Artist of the Week - Paran

Music

May 20, 2008

paran

Profile .

Name: Ryan

Real Name: Joo Jong Hyuk

Date of Birth: October 19, 1983

Physique: 181 cm ; 67 kg

Speciality: Exercise

Name: Neo

Real Name: Yang Seung Ho

Date of Birth: August 22, 1985

Name: Po

Real Name: Lee Soo In

Date of Birth: September 4, 1987

Name: Ace

Real Name: Choi Sung Wook

Date of Birth: February 11, 1987

Name: A.J.

Real Name: Kim Jae Sup

Date of Birth: June 4, 1991

Biography.

Paran is a common but unique idol band made up of five young men whose ages range from 15 to 20. The group’s name Paran means ‘blue’ in Korean, and it demonstrates their attempting different styles of music in hopes of finding their own musical colour. The five members – Ryan, Ace, Neo, A.J., and P.O – have been living together for two years while being trained in dancing and singing. Being fluent in Japanese and English, the band were promoted to target overseas markets from their debut. All the members have been trained in areas of musical production, from chorus and dubbing to sub-producing. Paran debuted in 2005 and gained their first hit song with "First Love." The lyrics of the song were written by a Korean poet and represent the confession of love among young teens.

Having tasted success, Paran followed up with a second album in 2006 titled "Beyond the Blue Sky". The quintet took a different approach for the album, training long hours in order to brush up their dancing and singing skills. "Five Steps", their foray into the dance pop genre, was produced by Gary Hasse, who has worked with Usher and other big-name artistes. Other kpop notables such as G.O.D.’s Danny and Kim Tae Woo, Hwang Sung Je and Shin Min Wook also participated in the album, giving it that extra gloss.

In 2007, Paran came back with a single titled "The First", which has a nostalgic retro touch. They remade Westlife’s "I Lay My Love On You", giving the hit song their very own flavour. In betwee, Paran have also kept busy, participating in the "Rainbow: Digital Single Best Vol 1" project, which includes MC The Max and Koyote. They also contributed to the OST of the KBS drama "I Am Saem", lending their vocals to the catchy theme song "Just Me, Just Me". Ryan was also part of the cast of the drama.

Paran have come back to entice fans with their third album in 2008, titled "U.R.M.S". Their title track, "Don’t Cry", helped them gain more popularity among kpop listeners, while other highlights of the album include "Hey Girl", written by P.O, and "U.R.M.S" and "Bal ja gook", both written by the album’s executive producer Won Sang Woo.

Discography.

Hold My Breath (2005) 01 Freak 02 First Love 03 See You Again 04 Remember 05 You’re the One 06 Communication 07 Forever Loving You

hold my breath

Beyond the Blue Sky (2006) 01 With PARAN-Y 02 Daseotgeoreum ("Five Steps") 03 Nae GaseumEn Ne Simjangi Ddwinabwa ("Your Heart is Beating Inside Me") 04 Silly Love Song 05 Burn The Floor 06 Black Hole

beyond the blue sky