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TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang Xien Qi (東方神起), is a quintet Korean boy band formed under SM Entertainment label, and later debuted under Avex Trax in Japan. Its five members specialize in the areas of singing, dance, a cappella, acting, and pop with an R&B vibe. Since debut, the group gained popularity in South Korea, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and other East Asian countries with a fan base ranging from teenage girls to middle-aged women 12.
TVXQ fans use various versions of the group's name in different countries. In South Korea, the group is known as Dong Bang Shin Gi (동방신기), abbreviated as DBSG or DBSK, while the Japanese equivalent of the group's name is Tōhōshinki, abbreviated as THSK. TVXQ, the acronym based on the Chinese counterpart of their name Tong Vfang Xien Qi, is the abbreviation officially used on all advertisements and products outside of Japan. Their name roughly translates as "Rising Gods of the East" in all three languages.
2004: Debut
TVXQ made their first appearance on December 26, 2003 during a BoA and Britney Spears Showcase. They performed their debut song "Hug" as well as an a cappella rendition of "O Holy Night" alongside BoA. The group eventually released two singles ("Hug" and "The Way U Are"), accompanied by photo books, before their first album in 2004. TVXQ reached #1 on Korean music charts in three months after their debut.
An official fan club was created, named after the Cassiopeia constellation near the Big Dipper. TVXQ's fans chose the name "Cassiopeia" for their fan club because the constellation has 5 stars in its galaxy, and TVXQ has 5 members. When traced on a computer keyboard, "TVfXQ" makes the constellation Cassiopeia.
SM Entertainment once considered adding a Chinese member to the group and rotate members to help boost popularity in other countries, as hinted in The 3rd StoryBook - TVfXQ!. The purpose would have been to branch each member into different solo activities, or possibly combine other trainees into the group. However, the idea was abandoned due to opposition from fans who threatened to boycott SM Entertainment products.
[edit] 2005
During 2005, TVXQ expanded its career to Japan. The group released its first Japanese single entitled Stay with Me Tonight on April 27, 2005, marking the group's official debut in Japan. 3 (Earlier in the year, the English version of their single "Hug" and their first Korean album Tri-Angle had been released in Japan without much attention).
TVXQ continued to release additional singles entitled Somebody to Love and My Destiny. While in Korea, the group released its second Korean album Rising Sun and a joint single album with label-mate Super Junior, Show Me Your Love. In the end the year, TVXQ received the Best Music Video award for the song "Rising Sun" and the People's Choice Award at the 2005 Mnet KM Music Video Festival. 4
During that year, on June 14, 2005, TVXQ displayed their rising popularity between Koreans when, along with BoA, they were appointed as PR spokespeople for the city of Los Angeles in the United States.5
[edit] 2006: Overseas expansion and release of third Korean album
TVXQ in 2006
[edit] Going overseas
Before returning to their homeland, South Korea, with their third album in fall, TVXQ endeavored to spread their sphere of influence further in other East Asian countries. They held their first Asian tour, were featured on commercials, and made guest appearances in Malaysia, Thailand, China and Japan. TVXQ members were the first Korean performers to ever stage a concert in Malaysia for their "Rising Sun 1st Asia Tour" in Bukit Jalil (Putra Indoor Stadium) 6. The tour, which was in promotion for their 2nd Korean album Rising Sun released in 2005, continued to Bangkok in Thailand at the Impact Arena. The tour had also held its first concerts in South Korea.
Soon after, they were kept busy in preparation for the first tour in Japan in promotion of their first Japanese album Heart, Mind and Soul. The members focused on increasing their fluency in Japanese for their activities in Japan, as BoA had in her early years in Japan 7. TVXQ performed at a-nation, an annual Japanese live summer concert organized by Avex Trax that features j-pop artists in the record label. Moreover, they also released as many as five Japanese singles in total that year.
The group was the first Asian group to win two Thailand Music Awards for both Best Music Video ("Rising Sun") and Favorite Asian Artist. They also won the Popular Vote Asia Artist award at the Virgin Hits Awards 2006 in Thailand. Their seventh Japanese single "Sky" hit #6 on the Oricon Weekly Chart.8, with their eighth single Miss You reaching #3 in Japan.[citation needed] They have topped both the Japanese and Korean charts on the Malaysian radio show "988" twice with their singles "Begin" and "The Fighting Spirit Of The East". The show has an audience of about 4.2 million listeners, reaching as far as Singapore. 9
[edit] Return to Korea
The group returned to Korea in late August in order to prepare for their third album titled "O"-正.反.合. ('O' - Jung.Ban.Hap), released on September 29, 2006 with two editions. The album's name translates to 'O'-Thesis.Antithesis.Synthesis to reflect the title song's theme about degradation and corruption of humanity and the power of the people to avert this change. After topping several music charts in Korea, "O"-正.反.合 was re-released on November 11, 2006 to coincide with the group's image change for the promotion of their second title song "Balloons." This release contained two further editions with new versions of "Balloons" and "Get Me Some", along with a new track named "White Lie" written and composed by Xiah. "Balloons," in contrast to their lead single "O" Jung.Ban.Hap' and its heavy techno beats, is a lighter pop song about the innocence of childhood. It is a remake of an old hit by Five Fingers (Korean), re-written with a "modern feel" to try and appeal to kids of the new generation while relating to adults familiar with the original in an attempt to broaden their fanbase further.10 In the first month of its release, the third album surpassed the 100,000 mark in South Korea, and to date has sold over 330,000 copies, the highest ranking album for 2006 in Korea.11
All About TVXQ became the best-selling DVD for 2006 in South Korea, with sales of 47,186 copies surpassing movies and shows. With the success of the DVD, SBS and SM Entertainment, the co-producer of the TVXQ DVD, decided to release All About TVXQ season 2 in a 5 DVD box set in 2007.12
TVXQ won several major awards in the end of the year of 2006. At 2006 MKMF Music Festival, TVXQ won four awards including Best Group and Artist of the Year.13 At the 16th Music Seoul Festival, they won three awards including Daesang, equivalent to Artist of the Year 14 followed by another Daesang at the 21st Golden Disk Awards 2006, in addition to a Bonsang.15 Lastly, they also picked up awards at the SBS Gayo Awards 2006 in which they were awarded the prominent title of Daesang and Bonsang.
[edit] 2007: Japanese promotion
After sweeping major awards in South Korea, TVXQ travelled to live in Japan for almost a year to do intensive promotions and gain a stronger foothold in the Japanese music industry. Their stay consisted of the release of their second Japanese album, Five in the Black, and almost consecutive monthly releases of singles between March and December. Many of their singles placed on Oricon's top 3 on their debut. According to Oricon Style, TVXQ's popularity rose in Japan by three percent with every single release in 2006 and by five percent with every release in 2007. It was also stated that during 2007, 14.1% of Japanese fans were female while 4.6% were male with age demographics between 10 to 40 years16.
On March 7th, the group released Choosey Lover 17 followed by Lovin' You debuting as #2 on the Oricon charts, their first single to reach such a position in Japan. Closely following the success of the last single, the summery tunes of Summer Dream was to be their most successful Japanese single yet, debuting as #1 [18] and taking an overall #2 spot in the Oricon weekly charts with sales of 112,771 copies in one week. TVXQ released their double A-side single SHINE / Ride On which also debuted at #2 on the Oricon daily charts. On November 7th, their collaborated song with Japanese singer Kumi Koda for her upbeat 38th single Last Angel was released, ranking as #3 on Oricon. The song was featured in the Resident Evil: Extinction movie. In the same month, TVXQ also released their 14th Japanese single, FOREVER LOVE, which debuted at #3. In December, they released their 15th Japanese single Together, which debuted at #2.
By early April, the members began hosting a weekly radio program called "TVXQ Bigeastation" on Japan FM Network channel, which is currently being aired on seven local FM stations 19. The group represented Korea on MTV's Video Music Awards Japan and won the 'Best Buzz Asia in Korea' award on May 26th, 2007. They were also invited to many prominent Japanese talk and music shows such as Hey!Hey!Hey!, Music Station, and Utaban during their stay.
For Korean fans, they released their first digital single entitled "여행기 (Yeo Haeng Gi)", "A Thousand Years Love Song", "하루달 (Harudal)", "All in Vain" and "Evergreen" ; these were the only songs that were released in Korean in 2007.
[edit] Members
The first member to join was Kim JunSu (김준수). He enjoyed singing at his church when he was young. At the age of 12 he was brought into SM Entertainment through a televised talent search with Moon Hee Jun and Kangta from H.O.T. as judges. His vocals won over the judges and won him thorough training for the next six years. After three years of training, he was supposed to debut, but puberty caused his voice to change and he was unable to sing until it ended after another three years. After six years, he debuted as Xiah Junsu (시아준수; Xiah is pronounced Shee-ah in Korean). Xiah is the stage name that Kim himself chose, explaining to his fans that the name was short for "Asia," as Asia is pronounced "a-shee-a" in Korean. "Xiah" would be a reference to his desire to become not only a star in Korea, but also a star recognized all throughout the continent.
The group's second member, Jung YunHo (정윤호), secured his spot in TVXQ through a dance competition in which he won first place. Prior to this, he accumulated some musical experience as a rapper and backup dancer for K-pop singer DANA. As a dancer, he accompanied many Korean singers, travelling to China as well. Jung debuted as U-Know Yunho (유노윤호). His chose his stage name as "U-Know" from his Korean name "Yun Ho"; U-Know is pronounced "You know" in English. However, it is meant to mean "Yunho 'Knows You'" in regard to understanding the other members as their leader. He is the second oldest member and the "leader" in TVXQ.
Kim JaeJoong (김재중) left his hometown in Chungnam to audition for SM Entertainment. Having left the shelter of home, he experienced poverty and strife before becoming a celebrity. Kim debuted as YoungWoong Jaejoong (영웅재중; the English definition to his stage name is "Hero") His manager picked the name Hero for him because he wanted him to be the hero of the music industry. Kim took first place in an audition of 5000 people, both in best looking and best vocals. He became the main vocal of TVXQ.
Shim ChangMin (심창민) was grouped with the youngest participants in the audition. Like Xiah Junsu, he impressed the judges with his powerful voice. He joined the band under the name ChoiKang Changmin (최강창민; the English counterpart to his stage name is "Max"). ChoiKang in Korean means "the best"; "Max" became an international rendition of this name.
One year before the group’s debut, a final member was added. Park Yoochun (박유천) lived in Fairfax, Virginia for roughly four years before he auditioned for Brothers Entertainment and was sent to Korea to SM Entertainment. Micky was Park's English nickname when he lived in Virginia. As the winner of a talent show, he was granted the opportunity to sign with SM Entertainment in Korea. He now performs under the stage name Micky Yoochun (믹키유천).
[edit] Member profiles
Hero JaeJoong
Stage Name : HERO | Young Woong Jae Joong (영웅재중 or 英雄在中)
Real Name : Kim Jae Joong (김재중, 金在中)
Birthdate: January 26, 1986 (1986-01-26) (age 21)
Birthplace: Chungnam (충남 or 忠南)
Position: Main vocals, Harmony
U-Know Yunho
Stage Name : U-KNOW | U-Know Yun Ho (유노윤호 or 瑜卤允浩)
Real Name: Jung Yun Ho (정윤호, 鄭允浩)
Birthdate: February 6, 1986 (1986-02-06) (age 21)
Birthplace: Gwangju (광주)
Position: Bass, Leader
Micky Yoochun
Stage Name : MICKY | Micky Yoo Chun (믹키유천 or 秘奇有天/秘奇有仟)
Real Name: Park Yu Cheon (박유천, 朴有天)
Birthdate: June 4, 1986 (1986-06-04) (age 21)
Birthplace: Seoul (서울)
Position: Baritone
Xiah Junsu
Stage Name : XIAH | Xiah Jun Su (시아준수 or 細亞俊秀)
Real Name: Kim Jun Su (김준수, 金俊秀)
Birthdate: December 15, 1986 (1986-12-15) (age 21) (registered on January 1, 1987)
Birthplace: Gyeonggi (경기 or 京畿道)
Position: Tenor
Religion: Seventh Day Adventist2021
Max Changmin
Stage Name : MAX | Choi Kang Chang Min (최강창민 or 最强昌珉)
Real Name: Shim Chang Min (심창민, 沈昌珉)
Birthdate: February 18, 1988 (1988-02-18) (age 19)
Birthplace: Seoul (서울)
Position: High Tenor
Religion: Buddhism22
[edit] Controversies
[edit] Cyanoacrylate drink incident
While the group was filming a variety show in October 2006, U-Know was rushed to the hospital from drinking a beverage given by an anti-fan.23 Although the container was visibly open, U-Know drank from the bottle, believing it was given by a crew member. He was quickly instructed by his manager to vomit immediately after drinking it. The Anti turned herself in the next day. The female suspect, whose surname is Ko, apprehended on October 16, was a member of an anti-TVXQ website for over two years. In a letter to TVXQ, she states
“You watch your mouth! Ever since the debut you people (members of TVXQ) were so stuck up. (middle fingers) You people won't last after a couple years... You would be forever seen as some teen idols not real singers. Do you know your limit? [The limit is that] Only little kids like you!...I really want to kill you.”
2425
The incident still left behind unanswered questions, such as why U-know drank from the open container, and how the culprit managed to enter the building of the broadcasting station.26 Yunho called the police personally to request them not to press charges27 because "he has a little sister who is almost the woman's age."28 Because of his request, she was not charged.[29]
[edit] Custody battle over Hero JaeJoong
On November 21, 2006, a man by the last name of Han filed a lawsuit against Hero's current legal guardians. Han claimed that he was the biological father of Hero, and thus wanted parental rights.Best 30
Han cited the reason for the lawsuit against Hero's legal guardians as "for not going through the proper procedures before registering Hero in [the legal guardians'] custody."31 He divorced Hero's biological mother in late 1980s, and gave up his custody over his child, leaving him under Mrs. Han's custody. However, he had found out some years ago Hero had been raised by a third party, not his biological mother. A DNA test was to be performed in order to prove validity of Han's claim. Many legal consultants comment that since the adoption had taken place correctly according to the corresponding law, no legal change will be involved regardless of the outcome.
The first hearing was to be held in Kongju, Hero's hometown on November 29, 2006. The fans of TVXQ were generally appalled by this news, questioning why Han did not privately contact Hero regarding this and why he did not keep in touch with his son before he rose to fame.Best 30
On November 22, Han dropped the charges against Hero's legal guardians.[32] Han said that he originally intended to resolve his biological son's military duty conflicts after being informed of dual citizenship by Ministry of Military Affairs, which involved verifying the fact that he is the biological father. He did not expect his intention to lead to such a scandal, and states that he was scarred by speculations that he wanted to take advantage of Hero's fame.
In reaction to the matter, Hero uploaded a journal entry on his official fan club website, and said that he was informed of the existence of separate biological parents by his mother two or three years ago, and it had been quite a shock to him. With his current mother's support, his biological mother has been able to keep in touch with him, and to meet occasionally, but whereabouts of his father had been unknown.[33]
He vigorously expressed his will to live by the name of "Kim Jaejoong," not by his birth name Han Jaejoong, and promised to be loyal to all four of his parents. He also said he did not want his family history exposed to the public due to this incident.[33]
In addition, Hero's biological mother posted in her own blog what had actually happened with the claim. She stated that everything was blown out of proportion; Hero's military service had come into question and she had not been in contact with Hero's biological father; after their divorce, he had re-married and was living happily with his new family. He knew that he and the biological mother had to organize a family register. But due to the fact they were not in contact, they had duplicated the family register, and Hero's enrollment in the military as Han Jaejoong was not approved and could have been restricted. She consulted the Legal Aid Public Corporation for help and tried to organize a family register. In the end, they were going to pick the register the child decided on. Both parents agreed to it without problems. However, due to a reporter in Gongju, the report was published as a one-side biased news report. Because of this, there were many misunderstandings.
[edit] Discography
Main article: TVXQ discography
[edit] Member solo projects
* Hero Kim JaeJoong
o "Insa" ("Greeting," Hangul:"인사") featured on A Millionaire's First Love OST.
o Featured in TSZX the Grace 's "Just for One Day".
o "MAZE" (Japanese Solo)
* Xiah Kim JunSu
o Featured in Jang Ri In's "Timeless".
o "Beautiful Thing" featured on Vacation OST
o "My Page" (Self-composed: 2nd Live Concert 'O')
o "Rainy Night" (Self-composed: Japanese Solo)
o AnyBand (Formed by Samsung's Anycall): "TPL (Talk, Play, Love)," "Promise U," "Daydream"
* Micky Park YooChun
o "Yeowoobi" ("Like Weather/ fox rain" Hangul:"여우비") [self-composed]
o Appeared in Magolpi's debut music video "Bihaeng Sohnyuh" ("Young Girl Delinquent," Hangul:"비행소녀")
o Composed and Wrote "Holding Back The Tears" (Vacation OST)[citation needed]
o "My Girlfriend" (Japanese Solo)
o Composed "Evergreen" 2007 WINTER SMTOWN - ONLY LOVE
* U-Know Jung YunHo
o "Spokesman" with Dong Hae of Super Junior (Self- composed: 2nd Live Concert 'O')
o Rapped in Dana's "Diamond"
o "Crazy Life" (Japanese Solo)
* Max Shim ChangMin
o "Wild Soul" (Japanese Solo)
o PINKY Magazine Photoshoot (Model)
o Wrote lyrics for "Evergreen" 2007 WINTER SMTOWN - ONLY LOVE
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Banjun Theater
In 2005 and 2006, TVXQ released Banjun Theater, which aired on Korean television station SBS, that featured the boys as budding actors. They have acted in their own one- or two-episode dramas titled First Love (Parts 1 and 2), The Masked Fencer, The King's Men, Yunho's Tokyo Holiday, Dangerous Love, Finding Lost Time, Uninvited Guest, and The Most Unforgettable Girl in My Life.
[edit] Theatrical dramas
The main poster for the drama, VACATION.
[edit] VACATION
Premiering in July 28, 2006, Vacation consisted of four episodes and a special: Cassiopeia (U-KNOW), Beautiful Life (Xiah and Max), The Way U Are (Hero) and Eternal (Micky), which were first shown at Yonsei University from July 7 to August 8, 2006, and were later released on the third (C) version of their third album "O"-正.反.合. as a separate DVD. The group recorded an original soundtrack which consisted of two tracks and their instrumental versions.
[edit] Dating on Earth
Dating on Earth involves all five members, but only Micky and Hero are main characters. The drama has Micky married to a high school teacher (Played by Seo Hyun Jin from the group M.I.L.K)[citation needed] with whom Hero falls in love. U-Know, Max, and Xiah play minor roles. The release date for the drama has not been confirmed.
[edit] Awards
The list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
YearsAwards2004
* SBS Gayo Awards (March 28): Popular Song First Debut (Hug)
* Mnet KM Music Video Festival (December): Best Music Video Award for New Group (Hug)
* KBS Popular Music Award: Best New Artist
* MBC Top 10 Music Festival: Best New Artist
* Go News Netizen YunAae Daesang: Best Group Award
* Go News Netizen YunAae Daesang: Music Video Award
* Go News Netizen YunAae Daesang: CF Model Award
* Go News Netizen YunAae Daesang: Asia Star Award
2005
* Mnet KM Music Video Festival: Best Music Video (Rising Sun)
* Mnet KM Music Video Festival: People’s Choice Award
2006
* Korean Chinese Custom Ceremony: China-Ten Most Popular Music Group
* Korean Chinese Custom Ceremony: China-Ten Most Popular Song
* Korean Chinese Custom Ceremony: China-Most Popular Advertisement Model
* Korean Chinese Custom Ceremony: China-Ideal Man Category
* ChannelV Thailand Music Video Awards: Best Music Video (Rising Sun)
* ChannelV Thailand Music Video Awards: Best Asian Artist
* Virgin Hitz Awards (October 28): Popular Vote Asia Artist
* Mnet KM Music Festival (November 25): Best Group
* Mnet KM Music Festival (November 25): Artist of the Year
* Mnet KM Music Festival (November 25): Mnet.com
* Mnet KM Music Festival (November 25): Mnet Plus Mobile People's Choice Award
* MTV 16th Music Seoul Festival (December 1): Daesang
* MTV 16th Music Seoul Festival (December 1): Bonsang
* MTV 16th Music Seoul Festival (December 1): Mobile Popular Vote
* 21st Golden Disk Awards (December 14): Daesang
* 21st Golden Disk Awards (December 14): Bonsang
* SBS Gayo Awards (December 29): Daesang
* SBS Gayo Awards (December 29): Bonsang
2007
* SEED Awards, Thailand (January 31): Best Asian Singer Award
* MTV Video Music Awards Japan (May 26): Best Buzz Asia in Korea
* 14th Annual Korea Entertainment Masterpiece Award Ceremony (October 6): International Popularity Award
* Best Hits 2007 Japan (November 26): Gold Artist Award
CREDIT:
bestuff.com/stuff/singers--dbsk-boa-super-junior