JJ Project

Debut : 2012

JB
Real name : Im Jae-bum
Date of birth : January 6, 1994
Physique : 179 cm, 63 kg
Education : Sae-won High School
Debut : 2012 through KBS Drama "Dream High 2"

Jr.
Real name : Park Jin-young
Date of birth : September 22, 1994
Physique : 178 cm, 63 kg
Education : Gyeonggi High School
Debut : 2012 through KBS Drama "Dream High 2"

In 2012, when JYP Entertainment fans were dying for a new act to come out of the powerhouse entertainment company, JJ Project hit the scene.

JJ Project is made up of two members named JB and Jr. who each individually auditioned for JYP Entertainment. They tied in the 5th Open auditions to eventually become trainees and even further down the road, artists signed under JYP.

With their good looks to top off their exceptional dance skills, the duo started dabbling in showbiz even before their official musical debut. They featured in fellow JYP artist San E's music video "Tasty San". They also landed roles in the hit KBS drama "Dream High 2" in
2012, a followup to the original "Dream High" in 2011.

As soon as JJ Project debuted, the fans went wild. Their YouTube videos attracted over a million hits in a matter of two days. Their first debut song "Bounce" also received a lot of love, climbing up the domestic music charts. In fact, the music video for "Bounce" became
the 4th Most Liked Video, 10th Most Viewed, 7th Most Discussed, and 4th Most Favorited video worldwide on YouTube. In South Korea more specifically, it was #1 on all four charts.

Bounce (single, May 20. 2012)

Bounce, Stuck, Before This Song Ends (feat. Suzy)

B1A4

Like many idol groups, B1A4 sought to come up with a name that was unique and catchy. In an industry where all idol group names have some sort of significance or meaning, B1A4 was no exception. It represented the members' blood types as there are four of them with type A blood and one member with type B (Ba-ro). Another meaning was that it stood for "Be The One, All For One".

The group was introduced via webtoons for their debut album which was a fusion of pop and rock. One member in particular was highlighted by the agency, the leader of the group: Jin-young. Jin-young is trained in singing, acting, and composing. In fact, the agency had announced before the group's debut that B1A4's first EP album will include a song composed and written by him.

Just two months after they finally daebuted, offers for commercials were already coming in. They decided to sign with a couple of Korean beverage companies.

Following their title track "O.K.", the guys started promoting "Only Learned Bad Things" which also garnered a positive response.

IU To Hold First Japan Concert

2012-06-25

Korea's national younger sister seems to be doing well in other countries as well. She'll be holding her first concert in Japan.

The young singer will be holding on September 17th at the Tokyo Forum A Hall in Japan. This is only after six months since she first debuted in the neighboring country.

She'll be releasing her next Japanese single "You And I" on July 18th. This is the Japanese version of the hit Korean song from the end of last year, composed by Lee Min-su and penned by Kim In-na.

After releasing "Good Day" in Japan last March, the song reached 8th on the Oricon Singles chart. Not too shabby of a debut.