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Sonder ( 손더 ), stylized in all lowercase, is an independent co-ed band that released their first EP "dinner @ the funeral" on October 3, 2017.
Formed originally as a cover band in 2015 by strangers who had nothing better to do with their lives, the band was seen as a passion project between friends than an actual job; There was a kind of charm and authenticity when performing at hole-in-the-wall bars and clubs with shady alleys and questionable histories that big venues couldn't replicate. And it was in their budget ─ two bedroom apartments aren't exactly cheap for four people with no real job.
Sonder only started taking themselves more serious when the owner of the bar they regularly perform at took it upon himself to manage them. Min Raehan, or Ray as he prefers, was a former drummer for the short-lived punk band Hang Man's Gambit and never got over the fact that they ( read: he ) didn't become the rock sensation promised by their ex-company. So after nagging them about the idea for weeks, he drives them over to a studio, introduces them to his old bandmate Seo Hawon, and tells them they're going to make history.
He never says when they'll make history but one day it'll happen.
Sonder has a total of 4 EPs and 8 singles up until mid 2020. All members participate in the writing of their music and lead certain songs though the voices heard most belong to Yoyo and Taeha.
BECAUSE YOU SAID SO, AFTERTASTE, TIME OF DEATH ( FLATLINE ), INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY. ( dinner @ the funeral ) COLD SIDE OF THE BED, NO HARD FEELINGS, THE DOOR'S LEFT OPEN, WEDDING VOWS, BUT I'M TRYING, BAD OMENS. ( why won't you come home? ) DO YOU KNOW ISSAC?, CARRYOUT, WILDFLOWER, RED WINE SUPERNOVA. ( in the heat ) I HATE TO SAY IT ( GOOD LUCK ), NEVER NEED ME, 2 TRUTHS AND A LIE, NEVER LET THIS GO. ( spam caller. )
The band consists of drummer An Jeyong, bassist Na Onjo, lead vocalist and lead guitarist Yao "Yoyo" Wei, and guitarist Kang Taeha.
PAGE 15. On Monday, August 18th, a video surfaced around 2:17 pm of former Colossal Music CEO Kwon Dongil being removed from Alter Ego by two police officers in handcuffs.
Witness reports said that Dongil was hurling derogatory language and profanities mainly towards his nephew Kwon Seunghyun who, as some said, was standing in the lobby and watching everything unfold with a smile on his face as he waved bye to his uncle through the door.
For the last 7 months, Colossal went from one of the fastest rising entertainment companies to once again being on the brink of disaster; Back in January, the eldest Kwon became the center controversy as it was alleged that not only was he blackmailing an ex-shareholder and evading his taxes but that he also engaged in inappropriate relationships with a former trainee and staff member.
Executives over at the company had to act fast. Though he wasn't arrested nor charged with any crimes as of yet, people just weren't too keen on still supporting them if he remained tied to the label. Not only were they losing stock at an alarming pace but fans of Insu were threatening to boycott if he had anything to do with the idol's upcoming album. In what was said to be a last minute, hour and a half meeting, Dongil was forced to step down and Seunghyun was made to take his place.
While people understood their bad blood, the real question here was why this took place at Alter Ego. Originally, the best explanation given was that they were simply discussing another collaboration between their idols; Insu over at Colossal had, at this point, 2 songs with Alter Ego soloist Jaeyi and recently worked with Cain, their newest addition, while he was independent.
Others believed it had to do with funding. With Colossal losing investors and shareholders, their steady source of income dropped drastically. This could've been the case as around April, Sandra and Seunghyun were seen grabbing coffee together and had a private conversation that looked rather important.
Thankfully, we wouldn't have to wait long for a response as on August 21, just 3 days after the disruption, Sandra Lee revealed that Alter Ego was officially merging with Colossal Music.
Due to her lack of interest in making a boy group and seeing the success that was BoyScouts and Insu, she'll take it upon herself to initiate a deal; Originally, she was meant to acquire Colossal by buying most their shares only to help secure stable financial backing. However, the idea of merging kept plaguing her mind. It was a tough pitch to make but Seunghyun found himself giving in after a month of deliberation.
Together, both companies make Poser Records. Sandra will remain as CEO and Seunghyun will act as COO. With her overseeing their female idols, this meant that he had to overlook the male idols, revealing that they'll start taking in male trainees for the first time as soon as possible. To celebrate their merger, the joint company held a large black and white party over at the Alter Ego location.
As for Dongil, he remained adamant on pleading his innocence up until the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency began properly investigating the claims against him. He's since moved from his home in the Gyeonggi Province and relocated elsewhere.
The year is 2007; Colossal Music was on the brink of losing everything. COO and co-founder Kwon Dongwoo, the brain and heart of the company, will sadly pass away after a silent but long battle with brain cancer. Dongil, his brother and the appointed CEO, was now left in charge to take over and employees who knew the Kwon siblings well enough knew that it was only a matter of time until he screwed everything up.
Staff packed up and left overnight. No one who was close to Dongwoo wanted to watch what he made happen ─ the actual man behind the success of Colossal ─ get tarnished by a narcissist who struggled with poor critical thinking and sulked when disagreed with. He may have had the connections and helped open the doors but he was no real businessman.
But Dongil wasn't alone. His nephew, Seunghyun, had recently graduated from Seoul National University and was well prepared to take over his father's position. He wasn't as experienced as his uncle but he just was stubborn; A natural born schmoozer who can talk his way into anything he puts his mind to. Yet when he stepped into the label, ready to take on his responsibilities, he'd instead be treated more like a personal assistant than a COO.
Spring of 2008 came around and Colossal Music was in dire need of something new ─ something fresh. They hadn't debuted anyone in the last 3 years, and the last artist they signed got arrested for possession of marijuana and public indecency so their reputation with the general public wasn't as good as they'd like.
They had 3 trainees left; 12 year olds Baek Insu and Kang Taeha, and soon to be 11 year old Lee Eunjun. They were young, too young for Dongwoo's liking but Dongil insisted that the the earlier they start training, the better they'll be when they're older.
From the information gathered ( special thanks to user dirtyshovelware over on Eye4i ), Insu was the first one scouted after appearing on the KBS program Korea Sings, or the National Singing Contest, at the age of 10. It's speculated that Dongil personally reached out to his parents to sign him but was initially turned down because of his age. That didn't stop the CEO from trying as he'll then visit their home several times ( Colossal Music was in the same neighborhood as their residence ) bearing gifts and practically begging on his knees for them to change their minds until they finally caved.
Eunjun, on the other hand, was a breeze to get on board. His mother, a self-proclaimed "manager," was making rounds to any and all entertainment companies that might take her son in when she stumbled across a faded flyer advertising for open auditions for Colossal. She'll pay the last bit of money she had to haul a taxi over and spent about an hour grooming the then 9 year old in the bathroom before sending him out and letting him do his usual performance of 둥지 ( Nest ) by Nam Jin. By the end, Dongil was giving him a standing ovation and already speaking with his mother.
Similar to Eunjun, Taeha was also easy to sign. He was scouted somewhere along Hongdae where he and the dance crew High Kicks were performing. Out of all the boys there, he managed to stand out like a sore thumb; loud, neon pink sneakers clearly a size smaller, partially colored blue tips on poorly cut black hair, and the mouth of a sailor all on a slightly chubby 10 year old who had an obvious lisp that took b-boying more serious than anyone out there. How could Dongil not approach him? Even better is when given the business card, Taeha supposedly nodded, said "cool," and fist bumped him before leaving.
Even though they were called "superstars in the making," no one was confident in debuting them just yet. Insu was the most polished trainee but he was too... expressionless compared to the others. He was a good kid. Intelligent, observant, respectful but acted like cracking a smile would kill him. His entire demeanor was draining to look at but when he was in practice mode, he easily caught everyone's eye. Eunjun had the real star power but he lacked partially in dance. He did his best to keep up with the older boys but fell flat in certain parts, often leading to him getting called out and sometimes resulting in him crying. Then there was Taeha who everyone thought could be a real soloist if he just looked better. Cover up a mole or two, lose the weight, maybe a nose job in the near future but Colossal wasn't about to waste money on cosmetic surgery when they had 2 people who naturally looked the part.
Seunghyun knew they could work. He saw their potential but it was nothing long-term. They were youthful, precious gems waiting to be showed off. People, specifically older women and young girls, will eat them up at any age but right now, while they were still young, they'd make a killing. So he comes up with the plan of debuting them in a temporary trio. They'll last for 5 years, or until Eunjun turned 18, then disband. Now, no matter what the company did with them, they'll have dedicated fans who would support them no matter what.
After getting the parents on board, 2 years later, Colossal Music was introducing BoyScouts.
From left to right: Baek Insu ( 14 ), Kang Taeha ( 14 ), and Lee Eunjun ( 12 )
The trio debuted on May 10, 2010 with the EP Crayola. The entire project was overseen by Seunghyun but Dongil's name was plastered across the album and in the song credits as executive producer, making fans believe that the boys were his idea. Regardless, Crayola went on to become a hit. To celebrate their achievements, alongside Eunjun's 13th birthday in the following month, they held their first fansign. The event sold out in minutes, the small venue packed with fans of varying ages shouting their names and showering them with love.
Their success only rose from there. They featured on The Ellen Degeneres Show upon them putting out their Signed, Yours Truly album due to both the English and Korean version of "Baby" going viral in early 2012. They won Song of the Year, Best Male Group, and had featured on the cover of their first editorial at just 16 and 15 years old. Even their seniors were in awe at how they were growing, the most notable being Jaeyi from Poser Record's duo Superficial, leading to the infamous Q&A collaboration. Tours were filled to the brim, their list of accolades growing so long that Colossal Music brought 2 shelves... which only makes everything following more confusing.
Suddenly, in November of 2012, the company released a statement saying that Eunjun will be going on an indefinite hiatus due to mental health issues. Honey Badgers were in disbelief. He seemed fine... sorta. He seemed more spaced out than usual, and grew more emotional but it didn't look that bad. It was only when fans dug more and more into it that a source close to a staff member revealed that one day, during practice, he just snapped. He attacked Insu, attacked Seunghyun, and seemingly grew more erratic until breaking down in uncontrollable sobs before coming to his senses. His mother had to come get him and, allegedly, the other boys agreed that for their own safety, he needed to be removed from the trio.
It's never been confirmed but Honey Badgers have ran with this theory since the Eye4i post dropped. Everyone dubbed Eunjun as the villain in their story, especially since Insu was the favorite among all three of them. But with him being gone, what was to become of BoyScouts? They were so close to reaching contract renewals and people eagerly wanted to know what a more "mature" version of the boys would look and sound like.
Unfortunately for those fans, Colossal Music dropped the worst news they could have received: they were fully disbanding. As painful as it felt reading the news, some understood why it was happening this way. Again, their contracts were going to be up in 2 more years. It was better to get a move on with their careers now than prolonging the inevitable.
Taeha and Insu held a farewell concert in February 2013 and released the first and only single featuring just them. At the concert, it was revealed that the boys would be going solo; Insu having his this year and Taeha next year. Some people were confused as to why Taeha's was much further away but many were more ecstatic for Insu's that the questions and concern got overshadowed. And as they promised, June 2013 marked the day BoyScouts officially concluded.
Because Taeha will never go solo. Just like Eunjun, he'll fade in obscurity, his legacy remembered as the "eye sore" or the "annoying one" of the trio.
Insu will have the career everyone hoped for. His newest single "Are You Down?" featuring independent rapper and Show Me The Money winner Cain just came out 2 weeks ago and it's been #1 since. No word of the others has been uttered, not even a mention or a nod to BoyScouts seen anywhere in his discography or around him. It's like the trio never existed.
So that's their story for now. Three young, talented boys who all had the same start yet very different endings. Will Eunjun ever make a comeback? Will Taeha finally break his silence? And just how long will Insu's solo endeavors last? Because it's only a matter of time until his fate catches up to him...
But that's for another video. Whenever that may be.
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