Source(google.com.pk)
Headphone Girl Wallpaper Biography
Headphone Girls (Korean: 원더걸스, Chinese: 奇迹女孩, Japanese: ワンダーガールズ) is a South Korean girl group, which current line-up consists of five members: Yubin, Yeeun, Sunye, Sohee, and Hyelim. They are managed by their producer singer-songwriter Park Jin-Young under his talent agency, JYP Entertainment.[2][3][3] They are co-managed in the United States by Creative Artists Agency.[4] The meaning behind the group's name 'Headphone Girls' comes from the idea that they are "the girls who can amaze the world".[5] The group began their entry into the American market in 2009 as an opening act for The Jonas Brothers' World Tour, performing the English version of their hit single "Nobody". In late 2009 their song charted at number seventy-six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making the Headphone Girls the first South Korean group to enter the chart.[6][7]
In 2010, Headphone Girls entered the Chinese market with the compilation album Headphone Girls that included Chinese language versions of "Tell Me", "Nobody", and "So Hot".
In 2012, Headphone Girls signed with DefStar Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music Japan, for their Japanese debut.
It was announced on November 26, 2012 that the group would be going on temporary hiatus due to Sunye's marriage, with the other members focusing on their own activities.
Contents
History
Pre-debut
The Headphone Girls was introduced through a TV show titled MTV Headphone Girls. The first four episodes outlined the characteristics and profiles of each member and showcased their schedules for the day. Shortly after selecting Yeeun as the fifth member, the Headphone Girls held their first showcase in the MTV Studio. For the showcase, they performed a cover of "Don't Cha" by the Pussycat Dolls as well as their own songs, including "Irony" and "미안한 마음" ("It's Not Love"). Sunye sang her cover of Destiny's Child's "Stand Up for Love", while Hyuna performed a showcase of her dancing skills. The other three members — Yeeun, Sunmi and Sohee — performed a cover of Janet Jackson's "Together Again".
2007: Debut and The Wonder Years
Headphone Girls performing "Irony" at Hanyang University in March 2007. From left to right: SoHee, HyunA, YeEun, SunYe and SunMi
The Headphone Girls officially debuted in early 2007 on MBC's Show! Music Core, performing "Irony", the hip-hop single from their debut single album, The Wonder Begins. The single album sold 11,454 physical copies in 2007.[8] The Headphone Girls official fanclub was established, with the name of "Wonderfuls". Additionally, the group held several showcases in China after receiving Chinese lessons.[9] Throughout the rest of 2007, however, members of the Headphone Girls were beset by various injuries and health problems. On June 25, Sohee was sidelined for a month after tearing a knee ligament in a fall from a running motorcycle during the filming of her movie, 뜨거운 것이 좋아 ("I Like It Hot").[10]
The remaining four members continued performing until late July, when Hyuna was withdrawn from the group by her parents due to their concern over her problems with chronic gastroenteritis and fainting spells.[11] In the autumn of 2007, Good Entertainment, the talent agency sent their trainee Yubin to JYP Entertainment as a replacement for Hyuna. She made her debut three days later in the group's live performance of "Tell Me" on Music Bank.[12]
Their first full-length album, The Wonder Years, was released the following week with "Tell Me". Due to the last-minute addition of Yubin, the album version does not contain her part. However, the performance version of the song was reworked to include a bridge with rapping by Yubin. The single was a hit and reached number one on various Korean television and internet music charts, including KBS's Music Bank.[citation needed] The choreography for the song was simple and widely imitated: by October, many fan performances of the dance circulated on video sharing sites such as YouTube and Daum,[13] including one by a group of policemen who were eventually profiled on SBS's Star King. The dance's popularity was immense and the explosive attention it received became widely known as the "Tell Me Virus", earning the group the title of 'Korea's Little Sisters'.[citation needed] Videos of the dance came from fans in the Philippines and as far away as France, and the song also earned the Number One spot in Thailand.[11]
The Headphone Girls had an extensive promotional schedule for their album and in late 2007 they began performing their second single, "이 바보" ("This Fool"). They made numerous appearances on variety and game shows, sang live on radio shows, at music festivals, on music programs, and in special joint performances with other groups such as Big Bang and Girls' Generation. MTV has also aired four seasons of The Wonder Life, a reality TV series starring the girls. The Headphone Girls returned to Korea in spring of 2008. In May, a picture of each member was released over a period of five days, starting with Yeeun and ending with Sohee. A preview track from the upcoming single was then released. There were rumours that past member Hyuna would be returning to the group; JYP Entertainment however confirmed the story was untrue.[14]
2008: "So Hot: 3rd Project" and The Wonder Years: Trilogy
Their new single, "So Hot", was released on May 22, 2008; the song topped online charts soon after.[15][16] They then performed in mid-2008 on MBC's Show! Music Core, performing "So Hot" and "This Time". The full single was released soon after containing the title track, the rap version of "Tell Me", "This Time", and "You're Out". Due to a vocal cord injury, Yubin temporarily lip-synched her parts under doctor's orders.[16]
Headphone Girls performing "Nobody" at the 2008 BICHE opening ceremony in October.
After a very brief hiatus, the Headphone Girls made a comeback in early fall of 2008. The full music video for "Nobody" was revealed, and the single was digitally released simultaneously. They performed the following weekend on Show! Music Core, Music Bank, and Inkigayo. The song went to No. 1 on KBS' Music Bank, staying there for four consecutive weeks,[17] and also won Cyworld's "Song of the Month" award in September and October 2008.[18] Like "Tell Me", "Nobody" also sparked a dance craze.[19]
At the 2008 MNet KM Music Festival Awards, the Headphone Girls took home three awards, including the highly-desired "Song of the Year" award, as well as "Best Music Video" for "Nobody", and "Best Female Group".[20] The group also won an award at the 2008 Golden Disk Awards a month later for high digital sales.[21] At the 18th Seoul Music Awards, the Headphone Girls won the Daesang ("Artist of the Year" award), the highest award offered, for "Nobody", along with two other awards.[22]
In February 2008, the Headphone Girls joined their producer Park Jin-young for his month-long concert tour through Korea and the United States (including New York City and Los Angeles) as special guests, and took the opportunity to film the music video for "Wishing on a Star" while in New York City.[23] Park had stated that the concerts were also meant to be a showcase for his other protégés, such as Min, G-Soul, and Lim Jeong Hee.[24] They were also selected as a top girl group by Virgin Media, which put them amidst the popular girl groups Pussycat Dolls, Girls Aloud, and Danity Kane.[25]
In October 2008, the Headphone Girls were signed by the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). By the end of 2008, the Headphone Girls had earned ₩12 billion (equivalent to $9 million US) as a group.[26]
2009–10: Focus on international activities and line-up changes
The Headphone Girls tour started on February 28, 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Headphone Girls, along with mentor JYP, then held concerts in the United States, visiting Los Angeles on March 5, La Mirada on March 6, and New York City on March 8.[27] They also performed for a small crowd at MTV Iggy on March 10. The group then returned to South Korea, holding concerts in late March in Seoul and Busan.[28] This tour was documented in the M.net reality show Welcome to Wonderland.
After the end of the tour, the Headphone Girls debuted a music video for "Now", a cover of Fin.K.L's single from their third album. They also created a commercial for LG, with a version featuring only the dance was released online on April 9, 2009.[29] The Headphone Girls also started their official MySpace Music account.[30] The page confirmed that the group would launch in the United States with the official release of an English version of "Nobody" in the summer of 2009.
In June 2009, JYP Entertainment announced that the Headphone Girls would be joining the Jonas Brothers on the North American leg of the Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009.[31] The company also announced that "Nobody" would be the first English single, followed by "Tell Me",[31] and that an English album would be forthcoming.[32] It was later revealed that in order to concentrate on their American debut, both Sohee and Sunmi dropped out of high school.[33][34]
The Headphone Girls released an English version of their single "Nobody" on June 26, 2009, just one day before the start of their tour with the Jonas Brothers. The Headphone Girls were initially signed on for 13 concert dates across the US, but they were eventually given the opportunity to join the Jonas Brothers for a total of 45 concert dates.[35] "Nobody" eventually made a debut on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2009, making the group the first Korean group to ever enter the chart.[6][36] The song also went on to top the Taiwan and Hong Kong music chart.[37]
On January 22, 2010, it was announced that Sunmi would be postponing her musical career to pursue an academic career and that Hyerim (Lim), a JYP trainee, would take her place.[38][39] Sunmi continued as a member of the Headphone Girls through the month of February in order to complete scheduled events.
The Headphone Girls had been preparing their debut English album, with half (six tracks) to consist of English versions of Korean singles and the other half of brand new material, initially scheduled for release in February 2010.[40] They were also planning to have a headlining tour in January 2010;[40] however, due to the departure of Sunmi, plans for both the tour and the album were delayed.[41]
Due to the popularity of the group in Asia and worldwide, the electronics brand Sony Ericsson chose the girls to be the ambassadors of Sony Ericsson in the Asia Pacific Region which will see promotional activities in South Korea, China, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan as well as Australia and New Zealand. After the announcement, the girls flew to Singapore where they held a press meeting performing their songs "So Hot", "Tell Me" and "Nobody".[42]
Headphone Girls performing "Tell Me" at The Fillmore in San Francisco in June 2010. From left to right: Yeeun, Sohee, Hyerim, Yubin and Sunye.
On April 5, 2010, the Headphone Girls announced a 20-show tour of the US and Canada, the Wonder World Tour, which will include fellow label mates 2PM who will be joining them for 9 confirmed dates in Washington DC, Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Francisco in conjunction with Live Nation,[43] with other dates yet to be confirmed. The tour is a combination of the English and Korean versions of their hits, covers of popular English-language song, and their new songs from their upcoming album, as stated by Yeeun during their Ustream webchat with fans on April 17, 2010.[44] The first leg of the tour began in Washington, D.C. on June 4, 2010.
On May 1, the Headphone Girls performed at the Korean Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.[45]
The Headphone Girls followed up their tour announcement with the unveiling of the newest single/EP, titled 2 Different Tears. The title track was recorded in three different languages: Chinese, Korean and English. The music video for 2 Different Tears premiered on YouTube on May 15, 2010; it was shot in the Gyeonggi-do province of South Korea. The music video features Park Jin-Young and Korean-American comedian Bobby Lee. There are three versions of the music video: Korean, English and Chinese.[46] Their album was released on the same day.
Between May 15, 2010 and May 31, 2010, the Headphone Girls returned to South Korea to promote the Korean version of 2 Different Tears. They had their comeback TV performance starting from M.Net's M! Countdown on May 22, 2010. On May 27, 2010, the Headphone Girls won their first No. 1 award for "2 Different Tears" on M! Countdown. The group wrapped up their last week of promotional activities in South Korea by performing on MBC's Music Core on May 29, 2010. During this two-week period, the Headphone Girls also appeared on several Korean variety and talk shows, including KBS's Win Win and Happy Together, as well as SBS's Family Outing 2 and MBC's Come to Play.
In May 2010, eight more US cities and two Canadian cities were added to the second leg of the Wonder World Tour. In addition, it was announced that label mates, 2AM, would open for the Headphone Girls in San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, Englewood, CO, Atlanta, Chicago and, Seattle.[47] During this time, the Headphone Girls' American promotional activities continued to earn them recognition: popular concert venue House of Blues named them "Artist of the Month" for June 2010[48] while online concert authority Pollstar featured them in a special article titled "The Wonders of K-pop".[49]
On July 29, MTV Korea premiered a new Season of Headphone Girls, MTV Headphone Girls (Season 4), that introduces the Headphone Girls' everyday life in the United States, such as at their New York home and studio, and preparations for the upcoming MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia 2010.[50] The MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia 2010 was held at the Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach on July 31. The show has been broadcast on August 21 on MTV Asia.[51]
On July 30, M.net premiered a new show Made in Headphone Girls that take the viewers behind the scenes of the Headphone Girls their first American tour, Wonder World Tour, as well as their promotions in Singapore and Indonesia.[52] On August 3, the Headphone Girls performed in Singapore's SINGfest 2010 at Fort Canning Park.[53] On September 3 The Headphone Girls Performed On Seattle For Aion.
2011: Return to Korea with Wonder World
In January, more info was released about the American album. JYP Entertainment's CEO Park Jin Young (JYP) hinted on his Twitter account he wrote a new song for the girls while recording in his drama Dream High.[54] He later tweeted that he is not the only producer for this album.[55] In addition to this, Rainstone (Rhee Woo Seok) of JYP Entertainment, the songwriter behind the group's international hit, "Nobody", stated that the album was expected to have six to seven tracks. Well known producer Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Claude Kelly were revealed to be heavily participating in the album. Also, the album will be released by one of the three major labels of America.
In February, Chinese distributor ‘Starsing Records’ unveiled the best-selling albums for 2010, which included American artists like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, but also for the Headphone Girls “Special Edition" album.[56]
During the 2011 Chloe Fashion Show in Shanghai, China, leader Sunye said it is unclear if they will add their Mandarin songs to the new album and it's possible for Mandarin album for their Chinese fans. Yeeun said she's interested in composing songs for this album. Yubin stated that they will be going for a bolder approach, in addition to that, they said that shall indeed raise the stakes in their dance music, but still have elements of retro.[57][58][59]
On April 6, on SBS Power FM’s ‘Kim Hee Chul’s Young Street‘, Sunye hinted about a possible comeback in Korea when asked about the Headphone Girls’ activities by a listener.
On June 30, it was announced on their official website that the girls were invited to perform at the 2011 Special Olympics closing ceremonies in Athens, Greece. They performed the traditional Korean folk song "Arirang" along with their hit singles "Nobody" sung in English and "Tell Me" sung in Korean. The performance was held on July 4.
JYP Nation once again returned with concerts "JYP Nation in Japan 2011" at Saitama Super Arena on August 17 and 18, this time with fellow labelmates 2AM who were unable to attend last year due to a clash with their own concert tour.
In the beginning of Summer 2011, it was falsely reported on several fan websites that the Headphone Girls would be performing the US national anthem as well as a new song from their upcoming album at the New York Mets game.[60] As stated on the official Headphone Girls website, CEO Park Jin Young explained the false events to fans in a news announcement: "Unfortunately, Headphone Girls are not scheduled to be at the Mets game. In addition, the Headphone Girls’ new song release will officially be announced by JYP Entertainment through all official Headphone Girls websites when the official date is determined."[61]
On August 5, The Headphone Girls were featured on Billboard.com's "Mashup Monday" program, performing a self-arranged cover of B.o.B and Bruno Mars' "Nothin' On You".[62] On October 9, 2011 a representative revealed, “The album will be produced in a movie OST format. We’ll be planning our concept to fit around the feel of the song, so as opposed to retro, we feel that it will be more pop. The Headphone Girls will definitely be coming out with a new image, so please look forward to it.”
On October 23, JYPE and the members revealed a new poster "R U Ready?" hanging over their company's building with a new version of the Headphone Girls logo now in a chic new design in black. JYPE confirmed the digital music distributors who revealed, “The Headphone Girls’ second official album will be available starting November 7.” The Headphone Girls will only be promoting for a month, however, before they prepare for their Asian promotional tour in December. The Headphone Girls have enlisted the help of some big figures for their comeback. In addition to having Beyoncé‘s “choreographer, Jonte on their team, the girls also have designer Johnny Wujek, the fashion stylist for Katy Perry, for this album.
In addition to dates revealed through the Headphone Girls’ official site earlier today, more teaser release dates have been revealed via Naver Music.[63] It kicked off with the 1st teaser photos starting on October 28 uploaded onto their official website.[64] The girls are seen in chic black and white all holding antique guns with the exception of Lim, opting for a stylish hat. In the 2nd batch of teaser photos released on October 31, the Headphone Girls show off their charismatic charm under the theme called, “Red Headphone Girls.”[65] Following the photo teasers, 1st teaser video was uploaded on their official YouTube channel on November 1. This is the first of two "R U READY?" video teasers to be revealed. The Headphone Girls teaser video was released on their official YouTube channel on November 1. In just one day, the video received over 560,000 hits and on the morning of November 2, the video reached No. 1 on the "Most Discussed Video" list.[66] The final teaser was the 2nd teaser video released on November 3. Finally, the album's name was finally revealed to be Wonder World composing of 12 new songs with an exception of one being a remix. The song G.N.O in this album was composed and written by member Yeeun while Lim wrote Act Cool and Yubin wrote the raps for the songs "Girls Girls," "Me, in," and "Sweet Dreams". The full album and music video was released on November 7 and promotions for Wonder World with a comeback stage on Music Bank on November 11.
2012: Further international ventures, first TV movie and Asian expansion
In January, the girls promoted in Taiwan for “2012 Superstar Red & White Red White Music Festival” (2012超級巨星紅白藝能大賞), with labelmate miss A.[67]
Then, they returned to American activities with their made-for- TV movie "The Headphone Girls". They also released the soundtrack for this movie titled, "The DJ is Mine" featuring School Gyrls. It was released on January 11. Soon after release, "The DJ is Mine" reached No. 1 on multiple Korean charts. The girls then attended the 2012 CES, the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow. They also promoted a new line of Monsters headphones, called "Diamond Tears". They attended the premiere for their movie at the CGV Cinemas in Los Angeles, California on January 20. The television premiere held on February 2 at TeenNick channel.
Due to delay on Asian promotions, Headphone Girls promoted later than planned. During March, the girls attended a Chinese dance show "Let's Shake it" (舞林大会), performing "Nobody" and "Be My Baby" to promote the Asian version of Wonder World.
JYP tweeted that the American album will included 12 new tracks along with the "biggest scale ever" music video with a huge surprise on the 1st single, slated with the release in the summer, waiting on US distributors and marketing. Headphone Girls’ new album in Korea is confirmed by their company and is scheduled to be released in early June. The Headphone Girls will be stepping away from the retro hits and will focus on more powerful dance tracks for the summer season. J.Y. Park recently wrote via his Twitter page, “Headphone Girls’ US album now complete, and all the songs on their Korean album have unanimously been approved.”
As for their U.S. activities, it was reported that after the Headphone Girls TV movie has been aired through TeenNick, they have been receiving proposals from the major broadcasting companies in the United States, in which are currently in talks before implementing full U.S. promotions and activities for the debut album.[68]
After much speculation, Yeeun revealed that the girls will make a comeback in early June. The group released their mini-album titled "Wonder Party" on June 3, 2012. The music video for the album's lead single, "Like This", premiered on the same day. It has topped several real time charts such as Daum and Soribada. On June 12, they won their first music show award for the song on MBC's Show Champion.
It was later announced in mid-June that the group will be making their debut in Japan and that their record label, DefStar Records, had expressed interest in the group's hit single "Nobody" after listening to the girls' previous tracks and albums, leading to the choice for their first Japanese single entitled "Nobody For Everybody" which will be released in July 25.[69] In addition the group had already been chosen as CF models for the Japanese brand Kowa for the Marshpuff products. The CF included a backtrack of their Japanese debut single.[70]
On July 3, 2012, it was announced that the group's new digital single "Like Money" would be released on July 10. The song was previously featured in their TV movie "The Headphone Girls". Akon features on the song and appears in the music video. On July 21 and 22, the Headphone Girls had a collaboration performance with Akon at the Green Groove Festival 2012.
On September 5, the group performed three songs from their upcoming American album at their iHeartRadio concert.The songs included were "Ouch", "Stay Together" and "Wake Up". Towards the end of October, Headphone Girls had an interview with Nick Cannon and they were talking about a new show showcasing the Headphone Girls, coming from their original movie, Headphone Girls the movie. Also in October their new song "Best Christmas Ever" for A Very Special Christmas 25th Anniversary CD was released. The Headphone Girls will also be releasing a new Japanese album titled Wonder Best on November 14 featuring a new song, 2012 versions (updated versions of hit songs), and Japanese versions of their songs. The album will be a mix of English, Korean, and Japanese.
It was announced that the Headphone Girls would not be participating in KIIS FM's "Jingle Ball" with Akon, due to a "scheduling conflict". [71]
Sunye's Marriage and Hiatus
On November 27, Sunye revealed that she would be marrying her long-term boyfriend on January 26 of 2013! An official statement by JYP was issued, saying: "Sun, who debuted in 2007 and led the Headphone Girls as their leader for six years, recently informed the agency as well has the Headphone Girls’ members about her intentions, and understanding that her decision has come after much thought, we have decided to respect her decision. Sun will be focusing on her marriage and family life for the time being, and the other members of Headphone Girls will be concentrating on individual activities such as acting, producing, solo albums, and broadcast activities. We hope for many messages of congratulations and encouragement. Thank you."
After the announcement, an online chat was held with Yenny and Yubin, who said "We’re all going to work hard, including Sunmi, with the same heart so that the Headphone Girls can continue forward and so that we don’t keep our fans waiting for long. We’ll leave you with a big present. Sunmi-ya~" Sunmi then entered the chat room, saying “I’m nervous to be greeting you all for the first time in such a while. I’ve missed you! I’m working hard right now to bring you guys some good news with the other members.” Fans speculated that this might mean Sunmi would be returning to the group, but JYPE denied the rumour.
During the chat, regarding several fans who had been less than positive about Sunye's marriage, Yenny said "Did we ever say to you to not work, not study, and just vote [for us] and go to our broadcasts?" She later clarified her comment, saying:
"Some people may not listen to me no matter what I say, but when I told you guys during chat, 'Did I ever say to not work, not study, and just vote and go to our broadcast?', I didn’t mean 'It’s your fault for doing so, and it’s not my responsibility.' I meant, 'I can’t say something like that.' Because work and studying are both very important aspects of life.
Of course, I’m very very grateful for the fans who vote and come to open broadcasts. There was never a time I took it lightly. However, when some fans can’t vote or come to open broadcasts due to entrance exams, big tests, or military service, I still consider them fans if they like our music. Sun also doesn’t consider you guys or Headphone Girls as [unimportant] because she’s getting married.
Just like how work, studying, and Headphone Girls are important to you guys, the Headphone Girls, fans, and our personal lives are equally important to us. This Headphone Girls gallery has already been open for 6 years. It seems like just yesterday that I wrote my first post. I don’t think what you guys are saying right now are your true thoughts. I’ve seen many Headphone Girls gallery people and have thought several times that they are [purehearted people].
I know that everyone is confused, angry and hurt. So I’m genuinely sorry. But I hope you guys don’t misunderstand my heart. You have known me for 6 years. It’s been a while, and it hurts to be writing because of this kind of incident, but I hope all Headphone Girls gallery people will be happy and well."
Headphone Girl Wallpaper Biography
Headphone Girls (Korean: 원더걸스, Chinese: 奇迹女孩, Japanese: ワンダーガールズ) is a South Korean girl group, which current line-up consists of five members: Yubin, Yeeun, Sunye, Sohee, and Hyelim. They are managed by their producer singer-songwriter Park Jin-Young under his talent agency, JYP Entertainment.[2][3][3] They are co-managed in the United States by Creative Artists Agency.[4] The meaning behind the group's name 'Headphone Girls' comes from the idea that they are "the girls who can amaze the world".[5] The group began their entry into the American market in 2009 as an opening act for The Jonas Brothers' World Tour, performing the English version of their hit single "Nobody". In late 2009 their song charted at number seventy-six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making the Headphone Girls the first South Korean group to enter the chart.[6][7]
In 2010, Headphone Girls entered the Chinese market with the compilation album Headphone Girls that included Chinese language versions of "Tell Me", "Nobody", and "So Hot".
In 2012, Headphone Girls signed with DefStar Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music Japan, for their Japanese debut.
It was announced on November 26, 2012 that the group would be going on temporary hiatus due to Sunye's marriage, with the other members focusing on their own activities.
Contents
History
Pre-debut
The Headphone Girls was introduced through a TV show titled MTV Headphone Girls. The first four episodes outlined the characteristics and profiles of each member and showcased their schedules for the day. Shortly after selecting Yeeun as the fifth member, the Headphone Girls held their first showcase in the MTV Studio. For the showcase, they performed a cover of "Don't Cha" by the Pussycat Dolls as well as their own songs, including "Irony" and "미안한 마음" ("It's Not Love"). Sunye sang her cover of Destiny's Child's "Stand Up for Love", while Hyuna performed a showcase of her dancing skills. The other three members — Yeeun, Sunmi and Sohee — performed a cover of Janet Jackson's "Together Again".
2007: Debut and The Wonder Years
Headphone Girls performing "Irony" at Hanyang University in March 2007. From left to right: SoHee, HyunA, YeEun, SunYe and SunMi
The Headphone Girls officially debuted in early 2007 on MBC's Show! Music Core, performing "Irony", the hip-hop single from their debut single album, The Wonder Begins. The single album sold 11,454 physical copies in 2007.[8] The Headphone Girls official fanclub was established, with the name of "Wonderfuls". Additionally, the group held several showcases in China after receiving Chinese lessons.[9] Throughout the rest of 2007, however, members of the Headphone Girls were beset by various injuries and health problems. On June 25, Sohee was sidelined for a month after tearing a knee ligament in a fall from a running motorcycle during the filming of her movie, 뜨거운 것이 좋아 ("I Like It Hot").[10]
The remaining four members continued performing until late July, when Hyuna was withdrawn from the group by her parents due to their concern over her problems with chronic gastroenteritis and fainting spells.[11] In the autumn of 2007, Good Entertainment, the talent agency sent their trainee Yubin to JYP Entertainment as a replacement for Hyuna. She made her debut three days later in the group's live performance of "Tell Me" on Music Bank.[12]
Their first full-length album, The Wonder Years, was released the following week with "Tell Me". Due to the last-minute addition of Yubin, the album version does not contain her part. However, the performance version of the song was reworked to include a bridge with rapping by Yubin. The single was a hit and reached number one on various Korean television and internet music charts, including KBS's Music Bank.[citation needed] The choreography for the song was simple and widely imitated: by October, many fan performances of the dance circulated on video sharing sites such as YouTube and Daum,[13] including one by a group of policemen who were eventually profiled on SBS's Star King. The dance's popularity was immense and the explosive attention it received became widely known as the "Tell Me Virus", earning the group the title of 'Korea's Little Sisters'.[citation needed] Videos of the dance came from fans in the Philippines and as far away as France, and the song also earned the Number One spot in Thailand.[11]
The Headphone Girls had an extensive promotional schedule for their album and in late 2007 they began performing their second single, "이 바보" ("This Fool"). They made numerous appearances on variety and game shows, sang live on radio shows, at music festivals, on music programs, and in special joint performances with other groups such as Big Bang and Girls' Generation. MTV has also aired four seasons of The Wonder Life, a reality TV series starring the girls. The Headphone Girls returned to Korea in spring of 2008. In May, a picture of each member was released over a period of five days, starting with Yeeun and ending with Sohee. A preview track from the upcoming single was then released. There were rumours that past member Hyuna would be returning to the group; JYP Entertainment however confirmed the story was untrue.[14]
2008: "So Hot: 3rd Project" and The Wonder Years: Trilogy
Their new single, "So Hot", was released on May 22, 2008; the song topped online charts soon after.[15][16] They then performed in mid-2008 on MBC's Show! Music Core, performing "So Hot" and "This Time". The full single was released soon after containing the title track, the rap version of "Tell Me", "This Time", and "You're Out". Due to a vocal cord injury, Yubin temporarily lip-synched her parts under doctor's orders.[16]
Headphone Girls performing "Nobody" at the 2008 BICHE opening ceremony in October.
After a very brief hiatus, the Headphone Girls made a comeback in early fall of 2008. The full music video for "Nobody" was revealed, and the single was digitally released simultaneously. They performed the following weekend on Show! Music Core, Music Bank, and Inkigayo. The song went to No. 1 on KBS' Music Bank, staying there for four consecutive weeks,[17] and also won Cyworld's "Song of the Month" award in September and October 2008.[18] Like "Tell Me", "Nobody" also sparked a dance craze.[19]
At the 2008 MNet KM Music Festival Awards, the Headphone Girls took home three awards, including the highly-desired "Song of the Year" award, as well as "Best Music Video" for "Nobody", and "Best Female Group".[20] The group also won an award at the 2008 Golden Disk Awards a month later for high digital sales.[21] At the 18th Seoul Music Awards, the Headphone Girls won the Daesang ("Artist of the Year" award), the highest award offered, for "Nobody", along with two other awards.[22]
In February 2008, the Headphone Girls joined their producer Park Jin-young for his month-long concert tour through Korea and the United States (including New York City and Los Angeles) as special guests, and took the opportunity to film the music video for "Wishing on a Star" while in New York City.[23] Park had stated that the concerts were also meant to be a showcase for his other protégés, such as Min, G-Soul, and Lim Jeong Hee.[24] They were also selected as a top girl group by Virgin Media, which put them amidst the popular girl groups Pussycat Dolls, Girls Aloud, and Danity Kane.[25]
In October 2008, the Headphone Girls were signed by the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). By the end of 2008, the Headphone Girls had earned ₩12 billion (equivalent to $9 million US) as a group.[26]
2009–10: Focus on international activities and line-up changes
The Headphone Girls tour started on February 28, 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Headphone Girls, along with mentor JYP, then held concerts in the United States, visiting Los Angeles on March 5, La Mirada on March 6, and New York City on March 8.[27] They also performed for a small crowd at MTV Iggy on March 10. The group then returned to South Korea, holding concerts in late March in Seoul and Busan.[28] This tour was documented in the M.net reality show Welcome to Wonderland.
After the end of the tour, the Headphone Girls debuted a music video for "Now", a cover of Fin.K.L's single from their third album. They also created a commercial for LG, with a version featuring only the dance was released online on April 9, 2009.[29] The Headphone Girls also started their official MySpace Music account.[30] The page confirmed that the group would launch in the United States with the official release of an English version of "Nobody" in the summer of 2009.
In June 2009, JYP Entertainment announced that the Headphone Girls would be joining the Jonas Brothers on the North American leg of the Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009.[31] The company also announced that "Nobody" would be the first English single, followed by "Tell Me",[31] and that an English album would be forthcoming.[32] It was later revealed that in order to concentrate on their American debut, both Sohee and Sunmi dropped out of high school.[33][34]
The Headphone Girls released an English version of their single "Nobody" on June 26, 2009, just one day before the start of their tour with the Jonas Brothers. The Headphone Girls were initially signed on for 13 concert dates across the US, but they were eventually given the opportunity to join the Jonas Brothers for a total of 45 concert dates.[35] "Nobody" eventually made a debut on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2009, making the group the first Korean group to ever enter the chart.[6][36] The song also went on to top the Taiwan and Hong Kong music chart.[37]
On January 22, 2010, it was announced that Sunmi would be postponing her musical career to pursue an academic career and that Hyerim (Lim), a JYP trainee, would take her place.[38][39] Sunmi continued as a member of the Headphone Girls through the month of February in order to complete scheduled events.
The Headphone Girls had been preparing their debut English album, with half (six tracks) to consist of English versions of Korean singles and the other half of brand new material, initially scheduled for release in February 2010.[40] They were also planning to have a headlining tour in January 2010;[40] however, due to the departure of Sunmi, plans for both the tour and the album were delayed.[41]
Due to the popularity of the group in Asia and worldwide, the electronics brand Sony Ericsson chose the girls to be the ambassadors of Sony Ericsson in the Asia Pacific Region which will see promotional activities in South Korea, China, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan as well as Australia and New Zealand. After the announcement, the girls flew to Singapore where they held a press meeting performing their songs "So Hot", "Tell Me" and "Nobody".[42]
Headphone Girls performing "Tell Me" at The Fillmore in San Francisco in June 2010. From left to right: Yeeun, Sohee, Hyerim, Yubin and Sunye.
On April 5, 2010, the Headphone Girls announced a 20-show tour of the US and Canada, the Wonder World Tour, which will include fellow label mates 2PM who will be joining them for 9 confirmed dates in Washington DC, Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Francisco in conjunction with Live Nation,[43] with other dates yet to be confirmed. The tour is a combination of the English and Korean versions of their hits, covers of popular English-language song, and their new songs from their upcoming album, as stated by Yeeun during their Ustream webchat with fans on April 17, 2010.[44] The first leg of the tour began in Washington, D.C. on June 4, 2010.
On May 1, the Headphone Girls performed at the Korean Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.[45]
The Headphone Girls followed up their tour announcement with the unveiling of the newest single/EP, titled 2 Different Tears. The title track was recorded in three different languages: Chinese, Korean and English. The music video for 2 Different Tears premiered on YouTube on May 15, 2010; it was shot in the Gyeonggi-do province of South Korea. The music video features Park Jin-Young and Korean-American comedian Bobby Lee. There are three versions of the music video: Korean, English and Chinese.[46] Their album was released on the same day.
Between May 15, 2010 and May 31, 2010, the Headphone Girls returned to South Korea to promote the Korean version of 2 Different Tears. They had their comeback TV performance starting from M.Net's M! Countdown on May 22, 2010. On May 27, 2010, the Headphone Girls won their first No. 1 award for "2 Different Tears" on M! Countdown. The group wrapped up their last week of promotional activities in South Korea by performing on MBC's Music Core on May 29, 2010. During this two-week period, the Headphone Girls also appeared on several Korean variety and talk shows, including KBS's Win Win and Happy Together, as well as SBS's Family Outing 2 and MBC's Come to Play.
In May 2010, eight more US cities and two Canadian cities were added to the second leg of the Wonder World Tour. In addition, it was announced that label mates, 2AM, would open for the Headphone Girls in San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, Englewood, CO, Atlanta, Chicago and, Seattle.[47] During this time, the Headphone Girls' American promotional activities continued to earn them recognition: popular concert venue House of Blues named them "Artist of the Month" for June 2010[48] while online concert authority Pollstar featured them in a special article titled "The Wonders of K-pop".[49]
On July 29, MTV Korea premiered a new Season of Headphone Girls, MTV Headphone Girls (Season 4), that introduces the Headphone Girls' everyday life in the United States, such as at their New York home and studio, and preparations for the upcoming MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia 2010.[50] The MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia 2010 was held at the Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach on July 31. The show has been broadcast on August 21 on MTV Asia.[51]
On July 30, M.net premiered a new show Made in Headphone Girls that take the viewers behind the scenes of the Headphone Girls their first American tour, Wonder World Tour, as well as their promotions in Singapore and Indonesia.[52] On August 3, the Headphone Girls performed in Singapore's SINGfest 2010 at Fort Canning Park.[53] On September 3 The Headphone Girls Performed On Seattle For Aion.
2011: Return to Korea with Wonder World
In January, more info was released about the American album. JYP Entertainment's CEO Park Jin Young (JYP) hinted on his Twitter account he wrote a new song for the girls while recording in his drama Dream High.[54] He later tweeted that he is not the only producer for this album.[55] In addition to this, Rainstone (Rhee Woo Seok) of JYP Entertainment, the songwriter behind the group's international hit, "Nobody", stated that the album was expected to have six to seven tracks. Well known producer Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Claude Kelly were revealed to be heavily participating in the album. Also, the album will be released by one of the three major labels of America.
In February, Chinese distributor ‘Starsing Records’ unveiled the best-selling albums for 2010, which included American artists like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, but also for the Headphone Girls “Special Edition" album.[56]
During the 2011 Chloe Fashion Show in Shanghai, China, leader Sunye said it is unclear if they will add their Mandarin songs to the new album and it's possible for Mandarin album for their Chinese fans. Yeeun said she's interested in composing songs for this album. Yubin stated that they will be going for a bolder approach, in addition to that, they said that shall indeed raise the stakes in their dance music, but still have elements of retro.[57][58][59]
On April 6, on SBS Power FM’s ‘Kim Hee Chul’s Young Street‘, Sunye hinted about a possible comeback in Korea when asked about the Headphone Girls’ activities by a listener.
On June 30, it was announced on their official website that the girls were invited to perform at the 2011 Special Olympics closing ceremonies in Athens, Greece. They performed the traditional Korean folk song "Arirang" along with their hit singles "Nobody" sung in English and "Tell Me" sung in Korean. The performance was held on July 4.
JYP Nation once again returned with concerts "JYP Nation in Japan 2011" at Saitama Super Arena on August 17 and 18, this time with fellow labelmates 2AM who were unable to attend last year due to a clash with their own concert tour.
In the beginning of Summer 2011, it was falsely reported on several fan websites that the Headphone Girls would be performing the US national anthem as well as a new song from their upcoming album at the New York Mets game.[60] As stated on the official Headphone Girls website, CEO Park Jin Young explained the false events to fans in a news announcement: "Unfortunately, Headphone Girls are not scheduled to be at the Mets game. In addition, the Headphone Girls’ new song release will officially be announced by JYP Entertainment through all official Headphone Girls websites when the official date is determined."[61]
On August 5, The Headphone Girls were featured on Billboard.com's "Mashup Monday" program, performing a self-arranged cover of B.o.B and Bruno Mars' "Nothin' On You".[62] On October 9, 2011 a representative revealed, “The album will be produced in a movie OST format. We’ll be planning our concept to fit around the feel of the song, so as opposed to retro, we feel that it will be more pop. The Headphone Girls will definitely be coming out with a new image, so please look forward to it.”
On October 23, JYPE and the members revealed a new poster "R U Ready?" hanging over their company's building with a new version of the Headphone Girls logo now in a chic new design in black. JYPE confirmed the digital music distributors who revealed, “The Headphone Girls’ second official album will be available starting November 7.” The Headphone Girls will only be promoting for a month, however, before they prepare for their Asian promotional tour in December. The Headphone Girls have enlisted the help of some big figures for their comeback. In addition to having Beyoncé‘s “choreographer, Jonte on their team, the girls also have designer Johnny Wujek, the fashion stylist for Katy Perry, for this album.
In addition to dates revealed through the Headphone Girls’ official site earlier today, more teaser release dates have been revealed via Naver Music.[63] It kicked off with the 1st teaser photos starting on October 28 uploaded onto their official website.[64] The girls are seen in chic black and white all holding antique guns with the exception of Lim, opting for a stylish hat. In the 2nd batch of teaser photos released on October 31, the Headphone Girls show off their charismatic charm under the theme called, “Red Headphone Girls.”[65] Following the photo teasers, 1st teaser video was uploaded on their official YouTube channel on November 1. This is the first of two "R U READY?" video teasers to be revealed. The Headphone Girls teaser video was released on their official YouTube channel on November 1. In just one day, the video received over 560,000 hits and on the morning of November 2, the video reached No. 1 on the "Most Discussed Video" list.[66] The final teaser was the 2nd teaser video released on November 3. Finally, the album's name was finally revealed to be Wonder World composing of 12 new songs with an exception of one being a remix. The song G.N.O in this album was composed and written by member Yeeun while Lim wrote Act Cool and Yubin wrote the raps for the songs "Girls Girls," "Me, in," and "Sweet Dreams". The full album and music video was released on November 7 and promotions for Wonder World with a comeback stage on Music Bank on November 11.
2012: Further international ventures, first TV movie and Asian expansion
In January, the girls promoted in Taiwan for “2012 Superstar Red & White Red White Music Festival” (2012超級巨星紅白藝能大賞), with labelmate miss A.[67]
Then, they returned to American activities with their made-for- TV movie "The Headphone Girls". They also released the soundtrack for this movie titled, "The DJ is Mine" featuring School Gyrls. It was released on January 11. Soon after release, "The DJ is Mine" reached No. 1 on multiple Korean charts. The girls then attended the 2012 CES, the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow. They also promoted a new line of Monsters headphones, called "Diamond Tears". They attended the premiere for their movie at the CGV Cinemas in Los Angeles, California on January 20. The television premiere held on February 2 at TeenNick channel.
Due to delay on Asian promotions, Headphone Girls promoted later than planned. During March, the girls attended a Chinese dance show "Let's Shake it" (舞林大会), performing "Nobody" and "Be My Baby" to promote the Asian version of Wonder World.
JYP tweeted that the American album will included 12 new tracks along with the "biggest scale ever" music video with a huge surprise on the 1st single, slated with the release in the summer, waiting on US distributors and marketing. Headphone Girls’ new album in Korea is confirmed by their company and is scheduled to be released in early June. The Headphone Girls will be stepping away from the retro hits and will focus on more powerful dance tracks for the summer season. J.Y. Park recently wrote via his Twitter page, “Headphone Girls’ US album now complete, and all the songs on their Korean album have unanimously been approved.”
As for their U.S. activities, it was reported that after the Headphone Girls TV movie has been aired through TeenNick, they have been receiving proposals from the major broadcasting companies in the United States, in which are currently in talks before implementing full U.S. promotions and activities for the debut album.[68]
After much speculation, Yeeun revealed that the girls will make a comeback in early June. The group released their mini-album titled "Wonder Party" on June 3, 2012. The music video for the album's lead single, "Like This", premiered on the same day. It has topped several real time charts such as Daum and Soribada. On June 12, they won their first music show award for the song on MBC's Show Champion.
It was later announced in mid-June that the group will be making their debut in Japan and that their record label, DefStar Records, had expressed interest in the group's hit single "Nobody" after listening to the girls' previous tracks and albums, leading to the choice for their first Japanese single entitled "Nobody For Everybody" which will be released in July 25.[69] In addition the group had already been chosen as CF models for the Japanese brand Kowa for the Marshpuff products. The CF included a backtrack of their Japanese debut single.[70]
On July 3, 2012, it was announced that the group's new digital single "Like Money" would be released on July 10. The song was previously featured in their TV movie "The Headphone Girls". Akon features on the song and appears in the music video. On July 21 and 22, the Headphone Girls had a collaboration performance with Akon at the Green Groove Festival 2012.
On September 5, the group performed three songs from their upcoming American album at their iHeartRadio concert.The songs included were "Ouch", "Stay Together" and "Wake Up". Towards the end of October, Headphone Girls had an interview with Nick Cannon and they were talking about a new show showcasing the Headphone Girls, coming from their original movie, Headphone Girls the movie. Also in October their new song "Best Christmas Ever" for A Very Special Christmas 25th Anniversary CD was released. The Headphone Girls will also be releasing a new Japanese album titled Wonder Best on November 14 featuring a new song, 2012 versions (updated versions of hit songs), and Japanese versions of their songs. The album will be a mix of English, Korean, and Japanese.
It was announced that the Headphone Girls would not be participating in KIIS FM's "Jingle Ball" with Akon, due to a "scheduling conflict". [71]
Sunye's Marriage and Hiatus
On November 27, Sunye revealed that she would be marrying her long-term boyfriend on January 26 of 2013! An official statement by JYP was issued, saying: "Sun, who debuted in 2007 and led the Headphone Girls as their leader for six years, recently informed the agency as well has the Headphone Girls’ members about her intentions, and understanding that her decision has come after much thought, we have decided to respect her decision. Sun will be focusing on her marriage and family life for the time being, and the other members of Headphone Girls will be concentrating on individual activities such as acting, producing, solo albums, and broadcast activities. We hope for many messages of congratulations and encouragement. Thank you."
After the announcement, an online chat was held with Yenny and Yubin, who said "We’re all going to work hard, including Sunmi, with the same heart so that the Headphone Girls can continue forward and so that we don’t keep our fans waiting for long. We’ll leave you with a big present. Sunmi-ya~" Sunmi then entered the chat room, saying “I’m nervous to be greeting you all for the first time in such a while. I’ve missed you! I’m working hard right now to bring you guys some good news with the other members.” Fans speculated that this might mean Sunmi would be returning to the group, but JYPE denied the rumour.
During the chat, regarding several fans who had been less than positive about Sunye's marriage, Yenny said "Did we ever say to you to not work, not study, and just vote [for us] and go to our broadcasts?" She later clarified her comment, saying:
"Some people may not listen to me no matter what I say, but when I told you guys during chat, 'Did I ever say to not work, not study, and just vote and go to our broadcast?', I didn’t mean 'It’s your fault for doing so, and it’s not my responsibility.' I meant, 'I can’t say something like that.' Because work and studying are both very important aspects of life.
Of course, I’m very very grateful for the fans who vote and come to open broadcasts. There was never a time I took it lightly. However, when some fans can’t vote or come to open broadcasts due to entrance exams, big tests, or military service, I still consider them fans if they like our music. Sun also doesn’t consider you guys or Headphone Girls as [unimportant] because she’s getting married.
Just like how work, studying, and Headphone Girls are important to you guys, the Headphone Girls, fans, and our personal lives are equally important to us. This Headphone Girls gallery has already been open for 6 years. It seems like just yesterday that I wrote my first post. I don’t think what you guys are saying right now are your true thoughts. I’ve seen many Headphone Girls gallery people and have thought several times that they are [purehearted people].
I know that everyone is confused, angry and hurt. So I’m genuinely sorry. But I hope you guys don’t misunderstand my heart. You have known me for 6 years. It’s been a while, and it hurts to be writing because of this kind of incident, but I hope all Headphone Girls gallery people will be happy and well."
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