The group consists of the following members: • 민선예 (Min Sun Ye)|• 박예은 (Park Ye Eun)|• 선미 (Sun Mi)|• 안소희 (Ahn So Hee)|• 김유빈 (Kim Yoo Bin). Former member 김현아 (Kim Hyun A) left in June ‘07 due to health problems. She is now in girl group 4minute. Their first album, The Wonder Years, produced by Park Jin-Young and Kuon Teun, was released on September 12th, 2007. Korean debut The Wonder Girls debuted on February 10th, 2007 on Show! Music Core, singing Irony, the single from their debut mini-album, The Wonder Begins. The mini-album went on to become a minor hit, selling 11,454 copies in 2007. Throughout the rest of 2007, however, the Wonder Girls were beset by various injuries and health problems. On June 25th, member Ahn So Hee was sidelined for a month after tearing a knee ligament falling off a motorcycle during the filming of “뜨거운 것이 좋아” (Some Like It Hot). The remaining four members continued performing until late July, when Kim Hyun A was pulled from the group by her parents due to their concern over her health, in particular, chronic gastroenteritis which had her hospitalized briefly in March and April. On September 14th, 2007, the group (including their manager and stylist) were briefly hospitalized with minor injuries while returning from a performance at Dong-Eui Institute of Technology in Busan. The van in which they were travelling rear-ended a taxi, killing the driver of the taxi and injuring forty-seven others. On September 5th, 2007, Good Entertainment, talent agency for the popular boy band Shinhwa signed their trainee Kim Yoo Bin over to JYP as a replacement for Hyun A. She debuted three days later in the group’s live performance on Music Bank. Their first full-length album, The Wonder Years, was released the following week, on September 13th, 2007, with “Tell me, a 1980s-style disco-themed song that sampled Stacey Q’s Two Of Hearts, as the lead song. Due to the last-minute addition of Kim Yoo Bin, the album version does not contain her rapping part; however, the performance version of the song was reworked to include a bridge with Kim’s rap. The album became a hit, briefly reaching #1 on various television and Internet charts, including KBS’s Music Bank. The choreography for the song was simple and widely imitated: by October, many fan performances of the dance were circulating on video sharing sites such as Youtube and Daum, including one by a group of policemen who were eventually profiled on SBS’s Star King. Many celebrities also put in their own performances, including Shin Hye Sung and Hong Kyung-min at their fan meetings, in addition to many celebrities on various Korean television programs. Due to the popularity of the single, the group has had an extensive promotional schedule, including group-only and crossover performances on music shows, variety show appearances, and special performances and programs for various year-end music specials. By December, the Wonder Girls moved on to 이바보 (Eebabo meaning “This Fool”), their second single. However, the girls planned to cut back on their schedule to prepare for their college entrance examinations. As of February 2008, they have ceased promotion of their album. Expanding overseas Wonder Girls had several showcases in China and all the members have been working hard on mastering the Chinese language. The Wonder Girls flew over to the United States in early 2008, joining their mentor and producer Park Jin-young for his month-long “Bad Concert” tour as a special guest. Park has stated that the concerts are also meant to be a showcase for his other protégés, such as Min, G-Soul, and Lim Jeong Hee. JYP Entertainment has announced that world-famous stars like R. Kelly, Outkast, and Will Smith are scheduled to attend the tour. As of the 2009 year, they have been opening concerts for American boyband, Jonas Brothers for their USA tour. At the end of 2009, Sun Mi left to continue her education. She was replaced with Hae Lim, who will be recording her parts fro the English Wonder Girls album that is expected to drop in April. Offical Site: http://www.jype.com/main/artist/common/artist.jsp?p_artist_id=wondergirls |
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