[6th Anni] The 6-Year Road with NU’EST: History for Beginners
And in a blink of an eye, NU’EST has reached their 6th year since their debut in 2012. From being one of the youngest boyband of their era to their unexpected rise from a survival show, let’s take revisit the dusty road of their humble beginnings to paving a flower path with L.O.V.Es today. For both old and new L.O.V.Es, may this piece be a quick flashback and introduction to the five lovely boys of NU’EST.
Pre-debut: before the formation
All five members of NU’EST, Kwak Aron, Kim Jonghyun (JR), Kang Dongho (Baekho), Hwang Minhyun and Choi Mingi (Ren), were first introduced to the world alongside Jang Doyoon (currently an actor) Choi Seungcheol (S.Coups of SEVENTEEN) as After School Boys, later renamed as Pledis Boys. These seven boys made an appearance as part of the 2011 Happy Pledis album, and was also featured on different television shows, on After School Boys magazine and music videos of their label seniors.
Ren was spotted auditioning for SBS Miracle Audition, a talent survival to find the next new actor, alongside Xiyeon of Pristin and Doyoon. All three made it to the 2nd round of the program. However, as both Ren and Xiyeon did not turn up for unexplained reasons, their journey on the show ended; likewise, Ren’s 1st audition was also never aired. Other TV appearances included JR and Baekho being introduced by Kahi on KBS’ program ‘Hello Counselor’.
The boys are also familiar faces to Pledis family fans. JR, the first male trainee of Pledis, made a featuring appearance in Orange Caramel’s ‘Bangkok City’, Minhyun in ‘Shanghai Romance’ and Baekho in After School’s ‘Play Ur Love’. JR too, recorded a special featuring for UEE’s solo track, ‘Sok Sok Sok’. As trainees, the boys also appeared as backup dancers for After School Blue’s ‘Wonder Boy’.
They then made an official appearance on Happy Pledis and recorded for company special track ‘Love Letter’, in 2011. Later that year, the Pledis Boys were also on stage as dancers to After School’s SBS Gayo Daejun stage.
2012: the debut and gearing for a world stage
With the pre-debut hype being carried over to 2012, Pledis officially announced the formation of NU’EST, to consist of five members promoting under the names JR, Aron, Baekho, Minhyun and Ren; JR, standing for Junior Royal, was picked by the leader himself. Meanwhile, Baekho’s name was given by UEE to his similar image with the character of the same (Korean-translated) name in manga series, Slam Dunk. Ren, which has the meaning of a lotus flower, was given by the CEO Han Sungsoo himself. Aron’s original name was spelled with double ‘a’s, but due to the difficulty in pronouncing it in Korean tongue, an ‘a’ was dropped to form Aron (아론).
Keeping with the theme of After School Boys, each member also had an equivalent role as the After School counterpart. JR is matched up with Kahi, as both are charismatic dancers, rappers and leaders. Aron is matched up with Bekah, both being foreign members with fluent English. Baekho is the male Jungah, both as outstanding main vocals in their respective groups. Minhyun is the male Jooyeon, as they both possess great visuals - on this note, Minhyun is also the official Visual of NU'EST. Last but not least, Ren, who has a cute maknae image, is regarded as the male Soyoung.
NU’EST, an acronym for New, Established, Style and Tempo, was slated to show the group’s hopes bring new music (urban electro) to the table. Their logo also consist of a compass, which was viewed as a meaning to guide the fans when they’re lost, as well as pointing to the new ‘east’ - a play on their group name.
On 15 March, 2012, the group made their formal debut with single ‘FACE’ on Mnet M!Countdown. The song peaked at 62 on the Gaon chart. With lyrics speaking out against bullying and school violence, the song became popular with the younger crowd, and gave NU’EST the title as ‘spokesperson of the youth’. In fact, it was from here that the color of hot/neon pink started to get associated with them, as it was the color of the anti-bullying campaign. Pledis never announced it as the official color, but it remained to be the fans’ go-to support color all the way till 2018, where the dual official colors were announced.
Interestingly, the special single FACE was also dubbed as the unofficial, limited edition copy among the fans. With stock running low and virtually sold out, Pledis never did restock the albums till the demand requested in 2017, during and post-Produce 101. Before that, the only way to acquire a copy of FACE was via 2nd-hand trading, and prices averages about USD$100 for an unsigned copy at its peak. The music video will eventually go on to become 1theK’s most watched debut MV at 45 million views, and still retained the title for the boy group’s side.
Following suit, they also released ‘Action’ later that summer, another dubstep-heavy song focused on anti-conformity in the society. This mini album did peak in the Gaon top 100, but the results did not overtake their debut release. Here, they also became ambassadors for Korea's Scout Association.
With the average age of 17.4 internationally (accounting for the year they were born even if none of them passed their birthdays as of their debut), they became one of the youngest boy band to debut in South Korea. This title would also follow them to their Japanese debut in 2014, where they were 19.4 internationally (birthdays passed) - this means they retained their title for at least, a total of 3 years since debut.
Pledis also announced the official fanclub, 'L.O.V.E' ( ㄴㅇㅅㅌ), the first consonant of the Hangul spelling of NU'EST (뉴이스트), a name that fans cherished till this date.
Starting in 2012, NU’EST went for several overseas promotions, including to countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Australia. It was clear that Pledis had set its eyes on the world-wide opportunities with the group, as they would soon embark on their first fanmeet tour in Asia, followed by other concert tours and foreign performances in years to come.
2013: from dubstep to synth ballad, new fans and changes.
In February 2013, NU'EST made a comeback to the music scene with a totally different music style for their title track, ‘Hello’. Moving away from the loud dubsteps, the group released pop-ballad Hello, with a much more subtle synth running in the background. This change in style also brought in a new wave of fans, who took to the boys’ more matured musicality. The song peaked at 20 for Gaon, and would remain as one of their most-loved and selling track for a long while.
On the same day of their release, they held a mini concert ‘Show Time NU’EST Time’, available on 1theK for view. For their 1st anniversary, NU’EST actually celebrated the event in Japan with a full-concert, ‘NU′EST Debut 1st Anniversary Live Show Time’. This event would soon be one of the many anniversaries the boys would celebrate overseas, as Pledis continued its expansion beyond that of Korea.
Their third EP released in the same year, 'Sleep Talking', brought back the loud EDM influences but instead suffered a dip in sales and charting. From this point on, NU'EST's recorded sales would continue to suffer a hit in between the blocks of extended overseas promotions and tours.
Soon after the release and promotions of 'Sleep Talking' and 'Beautiful Ghost', news hit the fans of a new subunit with six members for the Chinese market. Titled NU'EST-M, then Yuehua artiste Jason was added in a Yuehua-Pledis collaboration, and will carry out promotions only in China. This marked the group's first official foray into another country's music market. The announcement brought on mixed reviews, mostly due to the confusion as Pledis' statement was first announced through news portals instead of to the fans. With little information on the newest member, few and lack of updates in China promotions, the news took some time for L.O.V.Es to get accustomed to.
The Chinese promotions did not last as long either. After releasing Chinese versions of their lead singles 'Face' and 'Sleep Talking', doing some photoshoots and appearing on a few television shows like 'Idol Show' and 'Day Day Up', their promotions in China wrapped up. Jason soon left Yuehua in 2014, and the unit has dissolved with no further updates as of current.
Starting from this year, the members also started delving more and more into other endeavors. Baekho, Ren and Minhyun dabbled in acting, the former two making an appearance in then-labelmate, Uee's drama Jeon Woo-chi while Minhyun became a regular on sitcom Reckless Family 3, playing as the Busan classmate and love-interest of Girl's Day member, Yura.
Aron was also casted as a DJ for Arirang Radio's Music Access starting 8 April, where he would host for over two years and even bring the show to the most tuned-in slot for international fans on Arirang Radio. Over the years, Aron would share stories and updates on his members, and members Baekho and Minhyun both were on the program as fixed guests at one point. Fun fact: when Aron started his twitter for the radio, he was banned twice for trying to follow all the fans, resulting in his account being caught by Twitter’s spam filter. The account has been abandoned, but it was still a funny and fond memory for fans at that time.
2014: first full-album, music inputs and schedule conflicts
Re:Birth marks NU’EST 1st and only Korean full-album, with a total of 12 tracks inclusive of previous title singles. The 12th track, ‘Hey L.O.V.E’ was an album-only song. Released nearly a year since their last official comeback, Re:Birth is an album that showed the boys’ maturity in sound and imagery, as all members have reached their legal years in 2014.
The album was revealed through a special NU’EST 14-Day project, where the boys invited fans to go on a 14-Day workout to reach their goal. JR took on lyric-writing (rap making), which was revealed as the track Lend Me Your Shoulders. Ren took on a styling challenge for himself, and Aron worked hard on revising his Korean skills. Baekho took on a gym workout while Minhyun decided on poem-reading. Hints of the album title was hidden in alphabets on released photos throughout the two weeks.
After a stunning teaser video ‘Judgement’, NU’EST dropped their title track ‘Good Bye Bye’, which is a dance pop track with underlying electro influences. The boys also spoke up on their aspirations for the album, hoping to show a new side of them and reaching a wider audience. It was also in the same Comeback Spoiler (ep2) documentary that Baekho revealed his less-than-stellar vocal conditions; later that year, he took time off to undergo and recover from a node-removal surgery.
NU'EST was also one of the first idols to earn the nickname 'fan-pabo', having been seen doing several kind of fanservice such as sticking on stickers on gifts for fans individually. This endearment is nothing new, and the title resurfaced in 2017 as they gained spotlight again. Through the years, NU'EST will continue to show their love and thanks for the fans in different ways, such as free-hug events to writing songs for them.
The choice of the title song was a standing debate within the fandom at that point. As the teaser showed promise of returning to their louder EDM roots, a faction of the fans were disappointed with the ongoing, R&B theme that carried on from 'Hello'; on the other side, others actually enjoyed the mature mid-tempo sounds. While changes in music styles leading to fans departing is a debatable topic, this was an observable trait starting from 2014 in the NU'EST fandom.
This album was also the start of the boys giving more input towards the general direction of their desired music. From selecting songs (they picked Good Bye Bye and Love Without Love, before deciding eventually on the former) to styling, the boys started giving their own feedback for their desired style. While both JR and Aron have participated in their own rap making since debut era, it certainly seemed like they've geared up for a more serious turn in musicality from the last few years, much of it we see fruit in 2016's releases. However, this album further slipped on the charts, and to make matters worst, seeming conflicts in schedules created further misunderstandings and upset within the fandom.
For one, in preparation of their upcoming Japanese debut, NU'EST JR and Ren were sent on a week's of Japan tour towards the end of NU'EST's promotions. While is it ultimately unclear if the tour was an actual conflict with ongoing schedules, Pledis never gave feedback to the boys' overseas schedules. This would eventually amount in a peak of displeasure between Korea and Japanese scheduling and the question of the boys' treatment by their respective companies, Pledis and Sony Ariola, in a petition later in 2015-2016.
To add on, the boys also went on two tours in 2014 under MyMusicTaste’s funding, to Europe and Latin America. At this point, NUESTNEWS twitter was also highly active and posted regular updates on the boys on their overseas schedules.
As it was prior to the boys opening their own SNS (Ren had his twitter and Aron was starting his Instagram, but all five took to their own Instagrams only by 2015), many updates were streamlined on their group's official platforms. However, this is about to take a 180-turn in 2015. Starting with the boys' eventual debut into the Japanese market, NUESTNEWS slowly ceased their updates, and the segregation between two official twitters (Korean and Japanese counterparts, NUESTNEWS and OfficialNUESTJP) only served to complicate the communication between NU’EST and the fans.
Regardless, NU'EST successfully debuted in Japan with new Japanese single, Shalala Ring. It is also to note that there after, NU'EST have mainly released new Japanese tracks instead of re-rendering their current Korean discography, save for the fan-track 'Hey L.O.V.E'.
2015: Japanese promotions, slow-down of communication
Starting in 2015, NU'EST focused a lot more on overseas foray without a single Korean comeback. The boys did released a special album for their 3rd anniversary, 'I'm Bad', which was also their one and only limited edition album. The album came with an individual postcard, hand-autographed by the members themselves. Baekho who was still recovering, did not participate in the recording of 'I'm Bad'; he did however, join in for the other track 'A Scene Without You'.
Japanese promotions went full-steam ahead, and NU'EST showed a promising rise with better and better sales each round. Na.Na.Na.Namida came in at 7th place for Oricon* Weekly Singles, yet another jump from their debut Japanese single at 16th place. Their 1st studio album, Bridge the World, came in 4th place on Oricon Daily Album Chart and 7th place in the Weekly Album Charts. A total of 18,798 copies were sold in the month of its release, which was a relatively high number compared to their other releases thus far. Limited Edition B of Bridge The World also recorded Minhyun's 1st solo, Koisuru-Hi.
*It is also to note that Oricon chart counts only the CD-only sales within Japan, and any sales out of Japan will not be counted on the charts.
In 2015 alone, NU'EST visited Japan, Canada, US, Colombia, Brazil, El Salvador, Mexico, Hong Kong, Thailand, and of course, held two fanmeets in Korea. In conjunction with their Japanese promotions, first releasing a single called Na.Na.Na. Namida and 1st Japanese studio album 'Bridge The World', they also did two tours in Japan, and held a series of promotional fanmeets. NU'EST also went on their Re:Vive tour in South America, but with more lackluster response; there were several factors to this, including the lack of promotions on NU'EST official platforms saved for one Facebook shared post; many fans commented that they were not even aware of the tour till it was over, and the boys only manage to promote their events on their own SNS.
This same problem had persisted for several events starting in 2014, where Pledis would only belatedly announce and confirm NU'EST's appearance. This would result in the mounting displeasure from fans as it would be difficult to show their support without proper knowledge of upcoming schedules.
In the same year, Aron stepped down from his position as a DJ for Arirang's Music Access, and later took on a shorter DJ position on SBS PopAsia with the radio program 'Aron's Hangout' before it wrapped up a few months later. The fancafe and SNS became main modes of catching updates from them personally.
On a happier note, NU'EST filmed their first featured Japanese movie, titled 'Their Distance', by director Rikiya Imaizumi; Ren starred as the main character in a 7-man complex relationship triangle, and both JR and Minhyun took on crucial roles as well. Having it's world premiere in October 2015, Ren walked on the red carpet for the featuring held at the 2th Tokyo International Film Festival. The film was also nominated in the Japanese Cinema Splash category. Thereafter, the film was release worldwide on online platforms the like of Vimeo and Google Movies, before it was shown in Korean cinemas for a successfully completing it's crowdsourcing in 2017.
The group also won Migu Music Award's Best Potential Group in the same year.
2016: changes in musicality, a new-direction
After much anticipation, Pledis finally confirmed NU'EST's comeback into the Korean music industry in 2016, kicking off Pledis' schedule for the year. Released in February 2016, the members lend a heavy hand in terms of their styling and musicality feedback to the company. From song-writing, rap-making and composing, at least one member participated in four out of five songs on the mini album, Q is.
The album might not be a smashing hit, reaching just 6000 physical copy sales, but was well-noted by industry experts for its musicality with the fusion of R&B beats, modern synth and other electro bass influences. This musical influence will soon streamline into their next mini album, as well as peeked it's head in 2017, NU'EST W's releases.
However, it is also at this time where there was an open-secret to the possibility of it being the boys' last album. It was shared at one point where the fancafe staff informed the on-site fans on the last recording sessions about this possibility. In a small fandom, word travel fast, and while it wasn't the first time 'disbandment' had popped up in a discussion, it was probably a pressing thought that hovered above the fans. Following suit was the discovered by fans that NU'EST had participated in a Chinese survival show which was eventually cancelled.
By May 2016, a full-fledged petition was launched by K-L.O.V.Es questioning both Pledis and Sony Ariola in regards to their treatment of NU'EST. Among the issues raised (over 10), were the lack of consistent updates, no full-provision of amenities abroad, excessive overseas activities and more. How true the statement stands is up to personal understanding and context, as there were also pointers that it wasn't telling of the full story, such as security were spotted at fanmeet events that barred the fans from crossing the line without the members' permission. However, the more pressing incident was the lack of feedback from either companies, to which some fans have directed as a neglect of fans' opinions and concerns, as neither clarification nor apology was given. At the end, the petition served mainly as a way to seek better treatment from the companies.
If there's one thing that seemed to happen, it does seem that both NU'EST JP and NUESTNEWS have become more cohesive in sharing updates from either parties, keeping L.O.V.Es in their respective areas informed of NU'EST whereabouts instead of separating support.
Later that year, NU'EST released Canvas, who scored 500 albums in first week sales. This became the boys' lowest album sales till 2017, despite the good reviews from industry experts. The album did enter the Gaon Social charts, but failed to tap into top 100 of Melon; in fact, it charted in at 225 spot on day 1.
That said, Canvas was the most member-intensive album for the group. All members participated in song-writing, with Minhyun, JR and Baekho holding the bulk of song-writing, composition and arrangement throughout the album. Baekho too, took the helm of producing alongside long-time mentor and friend, BUMZU. Like a treat to fans, the album released a total of 4 different music videos, including R.L.T.L released on the official Japanese channel featuring the boys with their Japanese dance crew.
2016 might seem bleak as a throwback. Lowest sales, an influx of anti-sentiments in regards to why they had the opportunity to release albums with lack of fan support, and more. There were ugly things, but these made the remaining fans who were around to work even harder.
In 2016 earned NU'EST their first music show nomination on SBS MTV The Show. Fans were taking a more serious approach in streaming and pooling financial resources for paid voting on Laifeng. L.O.V.Es who were here would remember the many tears on Monday, as we fought to keep the boys ranking either at the top or second on the Tudou charts. We were disappointed in the first week, but we picked ourselves up and tried again. And again.
For Love Paint, we did it. They finally became 1st Place nominees since their debut, and we did it for 2 weeks in a row. While sadly we still came in 2nd and in defeat, fans tried their best for two weeks in a tough upscale battle. To some other groups, it might not be even worth a mention, but for L.O.V.Es and the boys, this was our new high. With as little resources as 2000 albums sold, L.O.V.Es pit in their all for a shot of completing the boys’ dreams.
2017: the coming of a miracle, the title of a reversal icon
There isn't that much to talk about 2017 that most L.O.V.Es would already have known. Produce 101 was the crux of our pain, but it brought us utmost happiness too. During the 3-months of the survival show, there was an never-ending roller coaster of emotions. Fans split up in different camps at the start, some upset at Pledis' decisions, other thinking it was the perfect chance. But separated in opinions, there was also a lot of concern to the boys' future, and a lot of joining hands to keep haters at bay.
The three months also saw a huge influx of fans into the circle, drawn by the boys' continuous hard work and appreciation for their talents. Naturally, with the shift and number of people, squabbles arised, but ultimately, everyone was here to show NU'EST their support in their own ways - in streaming, in album purchase, in hyping them up, in loving them. That, was ultimately key to their slow success, and the title of a reversal icon.
As Minhyun had said, 'it's fated'. Fate has in hand given us one of the biggest disappointments in 2017 with the finale results. It has given us endless tears and frustrations, but it too, has changed our whole world. Overnight, we turned our disappointment into actions. NU'EST started charting, peaking on Melon top 100 charts what we would never have done in the past. It was as if watching a miracle unfold, because of all the baby steps we struggled upon, this was one giant leap of faith.
Overnight, NU'EST became new icons of reversal.
Meanwhile, Minhyun worked hard as a member of Wanna One. From multiple CFs, new performances and more exposure opportunities, L.O.V.Es also get to see a different side of Minhyun as one of the older kids: he's more responsible, even if he still retained his playfulness and passionate side. He learned to speak up even more, all the while cherishing every moment with members from both teams.
On the other hand, the other four members worked on NU'EST W. Releasing the first mini album as a subunit, their title track 'Where You At' debuted at no.4, the highest peak they had. At the same time, the song paid tribute to previous titles 'Overcome' and 'Love Paint', retaining the theme of knights and queens in cryptic MV. Along with the future-bass heavy track, we also saw the team learning how to work their vocals while retaining their trademark with one of their members on hiatus in the band. And with it, came the recognition.
Music show awards. Performances opportunities. Over a hundred new fansites. Then, Seoul Music Awards 'Bonsang', Golden Disc Awards 'Disk Bonsang', Gaon Chart Music Awards 'Hot Performance of the Year', Asia Artist Awards 'Best Entertainer Award', and Mnet Asian Music Awards 'Discovery of the Year', the boys walked home with trophies for the first time, but more importantly, fulfilling the wish of attending a music show that they had as teens.
We have TV opportunities, we have new music, we have new records, and we have a bigger, more supportive, NU'EST & L.O.V.E family.
2018: new hopes of a flower path
Six-years sound like a long time - and it is - for artistes, but for NU'EST, their new chapter is just beginning. Like a late bloomer, NU'EST (Aron, JR, Baekho, Minhyun and Ren) are well-loved today for who they are, because of how much they've walked. Five kids that started out with hopeful dreams bonded over similar hardships, and no matter what the future holds, nothing could change this past.
And they say, the last flower to bloom, yields it's own unique beauty.
These boys are not without flaw. They were awkward, they were kids who were hesitant to draw attention to themselves in a variety show, and they were kids who needed refining their musical talents. And it's this amount of experience that created them today: the main vocal that we love, Baekho; the sweet honey-vocals with prince aura, Minhyun; the responsible leader who was finally able to show his true, cute-loving self to the world, JR; the rapper who became a strong vocalist, Aron; and Ren, the all-rounded maknae who gave never stopped giving fans strength and setting a good role model.
Another day, one of them fulfilled another wish. Another day, we worked towards a bigger goal.
It doesn't matter whether you're an old or new L.O.V.E, whether you left the fandom before because of real-life commitments or you're just getting into Kpop, what matters is that you're here now. There's still much to do, to have fun, and to continue growing with them.
Happy 6th year anniversary, NU'EST & L.O.V.Es. Today, we march on again.
Article written by: Alia Source: various links Disclaimer: Please do not repost on Tumblr; take out with full credits. Do contact us if you’ve done a translation, we’d love to link to the translations on the article as well.