1st Wonder Tour on:  
[Wikipedia]  
[Google]  
[Amazon]
Wonder Girls () was a South Korean
girl group formed by
JYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate founded in 1997 by J. Y. Park. It is one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, and operates as a record label, tale ...
. The group debuted in February 2007 with the single "
Irony" and 5 members:
Yeeun
Ye-eun, also spelled Ye-un, is a Korean feminine given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 55 hanja with the reading "''ye''" and 30 hanja with the reading "'' eun''" on the South Korean ...
,
Sunye,
Sunmi
Lee Sun-mi (born Sun Mi on May 2, 1992), known mononymously as Sunmi (stylized as SUNMI), is a South Korean singer, dancer, songwriter and record producer. She debuted in 2007 as a member of South Korean girl group Wonder Girls and left the gr ...
,
Hyuna
Kim Hyun-ah (born June 6, 1992), better known by the mononym Hyuna (stylized HyunA), is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper and model. She debuted as a member of the girl group Wonder Girls in February 2007. After leaving the ensemble sho ...
and
Sohee
So-hee, also spelled So-hui, is a Korean feminine given name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 45 hanja with the reading " so" and 24 hanja with the reading " hee" on the South Korean government's ...
. After Hyuna's departure in July,
Yubin
Yu-bin, also spelled Yoo-bin, is a Korean unisex given name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name.
Hanja and meaning
There are 62 hanja with the reading "yu" and 25 hanja with the reading "bin" on the South Kor ...
was added into the group prior to the release of their debut studio album, ''
The Wonder Years
''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age comedy/drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Super ...
'' (2007). The album spawned the hit single "
Tell Me," which topped various South Korea's on and offline music charts.
Wonder Girls further established themselves as one of the top girl groups in the country with the hit singles "
So Hot
"So Hot" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Wonder Girls. It was initially released on May 22, 2008, for digital download. Afterwards, the maxi-single titled "So Hot (The 3rd Project)" was released on June 3, 2008. The single became ...
" and "
Nobody
Nobody may refer to:
* Nobody, an indefinite pronoun
Nobody may also refer to:
Fictional characters
* Nobody (''Kingdom Hearts''), a race of beings in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' video game series
*Nobody, a character in the Jim Jarmusch films '' D ...
," released in 2008. After being released as a single in the U.S. in 2009, "Nobody" charted at No. 76 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, making Wonder Girls the first South Korean act to enter the chart.
The group began their entry into the American market the same year as an opening act for the
Jonas Brothers' World Tour, performing English versions of their songs.
In 2010, Sunmi left the group to pursue an academic career and was replaced by
Hyerim
Hye-rim, also spelled Hye-lim, is a Korean feminine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 16 hanja with the reading " hye" and nine hanja with the reading "rim" on the South Korean g ...
prior to the Korean & US releases of the single "2 Different Tears." Their second studio album, ''
Wonder World'' (2011), yielded the successful single "Be My Baby." In 2012, Wonder Girls starred in the
TeenNick
TeenNick is an American pay-TV channel that is operated by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Aimed primarily at teens and tweens, its programming includes a variety of live-action series inherited from sister channel Nic ...
movie ''The Wonder Girls'', and released their last 3 singles as a quintet, notably "
Like This" and "
Like Money," before going on a 3-year long hiatus. In 2015, it was announced that Sunye and Sohee decided to leave the group while Sunmi would resume promotion with the remaining members. The 4-piece adapted a
band
Band or BAND may refer to:
Places
*Bánd, a village in Hungary
*Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania
*Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...
-oriented concept for their acclaimed third and final studio album, ''
Reboot
In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
'' (2015), and the No. 1 2016 single "
Why So Lonely
"Why So Lonely" is a song by South Korean girl group Wonder Girls. It was released via JYP Entertainment on July 5, 2016, and was distributed by KT Music. The song was written by group members Hyerim, Sunmi, and Yubin, along with songwriter H ...
."
Wonder Girls are also known as "South Korea's Retro Queens,"
as their music has been noted to contain elements from the 1960s through 80s.
In 2017, ''Billboard'' ranked Wonder Girls at No. 3 on their "Top 10 K-pop Girl Groups of the Past Decade" list. The group officially disbanded on January 26, 2017, after unsuccessful contract renewal negotiation with some of its members. On February 10, 2017, they released their final single "
Draw Me," which also served as a celebration of their 10th anniversary.
History
2006–07: ''MTV Wonder Girls'', debut and line-up changes
![Wonder Girls-HanyangUniv 05R](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Wonder_Girls-HanyangUniv_05R.jpg)
After Park Jin-young revealed the name of his first girl group Wonder Girls in May 2006, the Wonder Girls were introduced through a TV show titled ''
MTV Wonder Girls
MTV Wonder Girls is a television program starring the South Korean girl group Wonder Girls. It was classified as a reality show and ran from 2007 through 2010. MTV Wonder Girls was on for four seasons.
Season 1
Season 1 aired the process that ...
''. The first four episodes outlined the characteristics and profiles of each member. Shortly after selecting
Yeeun
Ye-eun, also spelled Ye-un, is a Korean feminine given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 55 hanja with the reading "''ye''" and 30 hanja with the reading "'' eun''" on the South Korean ...
as the fifth member, the Wonder Girls held their first showcase in the MTV Studio. They performed a cover version of "
Don't Cha
"Don't Cha" is a song written by Busta Rhymes and CeeLo Green, and produced by the latter. The chorus is an interpolation of the song "Swass", which was written and performed by Sir Mix-a-Lot. The song was originally recorded and published by Tor ...
" by the
Pussycat Dolls
Pussycat or Pussy Cat may refer to:
* Cat, a domestic feline
Music Bands
* Pussycat (band), a Dutch country and pop group
* The Pussycats, a 1960s Norwegian rock band
* The Pussycats, a group signed to Kama Sutra Records
Albums
* '' Pussy Ca ...
as well as original songs, including "Irony" and "" ("It's Not Love").
Sunye sang her version of
Destiny's Child's "
Stand Up for Love", while
Hyuna
Kim Hyun-ah (born June 6, 1992), better known by the mononym Hyuna (stylized HyunA), is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper and model. She debuted as a member of the girl group Wonder Girls in February 2007. After leaving the ensemble sho ...
performed a showcase of her dancing skills. The other three members—Yeeun,
Sunmi
Lee Sun-mi (born Sun Mi on May 2, 1992), known mononymously as Sunmi (stylized as SUNMI), is a South Korean singer, dancer, songwriter and record producer. She debuted in 2007 as a member of South Korean girl group Wonder Girls and left the gr ...
and
Sohee
So-hee, also spelled So-hui, is a Korean feminine given name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 45 hanja with the reading " so" and 24 hanja with the reading " hee" on the South Korean government's ...
—performed a cover version of
Janet Jackson's "
Together Again".
The Wonder Girls officially debuted in early 2007 on
MBC's ''
Show! Music Core'', performing "
Irony", the
hip-hop single from their first album, ''The Wonder Begins''. The album sold 11,454 physical copies in 2007.
Shortly after, "Wonderfuls", the official Wonder Girls fanclub, was established. The group held several showcases in
China after receiving Chinese lessons. In mid-2007, however, members of the Wonder Girls were beset by various injuries and health problems. On June 25, Sohee was sidelined for a month after tearing a
knee ligament in a fall from a running motorcycle during the filming of the movie ''뜨거운 것이 좋아'' (''I Like It Hot'').
The remaining four members continued performing until late July, when Hyuna was withdrawn from the group by her parents due to their concern over her problems with chronic
gastroenteritis and fainting spells.
[Yang, Jeff]
ASIAN POP: Next stop, Wonderland
. ''San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...
''. April 9, 2008. Retrieved March 2, 2009. In autumn 2007, the talent agency
Good Entertainment
In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, ph ...
sent their trainee
Yubin
Yu-bin, also spelled Yoo-bin, is a Korean unisex given name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name.
Hanja and meaning
There are 62 hanja with the reading "yu" and 25 hanja with the reading "bin" on the South Kor ...
to
JYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate founded in 1997 by J. Y. Park. It is one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, and operates as a record label, tale ...
as a replacement for Hyuna. She made her debut three days later in the group's live performance of "
Tell Me" on ''
Music Bank
Music Bank may refer to:
* ''Music Bank'' (TV program), a South Korean music program by KBS
**''Music Bank World Tour
The ''Music Bank'' World Tour is a worldwide live concert tour of South Korean music show '' Music Bank'' by the Korean Broa ...
''.
Their first full-length album, ''
The Wonder Years
''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age comedy/drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Super ...
'', was released the following week with "Tell Me" as the lead single. Due to the last-minute addition of Yubin, the album version does not contain her part. However, the performance version of the song was reworked to include a bridge with rapping by Yubin. The single was a hit and reached number one on various Korean television and internet music charts, including
KBS's ''Music Bank''. The song also became a number one hit in Thailand.
The choreography for the song was simple and widely imitated: by October, many fan performances of the dance circulated on video sharing sites such as YouTube and Daum, including one by a group of policemen who were eventually profiled on
SBS's ''
Star King''. The dance's popularity it received became widely known as the "Tell Me Virus". The Wonder Girls had an extensive promotional schedule for their album, and in late 2007 they began performing their second single, "이 바보" ("This Fool").
MTV also began broadcasting ''The Wonder Life'', a reality TV series starring the girls.
2008: Breakthrough
In February 2008, the Wonder Girls joined their producer
Park Jin-young
Park Jin-young (Hangul: 박진영; born December 13, 1971), also known by his stage names J. Y. Park and The Asiansoul or the initials JYP, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, record executive, and reality television show ju ...
for his month-long concert tour through Korea and the United States as special guests, where they filmed the music video for "Wishing on a Star" while in New York. "
So Hot
"So Hot" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Wonder Girls. It was initially released on May 22, 2008, for digital download. Afterwards, the maxi-single titled "So Hot (The 3rd Project)" was released on June 3, 2008. The single became ...
" was released on May 22, 2008. The song topped online charts soon after.
[So Hot
"So Hot" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Wonder Girls. It was initially released on May 22, 2008, for digital download. Afterwards, the maxi-single titled "So Hot (The 3rd Project)" was released on June 3, 2008. The single became ...]
', 온라인 3관왕">
In mid-2008, they performed on MBC's ''Show! Music Core'', performing "So Hot" and "This Time". Due to a vocal cord injury, Yubin temporarily lip-synced her parts under doctor's orders.
![Wonder Girls-2008 BICHE 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Wonder_Girls-2008_BICHE_02.jpg)
After a very short break, the Wonder Girls made a comeback in early fall 2008. The music video for "
Nobody
Nobody may refer to:
* Nobody, an indefinite pronoun
Nobody may also refer to:
Fictional characters
* Nobody (''Kingdom Hearts''), a race of beings in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' video game series
*Nobody, a character in the Jim Jarmusch films '' D ...
" was revealed, and the single was released simultaneously. They performed the following weekend on ''Show! Music Core'', ''Music Bank'' and ''
Inkigayo''. The song went to No. 1 on KBS' ''Music Bank'', staying there for four consecutive weeks, and also won
Cyworld's "Song of the Month" award in September and October 2008. Like "
Tell Me", "Nobody" also sparked a dance craze.
At the 2008
Mnet KM Music Festival Awards, the Wonder Girls received three awards: the "Song of the Year" award, "Best Music Video" for "Nobody" and "Best Female Group".
The group also won an award at the 2008 Golden Disk Awards for high digital sales.
At the 18th Seoul Music Awards, the Wonder Girls won the Daesang ("Artist of the Year" award), the highest award offered, for "Nobody", in addition to two other awards.
In October 2008, the Wonder Girls were signed by the
Creative Artists Agency
Creative Artists Agency LLC (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. It is regarded as an influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous clients. In March 2016, CAA had 1,800 emplo ...
(CAA). By the end of 2008, they had earned
₩
The won sign , is a currency symbol. It represents the South Korean won, the North Korean won and, unofficially, the old Korean won.
Appearance
Its appearance is "W" (the first letter of "Won") with a horizontal strike going through the cent ...
12 billion (
$9 million US) as a group.
2009–10: Focus on international activities, touring and line-up changes
![Wonder Girls perform Tell Me at the Fillmore in San Francisco, CA, Jun 13 2010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Wonder_Girls_perform_Tell_Me_at_the_Fillmore_in_San_Francisco%2C_CA%2C_Jun_13_2010.jpg)
The Wonder Girls tour began on February 28, 2009, in Bangkok, Thailand. Along with their mentor,
JYP, they held concerts throughout the United States. The group then returned to South Korea, holding concerts in late March in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
and
Busan
Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...
. This tour was documented in the
M.net
Mnet (acronym of Music Network) is a South Korean pay television music channel owned by CJ E&M, a division of CJ ENM, part of CJ Group.
The CJ E&M Center Studio located in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul is the broadcast and recording centre of m ...
reality show ''
Welcome to Wonderland''. Following the tour, the Wonder Girls debuted a music video for "Now", a cover of the
Fin.K.L
Fin.K.L ( ko, 핑클) is a South Korean girl group formed by DSP Media in 1998 consisting of members Lee Hyori, Ock Joo-hyun, Lee Jin, and Sung Yu-ri. Fin.K.L was one of the most popular K-pop groups of the late 1990s and early 2000s, alongs ...
single.
In March 2009, the Wonder Girls confirmed that the group would launch in an English-language music career in the United States with the official release of an English version of "Nobody" in summer 2009.
[Wonder Girls on MySpace]
. Retrieved March 2, 2009. It was later announced that the release would be followed by an English version of "Tell Me",
and that an English album would be forthcoming. In June 2009, JYP Entertainment announced that the Wonder Girls would be joining the
Jonas Brothers on the North American leg of the
Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009
The Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009 was the sixth concert tour and third headlining tour by the Jonas Brothers. It began on May 18, 2009 in Lima, Peru and ended on December 13, 2009 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Jonas Brothers played on multiple c ...
.
[ Kim, Hyeong-wu]
원더걸스 미국 데뷔 성공 가능성 얼마나 될까 (''What are the Wonder Girls' Chances of Succeeding in American Debut?'')
'' Joins.com''/''Newsen''. June 5, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2009. In order to concentrate on their American debut, both Sohee and Sunmi had dropped out of high school. The English version of "Nobody" was released on June 26, 2009, the day before the start of their tour with the
Jonas Brothers. The Wonder Girls were initially signed on for 13 concert dates across the US, but they were eventually given the opportunity to join the Jonas Brothers for a total of 45 concert dates. "Nobody" entered the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 in October 2009, making them the first Korean group to enter the chart.
The song also topped the Taiwan and Hong Kong music charts.
On January 22, 2010, JYP announced that Sunmi would be postponing her musical career to pursue an academic career and that
Hyerim
Hye-rim, also spelled Hye-lim, is a Korean feminine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 16 hanja with the reading " hye" and nine hanja with the reading "rim" on the South Korean g ...
, a JYP trainee, would take her place. Sunmi continued to work as a participating member of the Wonder Girls in through February in order to complete scheduled events. Sunmi's departure put many of the group's American plans into disarray. The Wonder Girls had been preparing an English album, with six tracks to consist of English versions of Korean singles and the other half of brand new material, initially scheduled for release in February 2010.
[Bell, Crystal]
"Breaking & Entering: The Wonder Girls"
. ''Billboard''. November 20, 2009. Retrieved November 23, 2009. They were also planning to have a headlining tour in January 2010;
however, due to the departure of Sunmi, plans for the tour were delayed and the album was eventually scrapped.
On April 5, 2010, the Wonder Girls announced a 20-show tour of the US and Canada, dubbed "The Wonder World Tour", which included fellow label mates
2PM
2PM (; romanized; ''Tupiem'') is a South Korean boy band formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of six members: Jun. K (formerly known as Junsu), Nichkhun, Taecyeon, Wooyoung, Junho and Chansung. Originally a seven-piece group, fo ...
for nine dates in conjunction with
Live Nation. The tour consisted of a combination of the English and Korean versions of their hits, covers of popular English-language songs, and new songs from their then-upcoming album. The first leg of the tour began in Washington, D.C. on June 4, 2010. The tour was eventually extended to add an additional leg in which label mates,
2AM, would open for the group during certain dates.
The Wonder Girls followed up their tour announcement with the unveiling of their latest EP, titled "
2 Different Tears". The title track was recorded in Chinese, Korean and English. The music video for "2 Different Tears" premiered on YouTube on May 15, 2010; it was shot in the
Gyeonggi-do province of South Korea. The music video includes Park Jin-young and the Korean-American comedian
Bobby Lee
Robert Lee Jr. (born September 17, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster. From 2001 to 2009, Lee was a cast member on ''MADtv'', and he co-starred in the ABC single-camera sitcom series '' Splitting Up Together'' alongs ...
. The EP was released on the same day.
![Wonder Girls in September 2010 from acrofan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Wonder_Girls_in_September_2010_from_acrofan.jpg)
Between May 15 and 31, 2010, the Wonder Girls returned to South Korea to promote the Korean version of "2 Different Tears". They appeared on M.Net's ''M! Countdown'' on May 22, 2010. On May 27, the Wonder Girls won their first No. 1 award for "2 Different Tears" on ''M! Countdown''. The group ended their last week of promotional activities in South Korea by performing on MBC's ''Music Core'' on May 29, 2010. During this two-week period, the Wonder Girls also appeared on several Korean variety and talk shows, including KBS's ''Win Win'' and ''
Happy Together'', as well as
SBS's ''
Family Outing 2
''Family Outing Season 2'' () was a South Korean variety show; a part of SBS's ''Good Sunday'' lineup, along with ''Gold Miss is Coming'' (골드미스가 간다). It was first aired on February 21, 2010, following the end of the first season. In ...
'' and MBC's ''Come to Play''.
On July 29, MTV Korea premiered
season 4 of ''Wonder Girls'', which introduced the Wonder Girls' everyday life in the United States, such as at their New York home and studio, and preparations for the ''MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia 2010''. The ''MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia 2010'' was held at the Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach on July 31, and the show was broadcast on August 21 on MTV Asia. On July 30,
M.net
Mnet (acronym of Music Network) is a South Korean pay television music channel owned by CJ E&M, a division of CJ ENM, part of CJ Group.
The CJ E&M Center Studio located in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul is the broadcast and recording centre of m ...
premiered a new show ''
Made in Wonder Girls'' that took viewers behind the scenes of the group's first American tour as well as their promotions in Singapore and Indonesia. On August 3, the Wonder Girls performed in Singapore's SINGfest 2010 at Fort Canning Park.
2011–12: ''Wonder World'' and further international ventures
![Wonder Girls in 2011 Korea Entertainment Awards](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Wonder_Girls_in_2011_Korea_Entertainment_Awards.jpg)
In January 2011, more information was released about the English-language album.
JYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate founded in 1997 by J. Y. Park. It is one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, and operates as a record label, tale ...
's CEO Park Jin-young hinted on his Twitter account that he had written a new song for the group while recording in the drama ''
Dream High
''Dream High'' () is a 2011 South Korean television series starring Bae Suzy, Kim Soo-hyun, Ok Taec-yeon, Hahm Eun-jung, Jang Wooyoung and Lee Ji-eun. It aired on KBS2 from January 3 to February 28, 2011, on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 ( ...
'' and later tweeted that other producers were involved in producing the album.
Rainstone
Rhee Woo Seok (), also credited as Rainstone, is a South Korean music producer, songwriter, and vice-president of JYP Entertainment in the United States. He is best known for composing and producing the Wonder Girls' 2009 international hit song ...
of JYP Entertainment said that the album was expected to have six to seven tracks. Producer
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins
Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists.
Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...
and the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter
Claude Kelly
Claude Kelly (born December 27, 1980)Shirley Halperin and Bob Love"THR Names Music's 35 Top Hitmakers,"''The Hollywood Reporter'', February 6, 2013. is an American singer, songwriter and music producer. He is a four-time Grammy Award nominee, a ...
were revealed to be participating in the album and that the album was to be released by one of the three major labels of America.
On June 30, it was announced on their official website that the girls had been invited to perform at the 2011
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in ...
closing ceremonies in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, Greece. They performed the traditional Korean folk song "
Arirang
"Arirang" (; ) is a Korean folk song. There are about 3,600 variations of 60 different versions of the song, all of which include a refrain similar to "''Arirang, arirang, arariyo'' ()". It is estimated the song is more than 600 years old. ...
" along with "Nobody" sung in English and "Tell Me" sung in Korean. On August 5, The Wonder Girls appeared on Billboard.com's ''Mashup Monday'' program, performing a self-arranged cover version of B.o.B and Bruno Mars' "Nothin' on You". On October 9, 2011, a representative revealed, "The
nglish-languagealbum will be produced in a movie OST format. We'll be planning our concept to fit around the feel of the song, so as opposed to retro, we feel that it will be more pop. The Wonder Girls will definitely be coming out with a new image, so please look forward to it."
On October 23, JYP revealed a new poster, "R U Ready?", hanging over their company's building with a new version of the Wonder Girls' logo. ''
Wonder World'' was announced as the group's second full-length album and was released on November 7, 2011 along with the single "Be My Baby". The album featured more writing and production input from the group members. Promotions for ''Wonder World'' began with a comeback stage on ''Music Bank'' on November 11 and continued through January 2012.
![Wonder Girls 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Wonder_Girls_2012.jpg)
The group returned to American activities with their made-for-TV movie ''The Wonder Girls'' in early 2012. "The DJ Is Mine," an English-language song featuring
School Gyrls
The School Gyrls (briefly known as Forever) were an American girl group formed in 2008. They were signed to Nick Cannon's NCredible Entertainment. The group starred in an eponymous movie that premiered on Nickelodeon on February 21, 2010. The g ...
, was released as a promotional tie-in single for the movie on January 11. "The DJ Is Mine" reached number one on several Korean charts. The movie premiered on February 2 on the
TeenNick
TeenNick is an American pay-TV channel that is operated by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Aimed primarily at teens and tweens, its programming includes a variety of live-action series inherited from sister channel Nic ...
channel, and featured the then-unreleased English song "
Like Money". Following the release of the movie, the group received proposals from major broadcasting companies in the United States, and were in talks concerning full U.S. promotions and activities for their debut English-language album. The twelve-track album was said to have been completed and was scheduled for a summer 2012 release.
In June 2012, the group made a Korean comeback. The group released their mini-album ''
Wonder Party
''Wonder Party'' is the third EP by South Korean girl group Wonder Girls. It was released digitally on June 3, 2012, and physically on June 6, 2012. The lead single "Like This" was released on June 3. Also, its deluxe version was released in Unit ...
'' on June 3, 2012. The album's lead single, "Like This", premiered on the same day. In mid-June, it was announced that the group would be making their debut in Japan under
DefStar Records, with a release of a Japanese-language version of "Nobody". The single release was called "
Nobody for Everybody
''Nobody for Everybody'' is the Japanese debut EP / video album by South Korean girl group Wonder Girls. The title song is the same album name,, taken from their third Korean mini-album, '' The Wonder Years: Trilogy''. This is the fourth langua ...
" and was released on July 25.
On July 10, 2012, a new version of "Like Money" that featured
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P ...
was released as a single in the United States, in what would become their last completely English-language release as a group. In early September 2012, the group performed three new songs from their then-upcoming English-language album at an
iHeartRadio concert. On October 29, 2012, Wonder Girls participated in a joint-interview with Nick Cannon in which they discussed the release of their English-language album as well as a new show showcasing the Wonder Girls as a spin-off from their original movie. On November 14, Wonder Girls released the compilation album ''
Wonder Best'' in Japan, which included a new song, updated versions of older hit songs, and Japanese versions of their songs.
2013–14: Group hiatus, Sunye and Sohee's departure
Sunye announced in November 2012 that she would get married in January 2013; JYP announced that the group would go on hiatus. The Wonder Girls performed for the last time before their hiatus at the Winter Special Olympics in
Pyeong Chang, South Korea on February 5, 2013.
Sunye gave birth to a daughter in October 2013. JYP Entertainment denied Sunye's retirement from the group and stated that she would still remain as a member regardless of her inactive status.
In December 2013, Sohee left JYP Entertainment and signed with KeyEast Entertainment to focus on an acting career. In December 2014, Sunye officially retired from entertaining, shifting her focus to her family and missionary work in
Haiti with her husband. Due to the departures, plans for the English-language album, an English television series, as well as any future promotions in the United States were entirely scrapped.
In August 2013, former member Sunmi debuted as a solo artist with the release of the single "
24 Hours". In the following year, she released her debut
EP entitled ''
Full Moon
The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180°). This means ...
''. On July 23, 2014, it was announced that Yeeun would be making her debut as solo artist under the pseudonym Ha:tfelt (amalgamation of the pronunciation of the word "Hot" and "Heartfelt"). Her debut mini-album ''
Me?'' was released on July 31, 2014.
2015: Line-up changes and comeback with ''Reboot''
![Team Korea Rio 2016 06](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Team_Korea_Rio_2016_06.jpg)
On June 24, 2015, JYP Entertainment announced that the Wonder Girls would be making a comeback after a three-year hiatus. A representative of the agency confirmed that former member Sunmi would re-join the group for the first time since withdrawing in 2010. Rather than a dance group, the Wonder Girls returned as a four-member band with each member playing an instrument: Yubin (drums), Yeeun (keyboard), Hyerim (guitar), and Sunmi (bass). Their comeback featured a retro, 1980s sound resonant throughout the album, similar to some of their past releases. On August 2, "I Feel You", the lead single from album, was released. The group released the album, titled ''
Reboot
In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
'' on August 3. The album was a commercial success, charting number five on
Gaon Albums Chart
The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Korea based on their pure sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, previously kno ...
and number two on
''Billboard'' World Albums. Each member participated in the composition and production of the album.
On October 2, it was announced that the Wonder Girls would host an episode of ''
Saturday Night Live Korea
''Saturday Night Live Korea'' (; abbreviated as ''SNL Korea'' () or simply as ''SNLK'') is a South Korean late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show. It is adapted from the long-running American TV show ''Saturday Night Live'' by ...
''. They performed their hits "I Feel You", "Nobody", and "Tell Me". On December 27, they performed at ''
SBS Gayo Daejeon
''SBS Gayo Daejeon'' (, broadly ''SBS'' '' Battle of the Bands'') is an annual televised music festival that is broadcast by the Seoul Broadcasting System at the end of each year. The program first aired in 1997, and awards were given to musica ...
'', and on December 31 at ''
2015 MBC Gayo Daejejeon''. ''Reboot'' was ranked No. 1 on The 10 Best K-Pop Albums of 2015 by ''
Billboard'', and also No. 18 on The 20 Best Albums of 2015 by
FuseTV.
2016–17: ''Why So Lonely'' and disbandment
In mid-2016, the group started promoting their upcoming single. On June 18, they released one of its B-sides, titled "To the Beautiful You". On July 5, the Wonder Girls released the song "
Why So Lonely
"Why So Lonely" is a song by South Korean girl group Wonder Girls. It was released via JYP Entertainment on July 5, 2016, and was distributed by KT Music. The song was written by group members Hyerim, Sunmi, and Yubin, along with songwriter H ...
", with "To the Beautiful You" and "Sweet & Easy" serving as B-sides, as a CD and as a digital single. The single was commercially successful in South Korea—the digital download topped the Gaon Digital Chart. On July 12, the group performed the dance version of ''Why So Lonely'' for the first time on
SBS MTV's ''
The Show'', winning the trophy for that week. This was their first win on a music program since the release of "Like This" in 2012.
The group also performed the song at the launch ceremony for the
South Korean Olympic team on July 19.
On January 26, 2017, JYP Entertainment announced that Wonder Girls were disbanding, with only Yubin and Hyerim renewing their contracts while Yeeun and Sunmi decided to leave the company. The group released their final single "
Draw Me" on February 10; it also serves as a celebration for their 10th anniversary since debut.
Artistry and influences
Musical styles
The Wonder Girls are known for their signature retro sound and concept. Their music has been noted to contain elements from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
The Wonder Girls are known as "South Korea's Retro Queens",
as their music has been noted to contain elements from the 1960s, such as in their hit "Nobody", 1970s, such as in the
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
track "Why So Lonely", and 1980s, heard on the songs "Tell Me", "So Hot", "2 Different Tears", "Be My Baby" and "I Feel You". Their music videos also allude to vintage fashion and performance, with "Nobody" being mostly inspired by African-American 1960s culture and famous R&B group
The Supremes
The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...
, while "I Feel You" takes place in 1987 and shows the members playing their own instruments and various other scenes with heavy 1980s inspiration.
Band members
The group consisted of five members at the time of its debut in 2007:
Sunye,
Sohee
So-hee, also spelled So-hui, is a Korean feminine given name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 45 hanja with the reading " so" and 24 hanja with the reading " hee" on the South Korean government's ...
,
Hyuna
Kim Hyun-ah (born June 6, 1992), better known by the mononym Hyuna (stylized HyunA), is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper and model. She debuted as a member of the girl group Wonder Girls in February 2007. After leaving the ensemble sho ...
,
Sunmi
Lee Sun-mi (born Sun Mi on May 2, 1992), known mononymously as Sunmi (stylized as SUNMI), is a South Korean singer, dancer, songwriter and record producer. She debuted in 2007 as a member of South Korean girl group Wonder Girls and left the gr ...
and
Yeeun
Ye-eun, also spelled Ye-un, is a Korean feminine given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 55 hanja with the reading "''ye''" and 30 hanja with the reading "'' eun''" on the South Korean ...
. Shortly after, in the same year, Hyuna left the group due to concerns over her health, which led to the addition of
Yubin
Yu-bin, also spelled Yoo-bin, is a Korean unisex given name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name.
Hanja and meaning
There are 62 hanja with the reading "yu" and 25 hanja with the reading "bin" on the South Kor ...
as replacement. In 2010, Sunmi left the group to pursue an academic career, and trainee
Hyerim
Hye-rim, also spelled Hye-lim, is a Korean feminine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 16 hanja with the reading " hye" and nine hanja with the reading "rim" on the South Korean g ...
was selected as her replacement. Sohee departed from the group in late 2013 following the expiration of her contract with JYP Entertainment, while Sunye left the group in late 2014; their departures were officially announced in July 2015.
For the group's 2015 comeback, Sunmi returned to the group, and served as a member alongside Yeeun, Yubin, and Hyerim; the Wonder Girls remained as four-piece band until their disbandment in 2017.
;Final members
*
Yubin
Yu-bin, also spelled Yoo-bin, is a Korean unisex given name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name.
Hanja and meaning
There are 62 hanja with the reading "yu" and 25 hanja with the reading "bin" on the South Kor ...
– main rapper, sub-vocals, drums
*
Yeeun
Ye-eun, also spelled Ye-un, is a Korean feminine given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 55 hanja with the reading "''ye''" and 30 hanja with the reading "'' eun''" on the South Korean ...
– leader, main vocals, keyboards
*
Sunmi
Lee Sun-mi (born Sun Mi on May 2, 1992), known mononymously as Sunmi (stylized as SUNMI), is a South Korean singer, dancer, songwriter and record producer. She debuted in 2007 as a member of South Korean girl group Wonder Girls and left the gr ...
– main dancer, sub-vocals, bass guitar
*
Hyerim
Hye-rim, also spelled Hye-lim, is a Korean feminine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 16 hanja with the reading " hye" and nine hanja with the reading "rim" on the South Korean g ...
– lead rapper, sub-vocals, lead guitar
;Former members
*
Hyuna
Kim Hyun-ah (born June 6, 1992), better known by the mononym Hyuna (stylized HyunA), is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper and model. She debuted as a member of the girl group Wonder Girls in February 2007. After leaving the ensemble sho ...
– main rapper, main dancer, sub-vocals
*
Sohee
So-hee, also spelled So-hui, is a Korean feminine given name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 45 hanja with the reading " so" and 24 hanja with the reading " hee" on the South Korean government's ...
– main dancer, sub-vocals
*
Sunye – leader, main vocals, lead dancer
Timeline
ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:30
PlotArea = left:115 bottom:80 top:5 right:10
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:02/10/2007 till:01/26/2017
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Colors =
id:a value:blue legend:First_generation
id:b value:magenta legend:Second_generation
id:c value:green legend:Third_generation
id:d value:black legend:Inactive
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:2008 gridcolor:black
PlotData =
color:blue width:7 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from
bar:Hyuna from:start till:07/28/2007
bar:Sohee from:start till:07/20/2015
bar:Sunye from:start till:07/20/2015
bar:Sunmi from:start till:01/22/2010
bar:Sunmi from:01/22/2010 till:06/24/2015 color:black
bar:Sunmi from:06/24/2015 till:01/26/2017
bar:Yeeun from:start till:01/26/2017
color:magenta width:7 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from
bar:Yubin from:10/08/2007 till:01/26/2017
color:green width:7 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from
bar:Hyerim from:01/22/2010 till:01/26/2017
Discography
* ''
The Wonder Years
''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age comedy/drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Super ...
'' (2007)
* ''
Wonder World'' (2011)
* ''
Reboot
In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
'' (2015)
Filmography
Film
Television
Tours
;Headlining
* 1st Wonder Tour (2009)
*
Wonder Girls World Tour (2010)
*
Wonder World Tour (2012)
;Opening acts
*
Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009
The Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009 was the sixth concert tour and third headlining tour by the Jonas Brothers. It began on May 18, 2009 in Lima, Peru and ended on December 13, 2009 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Jonas Brothers played on multiple c ...
(2009)
JYP Nation
*JYP Nation (2009)
*JYP Nation "Team Play" (2010)
*JYP Nation (2011)
*JYP Nation "One Mic" (2014)
*JYP Nation "Hologram Concert" (2016)
*JYP Nation "Mix & Match" (2016)
Awards and nominations
See also
*
List of best-selling girl groups
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. Girl groups have been popular at least since the heyday of the Boswell Sisters beginning in the 1930s, but the term "girl group" also denot ...
References
External links
*
*
Wonder Girlsdiscography at MusicTea
*
{{Authority control
2007 establishments in South Korea
2017 disestablishments in South Korea
English-language singers from South Korea
Grand Prize Seoul Music Award recipients
Japanese-language singers of South Korea
Mandarin-language singers of South Korea
JYP Entertainment artists
K-pop music groups
Korean Mandopop singers
Korean Music Award winners
MAMA Award winners
Musical groups disestablished in 2017
Musical groups established in 2007
Musical groups from Seoul
South Korean dance music groups
South Korean expatriates in the United States
South Korean girl groups
South Korean synthpop groups