Top Combine
Encyclopedia
Top Combine is a Mandopop
boy band
. The group consists of the members Bird Zhang, Caesar Li, Mars Ma, Kenny Liu, and Tanas Kim. All were professionally trained in singing, dancing, modeling, and language. With the exception of Kim, the other four members of Top Combine were all 2007 contestants from China's top singing competition Super Boy
, the male counterpart of Super Girl . They debuted in October 2008 with a performance of their first single, "Arrival" (降临).
, Super Boy's
first broadcast was on May 25, 2007. Zhang Yuan, representing Nanjing
, snatched ninth place in the contest overall, successfully entering the top ten of the finalists round. Although Li Mao of Nanjing
, Ma Xueyang of Chengdu
, Liu Zhoucheng of Guangzhou
, and Gao Wei of Changsha were all eliminated before the final round, it had already been proposed by EE Media for these four contestants to unite as one vocal group. Contestant Yang Fan of Jinan
was to join the group as well, but was soon removed from the group. After a few test recordings with the four potential members, EE Media signed them to record contracts, temporarily being added to a group named "Happy Boy Group". Originally, finalist Zhang Yuan was to debut in a thirteen-member vocal touring group called "Happy Top 13", along with the other top thirteen finalists of Super Boy
. However, the plan sounded tedious and hence was discarded. Instead, Zhang Yuan was placed as the fifth and last member of the "Happy Boy Group". That same month, the five of them recorded their pre-debut single "Kiss", and performed it at the Super Boy concert in Shanghai
.
With the support of South Korea's DoReMi Media, the group was sent in October 2007 to South Korea
to undergo vigorous vocal and dance training. Fascinated by the Korean music industry, it was rumored that EE Media would replace a member from the "Happy Boy Group" with a Korean member, hoping for the group to make a future debut in Korea. For a while, the Chinese media speculated that Zhang Yuan was to be replaced due to his late addition to the group in September 2007. Later, EE Media announced that the rumors of a line-up change were true, and Gao Wei was to be replaced with an anonymous member in early 2008.
The "Happy Boy Group" returned to China in April 2008 with the announcement of the new member Kim Eun-sung, a Korean trainee under DoRreMi Media who had replaced Gao Wei. The mysterious addition of Kim caused the Chinese media to assume that they were trying to compete against Super Junior-M
, causing Korean fans to label Kim as the Korean version of Han Geng. However, EE Media claims that Kim was added to the group due to his special voice and the bond he had formed with the existing members. The addition of Kim in the group caused the group's popularity to rise in Korea, even accepting interviews from Korea's KBS channel.
Right before they recorded their debut single, the group decided on the name Zhi Shang Li He , literally meaning "supreme combination". The group's English name was finalized to Top Combine and the members also chose English stage names for themselves. Zhang Yuan became Bird, Li Mao became Caesar, Ma Xueyang became Mars, Liu Zhoucheng became Kenny, and Kim Eun-sung became Tanas. Nonetheless, all five members kept the characters of their birth names as their Chinese stage names. Jin Ensheng, the Chinese counterpart to Kim Eun-sung's name in hanja
, became his Chinese stage name.
on September 20, 2008 earned some ire the first few months of their debut. The color, style, and material seen in "Arrival" is similar to that of the "O" and "Purple Line
" music videos by Korean boy band.TVXQ
Top Combine were henceforth labeled as copiers by TVXQ fans. Later, it was clarified that the reasons for their similarities were because the two groups used the same director, Chun Hyuk-jin.
On October 9, 2008, Top Combine officially debuted on the program Up Every Day , performing "Arrival". Their debut EP
, Arrival (EP)
, was released in different provinces of China starting from October 26, 2008. The EP sold very well in China, and the group held their first fan meeting with their fan club "Seraphim" on November 16, 2008.
The music video of "Cotton Candy", the group's second promotional single, was released in early December 2008. "Cotton Candy" was composed and written by Mars, who composed the piece with his electric guitar
and violin
. The single charted within then top ten of over five different music charts, peaking at #2, and achieving more popularity than their first single.
Top Combine was invited to perform the opening act of the Southeast Explosive Music Awards on November 15, 2008. On November 17, they received their first award at the 9+2 Music Awards.
Caesar
Mars
Kenny
Tanas
Release Date: July 2009
E.E. Media Stars - OPEN新年 (OPEN Xin Nian/"OPEN New Year")
Release Date: December 2008
Super Boys (feat. Bird/Zhang Yuan) - 我最闪亮 (Wo Zui Shan Liang/"I'm The Brightest")
Release Date: September 2007
Mandopop
Mandopop 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...
boy band
Boy band
A 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...
. The group consists of the members Bird Zhang, Caesar Li, Mars Ma, Kenny Liu, and Tanas Kim. All were professionally trained in singing, dancing, modeling, and language. With the exception of Kim, the other four members of Top Combine were all 2007 contestants from China's top singing competition Super Boy
Super Boy (contest)
Super Boy or Happy Boy was a national singing contest in People's Republic of China for male contestants, organized by Hunan Satellite Television in 2007, as a spinoff of its popular "Super Girl" series.-Outline:...
, the male counterpart of Super Girl . They debuted in October 2008 with a performance of their first single, "Arrival" (降临).
The Super Boy competition and formation
Due to the success of the predecessor Super Girl, Hunan TV and record label EE Media decided to produce a male counterpart of the contest. Deemed China's version of American IdolAmerican Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, Super Boy's
Super Boy (contest)
Super Boy or Happy Boy was a national singing contest in People's Republic of China for male contestants, organized by Hunan Satellite Television in 2007, as a spinoff of its popular "Super Girl" series.-Outline:...
first broadcast was on May 25, 2007. Zhang Yuan, representing Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, snatched ninth place in the contest overall, successfully entering the top ten of the finalists round. Although Li Mao of Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, Ma Xueyang of Chengdu
Chengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
, Liu Zhoucheng of Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, and Gao Wei of Changsha were all eliminated before the final round, it had already been proposed by EE Media for these four contestants to unite as one vocal group. Contestant Yang Fan of Jinan
Jinan
Jinan is the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of the region from the earliest beginnings of civilisation and has evolved into a major national administrative, economic, and transportation hub...
was to join the group as well, but was soon removed from the group. After a few test recordings with the four potential members, EE Media signed them to record contracts, temporarily being added to a group named "Happy Boy Group". Originally, finalist Zhang Yuan was to debut in a thirteen-member vocal touring group called "Happy Top 13", along with the other top thirteen finalists of Super Boy
Super Boy (contest)
Super Boy or Happy Boy was a national singing contest in People's Republic of China for male contestants, organized by Hunan Satellite Television in 2007, as a spinoff of its popular "Super Girl" series.-Outline:...
. However, the plan sounded tedious and hence was discarded. Instead, Zhang Yuan was placed as the fifth and last member of the "Happy Boy Group". That same month, the five of them recorded their pre-debut single "Kiss", and performed it at the Super Boy concert in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
.
With the support of South Korea's DoReMi Media, the group was sent in October 2007 to South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
to undergo vigorous vocal and dance training. Fascinated by the Korean music industry, it was rumored that EE Media would replace a member from the "Happy Boy Group" with a Korean member, hoping for the group to make a future debut in Korea. For a while, the Chinese media speculated that Zhang Yuan was to be replaced due to his late addition to the group in September 2007. Later, EE Media announced that the rumors of a line-up change were true, and Gao Wei was to be replaced with an anonymous member in early 2008.
The "Happy Boy Group" returned to China in April 2008 with the announcement of the new member Kim Eun-sung, a Korean trainee under DoRreMi Media who had replaced Gao Wei. The mysterious addition of Kim caused the Chinese media to assume that they were trying to compete against Super Junior-M
Super Junior-M
Super 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 ...
, causing Korean fans to label Kim as the Korean version of Han Geng. However, EE Media claims that Kim was added to the group due to his special voice and the bond he had formed with the existing members. The addition of Kim in the group caused the group's popularity to rise in Korea, even accepting interviews from Korea's KBS channel.
Right before they recorded their debut single, the group decided on the name Zhi Shang Li He , literally meaning "supreme combination". The group's English name was finalized to Top Combine and the members also chose English stage names for themselves. Zhang Yuan became Bird, Li Mao became Caesar, Ma Xueyang became Mars, Liu Zhoucheng became Kenny, and Kim Eun-sung became Tanas. Nonetheless, all five members kept the characters of their birth names as their Chinese stage names. Jin Ensheng, the Chinese counterpart to Kim Eun-sung's name in hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
, became his Chinese stage name.
Musical career
Promoted as "China's Number One Motivational Boy Band" , Top Combine's debut was both successful and controversial. The group's first single "Arrival" (降临) made its debut global broadcast in Music Radio: China's Top 10 Charts on September 8, 2008, just six days after their official debut. The single peaked at #3 on the charts. While the single was received with much success, the release of the single's corresponding music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
on September 20, 2008 earned some ire the first few months of their debut. The color, style, and material seen in "Arrival" is similar to that of the "O" and "Purple Line
Purple Line (song)
"Purple Line" is Tohoshinki's 16th Japanese single, written by the Korean composer who made TVXQ's biggest hits in Korea such as Rising Sun and "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap. It became Tohoshinki's first Japanese single to reach #1 on the Oricon Weekly sales chart in Japan, making the group the first foreign...
" music videos by Korean boy band.TVXQ
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...
Top Combine were henceforth labeled as copiers by TVXQ fans. Later, it was clarified that the reasons for their similarities were because the two groups used the same director, Chun Hyuk-jin.
On October 9, 2008, Top Combine officially debuted on the program Up Every Day , performing "Arrival". Their debut EP
Extended play
An 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...
, Arrival (EP)
Arrival (EP)
Arrival also known as The Advent or Jiang Lin , is the debut EP by Mandopop boy band, Top Combine. The EP was released on October 26, 2008 in People's Republic of China by EE Media...
, was released in different provinces of China starting from October 26, 2008. The EP sold very well in China, and the group held their first fan meeting with their fan club "Seraphim" on November 16, 2008.
The music video of "Cotton Candy", the group's second promotional single, was released in early December 2008. "Cotton Candy" was composed and written by Mars, who composed the piece with his electric guitar
Electric guitar
An 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...
and violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
. The single charted within then top ten of over five different music charts, peaking at #2, and achieving more popularity than their first single.
Top Combine was invited to perform the opening act of the Southeast Explosive Music Awards on November 15, 2008. On November 17, they received their first award at the 9+2 Music Awards.
Members
Bird- Birth name: Zhang Yuan
- Date of birth: 2 June 1985 (age 26)
- Place of birth: ChuzhouChuzhouChuzhou is a prefecture-level city in eastern Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Hefei to the southwest, Huainan to the west, Bengbu to the northwest, Chaohu to the south, and the province of Jiangsu to the east...
, AnhuiAnhuiAnhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... - Position: Leader, Main Vocal
Caesar
- Birth name: Li Mao
- Date of birth: 2 June 1986 (age 25)
- Place of birth: HefeiHefeiHefei is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province in Eastern China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Anhui...
, AnhuiAnhuiAnhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... - Position: Rapper, Vocal , dancer
Mars
- Birth name: Ma Xueyang
- Date of birth: 30 September 1986 (age 25)
- Place of birth: ChengduChengduChengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
, SichuanSichuan' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... - Position: Vocal
Kenny
- Birth name: Liu Zhoucheng
- Date of birth: 28 February 1988 (age 23)
- Place of birth: ZhongshanZhongshanZhongshan , also spelled Chungshan and historically known as Xiangshan or Siangshan, is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province in southern China. Zhongshan, one of the few cities in China with an eponymous name, is named after Dr. Sun Yat-sen who was...
, GuangdongGuangdongGuangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... - Position: Vocal
Tanas
- Name: Jin Ensheng
- Birth name: Kim Eun-sung (HangulHangulHangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 김은성) - Date of birth: 17 September 1988 (age 23)
- Place of birth: South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
- Position: Vocal
Albums
| Album Information | Tracklisting |
|---|---|
| Arrival Arrival (EP) Arrival also known as The Advent or Jiang Lin , is the debut EP by Mandopop boy band, Top Combine. The EP was released on October 26, 2008 in People's Republic of China by EE Media... (EP)
|
|
Grandness Equal to Heaven
|
|
Lucky Boys (EP)
|
|
Other Units
E.E. Media Stars - 红星闪闪 (Hong Xing Shan Shan/"Red Star Glimmering")Release Date: July 2009
E.E. Media Stars - OPEN新年 (OPEN Xin Nian/"OPEN New Year")
Release Date: December 2008
Super Boys (feat. Bird/Zhang Yuan) - 我最闪亮 (Wo Zui Shan Liang/"I'm The Brightest")
Release Date: September 2007
Awards
| Year | Awards |
|---|---|
| 2008 |
|
| 2009 |
|