Shinhwa Pimp Post - CH 1: The Members
Eric & Dongwan are serving their military duties, Junjin & Minwoo are going in a few months, Andy sometime next year and my heart just keeps breaking. My favorite group won't be together again for at least four/five years.
So to keep myself busy I've been preparing this Shinhwa pimp post. It's for new fans so they can learn about the one-boyband-to-rule-them-all. Seriously, no one can contest their influence and success. In many, many aspects, they were the ones who paved the way for DBSK, SuJu and all the rest. From their insane interviews and candid appearances, they changed the way idols were "supposed to be" and developed the trend of being goofy and honest like many idol groups are today. And this is also for the old fans to relive those amazing memories.
Update (2012) - The members are all done with their army duty now and are promoting their 10th group album "The Return" with the title song "Venus". All of Shinhwa's group activities are now managed by "Shinhwa Company" which the members set up using their own pooled money. All the members own equal shares of the company and Eric & Minwoo are the co-CEOs. They also have their own variety show on jTBC called "Shinhwa Broadcast" which airs every Sunday.
Eric (Mun Jung Hyuk)
The Alien Leader -- (February 16, 1979)
He may be 30 years old but he still acts like he's 3 sometimes. He's known to hug and kiss the other members, play with their ears (idek), chew on microphones, use weird voices during sound checks & other insane things. I love his crazy antics and unpredictable personality but I love his serious side even more. Because make no mistake about it, Eric is THE BEST leader in the Korean entertainment industry! No one else even comes close when you look at how many sacrifices he has made and continues to make to keep the group together. He turned down a lucrative solo contract from SM to stay with the group. He used his personal savings to buy the rights for their name from SM so they could move to Good Entertainment and stay together. He cancels everything on his schedule when any of the members has a solo concert and attends as many of their events/promotions as he can. I swear new stories about his selflessness keep appearing every day. And the members have an immense amount of respect for him because of everything he's done. They're the ones who keep revealing these tidbits because Eric would never do it himself. Oh, Leader-shii, why are you so amazing? He's also an incredible actor. In fact, that's been the main focus of his solo work. He even won both the MBC "Best New Actor Award" and "Best Actor Award". And now he's gone. *cries* Where's that solo album you promised, Eric Mun?! I was counting on that to help me get through the next two years but now I'm going to have to cling to the songs you featured in. *sigh*
Update (2012) - Eric still hasn't released a solo album yet. Grrrrr. Since coming back from the army, he's been in the drama "Spy Myung Wol" and has been busy with his duties as CEO of Shinhwa Company
Minwoo (Lee Min Woo) aka 'M'
Mr. Charisma -- July 28, 1979
I think all the members are super talented but if there is one all-around-amazing guy then it's Minwoo. He's done everything. And is fantastic at all of it. I still haven't see his movie "Holy Daddy" yet (I know, bad fan!) but I've heard great things about it. And when it comes to music, his passion is self-evident. He has released the most number of solo albums, composes & writes his own songs, and choreographs his solo and Shinhwa's dance routines. He's also composed & written material for the other members' solo albums and various other artists. But the thing that blows me away, is how amazing his songs are. Many times, they are my favorites before I even look up who wrote them. And he just oozes charisma and sexiness. The man was born to be on stage! I bought his "M - Liveworks" Concert DVD and couldn't take my eyes off him the entire time. He knows exactly how to control the stage and make every second entertaining. And he's definitely the biggest ladies man. Like Junjin once said, "He just needs to stand there and the ladies will come to him." But besides all the sexiness, he is freaking adorable and acts like such a kid when he's with the other members. They all do that really. When they're alone they may be serious and charismatic but the second you put them all in a room together, teasing, pushing, hugging and all manners of craziness are bound to ensue.
Update (2012) - Shinhwa re-started their group activities literally the day after Minwoo got out of the army so he hasn't had time for any solo projects. He will be holding a solo concert at the end of December.
Dongwan (Kim Dong Wan)
Sunshine Boy Man -- November 21, 1979
He was the first member I was attracted to and still the one I admire the most. He has an amazing singing voice but all the other members still make fun of his pitch (and Minwoo never misses a chance to imitate him). His debut solo album was the second Korean album I ever bought and I was blown away by his versatility. It's one of the few albums in which I don't hate a single song and that's very rare for me! He's also an actor and has stared in many dramas and the movie "Spin Kick" (one of the best movies ever! The sexy Hyun-bin is in it too) Other than his talent, it's his personality that makes everyone love him. He has such a happy, bright outlook on life and tries his best to make everyone around him laugh. This often results in him putting his foot in his mouth or making a total fool of himself but he doesn't mind at all. One of the earlier interviews I watched with Shinhwa, he talked about how he can't sleep in strange places so after he bought his mom a new house, he continued to sleep at his aunt's place because it was familiar. And every morning before he left for his schedule, he would drive over to his mom's house and say good morning. What a sweetheart! And he's super clingy. The members have said that when he's drunk, he's always hugging them and asking for kisses. Out of all the members, I feel like I know Dongwan the best because of his diary. He's always posting little tidbits about his day and how he's feeling, what his plans for the future are, his meetings with the members, his photography (which is phenomenal by the way) and his fears and insecurities. He shares everything with his fans and lays his soul open for the world to see.
Update (2012) - After finishing his army duty, Dongwan did some promotions in Japan as a solo artist and released the single "My Summer Girl" as well as a compilation album with his Korean songs. Dongwan received praise for his Japanese fluency which he has been studying for many years. However, he's had the most success in his acting career in Korea. His first post-army acting project was playing the lead role of Hedwig (a transgender singer) in the musical "Hedwig and The Angry Inch". His second role was that of Korean independence activist Lee Youksa in the mini-drama "The Peak" which won the grand prize in the "TV Special - Dramatic" category at the Houston International Film Festival. His next acting job was that of Jaepil, a police detective, in the movie "Deranged" which is currently the 7th highest-grossing Korean movie of 2012. His latest acting role is as Kim Taepyung, a single father of 4 children, in the drama "Cheer up, Mr. Kim!".
Hyesung (Jung Pil Kyo)
Ice Prince -- November 27, 1979
Now don't get the wrong idea, he isn't mean or anything. He's just more conservative than the others. And in a group as crazy as Shinhwa, that makes you the "cold one". I often think he's the only one with his head screwed on right because the other guys are just bonkers. In many ways, he's the glue that holds them together. One, because he's their lead vocalist (this was more true in their earlier days because now that they're all solo artists, they can hold their own) and two, he's the one most people said would leave the group first. He has this "princely" image and he had the best vocals so they thought he would go solo and make the group disband. Not only did he prove them wrong by turning down a solo contract with SM and following the group to GoodEnt. but he said later, "To Shinhwa, there’s no word called, ‘Disbandment’. I want to continue singing in the name of Shinhwa until the end of my life." Take that you nye-sayers! He did release a solo album eventually, with the support of all the members and has had the most commercial success. But when it's time to come back together as a group, he's right there with them writing, singing and dancing. Most of his solo work has been ballads which aren't my cup of tea but I still can't deny the power and control of his voice. Luckily, he decided to try something different with his third album and went with a soft rock concept which blew me away! Amazing stuff really.
Update (2012) - Because of his chronic knee problems Hyesung was exempt from military service. So while the other members were serving, he's been consistently releasing singles and albums. Like Dongwan, he did some promotions in Japan and released one full album "Find Voice in Song" as well as a compilation album of his Korean songs. Since then he's released his 4th Korean album "The Road Not Taken", and two winter albums, "Embrace" (2011) and "Winter Poetry" (2012).
JunJin (Park Choong Jae)
Silent Thunder -- August 19, 1980
It took me forever to come up with a catchy nick-name for Junjin but I think this describes him best. He's sometimes quiet like Hyesung and just watches the mayhem but he can also get caught up in what's going on and become the craziest one of all. He strikes when you least expect it. I have to admit that he's the member I know the least about because I never paid much attention to him. He's a integral part of the group and as talented and funny as the rest but his charms were lost on me as I was busy fawning over Dongwan & Minwoo. He started out in Shinhwa as a rapper but through hard work and dedication, he was able to develop the confidence to not only sing as a part of Shinhwa but also as a solo artist. His improvement is an incredible testament to his hard work. However, the one thing I most admire about him is how much he cares about family. He is incredibly close to his father and went out of his way to help with promotion when his father came out with an album of his own. He always talks about how no matter what he does in the future, the one thing he wants to be the best at is being a father. That's probably because he's had a really hard family life since childhood and had to go through his birth mom and his first step-mom leaving. Thankfully, his father's third wife ended up being the mother he needed and she even helped him find his birth mother. Junjin also suffers from panic disorder. He's been very open about discussing his struggle and how it impacts his life.
Update (2012) - Since finishing military service, Junjin hasn't had many solo activities. He was released just a few months before Shinhwa's group comeback so he put all of his focus into preparing for that. He's done a few concerts and fan meetings and has talked about possibly taking on an acting role in a Chinese drama in the future.
Andy (Lee Sung Ho)
The Baby -- January 21, 1981
No matter how old he gets or how successful he becomes, when Andy is with the Shinhwa members, he'll always be the baby. The one they pick on and abuse but also the one they dote on and praise. I think he's one of the luckiest entertainers in the industry to have five successful older brothers watching out for him and supporting him. Their love for him is unconditional but it's a two sided coin. Because all of them are so successful, Andy's had a hard time stepping out of their shadows and making a name for himself. I was afraid he'd always be known as "Shinhwa's Magnae Andy" but the last couple of years he's really come into his own. From staring in musicals to releasing a solo album to appearing on "We Got Married", he's finally being recognized for being himself without the name Shinhwa coming up. And like Junjin, he was a rapper for Shinhwa so we never got to hear him sing until he starred in musicals. After that he gained enough confidence in his ability to release a solo album. He isn't my favorite singer but he's got this sweetness in his voice that you just can't help but love.
Update (2012) - Andy is the only Shinhwa member who served as an active duty soldier while in the army (the others were all public service officers). Since being released, he's worked mainly as a producer for the boy bands "Teen Top" and "100%" who are managed by the entertainment company he founded, "T.O.P. Media". He also hosted the entertainment news program "K-Star News" for a few months.
And a little tid-bit: Everything Shinhwa does together as a group is under the label "Good Entertainment" (2004-2008) "Shinhwa Company" (2011-present) with Eric & Minwoo as CEOs. Everything they do as solo artists is managed by other labels or entertainment companies they founded themselves (some of which don't exist anymore). Edit: Now updated with their new labels.
Eric: TOP Class Entertainment (2007-present)
Minwoo: M Rising (2007-present) >> Liveworks Entertainment (2012-present)
Dongwan: H2 Entertainment (2007-2010) >> Liveworks Entertainment (2010-present)
Hyesung: Good Entertainment (2007-2009) >> Liveworks Entertainment (2009-present)
Junjin: JF Story Entertainment (2007-2009) >> Open World Entertainment (2009-2012) >> currently a free agent
Andy: ND Entertainment/T.O.P Media (2007-present)
I'm not even going to touch their solo careers because then I would be writing this pimp post until next year. But if you want to learn more about a certain member's solo albums, Google is your best friend! Or you can check out the subbed music videos I've posted at worldvidz.
To close the chapter, here's a typical Shinhwa interview. It should give you a good idea of what you're getting yourself into :D
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And now that the boring introduction stuff is out of the way, the real fun will begin. The next few chapters will cover their history, their music, their variety shows, music videos, couples and the fan service they are infamous for. Fangirls are worked up over Heechul kissing Jungmo? Ha. They've obviously never stepped foot inside the Shinhwa fandom where members have openly discussed how they use to shower together. Let your imagination mull over that as you wait for the next chapter :P
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CREDITS
Pictures & Gifs: http://gallery.asianfanatics.net/ & various users @ http://www.shinhwa.biz/forums/ & http://www.soompi.com/forums
Other Chapters
CH 2: The Group
CH 3: The Music
CH 4: The MinWan Couple
CH 5: The Variety Shows/CFs Part 1 (members locked because it has download links)
CH 6: The Variety Shows/Interviews Part 2 (members locked because it has download links)