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Wonder Girls

Revision as of 11:24, 17 May 2010 by SicaSunny (talk | contribs) (→‎Members)
Wonder Girls promoting EXR; Left to Right: Ye Eun, Hae Lim, Sun Ye, Yoo Bin, So Hee (2010)

Wonder Girls (원더걸스) is a Korean pop girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. They debuted on February 11, 2007 with their single Irony with original member Hyun A. Hyun A later left the group due to health issues in July 2007 and Yoo Bin took her place. They are best known for their hit songs Tell Me, which sparked a "Tell Me Dance Craze" and Nobody. In 2009, the Wonder Girls announced that they would debut in the United States and expand in China. They were the opening act for the North American leg of the Jonas Brothers 2009 World Tour, and have scheduled their debut English album for a 2010 release. However on January 22, 2009 it was announced that original member Sun Mi would postpone her music career to pursue an academic career. Sun Mi would finish musical activities with the Wonder Girls and depart at the end of February. She will be replaced with Chinese member Hae Lim, who will also re-record Sun Mi's lines for their second album.


Members

  • Sun Ye (Leader, Main Vocals)
  • Ye Eun (Main Vocals)
  • So Hee (Vocals)
  • Yoo Bin (Rapper, Vocals)
  • Hae Lim (Vocals)

Former Members

  • Hyun A (Rapper, Vocals)
  • Sun Mi (Vocals)

Information

Wonder Girls promoting "The Wonder Begins" (2007)

Debut, Hyun A's Withdrawal

On July 1, 2001 Park Jin Young, the founder and CEO of JYP Entertainment, held an open audition called the “Talent & Live Voice Project 99% Competition” in order to find talented young females that would be trained for his planned idea to create his first girl group. MTV Wonder Girls, a documentary program filmed and aired on MTV Korea, revealed the name of Park Jin Young’s girl group as the “Wonder Girls” on May 22, 2006. The program introduced the four members of the Wonder Girls which were Sun Ye, So Hee, Hyun A, and Sun Mi. Ye Eun was later recruited as the fifth member of the group and not long after her addition, Wonder Girls official debut was held at Show! Music Core where they performed their hip-hop song “Irony” on February 10, 2007. They held their first showcase at the “MTV Studio” on February 13, 2007. The group began their performance by performing a cover of “Don’t Cha” by the Pussycat Dolls, followed by “Irony” and “Mianhan Maeum ~tears~”. Following their group performances, Wonder Girls showed off their individual talents with solo performances. Sun Ye sang “Stand Up for Love” by Destiny’s Child, Hyun A performed a solo dance, and Sun Mi, Ye Eun, and So Hee sang a cover of Janet Jackson’s “Together Again”. The showcase was broadcast live on MTV. Sequentially, their debut single “The Wonder Begins” was released and according to the South Korean music charts, the single sold 11,454 copies that year.

After their debut, the Wonder Girls met a series of injuries. On June 25, 2007 So Hee tore a knee ligament due to falling off of a motorcycle while filming Ddeugeoun-geosi joh-a; she was precluded from group activities for one month. The four remaining members continued performing until, beginning with three performances with Hyun A missing and a clothing ad featuring Wonder Girls without the singer, on July 20, 2007 Hyun A announced her withdrawal from Wonder Girls. Gastroenteritis and fainting spells was stated as the reason for the singer's sudden departure.

Wonder Girls promoting The Wonder Years (2007)

1st Studio Album (Tell Me Virus)

Yoo Bin was appointed to be the replacement for Hyun A. She was to debut with another girl group under Good Entertainment; having received training for approximately two years. However, the company's financial situation worsened and the group's debut never came into fruition. Two teaser posters of So Hee were erected across Seoul to promote their debut album The Wonder Years. The concept for the album was described as "80's retro", and "Tell Me" was announced as the group's lead single. Their debut performance for "Tell Me" was held at Music Bank on September 7, 2007. The choreography for the song was easy and widely mimicked with numerous videos of fan performances circulating the internet on South Korean video sharing sites such as Daum and Youtube. The popularity of the dance became known as "Tell Me Fever" or "Tell Me Syndrome", and earned Wonder Girls the title of "Korea's Little Sisters". However, on September 14, 2007 Wonder Girls were involved in a car accident. Their van rear-ended a taxi on their way back from a performance at Dong-eui University, and the accident resulted in the death of the taxi driver and minor injuries to the group. Due to the tragic outcome and emotional trauma the group experienced, "Tell Me" promotional activity was temporarily suspended for two weeks.

Wonder Girls promoting "So Hot" (2008)
Wonder Girls promoting The Wonder Years - Trilogy (2008)

Trivia

  • Official Fanclub: Wonderfuls
  • Official Balloon Color: Pearl Burgundy

Korean Discography

Album

Mini-Album

Singles

Digital Singles

Collaborations

US Discography

Album

  • [2010.07.??] TBA

Mini-Album

  • [2010.05.??] TBA

Extended Plays

Single

Digital Singles

Filmography

Television

Commercials

  • [2007] Crown Haim
  • [2007] Baskin Robbins
  • [2008] Red Pen
  • [2008] Pizza Bingo
  • [2008] TAAN
  • [2008] Keroro Fighter
  • [2008] IVYclub
  • [2008] Free Style
  • [2008 - 2009] KTF Ever
  • [2008 - 2009] Vita 500
  • [2009] BBQ Chicken
  • [2009] Cafe Mori

Endorsements

  • [2007] 1677
  • [2007 - 2008] TBJ
  • [2008 - 2010] peripera Wonder Line
  • [2010] EXR

External Links

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