DALMATIAN
DALMATIAN, or Desire Motivation Timing Now (DMTN), is a boy group that debuted in 2010 and was formed by Monkey Funch Entertainment. The group consists of Inati, Day Day, Dong-lim, Jee-su, Da-ri, and Daniel. Dalmatian released a 30-second music video teaser of their debut digital single “Round 1” on August 25th, 2010, and released the full video on September 1st, 2010. On May 7th, 2012, Dalmatian announced that Day Day had dropped out of their group due to personal reasons, and member Simon would join the group. Member Da-ri enlisted in the military immediately after promotion for “That Man Opposed” ended in 2011, which resulted in his hiatus from the group. This left Dalmatian’s line-up to consist of Inati, Jee-su, Daniel, Dong-lim, and Simon. The group then changed its name to DMTN, following its move to a new label. With Daniel’s marijuana scandal, the group was put on hiatus. Members denied the possibility of a comeback and their individual activities started taking place, this led to the conclusion that the group had disbanded. Currently, all the members are pursuing individual activities and interests.
E7
Maybe you are a little strange to hear about the boy group E7. E7 is a boy group that debuted in 2012 under Excellent Entertainment. Despite debuting with the name E7, E7 only has six members, Woosu, Iz, Envy, Go Up, Lucky, and Bokeun. They debuted on August 14th, 2012, by releasing the single Rising Sun, along with the title track “U,” the song “Don’t Let You Go,” and instrumental versions of both tracks were also included.
While the music video for “U” featured a bright and colorful concept, “Don’t Let You Go” shows off a darker and more mature side of the group.
FIX
FIX, or Four Immaculate Xtraordinaries, is a boy group that debuted in 2011 under The Groove Entertainment. Since the group has been active since 2012 it’s safe to assume that they have been unofficially disbanded. Initially, FIX debuted with four members, Bae Nu-ri, Oh Song, Kim Jung-wook, and Cho Sung-woo, but in 2012, Cho Sung-woo decided to leave FIX and then FIX became inactive and eventually, they disbanded. FIX debuted on April 4th, 2012, with the release of the mini-album Malhajima. Previously, FIX made an appearance with the release of the OST for the drama Big Heat which featured the song titled “Please Let Us Live A Little.”
CROSS GENE
CROSS GENE is a boy group formed in 2012 under Amuse Korea. CROSS GENE is a four-member boy group and consists of Shin, Sangmin, Yongseok, and Seyoung. They released their debut mini-album Timeless: Begins in 2012, which peaked at #8 on the Gaon weekly album chart. In May 2012, CROSS GENE debuted a multinational group consisting of South Korean, Japanese, and Chinese singers. Among the members were Shin Won-ho and Terada Takuya. Cross Gene originally consisted of three South Korean members, two Chinese members, and one Japanese member. In January 2013, Amuse Korea announced that Seyoung would be joining CROSS GENE as a new member. He replaced J.G., who left Cross Gene to start a career as a solo artist. Following J.G.’s departure, Takuya stepped down as the leader and the position was given to Shin instead and they released their Japanese debut single “Shooting Star.” In February 2018, member Yongseok participated in the Japanese musical My Bucket List as Kanggu. In the same month, it was also announced that CROSS GENE would have a concert in Japan titled Utopia. In December 2018, it was revealed that Takuya left the group to pursue a career in acting and modeling.
A-PRINCE
A-Prince is a boy group that debuted in 2012 and was formed by New Planet Entertainment. They debuted by releasing the single “You’re The Only One” with the formation of members Sungwon, Minhyuk, Seungjun, Siyoon, and Woobin. They disbanded in 2015, with some of the remaining members re-debuting as MAP6 under DreamT. Members of MAP6 who were formerly members of A-Prince are Minhyuk, J.Jun, Sun, and J.Vin. A-Prince’s management company stated, “They promoted as A-Prince for 15 months, after which they joined DreamT Entertainment. Thanks to their training, they’ve done a complete 180-degree transformation from A-Prince to their new debut as MAP6. It would be great if you could all look forward to their debut.”
BIGSTAR
BIG STAR is a boy group that debuted in 2012 under Brave Entertainment. This group used to be quite popular because it consisted of Feeldog, Baram, Raehwan, Sunghak, and Jude, but this group didn’t get much attention from the public. BIG STAR released their first single, “Bigstart,” on July 12th, 2012. In 2014, BIG STAR became the first idol group to hold 100 concerts in Japan. In October 2017, Big Star appeared in the KBS Survival show, Idol Rebooting Project: The Unit. On February 10th, 2018, Feeldog came in 4th place on The Unit, making him an official member and leader of the show’s group, UNB. On July 1st, 2019, Brave Entertainment announced that Big Star disbanded after the members’ contracts expired. Reporting from Allkpop, Brave Entertainment stated: “The exclusive contracts of Big Star members FeelDog, Sunghak, and Jude will expire in July. Prior to contract expiration, the members continuously discussed the direction of their future activities, and after careful consideration, it was decided to officially conclude Big Star’s activities after seven years together.” The agency also added that they are still in discussion regarding the direction of future activities for members Baram and Raehwan, who still have time left on their contracts and are in the middle of their military service. “We would like to express our gratitude to FeelDog, Sunghak, and Jude, who will be leaving our company. We will be sincerely cheering them on as they take new directions,” the agency concluded. “We would like to sincerely thank all the fans both in and out of Korea who cheered Big Star and gave them love over the past seven years.”
B.I.G
B.I.G is a six-member South Korean boy group formed by GH Entertainment. They debuted on July 9th, 2014, with their first digital single “Hello” with members J-Hoon, Benji, Gun Min, Min Pyo, Hee Do. All five members of B.I.G were trainees before becoming members of the group and had an average of three years of training between them. With “Hello,” the song immediately gained popularity because of its high praising lyrics in regards to South Korea which highlights the culture and promotes the country. On December 12th, B.I.G released their rendition of Wham!’s “Last Christmas” to thank their fans and celebrate their first Christmas as a group. On November 15th, 2018, the group’s leader J-Hoon enlisted quietly in the military without informing fans. It was revealed on January 19th, 2019, that a new member was added; Jinseok became the new member and is presumably taking the place of J-Hoon as a leader while he undergoes his mandatory enlistment.
A.C.E
A.C.E is a boy group formed by Beat Interactive. The group consists of five members: Jun, Donghun, Wow, Kim Byeongkwan, and Chan. The group gained attention with their covers on YouTube of groups such as BTS and Blackpink before officially debuting on May 23rd, 2017, with the single “Cactus.” However, the popularity of A.C.E is now starting to increase. The members also appeared in many YouTube videos for 1 Million Dance Studio. Beginning in 2016, the group began posting covers and busking on their YouTube channel, gaining traction among the international community. A.C.E released their second single album Callin’ on October 19th, 2017. In October 2017, members Donghun, Wow, and Kim Byeongkwan participated in JTBC’s Mix Nine survival show. On February 10th, 2018, Chan took the ninth and last spot in the group debut for Unit B in the finale of The Unit while Jun was eliminated at the 21st place before the final round. A.C.E released their second album to date titled Under Cover on May 17th, 2019. This also marked the release of their music video for the title track “Under Cover.”
MADTOWN
MADTOWN is a boy group that debuted in 2014 under J. Tune Camp. The group consists of Moos, Daewon, Lee Geon, Jota, Heo Jun, Buffy, and H.O. Their debut album, Mad Town, was released on October 6th, 2014. Two of the members, Moos and Buffy, originally debuted as the hip-hop duo Pro C in 2013. Madtown’s official fan-base name is Mad-people. Starting December 22nd, 2016, Madtown’s contract was sold to GNI Entertainment after J. Tune Camp closed. On The Unit, Daewon and Lee Geon confirmed Madtown’s disbandment. On March 16th, 2015, they released their second mini-album physically. On November 12th, 2015, they released their first digital single “OMGT,” which stands for “Oh My God Thanks.” In early 2017, Madtown’s contract was sold to GNI Entertainment after the sudden closing of J. Tune Camp. On September 11th, 2017, the members of Madtown filed for an injunction with the Seoul Central District Court against GNI Entertainment to end their exclusive contracts, after the CEO had been arrested for fraud and all of the staff members, including Madtown’s manager, had left the company. As of April 2018, Daewon is promoting as a member of UNB, the boy group resulting from the show. In October 2018, Jota signed an exclusive contract with King Kong by Starship to promote as an actor under his real name. Lee Geon signed an exclusive contract with Soribada to promote as a solo singer under the new stage name, Lee Woo.
A-JAX
A-JAX is a boy group that debuted in 2012 under DSP Media. The group’s final line-up was composed of five members: Hyeongkon, Yunyoung, Seungjin, Seungyeop, and Junghee. They made their first appearance on TV as a group on MBC Music’s Making the Star – DSP Boyz on April 24th, 2012. The group made its official debut with the single “One 4 U” in South Korea on June 1st and in Japan on August 8th, 2012, with the same song. In May 2012, on A-Jax’s YouTube account DSP Media released a teaser of the music video for their official debut song “One 4 U.” On June 26th, 2013, it was revealed on A-Jax’s official Twitter account that the group will be returning with their 2nd mini-album titled Insane, with the song of the same title being the promotional track. On January 8th, 2015, DSP Media announced that Jaehyung would enlist in the army as a public service officer. On September 19th, 2017, the group released their third Japanese single, “Romeo.” Members Seungjin and Junghee will be participating in the KBS The Unit idol rebooting show. On March 31st, 2019, it was announced the group members’ contracts expired with DSP Media.
