Shinhwa
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Shinhwa (Korean: 신화) is a popular South Korean boy band. The group has six members (with 3 vocalists and 3 rappers), and debuted on March 24 1998. Shinhwa is the Korean word for myth or legend.
They are known for being the longest-running boyband in South Korea. The group has released eight studio albums, one Greatest hits album, and two compilation albums. Initially formed under SM Entertainment, they signed a new contract with a new record label, Good Entertainment in July 2003. Shinhwa is also known outside the Korean border. While known best in Asia, they have performed in countries in different corners of the globe, including the United States, Australia, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Japan.
Group members
- For more information of each of the members, please see their page.
Shinhwa has six members:
- Eric Mun (Real name: Mun Jung-hyuk, 문정혁, 文晸赫; 16 February 1979; leader & rapper)
- Lee Min Woo (이민우, 李玟雨; 28 July 1979; vocalist)
- Kim Dong Wan (김동완, 金洞完; 21 November 1979; vocalist)
- Shin Hye Sung (신혜성, 申彗星; Real name: Jung Pil-Kyo, 정필교, 鄭弼敎; 27 November 1979; vocalist)
- Jun Jin (전진, 前進; Real name: Park Choong-Jae, 박충재, 朴忠裁; 19 August 1980; rapper & vocalist)
- Andy Lee (Real name: Lee Seon-Ho, 이선호, 李先皓; 21 January 1981; rapper)
How the group became
- Hyesung was the first to join the group Shinhwa after a stand-out audition in Los Angeles, CA. Following, Andy was chosen as he was already known to SM Entertainment as a once-candidate for another Korean boyband, H.O.T. Although he was prohibited by his parents from joining H.O.T because he was too young at the time, he did not abandon his dreams. [Andy did not participate for their 4th album, as he went to the US to study] Eric joined not long after Andy, followed by Minwoo, who was discovered in a dance group by a SM scout when he won 1st place at a student dance competition. Dongwan was spotted by a scout on the street and was at first interested in acting, but he joined after he saw a preview video of the existing Shinhwa members. Junjin made it as the final member through an audition backed by his high school friend, Kangta (ex-member of H.O.T).
Musical career
1998-2003: SM Entertainment
The six-member group debuted with SM Entertainment on March 24 1998 with a concert performance on a Korean music show, KM Music Tank, with their first single, entitled Hae Gyul Sah (Problem Solver). At first, Shinhwa was considered another marketing gimmick to win over the hearts of many fans of the then popular boy band H.O.T, but as H.O.T. were beginning to fall apart, Shinhwa rose to the top and prove many critics wrong as they continued to release albums with high sales [1].
Problem Solver became their first hit, and throughout May and June it climbed the chart. However, it only reached a few number ones. Their second song from their album, Eusha, Eusha! climbed up the gayo charts more quicker than their first song as it was a more spirited and fun song. Shinhwa's third track from the album, Chun Il Yoo Hon also became a hit and climbed up the chart as well. Although their songs did well, they didn't reach the heart of the fans yet as they were still too kiddish.
Shinhwa released their second album, T.O.P in April 19, 1999 and gain much hit with the song title, which was performed in May. Their second track, Yo! was also a hit. In contrast with their first album, Shinhwa's appearance were beginning to mature. After this Shinhwa began preparing for their third album, which took longer than the other two as it was delay to give Fly To The Sky, a new SM group at the time, a chance to perform. The third album, Only One was suppose to be release in March 2000 but instead came in June. Nevertheless, their song title prove to be a sucess along with another song, All Your Dream. Their dancing style also garnered them much popularity as it took after the likes of N'Sync and Backstreetboys. The fanbase "Shinwa Changjo" was then formed and it still exist today.
Shinhwa's 4th album was released on July 8, 2001 and popular song like Hey, Come On! climbed up the gayo charts quickly. The choreography for the song was well choreographed, as seen in their music video. During that year also, the Korean wave began to spread to China, Japan, and Taiwan, giving Shinhwa an entxra boost to be sucessful in the other Asian countries. Shinhwa then released a CD entitled, My Choice on January 31, 2002 with some of their most popular songs in it.
Shinhwa's fifth album, Perfect Man was released on March 29, 2002 with their title song also gaining the same past popularity. Another song that had also contribute to the album's sucess is I Pray 4 U.
In December 6, 2002, Shinhwa made history in the Korean music industry when they released their sixth album, Wedding," becoming the longest running Korean boy band in existence [2]. However, Shinhwa's contract was up the next year, causing fans to worry that they might break up. SM Entertainment offered Shinhwa a second contract, but to much surprise, they rejected it and signed with a different company, Good Entertainment. But because the contract that they had signed with Good Entertainment would not begin until 2004, Shinhwa took the time to do solo activities in 2003.
2004-Present: Good Entertainment
Shinhwa's first album with Good Entertainment was entitled Brand New, containing much different beat than the previous albums. It would be this album that would take them to their highest peak. Popular songs like Brand New, Angel, Oh! and Crazy garnered them much attention and in that year, Shinhwa won their first daesang. They also won many other awards, inlcuding Best Choice Over Sea and Artist Of The Year. Shinhwa won the most awards that year for the album.
Shinhwa went on hiatus after the sucess of Brand New and began a tour. In their first visit to Singapore on October 2004, for an entire week they were the most searched artist in the Yahoo! Singapore search engine, becoming the first Korean artist to do so. In August of that year, they held a Korea-China-Japan summer camp (Shinhwa Summer Story 2004) dedicated entirely for their non-Korean fans, where hundreds of non-Korean fans flew to Korea from all over Asia for the opportunity to spend a few days with them. They also toured in Japan and did a concert, in which they held the largest Korean artist concert (second only to singer BoA), selling 13,000 tickets within a week.
On January 14, 2006, Shinhwa renewed its contract with Good Entertainment for another 3 years. On March 24, 2006, Shinhwa celebrated its 8th anniversary since their debut, making it truly the longest running boyband in Korea.
On May 11, 2006, Shinhwa came back to the market with the release of their eighth album, State Of The Art, which sold more than 200,000 copies domestically[3], with their lead single Once In A Lifetime being #1 on the Hottracks Sales Chart, second by SG Wannabe's 3RD MASTERPIECE. They also launched their first Asia Tour after the release of the eighth album, covering a total of eight cities throughout Asia. As preparation work for their album release, Shinhwa held a press conference in Japan on April 14, 2006, in addition to performing at MNET's anniversary celebration in Japan on April 15, 2006. The press conference comes as a result of Shinhwa's effort to break into the Japanese markets, with the release of its first Japanese language single This is the Sun in Our Hearts on June 14, 2006, and its first official album in Japan in August. Shinhwa is also planning its first Asia tour that will spread across 5 months. Shinhwa's Asia tour will start with their first concert on May 13, 2006 at the Olympic Park, Seoul, and will reach Shanghai, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, a total of 9 cities throughout Asia.
Shinhwa's concert in Shanghai proved to be one that was successful as all the tickets were sold out. When Shinhwa landed in Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, almost 1,500 fans were waiting for them, causing a traffic jam around the airport. The members had to be escorted one by one out of the airport with a personal bodyguard, including 40 policemen and 10 other personal bodyguards. Shinhwa made a record in China as having the most fans greet them in the airport. At the concert, a sea of orange color and balloons filled the concert, as orange is Shinhwa's color. The Chinese Media stated that Shinhwa is "hotter than Bi or Lee Junki." [4]
Shinhwa have changed musical styles throughout their career, creating a variation of popular music for fans and general K-pop listeners. It appears that their sound changed along with the times to keep up with modern trends, although many notice the certain "Shinhwa style" of genre. Shinhwa is also known for their coordinated and well-choreographed dance performances in videos and in concert.
As of now, they're currently working on their ninth studio album, to be released in the fall of 2007 [5].
Notable achievements
In July 2004, Shinhwa was selected to represent Korea in the MTV Buzz Asia Awards along with Amuro Namie for Japan and F4 for Taiwan. Shinhwa was also selected to sing at the finale.
The group was also the face of Swiss watch brand Radoin Asia in a January 2005 campaign.
In March 2005, along with its 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 had to choose 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.
In 2006, Shinhwa was chosen as best Korean singer overseas, according to Arirang International Broadcasting. A vote was issued on the internet, allowing only foreigners to vote. Shinhwa's song "Once In A Lifetime" won by 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 Paek Ji-young, with all of them winning less than 1 percent of the votes.[6]
Awards
| Years | Awards |
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| 1999 |
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| 2000 |
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| 2001 |
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| 2002 |
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| 2003 |
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| 2004 |
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| 2006 |
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| 2007 |
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Controversy
Hey Come On!
In July 2002, Taiwanese boy band Energy copied Shinhwa's song, Hey, Come On! causing a hot debate between the fans of Shinhwa and Energy. This led to a misunderstanding as when Shinhwa was performing Hey, Come On! in Singapore in 2004, they got boo-ed on stage because some of Energy's fans thought Shinhwa was the one copying Energy's song "Come On" which was actually a cover song. As it was later noted, the person who wrote Hey, Come On! had sold the song to Energy. Even so, much fans of Shinhwa were angry over the song. The Taiwanese group Energy also covered Shinhwa's "Dark", a song included in their 4th album.
Battle Over Shinhwa
In 2003, Shinhwa's contract with SM Entertainment ended. The company was hoping to renew the contract with Shinhwa, as Shinhwa's popularity was a booming success, but the boy band declined it and switched to a different company, Good Enter(tainment). This caused a flared between SM Entertainment and Good Enter. Lee Soo Man, founder of SM, pointed out that if Shinhwa move to a new company, they can no longer use the name Shinhwa because of copyright issues. The argument was taken to court, where Shinhwa won and was able to switch over to Good Enter with the same name. [1]
Missing Andy
Rumour has it that the member Lee Andy was absent for the 4th album activities because he had tried to committ suicide. He was given, or perhaps forced, to take some time off from the group.[7] This was proven to be false as it was later noted that he did not participate for their 4th album only because he went to the United States to finish his studies.
Discography
Albums
| Album # | Album cover | Title of release | Date of release | Tracklist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st |  |
The Solver | May 5, 1998 |
|
| 2nd | T.O.P | April 4, 1999 |
| |
| 3rd | Only One | May 27, 2000 |
| |
| 4th |  |
Hey, Come On! | July 28, 2001 |
|
| Greatest hits | My Choice | January 31, 2002 |
| |
| 5th |  |
Perfect Man | March 29, 2002 |
|
| 6th |  |
Wedding | December 26, 2002 |
|
| - | .jpg) |
Winter Story 2003-2004 | December 30, 2003 |
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| 7th | Brand New | August 27, 2004 |
| |
| - |  |
Winter Story 2004-2005 | December 20, 2004 |
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| 8th | State of the Art | May 11, 2006 |
| |
| - | Winter Story 2006 - 2007 | January 25, 2007 |
|
Singles
SMTown
Throughout the years with SM Entertainment, Shinhwa participated in the label's annual special album, in which SM's best and/or newest singers and groups form a compilation album. This "community" of SM Entertainment performers is known as SMTown.
- 1999 Christmas in SMTOWN
- 2000 Winter Vacation in SMTOWN
- 2001 Winter Vacation in SMTOWN
- 2002 Summer Vacation in SMTOWN
- 2002 Winter Vacation in SMTOWN
- 2003 Summer Vacation in SMTOWN
Concerts
- 2001 First Live Concert: The First Mythology
- 2003 Second Live Concert: The Everlasting Mythology (20–23 April 2003)
- 2003–2004 Winter Story Tour (31 December 2003–14 February 2004)
- 2004–2005 Shinhwa Live In Seoul (Seoul: 19 December 2004; Osaka & Tokyo: 21–23 January 2005)
- 2005 Tropical Summer Story Festival
- 2006 State of the Art Asia Tour (Seoul: 13-14 May 2006; Shanghai: 8 July 2006, Busan: 15 July 2006; Bangkok: 19 August 2006; Singapore: 10 September 2006; Tokyo: 24 September 2006; Osaka: 26 September 2006)
Miscellaneous discography
- Special — Summer Story Tropical 2005: July 2005 (Good Entertainment)
- SHINHWA COLORS (Photobook): July 7, 2005
- First Japanese Single: 僕らの心には太陽がある (Bokura no Kokoro ni wa Taiyō ga Aru): 14 June 2006 (Columbia Music Entertainment)
- First Japanese Album: Inspiration #1 16 August 2006 (Columbia Music Entertainment)
- Girls Exclusive
- Throw My Fist-Japanese Version- (8th Album『State Of The Art』より
- Midnight Girl-Japanese Version- (8th Album『State Of The Art』より)
- Paradise (8th Album『State Of The Art』より)
- Bokura no Kokoro ni wa Taiyo ga Aru-Album Mix-
- Highway Star-Featuring Vocal Emyli- (8th Album『State Of The Art』より)
- Time Machine-Japanese Version- (7th Album『Brand New』より)
- The Street
- Sun Flower～Happy Birthday～
- Weak～君を失くして (8th Album『State Of The Art』より)
- You're My Everything (8th Album『State Of The Art』より)
- Once In A Lifetime-English Version- (8th Album『State Of The Art』より)
- Shooting Star- Yukihiro Fukutomi Remix- (7th Album『Brand New』より)
DVDs / VHS
- Perfect Visual (September 18, 2002)
- Shinhwa 6th Story (May 9, 2003)
- The Everlasting Mythology (July 7, 2003)
- Best Hits Collection 1998-2003 (December 23, 2003)
- PERFECT VISUAL 2 (May 5, 2003)
- WINTER STORY TOUR (July 14, 2004)
- SHINHWA Live in SEOUL (April 17, 2005)
- Precious - Essential Collection (April 30, 2005)
- PERSONAL HISTORIES (August 9, 2005)
- BRAND NEW STORY (September 23, 2005)
- Shinhwa 2005 Japan Tour (April 15, 2006)
- Shinhwa Photo Album - Personal History (April 17, 2006)
- SHINHWA Tropical Summer Story Festival 2005 (April 22, 2006)
Solo discography
- Group ‘S’ (feat. Shin Hyesung) Fr.in.Cl: September 25, 2003 (SM Entertainment)
- M (Lee Minwoo) Un-touch-able: November 22, 2003 (Good Entertainment)
- Single — M (Lee Minwoo) If You...: March 10, 2005 (Good Entertainment)
- Shin Hyesung Love of May: May 9, 2005 (Good Entertainment)
- M (Lee Minwoo) IInd Winds: September 3, 2005 (Good Entertainment)
- J2 (Park Junjin) Love Doesn't Come Single: November 18, 2006 (Good Entertainment)
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. Minwoo 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 [8].
The members of Shinhwa, except Hyesung, have acted in various TV series and movies (although all have appeared on numerous variety shows, both separately and as a group).
- Junjin acted in KBS drama Gumiho Waejon, SBS Drama Let's go to the Beach, as well as appearing in several "Banjun" dramas (반전드라마) and Shootdori.
- Andy has acted in the MBC sitcom Nonstop IV, SBS drama Lovers in Prague, as well as appearing on some "Banjun" dramas as well. He is also the current MC for a music program called SBS Inkigayo(인기가요).
- Dongwan 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 recently featured as a thug-with-a-heart-of-gold in a music video for Korean R&B group SG Wannabe. He has also acted as Yoon Suk-ju(윤석주) in the television drama Loving Person(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 (released 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 Life, followed by the release of his first feature movie, June's Diary (released in December 2005), in which he is playing a detective. His latest TV drama Wolf (늑대) (co-staring Uhm Tae Woong 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 is currently starring in the MBC drama, "Que Sera, Sera."
- Minwoo starred in the MBC sitcom Nonstop 5 and released a movie, 원탁의천사 (Holy Daddy aka Wontak's Angel), co-starring entertainer Ha-Ha.
Many of the members have released solo albums as well.
- Minwoo has released two full albums (Un-Touch-Able in 2004 and IInd Winds in late 2005), with a single in spring of 2005. His albums were successful enough to warrant a solo concert. He did a solo concert in Japan.[9]
- Hyesung collaborated with his close friends Kangta and Lee Ji Hoon, forming a project group named S. 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 preorders (having the #1 spot on HMV Japan's chart[10] and sales continued to be strong in Korea, where the album placed 5th on the year-end charts for album sales[11].
- Junjin has released a solo single titled Sarangee Ohji Anahyo (Love Doesn't Come) on November 18, 2006.
Trivia
- Apparently, Shinhwa once did a performance in North Korea (video on Youtube), which was not well received.
- Shinhwa made a cameo appearance in comic film Emergency Act 19.
- Recently, the members of Shinhwa have gone to do solo projects. Minwoo and Andy are setting up their own record lables, Hyesung and Dongwan are planning to release solo albums, Eric is starring in a new drama, while Jun Jin has just finished promotions for his single. [12]
References
- ^ http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/enter/music_artists_detail.htm?No=10048
- ^ http://star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2005/11/13/tvnradio/12564186&sec=tvnradio
- ^ 2006.9월 - 가요음반 판매량
- ^ http://www.ShinhwaChangjo.net
- ^ http://www.asiandb.com/news/news.pfm?code=korea&mode=view&num=302
- ^ http://english.kbs.co.kr/entertainment/news/1429019_11858.html
- ^ http://wiki.theppn.org/Shinhwa
- ^ http://www.asiandb.com/news/news.pfm?code=korea&mode=view&num=302
- ^ http://www.shinhwa-indonesia.com/minwoo.php
- ^ http://soompi.com/?q=weekly.rankings.070203
- ^ http://miak.or.kr/stat/kpop_2005.htm
- ^ http://www.asiandb.com/news/news.pfm?code=korea&mode=view&num=302
See also
External links
- Good Entertainment — Shinhwa's official site
- KBS World Radio biography
- Entertainment News from RUKorean
- Shinhwa Changjo Germany
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