Fly to the Sky
Encyclopedia
Fly to the Sky was a South Korean R&B duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...

, consisting of Korean American Brian Joo
Brian Joo
Brian Joo , better known as simply Brian, is a Korean-American R&B, K-pop singer where he is known as a member of R&B duo Fly to the Sky. His solo album, The Brian was released in December 2006. His 2nd solo album, Manifold was released in December 2009.He had two birth names as Brian Gintaek Joo...

 and South Korean native Hwanhee.

Initially marketed as a duo that can sing, rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...

, and dance, their early works featured bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...

 and upbeat techno music. The duo later changed their image and style with the release of Sea of Love in 2002. With their subsequent albums, the duo solidified their status as R&B artists and are credited as the first R&B duo of South Korea.

1999-2001: Debut and the early years

The duo was formed in late 1998 by SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment
S.M. Entertainment is an independent Korean record label, talent agency, producer, and publisher of pop music, founded by Lee Soo-man in South Korea...

. Brian Joo auditioned while he was attending Holy Spirit High School in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

. Hwang Yoon-Suk, later to be known as Hwanhee, was encouraged to audition by a staff member working for the label at his high school festival. Fly to the Sky officially debuted on November 21, 1999 at the LOG-IN H.O.T.
H.O.T.
H.O.T. was a popular five-member South Korean boy band in the mid to late 1990s. Their name is an acronym, standing for "High-five Of Teenagers". They were formed by SM Entertainment in 1996 and disbanded in 2001.H.O.T...

 Concert and SM Festival Concert '99.

Soon after, the duo released their debut album Day by Day
Day by Day (Fly to the Sky album)
Day by Day is a debut album by Fly to the Sky. Hit singles from this single include the eponymous track and 내겐 너무 예쁜 그대. The album also featured In My Dream which was a collaboration with H.O.T..-Track listing:#Intro#In My Dream...

on December 9, 1999, and made their first official television appearance two days later. Unlike their predecessors on their label, popular teen idols
Teen Idols
The Teen Idols were a pop punk band originally from Nashville, Tennessee. They were formed in 1992 by Phillip Hill and originally broke up in 2003...

 at that time, they shied away from upbeat techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...

 and dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...

, opting for mid-tempo ballads. The debut became highly successful selling over 250,000 copies. The duo acquired status as the next-generation stars as they won Best New Artist award in 2000. At the same time, the duo failed to rise to instant stardom unlike their predecessors such as H.O.T.
H.O.T.
H.O.T. was a popular five-member South Korean boy band in the mid to late 1990s. Their name is an acronym, standing for "High-five Of Teenagers". They were formed by SM Entertainment in 1996 and disbanded in 2001.H.O.T...

, whose album sales have passed the one million mark.

Their popularity rapidly climbed with the release of their second album The Promise
The Promise (Fly to the Sky album)
The Promise was the second studio album released by R&B duo Fly to the Sky. Like the debut album, the album included poppy ballads and upbeat dance tracks. Hits from this album includes "The Promise" and "Maybe God Knows." As a bonus track, the remix of "The Promise" is also included in the album....

 in 2001, which featured more diverse genres than its predecessor. With more upbeat tracks, it peaked at #2, but quickly disappeared from the charts. In the same year, they held a joint concert with Korean R&B singer Kim Jo-Han.

2002-2004: Musical transition

In April 2002, their third album Sea of Love was released while Joo was in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

 attending Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...

. As a result, Hwang began to perform by himself until Joo returned to Korea. The lead single from the album was the title track, a poppy ballad, and it became a summer hit. Their second single "Condition of my Heart" was written by American singer Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....

; in contrast to the first single, "Condition" was a heavier ballad. The single signaled the duo's musical transition from bubblegum music to R&B. Along with their music, their image began to change as the duo traded in their "bishōnen
Bishonen
is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth ". The equivalent English concept is a "pretty boy".The term describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man whose beauty transcends the boundary of gender or sexual orientation...

" look for a more masculine image. In the same year, the label released a female duo that was said by fans to compliment Fly to the Sky known as Isak N Jiyeon
Isak N Jiyeon
Isak N Jiyeon was a Korean female duo formed by SM Entertainment in 2002. The group has since been disbanded. Many think the disbandment was due to low album sales and lack of popularity, but that wasn't the case; the only problem with the duo was timing: Isak had to go back to her home in...

, however the two groups never worked independently with each other.

Their 2003 studio album Missing You
Missing You (Fly to the Sky album)
Missing You is the fourth studio album released by South Korean duo Fly to the Sky. The album also featured collaborations with The TRAX. The album charted for long seven months. The album was released few days after their manager's death from a car accident...

featured more tracks that departed from bubblegum music and emphasized their vocal skills for an image as serious artists. Performing commercially well, the album gave the duo many awards including "Bonsang" award from SBS Gayo Daejun
SBS Gayo Daejeon
SBS Gayo Daejeon, also spelt SBS Gayo Daejun is a major annual end-of-the-year music program broadcast on 29 December by Seoul Broadcasting System . It was started in 1997, and awards were given to entertainers until 2007...

 and Korea Music Awards. This period is remembered for the highly publicized death of their manager, who was also the manager of BoA
BoA
Boa Kwon , commonly stylized and known by her stage name BoA, which is a backronym for Beat of Angel, is a Korean singer, active in South Korea, Japan, and the United States and sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Korean Pop Music"....

, another Korean singer. On a variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...

, both members recalled this incident as an emotionally hard time for them. Hwanhee was especially shocked, because he was on the same vehicle with his manager just hours before the incident.

In November 2004, the duo released their fifth and last studio album under SM Entertainment, Gravity
Gravity (Fly to the Sky album)
Gravity is a 2004 studio album by Fly to the Sky. This became their fifth and last studio album released under SM Entertainment as their contract expired soonafter the release of this album. For the first time in their career, the duo wrote the lyrics for their songs...

. The album received little promotion, and became the duo's lowest-selling studio album, selling just below 90,000 copies. Nevertheless, they held their first official concert successfully in Jamsil Arena
Jamsil Arena
Jamsil Arena is an indoor sporting arena, located in Seoul, South Korea. The capacity of the arena is 13,409 and was built from December 1976 to April 1979.It hosted the basketball events and Volleyball final of the 1988 Summer Olympics....

 on December 21, 2004, and received "Best R&B Artist" award from SBS Gayo Daejun. A controversy rose as critics questioned their eligibility for the award, because the album was released only two months before the show. They challenged the credibility and fairness of SBS Gayo Daejun in its entirety as the artists who boycotted SBS such as YG Family or those who were not present did not receive any awards. They scorned the show as "a party for only those who were present."

The release of their Greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...

 album Eternity in 2005 coincided with the release of the soundtrack of Korean drama Fashion 70s which featured the duo. The popular Korean show made their song "가슴 아파도" ("Although My Heart Aches"), the theme song of the show, an unexpected hit. Eternity is the last Fly to the Sky album released by SM Entertainment.

2004-2006: Leaving SM Entertainment and personal struggles

After Fly to the Sky's contract with SM Entertainment expired in November 2004, the duo signed on with PFull Entertainment. The duo stated that they wanted a smaller label that was willing to promote them as musicians and focus less on commercial success. Under this label, Fly to the Sky released their sixth studio album Transition after a year-long hiatus in January 2006. The album became massively successful, selling over 160,000 copies.

The duo embarked on their first nationwide tour, "Fly To The Sky: 2006 The Twice Tour". Starting from Jamsil Arena in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

 in May 2006, they held concerts in Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...

, Daegu
Daegu
Daegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the...

, Junju, and Kwangju. Including the number of audiences in the encore concert in Seoul, the tour garnered more than 50,000 people.

To commemorate the success of Transition, Fly To The Sky released a special new edition, which included music videos, deleted scenes and the additional tracks "Hwan Sang (Illusion)," "Hot and Cold," and "When I Say."

In 2004 and 2005, the duo's uncertain future after their contract with SM Entertainment led to a speculation that they would disband. Brian Joo publicly addressed the rumours on SBS
SBS (Korea)
Seoul Broadcasting System is a national South Korean television and radio network. It is the only private commercial broadcaster with a wide regional Network to operate in the country. On March 17, 2009, the company legally became known as SBS, changing its corporate name from Seoul Broadcasting...

 show "Yah Shim Man Man," which aired on July 10. He admitted that the two had difficulties in the early days of their career and said that he had been troubled by feelings of inferiority to Hwanhee, because he received more attention and praise than him. Despite their status as a duo, he felt that he was not given his due or the same amount of attention as Hwanhee. Eventually he found this difficult to bear, and suggested to him that they pursue their separate paths. Hwanhee responded angrily and the matter escalated into a serious fight nearly leading to disbandment. The two reconciled soon after, and said they "grew to better understand each other and realized that they both needed each other. Afterwards, the pair decided to try to better understand each other in order to solve their problems together and to support each other. After reflecting on this incident, Joo's eyes were brimming with tears.

Since 2006, the duo has been seen frequently on variety shows and pursued individual careers. Hwanhee appeared on Korean television drama "Over the Rainbow" during summer of 2006, and Joo released his solo album The Brian
The Brian
The Brian is the first solo album from Brian Joo . Originally scheduled for release in November, it was postponed until December 18....

in December 2006. As they appeared more often on non-music programs, the duo saw an increase in their popularity and backlash from critics at the same time as they felt the duo were compromising their image as artists.

2007-2009: Return to prominence and solo projects

The duo's seventh album No Limitations was released on July 4, 2007. Their first television performance to promote the album was on June 29, 2007. Popular tracks that are included in the album are "Oneuldo Eebbeungul," ("오늘도 이쁜걸" Pretty Today Too) "Geuraedo Sarangipnida," ("그래도 사랑입니다" It's still love) and "Gee-uk Han Joom" ("기억 한 줌" Grain of Memory), as well as "My Angel", which peaked at #1 on many on- and offline charts. No Limitations became the duo's first number one album. Decennium (2009) became the group's final album, with the duo stating that they will not renew their contract and will go their separate ways professionally. As of 2009, Hwanhee and Brian have released their respective first and second solo albums. Hwanhee has also participated in the production of Song Ji Eun's solo single "Yesterday" and also features in the title track.

Musical style

The duo's debut single "Day by Day" was a light bubblegum love song
Love song
A love song is about falling in love and the feelings it brings. Anthologies of love songs often contain a mixture of both of these types of song. A bawdy song is both humorous and saucy, emphasizing the physical pleasure of love rather than the emotional joy...

. Their subsequent songs were a combination of R&B, pop rap, and hip-hop until 2002, when the duo abandoned bubblegum pop. Since 2002, they opted for a blend of heavy R&B and Korean pop. They continue to sing love songs, and some of them continue to incorporate hip-hop and rap from Joo.

The duo differs in their taste of music. Producer of Transition, Hwang Se-Jun, has said Hwanhee prefers pure R&B while Brian likes music with distinct beats and has a strong liking for rap. Despite his passion, their 2006 studio album Transition does not feature any. Brian predicts that there will no longer be any opportunity to include his rap in their album, and dislikes "being generalized as a duo one rapper and one vocalist." He lamented the waning popularity of hip-hop in South Korea where "hip-hop is merely labeled as dance music in Korea."

Criticisms

Prior to the duo's transition to R&B, critics were displeased as despite being promoted as serious artists that appeal to older audiences, they felt that the duo was no different from other popular teen idols at that time. In a lengthy interview with music review site "52street", the site described the duo in the early years as, "trendy hairstyle, thick make-up, and flashy dance moves."

As their career matured, critics have pointed that Fly to the Sky has yet to find their own style. The duo has been criticized for lack of creative control over their works and relying heavily on composers whose distinct styles overpower their vocals. During their career they have written lyrics for four songs in albums Gravity and No Limitations. Music critic Shin Hye Rim says,
Their appearances at variety shows were met with scrutiny as the duo were seen frequently outside of music programs during 2006. They were one of many artists who hopped on a bandwagon to promote their albums by appearing comical on variety shows. Critics compared this choice to a double-edged sword; while they gained more publicity and a more viewer-friendly image, they were compromising their image as professional artists. From January to February 2006, Seoul YWCA conducted a research to study variety shows that air from 6PM to 8PM. The research concluded that "variety shows star the same celebrities and air similar content." The article listed celebrities who frequent those shows, of which Joo was one of them. He appeared in television shows of three major broadcasting networks of Korea during the same time slot on January 6 and January 29.

Awards

Years Awards
2000
  • 2000 SBS Gayo Daejun: Best New Artist
2002
  • 2002 SBS Gayo Daejun: Best R&B Artist
  • 2003
  • M.net KM Music Festival
    M.net KM Music Festival
    The Mnet Asian Music Awards , is a major music award show that is held by Mnet Media annually in South Korea, involving the participation of some of the most well-known actors and singers...

    : Best R&B Music Award
  • 18th Golden Disk Awards
    Golden Disk Awards
    The Golden Disk Awards is an awards show founded in 1986 that is presented annually by the Music Industry Association of Korea for outstanding achievements in the music industry in South Korea...

    : Bonsang
  • 2003 SBS Gayo Daejun: Bonsang
  • 14th Seoul Music Awards
    Seoul Music Awards
    The Seoul Music Awards is an awards show founded in 1990 that is presented annually by the Sports Seoul for outstanding achievements in the music industry in South Korea.- Categories :...

    : Bonsang
  • 2004
  • 2004 SBS Gayo Daejun: Best R&B Artist
  • 2006
  • 2006 Mnet KM Music Festival: Best R&B Artist
  • 4th Korea Fashion Awards: Best Dressers
  • 22nd Golden Disk Awards
    Golden Disk Awards
    The Golden Disk Awards is an awards show founded in 1986 that is presented annually by the Music Industry Association of Korea for outstanding achievements in the music industry in South Korea...

    : Bonsang
  • 2006 SBS Gayo Daejun: Bonsang
  • 2007
  • 14th Korea Entertainment Arts Award: Best Ballad Award

  • Concerts

    • Contact – Kim Jo Han & Fly to the Sky Joint Live Concert (Released September 1, 2004)
    • Fly to the Sky Live – 1st Live Concert: Unforgettable (Released April 26, 2004)

    Studio albums

    The chart positions are based on data from Music Industry Association Korea. Unlike Oricon
    Oricon
    , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...

     Chart and the Billboard
    Billboard (magazine)
    Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

    Chart, the charts are released monthly, not weekly.
    Year Title Chart positions
    1999 Day by Day
    Day by Day (Fly to the Sky album)
    Day by Day is a debut album by Fly to the Sky. Hit singles from this single include the eponymous track and 내겐 너무 예쁜 그대. The album also featured In My Dream which was a collaboration with H.O.T..-Track listing:#Intro#In My Dream...

    6
    2001 The Promise
    The Promise (Fly to the Sky album)
    The Promise was the second studio album released by R&B duo Fly to the Sky. Like the debut album, the album included poppy ballads and upbeat dance tracks. Hits from this album includes "The Promise" and "Maybe God Knows." As a bonus track, the remix of "The Promise" is also included in the album....

    2
    2002 Sea of Love 2
    2003 Missing You
    Missing You (Fly to the Sky album)
    Missing You is the fourth studio album released by South Korean duo Fly to the Sky. The album also featured collaborations with The TRAX. The album charted for long seven months. The album was released few days after their manager's death from a car accident...

    2
    2004 Gravity
    Gravity (Fly to the Sky album)
    Gravity is a 2004 studio album by Fly to the Sky. This became their fifth and last studio album released under SM Entertainment as their contract expired soonafter the release of this album. For the first time in their career, the duo wrote the lyrics for their songs...

    5
    2006 Transition
    Transition (Fly to the Sky album)
    Transition is a 2006 studio album by Fly to the Sky. This is the first studio album under PFull Entertainment, Fly to the Sky's second record label.-Overview:...

    3
    2007 No Limitations 1
    2009 Decennium 1

    Compilation albums

    • Fly to the Sky Best Album - Eternity (Released May 26, 2005)
    • Transition repackage (April 26, 2006)
    • No Limitations repackage
    • Fly to the Sky Remake Album - Recollection (Released April 28, 2008)

    Soundtracks

    • Beethoven Virus OST (My Person -Hwanhee)
    • Fashion 70's OST (Even If My Heart Hurts - Fly To The Sky)
    • Over the Rainbow OST (Tomorrow - Hwanhee, I Want You, I Need You - Hwanhee, I Can't Help Missing You - Hwanhee)
    • Hello! Miss OST (Everyday I... - Brian)

    External links


    Interviews

    Fly to the Sky Two voices, Two attractions, Four wings that soar once again Fly to the Sky returning with sixth album Transition 2006 interview with Melon.com
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