CNBLUE ( ko, 씨엔블루) is a South Korean

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

band formed in 2009. The band consists of

Jung Yong-hwa Jung Yong-hwa (; ; born June 22, 1989) is a South Korean singer, musician and actor. He is the leader, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band CNBLUE. Jung made his television debut in ''You're Beautiful'' (2009), and has since sta ...

(leader, main vocals,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, keyboard,

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

), Kang Min-hyuk (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

), and

Lee Jung-shin Lee Jung-shin (; born September 15, 1991) is a South Korean musician, singer, rapper, and actor. He is the bassist of South Korean rock band CNBLUE, which debuted in January 2010 in South Korea. Life and career Early life and career beginning ...

(

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

). First bassist Kwon Kwang-jin left the band after they released their debut Japanese

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

''Now or Never'' in 2009, and was replaced by Lee Jung-shin. Lee Jong-hyun (guitar and vocals) left the band on August 28, 2019. CN is an initialism for ''Code Name'', while BLUE is a

backronym A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...

for ''burning'', ''lovely'', ''untouchable'', and ''emotional''; it is meant to portray the images of Jong-hyun, Min-hyuk, Jung-shin, and Yong-hwa, respectively. On January 14, 2010, CNBLUE debuted in Korea with the lead single "

I'm a Loner "I'm a Loner" (; ''Oetoriya'') is a song by South Korean pop-rock idol band CNBLUE. It is the debut and lead single to the band's first mini-album ''Bluetory''. Written by Han Seong-ho and Amen, the funk-rock track was released under FNC Music on ...

" from their first Korean EP ''

Bluetory ''Bluetory'' is the Korean debut mini-album by South Korean pop-rock idol band CNBLUE. It was released on January 14, 2010, under FNC Music and distributed by Mnet Media. After being signed to the record label, the quartet was sent to Japan, wher ...

''.

History

2009: Debut in Japan

CNBLUE's first live performance took place in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan, at the entrance of

Shinjuku Station is a major railway station in the Shinjuku and Shibuya wards in Tokyo, Japan. In Shinjuku, it is part of the Nishi-Shinjuku and Shinjuku districts. In Shibuya, it is located in the Yoyogi and Sendagaya districts. It is the world's busiest rai ...

in early 2009; it was one of at least 20 other bands performing in the area. By mid-June 2009, the band began to perform on the streets and in live clubs. They formally debuted on August 19, 2009 with ''Now or Never''. The EP was recorded completely in English, and failed to chart on the

Oricon Albums Chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon Albu ...

. In late September, their original bassist Kwon Kwang-jin left the band and was replaced by

later that year. Their second extended play ''Voice'' was released in November. Recorded with both English and Japanese tracks, ''Voice'' peaked at number 227 and charted for two weeks. Guitarist Lee described the band's independence in the country as "tough, but equally rewarding".

2010: Successful debut in Korea

In January,

FNC Entertainment FNC Entertainment (; stands for "fish and cake") is a South Korean entertainment company established in 2006 by South Korean singer and record producer Han Seong-ho. The label operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, ev ...

unveiled a series of video teasers for CNBLUE's debut in South Korea. ''

'' was released on January 14, 2010, and stayed at the top of the

Gaon Album 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 Record sales, pure sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, pr ...

for two weeks. "

" was promoted as the lead single, and peaked at number two on the

Gaon Digital Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...

. The band had their first televised live performance on KBS' '' Music Bank'' on January 15. The song was an immediate commercial success and the band had their first music show chart win on ''Music Bank'' on January 29 and SBS' ''

Inkigayo ''Inkigayo'' ( ko, 인기가요; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who p ...

'' on January 31. CNBLUE held the record for achieving number one on South Korea's music programs in the shortest time since debut, grabbing their first win only 15 days after debuting with "I'm a Loner". The band had their debut reality show ''CNBLUEtory'', broadcast on

Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

beginning March 10. Lee Jung-shin, Jung Yong-hwa - 100603 M Countdown

In March, the band started preparations for their first full-length independent album ''

Thank U "Thank U" is a song by Canadian-American recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette from her fourth studio album, ''Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie'' (1998). The song was written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, who produced her ...

'' in Japan. It was released on March 20 with several tracks co-written and co-composed by Jung Yong-hwa. The album peaked at number 90 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts. CNBLUE headed back to Korea and released their next single, " Love Light" on May 10, in precedence of their next album. On May 19, their second extended play ''

Bluelove ''Bluelove'' is the second Korean extended play of South Korean rock band CNBLUE. It was released on May 19, 2010 by FNC Entertainment and distributed by Mnet Media. Before the album was released, " Love Light" was released as the first digital si ...

'' was released and peaked at number three on the

. CNBLUE held their comeback performance on

's '' M! Countdown'' the following day. It was promoted with the track "

Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

", which peaked at number two on Gaon, matching the success the band found earlier with "I'm a Loner". The band eventually won on first place on ''M! Countdown'' on June 10 and ''Inkigayo'' on June 20. After their success in Korea, the band headed back to Japan. They released their first single "The Way" on June 23. For the first time, they charted in Oricon's Top 40 at number 26. The release was followed by their second single "I Don't Know Why" on September 16. The song reached number eight on the Oricon Daily Chart, marking the first time the band made it inside the top 10. The band then embarked on a small tour across Japan in order to promote the single. The same year, Kang Min-hyuk and Lee Jong-hyun made their acting debut in the omnibus film '' Acoustic''. They released a song for the movie's OST on October 7, entitled "High Fly".

2011: Continued success in Korea and major Japanese debut

On January 9, CNBLUE released their third Japanese single, "Re-maintenance". They then kick start their 2011 Japanese promotions with a

Zepp The Zepp music halls are a group of Japanese music venues covering every area of the country. They play host to many international tours and are a popular stop among Japanese musicians. Each venue takes the Zepp name, along with the city in which ...

Tour in four cities –

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

and

– from January 9 to 16. FNC Entertainment released teasers for a CNBLUE comeback in February 2011. However, the release date was later changed to March 21. The teaser was noted for having "more of the same departure from their pop rock sound into a heavier concept." CNBLUE released their first full-length album '' First Step'' with the lead single "Intuition" on March 21. The song earned the band a total of 7 music show wins, with three wins each on

's '' M! Countdown'' and KBS '' Music Bank'', thus marking the first time the band won "triple crown" on the shows. After wrapping up promotions of "Intuition" on April 24 on SBS' ''

'', they followed up with promotions of the song "Love Girl" from their special EP '' First Step +1 Thank You'', beginning April 29 on ''Music Bank'' and ending on May 22. ''Thank You'' did well in the Taiwanese market as well, topping five charts locally and selling 70,000 copies. In April, it was announced that Jung Yong-hwa and Kang Min-hyuk were cast in the MBC drama '' Heartstrings'', which started airing on June 29. Yong-hwa sang three of the OSTs in ''Heartstrings'', titled "You've Fallen for Me", "Because I Miss You" (composed by himself), and "Comfort Song", while Min-hyuk sang one OST titled "Star". They first performed the songs in their ''BLUESTORM'' concert on September 17 at the

Olympic Hall Olympic Hall is a music venue located within the Olympic Park, in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea. In 2011, the Olympic Hall was renovated as a concert hall by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Sports Promotion F ...

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 ...

. After wrapping up promotions in Korea, CNBLUE made a comeback in Japan with the release of their second and last independent album ''392'' on September 1. They also announced that they would make their major debut in Japan on October 19, 2011, under

Warner Music Japan Warner Music Group's labels include the following. Flagship labels *Atlantic Records *Elektra Records *Parlophone Records *Warner Records Atlantic Records Group * 1st & 15th Entertainment * Nipsey Hussle, All Money In * Mike Caren, Artist Par ...

. The band released their debut single " In My Head" on October 19, composed by Jung Yong-hwa. The single peaked at number four on the Oricon Weekly Chart with 70,000+ units sold in its first week. It was later chosen as the theme song for '' Supernatural: The Animation''. In November, "In My Head" claimed a gold record accreditation according to the

RIAJ The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include p ...

, meaning that the album sold over 100,000 copies within a month of going on sale.

2012: Acting activities, ''Ear Fun'', and ''Code Name Blue''

The band released a new single in Japan on February 1, titled " Where You Are", composed and co-written by Jung Yong-hwa. The physical single debuted at number one on the weekly

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track download sales. In J ...

with 60,398 copies sold in the first week. This made CNBLUE the first foreign band to top the Oricon Singles Chart since January 18, 1971 (when the Canadian band

Mashmakhan Mashmakhan was a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 in L'Île-Perrot, Quebec. The band is best known for their 1970 hit single "As the Years Go By". The song reached No. 1 in Canada, and the Top 40 in the United States. The song was also a major ...

released the single "Two in the Fog"), and made CNBLUE the fourth South Korean male artist/group to rank number 1 on Oricon's weekly singles chart, following

TVXQ TVXQ (stylized as TVXQ!), an initialism for Tong Vfang Xien Qi (), is a South Korean male pop duo consisting of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin. They are known as in Japanese releases, and are sometimes referred to as DBSK, an abbreviation of ...

JYJ JYJ (formerly known as Junsu/Jejung/Yuchun in Japan) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 by Kim Junsu, Kim Jae-joong, and Park Yoo-chun, the three former members of TVXQ. Their group name is taken from the initial letters of each member's n ...

and

Jang Keun-suk Jang Keun-suk () is a South Korean actor and singer. He is best known for starring in the Korean television dramas ''Beethoven Virus'' (2008), ''You're Beautiful'' (2009), '' Mary Stayed Out All Night'' (2010), ''Love Rain'' (2012), ''Pretty Ma ...

. CNBLUE and fellow label-mates

F.T. Island F.T. Island ( ko, 에프티 아일랜드, or FT아일랜드, short for Five Treasure Island), is a South Korean rock band formed by FNC Entertainment in 2007. The band currently consists of main vocalist Lee Hong-gi, bassist Lee Jae-jin, and d ...

performed in America for the first time at

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

' Nokia Theater on March 9. On March 26, the band released their third Korean EP, ''

Ear Fun ''Ear Fun'' is the third Korean extended play (sixth overall) by the South Korean pop rock band CN Blue. It was released on March 26, 2012 with the track "Hey You" as the promotional single. Background and release As a teaser of the mini-album, t ...

''. The single "Still in Love" was released on March 16, ahead of the EP's release, and peaked at #3 on the

Gaon Singles Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...

; while the title song "Hey You" peaked at #1. The band wrapped up promotion with 4 music show award wins on April 22 with a goodbye performance on SBS' ''Inkigayo''. After completing their EP promotions, the members held their first fan meeting in Seoul on May 5. They also started preparing for their upcoming Japanese activities. Their 3rd Japanese single " Come On" was released on August 1 and debuted at number five on the weekly

with 38,000 copies sold. The song was composed by Lee Jong-hyun and written by Jung Yong-hwa in Korean, and later translated into Japanese. This was followed by the release of their Japanese debut album ''

Code Name Blue ''Code Name Blue'' is a Japanese album by the South Korean rock band CNBlue. It was released on August 29, 2012 as the group's third Japanese album and their first major album under Warner Music Japan. Background The album was announced on June 2 ...

'' on August 29 which placed number one on both the daily and weekly

, selling a total of 57,744 copies at the end of its nine-week run. They became the first Korean group to achieve that feat with a debut album. On September 22, they held their first exclusive concert, ''CNBLUE Live in London'' at

IndigO2 The O2 is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars, and restaurants. It was built largely within ...

in the UK. They performed 22 songs in front of over 3000 fans. The concert ended in Seoul, South Korea on December 15 and 16 marked the band's fourth concert in Seoul, all of which were sold out in 10 minutes. On December 19, CNBLUE released their 4th Japanese single "

Robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...

", which placed number two on both the daily and weekly

, selling 45,640 copies. CNBLUE's long-awaited South Korean comeback was officially announced at their ''2012 CNBLUE Live BLUE NIGHT in Seoul'' concert on December 17. The release date for their fourth EP, '' Re:Blue'', was set to be January 14, 2013. The first teaser was released on January 3, 2013 All individual video teasers were released on January 7. On January 9, a photo teaser was released for their photoshoot of the album made on the streets of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The first music video teaser was released on January 10 along with a second one released one day later. In 2012, all of the members received recognition for their acting endeavors, and CNBLUE was said to be the band that has conquered the year-end acting award ceremonies with their nominations. At the KBS Drama Awards, Kang Min-hyuk and Lee Jung-shin were nominated for the "Rookie Actor" award for their roles in '' My Husband Got a Family'' and ''

Seoyoung, My Daughter ''Seoyoung, My Daughter'' () is a 2012 South Korean television series, starring Lee Bo-young, Chun Ho-jin, Lee Sang-yoon, and Park Hae-jin. The family drama focuses on the broken relationship between Seo-young and her father, who later reunite wi ...

'' respectively. Jung Yong-hwa was awarded the "Hallyu Star" award at the APAN Star Awards for his lead role in the 2011 drama '' Heartstrings'' due to its popularity in Asia. At the SBS Drama Awards, Lee Jong-hyun was awarded the "New Star" award for his role in ''

A Gentleman's Dignity ''A Gentleman's Dignity'' () is a 2012 South Korean romantic comedy television series starring Jang Dong-gun, Kim Ha-neul, Kim Su-ro, Kim Min-jong, and Lee Jong-hyuk. It aired on SBS from May 26 to August 12, 2012 on Saturdays and Sundays at 21 ...

''.

2013: ''Re:Blue'', Blue Moon World Tour, and ''What Turns You On?''

On January 14, which is CNBLUE's third anniversary, the band's fourth EP '' Re:Blue'' and music video of the lead single "I'm Sorry" were released. "I'm Sorry" was co-composed and co-written by the band's leader, Jung Yong-hwa, marking it the first time for Jung's composition to be used as the band's title song in South Korea. Prior to the EP's release, ''Re:Blue'' reached over 100,000 copies of pre-orders. It eventually went on to top the

for two weeks in a row., selling a total of 126,000 copies. The single peaked at number 2 on the

, and achieved an all-kill on music charts. ''Re:Blue'' ranked #1 on the Billboard World Album Chart, Japan's Tower Records Chart. According to Taiwan's music site 'Omusic', the album and title track "I'm Sorry" ranked #1 on the single and album charts, respectively even before the official release in the country. After its official release in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, the album topped 8 different charts. The single "I'm Sorry" also ranked #1 in the MYX daily chart in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. On January 22, FNC Entertainment announced CNBLUE's '' Blue Moon World Tour'', stating that "They won't be going to just Asian countries such as China, Singapore, and Hong Kong, but also Europe, Australia, North America, and South America. The label confirmed stops for Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaysia, and Australia, and is in the process of planning America and Europe stops. Taiwan will be the first stop for the world tour starting on April 6, making them the first South Korean rock band to hold a world tour of this kind. On April 20, FNC had announced that CNBLUE will be going on a ZEPP Tour in Japan with their first stop at

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

on July 24 and 25, and the last stop at

Namba is a district of Osaka, Japan. It is located in Chūō and Naniwa wards. Namba is regarded as the center of so-called ''Minami'' ("South") area of Osaka. Its name is one of variations on the former name of Osaka, '' Naniwa''. Namba is be ...

in Osaka on August 14 and 15. There was a total of 10 concerts in 5 cities. This was held while the ''Blue Moon'' world tour was still ongoing. It was later revealed that the ZEPP Tour is titled ''Lady Zepp Tour'' after announcing the name of their upcoming 6th Japanese single titled ''Lady'' on June 18. On April 24, CNBLUE released their fifth Japanese single, " Blind Love", written and co-composed by Lee Jong-hyun. The physical single debuted at number two on Oricon Daily Single Chart with 35,773 copies sold, the highest first day sale for CNBLUE's Japanese releases. On July 17, the official music video for CNBLUE's sixth Japanese single "

Lady The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...

" was released. The physical single was later released on July 31, 2013, and ranked at number 4 on

, selling 42,169 copies in its first week. CNBLUE had also participated in the annual two-day Japanese rock festival ''Summer Sonic 2013'' as one of the line-ups along with their labelmate F.T. Island and rock bands like

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

, and ONE OK ROCK. This was held at Tokyo and Osaka on August 10 and 11 respectively On August 13, they released the music video of "One More Time" for their upcoming second Japanese studio album ''

What Turns You On? ''What Turns You On?'' (stylized ''What turns you on?'') is a Japanese studio album by the South Korean rock band CNBLUE. It was released on August 28, 2013 as the group's fourth Japanese album and their second major album under Warner Music Japan ...

''. On August 28, the studio album was released. It includes the previous three singles, "

", " Blind Love" and "

". It debuted at number two on the

and sold 43,492 copies. On November 26, CNBLUE released their first ever "best-of" album in Korea, titled ''Present'' with the Korean version of the band's Japanese songs. All of the members reportedly took part in the translation of the lyrics.

2014: ''Can't Stop'', ''Wave'', and Notable performances

On February 23, 2014, CNBLUE released their fifth EP, '' Can't Stop''. The album debuted at #2 on the

and went on to top the chart the following week. The lead single " Can't Stop" peaked at #3 on the

. On March 2, the band had their comeback performance on SBS's ''All Live Comeback Show: Can't Stop''. After finishing their promoting activities in Korea, CNBLUE released a new Japanese single "

Truth Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs ...

" on April 23, 2014. The band then embarked on their ''2014 CNBLUE LIVE- Can’t Stop Tour'', which kick-start in

Daegu Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...

on May 24. On August 20, they released their 8th Japanese single, " Go Your Way". CNBLUE released "Radio" on September 8, as a digital download in precedence of their third Japanese studio album ''

Wave In physics, mathematics, and related fields, a wave is a propagating dynamic disturbance (change from equilibrium) of one or more quantities. Waves can be periodic, in which case those quantities oscillate repeatedly about an equilibrium (res ...

''. Released on September 17, ''Wave'' debuted at number three on the weekly

. By the end of its chart run, ''Wave'' sold 42,080 copies in the country. The band then embarked on the ''CNBLUE 2014 Arena Tour: Wave'' from October to November in Aichi, Tokyo, Osaka,

Miyagi Miyagi may refer to: Places * Miyagi Prefecture, one of the 47 major divisions of Japan * Miyagi, Gunma, a village in Japan, merged into Maebashi in 2004 *Miyagi District, Miyagi, a district in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan Other uses * Miyagi (surna ...

, and Fukuoka. On October 4, the band performed at the closing ceremony of

2014 Incheon Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games ( ko, 2014년 아시아 경기대회/2014년 아시안 게임, Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 17th Asian Games ( ko, 제17회 아시아 경기대회/제17회 ...

. On December 6, CNBLUE was the only Korean artist to participate at the 2015 iQiyi All-Star Carnival in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, China, where they received the "Best Asia Group" award. CNBLUE's song "Can't Stop" was the 17th most tweeted song of 2014, according to the news website Mashable. They were the highest ranked Korean artist (followed by

Girls' Generation Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece ensembl ...

's "Mr. Mr" at number 18 and Infinite's "Last Romeo" at number 48) on a list of "Twitter's 50 Most-Tweeted Songs of 2014" which included worldwide artists like John Legend,

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...

, Beyonce,

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he ...

Lady GaGa Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By the ...

Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...

, Coldplay and

One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the gr ...

Billboard K-Town ''Billboard'' K-Town is an online magazine column presented weekly, on various days, by ''Billboard'' on its ''Billboard.com'' site. The column, launched on January 29, 2013, reports on K-pop music; artists, concerts, chart information and new ...

included the EP on their list of the "10 Best K-Pop Albums of 2014" at #9, calling the tracks "Can't Stop" and "Like a Child" "some of the most accessible Korean rock tunes to come out of the scene this year," and "Cold Love" a "gritty ballad" and "Diamond Girl" a feisty rock jam.

2015: ''2gether'', ''Colors'' and Arena tour

Throughout the first half of 2015, CNBLUE continued to pursue solo activities. In April 2015, the band released its ninth single "

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

" under

. The single peaked at number four on the weekly

, selling over 28,000 copies since its release. After an absence of domestic band promotions in one year and seven months in, CNBLUE released their second studio album '' 2gether'' and lead single " Cinderella" on September 14. The album debuted at number two on the

and went on to top the chart the following week. The single peaked at number 10 on the

, ultimately earning the band five music show wins. ''2gether'' was met with generally favorably reviews from music critics, particular for its use for electronic elements. Jung Min-jae of online magazine ''

IZM ''IZM'' () is a South Korean online magazine that publishes pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ...

'' noted the band for "adhering to a wide-range of pop rock genres", and that the band's "signature smooth melodies and waving grooves are more attractive than ever". Jung Hae-wook of ''News Tomato'' complimented the band on the mixture of electronic rock and being able to form a distinct sound between the tracks, as well as their effort to experiment in order to establish its musical identity. Jeff Benjamin of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' stated that in spite of the change in direction of the band's music on the album, their "sentimental songwriting" and "vivacious energy" persisted. CNBLUE released "Supernova" on September 9 as a digital download in precedence of CNBLUE's fourth Japanese studio album '' Colors''. Released on September 30, the album debuted at number one on the weekly

, selling 31,000 copies in its first week. It is the first time the band topped the chart since ''

'', released three years and one month prior. The band embarked on the ''CNBLUE 2015 Arena Tour: Be a Supernova'' from November 3 to December 3. The concerts took place at the

Big Hat is an indoor ice hockey arena in Nagano, Japan with a capacity of 10,104 seated spectators. Its official name is the ''Nagano Wakasato Tamokuteki Sports Arena''. The arena was completed and officially opened on December 10, 1995. Location Big ...

arena in

Nagano Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Universi ...

, the

Yoyogi National Gymnasium Yoyogi National Gymnasium, officially is an indoor arena located at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, which is famous for its suspension roof design. It was designed by Kenzo Tange and built between 1961 and 1964 to house swimming and d ...

in Tokyo, the Nippon Gaishi Hall in Aichi, the

Sun Dome Yuengling Center (formerly the USF Sun Dome) is an indoor arena on the main campus of the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida. Construction began in November 1977, and it opened on November 29, 1980. It is located in USF's Athl ...

Fukui is a Japanese name meaning "fortunate" or sometimes "one who is from the Fukui prefecture". It may refer to: Places * Fukui Domain, a part of the Japanese han system during the Edo period * Fukui Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan located in ...

, and the Osaka-jō Hall in Osaka.

2016: ''Blueming'', ''Euphoria'', and 5th anniversary tour

CNBLUE released their sixth mini-album ''

Blueming ''Blueming'' (stylized ''BLUEMING'') is the sixth extended play by South Korean band CNBLUE. It was released on April 4, 2016, under FNC Entertainment and distributed by LOEN Entertainment. The band began developing the record within the same tim ...

'' and its lead single " You're So Fine" on April 4, 2016. ''Blueming'' topped the

upon its release. "You're So Fine" earned the band six music show wins. The band also released their 10th Japanese single "

Puzzle A puzzle is a game, Problem solving, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together (Disentanglement puzzle, or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at th ...

" on May 11. It debuted at number four on the weekly

; the single charted for four weeks and went on to sell over 30,000 copies by the end of its chart run. CNBLUE released their fifth Japanese album ''

Euphoria Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and da ...

'' on October 19. ''Euphoria'' debuted at number two on the

. By the end of its chart run, the album sold 36,074 copies in the country. The band embarked on their fifth anniversary arena tour, ''Our Glory Days'' from November 2 to November 29, 2016. The concerts took place at the

Makuhari Messe is a Japanese convention center outside Tokyo, located in the Mihama-ku ward of Chiba City, in the northwest corner of Chiba Prefecture. Designed by Fumihiko Maki, it is accessible by Tokyo's commuter rail system. ''Makuhari'' is the name of ...

Event Hall in

Chiba Chiba may refer to: Places China * (), town in Jianli County, Jingzhou, Hubei Japan * Chiba (city), capital of Chiba Prefecture ** Chiba Station, a train station * Chiba Prefecture, a sub-national jurisdiction in the Greater Tokyo Area on ...

, the Osaka-jō Hall in

, the Nippon Gaishi Hall in Aichi, the

Marine Messe Fukuoka in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Japan is a collection of three separate buildings operated by the Fukuoka Convention Center Foundation. Fukuoka Kokusai Center The Fukuoka Kokusai Center opened in . A Sumo Tournament is held here every November. Man ...

arena in

, and the

Nippon Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts con ...

. Performing 22 songs at each concert, the tour accumulated 75,000 attendees in total. The November 18 show in Aichi was recorded and is scheduled to air on WOWOW on January 15, 2017.

2017: ''7ºCN'', ''Shake'', ''Stay Gold'', and concert tours

Almost a year after the release of ''

'', CNBLUE released their seventh EP, ''

7°CN ' is the seventh mini-album by South Korean pop-rock idol band CNBLUE. It was released on March 20, 2017, under FNC Entertainment and distributed by LOEN Entertainment. It was also the last Korean release to feature Jonghyun, who left the group ...

,'' on March 20, 2017. CNBLUE released their 14th single, " Shake" on May 10, 2017. It debuted on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart at number five. The band then embarked on the CNBLUE Spring Live 2017 "Shake! Shake!" arena tour. They held two concerts each in Tokyo, Aichi, and Osaka, starting from May 17 to June 22. The band also held their 2017 CNBLUE Live: Between Us concert tour on six countries from July 1 to December 9. The initial pair of shows took place between June 3 and 4 in Seoul. CNBLUE released their sixth-major label Japanese studio album, Stay Gold. It debuted at number three on Japan's national weekly Oricon Albums Chart. The band embarked on the CNBLUE 2017 Arena Tour Live "Starting Over" from November 3 to December 1.

2018–2019: Military enlistment and Jonghyun's departure

The band went on hiatus because the members were doing military service; before they did, they released Best of CNBLUE/OUR BOOK 011-2018on August 29. The album contained songs from their debut in Japan in 2011. On August 28, 2019, Jonghyun announced he was leaving CNBLUE due to his connections with the Burning Sun scandal and backlash over inappropriate messages towards a YouTuber.

2020–present: Return from military, Contract Renewal, ''Re-Code'', "Zoom", and ''Wanted''

On October 20, 2020, it was announced that the 3 remaining members of CNBLUE had successfully renewed their contracts and are releasing their eighth mini album, ''Re-Code'' and its lead single "Then, Now and Forever", on November 17. CNBLUE launched a reality-variety show, Secret Tour: Don't Call My Name to celebrate their 10th debut anniversary. The show aired every Friday from November 13 to November 20, 2020 on

tvN TVN may refer to: * TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel * Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster * TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi * TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...

. CNBLUE released their 15th single, "Zoom" on June 23, 2021. CNBLUE released their ninth mini-album, ''Wanted'' and its lead single "Love Cut" on October 20. On August 8, 2022, CNBLUE joined the Weverse platform.

Controversy

CNBLUE and its agency

were sued by Korean punk band Crying Nut for unauthorized use of their song "Pilsal Off-Side" on Mnet's "M Countdown" in 2010. Crying Nut also charged that CNBLUE had released a DVD of the concert in Japan and profited from it. Crying Nut claimed that not only did CNBLUE use the song without permission, but also lip-synced along with the original Crying Nut recording. Crying Nut allegedly posted online that CNBLUE "must pay the penalties for intellectual property rights infringement". CNBLUE later countersued Crying Nut for allegedly accusing CNBLUE of copyright infringement, filing an injunction against Crying Nut's online criticisms, claiming that the intellectual property theft was the responsibility of CJ E&M and the unspecified company responsible for the DVD sales. However, after years of debate in court, CNBLUE lost the lawsuit and its agency was fined 15 million won.

Philanthropy

CNBLUE undertakes philanthropy work such as donating money and rice to the needy from time to time. Part of their yearly income and the income from the Bluemoon World Tour have been contributed to the construction of CNBLUE Schools. The first CNBLUE School was built in Burkina Faso, Africa in 2012 and can accommodate up to 100 pre-schoolers and 1 000 elementary and junior high school students. CNBLUE Schools will provide meals and daycare services for the enrolled students. In 2014, a second CNBLUE school was built in the Philippines. In July 2021, CNBLUE participated in a summer donation campaign by Happy Bean through the non-profit foundation, LOVE FNC. The proceeds from the sold goods have been donated to support the education of children affected by COVID-19 in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Mongolia.

Members

Current members *

– leader, guitars, main vocals, rap * Kang Min-hyuk – drums *

– bass, rap Former members * Kwon Kwang-jin – bass * Lee Jong-hyun – guitars, vocals

Discography

Korean albums * '' First Step'' (2011) * '' 2gether'' (2015) Japanese albums * ''

'' (2010) * ''

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'' (2011) * ''

'' (2012) * ''

'' (2013) * ''

'' (2014) * '' Colors'' (2015) * ''

'' (2016) * '' Stay Gold'' (2017)

Concerts and tours

Headlining

World Tour

* Blue Moon World Tour (2013)

Asia tours

*Listen to the CNBLUE Asia Tour (2010) *Blue Storm Asia Tour (2011–12) * CNBLUE Live "Can't Stop" (2014) * CNBLUE Live "Come Together" (2015–16) * CNBLUE Live "BETWEEN US" (2017)

Japan tours

* Zepp Tour～RE-MAINTENANCE～ (2011) * Winter Tour～Here, In my head～ (2011) *Fanclub tour～Where you are～ (2012) *Arena Tour～COME ON!!!～ (2012) *Zepp Tour～Lady～ (2013) *Arena Tour～ONE MORE TIME～ (2013) *Spring Live～Truth～(2014) *Arena Tour～Wave～ (2014) *Spring Live～White～(2015) *Arena Tour～Be a Supernova～ (2015) *Spring Live～We're Like a Puzzle～(2016) *Arena Tour～Our Glory Days～(2016) *CNBLUE Spring Live 2017 Shake! Shake! (2017) *Arena tour ~Starting Over~ (2017)

Awards and nominations

References

Notes

Citations

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cnblue Electronic rock musical groups English-language singers from South Korea FNC Entertainment artists Japanese-language singers of South Korea K-pop music groups MAMA Award winners Musical groups established in 2009 Musical groups from Seoul Musical quartets South Korean boy bands South Korean pop rock music groups Warner Music Japan artists Melon Music Award winners