The resounding titles of "Stars of Asia" and "Kings of K-Pop" can only be earned by those artists who have achieved significant success. For Dong Bang Shin Ki, this path has been passed. They rightfully bear their name, and also bathe in the rays of glory. In the first decade of their creative existence, the guys experienced many difficulties. But they did not give up on the opportunities looming on the horizon, which was the right choice.
Prerequisites for the emergence of the group
In the early 2000s, HOT and Shinhwa disappeared from the Korean musical Olympus, which occupied a niche of high popularity. Representatives of SM Entertainment, the leading music agency, began to think about urgently filling the vacant idol position. It was decided to form a boy band that could quickly succeed.
The original composition of the team
The director of SM Entertainment already had some up-and-coming artists in mind. This is Junsu, who has been on promotion lists since the age of 11. He was already involved in small projects, but was not used at full capacity.
The second applicant was Yunho. He signed a contract since 2000, but was never seriously involved. Since 2001, Jaejoong has been on the list of the agency, who was also a great fit for the chosen role. The team also added a 15-year-old Changmin, who was specially found for this project. Yoochun was lucky enough to take the place of the fifth member of the new boy group. He joined the team shortly before the team's debut.
Attempts to create a friendly team, the announcement of the team
SM Entertainment was well aware that team building should be done even before the launch of the project. The guys were placed together. This was to arouse the interest of the participants in each other. So they could get to know each other better and begin to feel every component of the team.
Yunho quickly took over as the leader. The boys had classes. Only a few weeks of training and rehearsals separated the young group from the start of public activity. They recorded their debut song "Thanks To" and held a photo shoot that served as a briefing for their debut. Dong Bang Shin Ki's first performance was at the SM New Face Showcase.
Difficulties with the name of the group Dong Bang Shin Ki
SM Entertainment initially had the idea to form a group, and the members were quickly recruited. For a long time they could not come up with a name for the team. We needed a sonorous name, an interesting subtext. Even the first performances of the band took place without a specific name.
For the group, several blanks were invented to represent the musical five. All of them were original, but were not approved for the final cut. It was already decided to stop at Dong Bang Bul Pae. They even received permits for this, but the organizers did not like the writing. This option was also abandoned.
As a result, they came up with a little change in the last choice. It turned out Dong Bang Shin Ki or DBSK. Literally, it means "Rising Gods of the East". The team is simultaneously known as Tong Vfang Xien Qi or TVXQ. The group is sometimes referred to as Tohoshinki.
First performances and successes of DBSK
Dong Bang Shin Ki debuted to a wide audience on December 26, 2003. They took the stage during the break of the showcase Boa и Britney Spears. The guys sang "Hug", a song that later became a hit. Together with BoA, a song was performed without musical accompaniment, which in the best way demonstrated the creative abilities of the guys.
In mid-January, the group released their first single. The song debuted at number 37 on the Korean chart. In February, the guys already participated in various music shows with might and main. After that, sales of the first single "Stay with Me Tonight" increased. Through the promotion, the group won an award on Inkigayo and repeated the achievement twice a month later. In mid-June, Dong Bang Shin Ki released her second single. The song "The Way U Are" immediately appeared on the second position of the chart. In the fall, the band recorded their first studio album Tri-Angle. But the best-selling album was "Rising Sun".
Musical activities of Dong Bang Shin Ki in other countries
Considering the success of the first steps, the producers decided not to stop at covering only the Korean public. Soon a contract was signed with Avex Trax. We decided not to stop there. The contract was also signed with the Japanese branch of Avex Trax.
The group left for the Land of the Rising Sun, the team members actively took up the study of the Japanese language. In April 2005, the guys released their debut single here. The composition reached only 37 places. The second single was released in the middle of summer, took 14th position in the Japanese chart. A brighter breakthrough was originally planned, but things went on for a long time and with less success.
The second wave of promotion in Korea
DBSK released a new Korean album in September 2005. This disc turned out to be a real breakthrough for the band. The lead single "Rising Sun" became a real hit. Inspired by the success, the guys released another Japanese and Korean single by the end of the year.
The guys recorded the composition for their native country with the participation of Super Junior, the song reached the first line in the chart. According to the results of the year at the M.net KM Music Video Festival, the group received the title of "Artist of the Year".
Supporting the development of Dong Bang Shin Ki with concerts
To build on the success of Dong Bang Shin Ki embarked on their first concert tour at the end of the winter of 2006. The first 4 performances were given in the capital of their native Korea. In mid-summer, the group performed in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. After that, the band released a concert collection for sale, which was a success.
At the same time, the guys tried to reach the Japanese audience, without losing hope of achieving popularity there. In March, they released a new single which was used in the filming of the anime. The group also recorded the album "Heart, Mind and Soul". In support of their work, the band went on a concert tour of Japan. 11 submissions were worked out here. After that, Dong Bang Shin Ki recorded 2 more singles for Japan, they already had a brighter success.
New heights in Dong Bang Shin Ki's career
In September 2006, Dong Bang Shin Ki released another studio album, O, to the Korean public. He instantly scattered, providing the group with a resounding success. In just a month, the new record received the title of the best-selling of the year. The success also led to the nomination of the team for various awards and prizes.
In addition to "Artist of the Year" and "Best Group" in their country, Dong Bang Shin Ki also received an MTV award in Japan. After that, the guys again made an attempt to unwind in the Land of the Rising Sun. They recorded a new single "Miss You / 'O'-Sei-Han-Gō", which peaked at number 3 on the chart. The group went on a new tour of Asia. After that, the band released a new Japanese album "Five in the Black", 5 singles for the public in this country, and also held a new tour.
Rise of success in 2008
Seeing the growth of commercial success in Japan, the group paid maximum attention to this direction. They actively recorded new songs and albums, gave concerts and received awards. Despite the active Japanese promotion, in August the guys returned to the stage in their native country. A new studio album was released, which the band members carefully worked out. The record "Mirotic" was a real achievement. The sales plan was met even before the release, and as a result, the group took 9 awards. An analogue of the album was released for the Japanese public.
Changes in the composition of the team
In 2009, the group recorded the last album for Japan with the original lineup. Three members of the collective: Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu started a lawsuit to cancel the terms of their contracts. As a result, the contractual relationship was violated, and the group's career was in question. The members stopped performing in their home country, but until the end of 2009 recorded songs and performed in Japan.
Further activities of Dong Bang Shin Ki
Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu left the group. Initially, it was announced that each of them had started a solo career. Later, a message appeared about the creation of a new team by this trio. As a result, another lawsuit with SM Entertainment arose. Yunho and Changmin continued under the name Dong Bang Shin Ki.
At first, they were going to add other members to the team, but as a result they settled on the fact that the group would remain a duet. Line-up changes and interruption of activities did not have a negative impact on the success of DBSK. The guys continued to conquer both Korea and Japan. The last album they released in their home country was "New Chapter #2: The Truth of Love - 15th Anniversary Special Album" and in Japan it was "XV'.
