Shinhwa

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Shinhwa
Shinhwa in a promotional photo shoot for their recent album State of the Art
Shinhwa in a promotional photo shoot for their recent album State of the Art
Background information
Origin South Korea
Genre(s) R&B
Pop
Hip hop
Years active 1998–present
Label(s) SM Entertainment (1998-2003)
Good! Entertainment (2003-present)
Website Good Entertainment
Members
Eric Mun
Lee Minwoo
Kim Dong Wan
Shin Hye Sung
Jun Jin
Andy Lee
Shinhwa
Hangul:
신화
Hanja:
神話
Revised Romanization: Shinhwa
McCune-Reischauer: Shinhwa
This article is about the South Korean boy band. For information about Korean myths, see Korean folklore.

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.

Contents

[edit] Group members

For more information of each of the members, please see their page.

Shinhwa has six members:

  1. Eric Mun (Real name: Mun Jung-hyuk, 문정혁, 文晸赫; 16 February 1979; leader & rapper)
  2. Lee Min Woo (이민우, 李珉雨; 28 July 1979; vocalist)
  3. Kim Dong Wan (김동완, 金洞完; 21 November 1979; vocalist)
  4. Shin Hye Sung (신혜성, 申彗星; Real name: Jung Pil-Kyo, 정필교, 鄭弼敎; 27 November 1979; vocalist)
  5. Jun Jin (전진, 前進; Real name: Park Choong-Jae, 박충재, 朴忠裁; 19 August 1980; rapper & vocalist)
  6. 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 it 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).

[edit] Musical career

The six-member group debuted on March 24, 1998 with a concert performance on Korean music show, KM Music Tank, of their first single, entitled Hae Gyul Sah (Problem Solver).

They 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 2005, the group has given four main concert series, including a tour around major cities of South Korea as well as Japan. In each concert, aside from performing as a group, each member was also given the chance to show his individual talent. In 2006, the group launched its first Asia Tour after the release of their eighth album, 'State of the Art', covering a total of eight cities throughout Asia.

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. Shinhwa also released their 8th album on May 11, 2006. 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 Asian tour will start with their first concert on the May 13, 2006 at the Olympic Park, Seoul, and will reach Shanghai, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, a total of 9 cities throughout Asia.

In 2002, Shinhwa made history in Korean music when they released their sixth album, Wedding," becoming the longest running Korean boy band in existence.

Their eighth album State of the Art sold more than 200,000 copies domestically.[1]

The 9th album is going to be released in Fall of 2007.

[edit] Notable achievements

Image:Shinhwa2nd1999.JPG
Shinhwa's second album, T.O.P., (1999)

In July 2004, Shinhwa was selected to represent Korea in the MTV Buzz Asia Awards with the likes of Amuro Namie for Japan and F4 for Taiwan. Shinhwa was also selected to sing at the finale.

Commercially, Shinhwa has also been chosen by internationally renowned Swiss watch brand Rado to represent Asia as models 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 will debut in 2006 under Good Entertainment.

[edit] Awards

On December 10, 2004, Shinhwa was awarded the Daesang for Best Artist of The Year for the first time at the Seoul Gayo Daesang Awards. On December 29, 2004, Shinhwa was awarded their second Daesang at the 2004 SBS Gayo Daejun Awards. In 2004, of all musical artists and groups, Shinhwa received the most amount of awards, totalling thirteen, from various places: the m.net KMTV Music Video Festival, Seoul Gayo Daesang, Golden Disc Awards and MBC, KBS, SBS Gayo Awards. The awards other than Best Artist of the Year included Best Male Artist, Best Dance Artist, and Overseas Choice Award.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Album # Album cover Title of release Date of release Tracklist
1st
The Solver May 5, 1998
  1. 해결사 (Problem Solver)
  2. 으쌰! 으쌰! (Eusha! Eusha!)
  3. 천일유혼 (Sharing Forever)
  4. Rock & Roll Summer!
  5. 늘 내가 원하는 것은 (The Things I Always Want)
  6. 눈물 (Tears)
  7. 키가 자랐어요 (I Grew Up In Height)
  8. 비상구 (Emergency Exit)
  9. 누에 (Silkworm)
  10. 감사 (Thanks)
2nd
T.O.P April 4, 1999
  1. Intro
  2. 악동보고서 (Yo!)
  3. T.O.P. (Twinkling Of Paradise)
  4. 원 (Cycle)
  5. Nothing
  6. 침묵을 깨고 (Breakin' The Silence)
  7. 소망 (Desire)
  8. To. G
  9. 푸리 (Grief)
  10. Return
  11. 너의 곁에서 (Forever With You)
  12. T.O.P. (Extended version)
  13. T.O.P. (Edited version)
3rd
Only One May 27, 2000
  1. Intro
  2. I Wanna Be
  3. Only One
  4. All Your Dreams
  5. First Love
  6. Jam #1
  7. Never Come To Me
  8. Change
  9. Vortex
  10. White Night
  11. Cyber Love
  12. Soul
  13. 나의 가족들에게 (To My Family)
  14. 너의 곁에서 (Wedding March)
4th
Hey, Come On! July 28, 2001
  1. Just 2 Be With U
  2. Hey, Come On!
  3. Shinhwa Knight
  4. Wild Eyes
  5. Reminiscence
  6. Falling In Love
  7. Never Can Rewind
  8. Trippin'
  9. 이별... 그리고 (Sure I Know)
  10. Dark
  11. Egotism (97년 4월 1일)
  12. 바램 (I Swear...)
Greatest hits
My Choice January 31, 2002
  1. My Life Style
  2. I Love You
  3. T.O.P (Twinkling Of Paradise)
  4. Wild Eyes
  5. First Love
  6. All Your Dreams (Remix)
  7. 해결사 (The Solver)
  8. Falling In Love
  9. Only One
  10. Yo! (악동보고서)
  11. 천일유혼 (Sharing Forever)
  12. 으싸! 으싸! (Uh Sha Uh Sha)
  13. Wedding March (너의 곁에서)
  14. Hey, Come On!
  15. Maybe
  16. Into My Heart
5th
Perfect Man March 29, 2002
  1. I Pray 4 U
  2. Perfect Man
  3. Shout
  4. Free
  5. Fly High
  6. Endless Love
  7. Come Back To My Life
  8. Honesty
  9. Red Angel
  10. Last Zone
  11. Reason
  12. 너 사랑 안에 (In Your Love)
6th
Wedding December 26, 2002
  1. Hiway (Ride With Me)
  2. Lost In Love
  3. 너의 결혼식 (Wedding)
  4. Soulmate
  5. 비밀 (My Own Secret)
  6. 중독 (Deep Sorrow)
  7. ...후에 (Later)
  8. 괜찮아요 (Gonna Be Alright)
  9. Get Up
  10. Missing U
  11. 네가 없다면 (Without You)
  12. 79
  13. 노을 (You...)
-
Winter Story 2003-2004 December 30, 2003
  1. Let's Start - Dongwan
  2. Mistake -Junjin & Andy
  3. I Love You - Junjin
  4. The Days - Minwoo & Hyesung
  5. Young Gunz
  6. 친구 (Friend) - Hyesung
  7. 난 (I) - Hyesung
  8. 동완이의 상식 (Dongwan's Wisdom) - Dongwan
  9. Negapass - Hyesung
  10. 탄생 (Birth)
  11. Love Letter - Eric
  12. 고백 I (Confession I)
  13. 고백 II (Confession II)
  14. Thank You
7th
Brand New August 27, 2004
  1. Shooting Star
  2. U
  3. Brand New
  4. 열 병 (Crazy)
  5. Oh!
  6. Angel
  7. All of My...
  8. Time Machine
  9. 나의 전부 PART II (My Everything)
  10. 놓아요 (Set Free)
  11. Liar
  12. 위하여(Cheers!)
  13. 원 해 (I Want)
  14. 2gether 4ever
-
Winter Story 2004-2005 December 20, 2004
  1. 잠 못 드는 밤 비는 내리고 (Rain On A Sleepless Night) - Eric, Hyesung, & Minwoo
  2. 천생연분 (Red String)
  3. 세월의 흔적 다 버리고 (Erase All Of Time)
  4. 이층집 소녀 (That Girl At The Second Floor) - Dongwan
  5. 신인류의 사랑 (Love Of The New Generation)
  6. 오늘 같은 밤이면 (On A Night Like This)
  7. 그 아픔까지 사랑한거야 (Painfully Loving You) - Junjin
  8. 붉은 노을 (Red Sungset) - Andy, Dongwan, & Junjin
  9. 그대 눈물까지도 (Your Tears) - Hyesung
  10. 안녕 (How Are You) - Minwoo
  11. 말해줘 (Say It) - Andy & Junjin
  12. 그녀를 만나는 곳 100m전 (Met Her 100m Away) - Andy
  13. 세월의 흔적 다 버리고 (Erase All Of Time) - Eric & Lyn
  14. How Do I Say
8th
State of the Art May 11, 2006
  1. Thanks!
  2. Your Man
  3. 약한 남자 (Weak Man)
  4. Once In A Lifetime
  5. Doobob
  6. Paradise
  7. Highway Star
  8. Midnight Girl
  9. Throw My Fist
  10. 기회 (Chance/Opportunity)
  11. 왜 내가 (Why Me)
  12. You're My Everything
-
Winter Story 2006 - 2007 January 25, 2007
  1. Girl Exclusive
  2. 예쁘잖아 (Isn't It Beautiful)
  3. The Days
  4. The Days (Instrumental)

[edit] 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.

  1. 1999 Christmas in SMTOWN
  2. 2000 Winter Vacation in SMTOWN
  3. 2001 Winter Vacation in SMTOWN
  4. 2002 Summer Vacation in SMTOWN
  5. 2002 Winter Vacation in SMTOWN
  6. 2003 Summer Vacation in SMTOWN

[edit] Concerts

  1. 2001 First Live Concert: The First Mythology
  2. 2003 Second Live Concert: The Everlasting Mythology (20–23 April 2003)
  3. 2003–2004 Winter Story Tour (31 December 2003–14 February 2004)
  4. 2004–2005 Shinhwa Live In Seoul (Seoul: 19 December 2004; Osaka & Tokyo: 21–23 January 2005)
  5. 2005 Tropical Summer Story Festival
  6. 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)


[edit] Miscellaneous discography

  1. Special — Summer Story Tropical 2005: July 2005 (Good Entertainment)
  2. 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)
  3. First Japanese Album: Inspiration #1 16 August 2006 (Columbia Music Entertainment)

[edit] 1st Japanese album - Inspiration #1 (August 16, 2006)

  1. Girls Exclusive
  2. Throw My Fist-Japanese Version- (8th Album『State Of The Art』より　
  3. Midnight Girl-Japanese Version- (8th Album『State Of The Art』より)
  4. Paradise (8th Album『State Of The Art』より) 　
  5. Bokura no Kokoro ni wa Taiyo ga Aru-Album Mix- 　
  6. Highway Star-Featuring Vocal Emyli- (8th Album『State Of The Art』より)
  7. Time Machine-Japanese Version- (7th Album『Brand New』より) 　
  8. The Street 　
  9. Sun Flower～Happy Birthday～ 　
  10. Weak～君を失くして (8th Album『State Of The Art』より) 　
  11. You're My Everything (8th Album『State Of The Art』より) 　
  12. Once In A Lifetime-English Version- (8th Album『State Of The Art』より) 　
  13. Shooting Star- Yukihiro Fukutomi Remix- (7th Album『Brand New』より)

[edit] 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)

[edit] 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.

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 is now acting 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 is currently filming his drama, SBS's Korea Secret Agency, a drama about secret agents with actors Han Ji-Min, Yoon Ji-Min, and Shin Seung-Woo.
  • 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.
  • 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[1] and sales continued to be strong in Korea, where the album placed 5th on the year-end charts for album sales[2].
  • Junjin has released a solo single titled Sarangee Ohji Anahyo (Love Doesn't Come) on November 18, 2006.

Both Shin Hyesung and Lee Minwoo are planning solo concerts in Japan.[3]

[edit] Trivia

  • Apparently, Shinhwa once did a performance in North Korea, which was not received well by the audience, as evident by a video on Youtube.
  • Shinhwa is one of the many groups and singers that are in the comic film Emergency Act 19.
  • Dongwan once said that dance rehearsals are always hard for him and Hyesung as they were never into dancing before.
  • As Minwoo is the choreographer, some of his dances were hard for the others to follow or copy. The Shinhwa members began to complain about it and soon, Eric and Junjin were put in charge of toning down his dances.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

 v • d • e SM Entertainment Co., Ltd.

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