ABOUT WONDER GIRLS

INTRODUCTION

The five-member girl group Wonder Girls first hit the Korean music scene in early 2007 with their debut song, “Irony”. Not the big hit that JYP Entertainment was hoping for, the girls were hit by further setbacks when they lost their rapper, HyunAh, due to health-related issues. In September 2007, the Wonder Girls announced their comeback with their new rapper, YooBin, and released their first album “The Wonder Years”. Under the powerful producing hands of singer-turned-producer Park JinYoung, the female idol group reached an unexpected height of popularity with their title track, “Tell Me”. After that, there was no stopping this female force as they blasted through criticisms with following hits, “So Hot” and “Nobody” in 2008.

HISTORY

Debut and Ordeals

Singer-turned-producer Park JinYoung of JYP Entertainment did not originally plan to create a female idol group. In July 2001, he discovered Min SunYe on the SBS television program, “Park JinYoung’s Challenge of Talented Voice Project 99%”. Following SunYe’s entrance into JYPE was Kim HyunAh, Ahn SoHee, then Sun Mi through public auditions. Park slowly began to consider a girl group as each trainee was picked up. In 2006, at a summer showcase, the four trainees performed onstage for Park to display the results of their training – from there, he decided that the girls were ready to debut with the thought that he was able to trust in their appointed-leader, SunYe. However, he still thought that a certain energy/strength was lacking from the group. In January 2007, he used media resources MTV-Daum to create the “UCC Star Selection Competition” in which Park YeEun entered. After a selective audition, YeEun was added to the group. The process was shown through MTV “Wonder Girls”, where all the faces of the five-member girl group were revealed one by one.

The Wonder Girls debuted on February 10, 2007 at MBC Music Core with their title song “Irony” from their first single album, “The Wonder Begins”. The lyrics about how you cannot trust innocent-faking boyfriends set to a hip hop rhythm did get a decent response of the overpopulated Korean music industry, but was not the hit expected by JYPE. On February 13, the single album “The Wonder Begins” went on sale along with a special showcase being held (around 10,000 people watched the showcase through various Internet sites). On April 3, a showcase was held in China as well.

After their the debut, the Wonder Girls were hit by a series of unfortunate events that severely hampered their promotions. On June 19, 2007, member SoHee injured her knee in a motor bike accident while shooting her debut movie, “I Like It Hot”. This resulted in the remaining four members performing onstage without her. On top of that, rapper HyunAh was repeatedly forced to rest due to health-related issues (stomach enteritis). She was admitted into the hospital several times during March and April of that year. On July 30, 2007, it was decided that the lively rapper was unable to perform and had to withdraw from the group. During the rest of “Irony” promotions period, the three remaining members continued to perform with backdancers.

“Tell Me” Wave After New Addition And Shock

On September 2007, JYPE announced a new addition to the Wonder Girls, Kim YooBin. The new rapper trained at Good Entertainment for around two years and had been preparing to debut with another five-member girl group at the time. However, due to financial difficulties that hit the Good Entertainment, the debut was cancelled. YooBin then moved on to join the Wonder Girls after passing an audition.

On September 13, 2007, the Wonder Girls released their first album, “The Wonder Years”. The album’s retro concept had an addicting 80s melody (sampled from Stacey Q’s “Two of Hearts”) with repeating lyrics “Tell me, tell me, te-te-te-te-te-tell me~” along with matching clothing and hair styles. The re-invention seemed to be good for the Wonder Girls.

However, just one day after the sales of “The Wonder Years” began, the Wonder Girls were involved in a serious car accident on their way back from performing at DongAe Science University. On September 14, the group’s van rear-ended a taxi that was stopped at a light resulting in the death of the taxi driver and injuries of the Wonder Girls’ members and manager. After four days in the hospital, they were released. A JYPE representative said that the members were recovering from the shock and would be spending the rest of their recovery time with their families. After only two weeks, the Wonder Girls re-started promotions on September 27.

“Tell Me” eventually became a huge hit on all the Korean music charts. At KBS Music Bank they reached #1 on five episodes, at MBC Music Core they reached #1 for four episodes, and at SBS Inkigayo they reached #1 on the “Mutizen Song” charts for three weeks in a row. On online charts such as Melon, Doshirak, and Juke, they also succeeded in holding the #1 position for eight weeks. The “Tell Me” wave really reached new heights with the release of UCC videos of fans of all ages dancing to “Tell Me” along with the dance being parodied by many other celebrities on various broadcasts. Newspapers started to headline with “Tell Me Syndrome” and “Tell Me Wave” as the Wonder Girls’ popularity reached amazing limits.

In December 2007, the girl group started promotions froo their hip hop song, “This Fool”, which was about a girl teling a boy to hurry up and confess to her as she waits.

At the closing of the year 2007, the Wonder Girls were proclaimed to be a success as they won awards such as Mnet KM Music Festival’s Best Rookie Female Group award.

Unstoppable Wonder

While the Wonder Girls were an instant recognizable name throughout Korea, they were still being hit by criticisms and doubt who thought they were one-hit wonders. The anticipation for their next comeback was high by fans and critics alike. In the month of April, JYPE released images one by one displaying each girl and the new concept in the days leading up to the release of their album. Finally, on May 22, 2008, the Wonder Girls released their second single album’s title track “So Hot” and their music video online. The response was huge with everyone commenting on the concept’s powerful 21st-century GongJooByeong (princess illness) image of girls who are tired of being pretty and the popularity that comes with it. The concept was even more hyped up with a leopard-print clothing style and the accompanying “V-Line Dance”. On June 3, the “So Hot” album was released for sale, where it then hit #1 on all online and music program charts. The Wonder Girls had a hit on their hands as was seen from their first performance of the song on music programs where they were #1 (a difficult feat). A wave of UCC videos and other parodies hit the Internet and started a second wave of popularity for the idol group.

Even with their undeniable star power, the critics attacked the girls’ “weak singing voices” online. On September 22, 2008, the Wonder Girls silenced all critics with the release of their third consecutive hit song “Nobody” from their single album “The Wonder Years – Trilogy”. The song revealed a new, mature look for the Wonder Girls as they sang with strong vocals about the woes of a woman who tells her man to stop trying to send her away. The 60s Motown concept and the accompanying music video (with a comic turn by their producer, Park JinYoung) won them the Best Music Video award and their powerful vocals and dancing won them the Best Female Group award at the 10th Mnet KM Music Festival later in the year. It was the MKMF award after that though that grabbed headlines. After a mere two years of debuting, the Wonder Girls were awarded the Song of the Year Daesang (big award).

In late March 2009, the Wonder Girls will hold the first concert in Korea by a female idol group in a decade. Also, they will be working on plans to penetrate the American market during the first half of the year along with holding a concert in Thailand.

The stars of the universe are the only limit for these girls. And that’s only because we have not invented cheap space travel yet.

~*~

MEMBERS

SunYe (Leader / Main Vocalist)

Full Name: Min SunYe (민선예 | 閔先藝 )
Stage Name: SunYe (선예)
Nicknames: MinJookie (민죽이), Min Leader (민리더), Ssonye (쏘녜)
Birthdate: August 12, 1989 (on lunar calendar: July 11)
Hometown: Born in Seoul, Raised in KangWonDo SokChoShi (강원도 속초시)
Height: 162 cm
Weight: 45 kg
Blood Type: A
Religion: Christianity (Protestantism)
Hobbies: Music, music appreciation, health
Ideal Type: Attends church, strong sense of responsibility and honesty, gives secure feeling
Favorite Foods: Ice cream, ddeokbokgi (spicy rice cakes)
Favorite Motto: If you do it, it’s done.

YooBin (Rapper / Sub-Vocalist)

Full Name: Kim YooBin (김유빈 | 金瑜斌 )
Stage Name: YooBin (유빈)
Nicknames: YooBiNyong (유비뇽), BoNoBoNo (보노보노)
Birthdate: October 4, 1988
Hometown: GwangJoo GwangYeokShi (광주광역시)
Height: 163 cm
Weight: 45 kg
Blood Type: O
Religion: Christianity (Protestantism)
Hobbies: Collecting Keroro Fighter stickers,
Specialties: Swimming, scuba
Ideal Type: Passionate about everything
Favorite Foods: Salad, raw fish, fresh apples
Favorite Musician: Lauryn Hill

YeEun (Lead Vocalist)

Full Name: Park YeEun (박예은 | 朴譽恩 )
Stage Name: YeEun (예은)
Nicknames: Madame Park (박여사), Park Oppa/Older Brother (박오빠), YeBakEe (예박이)
Birthdate: May 26, 1989
Height: 165 cm
Weight: 47 kg
Blood Type: AB
Religion: Christianity (Protestantism)
Hobbies: Music appreciation, reading, Bible reading
Ideal Type: Family-oriented
Favorite Foods: ChoBap (a Japanese-vinegared rice delicacy), egg tart
Favorite Musician: Lauryn Hill

SunMi (Vocalist)

Full Name: Sun Mi (선미 | 宣美 )
Stage Name: SunMi (선미)
Nicknames: 4-Dimensional SunMi (4차원 선미), Pretty Deer (꽃사슴), Mia (미아), SunMa (선마)
Birthdate: May 2, 1992
Hometown: Born in JeonRaBukDo IkSanShi (전라북도 익산시), Raised in KyeongSangBukDo KeongJuShi (경상북도 경주시)
Family: Mother, 1 younger brother, 1 younger sister
Height: 165 cm
Weight: 43 kg
Blood Type: AB
Religion: Christianity (Protestantism)
Ideal Type: Masculine, sexy
Favorite Foods: Udon
Favorite Actor: Song KangHo

SoHee (Vocalist)

Full Name: Ahn SoHee (안소희 | 安昭熙)
Stage Name: SoHee (소희)
Nicknames: Mandoo/Dumpling (만두), Maknae/Youngest Member (막내)
Birthdate: June 27, 1992
Height: 163 cm
Weight: 43 kg
Blood Type: AB
Religion: Buddhism
Ideal Type: Pretty hands
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Musician: Beyonce

[Former Member] HyunAh (Rapper)

Full Name: Kim HyunAh (김현아 | )
Stage Name: HyunAh (현아)
Birthdate: June 6, 1992
Reasons for Leaving: Health-Related
Currently: Studying at Korea Art High School and preparing for second debut under CUBE Entertainment

~*~

ALBUMS

Full Albums

• September 2007: “The Wonder Years”

Single Albums

• February 2007: “The Wonder Begins”
• June 2008: “So Hot”
• September 2008: “The Wonder Years – Trilogy”

Digital Singles

• April 2007: “Mianhan Maeum” (Sorry Heart)
  
• November 2007: “JjyoJjyo” (Give Give)
• February 2008: “Army Song”
• November 2008: “Anybody”
  

~*~

TELEVISION

2007: MTV “Wonder Girls” Season 1, MTV “Wonder Girls” Season 2, MBC Music Core (MCs: SoHee, HyunAh)
2008: MBC Music Core (MCs: SunYe, SoHee), MTV “Wonder Girls” Season 3, Mnet “Wonder Girls’ Wonder Bakery”

~*~

COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING

2007

• TBJ (clothing)
• Crown Haim (snacks)
• 1677 (telecommunication)
• Baskin Robbins (ice cream)

2008

• TBJ (clothing)
• Red Pen (education)
• Vita500 (drink)
• Pizza Bingo (pizza)
• TAAN (online game)
• Keroro Fighter (online game)
• KTF Ever Slimline Panda (cellphone)
• Ivy Club (school uniforms)
• Peripera Wonder Line (cosmetics)
• FREE STYLE (online game)
  

~*~

AWARDS

2007

• February Cyworld Digital Music Award – Rookie of the Month
• October Cyworld Digital Music Award – Song of the Month (“Tell Me”)
• 9th Mnet KM Music Festival (MKMF) – Best Rookie Female Group
• 8th Republic of Korea National Assembly Popular Culture & Media DaeSang – Popular Song Category
• 8th Korea Video Arts Festival – Photogenic Award
• 22nd Golden Disk Awards – Digital Music Category
• 22nd Golden Disk Awards – Popularity Award

2008

• 17th Seoul Music Awards – Rookie Award
• 20th Korean Producers Awards – Singing Performer(s) Picked By Producers Category
• 5th Korean Music Awards – Best Dance & Electronic Song Award (“Tell Me”)
  
• June Cyworld Digital Music Award – Song of the Month (“So Hot”)
• Mnet 20’s Choice – Hot Club Music (“So Hot”)
• September Cyworld Digital Music Award – Song of the Month (“Nobody”)
• October Cyworld Digital Music Award – Song of the Month (“Nobody”)
• 10th Mnet KM Music Festival (MKMF) – Female Group Award
• 10th Mnet KM Music Festival (MKMF) – Best Music Video Award (“Nobody”)
  
• 10th Mnet KM Music Festival (MKMF) – This Year’s Song Award (DaeSang) (“Nobody”)
• 9th Korea Video Arts Festival – Photogenic Award
• 25th Korea Best Dresser – Singer Category
• 23rd Golden Disk Awards – Digital Music Category
  

~*~

FAN CLUB

By taking the “Wonder” from “Wonder Girls” and attaching “-ful” to the end, the name “Wonderful” was created as the name of the Wonder Girls’ fan club. The definition that is given to the name is “cool” and “marvelous”. This was decided by JYP Entertainment.

During the first recruiting period, the Wonderfuls had around 300 members join. However, the second period saw a vast increase to around 2,500 members.

The Wonderful color is designated as Pearl Burgundy. This was decided in March 2007 when they started promotions for “Irony”. However, controversy hit the fan club as V.O.S.’s management company protested the use of burgundy when they were using it as well. So starting from June 2007, the Wonderfuls used pink balloons and cheering sticks instead at public broadcasts. At fan meetings and other events, they used the original color.

Now they have released the YeoWangBong for the Wonderfuls to cheer with (note: it uses the original Pearl Burgundy color).

~*~

RANDOM FACTS

• Originally, the Wonder Girls were to debut as “LC” a.k.a. “Ladies’ Club” with the members going by nicknames. SunYe was Sunny, YeEun was Silver, SunMi was Berry, SoHee was Ice, and HyunAh was Mint. When they appeared the MTV’s television program called “Wonder Girls”, they became known by that name and it was decided that it would be better to stick with it and their real names.
  
• “Irony” and “This Fool” (<이 바보>) were both candidates for debut songs. Producer Park JinYoung made the final decision to use “Irony”. “This Fool” was later included in “The Wonder Years” album.
• During the difficult times of “Irony”, SunYe also solo performed the song “IlWolJiGa” (HanSeongByulGok OST) onstage. At this time, the fans shouted out at one point, “We won’t forget and will wait for you, Wonder Girls!” She confessed later that after she returned to the dressing room, she cried.
  
• Six hours before they had to film their “Tell Me” music video, the Wonder Girls received a video guide from their producer Park JinYoung who thought of a new chereography idea while in America. They burst into tears at learning they had to learn completely new chereography right before shooting. The video of Park JinYoung dancing to “Tell Me” received millions of hits after being released on Daum TVpot.

~*~

CREDIT to Kay @ wgjjang.wordpress.com + daum.

PLEASE DO NOT POST FULL CONTENT ELSEWHERE. You may use as a source with proper credit, but always provide a link back here.