Uniq (Korean: 유니크; RR: Yunikeu; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean–Chinese boy band formed by Chinese company Yuehua Entertainment in 2014.[1] The group consists of five members: Zhou Yixuan, Kim Sung-joo, Li Wenhan, Cho Seung-youn, and Wang Yibo. Uniq officially debuted on October 20, 2014, with their debut single "Falling In Love" in both China and South Korea.[2]
Uniq | |
|---|---|
 Uniq in Shanghai during a fansign event, June 2015 From left to right: Yixuan, Yibo, Wenhan, Seungyoun and Sungjoo | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Seoul, South Korea |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2014–2018[a] |
| Labels | Yuehua |
| Members | |
History
editPre-debut
editUniq was initially planned as a YG Entertainment boy group, with the five members spending between two and five years at YG as trainees.[3][4] Uniq was to be a collaborative effort with the Chinese company Yuehua Entertainment. Ultimately, the group debuted solely under Yuehua.[5][6]
2014: Debut with Falling in Love
editOn October 16, 2014, Uniq had their first broadcast performance in South Korea, on M Countdown. Their debut single, "Falling In Love", was released on October 20 in both China and South Korea.[citation needed] The group released the English adaptation of "Falling in Love" on November 5.[7] Uniq had their first Chinese event, their fanmeet in Beijing on November 25.[8] On November 27, Uniq began promotions in Taiwan and held a press conference on December 1.[9] Uniq's three episode reality show The Best Debut began airing on December 2 on the Chinese online video platform, iQiyi.[10]
Early in their debut, Uniq was chosen to participate in the OST for the movies TMNT and Penguins of Madagascar.[11] On October 23, they released the song "Born to Fight" for the Chinese release of TNMT.[12] On November 10, they released "Celebrate" for the Chinese release of Penguins of Madagascar.
2015: EOEO and Japanese Debut
editIn January 2015, Uniq became endorsers for Xtep, a Chinese athletic brand. In February 2015, Uniq began promoting a Chinese beauty shop, Mix-Box, replacing Ko Chen-tung as the official endorser.[13]
Uniq held their first fanmeet in Thailand in Bangkok on March 7.[14]
In April, Yuehua Entertainment announced Uniq's comeback with their first mini album titled "EOEO".[15] On April 22 they held their first comeback broadcast performance on MBC's Show Champion, performing their title track "EOEO" and "Listen to Me". On April 23, Uniq made their official comeback in China, performing "Listen to Me" at the KU Music Asian Music Awards. They were also awarded with KU Music Asian Music Awards' "Best New Artist" the same day.[16] On April 24, Uniq released their mini album and the official music video for "EOEO". After the release of "EOEO", the music video reached number 3 on the YinYueTai Weekly MV Chart.[17]
On May 22, Uniq released the official music video for their follow up track "Luv Again".[18] Uniq achieved their first music show award on CCTV's Global Chinese Music chart on May 23.[19][20] Uniq broke the record for most wins on Global Chinese Music Chart with three wins by non-live voting and three wins by live voting, beating the record previously held by EXO-M in 2014.[21]
Uniq held their first showcases in Japan on July 19 and July 20 in Osaka and Tokyo respectively marking their debut in Japan.[22]
In December, Uniq began to endorse Dr. Bear, a Chinese candy brand.
To commemorate their one-year since debut, Uniq released their second digital album, "Best Friend", on October 16.[23] Uniq announced their 1st Anniversary Tour to be held in Beijing, Shanghai, and Japan. Uniq returned to Japan in November holding fanmeets across the country in Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka before ending the Japan tour in Tokyo. At this time, they released a special Japanese single album, "Best Friend," which includes the Japanese, Korean and Instrumental versions of "Best Friend."[24] UNIQ concluded the tour in Beijing on November 28. The Shanghai stop was postponed, however a new date was never announced.[citation needed]
On December 7, Uniq released "Erase Your Little Sadness." On December 28, Uniq released "Happy New Year", with labelmate, Cosmic Girls, making a guest appearance in the music video.[25] The song debuted at #4 position in China V Chart.[26]
2016: China and Japan Promotion
editUniq began Inke endorsements in February 2016, a Chinese live-streaming app.[27] In March 24, the group released the song "My Dream" for the soundtrack of the movie MBA Partners, debuting at #3 position in China V Chart.[28] Yixuan, Wenhan and Sungjoo went on a two-week-long roadshow in 14 cities to promote the movie.
On June 25, Uniq held their first fanmeet in São Paulo, Brazil.[29]
Uniq released a Japanese single album in December 2016, "Falling in Love".[30] Japanese versions of "Falling in Love" and "Listen to Me" are included in the single.[31] Uniq held a Live Meet and Greet in Japan on December 10, and a fan signing and photo event on December 11.[32]
2017–present
editOn January 19, 2017, the group released the single "Happy New Year 2017". The song was written by Zhou Yixuan and brings the freshness of the year that begins. Yibo was unable to participate in the music video and the recording of the song due to scheduling conflicts. In the MV, Yixuan, Sungjoo, Wenhan, and Seungyoun assembled a snowman that represents Yibo.[33]
Uniq had two singles "Never Left" and "Next Mistake" released on April 19, 2018.[34]
The group has been on indefinite hiatus since 2018, although they have not officially disbanded, while the members have pursued independent projects. Yibo has pursued acting projects, while Wenhan debuted in the group UNINE, Yixuan debuted in the group New Storm and Seungyoun in X1.[35] Sungjoo enlisted for his military service.
On October 16, 2020, for their 6th anniversary of debuting, Yixuan released the song "Remember That Day When We" dedicated to the Uniq members and the fans.
Members
edit- Zhou Yixuan (simplified Chinese: 周艺轩; traditional Chinese: 周藝軒; pinyin: Zhōu Yìxuān)
- Kim Sung-joo (Korean: 김성주; RR: Kim Seong-joo)
- Li Wenhan (Chinese: 李汶翰; pinyin: Lǐ Wènhàn)
- Cho Seung-youn (Korean: 조승연; RR: Jo Seung-yeon)
- Wang Yibo (Chinese: 王一博; pinyin: Wáng Yībó)
Discography
editExtended plays
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [36] | |||
| EOEO |
Track listing
|
7 |
|
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHN Baidu [38] |
CHN Billboard [39] |
KOR Gaon [40] |
US World [41] | |||
| "Falling In Love" | 2014 | — | — | 294 | — | EOEO |
| "EOEO" | 2015 | — | — | — | 16 | |
| "Luv Again" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Best Friend" | — | 24 | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Happy New Year" | 8 | 4 | — | — | ||
| "Falling In Love" (Japanese Ver.) |
2016 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Happy New Year 2017" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Never Left" | 2018 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Next Mistake" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Monster" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | ||||||
Soundtracks
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHN Billboard [42] | |||
| "Born To Fight" | 2014 | — | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles OST
|
| "Celebrate" | — | Penguins of Madagascar OST
| |
| "Erase Your Little Sadness" | 2015 | 12 | The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water OST
|
| "My Dream" | 2016 | 3 | MBA Partners OST
|
| "告白情歌" | 2017 | — | Once Again OST
|
| "My Special" | 2018 | One And Another Him OST
| |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||
Other charted songs
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHN Billboard [43] | |||
| "Happy New Year (UNIQ version)" | 2015 | 22 | Non-album single |
Production credits
edit| Year | Album | Song | Lyrics by | With |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Falling in Love | "Falling in Love" (Chinese version) | Yixuan | Jordan Kyle, Matthew Heath, GG Riggs, Wang Ya Jun |
| "Falling in Love" (Korean version) | Sungjoo | Jordan Kyle, Matthew Heath, GG Riggs | ||
| Seungyoun | ||||
| 2015 | EOEO | "EOEO" (Chinese version) | Yixuan | Deanfluenza |
| Wenhan | ||||
| "EOEO" (Korean version) | Seungyoun | |||
| "Luv Again" (Chinese version) | Yixuan | Francis Sooho Kim, DJ Nure | ||
| Wenhan | ||||
| "Luv Again" (Korean version) | Seungyoun | |||
| "Listen to Me" (Chinese version) | Yixuan | Jordan Kyle, Atozzio, Jarah Lafayette Gibson, Wang Ya Jun | ||
| "Listen to Me" (Korean version) | Seungyoun | Jordan Kyle, Atozzio, Jarah Lafayette Gibson | ||
| Best Friend | "Best Friend" (Chinese version) | Yixuan | — | |
| Wenhan | ||||
| "Best Friend" (Korean version) | Sungjoo | |||
| Seungyoun | ||||
| 微公益 | "One More Love" (益起爱) | Yixuan | Jeffrey Kong | |
| The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water OST | "Erase Your Little Sadness" | Yixuan | Xiao Ke | |
| Seungyoun | ||||
| 2016 | MBA Partners OST | "My Dream" | Yixuan | Jeon Changyeop, Chun Joonkyu |
| 2017 | Happy New Year 2017 | "Happy New Year 2017" | Yixuan | — |
Music videos
edit| Year | Music video | Language ver. |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "Falling in Love" | Chinese, Korean, English, Japanese |
| "Born To Fight" | ||
| "Celebrate" | ||
| 2015 | "EOEO" | Chinese, Korean |
| "Luv Again" | Chinese, Korean | |
| "Best Friend" | Chinese, Korean | |
| "Erase Your Little Sad" | ||
| "Happy New Year" | ||
| "Happy New Year" (UNIQ version) | ||
| 2016 | "My Dream" | |
| 2017 | "Happy New Year 2017" |
Awards
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2015 iQiyi Awards | Most Anticipated Award[44] | Uniq | Won |
| 2015 | Apollo Music Awards | Best Movie Soundtrack | Born to Fight | Won |
| International K-Music Awards 2015 | Best Choreography | E.O.E.O | Won | |
| Asia Billboard Awards | Popular Group Award | Uniq | Won | |
| Tencent Beijing App Awards | Most Promising Group of the Year (Asia) | Uniq | Won | |
| KU Music Asian Music Awards | Best New Artist[45] | Uniq | Won | |
| MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Artist in Mainland China & Hong Kong | Uniq | Nominated | |
| 2016 iQiyi Awards | Award | Uniq | Won |
Notes
edit- ^ Indefinite hiatus
References
edit- ^ "Yuehua Artists List". May 14, 2015. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
- ^ "5-member Chinese Korean boy group Uniq to make their debut on the 20th with 'Falling In Love'". Allkpop. October 6, 2014. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- ^ "YG Entertainment has been secretly training a new boy group". Hellokpop. 17 September 2014. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
- ^ "유니크 승연 "과거 방송인이 꿈, SNL 합류했으면.."(TRANS 161101 MD Interview - UNIQ Seungyoun "In the past being a broadcaster was my dream, if I join SNL.." )". 2016-11-01.
- ^ "(UPDATE) #UNIQ: YG's New Korean-Chinese Boy Group To Debut Under Yuehua Entertainment". Hype Malaysia. 19 September 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
- ^ "UNIQ's Seungyoun talks about auditioning for SM, JYP & YG + former YG trainee days". 2016-11-01. Archived from the original on 2019-05-25. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
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- ^ "UNIQ Makes A Big Splash In Taiwan With 30 Appearances In 1 Week". Kpopstarz. December 4, 2014. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
- ^ "我爱大牌:《奔跑吧》撕裆大战 李晨念杨颖好身材". iQiyi. November 11, 2014. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
- ^ "UNIQ 'Celebrate' in OST MV for animation film 'Penguins of Madagascar'". Allkpop. November 10, 2014. Archived from the original on December 17, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
- ^ "UNIQ are 'Born To Fight' in OST MV for 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'". Allkpop. October 23, 2014. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
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- ^ "UNIQ แจกไฮทัชทุกที่นั่ง UNIQ 1st Fan Meeting in Bangkok 2015". MThai (in Thai). Archived from the original on June 15, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
- ^ 유니크, 스타쉽과 손잡고 4월 국내 컴백. News1 (in Korean). April 9, 2015. Archived from the original on June 16, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
- ^ "UNIQ garner 'Best rookie of the Year' during 'Ku Music Asia Awards'". 26 April 2015. Archived from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
- ^ "2015年第18期". Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-06.
- ^ "UNIQ are in 'Luv Again', letting loose with their youthful charms in follow-up MV!". Archived from the original on May 25, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
- ^ http://tv.cntv.cn/video/VSET100188787553/a06b180f22d14d67939b58179ada67cf Archived 2015-05-24 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "CCTV music channel special program "Global Chinese music charts list"". weibo. 2015-05-23. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
- ^ "Archived copy". www.wzaobao.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "UNIQ SHOWCASE in Japan". Risecom (in Japanese). May 22, 2015. Archived from the original on June 15, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
- ^ "UNIQ Release 'Best Friend' To Commemorate 1-Year Anniversary". Kpopstarz. October 20, 2015. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ "UNIQデビュー１周年記念New Single発売決定！！！ - UNIQ Japan Official Website ユニークジャパンオフィシャルウェブサイト". Archived from the original on 2017-03-30. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
- ^ "Happy New Year by UNIQ on iTunes". iTunes. 25 January 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-04-18. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
- ^ "China V Chart Weekly Ranking (April 9, 2016)". Billboard chart. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
- ^ "光库-60s_160131_h264—在线播放—优酷网，视频高清在线观看". v.youku.com. Archived from the original on 2017-03-30. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
- ^ "China V Chart Weekly Ranking (April 9, 2016)". Billboard chart. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
- ^ "UNIQ Fanmeeting em São Paulo". www.sympla.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2016-06-01. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
- ^ "Falling In Love (Japanese version) / UNIQ" (in Japanese). Victor Entertainment Shop. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ "2016.12.22 来日記念シングル「Falling In Love」Japanese Ver.追加販売決定！" (in Japanese). UNIQ Japanese Site. December 22, 2016. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ "UNIQ Live＆Meet 2016 in JAPAN 【お詫び】 - UNIQ Japan Official Website ユニークジャパンオフィシャルウェブサイト". Archived from the original on 2017-02-15. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
- ^ "UNIQ wish fans a 'Happy New Year' in Chinese in merry new MV!". Allkpop. Archived from the original on 2017-01-23. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
- ^ "UNIQ单曲《不曾离开过》惊喜上线 暌违两年合体献声" (in Chinese). Sohu. Archived from the original on 2018-12-09. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
- ^ Kim, Min-ji (July 22, 2019). "'프듀X' 엑스원, 8월 27일 고척돔서 데뷔 쇼콘 개최". TV Report (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- ^ Gaon Weekly Album Chart
- "EOEO - 2015년 19주차 Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on 2016-04-13. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
- ^ "Gaon Album Ranking Yearly (2015) - see #144". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
- ^ Baidu Music Chart
- "Happy New Year - Baidu Music Chart (2016年01周)" (in Chinese). Baidu Music Chart.
- ^ China V Chart Weekly Ranking
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- ^ Gaon Digital Chart
- "Falling In Love - 2014년 44주차 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on 2016-10-02. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
- ^ "EOEO - World Digital Songs (May 9, 2015)". Billboard chart. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
- ^ China V Chart Weekly Ranking
- "Erase Your Little Sad - China V Chart (December 12, 2015)". Billboard chart. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
- "My Dream - China V Chart (April 9, 2016)". Billboard chart. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
- ^ China V Chart Weekly Ranking
- "Happy New Year (UNIQ version) - China V Chart (January 16, 2016)". Billboard chart. Archived from the original on April 2, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
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- ^ UNIQ won the "Best Rookie of the Year" award at the KU Music Asia Awards Archived May 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on April 26, 2015.