Brown Eyed Girls
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Brown Eyed Girls |
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The Brown Eyed Girls (Korean: 브라운 아이드 걸스), often abbreviated as B.E.G., are a South Korean girl group managed by NegaNetwork. The group consists of four members: Jea, Miryo, Narsha, Ga-in. They originally had a 5th member named Yo Ah-ri who left group before they debuted.[citation needed] Since debuting in 2006, the group has risen to popularity through a number of hit singles, beginning with 2008's "Love".
History
Debut
According to the leader Jea, Jea herself went around and searched for the other members of BEG. The first member Jea picked out was Miryo, who then was known as a great female rapper from the hip-hop community. Miryo previously worked with other fellow rappers, such as Gil from Leessang, and was a rapper in Honey Family. Narsha was chosen when Jea remembered her as "talented singer" from her high school days. Ga-in was selected by three members, after she failed from "Battle Shin Hwa". According to Ga-in, she was crying in the bathroom after failing in the audition, but she was found by composer Ahn Jung Hoon, then was chosen through the audition in Brown Eyed Girls' company. Four members held several small size concert, and actually was known as "Crescendo" before officially debuting as "Brown Eyed Girls".[citation needed]
After more than 3 years of training regarding singing and several small sized-concerts, the Brown Eyed Girls (sometimes abbreviated as "BEG") released the debut album Your Story in South Korea in February 2006. The album was well-received critically but did not do as well as expected commercially.[citation needed] However, it did spawn their hit debut single "Come Closer" (다가와서), which became a minor hit throughout Korea. The album was later re-released to include "Hold The Line" (which samples "Push The Button" by British girl band Sugababes and "Technologic" by Daft Punk). This song also became a hit, further boosting the band's popularity. "Hold the Line" was disclosed across the world because it was included in the list of songs from the game Pump it Up.
After a short break, the group went back into the studio to work on their second album Leave Ms. Kim (떠나라 미스김), which included the single "You Got Me Fooled" (너에게 속았다). Subsequent singles were "Oasis" (오아시스) featuring Lee Jae Hoon and "It's Mine" (내꺼야), a collaboration with fellow group SeeYa.
During the break between their debut and second albums, the Brown Eyed Girls released their first digital single entitled "I Am a Summer" (내가 여름이다), which was later included in their second LP.
The first two albums contained typical R&B ballads which had been very popular in the K-pop scene.[citation needed] However, the commercial success was relatively higher in two singles between the first and second albums.[citation needed] "Hold the Line" and "Oasis" can be categorized as dance and retropop, respectively. Moreover, the second album containing "You Got Me Fooled" (너에게 속았다) was released at nearly the same time as Wondergirls' "Tell Me" which received a nationwide success in Korea. Therefore, their second album was a commercial disappointment.[citation needed] At the same time, the general K-pop scene was changing from R&B ballads to dance music.[citation needed]
2008: With Love and My Style mini albums
In January 2008, the group released their first mini album With Love. The first single taken from the mini-album was "Love", which became an instant hit in South Korea, making the girls a household name.[citation needed] "Love Action" was the second single taken from the mini album and was another hit for the group. With Love also marked the group's second digital album (after "I Am a Summer"), though it was released in conventional CD format as well. After the release of their first mini-album, they could achieve the commercial success.[citation needed] "Love" was composed by Saint-Binary and Min-Soo Lee.
In September 2008, the "Brown Eyed Girls released their second mini-album in My Style. Their new single "How Come" (어쩌다) became their biggest hit of 2008, topping many music charts. After promotion for "How Come" ended, they released the 3-track follow-up My Hidden Style, which included the single "My Style", a remake of their hit "Love". Both "My Style" and "How Come" were successful singles. Their second mini album, My Style contained "How Come". It also contained "You", which was composed by Saint-Binary and Min-Soo Lee.
2009–present: Sound G
On July 20, 2009, the Brown Eyed Girls released their third full-length album, the double-disc Sound G. Though "Candy Man" was the first song unveiled from the new album, the first single that was heavily promoted was "Abracadabra".[citation needed] The release of this album also saw a shift in the image of the group, as the members redefined themselves as independent and mature city girls, which is a trend with many K-Pop groups.[citation needed]
The release of the "Abracadabra" music video has sparked a lot of controversy.[citation needed] As the group is sporting a substantially more provocative visual style, criticism has arisen for the suggestive and erotic themes that the video presents.[citation needed] They later released a stage version of the song that is just the dance. "Abracadabra" was composed by Ji-nu and Min-Soo Lee. Ji-nu was a famous bassist in the legendary acid-jazz band in Korea, Roller Coaster. After the disband of Roller Coaster, Ji-nu became a famous DJ regarding electronic music. He composed the first part of "Abracadabra", and tried to compose the refrain part. However, he could not think of a good idea to make the refrain part. Therefore, Min-Soo Lee, who worked with BEG previously, helped and composed the refrain part of "Abracadabra".
The Brown Eyed Girls revealed a repackaged album titled Sign that included a new single, "Sign", along with "Drunk On Sleep" (잠에 취해) and a remix of their previous hit "Abracadabra". The repackaged album was released along with the music video on the 29th.[when?] Brown Eyed Girls' agency, Nega Network, revealed that, "This upcoming music video will be even more shocking and provoking than Abracadabra."[citation needed] The song has been quite successful although not topping their previous single.[citation needed]
Due to their musical success, at least two of members were selected for popular variety shows. Ga-in have been on We Got Married with 2AM's Jo Kwon since October 2009. This couple is known as "Adam Couple" ("Adam" in Korean means small in size.[citation needed] They are known as Adam couple due to their heights)[citation needed] and is one of the most recognized virtual couple in Korea. Narsha has been on Invincible Youth (aka G7) since October 2009. She is known as "Sung In Dol" (Adult Idol) due to her being much older than other members and her funny, but naughty actions in the show.[citation needed] In August 2010, a Japanese-language version of Sound G was released.
Other musical efforts
The girls have also been featured on several South Korean Drama soundtracks. Including The Vineyard Man (Loving You), Queen of Games (독한 사랑), Dae Jo Yeong (대조영) The Kingdom of The Winds (다애), and My Fair Lady (I Love You) and Chuno (Me-Ah).
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album information |
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| 2006 | Your Story
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| 2007 | Leave Ms. Kim ("떠나라 미스김")
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| 2009 | Sound G.
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Mini albums
| Year | Album information |
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| 2008 | With Love
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My Style
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Singles
2009: "Abracadabra"
2009: "Sign"
Members
- Jea (제아) (b. September 18, 1981), birth name Kim Hyo Jin (김효진)
- Miryo (미료) (b. November 2, 1981), birth name Jo Mi Hye (조미혜), was also featured in fellow labelmate group Vanilla Lucy as a rapper.[citation needed]
- Narsha (나르샤) (b. December 29, 1981), birth name Park Hyo Jin (박효진), also debuted as a solo artist with her mini-album Narsha released on July 7, 2010.[citation needed]
- Ga In (가인) (b. September 20, 1987), birth name Son Ga In (손가인), also debuted as a solo artist with her mini-album step 2/4 released on October 8, 2010.
Former
- Yo Ah Ri left before the group's debut.
Awards
| Year | Awards |
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| 2006 |
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| 2008 |
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| 2009 |
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| 2010 |
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