T-ara
T-ara 티아라 | |
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![]() T-ara at the Cyworld Dream Music Festival, July 23, 2011 (From left to right: Hwayoung, Qri, Hyomin, Boram, Jiyeon, Soyeon, Eunjung) | |
Background information | |
Also known as | Tiara |
Origin | Seoul, South Korea |
Genres | K-pop, dance-pop, electropop, R&B, teen pop |
Years active | 2009–present |
Labels | Core Contents Media, CJ E&M (South Korea) EMI Music Japan (Japan) |
Members | Boram Qri Soyeon Eunjung Hyomin Jiyeon Areum |
Past members | Jiae Jiwon Hwayoung |
Website | Official Korean website Official Japanese website |
T-ara | |
Hangul | 티아라 |
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Revised Romanization | Tiara |
McCune–Reischauer | T'iara |
T-ara (/[invalid input: 'icon']tiˈɑːrə/; Korean: 티아라, Japanese: error: {{nihongo}}: Japanese or romaji text required (help), often stylized as T-ARA or T♔ARA) is a South Korean girl group that debuted in 2009 under Core Contents Media. The meaning behind the group's name, which is based on the word "tiara", comes from the idea that they will become the "queens of the music industry".[1][2] Before their debut, there was a high level of interest in the group as they were called the "Super Rookies" and had been training for three years prior.[3]
Originally a five-member group composed of Jiae, Jiwon, Eunjung, Hyomin and Jiyeon, they released their first song "Joheun Saram" (좋은 사람, "Good Person") for the soundtrack of the Korean drama Cinderella Man in April 2009. After Jiae and Jiwon withdrew from the group in June, T-ara debuted as a six-member group with the addition of Boram, Qri, and Soyeon in July 2009.[4]
Their debut studio album Absolute First Album was released in December 2009 and spawned several hit singles including "Geojitmal", "TTL (Time to Love)", "TTL Listen 2", "Bo Peep Bo Peep", "Cheoeum Cheoreom" and "Neo Ttaemune Michyeo". The album was followed by the group's first extended play, Temptastic (2010), which included the top-five singles "Wae Ireoni" and "Yayaya". John Travolta Wannabe (2011) produced "Roly-Poly", the Gaon chart's number one single of the year, which earned the group several awards and nominations as well. In less than six months, the group released their third extended play Black Eyes (2011), which spawned three number one singles: "Cry Cry", "Uri Saranghaetjanha" and "Lovey-Dovey". The lead single, "Cry Cry", became the group's first number one on the Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100.
In 2011, T-ara signed a $4.3 million contract with the company J-ROCK for their Japanese debut, the highest out of all the girl groups debuting in Japan.[5] Their major record label is EMI Music Japan while their management and promotional marketing takes place under J-ROCK.[6] The group's first single was a remake of their 2009 hit "Bo Peep Bo Peep". It ranked at number one on the Oricon weekly charts with 49,712 copies sold,[7] the first time a debuting Korean girl group has done so in the charts' history.[8] T-ara released their debut Japanese studio album Jewelry Box in 2012, which peaked at number two on the Oricon charts.
The group has added three members to their lineup since debut: Hwayoung in 2010, Areum in June 2012, and Dani to be added in December 2012, thus briefly becoming a nine-member group in 2012, before the departure of Hwayoung in July 2012. T-ara uses a rotating leader system in which a different member of the group is elected as leader each year, in order to give both the group and the individual members the opportunity to grow in a new direction.[9]
History
Early beginnings and pre-debut projects
The original five T-ara members (Jiae, Jiwon, Eunjung, Hyomin and Jiyeon) were trained together for three years under Mnet Media.[10] In April 2009, they released their first song "Joheun Saram (Ver. 1)" (좋은 사람, "Good Person") for the Cinderella Man soundtrack.[10] Jiyeon teamed up with labelmates SeeYa and Davichi for a collaboration single titled "Yeoseong Shidae" (여성시대, "Women's Generation"), which was released in May 2009.[11]
In June 2009, Mnet Media announced that Jiae and Jiwon will be leaving T-ara due to differences in music style. The first new member to be added to the group was Boram, the daughter of singer Jeon Young-rok and actress Lee Mi-young. Soyeon, a former trainee of Girls' Generation,[12] and Qri were added to T-ara three weeks prior to debut. In early July 2009, the group was moved from Mnet Media to its subsidiary company Core Contents Media.[13]
2009–10: Debut, Absolute First Album, Breaking Heart and Temptastic
T-ara made their debut on MBC's Radio Star talk show on July 29, 2009.[14] Their first performance was on Mnet's M! Countdown music show on July 30, where they performed "Geojitmal" (거짓말, "Lies") and "Norabollae?" (놀아볼래?, "Wanna Play?") from their debut single. Their debut was looked upon negatively by webpostings, where people stated that it was lipsynched and commented that it seemed like an "elementary school" performance.[15] The group announced afterwards that future performances would be live.[16] In September 2009, Eunjung, Soyeon, Hyomin and Jiyeon collaborated with labelmates Kwangsu, Jihyuk, and Geonil of Supernova for the single "TTL (Time to Love)". It was released on September 15, 2009, and became both groups' first number one song as it topped many of the online charts.[17] T-ara and Supernova collaborated again for "TTL Listen 2", a sequel to "TTL (Time to Love)", which was released on October 9, 2009, and included all the members from both groups.[18]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/T-ara_at_the_Mnet_20%27s_Choice_Awards.jpg/220px-T-ara_at_the_Mnet_20%27s_Choice_Awards.jpg)
T-ara released their debut studio album, Absolute First Album, on November 27, 2009.[19] In order to determine the album's title track, Core Contents Media held a survey in which the public had to choose between "Bo Peep Bo Peep" or "Cheoeum Cheoreom" (처음처럼, "Like the First Time"). 9,000 people took the survey on various music portals with 53% (4,770 people) choosing "Cheoeum Cheoreom" over "Bo Peep Bo Peep".[20] However, the latter was promoted on music shows instead for unknown reasons. "Bo Peep Bo Peep" peaked at number four on the Gaon chart, while "Cheoeum Cheoreom" peaked at number ten.[21] They held their comeback performance on Music Bank on December 4, 2009. At the 24th Golden Disk Awards, T-ara was awarded Rookie of the Year along with girl group 4minute.[22]
The group won their first-ever music show award with "Bo Peep Bo Peep" on the New Year's Day episode of Music Bank.[23] The song went on to win five awards in total: two on Music Bank and three on Inkigayo, earning them a "Triple Crown". Later in January 2010, the group announced promotions for their follow up single, "Cheoeum Cheoreom", which ended quickly as Soyeon was diagnosed with H1N1.[24] The same month, T-ara made a cameo appearance on the seventh and eight episodes of God of Study, in which Jiyeon played a lead role.[25]
In February 2010, the group announced a re-release of their debut album under the title Breaking Heart. The two lead singles, "Neo Ttaemune Michyeo" (너 때문에 미쳐; "I Go Crazy Because of You") and "Naega Neomu Apa" (내가 너무 아파, "I'm Really Hurt"), were digitally released on February 23, 2010, and peaked at number one and number thirty-one on the Gaon chart,[26] respectively. T-ara held their comeback performance on the same day on M! Countdown, and won several music awards for "Neo Ttaemune Michyeo" over the course of their promotions: two consecutive Mutizen wins on Inkigayo[27] and one first place award on M! Countdown.[28] Breaking Heart was released physically on March 3, 2010, peaking at number two on the weekly Gaon chart and number thirty-five on the yearly chart; selling 40,695 copies.[29] After promotions for "Neo Ttaemune Michyeo" ended, T-ara performed "Naega Neomu Apa" on music shows until early April 2010.
T-ara released the digital download for "Wae Ireoni" (왜 이러니, "Why Are You Being Like This"), the lead single for their first extended play, Temptastic, on November 23, 2010.[30] Temptastic was released in digital format on December 1, 2010, along with their second single, "Yayaya". The album's physical release was delayed until December 3 due to the bombardment of Yeonpyeong earlier in November 2010.[31] T-ara held their first comeback performance through Music Bank on December 3 and began promotions with their new seventh member, Hwayoung, and new leader, Boram, and received two consecutive wins for "Wae Ireoni" and "Yayaya" on M! Countdown.
2011: John Travolta Wannabe, Japanese debut and Black Eyes
In June 2011, it was announced that T-ara would be making a comeback in early July 2011.[32] It was also announced that the group would be advancing into the Japanese market with a showcase on July 5.[33] Core Contents Media announced that Hyomin would be taking over the leadership for the album and their Japanese promotions on June 14, 2011.[34]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/T-ara_at_the_Cyworld_Dream_Music_Festival.jpg/220px-T-ara_at_the_Cyworld_Dream_Music_Festival.jpg)
The group's second extended play John Travolta Wannabe was released on June 29, 2011, and peaked at number three on the Gaon charts. The only single from the album, "Roly-Poly", was released on the same day and peaked at number two on the Gaon charts and number four on the newly-created Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100. The single went on to attain great success, becoming the top grossing and most downloaded song of 2011 in Korea according to Gaon,[35] with a record $2 million in sales[36] and 4,680,253 downloads.[37] "Roly-Poly" was awarded Best Music Video at the 3rd Melon Music Awards[38] and Singer of the Year (July) at the 1st Gaon Chart Awards, and was nominated Best Dance Performance by a Female Group and Song of the Year at the 13th Mnet Asian Music Awards.
The group released a limited edition re-issue of John Travolta Wannabe, titled Roly-Poly in Copacabana, on August 2, 2011.[39] The title track, "Roly-Poly in Copacabana", is a eurodance remix of "Roly-Poly", named after the song "Copacabana" which was popularized in the 80's in Jongno disco clubs.[39] The album peaked at number three, while the single peaked at number forty and forty-five on the Gaon and Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100 charts. The group began follow up promotions for the remixed single on Music Bank.
T-ara released their debut Japanese single "Bo Peep Bo Peep" on September 28,[40] which peaked at number one on the Oricon weekly singles chart with 49,712 copies sold,[40] making them the first non-Japanese girl group to rank at number one for a debut single in Oricon history. The single peaked at number one on the Billboard Japan Hot 100,[41] and was certified Gold by the RIAJ for both full-length cellphone downloads and PC downloads.[42][43]
In November 2011, T-ara released their third extended play Black Eyes which charted at number two on the Gaon charts.[44] The album was preceded by the release of "Cry Cry", which peaked at number one on the Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100 and won two consecutive first-place awards on M! Countdown. The music video for "Cry Cry" was noted for having a 1,000,000 Korean won production budget and a thirty-minute drama story line.[45] The group released their second Japanese single, a remake of "Yayaya" from their Temptastic EP, on November 30.[46] The single peaked at number seven on the Oricon charts and number six on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.
In December 2011, Core Contents Media announced on that T-ara's third leader Hyomin will be passing on her leadership to Soyeon.[47] The group performed a three-day mini-concert tour titled X-mas Premium Live, that was held at the Shinagawa Stella Hall in Tokyo, the Zepp in Nagoya, and the Zepp in Osaka. T-ara rose to become the second biggest girl group in Korea in 2011 by ranking at number eight on the Gallup Korea poll.[48] T-ara and Davichi released their Christmas ballad, "Uri Saranghaetjanha" (우리 사랑했잖아, "We Were in Love") on December 23, 2011;[49] which was later included on T-ara's Funky Town re-release album. The single reached number one on the Gaon Chart and peaked at number two on the Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100.[50] Both groups performed the song weekly on SBS's Inkigayo in the midst of T-ara's heavy preparations for their year-end ceremonies.
2012: Funky Town, first Japanese album, Day by Day, line-up changes, and Mirage
T-ara released their fourth extended play's re-issue album Funky Town digitally on January 3, 2012, and physically on January 10. The album sold 43,049 copies its first month and topped both the Gaon and Hanteo weekly album charts. "Lovey-Dovey" was released on the same day as the album and immediately grabbed the top spot on various Korean real-time charts upon its release.[51] The single reached number one on both the Gaon Weekly Singles chart and the Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100, becoming the group's third and second consecutive number one on both charts, respectively, and has been legally downloaded over 3.5 million times in South Korea alone.
In February, Forbes Korea, in celebration of their ninth year of establishment, reported the year's list of the "Top 40 Power Celebrities". T-ara ranked on the list at number seventeen, thus making them as the third most powerful girl group and the seventh most powerful female celebrity.[52]
In March, T-ara's song "Roly-Poly" was announced to have topped the Gaon Top 100 Digital Singles for 2011 with a staggering 364,153,533 points.[53] Their song "Cry Cry" made it on the charts as well, coming in at number forty-eight.
Rumors of the group possibly switching their members and the overall concept of T-ara surfaced online on March 14. Kim Kwang-soo, the CEO of Core Contents Media was quoted as saying, "It is true that we are planning to make big changes to our group in April in order to take T-ara up another level. This change could of course possibly include member and overall concept changes." and continued with, "We will make the official announcement regarding T-ara's change on April 7. It could be an upgrade in the overall concept, musical style, or member change. We are doing our best to bring positive change to the group."[54] On April 5, 2012, their agency announced that two members who were previously trainees under the label will be added to T-ara's line-up in July, transforming T-ara into a nine member group.[55]
On April 6, Core Contents Media reported through a press release that, "We have plans to switch out any prideful members who are not working to their full potential, causing the other members to suffer as a result." showing a possibility for not only an addition of two new members but a exchange of old members as well.[56] Due to this new member change there has been much debate on whether it is the right move for Core Contents Media by fans and entertainment media personnel.[57]
T-ara released their fourth Japanese single, "Lovey-Dovey", on May 23.[58] The single debuted on the Oricon weekly single charts at number nine[59] and on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 at number eleven.[60]
A choreography video featuring Jonté Moaning and YAMA&HOTCHICKS (T-ara's current choreographers) performing choreography to a song by T-ara's sister group Gangkiz as well as a previously unheard track was leaked online on May 23. Fans quickly speculated that the new song was chosen to be T-ara's title track for their upcoming Korean album; the video was promptly taken down shortly after it was uploaded, with Core Contents Media threatening legal action against whomever it was that originally leaked the video. Shortly after the video leaked, Core Contents Media released a statement verifying that the new song was indeed the title track for T-ara's upcoming Korean extended play; both the album and song are entitled Day By Day, with the EP featuring five new songs. Producers for the EP include Cho Youngsoo, Kim Taewun, Ahn Youngmin, Kim Kibum, Kang Jiwon, and Brave Brothers. Day By Day, as well as the music video for the title track, were officially released on July 3.[61][62] Dance teasers for the music video were released on June 28.[63] It was also announced that the group will return to promote in August with a song titled "Mirage" and again in October with a song titled "T-ara's Effect".
On May 30, 14 year old Dani was announced to be one of the group's newest members, but will not be joining them until December, citing that she "wants to practice more and join when she feels she is completely ready so as to not bring any harm to the group’s way". Instead, she starred in the drama version of "Day By Day".[64][65] The announcement of her addition into the group was met with skepticism by many, as the group's manager stated that he scouted Dani on the street, calling her an "unrefined jewel".[66]
The group eventually released their first Japanese album Jewelry Box on June 6, 2012. The album debuted at number two on the Oricon weekly albums chart with sales of over 57,000[67] and is primarily a collection of their Korean songs translated into Japanese. Two new songs were recorded for the album: "Keep Out" and "T-ARATiC MAGiC MUSiC". They embarked on their first Japanese concert tour T-ara Japan Tour 2012: Jewelry Box in Nagoya on June 19; the tour's attendance was expected to exceed 40,000 people.[68] Four singles have been released prior to the album: "Bo Peep Bo Peep", "Yayaya", "Roly-Poly" and Lovey-Dovey".
T-ara will hold their first showcase in Malaysia on October 3, at the Dewan Wawasan, Menara PGRM in Kuala Lumpur.[69]
On June 14, Core Contents Media officially introduced 18 year-old Areum as the last of the two new additions to the group. [70] Unlike Dani, she joined the group in July during the promotions for "Day By Day". She made her official live debut with T-ara on MBC's Music Core to perform the song.
It was then announced that the girls will release a repackage mini-album "Mirage" on August 15, with the title song "Sexy Love" produced by Shinsadong Tiger who have created the girls' past hits like "Bo Peep Bo Peep", "Roly-Poly" and Lovey-Dovey" and it will be coupled with robotic dance performance from the girls. [71]
On July 30th, Core Contents Media officially announced Hwayoung's immediate departure after being with the group for one year and eight months. Core Content Media's CEO, Kim Kwang Soo, claims that Hwayoung's contract was terminated, "in deference to the complaints by T-ara’s staff of 19 people (5 stylists, 7 hair & makeup, 5 on-site managers, 2 team mangers)." He has also stated that bullying among group members was not the reason for her departure. [72][73] The controversy had caused T-ara to temporarily stop most of its activities. The members of T-ara continued with their individual activities[74] Both Hwayoung and the other members of T-ARA have said that facts about their bullying issue were distorted by netizens, but on the other hand confirmed there were conflicts and negative feelings between Hwayoung and other members. [75][76]
Core Contents Media then announced that there would be no change to the girls’ upcoming comeback, “Sexy Love” which originally was slated for an August 14th release. However, the agency then took back this statement and announced that T-ara's comeback would be postponed indefinitely. On August 30, news was released that T-ara would release their seventh mini-album "Mirage" on September 3. T-ara then came back on September 3 with four music videos : a dance version of 'Sexy Love', a drama version of 'Sexy Love' (a continuation of the "Day by Day" drama video), a behind the scenes video, and a music video of the song "Day and Night" featuring T-ara's Areum, Shannon Williams, and Gavy NJ's Gunji.[77] The mini-album Mirage was also released.
On September 10th, 2012, it was announced that the group would be releasing a best of album in Japan consisting of all of their Korean singles to date (excluding "Day by Day" and "Sexy Love") in celebration of one year since their Japanese debut.[78]
Members
Current
Stage name | Birth name | Date of birth[79] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Romanized | Hangul | Hanja | Katakana | Romanized | Hangul | Hanja | |
Boram | 보람 | 寶藍 | ボラム | Jeon Bo Ram | 전보람 | 全보람 | March 22, 1986 |
Qri | 큐리 | 居麗 | キュリ | Lee Ji Hyun | 이지현 | 李智賢 | December 12, 1986 |
Soyeon | 소연 | 昭姸 | ソヨン | Park In Jung | 박소연 | 朴昭姸 | October 5, 1987 |
Eunjung | 은정 | 慇晶 | ウンジョン | Ham Eun Jung | 함은정 | 咸慇晶 | December 12, 1988 |
Hyomin | 효민 | 孝敏 | ヒョミン | Park Sun Young | 박선영 | 朴宣映 | May 30, 1989 |
Jiyeon | 지연 | 智妍 | ジヨン | Park Ji Yeon | 박지연 | 朴智妍 | June 7, 1993 |
Areum | 아름 | 雅凜 | アルム | Lee Ah Reum | 이아름 | 李雅凜 | April 19, 1994 |
- Soyeon introduced herself as T-ara's spokesperson during KBS's Invincible Baseball Team's Supporter Audition.[80]
Former
Stage name | Birth name | Date of birth | Departure | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Romanized | Hangul | Romanized | Hangul | ||
Jiae | 지애 | Lee Jiae | 이지애 | August 6, 1987 | May 2009 |
Jiwon | 지원 | Yang Jiwon | 양지원 | April 15, 1988 | May 2009 |
Hwayoung | 화영 | Ryu Hwa Young | 류화영 | April 22, 1993 | July 2012 |
Leader timeline
Term | Member | Timespan |
---|---|---|
5 | Soyeon | January 2012 onwards |
4 | Hyomin | June 2011 - January 2012 |
3 | Boram | July 2010 - June 2011 |
2 | Eunjung | July 2009 - July 2010 |
1 | Jiae | Pre-debut |
Member timeline
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/lfr8b04zn5jfxteb19mw1yw2qpsq5v3.png)
Endorsements
Even before their debut, T-ara had been getting many proposals for endorsements ranging from sweets, beverages, apparel, cosmetics, and communications. In October 2009, The group signed a contract for their first commercial-film with Nonghyup Apples. They recorded the song "Apple Song" especially for the CF, which was later included and retitled as "Apple is A" on the group's debut studio album Absolute First Album.[81]
In 2010, the group modeled for such companies as Mentholatum Korea,[82] Tedin Water Parks,[83] and Olympus cameras.[84] T-ara was chosen to model for Tedin Waterpark again in 2011.[85] In February, T-ara and their labelmate Supernova signed an endorsement contract with Japanese family restaurant chain Gusto. Each group reportedly received a minimum of $1,000,000 USD.
The group opened their own online shopping mall "T-ara Dot Com" in March 2010. The members had planned the concept and the setup of the shopping mall, including choosing the models and styling as well as handling the sales of the online transactions. A reality show of the same name was centered behind the business.
In 2011, T-ara earned 3 billion won ($2.7 million) in the span of 3 months from modelling in commercial-flims for sports brand Spris, electronics brand iRiver, software company Windysoft, optical store Look Optical, instant noodles brand Shin Ramyun, Crown Mountain and many others.[86]
T-ara launched their own café franchise called Cafe Page One that will expand into a chain of 500 nation-wide stores. The name of their café was influenced from the cafe that member Eunjung ran in her drama Coffee House. Cafe Page One was opened on July 1, 2011, where the members were present to greet the customers.[87] The group had been chosen as the new advertisement models for cosmetics brand Tony Moly. T-ara is expected to model for the brand in not only South Korea, but China, Japan, and other Asian countries as well.[88] T-ara is the first idol group to sign a contract with online shopping mall Hi-Mart.[89]
In February 2012, T-ara became exclusive models for the chicken chain Brilliant Chicken. They were guaranteed a minimum of $892,000 for signing a one-year contract, along with receiving royalties for each increase of a Brilliant Chicken restaurant.[90]
T-ara has been chosen as the new advertising models for the outdoor clothing brand Wild Roses.[91]
Philanthropy
In 2010, T-ara donated $10,000 USD of their own income to charity for the 2010 Haiti earthquake victims.[92] Along with the donation, they helped in a fundraising event that was held at the Jamsil Gymnasium in Seoul. T-ara were quoted as saying: "While watching the news about the disaster in Haiti, we were very disturbed to see the things happening there," and they continued, "So we decided to discuss about this after realizing it. We are aware that as a rookie group, we might not be able to donate as much money as we would want to, but we believe that any small amount can help out the people in Haiti."
The group was appointed honorary advisers by senator Na Kyung-won on the January 19 episode of T-ara's show Dream Girls.[93] They initiated a bill for the protection of abandoned dogs against inhumane treatment in South Korean animal shelters. The only thing that was hindering the law to be passed is for the congress to discuss it and pass their votes.
After the bombardment of Yeonpyeong in November 2010, T-ara donated $20,000 USD towards the defense of the island after they heard the news. The group expressed, "When we heard about the tragedy of the Cheonan ship sinking, we were sad because of the lives unjustly lost. We express our sincere condolences to the lost civilians and soldiers. The fact that North Korea sees our country as a country they can play around with, it angers us."[94]
In June, the group donated all the proceeds of the World Cup merchandise sold on their online clothing shop T-ara Dot Com to a charity for African children.[95]
In October 2011, T-ara along with boy band Infinite and magician Lee Eungyeol participated in volunteer work with 40 other people for Nongshim's Sharing Love Campaign.[96] They visited the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation in Gwangju, South Korea to help children with disabilities by playing, walking, and putting on magic shows and plays.
After T-ara won three consecutive first place wins on Inkigayo in January 2012, they kept their promise of doing volunteer work by visiting the elderly and donating food, clothing and life commodities.[97] The group gathered around 10 million won to buy food for the volunteer event. 7 million won was from their bonus after winning their Triple Crown on Inkigayo and 3 million won were from the members themselves.[97] All of T-ara, excluding Jiyeon who was busy with her Dream High 2 schedules, and even Eunjung who recently injured her leg were all at the volunteer event. Member Hwayoung was joined by her sister Hyoyoung from Coed School.[98] The group expressed that they wanted to volunteer at least three more times in 2012.
In March, T-ara announced that they will be donating all of their royalties from their Japanese "Roly-Poly" single to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. The group said, "We debuted in Japan last September and we're happy for receiving a lot of love from "Roly-Poly". We want to give back by donating all of our "Roly-Poly" album royalties back in the full amount to Japan." and they continued with, "Although our donations may only be a little help, our wish is that it'll help some of the victims."[99]
T-ara volunteered with the Seoul Main Customs to help children with disabilities on March 22.[100] They helped pot plants with the children, assisted in medial service, prepared meals and even fed some of the children.[101]
Controversies
Illegal music distribution
In February 2012, Core Contents Media took legal action against two companies in Southeast Asia for distributing their artists' music without permission.[102] A copyright infringement lawsuit was filed against them in December 2011 when Core Contents Media took matters to the police. The companies illegally distributed sixteen songs in Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia,[102] including T-ara's "Roly-Poly" and songs by SeeYa; Davichi; and 5dolls. The circulated tracks were found to be rearranged or re-recorded with other singers' voices.[102]
Hwayoung's contract termination and Twitter bullying
In July 2012, controversy arose as T-ara members were viewed as bullying Hwayoung through Twitter after their Budokan concert in Japan. On July 22nd, Hwayoung injured her leg after performing on a music program and was put in a wheelchair. T-ara then held their first independent concert on July 25th and 26th at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan. Although Hwayoung performed during the concert, problems arose when Boram, Eunjung, Hyomin, Soyeon, and Jiyeon started tweeting on July 25th. Because the tweets were focused upon determination and commitment level (although they were not directly addressed to Hwayoung), many fans and netizens began to speculate that the tweets were ridiculing and even "bullying" Hwayoung for a "lack of determination" and causing inconveniences because of her injury. [103]
Hwayoung responded to the tweets with ambiguous messages expressing that she was upset and needed support. Hwayoung's twin, 5dolls's member Hyoyoung, also responded to the incident by sending messages of support to her sister through Twitter. [104] Core Contents Media responded to the whole incident by stating that the members' Twitter accounts had been hacked; however, because most of the members had tweeted on July 25th, the explanation did not add up.
Consequently, on July 28th, Core Contents Media announced that they would be making a major announcement regarding the "bullying" incident on Twitter. [105] On July 30th, Core Contents Media announced that Hwayoung would be leaving the group, "in deference to the complaints by T-ara's staff of 19 people..." Although Core Contents Media's CEO, Kim Kwang Soo expressed that Hwayoung's leave was not caused because of the "bullying" on Twitter, many fans and netizens believe that the incident and the controversy resulting from it were the cause of Hwayoung's contract termination and departure from the group. [72]
Later CCM released a story to the public in order to explain their situation, “On July 27th, T-ara was preparing to go on stage for a live broadcast of KBS‘s Music Bank. With only two groups before them left to go, Hwayoung suddenly decided that she did not want to perform on stage that day... On the way home, Hwayoung, in front of fans and reporters, threw down her crutches and sat on the floor, threatening to yell at the managers in public.” However, a staff member at Music Bank immediately responded to this and said, “This situation seems to be a bit different from what CEO Kim Kwang Soo stated in his announcement. It is true that Hwayoung was mad and threw her crutches, but she was seen crying before that incident. There were other singers that witnessed her not being allowed to enter the waiting room and crying out in the hallway of the broadcast station.” [106] In response to CCM's statement, Hwayoung tweeted "...facts without any truth".
A former back-up dancer of T-ARA wrote a post online and described in detail of a time Jiyeon had slapped Hwayoung across the face. The dancer wrote, "Hwayoung messed up a little bit of the choreography. Seeing this, Jiyeon and Soyeon then sarcastically scoffed at her, saying, ‘Since you already decided to join, you should maybe work a little harder.’... Hwayoung maintained an uncomfortable expression on her face, and Jiyeon who saw this slapped Hwayoung across the cheek and told her that because she had come in late to the already-established group T-ara, she needed to act sensibly and to rehearse without that expression on her face... these girls who are all grown don’t want to sit by her in the car so they blatantly play rock paper scissors right in front of her face.” [107] Core Contents Media responded that the alleged back-dancer testimony had been fabricated, and that they had determined this by tracking down the IP address and had submitted a request to the Police. At 5:30 p.m. on the 31st of July, Core Contents Media, after discussing with their lawyers, formally requested Seoul Gagnam Police Department Cybercrime Search Team to look into the malicious and false article made by a netizen claiming to be T-ara's backup dancer. Relevant personnels at the police later confirmed that the materials sent by Core Contents Media has been analysed by the Cybercrime Search Team after Core Contents Media requested for police assistance. Meanwhile, Core Contents Media had showed leniency over another netizen who claimed to be a trainee working under Core Contents Media. The alleged trainee claimed to have been slapped by T-ara Jiyeon but later on contacted Core Contents Media to seek forgiveness. Core Contents Media stated to Star News, "We had wanted to hand the matter over to the police this morning, but decided to discuss the matter with lawyers for a more definite opinion. After discussions with the lawyer, we then formally requested the police to look into the false and malicious post made by the netizen." Core Contents Media also clarified that because Core Contents Media is located in the Gangnam area, Gangnam Police Department was assigned the task, instead of Seocho Police Department. [108]
On July 31, 2012, Hwayoung tweeted her apology and told fans to stop. An alleged "secret message" was found within this tweet, however: "팬만안다". This translates into "Only the fans know". Before this tweet was posted, Hwayoung was seen heading to the building of Core Contents Media alongside her sister. The entertainment company revealed that she went to personally apologize to the CEO, however Netizens claimed that Core Contents Media had forced Hwayoung to compose the tweet.[109]
Agence France-Presse stated on August 1 that T-ara's official fan club had reportedly lost 6,000 members in the aftermath of the controversy. [110] The group has also lost endorsement deals, been forced to cancel concerts, fan cafes have shut down, petitions and groups to have T-ara disbanded and to uncover the truth behind the scandal have attracted hundreds of thousands of people, netizens have called for the members to be removed from their current television shows, and much more.[111] Core Contents Media also stated that “The upcoming T-ara concert on the 11th has been postponed, the members of T-ara desperately requested for the agency to postpone their first domestic concert on the 11th.” The representative also added, “While talking it over with CEO Kim Kwang Soo, the members stated, ‘In a situation like this, we don’t think we can show fans bright, happy, and lively sides of ourselves on stage. Fans will probably not enjoy seeing us that way as well,’ and requested for the postponement of the concert.”[112]
On August 29, 2012, T-ara released a handwritten apology letter on their official homepage. Although never explicitly mentioning bullying Hwayoung, the band did acknowledge that there were disagreements within the group, and it was their immature actions (especially by bringing internal conflicts public) that led to Hwayoung's expulsion. They ended the letter by apologizing to their families, Hwayoung, fans, and others they disappointed.[113]
Various celebrities and industry professionals in South Korea have expressed their concern about the group on Twitter including actor Shin Hyun Joon and singer-rapper E.via. Outside the country, Japanese pop-singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and many international fans of the group had also tweeted about the incident.[114][115][116]
Discography
Korean discography
|
Japanese discography
|
Filmography
- T-ara World (2010)
- T-ara Dot Com (2010)
- T-ara Dream Girls (2010)
- T-ara's Hello Baby (2010)
- T-ara's Pretty Boys (2011-12)
Tours
- T-ara Xmas Premium Live (2011)
- T-ara Japan Tour 2012: Jewelry Box (2012)
Published works
- Sparkle (2012) Tokyo: Gentosha, 2012. ISBN 978-4344021594. Shot by Shin Yamagishi.
Awards and nominations
References
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- ^ Template:Jp icon 遅くなりましたが・・・
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- ^ Template:Ko icon 티아라, 첫 CF 3억대 가까운 개런티 보장 받아
- ^ Template:Ko icon 티아라, 한국멘소래담 화장품 모델 발탁
- ^ Template:Ko icon 큐티 섹시 티아라, 워터파크 모델로 선정!
- ^ Template:Ko icon 림푸스, 티아라와 함께 한 이색출사 진행
- ^ Template:Ko icon 테딘워터파크, 티아라의 두 번째 워터스캔들!
- ^ Template:Ko icon 티아라, 3개월간 30억! CF 대박 홈런
- ^ Template:Ko icon 티아라 강남에 카페 오픈 “전국 500호점까지 체인 설립 계획”
- ^ Template:Ko icon 토니모리, 걸 그룹 티아라 전속 모델 발탁
- ^ Template:Ko icon 티아라, 수억원대 주류광고 모델로 발탁
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- ^ Template:Ko icon '연평도발'에 뿔난 티아라, 방위성금 2천만원 기탁 Star News via Nate. November 26, 2010.
- ^ Template:Ko icon 티아라, 온라인 쇼핑몰 월 매출 6억 돌파 '대박' Asiae. June 5, 2010.
- ^ Template:Ko icon 농심, 티아라와 함께 '사랑나눔' 봉사활동 Nate. October 27, 2011.
- ^ a b Template:Ko icon 티아라 측 “올해 봉사활동 3번 더 한다” DongA Ilbo Original via Nate. February 2, 2012.
- ^ Template:Ko icon 쌍둥이자매 효영·화영, 티아라 봉사공약 동참결정 Star News via Naver. January 31, 2012.
- ^ Template:Ko icon 티아라, 동일본 대지진 1주기 맞아 日인세 전액 기부 My Daily via Nate. March 12, 2012.
- ^ Template:Ko icon 서울세관, 티아라와 봉사활동 전개 Business Wire via Nate. March 22, 2012.
- ^ Template:Ko icon [포토엔]티아라 봉사활동, 바쁜 스케줄 속에도 아이들 만나는 시간은 즐거워~ Newsen via Nate. March 22, 2012.
- ^ a b c Template:Ko icon 티아라 소속사 고소, 해외 불법 음원 유통 강력대응 MK via Nate. March 3, 2012. Cite error: The named reference "Nate" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "T-ara members' tweets following Budokan concert receive some criticism".
- ^ "T-ara's Hwayoung leaves an ambiguous tweet".
- ^ "Core Contents Media to make a major announcement regarding T-ara".
- ^ http://news.nate.com/view/20120731n13665
- ^ http://www.citydaily.co.kr/view_article.php?news_id=121682
- ^ http://news.nate.com/view/20120731n28167
- ^ http://view.koreaherald.com/kh/view.php?ud=20120801001331
- ^ S. Korea girl band stirs controversy over sacking, Agence France-Presse, Aug. 1, 2012.
- ^ [OP-ED Guilty until proven innocent: The lynch mob against T-ara and who’s really to blame], allkpop, Aug. 2, 2012.
- ^ T-ara’s first domestic concert to be postponed, allkpop, Aug. 2, 2012.
- ^ http://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/13334/20120829/t-ara-finally-opens-up-foolish-behavior-deep-reflection.htm
- ^ "Japan's Kyaryy Pamyu Pamyu Tweets Then Deletes About T-ara". 7 August 2012. CJ E&M enewsWorld, Stewart Ho. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "신현준 '왕따' 일침, 티아라 화영 계약 해지 관련? '논란'". 31 August 2012. CityDaily. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "이비아, 티진요 비난 "마녀사냥 그만"". TV Report. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
External links
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