T-Max (), stylized T-MAX or T.max, was a South Korean pop music group formed in 2007 under the label 2Step Entertainment (later Planet 905). The group began as a trio, where the "T" in its name was derived from the words "triple" and "trinity". T-Max released an album, an EP, five singles, some of which have songs different from its title, and several
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
singles for television shows such as ''
Boys Over Flowers'', ''
Detectives in Trouble,'' and ''
Master of Study
''Master of Study'' () is a South Korean television series that aired on KBS2 from January 4 to February 23, 2010 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 16 episodes. It starred Kim Su-ro, Bae Doona, Oh Yoon-ah, Yoo Seung-ho, Go Ah-sung, Lee Hyu ...
''. Its members have pursued individual acting gigs in dramas, sitcoms, and musicals.
History
T-Max began with three members:
Kim Joon, Shin Min Chul and Park Yun Hwa. Shin was a former member of the boy band ''B.O.K.'' and sang on soundtrack songs "Dan Nyum" (''
Sang Doo! Let's Go to School'') and "Tears" (''Strange Woman Strange Men''). Park Yun Hwa was a former contestant in ''Battle Shinhwa'', a 2005 television contest to create a new boy band. T-Max's first single, "Blooming", was released on July 19, 2007. The group performed on music shows such as
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, ...
's ''
M! Countdown
''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet. The show features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. It is broadcast from CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul.
B ...
'', ''Show Music Tank'' and ''
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 ...
''. A second single, "Lion Heart", followed on November 30. On December 29, 2008, the group released a third single, ''Run To You'', which featured the track "Neol Saranghae" ( ko, 널 사랑해, My Love).
The members of T-max got involved in television projects for 2009. Park Yun Hwa was on a
SBS show called “Mak Ban Shi” (''Idol Maknae Rebellion''), which showcased the youngest members of various idol groups: participants included Dongho of
U-Kiss
U-KISS ( ko, 유키스; ja, ユーキス) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2008. Their name is an acronym, standing for Ubiquitous Korean International Idol Super Star. The group's current lineup is composed of Soohyun, Hoon, Kiseop and ...
, Seunghyun of
FT Island, Jinwoon of
2AM and Shorry of
Mighty Mouth
Mighty Mouth ( ko, 마이티 마우스) is a South Korean duet male group made up of Sangchu ( ko, 상추) and Shorry J ( ko, 쇼리 J). Debuted in 2008 with their ''Energy'' album featuring Yoon Eun Hye for "I love you", Sunye of the Wonder G ...
. Shin sang "Last Hero" for the historical drama series ''
The Return of Iljimae
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
''.
When Kim landed a starring role as high school "prince" Song Woo Bin in the
Korean live-action adaptation of ''Boys Over Flowers'', T-Max was selected to do the theme song "Paradise", which brought the group fame.
Other ''Boys Over Flowers'' tracks followed, including "Say Yes" and "Wish Ur My Love". A Japanese version called "Motto Paradise" was released on September 2. The group participated in the F4 special edition of the ''Boys Over Flowers'' soundtrack, which included "Nappeun Maeumeul Meokgehae", among other tracks.
On July 15, T-Max released an EP ''Single Collection'', which featured three solo tracks; each of which was sung by a different member.
The group released the digital single ''Love Parade'' on September 3, which featured the track "Wonhae" ( ko, 원해, Want).
In 2010, T-Max contributed original soundtrack (OST) singles for ''
Master of Study
''Master of Study'' () is a South Korean television series that aired on KBS2 from January 4 to February 23, 2010 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 16 episodes. It starred Kim Su-ro, Bae Doona, Oh Yoon-ah, Yoo Seung-ho, Go Ah-sung, Lee Hyu ...
'' and ''Fuyu No Sonata''. Park Yun Hwa also collaborated with
4Minute
4Minute (, often stylized as 4MINUTE) was a South Korean girl group formed in 2009 by Cube Entertainment. The members of the group were Nam Ji-hyun, Heo Ga-yoon, Jeon Ji-yoon, Kim Hyuna and Kwon So-hyun. The group was known for its edgy d ...
member
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 ...
on the song "Last Winter" which is found on a different ''Love Parade'' single released in February 2010. With Park Yun Hwa's plan to leave the group to
fulfill his military service,
T-Max added two new members to the group: Joo Chan Yang was a former ''Superstar K'' contestant, and Park Han Bi was new to the music scene.
The group released the studio album ''Born to the MAX'' in June.
T-Max contributed to soundtrack singles "Believe" and "Sesangkkeuteseo" for the ''
Detectives in Trouble'' series in 2011. On September 29, Kim departed from the group for his military service.
Prior to Kim’s enlistment, T-Max released one last single "Geunyeoga Ureo" ( ko, 그녀가 울어, She Was Crying), a ballad which tells of a man’s confession and seeking forgiveness, and describes the pain of farewell from his lover.
On January 4, 2012, the group officially disbanded, with its members to embark on solo careers in music or acting. Yoon Jung Soo, the CEO of Planet 905, said, “They’re a group like real brothers to me, and I truly did all I could for them, so I wanted to take in whatever decision they chose. I told them that they could return as T-Max whenever they wanted to.”
Influence
In October 2013, at a fan event in Singapore, the cast of the South Korean variety show ''
Running Man'' showed a video montage of themselves in the roles of the ''
Boys Over Flowers'' guys, and then appeared onstage where they sang T-Max's "Paradise".
Members
T-max had five different members over its lifetime. Shin Min-chul (신민철) and
Kim Joon (Kim Hyung-jun 김형준) were members from 2007 to 2011. Park Yun-hwa (박윤화) was a member from 2007 to 2010. Park Han-bi (박한비) and Joo Chan-yang (주찬양) were members from 2010 to 2011.
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
Soundtrack appearances
*
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
K-pop music groups
Musical groups established in 2007
South Korean boy bands
Musical groups disestablished in 2012