The Grace (band)

The Grace

CSJH sub-unit Dana & Sunday promoting "One More Chance".
From left to right: Sunday, Dana.
Background information
Also known as TSZX The Grace
CSJH The Grace
Tenjochiki
Origin Seoul, South Korea
Genres Pop, R&B, dance
Years active 2005–2010 (on Hiatus)
Labels SM Entertainment
Avex Asia (Taiwan)
Rhythm Zone (Japan)
United Asia Management
Associated acts SM Town, Dana & Sunday
Website thegrace.smtown.com
Members Stephanie "Chunmu"
Lina "Sangmi"
Sunday "Jisung"
Dana "Heeyeol"
The Grace
Hangul 천상지희
Hanja 天上智喜
Revised Romanization Cheonsang Jihui
McCune–Reischauer Ch'ŏnsang Chihŭi

The Grace (Korean: 천상지희 더 그레이스; hanja: 天上智喜 The Grace ) is a four-member South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment in 2005. The group consists of four members Lina, Dana, Sunday, and Stephanie. In 2011, they formed a sub-unit duo group The Grace - Dana & Sunday.

Names

The band had been known as TSZX prior to the promotion of their 3rd Korean single around the end of 2006, at which the group added The Grace to the name. TSZX was the romanization of the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation, Tiān Shàng Zhì Xǐ which was also simplified to CSJH, the romanization of the Korean pronunciation, Cheon Sang Ji Hee and the simplifications are still sometimes used to refer to the band despite the change in the official name. In Japan, the group is still officially known as Tenjōchiki, which is also abbreviated (albeit less frequently) as TJCK.

History

Debut and early works

The Grace's first official performance occurred on April 29, 2005, in China. They performed their new songs "Too Good" and "Boomerang", and it was broadcast weeks later by the Chinese channel CCTV. The verses in Boomerang were also sung in Chinese. Two days later, the quartet debuted with "Too Good" on SBS's music program Popular Songs (Inkigayo).

"Too Good" was the first single by The Grace. They promoted the song for a few months before switching to "Boomerang".

After 7 months of promoting their first singles in Korea, the group headed off to promote in China. According to online stores, their Chinese version of the single was officially released in March 2006. 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, The Grace headed to Japan.

Japanese singles

The debut Japanese single Boomerang was released January 25, 2006. Later, "Boomerang" was re-recorded and released with Japanese lyrics and an altered instrumental track. The Japanese single also had a B-side called "Do You Know?", a solo song by member Sunday. The "Boomerang" single ranked No. 110 in the Singles Top 200 chart.

On March 8, The Club along with a solo song called "What U Want" (sung by Stephanie) was released. It reached No. 131 on the Japanese Oricon Charts. The single was also promoted briefly in South Korea. After quick promotional activities in Korea, the group went back to Japan for their 3rd Japanese single, Sweet Flower which was used as the theme for the month of April on the TBS Radio & Communications music show, Count Down TV. Sweet Flower 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. The Avex China website also listed the Japanese single of The Club, but CRSC did not listed it. In Taiwan and Hong Kong, a new edition of the Korean version of The Club single was released and contained 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 The Grace'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 Mukō ni", The Grace's first Japanese ballad written and sung by Dana. Like the previous single, Juicy Love (styled juicy LOVE) was released in Korea, left unchanged.

Return to Korea

SM changed the band name from just CSJH to CSJH The Grace (later simplified for international releases to just "The Grace").

The single "열정 (My Everything)" 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.[1] Other songs in the single include an a cappella version of George Michael's Faith, which had already been performed during the 1st single promotion, and new songs like "The Final Sentence" and "IRIS (할 말이 있어요)". However, the changes did not greatly increase sales; the single entered at No. 30 on the Music Industry Association of Korea's monthly sales charts[2]

2007

First full album

The group's debut album, 한번 더, OK? (Hanbeon Deo, OK?, translated as "One More Time, OK?") was released on May 4, 2007."[3]

"One More Time, OK?" is The Grace's most successful song to the date, topping Mnet M! Countdown and SBS Inkigayo charts. The album reached 6th place for the month.[4] On June 15, the album was released in Taiwan, The Grace's first major release overseas.[5]

A month and a half after release, the album was suggested to be inappropriate for younger audiences by The Commission on Youth Protection. The songs "One More Time, OK?" and "Tonight Is On Me" were considered to have "suggestive lyrics". The Commission on Youth Protection is currently undergoing judgement to see if the album will be flagged. The final decision will be made towards the end of August. If flagged, the album will have a 19+ sticker attached before being put to sale.[6]

They won in 2007 Mnet Asian Music Awards (M.Net KM Music Festival) as their song "One More Time, OK?" as the "Best Dance Music".

Japanese single and album

A new Japanese single was released in August with three new songs: a dance number named "Piranha" and Japanese versions of the songs "My Everything" and "Just For One Day", which features TVXQ's JaeJoong. The single debuted at 26th place in the Oricon daily charts and ended at 50th place in the weekly charts.

In November their first Japanese album was released. Graceful 4,[7] consisted of nine previously released songs and new material, including "One More Time, OK?", a translated Japanese version of their first Korean album's title song.

2008

During the first months of 2008, The Grace still promoted themselves in Japan, performing on various events in support of their first Japanese album. They held three concerts in April and May named Graceful Party Vol. 1.[8] The last one, at Daikanyama UNIT in Tokyo, featured Here, a new song in collaboration with hip-hop group Cliff Edge.

Their sixth Japanese single, called Stand Up People, was released on July 23. It featured Dear friend, a mid-tempo ballad, and remixes of the title song and One More Time, OK?.

Their seventh single, Here, featured a collaboration between Tenjochiki and Cliff Edge. It was set to be released on October 22 only, but after the song leaked, it was offered for free download for a limited time. Here was chosen to be the theme song of both the drama and movie of "Homeless School Student", based on a Japanese best-seller book. A second song and PV were released entitled Near. Here reaching to No. 16 at the Oricon Charts with sales of over 16,000.

2009

Second Japanese album

The album entitled Dear... was released on January 7, 2009 from which the sixth and seventh singles ('Stand Up People' and 'Here') were released. The album debuted on 14# in Oricon.

Subaru soundtrack

The Grace appeared on the soundtrack of the Japanese movie Subaru. "少しでいいから" (Sukoshi De Ii Kara / A Bit of Good) and "Coming To You" are both featured tracks on the soundtrack.[9] "少しでいいから" (Sukoshi De Ii Kara / A Bit of Good) is a part of The Grace's second Japanese Album "Dear...". The movie also features member Stephanie as a ballet trainer[10]

2010

Due to Stephanie's major back injury, all activities for CSJH The Grace were halted. Until mid-2010, members Lina, Sunday, and Dana have been appearing on the screen. They attended the annual SMTown concert, SMTown Live '10 in August and September. After the concerts, Dana and Sunday were cast in the musical "Rock of Ages" with SHINee's Onew and TRAX's Jay from the same company. In October, Dana was also cast in another musical, "The Three Musketeers". During this time, Stephanie had gone through rehab and recovered fully. She attended Korea National University of Arts and with the encouragement from the school, she auditioned for the Los Angeles Ballet. She stated in an interview that after she had completed the shows in the States with LAB, she will head back to Korea to continue on her singing career.

On November 24, Avex Entertainment, as well as SM Entertainment Japan, released a statement about the renewal of contracts of SM artists signed to Avex.[11]

Dana once again tweeted to one of her fans that The Grace will start producing a new album and it is believed that the album will be released next year. Dana also stated that they will start their recording between December and January. One of the SM representatives revealed “Dana has been recording consistently all this while. However, details are yet to be confirmed on the group’s actual comeback.” [12]

2011

On January 27, SM Entertainment confirmed that the group was going to come back in April, without Stephanie (ballet schedule) and Lina (acting career).[13] In July, however, a duo sub-unit, The Grace – Dana & Sunday, released a digital single named "나 좀 봐줘 (One More Chance)" and appeared on KBS music program Music Bank.[14]

2012

On August 14, SM Entertainment together with Media Line Entertainment announced that Stephanie will be having her solo debut that fall, with of her debut and the album release being on the first or second week of September. A representative of the agency stated, “Stephanie is currently busy with choreography practice and song recordings. There’s a big possibility that Stephanie’s comeback song will be of the dance genre.”Stephanie has been on hiatus from the K-Pop industry ever since she injured her back while promoting in Japan. Stephanie joined Media Line Entertainment for her solo activities including her ballet activities. The album will be co-produced by both Media Line and SM Entertainment.[15] On October 5, Stephanie released her music video teaser for "GAME" from her solo single album "The New Beginning" .[16] On October 8, 2012 Stephanie released her first solo single album "The New Beginning" with the title track "GAME" and its music video. Her single album consists of 3 tracks, "Game" (title track), "Dance"; a track featuring her labelmate from SM Entertainment, Amber of f(x) and a remix version by DJ Koo of "Game".

On August 20, Lina was cast in KBS‘s new weekend drama, ‘The Great King’s Dream‘, as the second wife of King Taejong Muyeol. The 80-episode drama tells the story of how Korea came to be unified and entered into one of the greatest cultural times of its history. The drama began airing on September 8, 2012.[17]

Dana participated in the OST of To The Beautiful You alongside with Girls' Generation's Taeyeon & J-Min. It was released on September 5. Dana's song is track No. 2 "Maybe We".

Subgroups

Dana & Sunday

On July 5, 2011, SM Entertainment announced the formation of its first official sub-group unit of The Grace. Breaking their 4-year hiatus, the duo is composed of Dana and Sunday.[18] Their debut single, "One More Chance" (나 좀 봐줘), was released digitally on July 11.[19] The music video for the single also released on the same day.[20] Dana & Sunday's debut performance was on July 8 on KBS Music Bank[21]

On September 23, they released a part 4 soundtrack for the drama Hooray for Love (애정만만세), "Now You" (지금 그대).

Dana and Sunday’s “With Coffee Project Part 1″ was released on December 20 together with the music video of the song.[22]

Dana & Sunday participated for the new compilation album of SM Town as their 8th Winter Album, the 2011 Winter SMTown – The Warmest Gift. This album is a compilation album (summer/winter) for all SM Entertainment artists. The track #10. "Amazing" is the song they had contributed to the album. It was released only on physical album (offline) on December 13, 2011.[23]

Members

Discography

Main article: The Grace discography

Korean albums
  • 2007: Hanbeon deo, OK?
Japanese albums

Tours

Japan nationwide tours

Tours with SM Town artists

  • 2007: 2007 SMTown Summer Concert
  • 2008: SMTown Live '08
  • 2010: SMTown Live '10 World Tour
  • 2012: SMTown Live World Tour III

Awards

Years Awards
2005
  • 12th Annual Korea Entertainment Arts Awards : Best Female Group
  • 3rd South-East Music Ceremony : Best Foreign Singer Group
2006
  • 13th Annual Korea Entertainment Arts Awards : Hallyu All Star Award
2007
  • 14th Annual Korea Entertainment Arts Awards : Best Female Group
  • M.net Asian Music Awards : Best Dance Music[24]

References

  1. ↑ Daum 천상지희, '천상지희 더 그레이스'로 개명
  2. ↑ 11월 가요음반 판매량집계
  3. ↑ Gamespot Korea. 천상지희 더 그레이스 파격 변신 티저 영상 눈길. April 24, 2007. Retrieved April 24, 2007.
  4. ↑ Recording industry association Korea 2007. 5 월 – 가요음반 판매량
  5. ↑ Avex Taiwan 天上智喜 再一次，OK？
  6. ↑ Newsen.com 천상지희 신곡 ‘한번더 OK?’ 노랫말 19금 도마 올랐다
  7. ↑ Oricon Graceful 4 Oricon Page
  8. ↑ 天上智喜 1st LIVE 2008 〜Graceful 4〜（仮）
  9. ↑ Subaru Official Website Sukoshi De Ii Kara and Coming To You are featured in the Subaru Soundtrack
  10. ↑ Subaru Official Website Subaru trailer featuring Stephanie
  11. ↑ "S.M.Entertainment Japan Inc." (PDF). Avex.co.jp. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  12. ↑ Nate: 천상지희 3년만 컴백? 다나 "이번달 녹음"..기대↑
  13. ↑ Yahoo! News Korea: 천상지희, 오는 4월경 컴백 예고 '2인조 혹은 3인조?'
  14. ↑ "CSJH to comeback as a duo, ‘CSJH – Dana & Sunday’". allkpop. July 3, 2011.
  15. ↑ "천상지희 스테파니 솔로 컴백 "허리부상 완치‥댄스곡 될 듯"". Star Today. August 14, 2012.
  16. ↑ "CSJH’s Stephanie releases solo debut MV "Game" + single ‘The New Beginning’". Allkpop. October 7, 2012.
  17. ↑ "CSJH’s Lina prepares for her acting debut in ‘The Great King’s Dream’". Allkpop. August 20, 2012.
  18. ↑ "SM confirms CSJH The Grace to make a comeback this July!". Allkpop. June 27, 2011.
  19. ↑ "CSJH to comeback as a duo, ‘CSJH – Dana & Sunday’".
  20. ↑ "SMTOWN Youtube Page".
  21. ↑ "CSJH’s Dana & Sunday make their long-awaited comeback on ‘Music Bank’ to be Released on the 11th!".
  22. ↑ "CSJH’s Dana & Sunday release MV for "First Americano"". allkpop. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  23. ↑ "SMTOWN ‘The Warmest Gift’ Track List". December 8, 2011. |chapter= ignored (help)
  24. ↑ "2007 M.net Korean Music Festival Winners list". MAMA. Retrieved 2014-06-12.

External links