H.O.T. (band)
| H.O.T. | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | High-five Of Teenagers |
| Origin | Seoul, South Korea |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1996–2001 |
| Labels | SM Entertainment |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | Official website |
| Past members |
Moon Hee-joon Jang Woo-hyuk Tony An Kangta Lee Jae-won |
H.O.T. (Hangul: 에이치오티) was a popular five-member South Korean boy band in the mid to late 1990s. They were formed by SM Entertainment in 1996 and disbanded in 2001.[1] In addition to South Korea, the band was popular in Taiwan, People's Republic of China and Korean and Asian communities in the Americas.[2] H.O.T. was the first group to have an album become a "million seller" in K-pop, despite there being a financial crisis in South Korea at the time.
They are credited as the first K-pop boy band and the forerunners of the "idol group" trend in the Korean music industry, H.O.T. successfully turned mainstream Korean music into music for the younger generation. Made up of five teenagers at the time of their debut, they were formed to specifically target teenagers, hence their name "High-five Of Teenagers".
History
H.O.T. was formed by producer Lee Soo-man, the head of SM Entertainment, in 1996.[3] Their music comprises a mixture of rap, ballads, dance, and later Rock. Singer Kangta provided most of the ballad vocals.
The first member that Lee Soo-man picked was Kangta. The manager saw him dancing and singing with a friend at an amusement park, and was impressed. Second was Moon Hee-joon, who after auditioning was accepted into the band. Hee-joon then invited his friend Lee Jae-won to audition, who was subsequently also admitted. The fourth to join the band was Jang Woo-hyuk, after winning first place in a dancing contest. He was asked to try out and became the fourth member to join.
SM Entertainment then traveled to LA to hold auditions. Tony An, originally discovered by Brothers Entertainment in the United States, and his friend Andy Lee both joined the band. However, Lee's parents later withdrew support, causing him to leave the band and join Shinhwa in 1998. The new group was called H.O.T. - High Five of Teenagers.
Career
H.O.T. was a group that enjoyed massive success in their career, allowing them to become major influences on the future of boy bands and the rest of the music scene in Korea. Their popularity also led to the creation of female groups in Korea.
H.O.T. made their debut with their first album, We Hate All Kinds of Violence in September 1996, which placed them instantly on top with teenage girls in the country.
They released a second single from the album, "Candy", which became another instant hit. The song's popularity created all sorts of H.O.T. merchandise that were available at every stationary stores across the country.
They released their second album in June 1997, entitled Wolf & Sheep. This became a controversial release, since the title track featured strong language that caused it to be banned from all the major radio stations. Ultimately, they released an edited version of the song and was able to perform. Second single was "Full of Happiness" very similar in style to the popular song from their first album, "Candy". By this time, the group dominated the Korean music scene. Around this time, it created a new teenage fandom culture. This included fan girls sleeping outside of the homes of the members, which caused Tony An and Woo Hyuk Jang to move every 6 months from being kicked out of the neighborhood due to complaints from their neighbors. Their third single from this album, "We Are the Future" became another #1 hit. In 1998, the music video for "We Are The Future" earned an American MTV Award for Best International Video.
They released their third album, Resurrection, in September 1998. This album featured a more serious style, with music gravitating towards rock. In 1999, the first live concert was held at the Seoul Olympic Stadium. H.O.T. was the first K-pop group to hold a concert there, thanks to their very large fanbase. Club H.O.T members wore white rain coats and held white balloons and made the stadium a complete sea of white. Korean subway system historically extended the operation hours to 2AM to get all the fans home. Owing to their popularity, they were seen frequently in advertisements. At one point, they had their own soda brand with the catch phrase "I drink H.O.T." and 3 different types of perfume.
On 25 June 1999, H.O.T, together with their label-mate S.E.S., performed at Michael Jackson's concert "Michael Jackson and Friends - The Adventure of Humanity".[4]
They released their fourth album, Iyah!, and a "Best of" album in the following year, 1999. They also starred in a "Space Jam"-like movie called "Age of Peace", for which they also released a soundtrack consisting of songs that the members themselves composed. Everything in the film except for the five members were computerized, and the film was released in Japan during promotional activities for their fourth album. They won numerous awards from KMTV Asia, and various popular music shows in Korea for their fourth album and the soundtrack.
They released their fifth and final album, Outside Castle, in September 2000. All of the members took part in composing the lyrics. H.O.T. enjoyed great success with all of their albums, and were known for their talent of writing and composing many of their own songs. In addition, Moon Hee-joon and Jang Woo-hyuk were also known for their dancing abilities, and often choreographed the groups routines.
They maintained a friendly rivalry with other K-pop bands such as Sechs Kies, and were close friends with Kim Hwan-sung (1981-2000) of N.R.G., who died from pneumonia at the age of 19. Kangta was heartbroken by his friend's death, and when N.R.G. released their album after Kim Hwan-sung's death, he wrote the main track of their album.
Disbandment and post-H.O.T.
H.O.T. disbanded in May 2001. As the members of H.O.T. neared the end of their contracts with SM Entertainment, it was rumored that financial issues caused the group to split. However, because the real reasons for the breakup were never officially released to the public, rumors about financial contract issues began to circulate, but remain unverified.[5][6]
After the split, Kangta and Moon Hee-joon were offered lucrative contracts to SM Entertainment as solo artists and released moderately successful albums. Kangta's music was usually mainstream soul or R&B. Moon Hee-joon started with the mainstream R&B, but later attempted to establish a rock music career. However, Hee-joon was overshadowed by his teen idol image and was met with harsh criticism.
The remaining members, Jang Woo-hyuk, Tony An, and Lee Jae-won, formed a three-member group called jtL under another label, and sold moderately successful albums. Later, Jang Woo-hyuk and a partner created their own dance company with Woo-hyuk leading his own team and school named Newest.
A few years after forming JTL, Tony An released a solo album, created his own entertainment company, Tn Entertainment, a successful school uniforms company, Skoolooks, and an undergarment company, Shinenihs. In September 2010, Tony completed his 2-year army duty and released a new song, "Going To Meet You Now".
In 2005, Moon Hee-joon left SM Entertainment, creating his own company, PS Entertainment, and released one album. Later that year, Hee-joon headed off to military service, a duty required for every male Korean citizen. In 2008, he completed his 2-year army duty and signed with a company called SidusHQ.
Lee Jae-won also left SM Entertainment, and on April 4, 2005, he released his first post-H.O.T. album, "No Pain, No Gain". Lee has since then completed his military duty in 2011.
On September 12, 2005, Jang Woo-hyuk released his first solo album No More Drama, performing with the renowned American hip-hop group Elite Force, who were also a former dance team for Will Smith. Woo-hyuk was the last member to release a solo album, and he earned a reputation as "The Prince of Dance Music". In year 2010, he signed with a Chinese Entertainment Company and is currently active in China. His recent collaborations are with Singaporean Mandarin pop singer JJ Lin and Hong Kong singer/actress Karen Mok.
On September 2010, Kangta remains as a shareholder in SM Entertainment and released his new Chinese electro-pop title song, "Love, Frequency" or better known as "Breaka Shaka". A few days later he also released his first digital mini album, Love, Frequency.
On April 4, 2011, Tony An released a solo mini album Topstar and a single with the same name as the album.
Jang Woo-hyuk released an album on May 25, 2011 entitled I am The Future, with singles including "Time is [L]over", "I am the Future", and "Minimalism".
Kangta expressed an interest in having the band reunite in the first half of 2011.[7] However, in March 2012 members Moon and An stated that it would be difficult for the group to come together again.[8]
Discography
- We Hate All Kinds of Violence (1996)
- Wolf and Sheep (1997)
- Resurrection (1998)
- I Yah! (1999)
- Outside Castle (2000)
Filmography
- Age of Peace (2000)[9]
Awards
Mnet Asian Music Awards
| Year | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Best Group | "I Yah!"[10][11] | Won |
| Best Popular Music Video (daesang) | Won | ||
| Best Dance Performance | Nominated | ||
| Best Music Video Director (for Huh Jong-ho (흥종호)) | Won | ||
| 2000 | Best Popular Music Video (daesang) | "Outside Castle"[12][13] | Won |
| Best Dance Performance | Nominated | ||
| Best Group | Nominated | ||
| 2008 | MKMF 10th Anniversary Commemorative | N/A[14] | Won |
Music Shows Award
These are a collection of H.O.T.'s wins on Korea's televised music shows. Inkigayo is aired on SBS, Top Music now know as Music Core is aird on MBC and Music Bank is aired on KBS.
Inkigayo
| Year | Date | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | October 18 | "Line Up" |
| November 1 | ||
| November 29 | "Hope" | |
| December 6 | ||
| December 13 | ||
| 1999 | October 3 | "I Yah" |
| October 10 | ||
| October 24 | ||
| 2000 | October 22 | "Outside Castle" |
| October 29 | ||
| November 5 |
Music Core
| Year | Date | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | December 28 | "Candy" |
Music Bank
| Year | Date | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | December 3 | "Hope" |
| December 17 | ||
| 2000 | November 2 | "Outside Castle" |
| November 9 | ||
| November 16 |
See also
References
- ↑ "Tony An congratulates fellow H.O.T. members for their 15th anniversary". Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ↑ Globalization and the Regional Flow of Popular Music: The Role of the Korean ... Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ↑ http://seoulistmag.com/articles/read/korean_boy_bands_101_old_school_edition
- ↑ ""S.E.S and H.O.T to Star with Michael Jackson" - Korea Times (Seoul, Korea), June 6, 1999 - Online Research Library: Questia". Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ↑ "Show Me the Money" Archived March 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Han, Hyeon-wu (14 May 2011). "Pop Group H.O.T Breaks Up". Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ↑ "KangTa Plans for H.O.T. re-group"
- ↑ Ko Hong Ju "Members Reveal H.O.T. Comeback will Not be Happening" Mnet News. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-18
- ↑ Lee, Nancy (14 November 2012). "Six Cheesy Idol Movies to Watch on Movie Day". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
- ↑ "1999 M.net Korean Music Festival Winners list". MAMA. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
- ↑ "1999 Video Music Award part 1". MAMA. Retrieved 2014-06-23.
- ↑ "2000 MMF part 1". MAMA. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
- ↑ "2000 M.net Korean Music Festival Winners list" Archived August 3, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.. MAMA. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
- ↑ "Winners from Past Years: 2008". MAMA. Archived from the original on December 25, 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to H.O.T.. |
- (Korean) H.O.T.'s official homepage
- (Korean) [weibo.com/35jangwoohyuk H.O.T.'s member Jang Woo-Hyuk's official Micro-blog page]
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