Artist of the week - Fly To The Sky

Sep 12, 2007

PROFILE:

Hwanhee
Real name : Hwang Yoon-seok
Date of birth : January 17th, 1982
Physique : 177cm, 58kg
Education : Department of Post Modern Music of Kyunghee University
Hobbies : Listening to music, watching movies, playing basketball, computer games
Talent : Break dancing

Brian
Real name : Joo Min-kyu
Date of birth : January 10th, 1982
Physique : 176cm, 60kg
Education : Department of Theater and Films, Dongguk University
Hobbies : Watching movies, chatting on the Internet
Talent : English Rap Making

BIOGRAPHY:

Our featured artiste this week is male R&B duo Fly To The Sky. They have been consistently one of the top k-pop groups over the last decade. Debuted in 1999 under the helm of SM Entertainment, the domestic industry giant that launched K. pop scene legend H.O.T., S.E.S., BoA and Shinhwa. Fly To The Sky has greatly appealed to local music lovers with the talented members’ perfect harmony characterized by tuneful R&B melodies and powerful dance. The name of the band ‘Fly to the Sky’ symbolizes a passionate challenge toward future dreams and ideals.

Brian likes to compare the group to American R&B duo KC& Jojo. While the band may not be as well known as KC & Jojo, Fly to the Sky has rapidly built a name for itself in the domestic music industry and beyond. The duo released their third alum in 2002 and its title track, ‘Sea of Love’ wowed local music fans, topping several pop music charts. When the singers first came out, their style was a little different from other Korean musicians, with more of a soul color and more R&B. In the latest album, they tried to get closer to fans, making it more like a pop R&B type of deal. Unlike their previous two albums, ‘Sea of Love’ includes solo tracks by both members, and also features a track called ‘Condition of My Heart’, composed by Brian McKnight, whom they both admire.

Their next album (4th) produced one of their biggest hits in "Missing You". Then they followed up with another No. 1 song "Gravity" from their 5th album in 2004. But after this album, the duo's contract with SM expired and they decided to sign with another label. Because of this change, Fly To The Sky was in hiatus for almost 2 years. But in between, they managed to produce a hit song "My Heart Aches" from the popular SBS Drama "Fashion 70".

In January 2006, Fly To The Sky came back with their long awaited 6th album "Transition". The change in record label did not hurt a bit as the duo scored another No. 1 song in "Like A Man" and also 2 other songs from this album went into the top 10.

After this album, the duo started their solo activities. Hwanhee starred in the MBC drama "Over The Rainbow". Brian has been MC for the gayo show "Show! Music Core" for over a year now. Brian also released his first solo album in Janaury 2007 with great success, as the title song "Don't Go" hit No. 1.

In July 2007, Fly To The Sky re-united and released their 7th album "No Limitations". Fans have high expectations on this album because the timing of the release is perfect to gather hit songs and hopefully winning major awards at year end ceremomies. They did not disappoint us as the title song "My Angel" spent 3 weeks at No. 1.

If you think that Fly the to Sky exhibits something of a Western influence, it might be because Brian is a Korean-American who grew up in New Jersey. Hwanhee, however, was born and raised in Seoul, meaning that the group members basically grew up at opposite ends of the world. Despite their different backgrounds, what united the two was their love for music, particularly their specialty, R&B. While their group activities keep them extremely busy, they try to find time for other interests, including listening to the music of other artists, especially R&B signers like Brian McKnight, Usher and Boyz II Men. Both would like to spend more time on their acting careers. In addition, both would like to compose music, but right now their focus is on their activities as Fly to the Sky as they are trying to reach another climax in their musical career.

DISCOGRAPHY:

Day by Day (1st album, 1999) : ‘Day by Day’, ‘Fly to the Sky’, ‘Beautiful Girl’

The Promise (2nd album, 2001) : ‘The Promise’, ‘I Want You, I Need You’, ‘Maybe God Knows’

Contact – Joint Live Concert Album (with Kim Jo Han) (2001)

Sea of Love (3rd album, 2002) : ‘Sea of Love’, ‘Trust’, ‘Condition of My Heart’

Missing You (4th album, 2003) : ‘After’, ‘Missing You’, ‘Poison Ivy’, ‘Magic Song’, ‘Still’, ‘Only One’, ‘Good to You’, ‘You’, ‘My Love’

Unforgettable (1st Live Concert album, 2004)

Gravity (5th album, 2004) : Gravity, Stay, Old Skool Love, Take a Bow, Rest of my Life, Tell Me, My Neverending Story, For You

Best Album – Eternity (best hit album, 2005) : various hit songs from Vol. 1 to Vol. 5

Transition (6th album, 2006) : Like a Man, Avoidance, Be With You, The Girl is Mine, Yellow Butterfly, Question

No Limitations (7th album, 2007) : My Angel, I Love You, Hate Me, On The 3rd Day