TSZX

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TSZX 天上智喜
LINA, Sunday, Stephanie, DANA
Background information
Also known as	TSZX The Grace / 天上智喜 The Grace CSJH / 천상지희 CSJH The Grace / 천상지희 더 그레이스 TJCK
Origin	South Korea
Genre(s)	Pop, K-pop, J-pop, A cappella, RnB, Dance
Occupation(s)	Singer, Dancer
Years active	2005–present
Label(s)	SM Entertainment, Avex Trax/Rhythm Zone
Website	TSZX(Korean), TJCK(Japanese)
Members
Tian Wu (CheonMu) Stephanie Shang Mei (SangMi) LINA Zhi Sheng (JiSung) Sunday Xi Yue (HeeYeol) DANA

TSZX
Hangul:	천상지희
Hanja:	天上智喜
Revised Romanization:	Cheon Sang Ji Hui
McCune-Reischauer:	Ch'ŏn Sang Chi Hŭi

天上智喜, usually shortened to TSZX (the romanization of the Chinese pronunciation, Tian Shang Zhi Xi), is a Korean girl band formed by SM Entertainment. It consists of four members with skills in singing, dancing and also a bit of acting. The quartet debuted in 2005 and since then, the group gained popularity in South Korea, China and Japan. They are known by a variety of names, as different countries have different pronunciation for the group name: for example, the group is known as Tenjochiki in Japan. In Korea, they are called 천상지희 (Cheon Sang Ji Hee). Starting the promotion of their 3rd Korean single in the end of 2006, the group name changed to 천상지희 더 그레이스 (Cheon Sang Ji Hee The Grace) to signal the change of the group's style to a more "graceful" one.

Contents 1 Pre-debut 2 History 2.1 Debut and early works 2.2 Japanese singles 2.3 Return to Korea 3 Members 3.1 Stephanie 3.2 LINA 3.3 Sunday 3.4 DANA 4 Discography 4.1 Korean Singles 4.2 Japanese Singles 4.3 Other 5 Awards 6 5th member? 7 External links 8 References

[edit] Pre-debut

Although SM Entertainment was home to famous girl group S.E.S, it was not able to find similar success in its other groups after the group disbanded at the end of 2002. Other groups such as M.I.L.K., Isak N Jiyeon, and Shinvi failed to succeed in the Korean music market.

However, in the beginning of 2004, the boy band TVXQ debuted and became a great success all over Asia. In the same year, four SM female singers released a song in the seasonal album 2004 Summer Vacation in SMTOWN.com, a re-recording of DANA's solo song "바램 (Fight To The End)". Besides DANA, other known SM artists included Jiyeon (from Isak N Jiyeon) plus two new faces: Sunday and Stephanie.

DANA had already released two solo albums in Korea in 2001 and 2003. Though her first album did well, the second failed to catch an audience. JiYeon, as a member of Isak N Jiyeon, released just one album in 2003.

Sunday had been an exclusive trainee for SM since 2002. She changed her real name, Bora, to avoid comparisons with BoA, a fellow SM member and one of the most successful SM artists to date. Many times she was referred as the "second BoA"^{[citation needed]}, which lead her to have some anti-fans even before she debuted. She released two singles in Japan between 2004 and 2005: リラの片想い (Lira no Kataomoi) and ウソツキBOY (UsotsukiBOY). Both singles has low sales, even though UsotsukiBOY was produced by the famous Japanese rap duo m-flo. She had to live in Japan for two years; as a result, she has become fluent in the Japanese language.

Stephanie was discovered by SM scouts after winning the annual Southern California "Teen Best Competition" in 2004. She had trained in ballet since the age of 5. At that time, she moved from Korea to San Diego, California, and took part in a famous California based ballet group^{[citation needed]}. She was offered a scholarship to the prestigious Boston Ballet University but she turned it down when the famous SM Entertainment came knocking. As an American, she is fluent in English.

As their voices matched well, SM decided to make the four a new K-pop group, which, following TVXQ's steps, would also be an Acapella group. This new band would aim success not only in their home country of South Korea, but also China and Asia as a whole. They had a pre-debut showcase on September 14, 2004, but they had their official debut eight months later.

The group name was conceived using their new stage names: DANA is now HeeYeol DANA (Xi Yue in Chinese), JiYeon is SangMi LINA (Shang Mei), Sunday is JiSung Sunday (Zhi Sheng) and Stephanie is CheonMu Stephanie (Tian Wu). Cheon Sang Ji Hee also stands for Heavenly Wisdom and Happiness.

[edit] History

[edit] Debut and early works

TSZX's first official performance occurred on April 29, 2005, in China. They performed their new songs "Too Good" and "Boomerang", and it was broadcasted weeks later by the Chinese channel CCTV. TSZX shared the stage with another SM star, Kangta, in order to introduce themselves. The verses in Boomerang were also sung in Chinese. Two days later, the quartet debuted with "Too Good" on SBS's popular music program Inkigayo.

However, TSZX's debut in Korea was marred by some controversy. SM introduced the group to Korean fans as the "female version of TVXQ". What initially seemed to be a good marketing strategy turned against them, as the girls were not received well by hardcore TVXQ fans. Another issue was the choice of their "official balloon color". In Korea, fans like to support their idols by waving balloons during performances, and each idol has their own color. Before TSZX's debut, it was stated that their color would be either pink or orange, but both colors were already used by famous groups, as orange belonged to Shinhwa and pink to NRG. In the end, TSZX fans chose pink because NRG had been inactive for some time.

"Too Good", the first single by TSZX, was not as successful as SM expected. They promoted the song for a few months before switching to "Boomerang", accompanied by a new, sexy concept. "Boomerang" allowed them to show off their dancing skills, and the single was more warmly received. They also performed acapella versions of Elvis Presley's Can't Help Falling in Love (the first track off their debut single) and George Michael's Faith.

After promoting their first single in Korea for almost 7 months, the group headed off to China, where they had a quickly growing fanbase. The group had a short promotional spree in China due to their rising popularity in the neighboring country. Officially released in March 2006, according to online stores, the Chinese version of the single included three new tracks: the Chinese versions of "Too Good" and "Boomerang" and the pre-group track "Fight To The End". After promotional activities concluded, TSZX headed to Japan.

[edit] Japanese singles

By the end of 2005, TSZX fans expected the release of a full album in Korea. However, they were shocked when a new single was announced -- this time in Japan. Their debut Japanese single Boomerang was meant to be released in December, but it was postponed to January 25, 2006. However, the single's promotion still began in December. The single "Boomerang" was re-recorded for the release, with Japanese lyrics and an altered instrumental. The Japanese single also had a B-side called "Do You Know?", a solo song by member Sunday.

The Boomerang single did not do well on the Japanese Oricon Charts, as it ranked #110 in the Singles Top 200 chart. This did not stop the girls from releasing another Japanese single shortly after. The Club was released on March 8, with another solo song called "What U Want" (this time sung by Stephanie).

The Club was released in Korea as well: two weeks before its release in Japan, SM Entertainment announced the Korean release. While the Japanese version featured rapper SEAMO, the Korean one featured famous K-pop star RAIN. Tracklisting of both versions are the same, making "What U Want" the only solo b-side released in two languages.

The Club was not well received in Japan, this time ranking #131 on the Japanese Oricon Charts. The single was also promoted briefly in South Korea without much success. After quick promotional activities in Korea, the group went back to Japan for their 3rd Japanese single, Sweet Flower.

A pop/dance tune, said to be dedicated "for everyone who's in love" (as Sweet Flower was officially described^{[citation needed]}), the song was used as the theme for the month of April on the famous TBS music show, CDTV. Only a few radio interviews and performances at small events were done in support of the single. It also included a rock-style song called "Rock'n'Roll Star", sung by member LINA. Sweet Flower followed in the footsteps of its predecessor, and entered the charts at #151. The single was also released in Korea by SM, but it was left unchanged from its Japanese version.

Between the 3rd and 4th single releases, official releases in other Asian countries took part. The Japanese single Boomerang was released in China on June 19 by Avex Trax official Chinese distributor CRSC.^[1] The Avex China website^[2] also lists the Japanese single of The Club, but it is not listed by CRSC. In Taiwan and Hong Kong, a new edition of the Korean version of The Club single was released, containing a Chinese version of "The Club" plus a DVD with the Korean music video.

Even with the first few singles having low sales, another single was scheduled to be released. juicy LOVE was in stark contrast with TSZX's previous singles, as it had a reggae beat, matching well with its summer release date. Japanese reggae singer CORN HEAD was featured in this song. This time, the B-side was "Sayonara no Mukou ni", TSZX's first Japanese ballad written and sung by DANA. Like the previous single, juicy LOVE was released in Korea, left unchanged.

After four singles, TSZX's promotion in Japan went on, continuing to perform at different events. During juicy LOVE promotion, DANA hurt her leg and was unable to perform at a few of their venues. Their last song released in Japan at the end of their activities was "Get on the floor", a duet with rapper DOGMA for a movie soundtrack.

The group's last event in Japan was the a-nation tour held by Avex Trax at a huge open-air stage. The girls performed on the main stage for three days and on the "Power Stage" for the fourth day. They sang an acapella of Dancing Queen and their songs Boomerang and juicy LOVE. At some performances, CORN HEAD even performed with them. The promotion helped sales, as all TSZX singles were sold out at the event^{[citation needed]}. The official a-nation broadcast did not air any of their peformances, but RZTV showed parts of "Boomerang" and "juicy LOVE".

As the schedule died down, the Japanese official website had a Diary in which the girls kept in touch with their fans, filling it with messages and photos. After 9 months in Japan, TSZX finally returned to Korea to work on a new Korean release.

[edit] Return to Korea

After weeks of waiting, SM finally announced their 3rd Korean single and some changes on the group concept. Although TSZX was marketed as an acapella pop group, they became a typical pop/dance girl group with their releases. To strengthen their image as an acapella band, SM changed the band name to TSZX The Grace. The name change was also applied to the members' stage names as well: DANA The Grace, LINA The Grace, Sunday The Grace and Stephanie The Grace. It is unclear whether or not this name change is permanent or simply for this release.

The single 열정 (My Everything) (translated to Passion) was released on November 3, 2006. The lead single from it was the title song, a ballad track unlike their previous singles. According to the press release, the song matched with the winter season, having skillful vocals and harmony^{[citation needed]}. Other songs in the single include an acapella version of George Michael's Faith, which had already been sung many times during the 1st single promotion, and new songs like "The Final Sentence" and "IRIS (I Have Something to Say)". Promotional activities started soon after the release, with performances on the various music shows done live in order to showcase the vocals. Members of the group have also appeared on variety shows, including SBS's New X-Man. However, the changes did not greatly increase sales; the single entered at #30 on the Music Industry Association of Korea's monthly sales charts, with 2,447 copies sold.^[3]

[edit] Members

[edit] Stephanie

Real name: Kim, Bo-Kyung (김보경), Stephanie Kim
Stage name: Tian Wu Stephanie, CheonMu Stephanie, Stephanie The Grace.
Stage name meaning: Dance of Heaven.
Birth Date: October 16, 1987
Other Works: Some American musicals; female part in KangTa & Vanness 127day MV.

Facts: Often mistaken for TVXQ's U-know Yunho's girlfriend, but they are just really good friends. Learned ballet for 11 years, major in ballet when she was still in America.

[edit] LINA

Real name: Lee, Ji-Yeon (이지연)
Stage name: Shang Mei LINA, SangMi LINA, LINA The Grace.
Stage name meaning: Beauty of Heaven.
Birth Date: February 18, 1984.
Other Works: Isak N Jiyeon duo; female parts in Group S I Swear MV, Fly To The Sky Goodbye MV, KangTa & Vanness Scandal MV, and TRAX Cold Rain MV.

[edit] Sunday

Real name: Jin, Bo-Ra (진보라)
Stage name: Zhi Sheng Sunday, JiSung Sunday, Sunday The Grace.
Stage name meaning: Soft Voice of Heaven.
Birth Date: January 12, 1987.
Other Works: Two Japanese singles as a soloist; Fly To The Sky Maybe God Knows MV.

[edit] DANA

Real name: Hong, Sung-Mi (홍성미)
Stage name: Xi Yue DANA, Hee Yeol DANA, DANA The Grace.
Stage name meaning: Happiness of Heaven.
Birth Date: July 17, 1986.
Other Works: Two albums as a soloist; KangTa Polaris MV; HOT Age of Peace movie.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Korean Singles

• [2005.04.29] Too Good
• [2006.03.08] The Club
• [2006.11.03] My Everything // as 'TSZX The Grace"

[edit] Japanese Singles

• [2006.01.25] Boomerang
• [2006.03.08] The Club
• [2006.04.26] Sweet Flower
• [2006.07.12] Juicy LOVE

[edit] Other

• [2004.06.29] 2004 Summer Vacation in SMTOWN.com
  • Track 07: 바램 (Fight To The End) // as DANA, JiYeon, Sunday & Stephanie
• [2006.03.31] Too Good (Chinese Edition)
• [2006.06.19] Boomerang (Chinese Release)
• [2006.06.20] '06 Summer SMTOWN
  • Track 06: Catch the shooting star
• [2006.07.07] The Club (Asian Special Edition)
• [2006.08.23] Back Dancers! Original Soundtrack
  • Track 04: Get on the floor // TENJOCHIKI & DOGMA
• [2006.12.12] 2006 Winter SMTOWN
  • Track 04: Dreams Come True // as TSZX The Grace

[edit] Awards

2005: Best New Singer Group (12th South Korean Performing Arts Awards)
2005: Best Foreign Singer Group (3rd South-East Music Ceremony)
2006. Hallyu All Star Award (13th South Korean Performing Arts Awards)

[edit] 5th member?

Even before the group debuted, it was speculated that a Chinese girl would be the 5th member of TSZX. A TV program in China called Hot Asia was meant to choose new members for TSZX as well as male counterpart, TVXQ. However, it is unclear if the program ever actually took place and no new members were ever added to both groups. Much time has passed and it now seems unlikely a new member will ever join either groups.

[edit] External links

• (Korean) TSZX Official Korean Website
• (Japanese) TENJOCHIKI (TSZX) Official Japanese Website

[edit] References

1. ^ CRSC - China Record Shanghai Co.
2. ^ Avex China website
3. ^ http://www.miak.or.kr/stat/Kpop_200611.htm

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