Voisper (; stylized in

all caps In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in ...

) was a South Korean vocal group formed in

Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

. It consisted of vocalists Daegwang, Kwangho, Kangsan, and Choonggi, all of whom became friends in high school. After auditioning on ''

Superstar K6 ''Superstar K6'' () is the sixth season of the South Korean television talent show series ''Superstar K'', which premiered on 22 August 2014 on Mnet and aired Friday nights at 11PM KST. Eliminations were determined in each episode based on text ...

'' in 2014 as North Incheon Nineteen, the group was signed to Evermore Music the following January. A

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsVoice + Whisper The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production in ...

'' in November 2016. The group disbanded of December 8, 2021 after releasing their last album ''The Finale''.

History

2014–2016: Formation and debut

Friends since entering high school, Jung Dae-gwang, Jung Kwang-ho, Kim Kang-san, and Min Choong-gi came together during their second year. Kim proposed to make a group together, which the other three accepted. The quartet first appeared on the sixth season of

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 talent show series ''

Superstar K ''Superstar K'' ( ko, 슈퍼스타 K) is a South Korean television talent show series which is held yearly. First held in 2009, Superstar K has increasingly gained more attention, considered the biggest audition program in South Korea. Superstar ...

'' under the name North Incheon Nineteen. The ensemble signed a contract with Evermore Music in January 2015. To showcase its maturity since partaking in ''Superstar K'', the group name was changed to Voisper. A

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words its formation was announced on February 16, 2016, with a tentative debut towards the end of the month. The group made its first performance on

SBS MTV SBS M is a South Korean pay television music channel owned by SBS Medianet, a division of SBS Media Holdings. It features South Korean pop artists, international music, news, and a few reality and variety programs. It was launched in 2001 as t ...

's music program ''

The Show Show or The Show may refer to: Competition, event, or artistic production * Agricultural show, associated with agriculture and animal husbandry * Animal show, a judged event in the hobby of animal fancy ** Cat show ** Dog show ** Horse show ** Sp ...

'' on February 23, where it performed the debut single "In Your Voice". The song was made available on

online music store A digital music store is a business that sells digital audio files of music recordings over the Internet. Customers gain ownership of a license to use the files, in contrast to a music streaming service, where they listen to recordings without ...

s on March 2. Voisper released its second single "Summer Cold" on June 17. In precedence of its first mini-album, Voisper released its third single "Heart" on October 6. ''

Voice + Whisper The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production in ...

'' and the lead single "Learn to Love" were simultaneously released on November 18.

2017–2021: ''Wishes'', ''The Finale'', and disbandment

Voisper busking on Arisu Stage in Sinchon

Voisper participated in the music competition series '' Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend'', making its first appearance covering Kim Jong-chan's "You're Crying Too" on February 25, 2017. They went on to appear on the show a total of seven times that year, winning first place for their performance with Jung Dongha on the June 24 episode and getting their first solo win on the October 28 episode. On July 13, Voisper released its fourth single "Crush on You". It also included a remake of the 1987 song "Days Gone By" by

Yoo Jae-ha Yoo Jae-ha (; June 6, 1962 – November 1, 1987) was a South Korean singer and songwriter. His first and only album, ''Because I Love You'' () was released through Seoul Records in 1987. Yoo died in a car accident months later from the album re ...

. It was followed by the group's fifth single "Save As", released on October 29. Voisper also released "Let's Not Ask" on December 4, the first installment for the original

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 o ...

of television series ''

Two Cops ''Two Cops'' () is a 1993 South Korean action/comedy film directed by Kang Woo-suk. It stars Ahn Sung-ki and Park Joong-hoon as a pair of police detectives with different outlooks who end up working on a case together. Plot The experienced dete ...

'' (2017). On January 6, 2018, Voisper released the single "Missing U". Voisper 1st Whisper, the group's first concert, was held at the Veloso venue in

Hongdae, Seoul Hongdae () is a neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea near Hongik University, after which it is named. It is known for its urban arts and indie music culture, local shops, clubs and entertainment. The area is located in Mapo-gu in the western end ...

, on May 12. The quartet released its first studio album ''

Wishes A wish is a hope or desire for something. In fiction, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used. In fiction In fiction a ...

'' in November 2018. Voisper disbanded after releasing their final album entitled ''The Finale'' on December 8.

Musical style and influences

Voisper is primarily an R&B group, but has expressed its desire to showcase musical diversity. Its debut single "In Your Voice" is an R&B song that consists of a "dreamlike" melody, accompanied by a "sweet" piano and "powerful" drum. A ballad, the followup "Summer Cold" combines an

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

with a piano. On ''

'', the record opens with the

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

track "On & On" , which incorporates

modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...

and

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

into its sound. The quartet has cited

Sweet Sorrow Sweet Sorrow () is a South Korean male vocal group formed in 2002. Originally a quartet, its current members consist of In Ho-jin, Song Woo-jin and Kim Young-woo. In 2019, they joined with female vocal group The Barberettes and performed togeth ...

, Noel, and

Brown Eyed Soul Brown-eyed soul, also referred to as Chicano soul, is soul music performed in the United States mainly by Latinos in Southern California, East Los Angeles, and San Antonio (Texas) during the 1960s, continuing through to the early 1980s. AllMusic: ...

as role models. American boy group

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan M ...

Jung Dong-ha Jung Dong-ha (born Jung Jae-hwan on April 17, 1980) is a South Korean singer, musical actor, radio personality and a vocal major professor at Kyungpook National University. Jung joined as a vocalist of South Korean rock band Boohwal in 2005 ...

, and

Kim Bada Kim Bada (, born October 21, 1971) is a South Korean singer, musician, producer, and songwriter. His birth name is Kim Jung-nam (김정남). From 1995 to 1999, he was the fifth vocalist of Korean rock band Sinawe. In 2003, he formed the rock ban ...

were also highlighted as inspirations.

Members

* Daegwang – leader, main vocalist * Kwangho – main vocalist * Kangsan – main vocalist * Choonggi – main vocalist

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Soundtrack appearances

Guest appearances

References

External links

* {{authority control Musical groups established in 2016 Musical groups disestablished in 2021 Musical groups from Incheon South Korean boy bands South Korean contemporary R&B musical groups Superstar K participants Vocal quartets 2016 establishments in South Korea