemun-gu is a gu located in northwestern Seoul, South Korea. The name derives from Seodaemun, meaning literally "Great West Gate", which was once located in the district...
District Office. Andy was discharged from active duty of 31 October 2011 from the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu
Yongsan-gu
Yongsan-gu is a district of Seoul, South Korea. Its name means "Dragon Hill", derived from the hanja characters for dragon and hill/mountain . It sits to the North of the Han River under the shadow of Seoul Tower. Geographically, it is located right in the center of Seoul. It is home to roughly...
, Seoul. Jun Jin is due to be discharged on 14 November 2011.
Shinhwa Company: 2011-present
Since Eric, Dong Wan discharged have been working on various works such as dramas, variety shows, and fan meetings. Dong Wan promised that on their 14th Anniversary, Shinhwa will make a comeback with another album in the spring of 2012. Until then, Eric is continuing on his drama, Spy Myeong Wol, and Hye Sung has announced that he will release his 4th solo studio album on June 2011. Although they are not together, the group has gone through their 13th anniversary, as fans and supporters have been celebrating 13 years of Shinhwa. JunJin is due to return from his military service at the end of 2011.Shinhwa Company was established to maintain a systematic and independent activity for the Shinhwa as a group. Strong commitment of all group members made possible for this company to establish. Open-world entertainment CEO, Seok-Woo Jang, held the trademark of Shinhwa originally, by allowing members to have the license, Shinhwa Company launched.
Shinhwa members have been worked closely with Open-world entertainment since early 2011 for the establishment of Shinhwa Company. Open World Entertainment's CEO Seok-woo Jang allowed Shinhwa members to hold the right of license as long as members stay together as a group.
July 1, 2011 Shinhwa became first pop group as a substantial shareholder, president of their own company in the Korean music industry history. Company runs by leader Eric as of now, however, after release of Min-Woo Lee from Korean mandatory military service in the February of 2012, Min Woo and Eric will be co-representative to lead the entire activities expected to take in the Shinhwa Company.
Notable achievements
Throughout its existence, Shinhwa has achieved many successes and has been awarded many honors. One of their first notable achievement was when they made history in the Korean music industry when they released their sixth album, Wedding on December 6, 2002, becoming the longest-running Korean boy band in existence. Shinhwa is still holding the record as they have not yet disbanded. In addition to becoming the longest-running boy band in South Korea, Shinhwa also holds the record for the only boy band to stay together for a decade and not lose members along the way nor add another one in (Member Andy's departure does not necessarily count as he came back into the group). Just as well, Shinhwa is also the only group to ever has all its member branch out to do solo activities with the group still together. Shinhwa has sold an excess of 50 million records worldwide, an incredible feat for an Asian group and one of the highest album sales in Asia.In July 2004, they were selected to represent Korea in the MTV Buzz Asia Awards along with Namie Amuro
Namie Amuro
is a Japanese R&B and pop singer, entertainer, and former actress who at the height of her popularity was referred to as the "Teen Queen" and the title "Queen of Japanese Pop Music". Born in Naha, Okinawa, Amuro debuted at the age of 14 as an idol in the girl group Super Monkey's...
for Japan and F4
F4 (band)
F4 is a Taiwanese boy band. The group began in the Taiwanese drama Meteor Garden as F4 with members Jerry Yan, Vanness Wu, Ken Chu, and Vic Chou...
for Taiwan. They were also selected to sing at the finale. Shinhwa was also the most searched artist in the Yahoo! Singapore search engine for an entire week in 2004, becoming the first Korean artist to do so, on their first visit to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in October 2004.
The group was also the face of Swiss watch
Watch
A watch is a small timepiece, typically worn either on the wrist or attached on a chain and carried in a pocket, with wristwatches being the most common type of watch used today. They evolved in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century. The first watches were...
brand Rado
Rado (watch)
Rado is a Swiss luxury manufacturer of watches, with headquarters in Lengnau, Switzerland. It is noted for its use of scratch-proof materials, a field in which it is considered a pioneer...
in Asia for a January 2005 campaign.
In March 2005, along with their management team, Good Entertainment, music channel, MNET
MNET
MNET Services Private Limited is a Pakistani operator of inter-bank connectivity platform for online financial transaction processing and offers a managed services portfolio that includes card personalization & management, mobile payment services and ATM & POS controller hosting.-External links:*...
and Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
, the group hosted a reality TV show, called "Let's Cokeplay Battle Shinhwa." The show, which set out to search for a new Shinhwa (new legend group), lasted 8 months long and attracted over 1,800 applicants throughout Korea to audition. The final show took place on November 4, 2005 at Olympic Park, Seoul
Olympic Park, Seoul
The Seoul Olympic Park, shortened to Olpark, is an Olympic Park built to host the 1988 Summer Olympics. Olympic Park is located in Songpa-gu, Bangi-dong.- Competition facilities :*Olympic Velodrome, Seoul*Olympic Fencing Gymnasium...
, where Shinhwa members chose the 6 final members of the new Shinhwa from the 12 finalists. The 6 male winners (making the group now known as Battle
Battle (Korean band)
Battle is a Korean boy band that debuted on December 17, 2006 with the release of their first single "Crash". They are most popular for winning the reality show, Let's Coke Play! Battle Shinhwa! The group includes Ryu, Tae-hwa, Lio, Chris, and Hwi-chan...
), along with 2 other female finalists (as solos) immediately underwent training and debuted in 2006 under Good Entertainment.
A star was named after Shinhwa in 2005. In order to commemorate its launching, USC Korea, the official Korean partner USC (Universal Star Council), an American website that provides services for registering names for stars in the sky, offered a star to be named after them. The star is among the Aries
Aries (constellation)
Aries is one of the constellations of the zodiac, located between Pisces to the west and Taurus to the east. Its name is Latin for ram, and its symbol is , representing a ram's horns...
constellation. Ironically, it matched the debut date of Shinhwa which falls on March 24, 1998. The star Shinhwa is the brightest among the more than 2 thousand stars with Korean names that can be seen with the naked eye. The star is best seen in November.
In 2006, Shinhwa was chosen as best Korean singer overseas, according to a poll held by Arirang International Broadcasting. A vote was issued on the internet, allowing only foreigners to vote. Shinhwa's song "Once In A Lifetime" won 60% of the vote, beating Kang Ta, who came in second with 20.3 percent followed by TVXQ
TVXQ
TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang Xien Qi , is a South Korean pop group formed in 2003 under SM Entertainment. In South Korea they are known as Dong Bang Shin Ki , often abbreviated by international fans as DBSK; they were later introduced in Japan as Tohoshinki under the Avex sub-label Rhythm Zone...
with 17.3 percent. Super Junior
Super Junior
Super Junior is a South Korean boy band. Formed in 2005 by producer Lee Soo-man of SM Entertainment, the group comprised a total of thirteen members at its peak, and was once claimed to be the world's largest boy band...
took fourth place followed by Bada, Se7en, BoA
BoA
Boa Kwon , commonly stylized and known by her stage name BoA, which is a backronym for Beat of Angel, is a Korean singer, active in South Korea, Japan, and the United States and sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Korean Pop Music"....
, SG Wannabe
SG Wannabe
SG Wannabe is a popular South Korean ballad trio that debuted in 2004 with their song, "Timeless". The three members are Kim Yong Jun , Kim Jin Ho , and Lee Seok Hoon...
, Buzz
Buzz (band)
Buzz is an all-male Korean pop band.Their music largely consists of both plaintive rock-ballads such as "Coward" and moderately melodic, driving rock songs such as "Leaving on a Journey to Me"...
, and Baek Ji-young, with all of them winning less than 1 percent of the votes. Shinhwa won the award again in 2007 for their song Pretty, beating TVXQ
TVXQ
TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang Xien Qi , is a South Korean pop group formed in 2003 under SM Entertainment. In South Korea they are known as Dong Bang Shin Ki , often abbreviated by international fans as DBSK; they were later introduced in Japan as Tohoshinki under the Avex sub-label Rhythm Zone...
by a close percentage of 50.76% to 48.55%. The other candidates, Super Junior
Super Junior
Super Junior is a South Korean boy band. Formed in 2005 by producer Lee Soo-man of SM Entertainment, the group comprised a total of thirteen members at its peak, and was once claimed to be the world's largest boy band...
, Se7en, Rain, Big Bang, BoA
BoA
Boa Kwon , commonly stylized and known by her stage name BoA, which is a backronym for Beat of Angel, is a Korean singer, active in South Korea, Japan, and the United States and sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Korean Pop Music"....
, SS501, Paran and Jang Nara
Jang Nara
Jang Na-ra is a South Korean singer and actress. She also sings in Chinese, and is known in China by her transliterated Chinese name .-Early life:...
, all received once again less than one percent of the votes.
Musical style
Shinhwa has changed musical styles many times throughout their existence, beginning with typical bubblegum popBubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
songs (as seen with their song Eusha, Eusha) like other pop singers at the time. They also did regular 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...
songs as well, with the release of their 4th album Hey, Come On!
Hey, Come On!
Hey, Come On! was Shinhwa's fourth album and it debuted at #3. As with the past albums, Hey, Come On! was well received by the fans and the title track climbed up the chart rapidly. The album's release coincided with the rise of the Korean Wave, spreading the group's popularity overseas...
. Shinhwa would continued to release pop music (although they have done alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
as well) until their contract with SM Entertainment ran up. It would be in the release of their 7th album, Brand New
Brand New (Shinhwa album)
Brand New was Shinhwa's 7th album, as well as their first album with Good Entertainment. With four singles, Brand New, Angel, Crazy, and Oh, Shinhwa heavily promoted the album, going on tours as well as performing on various stages. Debuting at #3, Brand New made its way to #2 and then dropped to...
that Shinhwa would transition into dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
songs. With the release of their 8th album, State Of The Art, Shinhwa can still be seen having dance songs as well as, though their hit song, Once In A Lifetime shows a more slow pop style. Because they have change many musical styles over the years, Shinhwa have created a variation of popular music for their fans and general K-pop
K-pop
K-pop is a musical genre consisting of electropop, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B music originating in South Korea...
listeners, though throughout the years, they have as well created their own distinct style of music.
While Shinhwa is known best as artists who do dance songs, the members have branch out to do various styles. Min Woo's first album show him as an R&B singer, though his #1 hit song, Just One Night is more of a jazz genre. His later albums would be R&B/dance vein of his previous albums. Hye Sung have branch out to do ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s song, as ballads are becoming popular throughout South Korea. Dong Wan,Jun Jin and Andy had also followed within his footsteps, doing ballad songs.
Dance style
Shinhwa is often hailed as one of the best dance groups in South Korea, winning many dance awards such as M.net/KM music video festival "Best Dance Music Video" and Best Music Video For The Dance Section Awards. Their dances are often filled with heavy choreographyChoreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
, with a few free style moves once in a while (often from Min Woo). They also feature break dancers in the background of many of their performances as well as female dancers dancing with and around them. Shinhwa's own members Min Woo and Jun Jin also break dance
Break Dance
Break Dance is a Commodore 64 computer game that relies on players making dancing moves that resemble the classic game Simon says.-Gameplay:...
and often teach it to their fans. Shinhwa's unique style of dancing is credited to member Min Woo, who is their main choreographer (although they do have another choreographer as well). Min Woo was discovered by an SM Entertainment scout while he was in a dance group, which can explain why he has choreographed some of Shinhwa's most technically challenging dances. Jun Jin, another member who is skilled in dancing as well assists Min Woo. Their dance moves has been describe as "evil," "complicated," and "difficult-to-follow" with few people being able to copy their dance moves.
Image
Like most popular bands, Shinhwa has change their appearances various times. In their early days, Shinhwa were generally marketed as a typical boy band with cute looks and matching outfits (as seen with their performances and music videos). They later transitioned this "cute" image concept into a more darker tone with the release of their secondT.O.P (Shinhwa album)
T.O.P, which stands for Twinkling Of Paradise, was Shinhwa's second album. It garnered much success with T.O.P climbing the charts quickly , follow by Shinwha's second single, Yo!. Shinhwa's second album made a greater impact than their first one as it as it coincided with the breakup of H.O.T...
and third
Only One (Shinhwa album)
Only One was released on May 27, 2000, becoming Shinhwa's third album. The album was delayed three months to give SM Entertainment's new group at the time, Fly to the Sky a chance to debut. With the release, the group continued their successes with the album's title song, including two others,...
albums, bleaching their hair and wearing dark make up. Their outfits also matched their appearances, being either shiny or dark. With the release of their fourth album
Hey, Come On!
Hey, Come On! was Shinhwa's fourth album and it debuted at #3. As with the past albums, Hey, Come On! was well received by the fans and the title track climbed up the chart rapidly. The album's release coincided with the rise of the Korean Wave, spreading the group's popularity overseas...
, Shinhwa would change from the gothic
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
style of before into a much more simple and cleaner look. Their fifth album would change them into a more preppy style. With the style, Shinhwa would began to sport mondern trend clothing and styles. Shinhwa would continue this preppy style into their sixth album
Wedding (Shinhwa album)
Wedding was released on December 26, 2002, becoming Shinhwa's sixth studio album. With the release of Wedding, Shinhwa also broke the record for being the longest running boy band in the history of Korea, a record they are still currently holding as they have not yet disbanded...
, though it was obvious that they were beginning to mature their looks. When they released their seventh album
Brand New (Shinhwa album)
Brand New was Shinhwa's 7th album, as well as their first album with Good Entertainment. With four singles, Brand New, Angel, Crazy, and Oh, Shinhwa heavily promoted the album, going on tours as well as performing on various stages. Debuting at #3, Brand New made its way to #2 and then dropped to...
, Shinhwa began to change their appearance once again, wearing black suits and looking significantly more sophisticated than most boy bands at the time. They also stopped with the dyeing hair and heavy make up, as well as leaving their hair shaggy and long. Shinhwa's eighth album continued their sophisticated look, with the group wearing black suits for most of their performances. For their 9th album, Shinhwa's new look was displayed in their MV Run, in which they describe it to be "Mexican Mafia".
Korean albums
- Volume 1: ResolverResolver (Shinhwa album)Resolver was Shinhwa's debut album. It was released on May 5, 1998 and became quite popular among the fans. The boy band was first seen performing on KM Music Tank with their first song, Resolver. The song grew to be popular and reached a few number one on some chart. Their second single from...
(May 5, 1998) - Volume 2: T.O.P.T.O.P (Shinhwa album)T.O.P, which stands for Twinkling Of Paradise, was Shinhwa's second album. It garnered much success with T.O.P climbing the charts quickly , follow by Shinwha's second single, Yo!. Shinhwa's second album made a greater impact than their first one as it as it coincided with the breakup of H.O.T...
(April 4, 1999) - Volume 3: Only OneOnly One (Shinhwa album)Only One was released on May 27, 2000, becoming Shinhwa's third album. The album was delayed three months to give SM Entertainment's new group at the time, Fly to the Sky a chance to debut. With the release, the group continued their successes with the album's title song, including two others,...
(May 27, 2000) - Volume 4: Hey, Come On!Hey, Come On!Hey, Come On! was Shinhwa's fourth album and it debuted at #3. As with the past albums, Hey, Come On! was well received by the fans and the title track climbed up the chart rapidly. The album's release coincided with the rise of the Korean Wave, spreading the group's popularity overseas...
(July 28, 2001) - Volume 5: Perfect Man (March 29, 2002)
- Volume 6: WeddingWedding (Shinhwa album)Wedding was released on December 26, 2002, becoming Shinhwa's sixth studio album. With the release of Wedding, Shinhwa also broke the record for being the longest running boy band in the history of Korea, a record they are still currently holding as they have not yet disbanded...
(December 6, 2002) - Volume 7: Brand NewBrand New (Shinhwa album)Brand New was Shinhwa's 7th album, as well as their first album with Good Entertainment. With four singles, Brand New, Angel, Crazy, and Oh, Shinhwa heavily promoted the album, going on tours as well as performing on various stages. Debuting at #3, Brand New made its way to #2 and then dropped to...
(August 27, 2004) - Volume 8: State of the Art (May 11, 2006)
- Volume 9: Volume 9Volume 9Volume 9 was released on April 3, 2008, shortly after South Korean boy band Shinhwa's 10th anniversary becoming Shinhwa's ninth album. It was first released as a limited edition, with only 50,000 copies available. Each one came with a hologram serial number and a 120 page photobook. The regular...
(April 3, 2008)
Korean singles
- 1st: How Do I Say (August 8, 2004)
- 2nd: Hey, Dude (April 4, 2005)
- 3rd: Summer Story Tropical 2005 (August 10, 2005)
Japanese album
- Volume 1: Inspiration #1Inspiration (Shinhwa album)Inspiration #1 was Shinhwa's first Japanese album, as they tried to break into the Japanese market. State Of The Art peaked at #4 on the Oricon Chart in Japan and sold over 100,000 copies.-Tracks:#Girls Exclusive...
(August 16, 2006)
Japanese single
- 1st: Bokura no Kokoro ni wa Taiyō ga Aru (June 14, 2006)
Compilation albums (Winter Stories)
- 1st: Winter Story 2003-2004Winter Story 2003-2004Winter Story 2003-2004 became Shinhwa's second compilation album, and first Winter Story album. It was released on December 30, 2003, and surprisingly sold 100,000 copies, with their single, Young Gunz becoming very popular throughout the radio station.-Tracks:*Note: Those that are bolded are...
(December 30, 2003) - 2nd: Winter Story 2004-2005Winter Story 2004-2005Winter Story 2004-2005 is a compilation album by Korean musical group Shinhwa. It was released on December 20, 2004, making it the group's second Winter Story album. The album met with same success as the other albums released by Shinhwa...
(December 20, 2004) - 3rd: Winter Story 2006-2007Winter Story 2006-2007Winter Story 2006-2007 was Shinhwa's third Winter Story album, released on January 25, 2007. Shinhwa did not release a Winter Story for 2005-2006...
(January 25, 2007) - 4th: Winter Story 2007 (December 6, 2007)
Albums chart
The chart positions are based on data from Music Industry Association Korea. Unlike the OriconOricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
Chart and the Billboard Chart
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
, the charts are released monthly, not weekly.
Korean studio albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Resolver Resolver (Shinhwa album) Resolver was Shinhwa's debut album. It was released on May 5, 1998 and became quite popular among the fans. The boy band was first seen performing on KM Music Tank with their first song, Resolver. The song grew to be popular and reached a few number one on some chart. Their second single from... |
— |
| 1999 | T.O.P. T.O.P (Shinhwa album) T.O.P, which stands for Twinkling Of Paradise, was Shinhwa's second album. It garnered much success with T.O.P climbing the charts quickly , follow by Shinwha's second single, Yo!. Shinhwa's second album made a greater impact than their first one as it as it coincided with the breakup of H.O.T... |
3 |
| 2000 | Only One Only One (Shinhwa album) Only One was released on May 27, 2000, becoming Shinhwa's third album. The album was delayed three months to give SM Entertainment's new group at the time, Fly to the Sky a chance to debut. With the release, the group continued their successes with the album's title song, including two others,... |
1 |
| 2001 | Hey, Come On! Hey, Come On! Hey, Come On! was Shinhwa's fourth album and it debuted at #3. As with the past albums, Hey, Come On! was well received by the fans and the title track climbed up the chart rapidly. The album's release coincided with the rise of the Korean Wave, spreading the group's popularity overseas... |
3 |
| 2002 | Perfect Man | 1 |
| 2002 | Wedding Wedding (Shinhwa album) Wedding was released on December 26, 2002, becoming Shinhwa's sixth studio album. With the release of Wedding, Shinhwa also broke the record for being the longest running boy band in the history of Korea, a record they are still currently holding as they have not yet disbanded... |
3 |
| 2004 | Brand New Brand New (Shinhwa album) Brand New was Shinhwa's 7th album, as well as their first album with Good Entertainment. With four singles, Brand New, Angel, Crazy, and Oh, Shinhwa heavily promoted the album, going on tours as well as performing on various stages. Debuting at #3, Brand New made its way to #2 and then dropped to... |
1 |
| 2006 | State of the Art | 1 |
| 2008 | Volume 9 Volume 9 Volume 9 was released on April 3, 2008, shortly after South Korean boy band Shinhwa's 10th anniversary becoming Shinhwa's ninth album. It was first released as a limited edition, with only 50,000 copies available. Each one came with a hologram serial number and a 120 page photobook. The regular... |
1 |
Japanese studio album
| Year | Title | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Inspiration #1 Inspiration (Shinhwa album) Inspiration #1 was Shinhwa's first Japanese album, as they tried to break into the Japanese market. State Of The Art peaked at #4 on the Oricon Chart in Japan and sold over 100,000 copies.-Tracks:#Girls Exclusive... |
4 |
"Hey, Come On!"
In July 2002, TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
Energy
Energy (band)
Energy is a Taiwanese pop rock boy band formed in 2002. The original band consisted of five members, namely Milk, Ady, Toro, Penny and Joe. Toro and Milk left the band in 2003 and 2005 respectively. Xiao Gang joined the band in mid 2007...
covered Shinhwa's song, Hey, Come On! causing tensions between the fans of Shinhwa and Energy. As it was later noted, Jeff Vincent and Peter Rafelson who wrote Hey, Come On! had sold the song to Energy, therefore, it was legal. Even so, fans of Shinhwa were angry over that fact. The Taiwanese group 5566 also covered Shinhwa's "Dark", a song included in Shinhwa's 4th album.
Leaving SM Entertainment
In 2003 SM EntertainmentSM 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...
's 5-year contract with Shinhwa ended, thus allowing the band to either sign another contract or switch label. 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....
, the head of SM Entertainment, only wanted to sign on Eric and Minwoo, but due to his offer, they both rejected. The two wanted to stick with the group as Shinhwa and not go solo. The band rejected the offer and switched over to the fairly new management at the time, Good Entertainment. The movement sparked controversy when Lee denied their permission to use the name Shinhwa with the different company. However, after the argument was taken to court, Shinhwa won, allowing them to still use the name "Shinhwa."
Solo activities
After moving from SM and signing with Good! Entertainment in 2003, the group members took time to do solo activities. Despite rumors, they did not break up. Min Woo also once stated in an article that the group would never disband, no matter what. It is said that once the members have served their mandatory army service, they will release another album.The members of Shinhwa, except Hye Sung, have acted in various TV series and movies (although all have appeared on numerous variety shows, both separately and as a group).
- Jun Jin acted in KBS dramaKorean dramaKorean drama refers to televised dramas, in a miniseries format, produced in the Korean language. Many of these dramas have become popular throughout Asia and have contributed to the general phenomenon of the Korean wave, known as "Hallyu", and also "Drama Fever" in some countries...
Forbidden Love, SBSSBS (Korea)Seoul Broadcasting System is a national South Korean television and radio network. It is the only private commercial broadcaster with a wide regional Network to operate in the country. On March 17, 2009, the company legally became known as SBS, changing its corporate name from Seoul Broadcasting...
Drama Let's go to the Beach, as well as appearing in several "Banjun" dramas (반전드라마) and FC Shootdori. He was also a couple with Lee Si Young in We Got Married. - Andy has acted in the MBCMunhwa Broadcasting CorporationMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...
sitcom Nonstop IV, SBS drama Lovers in Prague, as well as appearing on some "Banjun" dramas as well. He was also the MC for a music program called SBS Inkigayo (인기가요). He acts in a musical "Music In My Heart (Season 3)" on September 7, 2007, a type of project that none of the Shinhwa members have tried to pursue yet. His role is main character, Jang Jae-hyuk. He also is in an MBC reality show called We Got MarriedWe Got MarriedWe Got Married is a popular reality South Korean variety show, one segment of the Sunday Sunday Night program. First broadcast in 2008, the show pairs up Korean celebrities to show what life would be like if they were married...
where he was a couple with singer SolbiSolbiSolbi is a South Korean singer and actress, who debuted as a member of mixed group Typhoon in 2006.-Biography:An SM trainee before transferring to Trifecta Entertainment, Solbi had been trained by songwriter Kim Se-jin for more than 2 years before debut. However, due to her solo activities, she...
. - Dong Wan played the main character in the film Spin Kick (돌려차기), and has appeared in various television dramas such as Beating Heart, Magic Power Alcohol and Goodbye Sadness(슬픔이여 안녕). He was also featured as a thug-with-a-heart-of-gold in a music video for Korean R&B group SG WannabeSG WannabeSG Wannabe is a popular South Korean ballad trio that debuted in 2004 with their song, "Timeless". The three members are Kim Yong Jun , Kim Jin Ho , and Lee Seok Hoon...
. In 2007, he acted as Yoon Suk-ju(윤석주) in the television drama Person I Love'(사랑하는 사람아). - Eric played one of the main characters in the highly successful and acclaimed drama The Phoenix(불새) and was awarded the "MBC Best New Actor" Award in 2004 in recognition of his performance. Other dramas performances include a supporting role in I'm Running (also known as Breathless, released in 2003) and the lead in New Employee, also known as Super Rookie in 2005). Eric was again awarded the "MBC Best Actor" Award 2005 in recognition of his performance in the latter. His first film role was that of a killer in A Bittersweet LifeA Bittersweet LifeA Bittersweet Life is a 2005 South Korean film directed and written by Kim Ji-woon and starring Lee Byung-hun...
, followed by the release of his first feature movie, June's DiaryDiary of JuneDiary of June is a South Korean film about a detective tracking down a killer who leaves a mysterious clue inside the victim's body. The clue seems to be an extract of a diary entry that is stuffed inside an oral capsule...
(released in December 2005), in which he is playing a detective. His TV drama Wolf (늑대) (co-starring Uhm Tae WoongUhm Tae WoongUhm Tae-woong , known as "Uhm-force" among his fans, is a popular actor from South Korea. He is the younger brother of singer Uhm Jung-hwa...
and Han Ji-min) aired for only 3 episodes. Production was halted when Eric sustained serious injuries from a stunt gone wrong. He then filmed the drama SBS's Korea Secret Agency, a drama about secret agents with actors Han Ji-Min, Yoon Ji-Min, and Shin Seung-Woo. Eric then starred in the MBCMunhwa Broadcasting CorporationMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...
drama, Que Sera, Sera in 2007, which was not as successful as his previous works. Eric also stars as a lead in the historical drama "Strongest ChilWoo" in 2008. - Min Woo starred in the MBC sitcom Nonstop 5 and released the movie 원탁의천사 (Holy Daddy aka Wontak's Angel), co-starring entertainer Ha-Ha.
Many of the members have released solo albums as well.
- Min Woo has released three full albums, starting off with Un-Touch-Able in 2003 where he also encounter major controversy due to his single Just One Nights music video. In early 2005, he released the single If You... and later in the year, he released his follow-up album IInd Winds, where sales were exceedingly well, selling over 120,000 copies. His third album Explore was released in mid 2007, which sold a poor 41,007 copies, due to an illegal leak of the album a few days before the album's official release date. However, his albums were successful enough to warrant a solo concert, in which he performed in Japan.
- Hye Sung has collaborated with his close friends KangtaKangtaAhn Chil-Hyun , better known by his stage name Kangta is a South Korean pop, R&B singer, first known as the lead singer the boy band H.O.T. ....
and Lee Ji HoonLee Ji HoonLee Ji-hoon is a South Korean singer and actor. He is known as the "prince" of K-pop.- Biography :Lee made his debut in the Korean pop music scene on 15 October 1996, he was still in high school at that time. His debut number "Why the Heaven" recorded an instant hit, putting him on top of the...
, forming a project group named SS (group)S was a South Korean project group consisting of three members: Kangta, Lee Ji Hoon and Shin Hye Sung. The group was active only in 2003, under the SM Entertainment label.-History:...
. The vocal-oriented trio released a project album of ballads, Fr.in.Cl. He also released a solo album "오월지련" (Love of May) in May 2005. The album had strong pre-orders (having the #1 spot on HMV Japan's chart and sales continued to be strong in Korea, where the album placed 5th on the year-end charts for album sales. Hye Sung released his second album on August 8, 2007 which sold over 50,000 copies in its first week (30,000 copies on its first day). - Jun Jin released a solo single titled 사랑이 오지 않아요 (Love Doesn't Come) on November 18, 2006, selling 44,724 copies.
- Dong Wan released his first solo album on July 5, 2007. His album features a duet with Shin Hye Sung, and songs featuring the rapping skills of Eric and Andy. Min Woo wrote the song 'My Love' for Dong Wan's album as well.
See also
- K-popK-popK-pop is a musical genre consisting of electropop, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B music originating in South Korea...
- Contemporary culture of South KoreaContemporary culture of South KoreaThe contemporary culture of South Korea developed from the traditional culture of Korea, and on its own path away from North Korean culture since the division of Korea in 1948. The industrialization and urbanization of South Korea, especially Seoul, have brought many changes to the way Korean...
- Korean musicKorean musicTraditional Korean music includes both the folk, vocal, religious and ritual music styles of the Korean people. Korean music, along with arts, painting, and sculpture has been practiced since prehistoric times....
- List of Korean musicians
External links
- Good Entertainment - Shinhwa's Official Site.
- Mun Chong Hyok - Eric's Official Site.
- M Rising Entertainment - Min Woo's Official Site.
- H2 Entertainment - Dong Wan's Official Site.
- Live Works Company - Hye Sung's Official Site.
- Open-World Entertainment - Jun Jin's Official Site.
- ND Entertainment - Andy's Official Site.
- KpopTV ShinHwa - video clip
- KBS World Radio biography