Artist of the week - Fly to the Sky

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

This week we have Fly to the Sky for our artiste of the week feature. The popular South Korean R&B male duo consist of Hwanhee and Brian. They debuted in 1999 under SM Entertainment, the domestic industry giant that launched K-pop legends H.O.T., S.E.S., BoA and Shinhwa. The duo has greatly appealed to local music lovers with their perfect harmony characterized by soulful R&B melodies and powerful dance choreography. 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 black color and R&B feel. Unlike their previous two albums, ‘Sea of Love’ included solo tracks by both members, and also featured a track called ‘Condition of My Heart’, composed by Brian McKnight, whom Hwanhee and Brian both admire.

After the contract with SM Entertainment ended in November 2004, they joined PFull Entertainment. Under their new record label, they released their sixth album Transition in 2006. Brian also released a solo album titled "The Brian", and Hwanhee pursued an acting career with roles in dramas "Over The Rainbow and later "Saranghae". In 2007, they released their seventh studio album titled "No Limitations". It has mainly R&B tracks that is their speciality and shows their mature side.
 
It is already the 10th year for Fly to the Sky in the music industry. They have mesmerized fans with their voices and have a large fan base in Korea, as well as internationally. In February, they released their 8th album  ‘Decennium’ to commemorate their 10th anniversary. This time they tried new things that had never been featured in other albums. They collaborated with reknowned hip-hop artistes such as Dynamic Duo and Gary of LeeSsang, and also worked with famous ballad composer Cho Young Soo for the first time for their main track ‘Restriction’. Fans were sad to hear that this album would be the last album under the Fly to the Sky name because their contract with PFull will end. Brian has said he will be pursuing an acting career in Hollywood, while Hwanhee intends to release a solo album later this year. However, the duo emphasised that this does not mean they are breaking up and could still push out singles under the Fly to the Sky name from time to time.

DISCOGRAPHY

* Day by Day (1999): ‘Day by Day’, ‘Fly to the Sky’, ‘Beautiful Girl’

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

* Sea of Love (2002): ‘Sea of Love’, ‘Trust’, ‘Condition of My Heart’

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

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

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

* No Limitations (7th album, 2007) : Saranghae, My Angel, Grain of Memory, Although I can’t have it, Please hate me,  The One Left Behind, Let’s Get It On, Man 2 Man, The third day, Don’t marry, I still love you, Pretty today too, Kissing You (Feat. Isaac Squab Of Trespass), Light Love (Feat. 현무 & TKO Of Trespass) 

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*  Decennium (8th album, 2009) : Decennium, Possessiveness, Close to you (feat. Dynamic Duo), Go away you, Good girl, Song for you, Hiding Game (feat. Lee Ssang “Gary”), Wine, Last Prayer, It must be love, Sorry for the tears and A Whole Note

Watch : 구속 (Restriction) [Music Video] [Live Performance]

Soompi Thread : HERE

c: KBS World + YahooKR/Melon + YesAsia/Youtube + adikkeluangman