Information

From beginning to present...


TVXQ was formed as a five-member group in December of 2003 under the SM Entertainment label. The members at that time consisted of: Jung Yunho (U-Know), Shim Changmin (Max), Kim Jaejoong (Hero), Kim Junsu (Xiah), and Park Yoochun (Micky). Their first single, Hug, sold very little at first. However, it eventually picked up on the MIAK chart and stayed there for 10 months thereafter. Additionally, this single won them their first music show award. Their second single, The Way U Are, surpassed Hug at number two on the MIAK chart. The group's first album, Tri-Angle, came out at number one and sold over 200,000 copies in its first month of release. Eventually, TVXQ experimented with their acting talents and received many more spots on various music shows like Inkigayo.

After finding their Korean debut and career successful (to varying degrees) both in music and in acting, TVXQ branched out into the foreign markets of Japan and China. Signing with Avex in Japan, TVXQ released their first single in 2005, Stay With Me Tonight. They began to participate in Avex's annual A-Nation as well, even as they had some difficulty with their debut in Japan. Their first Japanese album, Heart, Mind and Soul, sold only 18,000 copies--quite low compared to their first album in Korea. As in Korea, TVXQ's Japanese songs were sporadically used for anime, commercials, event themes, and various movie or drama soundtracks.

The height of TVXQ's career in both Japan and Korea was after the release of Mirotic in 2008, which sold over half a million copies. During the year of 2009, TVXQ began their concert for The Secret Code, which was 21 shows in total. The last two concerts were special in that they were held at the Tokyo Dome, making TVXQ the first Korean artists to have performed there. Furthermore, they were the first foreign artists to reach the top of the Oricon's DVD chart.

After having had several successful concerts in various countries, numerous music videos and music releases, as well as a number of appearances on shows or in dramas, it was shortly after this apex that TVXQ gradually separated. Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu wished to end their contracts and filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment in an effort to accomplish this. The split happened so quickly and the group was together for barely over five years; however, it was their immense popularity and fame that made such an impact on the questioning minds of fans. Many opinions and speculatory ideas have come about surrounding the real cause for the group to go their own ways, and there were many fans left shaken in the aftermath. Some fans remained loyal to the original five, while others chose one side or the other, or simply moved on.

After Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yoochun had left the group, Yunho and Changmin carried on and retained the TVXQ name in 2010. Their first single as a duo, Keep Your Head Down, was quite popular among fans even during the speculation of the song's meaning in regards to the still fresh memories of the lawsuit. However, the following song, Before U Go, was also popular and reached the ninth mark on the Gaon chart. Their 32nd Japanese single, Superstar, had been certified a gold record. TVXQ's first Japanese album as a duo, Tone, became their first number-one selling album in Japan. It even reached the number one spot on the sales charts; the highest amount of album sales during the first week of release for any overseas artist.

The duo continued to appear on music shows, both at home and abroad, as well as touring many countries such as Australia, America, Thailand, and Malaysia to name a few. After TVXQ's tour for Tone, they released Catch Me and Time, both of which were popular and sold over 100,000 copies each. Their tour for Time raked in a record-setting $93 million, which broke their record for the Tone concert. Even as a duo, TVXQ have enjoyed great success through their ups and downs with fans or work. Following the releases of Time and Tone, TVXQ released Tense, their 7th Korean album in 2013--and notably their 10th anniversary album. It has been said by critics that this album is their best so far, with record-setting singles such as Suri Suri and Something. These songs have an overly different and unique theme from what TVXQ has done in the past, including new influences from swing and jazz.

Finally, the success of theTense album was followed up by that of Tree in 2014, both the album and the tour that commenced after its release. During the first week of release for Tree, album sales jumped over the 200,000 mark (breaking the thirteen year record held by Bon Jovi). The tour for Tree totalled over 600,000 people in attendance, which, again, helped TVXQ to be the first foreign artists to have the largest audience in the last three years in Japan. As five and as two, TVXQ has found an incredible amount of success in their talents--which only continue to grow as both Yunho and Changmin have continuously explored their abilities in acting and composing. I expect nothing short of greatness from TVXQ, and as long as they never fail in putting their best efforts forward, they will forever produce material nothingg short of gold.

I realize I left out a LOT of different things, but I only wanted to focus on some of the more important aspects of their career as a group and duo. I know even the little details are important, but I could write a book on everything if I had the time, which I don't. If you wish to read more in-depth information rather than the meager amount I have placed here, you can visit TVXQ's wikipedia entry here.