F.Cuz

F.Cuz
포커즈
Origin Seoul, South Korea
Genres K-pop, pop, dance
Years active 2010–present
Labels Tunes-Will Entertainment
(South Korea)
Tunes Tracks/e-SUM (Japan)
SEEDMUSIC (Taiwan)
Website Official Korean Site
Official Japanese Site
Official Taiwanese Site
Members Jinon
Daegun
Raehyun
Kan
Yejun
Past members LeeU

F.Cuz (Korean: 포커즈, "Focus"), is a South Korean boy band managed by Tunes-Will Entertainment[1] (before 2014 by CAN Entertainment).[2] The group made their debut on January 8, 2010 with their first single, "Jiggy" on Music Bank.[3][4] F.Cuz originally debuted as a four-member group (Jinon, LeeU, Kan, and Yejun), but LeeU made his departure on August 23, 2011 to pursue a solo career.[5] F.Cuz promoted shortly as three-member group in Japan, but were joined by new members Daegun and Raehyun in 2012.[6][7] The official fanclub for F.Cuz is 'For U' and their color is Twinkle Light Silver.[8][9]

History

Pre-debut

Jinon, Raehyun, Kan, and Yejun all attended the Anyang High School of Arts in Anyang; Jinon was their senior while Raehyun, Kan, and Yejun were in the same graduating class. While in Anyang, Jinon, Kan, and Yejun all participated in a dance team that had included famous K-Pop star Rain.[10] Out of all the F.Cuz members who attended school in Anyang, Jinon had one of the busier pre-debut careers. In 2005, Jinon joined a project group named GM6, now known as Supernova, and began trainee activities.[11] However, Jinon withdrew before their debut and suffered major health issues as a result; he battled depression and several eating disorders.[11] Jinon also pursued acting and achieved some notoriety due to his similarities to Kwon Sang Woo.[11] In 2009, he appeared in "Cinderella Man" as a younger version of Kwon Sang Woo's character.[10] Jinon also had a role in SG Wannabe's "Gashiri" music video alongside T-ara's Eunjung.[10]

Like Jinon, Raehyun and Kan also pursued acting. Raehyun's pre-debut career includes several dramas (“Gloria,” “Over the Rainbow,” “Chosun Police (Season 3),” “Beautiful Life,” & “Rak Rak Rak”), an appearance in the movie See You After School, and a Samyang ramen CF.[12] Kan appeared in the dramas "Hon" (Korean: 혼; "Soul") and "Assorted Gems" (Korean: 보석비빔밥).

LeeU had always been a witness to the music industry due to his father, the famous trot singer Sul Woon Do. From an early age, LeeU had wanted to pursue a singing career; so much so that he lost sixty pounds in one month during his first year of junior high.[13] Later, LeeU became a successful ulzzang and appeared on many variety programs with his father.[14] LeeU also had a short solo career under the name "U" (Korean: 唯);[15] he appeared on the SBS Drama "Gourmet" OST with "Listen to You" (Korean: 그대를 듣죠) and featured on a song with Taru (Korean: 타루) called "오! 다시 (Oh! Again)."

Daegun began his idol career under Xing Entertainment, a company most known for housing future members of U-Kiss, Beast, and The Boss.[16] Daegun eventually moved on to Golden Goose Entertainment and debuted as a member of Double B 21, now known as Apeace.[16] He participated in their "S.O.S." promotions, but left the group shortly after.

2010: Jiggy, No One, Overseas Activities, and Gorgeous

F.Cuz was officially announced by CAN&J Entertainment on December 6, 2009.[17] Following the announcement, each day one member would introduce themselves to the public through a short video that showcased their talents; the videos amassed over 30,000 views.[18] In anticipation of their debut, F.Cuz began filming the music video for "Jiggy," their debut release, on December 15, 2009.[19] "Jiggy" was digitally released on January 8, 2010 and they held their debut performance the same day on KBS' Music Bank.[3][20] In February, it was announced that F.Cuz had signed with Taiwanese label SEEDMUSIC to pursue activities overseas.[21] On March 8, "Jiggy" was digitally released in Taiwan and Hong Kong.[22] On March 11, 2010, F.Cuz made their Korean comeback with their first mini-album and title song "No One."[22]

F.Cuz has come back with a new album called "Gorgeous" with the title track "Midnight Sun" on November 18, 2010. After eight months of hiatus, many fans were anticipating their comeback. Their single, "Midnight Sun" has become a huge hit and the group is earning more recognition. In order to prevent being labeled as a "failure group", F.Cuz released another single from their album, "친구졸업 (Friend's Graduation), renaming it as "Wanna Be Your Love". This song has a very cute and bubbly image that completely contradicts to the dark concept of "Midnight Sun" and F.Cuz is steadily gaining more popularity. Unfortunately, member Kan has recently been involved in a serious car accident after filming for the drama Athena: Goddess of War and going back to Seoul. He, his manager and four other people in the car received major and minor injuries after the car slipped on ice and crashed, forcing the group to halt activities for their new song.

2011: LeeU's withdrawal and Japanese debut

On May 21, 2011, Can Entertainment announced that Lee-U would be leaving the group in August after releasing their Japanese debut single. The record company cited musical differences and to focus Lee-U's career as a solo singer. Can Entertainment and Lee-U's agency, Castle J Enterprise, came to an agreement to withdraw him from the group.[23] The group will be adding 2 new members to replace Lee-U.

2012: For Century Ultimate Zest, Drawing Heart, and Dreaming I

On April 27, 2012, F.Cuz released their new mini album "For Century Ultimate Zest." They made their comeback with promotions for the title track "NO. 1."

In August, they released "꿈꾸는" (Dreaming I), a single.

2013: Hello Again and Change

In April, F.Cuz returned to Japan with the single "Hello Again" along with an MV. On October 31, 2013, they released their 5th Japanese single, titled "Change". F.Cuz spent the rest of 2013 promoting in Japan.

2014: One Love, Bargaining for Love and

F.Cuz released a Korean single titled "One Love" on March, 27, 2014. This marked their Korean comeback after almost 2 years since they spent most of 2013 promoting in Japan. The group left to Japan in July to promote the Japanese version of "One Love", "Feeling My Soul".

F.Cuz then released their 4th mini album titled "Bargaining for Love" with the title track "Cha-Ga-Wa". The title is a dance track and the guys have returned with a splash, debuting their album at #18 on the Gaon charts.

On December 2014, F.Cuz released their 7th Japanese single "もう一度だけ" (Remind).

Members

Current

Former

Discography

South Korea

Extended plays

Singles

  • Jiggy (2010)
  • Dreaming I (2012)
  • ONE LOVE (2014)

OSTs

  • This Is Love (My Regrettable Boyfriend OST Part 1) (2015)

Japan

Extended plays

Singles

  • Never Let You Go (2011)
  • Luv Holic/Around You (2011)
  • Drawing Heart (2012)
  • Hello Again (2013)
  • Change (2013)
  • Feeling My Soul (2014)
  • Remind (2014)

Taiwan

Extended plays

Music Videos

South Korea

  • "Jiggy" (2010)
  • "No One" (2010)
  • "Midnight Sun" (2010)
  • "친구졸업 (Wanna Be Your Love)" (2010)
  • "No. 1" (2012)
  • "Dreaming I" (2012)
  • "One Love" (2014)
  • "Cha-Ga-Wa" (2014)

Japan

  • "Never Let You Go" (2011)
  • "Luv Holic" (2011)
  • "Around You" (2011)
  • "Hello Again" (2013)
  • "Change" (2013)
  • "Feeling My Soul" (2014)
  • "Remind" (2014)

Taiwan

References

  1. ↑ Newsway Korea / 남성 5인조 아이돌그룹 포커즈, 새 소속사에서 새로운 출발!. (March 13, 2014). Retrieved on March 21, 2014.
  2. ↑ "이유그룹’ 포커즈, 베일벗고 멤버 전원공개 ‘가요계 중심될까? (Will F.cuz become the focus of the music industry?)" (in Korean). Newsen. December 10, 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "F.Cuz(포커즈), 오늘 첫 디지털 싱글 ‘JIGGY’ 발매" (in Korean). 매일경제. 8 January 2010. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  4. ↑ 신예 포커즈 '뮤직뱅크'통해 데뷔…안무+가창력 '완벽' (in Korean). Asia Economy. 8 January 2010. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  5. ↑ Official F.Cuz Korean Site / 포커즈 이유 탈퇴 관련 공지. (May 21, 2011). Retrieved on September 25, 2012.
  6. ↑ Star News / 포커즈, '탈퇴' 이유 없이 3인조로 日활발 활동. (November 11, 2011). Retrieved on September 25, 2012.
  7. ↑ BARKS / 新メンバー加入F.CUZ、3ヵ月連続リリース発表. (April 20, 2012). Retrieved on September 25, 2012.
  8. ↑ Official F.Cuz Korean Site / 팬클럽 이름 관련 공지. (March 7, 2012). Retrieved on September 25, 2012.
  9. ↑ Official F.Cuz Korean Site / F.CUZ 팬클럽 공식 색상. (March 5, 2012). Retrieved on September 25, 2012.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 이유그룹’ 포커즈, 경력도 화려 ‘비 소속 댄스팀출신 3명포진’ (in Korean). Newsen. 18 December 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "F.Cuz Jinon - "Those words from Kwon Sang Woo made me..."". Daily KPOP News. March 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  12. ↑ '리틀 에릭' 김래현 "진짜 배우 기대해 주세요"(인터뷰) (in Korean). Asiae. 6 September 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  13. ↑ "'포커즈 이유 "가수 되려 한달만에 28kg 감량" 깜짝고백'" (in Korean). Newsen. 24 March 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  14. ↑ "설운도 아들 이승현, 아이돌그룹으로 가수 데뷔 (Sul Woon Do's Son, Lee-U, Debut in an Idol Group)" (in Korean). My Daily. 4 December 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
  15. ↑ "설운도 아들' 이승현,스타 부상… "가수 U(唯)로 인정받을 것" (in Korean). Chosun. 28 May 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 5인조 재편 포커즈 새멤버 대건 래현 소개합니다(인터뷰①) (in Korean). Newsen. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  17. ↑ 설운도 아들 '이유' 속한 4인조 男그룹 베일 벗다! (in Korean). TV Daily. 7 December 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
  18. ↑ "대형신인 포커즈, 유투브 인기동영상 등극 "2010년 가장 기대되는 그룹 (F.Cuz appears on YouTube under Popular Videos: Most Anticipated Group of 2010)" (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
  19. ↑ 신예 아이돌 '포커즈', 첫 뮤직비디오 촬영 "너무 떨려요" (in Korean). TV Daily. 14 December 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
  20. ↑ 가수 윤하, 퇴원 후 첫 무대서 공개사과 (in Korean). My Daily. 8 January 2010. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  21. ↑ "F.cuz新年新氣象 簽約台灣經紀公司進軍華語圈市場". Korea Star Daily. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 포커즈 앨범, 대만-홍콩 라이선스 발매 ‘중화권 진출 본격화’ (in Korean). Newsen. 8 March 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  23. ↑ 포커즈 멤버 이유(이승현), 팀에서 탈퇴 향후 솔로활동 가닥. Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). May 22, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  24. ↑ CAN Entertainment Official Website / Member Biographies. (April 27, 2012). Retrieved on September 25, 2012.
  25. ↑ SEEDMUSIC Official Website / Member Biographies. (April 27, 2012). Retrieved on September 25, 2012.
  26. ↑ "이유". Naver Music. Retrieved 7 May 2013.

External links