Super Junior-M

Super Junior-M
Origin Seoul, South Korea
Other name(s) SJ-M, SJM
Occupation Singers, dancers, actors
Genre(s) Mandopop
Label(s) SM, Avex
Years active 2008–present
Associated acts SM Town
Super Junior
Super Junior-K.R.Y
Super Junior-T
Super Junior-Happy
S.M. The Ballad
Current Members Siwon
Donghae
Kyuhyun
Henry
Ryeowook
Zhou Mi
Sungmin
Eunhyuk
Past Members Han Geng
Official Website superjunior-m.smtown.com

Super Junior-M, often referred to as SJ-M, is a Mandopop boy band. Formed in 2008 in Seoul, South Korea, the band is the first international music group in the Chinese music industry to have members of both Chinese and Korean descent,[1] and is the first group produced by Korea's CT (Culture Technology) organization, created through a comprehensive localization strategy.[2]

Super Junior-M is the third and most successful subgroup branched off from the Korean boy band Super Junior. Super Junior-M originally consisted of leader Han Geng, Siwon, Donghae, Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, and two non-Super Junior members, Henry and Zhou Mi.[1] In December 2009, Han filed a lawsuit against their agency SM Entertainment, and the group temporarily disbanded.[3] Han was later replaced by Super Junior members Sungmin and Eunhyuk, coinciding with the release of the group's second EP Perfection in February 2011.

Contents

Background

Name origin

Before the official name of the subgroup was released, they were known by "Super Junior China". On April 3, 2008, SM Entertainment announced their official name to be Super Junior-M, with "M" representing the word "Mandarin".[4] The "M" can also represent a list of other aspects, such as the first letter of their debut album Me, and also "mi" (Chinese: ), the pinyin for "charismatic" and "fan", the latter meaning referring to their desire to connect closer with fans.[4]

History

2007: Formation and "Only 13" controversies

In October 2007, SM Entertainment announced that a new Super Junior subgroup would debut in China in 2008. Super Junior's original member Han Geng, and a new member Henry Lau, who performed the violin solo of Super Junior's "Don't Don," were announced to be the first two of seven members representing the subgroup.[5] Super Junior's official fanclub, E.L.F, signed online petitions and held protests to express their dissatisfaction and opposition of adding a fourteenth member to the group.[6] Many fans boycotted Super Junior's products and held silent protests in front of SM Entertainment's main building in Seoul, holding signs of the "Only 13" slogan. [7][8]

Over one thousand fans appeared in front of the SM Entertainment building on E.L.F's third protest on November 3, 2007.[9] Instead of a silent protest, the fans sang various Super Junior songs and shouted "thirteen."[10] Fans purchased 58,206 stocks of SM Entertainment, holding 0.3% of the company's entire stock.[11] They released a statement through the media, stating that they would obtain all chances to prevent SM Entertainment from adding new members and to keep Super Junior as only thirteen.[11] SM Entertainment later announced that they would not add the new subgroup members to the main group.

2008–2009: Debut and commercial success

From April 4 to April 7, 2008 the seven members of Super Junior-M were individually announced to the Chinese media in a chain of short trailer clips. The first member, Han Geng, was announced to be the subgroup leader on April 4.[12] On April 5, Siwon and Donghae were revealed to be the second and third members.[13] On April 6, Kyuhyun was announced to be the fourth Super Junior-M member, following the new member, Henry, as the fifth.[14] Ryeowook and another new member, Zhou Mi, were announced to be the final two members on April 7.[15] A trailer of all seven members was released on the group's debut day, April 8. Super Junior-M's trailer clips exceeded 1.4 million views in less than four days.[16]

Super Junior-M debuted in Beijing on April 8, 2008 at the 8th Annual Music Chart Awards, simultaneously with the release of their first music video, "U" on Sohu.com.[16] They released their debut album Me in selected provinces of China starting April 23, 2008. A Korean version of the album with three bonus Korean-language tracks was released in South Korea on April 30, 2008. A modified version of the album was released in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan on May 2, 2008.[17] Though a majority of the tracks in the album were Mandarin remakes of Super Junior's previous Korean hits, reviews were generally positive. Hong Kong Cantopop singer, Hins Cheung, critiqued the album favorably, saying that the album contains "international-level music" and that the group is "vocally-talented".[18]

A month after their debut, Super Junior-M won their first award, Asia's Most Popular New Group, at the 5th annual Music King Awards in Macau on May 25.[19] They took home another three awards that year. On December 27 and 28, Super Junior-M held their first concert, the Super Junior-M Show, in Hong Kong.[20]

Following their debut performance in April 2008, the group made a few successful guest appearances in many chains of entertainment variety shows to promote their album. They appeared in an episode of the second season of TVB and HunanTV's collaboration show, Strictly Come Dancing, which made the show's ratings increase to 5.01%, ranking it the third most watched show ever in all of China.[21] Super Junior-M's appearance in the talk show Behind Story (Chinese: 背後的故事) also increased ratings. The show had the highest ratings during their time slot, with a strong 4.05%.[22] Separated into several weekly episodes, the group's appearance in their first episode on the challenging game show Bravely Going Forward (Chinese: 勇往直前) in early August gave the show the highest ratings during that time slot as well.[23] In August 2008, Han was casted in the idol television drama Stage of Youth, a mini-drama dedicated to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Han portrayed Xia Lei, a youth who aspires to be a famous dancer. Other members of Super Junior-M gave cameo appearances in the final episode.[24]

In September 2009, Super Junior-M released their album album, the EP Super Girl. The album garnered them a nomination for Best Vocal Group at the 21st Golden Melody Awards.[25] The EP's title single "Super Girl" is Super Junior-M's most critically successful song to date, winning numerous accolades for its composition and performances.

2010–present: Lawsuit and lineup changes

In December 2009, Han filed for contract termination from SM Entertainment, claiming that the provisions of his contract were unlawful, harsh, and against his rights.[26] Super Junior-M immediately canceled all of their future activities and performances in China and Taiwan. They returned to Korea to begin preparing for Super Junior's fourth studio album. Han, however, stayed in China and signed under a new management, releasing his debut solo album Geng Xin in July 2010.[27] Although Super Junior-M remained largely inactive for most of 2010, they won several accolades for their song "Super Girl" at China's 2010 MusicRadio TOP Awards, including Most Popular Group, Golden Melody Award (Top 15), and Best Composition.

In December 2010, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of Han. However, SM Entertainment announced that they will file an immediate appeal to reverse the decision. In September 2011, Han and SM Entertainment officially came to a mutual agreement regarding Han's contract, closing the case. Although Han will not continue his exclusive contract with SM Entertainment,[28] the agency has yet to release an official statement regarding his status in Super Junior and Super Junior-M.

In February 2011, Super Junior-M resumed their activities with two new members from the main group, Sungmin and Eunhyuk, with the release of EP Perfection. A track in the album, "Love Is Sweet" is written by Jay Chou with lyrics penned by Chou's lyricist, Vincent Fang. Perfection was first released in Taiwan on February 25, followed by a Korean release two days later in South Korea. Hong Kong, Singapore, and selected provinces of China released the album on March 4. It debuted at number 2 on Taiwan's G-music chart,[29] and stayed on the chart for four weeks.[30] The repackaged version of the album was released on April 29, debuted at number 2, and stayed on the chart for 10 weeks.[30] In March 2011, Siwon and Donghae were cast as the main leads in the Taiwanese idol television drama Skip Beat!, a live-action adaptation of the manga of the same name. The drama is scheduled to premiere on December 18, 2011 on Formosa TV. Super Junior-M will perform the drama's opening theme "S.O.L.O.", and Donghae will write and perform the ending theme, "That's Love."

Super Junior-M stayed in Taiwan for over two months to promote Perfection. The album won them several awards at the 2010 HK Asian-Pop Music Festival, including Best Song Performance and Best Stage Performance. They won Most Popular Group at the 1st Annual Global Chinese Golden Chart, and Best Group at the 2011 Singapore HIT Awards.

Members

Stage name Birth name Date of birth Position
Romanized Hanja Romanized Others
Eunhyuk 銀赫 Lee Hyukjae 이혁재 April 4, 1986 (1986-04-04) (age 25) Lead Rapper, Lead Dancer, Vocalist
Sungmin 晟敏 Lee Sungmin 이성민 January 1, 1986 (1986-01-01) (age 26) Lead Vocalist, Lead Dancer
Zhou Mi 周覓 Zhou Mi 주멱 April 19, 1986 (1986-04-19) (age 25) Main Vocalist
Donghae 東海 Lee Donghae 이동해 October 15, 1986 (1986-10-15) (age 25) Vocalist, Main Dancer, Sub Rapper, Visual
Siwon 始源 Choi Siwon 최시원 February 10, 1987 (1987-02-10) (age 25) Vocalist, Visual
Ryeowook 厲旭 Kim Ryeowook 김려욱 June 21, 1987 (1987-06-21) (age 24) Lead Vocalist
Kyuhyun 圭賢 Cho Kyuhyun 조규현 February 3, 1988 (1988-02-03) (age 24) Lead Vocalist, Lead Dancer
Henry 憲華 Henry Lau 刘宪华 October 11, 1989 (1989-10-11) (age 22) Vocalist, Main Dancer, Rapper

Former Members

Stage name Birth name Date of birth Position
Romanized Hanja Romanized Others
Hangeng 韩庚 Hangeng 韩庚 February 9, 1984 (1984-02-09) (age 28) Leader, Vocalist, Lead Dancer

Musical styles

Super Junior-M's goal is to bring the Korean pop influence over to the Chinese market, re-representing the hits in Mandarin.[1] Similar to the style of their main group Super Junior, Super Junior-M's music style falls into the category of mainstream pop, dance, and R&B. Dance pop songs with rock and hip hop influences are easily heard in their music, such as in "Me" and "The Moment", which contains guitar riffs and heavy bass sounds. Rap is not performed as often like the main group, but these influences can be heard in "The Moment" and also the rap remakes in "Don't Don" and "A Man In Love".

Endorsements

Super Junior-M and Taiwanese singer Show Lo replaced Hong Kong entertainers, Nicholas Tse and Twins, for the 2008 summer season endorsement spots of Semir, a Chinese clothing brand.[31] They were acclaimed to be sunny, young, and passionate; thus their image was suitable to endorse the brand.[32] They were also the 2009 endorsers of Pepsi and OPPO Mobile.

Discography

Studio albums

  • Me (2008)

Extended plays

Awards

Year Award Nominated work Category Result
2008
Music King Awards Me Most Popular New Group Won
Southeast Music Awards Mainland's Most Popular Group Won
CCTV-MTV Music Awards Best Singing Group of the Year Won
Starlight Grand Ceremony Best New Music Group Won
2009
2009 China Digital Music Awards Super Girl Most Downloaded Overseas Singer Won
China's Wireless Music Migu Exchange Ceremony Best Overseas Singer Won
2010
MusicRadio TOP Awards Super Girl Mainland's Most Popular Group Won
"Super Girl" Mainland's Top 15 Golden Melody Award Won
Mainland's Best Composition Won
Golden Melody Awards Super Girl Best Vocal Group Nominated
2011
HK Asian Pop Music Festival Perfection Super New Star Award Won
"Perfection" Best Song Performance Won
Best Stage Performance Won
Global Chinese Golden Chart Perfection Most Popular Group Won
Singapore HIT Awards Best Group Won

References

  1. ^ a b c "Super Junior-M debuts today, Han Geng as group leader" (in Chinese). Jinhua.cn: pp. 1. 2008-04-08. http://ent.jinghua.cn/c/200804/08/n921675.shtml. Retrieved 2008-04-08. 
  2. ^ Official Website [1] Retrieved 2008-05-01 (English)
  3. ^ "Super Junior-M temporarily disbanded". 88 News: pp. 1. 2009-12-28. http://www.88news.net/2009/12/28/super-junior-m-temporarily-disbanded/. Retrieved 2009-12-28. 
  4. ^ a b "SJ's new China subgroup's name confirmed to be SJ-M, debut on April 8" (in Chinese). Sohu: pp. 1. 2008-04-03. http://yule.sohu.com/20080403/n256064562.shtml. Retrieved 2008-04-03. 
  5. ^ "Super Junior China to start activities in China next year" (in Korean). My Daily: pp. 1. http://www.mydaily.co.kr/news/read.html?newsid=200710030817371137. Retrieved 2008-04-03. 
  6. ^ "Ivyro" (in Korean). Ivyro: pp. 1. Archived from the original on 2007-12-31. http://web.archive.org/web/20071231190235/http://kt1171.ivyro.net/zboard/zboard.php?id=foreign&page=1&page_num=20&category=&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&keyword=&prev_no=53&sn1=&divpage=1&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc#. Retrieved 2008-04-04. 
  7. ^ "My name is Fan" (in Korean). Bestiz: pp. 1. 2007-10-21. Archived from the original on 2007-10-24. http://web.archive.org/web/20071024064704/http://kerio.cafe24.com/zboard/view.php?id=superj&page=1&sn1=&divpage=6&sn=off&ss=on&sc=off&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=37813&PHPSESSID=e3211b15b7398f9304a7b49b1b664915. Retrieved 2008-04-04. 
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  10. ^ "Super Junior protest part 2" (in Korean). Bestiz: pp. 1. 2007-11-03. Archived from the original on 2008-03-07. http://web.archive.org/web/20080307060909/http://kerio.cafe24.com/sj/view.php?id=superj&page=1&sn1=&divpage=6&sn=off&ss=on&sc=off&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=38431. Retrieved 2008-04-04. 
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  12. ^ "SJ-M's first member announced: Han Geng" (in Chinese). Sohu: pp. 1. 2008-04-04. http://yule.sohu.com/20080404/n256097756.shtml. Retrieved 2008-04-04. 
  13. ^ "SJ-M members continue to unravel: Donghae and Siwon appears with new image" (in Chinese). Sohu: pp. 1. 2008-04-05. http://yule.sohu.com/20080405/n256105924.shtml. Retrieved 2008-04-05. 
  14. ^ "SJ-M adds new member, Henry; appears along with Kyuhyun" (in Chinese). Sohu: pp. 1. 2008-04-06. http://yule.sohu.com/20080406/n256116480.shtml. Retrieved 2008-04-06. 
  15. ^ "SJ-M's last members revealed: Rookie Zhou Mi appears along with Ryeowook" (in Chinese). Sohu: pp. 1. 2008-04-07. http://yule.sohu.com/20080407/n256127225.shtml. Retrieved 2008-04-07. 
  16. ^ a b "Super Junior-M debuts, over 1.4 million views" (in Korean). Nonewsnet: pp. 1. 2008-08-08. http://www.nownewsnet.com/news/newsView.php?id=20080407601004&relation=hit. Retrieved 2008-04-08. 
  17. ^ "G-Music New Product" (in Chinese). G-Music: pp. 1. http://www.g-music.com.tw/event/newproduct/newproduct.asp. Retrieved 2008-08-06. 
  18. ^ "Hins Cheung radio interview" (in Chinese). Baidu: pp. 1. http://tieba.baidu.com/f?kz=408639283. Retrieved 2008-08-22. 
  19. ^ "Han Geng reveals Kyuhyun's weird habits, SJ-M wants to perform in the Hong Kong Coliseum" (in Chinese). Liao1: pp. 1. 2008-05-31. http://news.liao1.com/newspages/200805/2494063.html. Retrieved 2005-05-31. 
  20. ^ "SJ-M sends a tornado in HK for the first time" (in Chinese). TOM: pp. 1. 2008-12-27. http://post.yule.tom.com/54000A6D1888.html. Retrieved 2008-12-30. 
  21. ^ ""Stricly Come Dancing" achieves high ratings" (in Chinese). Kzzj023: pp. 1. http://www.kzzj023.com/news/Article.asp?ArticleID=184487. Retrieved 2008-08-06. 
  22. ^ ""Behing Story" achieves highest ratings last week" (in Chinese). QQ: pp. 1. 2008-07-22. http://ent.qq.com/a/20080722/000240.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-06. 
  23. ^ ""Bravely Going Forward" earns #1 ratings, SJ-M spends summer with viewers" (in Chinese). HunanTV: pp. 1. 2008-08-04. http://zixun.hunantv.com/hntv/20080804/29615.html. Retrieved 2008-08-06. 
  24. ^ "SJ-M will film Olympic idol drama" (in Chinese). QQ: pp. 1. 2008-08-22. http://ent.qq.com/a/20080822/000087.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-22. 
  25. ^ "List of Golden Melody Awards nominees" (in Chinese). Liberty Times: pp. 1. 2010-05-14. http://iservice.libertytimes.com.tw/liveNews/news.php?no=364921&type=%E5%BD%B1%E5%8A%87. Retrieved 2010-05-14. 
  26. ^ (Chinese) Star News [2] (In Korean.)
  27. ^ "Han Geng announces solo concert" (in Chinese). People: pp. 3. 2010-06-23. http://ent.people.com.cn/BIG5/11944789.html. Retrieved 2011-11-19. 
  28. ^ Ifeng.com
  29. ^ "Super Junior-M debuts at number 2 in album sales". Korean Splash. 2011-03-08. http://koreansplash.blogspot.com/2011/03/super-junior-m-debuts-at-number-2-in.html. Retrieved 2011-11-20. 
  30. ^ a b "G-Music Chinese-language Chart" (in Chinese). G-Music. http://www.g-music.com.tw/GMusicBillboard1.aspx. Retrieved 11-20-2011. 
  31. ^ "SJ-M, Show Luo replaces Nicholas Tse for clothings brand" (in Chinese). Sina: pp. 1. 2008-08-18. http://ent.sina.com.cn/s/h/2008-08-19/10402139510.shtml. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  32. ^ "Gillian Chung embarasses brand, SJ-M and Show Luo replaces" (in Chinese). CCTV: pp. 1. 2008-08-18. http://news.cctv.com/performance/20080818/103288.shtml. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  33. ^ "Show Luo, etc endorses new brand" (in Chinese). WZWB: pp. 1. 2008-08-19. http://wb.66wz.com/system/2008/08/19/100680768.shtml. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 

External links