Super Junior (Korean: 슈퍼주니어), also known as simply SJ or SuJu (Korean: 슈주), is a thirteen-member Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment in 2005, masterminded by Lee Soo Man. The group initially debuted with twelve members on November 6, 2005 with the single, "TWINS (Knock Out)". The original twelve members, from oldest to youngest, are Leeteuk (the leader), Heechul, Han Geng, Yesung, Kang-In, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, and Kibum. The Chinese member, Han Geng, was chosen among the 3,000 applicants through auditions held in China by SM Entertainment in 2001.

Many of the members had already pursued an entertainment career before Super Junior's debut through acting, DJ-ing, and modeling. On May 23, 2006 SM Entertainment announced the addition of a new member, Kyuhyun, making them the thirteen-member group they are today

News about SM Entertainment's unprecedented plans of forming a large project group spread over the internet as early as 2004. In early 2005, SM Entertainment confirmed rumors and announced that a large twelve member all-boy group would debut near the end of the year, promoting the group to be "The Gateway to Stardom of Asia."[1] For a while the group was known to be called O.V.E.R., an acronym for "Obey the Voice for Each Rhythm."[2][a] Soon the group became known as Super Junior 05, the first generation of Super Junior.[3]

Most members have been actors, MCs, models, or DJs prior to debut. Heechul, Siwon, and Kibum made their debuts in dramas and films. Leeteuk, Yesung, Kang-In, Shindong, Sungmin, and Eunhyuk made cameo television appearances and became active DJs or MCs after debut. Han Geng made his first media appearance as a model.[4]

Super Junior 05 made their pre-debut appearance on the Korean channel, M.NET on September 11, 2005.[b] At the showcase, Super Junior performed various styles of hip hop dancing. The group danced to B2K's "Take It To The Floor." Han Geng, Eunhyuk, and Donghae also performed a separate dance away from the group, dancing to Usher's "Caught Up." However, the performance did not air on television until May 16, 2006 as a segment in the Super Junior Show, the group's first television documentary.

Super Junior 05 made their debut television appearance as a group on SBS's Popular Songs on November 6, 2005 as a project group of twelve members. The group performed their first promotional single, "TWINS (Knock Out)." A digital single with "TWINS (Knock Out)", "You are the one", and three additional tracks were released online on November 8, 2005. A CD single was scheduled to be released on November but a more complete album, SuperJunior05 (TWINS), was released on December 7, 2005 instead. Their debut album sold 28,536 copies in the first month of release and debuted at #3 in the monthly chart of December 2005.[5][c]

To further publicize the company's newest project, Super Junior 05 collaborated with another boy band under the same label, TVXQ. They released a winter single titled "Show Me Your Love," a bubbly pop track for the Christmas season. During this time, the two groups were seen on the same shows together to promote their single. "Show Me Your Love" became the highest selling album of December 2005.[5]

After "Show Me Your Love" performances and promotions were finished, Super Junior 05 moved onto their second single, "Miracle", a light bubblegum pop song. "Miracle" was the group's first single to peak at #1 on different music charts of South Korea as well as international charts from overseas countries, such as Thailand.[6] It was their last single to be promoted from SuperJunior05 (TWINS). As promotions for "Miracle" slowly came to an end, SM Entertainment decided replace some of the original members with new ones. Prior to Super Junior 05's debut, the group was intended a rotational group with new members replacing the old members who would leave the group. After Super Junior 05, Super Junior 06, the second generation, would debut, and the label had began to take actions to announce the new members. However, after the addition of a thirteenth member, the project group was changed to a permanent group and became known as just Super Junior, without the suffix "05".[7][8]

On May 23, 2006, SM Entertainment announced the addition of a new member, Kyuhyun, being the youngest member. The new thirteen member group released their new single, "U" online for free download on May 25, 2006. "U" had over 400,000 downloads within five hours of release and ultimately exceeded 1.7 million downloads, crashing the server.[9][10] The single was soon followed by the release of the second semi-promo track, "Endless Moment" on May 29, 2006. The CD single "U" with a total of three tracks was officially released on June 6, 2006, eventually selling over 83,000 units.[11] The title song "U" enjoyed number-one spots for five consecutive weeks on two of Korea's top music programs for the first time in the group's career. The song was crowned as SBS Popular Songs' Mutizen Song of the week as soon as it was released, being the first award for the group since debut. The song then stayed as Mutizen Song for three consecutive weeks on the same program. The song also grabbed top awards from M.NET's M!Countdown for two weeks. When promotions for "U" were still active, a new single, "Dancing Out" was released on July 23, 2006 as part of SMTown's annual summer album. Super Junior had been frequently appearing on various musical and variety programs to promote both of their new singles thereafter. "Dancing Out" collected two awards as soon as it was released. Because their single "Dancing Out" was a special summer single, they had their "Goodbye Special" (performing their last singles "U" and "Dancing Out" for the last time) on SBS Popular Songs on September 3, 2006.[12][d] With the release of "U", Super Junior collected over seven awards in five of South Korea's music award ceremonies as 2006 came to a close, winning Best New Group and popularity awards.

An official fanclub was created for the group, E.L.F, an alphabetism derived from the phrase "Ever-lasting Friends."[3] Since Korean fans tend to support their idols with a certain balloon color, Super Junior's official color became pearl sapphire blue.[3][e]

With the start of 2007, the group began to branch out into different splinter groups. Super Junior-K.R.Y, the first subgroup of Super Junior that debuted on November 5, 2006, began to give separate performances away from the group to promote their new songs. In February arrived a second subgroup, Super Junior-T who released their first single, "Rokuko". Han Geng, on a foreigner's visa, was limited to give music performances in South Korea, headed to China and began activities there. On April 19, 2007, four members of Super Junior, Leeteuk, Shindong, Eunhyuk, and Kyuhyun were injured in a car accident that deeply affected the group's schedules and progress. Being the most injured, Kyuhyun was not discharged from the hospital until four months later, therefore unable to participate in the group's single for SMTown, "Full of Happiness" (행복). Nonetheless, the cover from the former boy band H.O.T. accelerated quickly in singles charts in both South Korea and Thailand and soon became a number-one hit in Thailand's international charts a month later.[13][14]

Heechul's fracture of the femur from a car accident on August 10, 2006 and April 19 car accident prevented the group's second official album, Don't Don from being released until September 20, 2007.[15][16] The group performed their first performance for the album on September 21, 2007 promoting the title track "Don't Don" at KBS's Music Bank. It was their first performance in which the group performed together as thirteen after a whole year.[17]

Within the first three days of release, offline album sales passed the 11,000 mark, debuting as number one, and in close competition with Lee Soo Young's new release. Don't Don finished the September monthly album sales as number one, surpassing Lee Soo Young's and Wheesung's albums. 60,000 units were shipped by the first week of release and additional copies were reprinted.[18] After three months of release, Don't Don sold 164,058 copies, making it Super Junior's best selling album. It was also the second best-selling album of 2007, falling 26,940 copies short of SG Wannabe's The Sentimental Chord.[19][20][c]

"Don't Don" rose quickly in music charts a week after release. "Don't Don" won its first recognition, the SBS Inkigayo Mutizen Song, on October 21, 2007[21] and later on M.NET's M!Countdown, sharing the number one song of the week along with "Everyday" by V.O.S in November.[22]

Unlike previous single "U", "Don't Don" was promoted only for a short time. Super Junior quickly moved to their second single, the R&B ballad "Marry U", a new version of which appeared in the repackaged version of Don't Don.[3] The music video became available for download on November 13, 2007.

Supported by the release of Don't Don, Super Junior was nominated in seven separate categories at the 2007 M.NET/KM Music Festival that was held on November 17, 2007. Super Junior won three of those categories including Netizen Choice Award and Mobile Popularity, being the biggest winner of the night. The group also won Best Artist of the Year (Daesang), termed by many as the highest recognition of the ceremony.[23] Super Junior collected two more awards on December 14, 2007 at the 2007 Golden Disk Awards, an awards ceremony based on record success.[24] Although defeated by SG Wannabe in winning the Daesang, Super Junior won a Bonsang and the TPL Anycall Popularity Award, which were reported as expected wins for the group by the media after the success of Don't Don.[24]

On October 2, 2007, the group's management and label officially announced a third Super Junior sub-unit, Super Junior-M, a subgroup designated for the Chinese market.[25][26] Super Junior-M debuted in China on April 8, 2008 at the 8th Annual Music Chart Awards and with the release of their first single music video, "U".[25] The announcement of the new sub-unit has created a controversy between the fans and the management company as fans did not support the management to add new members to the subgroup.[f] A fourth Super Junior sub-unit was created that same year as well to prevent the group from fading away in the Korean music industry as half of the group have pursued their goals to China. With five members from Super Junior-T and Yesung, they formed the subgroup, Super Junior-Happy. Their first mini album, Cooking? Cooking! was released on June 5, 2008.[27]

Answering Super Junior's popularity throughout Asia, the group is currently holding their first Asia concert tour, entitled "The 1st ASIA TOUR - "Super Show". The tour kicked off from Seoul on February 22 to February 24 in the Olympic Fencing Gymnasium in The Seoul Olympic Park.[28][29][30][g] The tour will cover nine different cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.[29][26][31]

On August 2, 2008, Super Junior will expand their routes to Genting, Malaysia, being one of the top guest performers at the MTV Asia Awards along with other international performing artists such as OneRepublic and the Jabbawockeez.[32]

Since Super Junior's debut in South Korea, the group endeavored to share an equal share of influence across Asia. The group has paid many visits to countries outside of their homeland to promote their music, especially to China and Thailand.


Super Junior made their first overseas performance in Thailand on March 9, 2006 at a Pattaya International Music Festival.[33] In effect of the appearance, the group's new single with TVXQ moved up to #8 on Thailand's Channel [V] Music Chart.[33] Soon afterwards, "Miracle" debuted as #1 in the charts on March 21, 2006. "Miracle" was the second song produced by SM Entertainment that topped overseas music charts in Thailand of Channel V after TVXQ's "Rising Sun." The song stayed as #1 for four consecutive weeks.[6]

During Super Junior's performance at the Ture Ultimate Fiesta in Thailand on July 14, 2007, several hundred Thai fans were crowded around the stage to watch the group perform. Some fans even fainted due to excessive heat and limited space while many others were injured due to the heavy amount of shoving and pushing.

The group's third single for SMTown, released in the 2007 SUMMER SMTOWN - FRAGILE album on July 5, 2007, debuted as #18 on Thailand's International Channel [V] Music Chart on the week of July 29, 2007. The single jumped to #8 the week after, and on the third week the single advanced to #1.[34] The single was a remake of H.O.T.'s "Full of Happiness". Aside the International Channel [V] Music Chart, which was #1 for six consecutive weeks, the single also made it to #1 on the POP Channel International Chart and the MTV International Chart in Thailand. The single has been staying strong as the #1 position on these three charts.[13][14]

Since 2007, Siwon was chosen to be the endorser of 12 Plus Powder, and has been periodically filming commercials in Thailand. Super Junior were also appointed as goodwill ambassadors for the "2008 Korea and Thailand 50th Anniversary," honoring the good relationship Korea has with Thailand in the past fifty years. The group will be holding performances in Thailand in 2008, promoting the event.[35]

On July 12, 2007 Super Junior opened their first full-option concert in Thailand which being on the Super Junior Super Show The 1st Asian Tour took placed at Impact Arena, Bangkok. The concert was very succeseful. Though there was only one round which disappointed many fans those expected there would be one more round.

n April 2006, Super Junior's Chinese member, Han Geng, visited China for the first time since his debut to promote the group. Since then, he and the rest of Super Junior continuously visited China. On June 12, 2006 Super Junior made their debut performance as a group in China performing "U" and "Miracle". After filming the Chinese film A Battle of Wits in 2006, Siwon made frequent visits to China to promote the film. Along with the rest of the cast of the film, he toured in four cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.[36] On July 18, 2007, the rest of Super Junior arrived in Shanghai to attend a 2007 Cyworld event.[37] On August 8, 2007, Han Geng and Siwon traveled to Changsha to participate in a variety show, being one of the first K-pop idols to appear on Chinese variety shows.[38]
Audio samples of Super Junior songs

    

The group released a Chinese version of "U" on June 15, 2007 and various sources have stated that the group will release a Chinese language album.[39] However instead of the entire group, a subgroup was created for the market instead. On April 8, 2008, Super Junior-M, a subgroup that is specifically designed for the Chinese music industry, debuted with their first music video, "U". The subgroup's debut album, Me, was released in different regions of Mainland China starting April 23, 2008. The Korean version of the album, with three bonus Korean tracks, was released in South Korea on April 30, 2008 and throughout the rest of Asia on May 2, 2008.[25] The album debuted as #1 in all major album charts in China.


Super Junior made their first visit to Taiwan on June 16, 2007 as guest performers and presenters at the Golden Melody Awards. Super Junior presented the Best Vocal Group and Best Performance Album awards.[40]. They also performed the songs "U" and "Miracle" at the awards ceremony. Only eleven of the thirteen members attended the event due to Heechul's schedule conflicts and Kyuhyun's injuries.

Super Junior's visit to Taiwan helped increase the sales figures of Don't Don which was released in Taiwan on October 19, 2007. It is the highest ranked Korean album on the G-music Combo Billboard Chart, surpassing the albums of TVXQ and Shinhwa. Super Junior's album also ranked above Taiwanese boy band K One, whose album debuted at #6.[41][42] The album peaked at #1 in Taiwan's Five Music J-pop/K-pop Chart and the G-music J-pop Chart in Taiwan within the first week of release.[43][44]

Super Junior visited Taiwan a second time on January 5, 2008 for Taiwan's "Music in Harmony" concert as a beginning step to have a closer approach to the Chinese market. Eleven members of Super Junior, excluding Heechul and Han Geng, performed in the concert along with Taiwan's Show Luo and Energy. Korea's Baby Vox Re.V and PARAN were also invited to perform. Popularity won Super Junior to have over 500 fans welcoming them at Taiwan's airport.[45] Super Junior's subgroup, Super Junior-M's first Chinese-language album, Me, was released on May 2, 2008 in Taiwan, and it debuted on the charts as #2, with only Sodagreen's new release above theirs.[46]

From July 8 to July 9, 2008, Super Junior made their first official appearance as a group in Japan, holding their first Japan fanmeeting in the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo as a celebration for the grand opening of their official Japanese Homepage that was opened on April 1, 2008.[47] 12,000 tickets to the fanmeeting were all sold out. Although Super Junior has never held activities in Japan, the decision for the group to appear in the renowned Nippon Budokan was rare and became an interesting event to notice.[47] The group released a compiled Japan single the following day, entitled "U/TWINS", which includes the Japanese version of "U" in the limited release, to complement the event. The single peaked at #4 on Japan's Oricon Daily Chart in its first day of release, and dropped down to only four places in its second. The single broke a new record for being the first Korean single to have made within top 10 on Japan's Oricon Weekly Cart.[48]

On April 19, 2007 at about 12:20 a.m. (Korean time)[49] four members of Super Junior, Leeteuk, Shindong, Eunhyuk, Kyuhyun, and two managers were injured in a car crash. The driver lost control of the vehicle as the van flipped over on its right side.[50]

Kyuhyun, who was sitting behind the driver's seat when the accident occurred, was severely injured with a fractured hip, broken ribs, and facial scratches/bruises.[49][51] Leeteuk had a successful operation removing the glass shards on his back, and received a total of 170 stitches on his back and face.[52][53]

Shindong and Eunhyuk, the least injured with cuts and scratches, were both discharged on April 23, 2007.[54] Leeteuk and Kyuhyun recovered faster than expected,[55] and Leeteuk was discharged from the hospital on April 30, 2007[56], and Kyuhyun was discharged two months later on July 5, 2007.

Of the two studio albums and two singles Super Junior has released since 2005, the majority of their music is marked within the mainstream K-pop label. Songs from this genre are usually a mixture of other genres such as rock and R&B. Their debut single, "TWINS (Knock Out)" was a cover song, the original being called "Knockout" by the British boy band Triple Eight that was released in 2003. Unlike the original piece, "TWINS (Knock Out)" was reproduced to a heavier rap rock song, with quicker rap and more emphasis on the bass instruments. Their follow-up single, "Miracle", is a light-hearted, bubblegum pop love song. "U" is more focused on urban contemporary, having a more R&B approach to the group's mainstream music. Their 2007 comeback release, "Don't Don" however, is the group's first SMP project.[57] Unlike "Marry U", which is a medium-tempo, R&B ballad, "Don't Don" includes an infusion of rock, R&B, and rap, combining its musical elements with a violin segment. Super Junior also released hip hop-inspired tracks such as "A Man In Love", which incorporated traditional percussion instruments such as the African djemba and the Indian tabla.[58]

Heechul, Shindong, and Eunhyuk were credited for their rap lyrics in their co-single with TVXQ, "Show Me Your Love". Eunhyuk was also the main contributor for the rap lyrics in the group's single, "U". After the release of their second album, Don't Don, more members began to contribute in writing. Leeteuk, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, and Donghae wrote the lyrics to the pop track, "I am," a song talking about the ordinary man in a celebrity's life.[3] Eunhyuk remains as one of the main writers for most of Super Junior's rap performances in the second album.[3]

Super Junior frequently changes their image with each musical release. Super Junior's debut image softly leaned towards a rock appearance to complement the single, "Twins (Knock Out)." During their promotion of "Miracle," many of the members displayed a youthful and cute image with their lighter hair color and funny dance style. The group soon transitioned to a more mature, preppy style with "U" where the members changed their hair to a darker color and wore darker, more flamboyant outfits.

With the release of Don't Don, the group surprised the media with an edgy transformation.[59] Some members bleached their hair and wore dark makeup, along with removable tatoos. inspired by punk fashion. Kang-In had a hairstyle that had scratched designs, Sungmin's hair was bleached blonde, and Heechul and Han Geng with sported, bright-colored hairstyles.[60] Their outfits became thinner. However the group's image was quickly changed back to a more retro|classic image as promotions began for their ballad single, "Marry U."

Super Junior has done performances centered heavily around their choreography. The group's pre-debut appearance was a hip hop dance performance and they have also joined B-boy battles and performances throughout their career.[61]

Their dance styles are widely termed as street dancing, with a majority of their dance choreography containing hip hop dance moves such as popping, waving, sliding, and liquid dancing. Most of their songs usually contain a music bridge where two to six members from the group do a dance performance. Han Geng, Shindong, Eunhyuk, and Donghae are reportedly the most skilled dancers of the group, where the four of them are usually seen leading group dances and also performing solos.[62] Dances in a form of martial arts are widely used in their dance routines as both Han Geng and Sungmin are professionally trained in that area.[63][62] Some of the member also participated in creating their dance choreography, such as Shindong who was the main choreographer for "U." The members were also responsible for the dance choreography of their comeback single, "Don't Don."

Being a large thirteen member boy band, the members contain a variety of different vocal ranges. Some members are credited for their vocal belting techniques, notably Yesung.[h][64] Leeteuk, Heechul, Han Geng, Sungmin, Donghae, and Ryeowook sing within the stretch of a high baritone range to the tenor range, while Kang-In, and Siwon sing in a lower baritone range. Shindong's, Kibum's, and Kyuhyun's vocals lie in the bass range. Eunhyuk, Shindong, and Kibum are also the known rappers of the group due to their rhythmical vocals and quick tongue. Heechul and Donghae consistently rap as the supporting vocals.[i]

Super Junior has been criticized in the past for lip-synching and lack of vocal skills, specifically for shaky pitch and heavy breathing,[65][66] The criticisms worsened in July 2006 when they lipsynched on Show! Music Core of MBC, a show that guarantees all live performances. Though fans have defended them saying that Heechul was ill, their critics do not accept this explanation. They argue that since the band contains thirteen members, one ill singer should not necessitate lipsynching by the entire group.[67] Despite this, they have still remained popular through their large fan base and their album sales have been strong. Pushing back the criticism, Super Junior's comeback performance with "Don't Don" was a live performance instead of lipsyched.[68] Out of the thirty-some songs that were performed at the group's first live concert tour Super Show, only six songs were lipsynched, acclaiming positive reviews for the concert.[69] Some members have also been performing a cappella versions of their songs despite vehement disapproval from the public.[j]

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