'The Wonder Girls' are one of the most popular girl bands in South Korea. They are produced by the singer and songwriter, Park Jin Young, or JYP, who is well known for spotting future stars. His company, JYP Entertainment achieved international attention after producing the hugely successful 'Rain' and 'G.O.D'. Each of the five members was selected through intensive auditions, so the public were eagerly awaiting the debut of this group. 'The Wonder Girls' made their debut in 2007 with their promotional single, "Irony" , but they became a household name with the song, "Tell me" . Since then, they have scored three consecutive number one hit singles with "Tell Me", "So Hot", and "Nobody", and in 2008, they have received "Artist of the Year" awards twice. However, following their debut, `The Wonder Girls' did have some problems. Sohee, the youngest member of the group, was sidelined for a month after tearing a knee ligament during the filming of "I Like It Hot" , and Hyuna was removed from the group due to her health problems and had to be replaced by Yu-bin.

Having risen in popularity with the song, "Tell Me," the Wonder Girls started to appear on numerous TV shows and commercials. They also have their own cosmetics brand, "the Wonder Girls Cosmetics" which is popular among the younger generations.

Group Introduction

'The Wonder Girls' have many hit songs such as "Nobody," "Tell Me," and "So Hot." The well-known song, `Nobody' was inspired by American music from the 1960s and 1970s, such as the Motown girl groups from LA. The Wonder Girls' naive and innocent personalities, adorable dance moves and fancy outfits have captured many Korean hearts. They also have become popular internationally. JYP Entertainment's plan from the start was to target the Chinese market. Before their debut, all the members took some Chinese lessons to prepare for the Chinese market, and they have been showcased in China. Another ambition of theirs is to enter the U.S market. The group attracted international attention when a notorious American celebrity blogger, Perez Hilton, posted a clip from their music video, "Nobody" on his famous entertainment website. In addition to that, the British entertainment media company, Virgin Media, selected the Wonder Girls as one of the `Top 8 Girl Groups to Watch Worldwide'. The group consists of five members: Sun-ye, Ye-eun, Yu-bin, Sun-mi and So-hee. The Wonder Girls officially debuted on Feb. 10, 2007 on MBC's "Show! Music Core", and after they won first place on most of the music shows on TV, the "Wonder Girls sensation" began.

The Wonder Girls were introduced through the TV program called "MTV Wonder Girls" which was filmed and directed by MTV. Originally, the Wonder Girls were actually known as "Ladies Club" but before their debut, JYP Entertainment changed their name to "the Wonder Girls", which was more popular with the fans.

Member Profiles

Sun-ye

Sun-ye is the leader of the Wonder Girls. She was first discovered seven years ago on an SBS national talent TV show. Since then, she has not skipped a single dance or singing lesson. This has deeply impressed Park Jin Young, and he has great confidence and faith in Sun-ye. Park once said before their debut that Sun-ye was the only member of the group who was perfectly ready. Sun-ye lost her mother when she was young and her father has some health problems. She grew up with her grandmother, who she has shown strong affection for in many interviews. It is well known that she bought her grandmother a house in 2009. Sun-ye has an outgoing personality and her favorite foods are ice cream and Tteokbokki.

Birth Name: Min Sun-ye
Date of birth: August 12, 1989
Blood Type: A
Height: 160 cm
Weight: 45kg
Special Skills: Piano
Hobbies: Watching movies, working out
Education: Dongguk University, Division of Performing Arts


Sun-mi

Fans are infatuated with not only Sun-mi's cute face, but also with her attractive and surprisingly mature voice. Along with So-hee, Sun-mi is the youngest member in the band, but she always works hard to give the best performance for her fans. She joined the group after Sun-ye, Hyun-a and So-hee, and she is from Gyeongju in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.

Birth Name: Sun Mi
Date of birth: May 2, 1992
Blood Type: AB
Height: 165 cm
Weight: 43kg
Special Skills: Making numerous facial expressions
Hobbies: Taking pictures
Education: Chungdam High School


So-hee

So-hee starred in a minor short film when she was still in an elementary school. It is well known that she is a talented actor and singer in the group. In 2007, she fulfilled one of her childhood dreams by starring in the movie "I Like It Hot". She has a cute nick name, "dumpling" because of her plump cheeks, and fans love So-hee's flair for fashion.

Birth Name: Ahn So-hee
Date of birth: June 27, 1992
Blood Type: AB
Height: 163 cm
Weight: 43kg
Special Skills: Taekwondo
Hobbies: Reading, sleeping
Education: Changmun Girls' High School


Ye-eun

Ye-eun was a member of the choir and a dancing club at her high school. In 2007, she was spotted at the MTV "UCC Star Competition." Even though she was the last member to join the group, she practiced even more than she was asked to, and this deeply impressed Park, the producer. Park speaks highly of her in public interviews and believes that she is talented enough to have her own solo album.

Birth Name: Park Ye-eun
Date of birth: May 26, 1989
Blood type: AB
Height: 165 cm
Weight: 47kg
Special Skills: Singing
Hobbies: Reading the Bible
Education: Kyung Hee University, Postmodern Music Department


Yu-bin

Yu-bin was born in Gwangju in Jeolla-do province, and has lived in the US for more than two years. She was with the Good Entertainment company before her debut with the Wonder Girls. Unfortunately for Yu-bin that company was unable to make Yu-bin's debut due to financial problems, even though it had become famous after producing the legendary Korean band, Shinhwa. However, when Hyun-a, the original rapper of the Wonder Girls had to leave due to health problems, Yu-bin decided to try her luck at the JYP audition. She is a rapper in the group and she is well known for her beautiful body. She appeared in Shinhwa's music video "Once In A Life Time" in 2006.

Birth Name: Kim Yu-bin
Date of birth: October 4, 1988
Blood type: O
Height: 163cm
Weight: 45kg
Special Skills: Swimming, Scuba diving
Hobbies: Listening to music, collecting CDs
Education: Myungji University, Department of Performing Arts

Information About the Wonder Girls

Members: Sunye, Sunmi, Sohee, Ye-eun, Yubin
Debut Date: February 10, 2007 with the Singles Album
Official Website: Click Here

Wonder Girls' Official Fan Club - Wonderful

Fans can join "Wonderful" by registering at the fan club's official website, Daum fan caf�. Becoming an official fan is actually quite competitive, since JYP Entertainment only selects a limited number of people every year. In the first year, 300 people were selected, but in the second year, 25,000 people applied to be official fans, reflecting the growing popularity of the Wonder Girls. Even if you don't become an official fan, you can always root for the Wonder Girls through their website. At concerts, fans wave pearly wine-colored balloons and transparent pink wands to show their devotion to the band.

Official Fan Cafe Website: http://cafe.daum.net/WonderFul (Korean)

Discography

February 2007 - Singles Album
September 2007 - 1st Album
June 2008 - Singles Album
September 2008 - Singles Album
November 2008 - Digital Singles Album

Major Achievements

2007
Mnet KM Music Festival: Best New Female Group; The 8th Korea Visual Arts Festival: the Most Photogenic award; "Star of the year" selected by Sport Hankook
2008
17th Seoul Music Awards: Rookie of the Year; 20th Korean Producers & Directors Awards: Best Singer Award; 2008 Mnet KM Music Festival: Best Female Group Award, Best Music Video Award, Song of the Year
2009
Asia Model Festival Awards: Asia Star Award; 18th Seoul Music Awards: Artist of the Year.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/