Baby V.O.X
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Baby V.O.X ( ko, 베이비복스) was a South Korean
K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...
group formed in 1997, whose final and best-known line-up consisted of Kim E-Z,
Lee Hee-jin Lee Hee-jin (born 16 May 1979) is a South Korean actress and former member of girl group Baby V.O.X. Lee studied at Dong-Ah Broadcasting College, then made her entertainment debut in 1997 as a member of popular K-pop girl group Baby V.O.X. ...
,
Kan Mi-youn Kan Mi-youn (born February 2, 1982) is a South Korean singer, actress, radio host, model, fashion designer, and businesswoman. Kan joined the South Korean girl group Baby V.O.X. in October 1997, which went on to become one of the most popular ...
, Shim Eun-jin, and Yoon Eun-hye. They are considered one of the most prominent "first generation" K-pop
girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...
s of the late 1990s and early 2000s along with S.E.S and Fin.K.L, and they are recognized as being one of the groups at the forefront of the Korean Wave, having broken into the Chinese market. The group released seven studio albums and disbanded in 2006.


History


Debut and early years (1997–1999)

Baby V.O.X debuted in 1997 as a five-member group consisting of Kim E-Z,
Lee Hee-jin Lee Hee-jin (born 16 May 1979) is a South Korean actress and former member of girl group Baby V.O.X. Lee studied at Dong-Ah Broadcasting College, then made her entertainment debut in 1997 as a member of popular K-pop girl group Baby V.O.X. ...
, Jung Hyun-jeon, Cha Yu-mi, and Jung Shi-woon. Their debut single was entitled ''Hair Cut'' and taken from the album ''Equalizeher'', released on July 10, 1997. The group displayed a style inspired by
Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Vict ...
, but their 1st album was not successful due to their edgy concept. Cha Yumi was injured during their performance, so she was then replaced by
Kan Miyoun Kan Mi-youn (born February 2, 1982) is a South Korean singer, actress, radio host, model, fashion designer, and businesswoman. Kan joined the South Korean girl group Baby V.O.X. in October 1997, which went on to become one of the most popular ...
. Hyun-jeon and Shi-woon left the group due to internal conflict, so they were replaced by
Shim Eun Jin Shim Eun-jin ( ko, 심은진; born February 6, 1981) is a South Korean singer and actress. She was a member of South Korean girl group Baby V.O.X. Career Shim Eun-jin launched her singing career in 1998 as a member of Baby V.O.X, one of the mos ...
, and Lee Gai. The group adopted a more modest and cutesy style, used by popular groups such as S.E.S. and Fin.K.L. From the album ''Baby V.O.X II,'' the single, "Ya Ya Ya" became a success, reaching number seven on the Korean pop charts. It was followed by a second single, "Change". Following the release, Lee Gai was forced out by
DR Music DR Music (formerly known as ''DR Entertainment''; Hangul: DR뮤직), is a South Korean private-held music company established in 1989 by Yoon Deung-ryeong. It currently manages girl group Blackswan and co-ed group K-Tigers Zero. . The label is ...
, because she had been lying about her age. She had debuted with the trio Setorae over ten years previously under her birth name Lee Hee-jung.


Breakthrough years and mainstream success (1999–2003)

In June 1999,
Yoon Eun Hye Yoon Eun-hye (; born October 3, 1984) is a South Korean actress, singer, entertainer and model. She debuted as a member of girl group Baby Vox, staying with the group from 1999 to 2005. Yoon has since moved on to acting and is best known for s ...
replaced Lee Gai and this lineup became permanent and was their final. Their single "Get Up" was released. For the first time, they reached the number one spot on the Korean music pop charts. Another single "Killer" also hit the first place on the music charts and earned the 'Top Excellency Award' in Seoul Music Award in 1999. The third single 'Missing You' was also included on the album ''Come Come Come Baby'' (1999). In the years that followed, Baby VOX made a number of appearances in variety shows. After their success of the third album, they started promoting themselves internationally, including China, Japan and other Southeast Asian countries. The fourth album, ''Why'', featured the two singles; "Why" and "배신 (Betrayal)", while they also featured as a show host in SBS variety program, ''Beautiful Sunday-Cruise to the Korea Strait''. Their fifth album, ''Boyish Story'' was released in 2001 and included the singles "Game Over", "인형 (Doll)", "I Wish You are My Love". As well as their success in Asian markets, Baby VOX released a special hits album were from their first five albums, with two single hits 우연 (''Coincidence)'' and ''Go''. With ''Coincidence'', the group hit number one in the Korean music charts for the first time in three years. ''Coincidence'' was also released in a World Cup version, and performed all around Korea during the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup season, and remained popular throughout the summer. In addition to that, they managed to have a Live Concert in Seoul, which was hugely popular. Baby VOX Music Award was also created in China. The group held a concert in Mongolia in 2004, being the first Korean idol band to do so. The group also performed in Pyongyang, North Korea in 2003, and was the second girl-group to perform in North Korea.


Final albums and separation (2003–2006)

In spring of 2003, Baby VOX released their sixth album " Devotion". Baby VOX topped the Chinese music chart with the Chinese single ''I'm Still Loving You'', 3rd place with 나 어떡해 ''(What Should I Do)'' and 4th place with the same single in Thailand as well. In addition, pre-orders in the album in several countries ar as follows: 200,000+ in China, 50,000+ in Taiwan, 30,000+ in Hong Kong and 120,000+ in Thailand, with a total of 400,000 pre-orders plus the album sales in South Korea alone (210,000+) with now a total of 610,000+ of album sales. However, this was also when the group's fortunes started to change. While 'What Should I Do' hit the number one spot in the Korean music chart, their second single, 바램 ''(The Wish)'' wasn't as popular. The group's seventh and final album ''Ride West'', released in April 2004, featured songs in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, as well as appearances by well-known American hip hop artists, such as Tupac Shakur,
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
, & independent rapper Floss P, although Tupac's "appearance" was a freestyle rap that he recorded while in prison. The rights for the sample of Tupac's verse were not cleared, and this resulted in a court case pursued by the rapper's mother, Afeni Shakur. A music video for the album's feature song, "Xcstasy", was done in English and emulated of the hip-hop videos popular in the United States at the time. A member of Korean hip hop group DJ DOC, offended by their alleged misuse of Tupac Shakur's lyrics, denounced them in the media, but later apologized. The group were forced to abandon the release of the single. A second single, "Play Remix" featuring Jennifer Lopez, was promoted for a short while, but sales were lower than from its previous albums. Shim Eun-jin officially left the group in October 2004. Stating that she "didn't like the direction where their company was going". After May 2005, Baby VOX went into hiatus and Yoon Eun-hye departed the group in April 2005. In February 2006, Baby VOX was officially disbanded.


Members


Final members

* Kim E-Z – leader, rapper (1997–2006) *
Lee Hee-jin Lee Hee-jin (born 16 May 1979) is a South Korean actress and former member of girl group Baby V.O.X. Lee studied at Dong-Ah Broadcasting College, then made her entertainment debut in 1997 as a member of popular K-pop girl group Baby V.O.X. ...
– lead vocal (1997–2006) * Shim Eun-jin – sub vocal (1998–2004) *
Kan Mi-youn Kan Mi-youn (born February 2, 1982) is a South Korean singer, actress, radio host, model, fashion designer, and businesswoman. Kan joined the South Korean girl group Baby V.O.X. in October 1997, which went on to become one of the most popular ...
– main vocal (1997–2006) * Yoon Eun-hye – sub vocal (1999–2005)


Former members

*Cha Yumi, subvocal (1997–1998) *Jung Hyun-jeon, lead vocal (1997–1998) *Jung Shi-woon, rapper, leader (1997–1998) *Lee Gai, subvocal (1998–1999)


Discography


Studio albums


Compilation albums


Extended plays


Awards


Endorsements

*2004:
Korean Airlines Korean Air Co., Ltd. (), operating as Korean Air (Korean Air Lines before 1984), is the flag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations and international flights. The present-day Korean Air ...


Future generations

On December 26, 2006,
DR Music DR Music (formerly known as ''DR Entertainment''; Hangul: DR뮤직), is a South Korean private-held music company established in 1989 by Yoon Deung-ryeong. It currently manages girl group Blackswan and co-ed group K-Tigers Zero. . The label is ...
unveiled the members of the 2nd generation Baby V.O.X, a spinoff group called "Baby V.O.X. Re.V" (pronounced "reeve"). Like the original group, there is one lead vocalist, three "sub-vocalists", and a singer/rapper. RaNia debuted in April 2011. It was originally scheduled to debut in mid-2010. However, their company,
DR Music DR Music (formerly known as ''DR Entertainment''; Hangul: DR뮤직), is a South Korean private-held music company established in 1989 by Yoon Deung-ryeong. It currently manages girl group Blackswan and co-ed group K-Tigers Zero. . The label is ...
decided to rebrand them as a new group with eight members. RaNia is the 3rd generation of Baby V.O.X.


References

{{Authority control South Korean girl groups South Korean dance music groups Musical groups established in 1997 Musical groups disestablished in 2006 K-pop music groups 1997 establishments in South Korea 2006 disestablishments in South Korea Musical quintets