Super Junior is a South Korean
boy bandA boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
. Formed in 2005 by producer Lee Soo-man of
SM EntertainmentS.M. Entertainment is an independent Korean record label, talent agency, producer, and publisher of pop music, founded by Lee Soo-man in South Korea...
, the group comprised a total of thirteen members at its peak, and was once claimed to be the world's largest boy band. Super Junior originally debuted with twelve members, consisting of leader
LeeteukPark Jung-su , better known by his stage name Leeteuk , is a South Korean idol singer, presenter, and occasional actor. He is the leader of the super boy band Super Junior. To prevent confusion with famous Korean veteran actress Park Jeong-su, he decided to use the name 'Leeteuk'...
, Heechul, Han Geng,
YesungKim Jong-woon , better known by his stage name Yesung, is a South Korean idol singer and occasional actor. He is one of the four lead vocalists of the boy band Super Junior. He was once a radio host for his own radio program, M.I.R.A.C.L.E for You, which ended its broadcast in September 2007...
, Kangin,
ShindongShin Dong-hee , better known by his stage name Shindong, is a South Korean idol singer, actor, presenter, and one of the four lead dancers of the boy band Super Junior. He is a dancer but also a rapper, often co-writing rap lyrics with Eunhyuk...
,
SungminLee Sungmin 이성민 , or most commonly known as Sungmin 성민, is a South Korean idol singer and actor. He is one of the four lead vocalists and one of the main dancer of the South Korean boy band Super Junior. He is also a member of Super Junior subgroup Super Junior-T, Super Junior-H and recently became...
,
EunhyukLee Hyuk-jae , better known by his stage name Eunhyuk, is a South Korean idol singer, dancer, rapper, presenter, song writer, and occasional actor. He is a part of the thirteen member South Korean boyband Super Junior. His position in the group is the lead rapper and one of the three lead dancers...
, Donghae, Siwon,
RyeowookKim Ryeo-wook , best known mononymously as Ryeowook, is a Korean singer-songwriter and occasional actor. He is one of the four lead vocalists of the super boy band Super Junior, and is also a member of Super Junior-K.R.Y and Super Junior-M, two subgroups that are branched out from the main group...
, and Kibum.
KyuhyunCho Kyuhyun , best known mononymously as Kyuhyun, is a Korean pop singer. He is the youngest member of a very popular boy band Super Junior. In Super Junior, he is a main vocalist. He is also one of the first four Korean artists to appear on Chinese postage stamps...
was added to the group in 2006.
Super Junior launched into international recognition following the release of their best-selling single "
Sorry, Sorry"Sorry, Sorry" is a song performed by South Korean boy band Super Junior. It was released as a digital single on March 9, 2009 and was later included as the title single in the group's third studio album, Sorry, Sorry, released on March 12, 2009. This song was Super Junior's comeback single as a...
" in 2009, the title song of their most critically successful album
Sorry, SorrySorry, Sorry is the award-winning third studio album by South Korean boy band Super Junior, released on March 12, 2009 in South Korea. Sorry, Sorry was a critically and commercially successful hit in Asia, becoming 2009's best-selling Korean-language album in South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, China,...
. The group has released and contributed to over 20 records with varying degrees of success. Over the years, they have been divided into smaller subgroups, simultaneously targeting different music industries and audiences. Largely due to Super Junior's success as entertainers, other Korean entertainment managements began to train their music groups in other areas of entertainment, such as acting and hosting. In addition to their commercial success, Super Junior has earned six music awards from the Mnet Asian Music Awards, nine from the
Golden Disk AwardsThe 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...
, and is the second singing group to win Favorite Artist Korea at the 2008
MTV Asia AwardsThe biannual MTV Asia Awards is the Asian equivalent of the Europe MTV EMA. Established in 2002, the show gives recognition and awards to Asian and international icons in achievement, cinema, fashion, humanitarian, and music. Just like the EMA, most of the awards are voted for by the viewers from...
after
jtLjtL was a South Korean dance music group, consisting of the former H.O.T. members who did not stay with SM Entertainment- Jang Woo Hyuk, Tony An and Lee Jae Won. The group was named after the initials of the members' stage name...
in 2003.
In December 2009, Han Geng left the group after filing a lawsuit against their agency
SM EntertainmentS.M. Entertainment is an independent Korean record label, talent agency, producer, and publisher of pop music, founded by Lee Soo-man in South Korea...
. Heechul and Kangin announced their hiatus to fulfill their mandatory
military serviceMilitary service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
of two years, and Kibum temporarily parted with the group for his pursuit of an acting career, leaving Super Junior down to nine active members.
2000–05: Formation and debut
In 2000,
SM EntertainmentS.M. Entertainment is an independent Korean record label, talent agency, producer, and publisher of pop music, founded by Lee Soo-man in South Korea...
held their first overseas casting auditions in
BeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
,
ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and recruited Han Geng, who auditioned against three thousand applicants. That same year,
LeeteukPark Jung-su , better known by his stage name Leeteuk , is a South Korean idol singer, presenter, and occasional actor. He is the leader of the super boy band Super Junior. To prevent confusion with famous Korean veteran actress Park Jeong-su, he decided to use the name 'Leeteuk'...
,
YesungKim Jong-woon , better known by his stage name Yesung, is a South Korean idol singer and occasional actor. He is one of the four lead vocalists of the boy band Super Junior. He was once a radio host for his own radio program, M.I.R.A.C.L.E for You, which ended its broadcast in September 2007...
and
EunhyukLee Hyuk-jae , better known by his stage name Eunhyuk, is a South Korean idol singer, dancer, rapper, presenter, song writer, and occasional actor. He is a part of the thirteen member South Korean boyband Super Junior. His position in the group is the lead rapper and one of the three lead dancers...
were recruited after auditioning for the company's annual casting system in
SeoulSeoul , 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...
.
SungminLee Sungmin 이성민 , or most commonly known as Sungmin 성민, is a South Korean idol singer and actor. He is one of the four lead vocalists and one of the main dancer of the South Korean boy band Super Junior. He is also a member of Super Junior subgroup Super Junior-T, Super Junior-H and recently became...
and Donghae became trainees after jointly winning first place in an SM-sponsored contest in 2001. In 2002, Heechul and Kangin were recruited along with
KibumKim Ki-bum , sometimes mononymously credited as Kibum, is a Korean pop singer, actor, and a member of the super boy band Super Junior. He made his debut in the Korean television drama April Kiss in 2004. Although debuted as an actor, he achieved higher results as a singer after his music debut with...
, who was discovered in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California by a casting agent. Siwon became a trainee after being scouted in 2003 and Ryeowook in 2004, who was recruited into the company after winning the 2004 Chin Chin Youth Festival singing competition.
ShindongShin Dong-hee , better known by his stage name Shindong, is a South Korean idol singer, actor, presenter, and one of the four lead dancers of the boy band Super Junior. He is a dancer but also a rapper, often co-writing rap lyrics with Eunhyuk...
and
KyuhyunCho Kyuhyun , best known mononymously as Kyuhyun, is a Korean pop singer. He is the youngest member of a very popular boy band Super Junior. In Super Junior, he is a main vocalist. He is also one of the first four Korean artists to appear on Chinese postage stamps...
, the latter winning third place at the 2005 Chin Chin Youth Festival, were cast in 2005.
In early 2005, Lee Soo-man announced that he had been preparing for an all-boy project group of twelve members to debut at the end of the year. He called this singing group to be "The Gateway to Stardom of Asia," as most of the members in this group were chosen for their experiences as actors,
MCsA Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
, models, and radio hosts prior debut. Heechul and Kibum were already established actors at the time, and most of the other members had already made various kinds of appearances in television and media. Inspired by the rotational concept of Japan's girl group
Morning Musume, sometimes referred to as is a Japanese idol girl group, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project, which is managed and produced by Tsunku, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs...
, Lee said that his new group would also experience line-up changes, with new members replacing selected members every year to keep the group constantly young and all-rounded. This concept was then newly introduced to the
K-popK-pop is a musical genre consisting of electropop, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B music originating in South Korea...
market.
For a while the group was rumored to be called O.V.E.R, the acronym for "Obey the Voice for Each Rhythm." However, before the group settled with their current name, the company simply referred to them as Junior, a representation of the members' young ages when they first became SM trainees. After the members' showcased their different talents to the company at a picnic, the company finalized their group name to Super Junior, and officially became Super Junior 05, the first generation of Super Junior.
Super Junior 05 made their pre-debut performance on the Korean channel Mnet on September 11, 2005. At the showcase, they performed various styles of hip-hop dancing, where they danced to
B2KB2K was an American R&B music group. The group met in 1998, established in 2001, and managed by music producer Chris Stokes with Lil' Fizz, J-Boog, Raz-B, and Omarion as members. The group disbanded in 2004 due to internal disagreements.-2001-2002: B2K:...
's "Take It to the Floor". Han Geng, Eunhyuk, and Donghae also performed a separate dance together, dancing to
UsherUsher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
's "Caught Up." However, the performance did not air on television until May 16, 2006 as a segment in the
Super Junior Show, the group's first television documentary.
The group officially debuted on SBS's music program
Popular SongThe Music Trend is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday at 3:50 PM KST. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform on stage. It is currently hosted by Goo Ha-ra, IU and Nicole.- History :...
on November 6, 2005, performing their first single "
Twins (Knock Out)"Twins " is the debut single by Super Junior 05, which was released online as a digital single on November 8, 2005 and later as an official in the group's first studio album, SuperJunior05 on December 5, 2005....
". A
digital singleA music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
with "Twins (Knock Out)", "You Are the One", and three additional tracks were released online on November 8, followed by the release of their debut album
SuperJunior05 (Twins)SuperJunior05 is the eponymous debut studio album by Korean boy band Super Junior 05 , released on December 5, 2005 in South Korea. The album peaked at #3 on the MIAK K-pop albums chart, selling 28,536 copies in the first month of release...
on December 6, 2005. The album sold 28,536 copies in the first month of release and debuted at number three in the monthly chart of December 2005.
2006–07: U, concept changes and commercial success
In February 2006, Super Junior 05 began performances for "
Miracle"Miracle" is a bubblegum pop dance song written by Yoon Hyosang, and produced by Lee Soo Man for Super Junior 05's first album, SuperJunior05 ...
", the second promotional single from their debut album. "Miracle" topped the music charts of
ThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, drawing interest from international markets. As promotions for "Miracle" ended, SM Entertainment began selecting new members for Super Junior's second generation, Super Junior 06. The company even prepared a list of chosen members that were to graduate from the group. However, the company abandoned the rotational concept after adding a thirteenth member, Kyuhyun, in 2006. The group then became known as just Super Junior, without the suffix "05".
After the addition of Kyuhyun, Super Junior released their single "
U"U" is the first official CD single by Super Junior. The single topped CD sales charts during the first several weeks after its release on June 7, 2006. "U" peaked at #1 on the monthly MIAK K-pop album charts and sold 91,416 copies by 2008...
" for free download on May 25, 2006 on their official website. "U" exceeded 400,000 downloads within five hours of release and ultimately surpassed 1.7 million downloads, crashing the server. The
physical singleA CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
of "U" with a total of three tracks was released on June 6, eventually selling over 81,000 units in South Korea. The single became one of Korea's most popular songs of the year, taking up number one spots for five consecutive weeks on two of Korea's top music programs. By the end of the year, Super Junior collected over seven awards in five of South Korea's top music award ceremonies, and was one of the three Best Newcomer winners at the
21st Golden Disk AwardsThe 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...
.
In late 2006, Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, and Yesung formed the subgroup Super Junior-K.R.Y., Super Junior's first sub-unit. They performed their first single "The One I Love", theme song to the Korean television drama
Hyena, on the KBS music program
Music Bank on November 5, 2006. In February 2007, Leeteuk, Heechul, Kangin, Sungmin, and Eunhyuk formed
Super Junior-TSuper Junior-Trot , officially known as Super Junior-T is the second official sub-unit of Korean boy band Super Junior. They are the first idol group known for capitalizing trot music, the oldest form of Korean pop music...
, a trot-singing group. They released their first single "
Rokuko"Rokkuko" is the first CD single by Super Junior-T, released on February 23, 2007. Over 45,998 copies were sold by the end of the year, marking it Korea's sixteenth best-selling record and #1 best-selling single of 2007...
" on February 23, 2007, and made a debut performance on
Popular Songs two days later.
Super Junior released their second album
Don't DonDon't Don is the second studio album by Korean boy band Super Junior. It was released by SM Entertainment on September 20, 2007 in South Korea...
on September 20, 2007.
Don't Don sold over 60,000 units the first day of release and debuted at number one on the monthly chart of September 2007. Although
Don't Don received mixed reviews from critics, the album went to sell more than 160,000 copies by the end of the year, becoming the second best-selling record of 2007. Super Junior received seven nominations at the 2007 Mnet/KM Music Festival, winning three of them which included Artist of the Year, termed by many as the highest recognition of the ceremony. Super Junior collected two more recognitions at the 22nd Golden Disk Awards, including a Disk Bonsang award (Record of the Year).
2008–09: Sorry, Sorry and career breakthrough
Super Junior-MSuper Junior-M, often referred to as SJ-M or SJM, is the third official sub-unit of Korean boy band Super Junior. They are the first international music group in the Chinese music industry to have members of both Chinese and Korean descent, and is also the first group produced by Korea's CT ...
, Super Junior's
MandopopMandopop is a colloquial abbreviation for "Mandarin popular music." It is categorized as a subgenre of commercial Chinese-language music within C-pop. Mandopop was the first variety of popular music in Chinese to establish itself as a viable industry. As the name implies, Mandopop features songs...
subgroup comprising members Han Geng, Siwon, Donghae, Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, and non-Super Junior members
HenryHenry Lau , better known mononymously as Henry, is a Chinese Canadian singer songwriter. He is a member of the Mandopop boy band Super Junior-M....
and
Zhou MiZhou Mi is a Chinese pop singer, emcee, and actor. He is a member of the Mandopop boy band Super Junior-M.Aside from providing lead and background vocals, he contributed to the group's first Chinese album "迷 " by writing the Chinese lyrics for "愛你愛你 ", "Marry U" and "渴望 "...
, was formed in April 2008. Although the creation of the subgroup initially created a strife between the group's fans and their management, Super Junior-M went on to become Super Junior's most successful subgroup, selling out two concerts in
Hong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, topping weekly ratings with their appearance on Chinese variety programs, and was the idol group with the most endorsement contracts in China. They won numerous awards at Chinese music festivals, and achieved critical acclaim after the release of their single "
Super Girl"Super Girl" is a song by Mandopop boy band Super Junior-M from their mini album, Super Girl. Written by Young Jin Yoo, the single served as the mini album's first promotional single. The song was revealed on September 14, 2009, along with the release of its corresponding music video...
" from their second record
Super GirlSuper Girl is the first extended play and second record release by Mandopop boy band Super Junior-M. The project was released in late September 2009 in Mainland China and throughout the rest of Asia in October 2009 by SM Entertainment and Avex Asia....
, which garnered them a nomination for Best Vocal Group at the
21st Golden Melody AwardsCeremonies of the 21st Golden Melody Awards were held at the Taipei Arena in Taipei, Taiwan on June 26, 2010.-Eligibility:Registration for entry into the 21st Golden Melody Awards was opened from December 15, 2009 to January 4, 2010.-Song Of The Year:...
. A fourth Super Junior subgroup was created soon after Super Junior-M's debut. With five members from
Super Junior-TSuper Junior-Trot , officially known as Super Junior-T is the second official sub-unit of Korean boy band Super Junior. They are the first idol group known for capitalizing trot music, the oldest form of Korean pop music...
and Yesung, they formed the subgroup
Super Junior-HappySuper Junior-Happy , sometimes referred to as SJ-H or Suju-Happy , is the fourth official sub-unit of Korean boy band Super Junior. Super Junior-Happy contains six Super Junior members, Leeteuk , Yesung, Kangin, Shindong, Sungmin, and Eunhyuk.-History:By 2008, all of the Super Junior members have...
, releasing their first
extended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
(EP)
Cooking? Cooking!Cooking? Cooking! , is the first EP by K-pop boy band Super Junior-Happy, released on June 5, 2008 in South Korea. The mini album sold close to 2,000 copies within one day of release.-Overview:...
on June 5, 2008. In November 2008, Super Junior-T made a debut in Japan, collaborating with Japanese comedy duo Moeyan. Their single "ROCK&GO", the Japanese-language version of "Rokuko", debuted at number 19 on the Oricon Daily Charts and ascended to number 2 three days later.
Super Junior's first Asia-wide concert tour,
Super ShowSuper Junior, The 1st ASIA TOUR - "Super Show" was the 2008 to 2009 Asia-wide live concert tour by the South Korean boy band, Super Junior. The tour commenced five months after the release of the group's second studio album, Don't Don...
, commenced on February 22, 2008, in
SeoulSeoul , 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...
. The group held a successful two-day fan meeting in Japan at the
Nippon BudokanThe , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in central Tokyo, Japan.This is the location where many "Live at the Budokan" albums were recorded...
in
Tokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, selling out 12,000 tickets in several days. The group released a compiled single "U/Twins", which includes the Japanese version of "U" in the limited release version, to complement the event. The single peaked at number four on Japan's Oricon Daily Chart on its first day of release, and dropped down four places on its second. The single broke a new record for being the first Korean single to have made within top 10 on Japan's Oricon Weekly Chart.
The group released their third studio album
Sorry, SorrySorry, Sorry is the award-winning third studio album by South Korean boy band Super Junior, released on March 12, 2009 in South Korea. Sorry, Sorry was a critically and commercially successful hit in Asia, becoming 2009's best-selling Korean-language album in South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, China,...
on March 12, 2009. The album was met with acclaimed reviews. It was their first album to debut at number one on the Hanteo Charts, selling over 29,000 copies the first day. After only a month of release, the album became South Korea's best-selling album of 2009, and ultimately sold over 250,000 copies in South Korea. It became the best-selling K-pop album in Taiwan, Thailand, China, and the Philippines, in which the latter credited the album to be the first
K-popK-pop is a musical genre consisting of electropop, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B music originating in South Korea...
album to reach number one in music charts from the country.The album's title single "
Sorry, Sorry"Sorry, Sorry" is a song performed by South Korean boy band Super Junior. It was released as a digital single on March 9, 2009 and was later included as the title single in the group's third studio album, Sorry, Sorry, released on March 12, 2009. This song was Super Junior's comeback single as a...
" became an instant hit, collecting a total of ten number-one awards for ten consecutive weeks in Korea, and stayed as number one for a record-breaking 37 weeks in Taiwan's K-pop singles chart. "Sorry, Sorry" achieved national and international success, and has since been the group's best-selling single in South Korea.
Sorry, Sorry won several accolades at the 24th Golden Disk Awards, including the Disk Daesang (Best Record of the Year).
After the success of
Sorry, Sorry, Super Junior commenced their second Asia-wide concert tour Super Show 2, on July 17, 2009 in Seoul.
2010–present: International recognition, lineup changes and subsequent releases
Despite their critical and commercial success, the group was plagued by legal turmoils and lineup changes during their concert tour. Though Kibum was shown in the ads and promotional videos for Super Show 2, he did not officially participate in the concert tour, and announced his temporarly leave from the group to pursuit his acting career. In October 2009, Kangin was charged with a DUI and hit-and-run after crashing into a parked taxi holding three passengers. In December 2009, Han Geng filed for contract termination from SM Entertainment, claiming that the provisions of his contract were unlawful, harsh, and against his rights. He parted with the group and released his solo album
Geng Xin in July 2010, which sold over 510,000 copies. That same month, Kangin announced his hiatus to fulfill his two-year mandatory
military serviceMilitary service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
.
With only ten members left, Super Junior went off to release their fourth studio album,
BonamanaBonamana is the fourth studio album by South Korean boy band Super Junior, released on May 13, 2010 in South Korea. Over 200,000 copies were pre-ordered a week after the release date was announced, setting a new high record for the group...
in May 2010. Although the album did not fare as well as
Sorry, Sorry critically, it sold over 300,000 copies in South Korea, outselling
Sorry, Sorry. The album remained at the top of Taiwan's Korean-Japanese Music Charts for 61 weeks, breaking their own previous record of the said chart.
To promote the album, Super Junior embarked on their third Asia-wide tour
Super Show 3Super Junior, The 3rd Asia Tour – "Super Show 3" is the 2010 to 2011 Asia-wide live concert tour by the South Korean boy band Super Junior to support their fourth studio album, Bonamana. After their concerts in Seoul, Super Junior plans to stop in cities like Qingdao, Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing,...
in 2010 and 2011, and had sold-out concerts for each stop. In February 2010, Super Junior released a 3D movie version of their tour,
Super Show 3 3D in all CGV and Primus movie theaters. The movie debuted at number six on the box office charts and went off to become the best-selling 3D movie in Korea. After touring in Japan, they released the
Super Junior Japan 'Super Show 3' Opening Commemorative Album in February 2010, which debuted at number two on Japan's
Tower RecordsTower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....
online sales charts. The DVD version of
Super Junior Japan Limited Special Edition - Super Show 3 also debuted at number two, while the CD version debuted at number ten. The album also remained at number three spot on the Oricon Daily Chart for two consecutive days and number six on the Oricon Weekly Chart. Following their commercial success in Japan, the group released a Japanese version of Bonamanas
self-titled single"Bonamana" is a song performed by South Korean boy band Super Junior. It is the lead single from the group's fourth studio album, Bonamana. The song was released as a digital single on May 10, 2010, three days before the South Korean release of Bonamana...
in June 2011, which debuted at number two on the Oricon Daily Singles chart, selling over 59,000 copies the first week of release.
Between Super Show 3 stops, the group took part in the
SMTown Live '10 World TourSM Town Live 2010 is the 2010-2011 world-wide live concert tour by SM Town. The tour kicks off from South Korea and will expand its route to USA, Japan, China, France etc.- History :...
and toured in
ParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Los Angelos and
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
along with other SM Entertainment-managed artists, performing outside of Asia for the first time. Super Junior's performances were well-received by the media, and they were honored as Korea's National Pop Culture Icon
for their role in spreading the Hallyu Wave (Korean WaveThe Korean Wave, also known as the Hallyu , refers to spread of South Korean culture around the world. The term was coined in China in mid-1999 by Beijing journalists surprised by the fast growing popularity of Korean entertainment and culture in China...
), receiving the Minister of Culture Awards by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism at the Pop Culture Art Awards. They were featured on CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's Talk Asia
program, and talked about their popularity and strategy for advancing into the world music industry. The group has achieved recognition beyond Asia, reaching notability in Europe, North America, and South America. Peru’s Top 30 ranking of The Sexiest Men in the World included all of the members on the list They gave exclusive interviews to Slovenian and Iranian magazines, and were selected by Brazilian Hallyu fans to be the number-one Korean artist they want to visit Brazil. Both Mexico's TV Azteca and the United Kingdom's
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
acknowledged Super Junior to be the leading icon of the Hallyu effect.
Super Junior held a large-scale press conference on August 4, 2011, coinciding with the release of their fifth studio album
Mr. SimpleMr. Simple is the fifth studio album of South Korean boy band Super Junior, released on August 3, 2011 by SM Entertainment and KMP Holdings in South Korea. This is the group's second album featuring ten members, the first being their previous album, "Bonamana"...
. The album debuted at number one on the South Korean Gaon ChartThe Gaon Chart is a national record chart of South Korea. It is complied by the Korea Music Content Industry Association and sponsored by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism; with an aim to create a national chart for Korea similar to the Billboard charts and Oricon charts...
, selling 287,427 copies. The album stayed on the chart as number one for four weeks, and sold over 441,000 copies in South Korea by October 2011. It peaked at number three on the Billboard World Albums ChartThe Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
and number 17 on Japan's Oricon Album's Chart, 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...
. The album's title single "Mr. Simple"Mr. Simple" is a song by South Korean boy band Super Junior, released as their tenth Korean and lead single off their fifth studio album of the same name digitally on August 2, 2011 via SM Entertainment in South Korea...
" won first place on the first day of the group's comeback performance on the music show M!Countdown. In September 2011, Heechul announced his temporary leave of the group after enlisting for
military serviceConscription, or mandatory military service or compulsory national service, is legislated in South Korea, with military service stated as one of the Four Constitutional Duties for all citizens...
. Following Heechul's departure, Super Junior began their first world tour, the
Super Show 4-Tour dates:-External links:...
in November 2011. The group's second Japanese single, a Japanese version of "Mr. Simple", is slated for a December 7th release in Japan.
Discography
Studio albums
- SuperJunior05
SuperJunior05 is the eponymous debut studio album by Korean boy band Super Junior 05 , released on December 5, 2005 in South Korea. The album peaked at #3 on the MIAK K-pop albums chart, selling 28,536 copies in the first month of release...
(2005)
- Don't Don
Don't Don is the second studio album by Korean boy band Super Junior. It was released by SM Entertainment on September 20, 2007 in South Korea...
(2007)
- Sorry, Sorry
Sorry, Sorry is the award-winning third studio album by South Korean boy band Super Junior, released on March 12, 2009 in South Korea. Sorry, Sorry was a critically and commercially successful hit in Asia, becoming 2009's best-selling Korean-language album in South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, China,...
(2009)
- Bonamana
Bonamana is the fourth studio album by South Korean boy band Super Junior, released on May 13, 2010 in South Korea. Over 200,000 copies were pre-ordered a week after the release date was announced, setting a new high record for the group...
(2010)
- Mr. Simple
Mr. Simple is the fifth studio album of South Korean boy band Super Junior, released on August 3, 2011 by SM Entertainment and KMP Holdings in South Korea. This is the group's second album featuring ten members, the first being their previous album, "Bonamana"...
(2011)
Single albums
- "Show Me Your Love" (with TVXQ
TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang Xien Qi , is a South Korean pop group formed in 2003 under SM Entertainment. In South Korea they are known as Dong Bang Shin Ki , often abbreviated by international fans as DBSK; they were later introduced in Japan as Tohoshinki under the Avex sub-label Rhythm Zone...
) (2005)
- "U
"U" is the first official CD single by Super Junior. The single topped CD sales charts during the first several weeks after its release on June 7, 2006. "U" peaked at #1 on the monthly MIAK K-pop album charts and sold 91,416 copies by 2008...
" (2006)
Musical style
Super Junior experimented with a variety of different genres throughout their career. They pursued
bubblegum popBubblegum 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...
in SuperJunior05
; etherealEthereal Wave, also called ethereal darkwave in Europe and ethereal goth or simply ethereal in the US, is a term that describes a subgenre of Dark Wave music...
and alternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
in Don't Don
; popPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and contemporary R&BContemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
in Sorry, Sorry
and Bonamana
; and electropop and synthpopSynthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
in Mr. Simple
. The group has also covered few songs in their albums. Their debut single "Twins (Knock Out)" is a coverIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Triple Eight's "Knockout," which was released in 2003. In most of their covers, the original titles are kept, such as Cape's "L.O.V.E" and Exile's "Believe", both tracks from SuperJunior05. Super Junior works closely with
Yoo Young-jinYoo Young-jin is a singer-songwriter and producer for various SM Entertainment artists. He has composed and written songs for H.O.T., S.E.S, BoA, Shinhwa, TVXQ, The Grace, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, Shinee and F....
, who has produced and arranged most of the group's title singles since debut. Yoo's also known for creating the renowned SMP style, a genre that includes a balanced infusion of rock, R&B, and rap, empowered by the sounds of
electric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, bass, and other different
percussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
s. Super Junior prominently featured this SMP style in Don't Don. The group are also acclaimed for their vocal harmonization and unison as each member contributes a different range in their choruses, and often incorporate different types of vocal belting into their songs.
Dance style
Super Junior's performances are heavily centered around their dance choreography, and are acclaimed for their highly synchronized dances. The group's pre-debut performance was a hip hop dance, and have occasionally joined B-boy battles and performances throughout their career. Most of their dances are inspired by street dancing styels, with a majority of their choreography containing hip hop dance moves such as popping, waving, floating, and liquid dancing. Han Geng and Sungmin, both trained in martial arts, often incorporate martial art-styled dances into their choreography. Being professionally trained in dancing prior debut, Super Junior often choreograph their own dances. Shindong is the main choreographer for "U" and for a majority of the group's other dance performances in TV shows and concerts. Eunhyuk choreographed the dance for "
Boom, BoomBonamana is the fourth studio album by South Korean boy band Super Junior, released on May 13, 2010 in South Korea. Over 200,000 copies were pre-ordered a week after the release date was announced, setting a new high record for the group...
" and worked with the other members to create the dance choreography for "Don't Don" and "Marry U".
Subgroups
Since debut, four Super Junior subgroups were formed. With the exception of Kibum, all of the members were put in at least one subgroup. The intentions of the subgroups were part of SM Entertainment's strategy to not limit Super Junior's activities while certain members focus on their individual careers Furthermore, the goal of subgroup formations was to show that Super Junior could accommodate and perform different musical genres. This strategy was later challenged by critics, as it has influenced an overwhelming amount of music groups to create official and unofficial subgroups alike.
Super Junior-K.R.Y.
Super Junior-K.R.Y., established in November 2006, is the first Super Junior subgroup. It comprises members
KyuhyunCho Kyuhyun , best known mononymously as Kyuhyun, is a Korean pop singer. He is the youngest member of a very popular boy band Super Junior. In Super Junior, he is a main vocalist. He is also one of the first four Korean artists to appear on Chinese postage stamps...
,
RyeowookKim Ryeo-wook , best known mononymously as Ryeowook, is a Korean singer-songwriter and occasional actor. He is one of the four lead vocalists of the super boy band Super Junior, and is also a member of Super Junior-K.R.Y and Super Junior-M, two subgroups that are branched out from the main group...
, and
YesungKim Jong-woon , better known by his stage name Yesung, is a South Korean idol singer and occasional actor. He is one of the four lead vocalists of the boy band Super Junior. He was once a radio host for his own radio program, M.I.R.A.C.L.E for You, which ended its broadcast in September 2007...
, three of the most vocally powerful members of Super Junior. Super Junior-K.R.Y. specialize in performing mournful, R&B-style ballads.
The trio's first official performance was on November 5, 2006 on KBS's Music Bank
, performing "The One I Love", theme song to the Korean television drama Hyena
. Aside from the theme, they contributed to two more tracks in the original soundtrack of Hyena
Hyena is the name of a soundtrack in 2007 for the tvN drama Hyena featuring Kim Min Jong and Yoon Da Hoon.-Track listing:# The Night Chicago Died - Super Junior - K.R.Y.# Go! Go! - The TRAX# 한 사람만을 - Super Junior - K.R.Y....
. The trio also performanced in two additional original soundtracks, one track in both the soundtracks of Snow Flower
and Billy Jean Look at MeBillie Jean, Look At Me is the name of a soundtrack in 2007 for the MBC drama Billie Jean, Look At Me starring Lee Ji Hoon and Park Hee Bon.Track 2 by Super Junior - K.R.Y...
. Unlike Super Junior's other sub-units, Super Junior-K.R.Y. has not officially released an original single or album, and only participated in collaboration albums and original soundtracks.
Super Junior-K.R.Y. held their first mini concert tour in Japan in August 2010. They held two more concerts in
. Over 22,000 attended the tour.
Prior Super Junior's debut, several of the members made brief appearances in television dramas. In 2000, Leeteuk appears as an
Don't Don in 2007. The members answered curious questions about the human body by doing humorous demonstrations and experiments with their own bodies. Although the show was the highest-rated program of the Sunday reality line-up at the time, the program ended after thirteen episodes. Due to the popularity of the program, the producers planned to write in another season, but had difficulty in accommodating filming time with Super Junior's packed schedules. In 2008, Leeteuk, Yesung, Kangin, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, and Donghae made appearances in the third season of Unbelievable Outing
. Siwon portrays Dun Helian, a famous television star, and Donghae portrays the ambitious Bupo Shang, a fairly new singer who used his girlfriend Gong Xi (portrayed by Ivy Chen) to get famous. Super Junior-M will sing the opening theme "Extravagant One Man Show" (Chinese: 華麗的獨秀), while Donghae will perform the ending theme "This Is Love" (Chinese: 這是愛).
In 2007, twelve members of Super Junior, excluding Kyuhyun, starred in the group's debut film
. The first film released by SM Pictures, it premiered on July 26, 2007 in South Korea. "Wonder Boy", performed by Super Junior, is used as the theme song of the film. Although the film was promoted as a typical high school comedy, the movie gained positive reviews from critics, praising that the movie had a well-oriented plot unlike most idol films. However, ticket sales remained low in the premiere month despite its unexpected success in the sales the first week. The film was a box-office bomb, failing to attract more than 102,600 admissions and was proven to be a big loss for SM Pictures. However, both versions of the film's DVD became a best-selling record and were sold-out in both Korea and oversea markets, which was more than enough to make up for the production loss of 8.5 billion won. Following Attack
12 Plus Miracle (2007–present) and began endorsing its products with interchangeable Super Junior members. Siwon also makes several prominent appearances in Korean brand Spao's catalogues along with SNSD and other Super Junior members. He also recently endorsed and modeled for the SK Telesys "Reaction" smart phone, also appearing in the phone's humorous mock-action commercial. While, On July 2010, Super Junior's Choi Siwon was appointed as UNICEF Envoy. Acer Computer Co., Ltd. a leading position in Thai computer market also presented Siwon as a new endorser for
Maxim Colours Contact lens worldwide. The group are also known for their string of humorous commercials for Thailand's
. Super Junior were also appointed as the Goodwill ambassadors for the 2008 Korea and Thailand 50th Anniversary, honoring the good relationship Korea has held with Thailand for the past fifty years. Most recently in 2009, Super Junior have filmed CFs for brands such as
.
Seoul Summer Sale 2011. Recently, Super Junior has been appointed to be the ambassadors for Korean tourism.On July 26th, they signed an Memorandum of Understanding with Korea Tourism Organization‘s head, Lee Cham, in a simple ceremony to officialize their status. On October 18, Super Junior was selected, alongside their labelmates f(x), as models for all
products for one year and will participate in the company’s global marketing activities. They also will produce Super Junior’s music videos in 3D early next year. Super Junior will be endorsing LG's new smartphone
application which features Super Junior's 4th regular album, 'BONAMANA'. The lite app can be purchased for free, while the full app can be purchased for US$7.99 on iTunes.
During the course of Super Junior's career, several pop groups were formed similarly extraordinary numbers of members.
recruited thirteen boys to be in a boy band, who were all revealed in the show, Hot Blood Men. Of these thirteen, eleven were split into two groups that debuted at different times:
, which has seven. Together, the two groups form the eleven-member boy band One Day. Ast'1, a boy band under DSP Entertainment, released a promotional video in March 2008. In the short preview the boy band expressed that they would "Knock Down Super Junior", which resulted in a lot of criticism lashed into the group. However, they clarified that they had no means to create conflict, and explained the reason why they want to defeat Super Junior is because they see Super Junior as their answer of success.
After the subgroups Super Junior-K.R.Y. and Super Junior-T, on October 2, 2007, S.M. Entertainment announced the birth of another Super Junior sub-unit project that would begin activities in China starting 2008.
and S.M. Entertainment's new Chinese-Canadian trainee
, who was also featured in the music video of "Don't Don", were also members of the subgroup.
The announcement brought in a huge wave of dissatisfaction and opposition from fans of Super Junior after the announcement of two new members. Initially, fans were planning to boycott the company's products, however, most fans agreed on a silent protest instead. Thousands of fans from Super Junior's official fanclub E.L.F. silently sat in front of the SM building and held signs that supported the group to have only thirteen members.
After more rumors regarding adding a Chinese member to the subgroup, the fans decided to gain a legal representation as part of S.M. Entertainment's stockholders. As of March 20, 2008, Super Junior fans purchased 58,206 stocks of S.M. Entertainment, holding 0.3% of the company's entire stock. They released a statement that they will obtain all chances to prevent S.M. Entertainment from adding new members and to keep Super Junior as only thirteen.
Show! Music Core and also two more variety shows, which both soon canceled after Kangin left due to low ratings. MBC demanded an apology from S.M. Entertainment in order for Super Junior to appear on shows hosted by the channel again. However, MBC concluded that Super Junior's ban was never official, but just a decision for shows' producers to decide.
, label company of the group. The following day, Han Geng's lawyer stated the claimed reasons behind the action: provisions were in S.M. Entertainment's favour, unlawful 13-year contract length, unfair sum of money to end the contract, not allowed to request to revise his contract, forced to do things that were not in his contract, forced to do things against his will, fined if he disobeyed the company, missed any events or even was late, and there was uneven profit distribution. Along with this, it was disclosed that because of S.M. Entertainment's refusal to give him a day off in over two years, he had developed
Han Geng's current manager, Sun Le, also submitted a statement to the court of South Korea citing S.M. Entertainment's violation of Han Geng's rights. Sun Le's statement contended that: Han Geng was forced to wear a mask due to company's ill handling of the visa issue, company purposely discriminated against Han Geng and his family, company refused to cooperate or listen to any of Han Geng's suggestions, company purposely turned down individual activities for Han Geng (including
's "Fireflies" music video, which later starred Siwon and Donghae) and that the company treated Han Geng's potential endorsers poorly.
On December 21, 2010, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of Han Geng. The court stated, “All three contracts – from the January 2003 contract, the altered contract from February 2007, and the affiliated contract from December 2007 – do not exist.” A representative of S.M. Entertainment stated that that they would file an immediate appeal to reverse the decision.
On September 27, 2011, Han Geng's departure from Super Junior was made official when legal representatives of both Hangeng and S.M. Entertainment eventually released a statement stating, "Han Geng and S.M. Entertainment have amicably settled on a mutual agreement, and the lawsuit was able to come to a close after Hangeng submitted his 'Notice of Withdrawal of Appeal'." Additionally, S.M. Entertainment's official Super Junior website and sub-unit Super Junior-M also no longer lists Han Geng as one of the current members of both groups as of November 2011.
, many Korean pop stars including Super Junior were invited to the "South Korean classical and pop concert" which was planned to be launched at Expo Cultural Centre on May 30. As the tickets were not for sale to the public, visitors who want to enjoy the show could only exchange the ticket via expo ticket in the west door of the Expo Cultural Centre on May 30. The total ticket number is 5000, while 2500 of which would be assigned to Korea visitors for free which caused the actual available number to be 2500. Super Junior fans collected in the entry of the Expo Cultural Centre, and the strong emotion led to the occurrence of violence, resulting in casualties. A local armed police said that this is his first time to see such a “crazy” situation in