Fiestar

Fiestar () is a South Korean girl group, composed of Cao Lu, Jei, Linzy, Hyemi and Yezi. They began their career prior to debut by releasing a duet with label mate IU titled "Sea of Moonlight" in July 2012 for LOEN Entertainment's collective label album and later gained domestic success after entering the top ten of the Gaon Digital Chart. The group later debuted on August 31, 2012, with the single "Vista" and concluded their career in May 2018 after four members decided not to renew their contracts with the label.

On August 27, 2024, Fiestar announced they would reunite to release a single on August 31 to celebrate their 12th anniversary debut. The group released their first independent single, "You're Pitiful", a remake version from their first EP ''Black Label'' (2015).

On April 9, 2025, Bomnal Entertainment announced that the members of Fiestar signed an exclusive contract with their company.

History

Pre-debut

In July 2012, LOEN Entertainment announced it would be debuting a six-member girl group named Fiestar in August. The group members, who came from South Korea, China, and the United States, had trained together for two years and individually for an average of four years.

The oldest member, Cao Lu, had previously debuted as a soloist in China after winning a 2004 CCTV singing contest.

The group's leader, Jei, had modeled for online clothing stores and appeared in the music video for Infinite's 2011 single "Paradise".

Linzy had been a trainee under YG Entertainment and was reportedly intended to be a member of the group 2NE1. In 2010, she recorded a song for the Korean drama ''Obstetrics and Gynecology''.

Cheska, who is Korean American, auditioned for JYP Entertainment in 2008, but did not join the company due to opposition from her parents. She was later discovered by Kim Chang-hwan, the producer behind Clon and Kim Gun-mo, who convinced her parents to let her come to South Korea.

Yezi started her career as a backup dancer for singers and Hong Kyung-min.

2012–2013: Debut and further releases

Before their official debut, Fiestar released a duet with label mate IU for LOEN Entertainment's collective label album. The track was titled "Sea of Moonlight" and was a domestic chart success. They also collaborated with Tiger JK for the pre-release song "Wicked".

The group released their first official single, "Vista", on August 31, 2012. The tracks from the corresponding EP all charted on the K-pop Billboard Hot 100.

Fiestar's second single "We Don't Stop" was released on November 9, with the B-side track "Sweet Love" featuring ballad singer Kim Yeon-woo. Live promotions for the album began on ''Music Bank'' the following day. Alongside group promotions, Jei appeared in TVN's reality program ''Romantic and Idol'', and alongside IU for the comedy show ''Gag Concert'' along with Jei, Cao Lu and Linzy. Vocalists Linzy and Hyemi appeared on KBS's ''1000 Song Challenge'', and the group as a whole made appearances on ''Weekly Idol'' and ''Dream Team 2''. They also endorsed HIM Magazine.

In 2013, Linzy played Sharpay Evans in the CJE&M Korean musical adaptation of High School Musical, sharing the role with The Grace's Dana. The show began on July 2 at the Blue Square Samsung Card Hall. The same year, Fiestar also participated in a video series entitled " Fiestar's A-HA! For the Global K-Pop Fan" as well as endorsements for the Samsung Galaxy S4.

On August 27, a pre-release single, "Whoo!" featuring Eric Benét, was released online. Despite there being no live promotions for the single, it was a chart success.

In September, LOEN Entertainment created the sub-label Collabodadi, under which Fiestar would continue to release their music. On November 1, the group released the single "I Don't Know" on the EP ''Curious'', making their stage comeback on ''Music Core'' the following day. Following promotions, the reality television show ''Channel FIESTAR!'' aired on SBS MTV.

2014–2015: Cheska's departure and ''Black Label''

On March 20, 2014, LOEN Entertainment announced that Cheska would be leaving the group and would not be replaced by any new members, and Fiestar's comeback was scheduled for mid-July after being postponed due to the Sewol ferry tragedy.

On June 16, a single in collaboration between The Friends and Fiestar for the 2014 Brazil World Cup titled "I Love Korea" was released. On July 1, the music video for the single "One More" was released.

On March 4, 2015, Fiestar's first mini album, '' Black Label'', was released with the title track "You're Pitiful". Six months after the album's release, on September 22, Collabodadi was dissolved, with LOEN Tree becoming the sole in-house label of LOEN Entertainment. Thus, Fiestar returned to LOEN Tree after a two-year run under Collabodadi.

On December 17, Cao Lu appeared on Radio Star as a guest along with rapper Jessi, Got7's Jackson, and Lena Park as part of the Outsiders special. She gained national attention for her appearance on the program and became the number one trending topic on Naver, with Fiestar also trending.

2016–2018: Last activities and disbandment

In March 2016, Fiestar released their second mini album ''A Delicate Sense''. The album consists of six tracks, including lead single "Mirror". Notably, all the members also participated in the production.

On May 31, 2016, Fiestar returned with the digital single "Apple Pie".

On May 15, 2018, after a year of no group activities, it was announced that Fiestar had officially disbanded following the expiration of four of the members' contracts on April 30 and Cao Lu's contract would be expiring on May 31.

On May 29, 2018, former member Cheska announced via her Instagram that she was leaving Korea and quitting music. She thanked her fans for supporting her, but stated that she decided to walk away as "music was slowly killing er.

2024–present: Reunion and new label

On August 27 it was reported that Fiestar would reunite with the release of a new song on August 31 to commemorate their 12th debut anniversary. On August 29, Fiestar appeared together on Cao Lu's YouTube channel and confirmed that they would reunite with the release of a remake of their 2015 single "You're Pitiful", their first independent release. Cao Lu also cited that the single's copyright was already bought by her. Their remake single "You're Pitiful" was officially released on August 31, with a new style which combined "UK Garage" and "Rage Pop" genres.

On April 9, 2025, it was reported that Fiestar signed an exclusive contract with Bomnal Entertainment and preparing a remake album to share memories with their fans and will perform on stage at the Kpop Super Concert in Macau on April 27.

"One More" controversy

Fiestar's single "One More" was banned from broadcast by MBC for its supposedly risqué lyrics. While the song had originally passed scrutiny from the three major broadcasting stations ( KBS, MBC and SBS), backlash from public commentators forced the networks to review the song's content. While their representatives claimed that the song was innocuous, the group re-recorded the song and changed the lyrics. The controversy spawned from the lyrics prompted MBC to crack down further on songs with ambiguous or easily misconstrued lyrical content.

Members

Current
* Cao Lu ()
* Jei ()
* Linzy ()
* Hyemi ()
* Yezi ()

Former
* Cheska ()

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Other charted songs

Soundtrack appearances

Other appearances

Videography

Music videos

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

Fiestar
on LOEN Entertainment


on BOMNAL Entertainment

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K-pop music groups
Kakao M artists
Musical groups established in 2012
South Korean dance music groups
South Korean electronic musicians
South Korean girl groups
South Korean synth-pop groups
2012 establishments in South Korea
South Korean musical quintets
Musical groups disestablished in 2018
South Korean women in electronic music
Musical groups reestablished in 2024