| “ |
Hello, we are Hello~ Venus! |
” |
| —HELLOVENUS | ||
HELLOVENUS (헬로비너스) was a six-member girl group under Fantagio Music. Formed by Tricell Media (a joint venture between Fantagio Music and Pledis Entertainment), they debuted in May 9, 2012 with the mini album Venus.
History[]
Pre-debut[]
Prior to HELLOVENUS' debut, several members were already active in the entertainment industry. Group members Yoo Ara and Yoonjo were members of Pledis Entertainment's pre-debut trainee lineup Pre-School Girls. The group was made up of female trainees who would potentially join After School.[1] However, neither girl would debut with the group.
Lime was previously a backup dancer for Chae Yeon and was also a rapper for Lee Jung's "Look At Me" and Honey Family's "Reversal of Drama" under the stage name of Haley.
Alice was originally a soloist under the stage name Ora. She made her solo debut with the release of her first single album, "Naughty Face", on June 15, 2010.
HELLOVENUS' pre-debut lineup was originally intended to debut as a seven-member lineup consisting of Alice, Nara, Yoo Ara, Yoonjo, Yooyoung and Nicole. However, Nicole departed Pledis shortly before HELLOVENUS made their debut.
2012-2013: Debut with Venus, Like a Wave, What Are You Doing Today?, Would You Stay For Tea?[]
In March 2012, Pledis Entertainment collaborated with acting agency Fantagio Entertainment for HELLOVENUS' debut showcase in April. It was later announced that they would make their debut in May, with the final lineup consisting of six members, two from Pledis Entertainment and four from Fantagio: Yoo Ara and Yoonjo from Pledis and Alice, Nara, Lime and Yooyoung from Fantagio. The group then debuted on May 9, 2012 with the release of their first mini album Venus. It was later re-released as a repackage album under the name Like a Wave on July 4.
On November 28, it was announced that HELLOVENUS would be returning with their second mini album, What Are You Doing Today?, on December 12. The album was then released on December 12 with the title track being used to promote the album's release. Following the end of promotions for the title track on January 27, 2013, the group continued their promotions using the follow-up track, "Romantic Love", starting on January 30.
In April 2013, a statement was released which revealed that HELLOVENUS are in the final stage of preparations for their upcoming comeback in May ahead of their one-year debut anniversary. The group's third mini album, Would You Stay For Tea?, was then released on May 2, using the title track of the same name as the main promotional track.
2014-2015: Departure of Yoo Ara and Yoonjo, new members, "Sticky Sticky", "Wiggle Wiggle"[]
On July 31, 2014, it was announced that Pledis Entertainment and Fantagio Music, which had collaborating to manage HELLOVENUS, would be ending their merger. It was also announced that both Yoo Ara and Yoonjo would be leaving the group to rejoin Pledis Entertainment, while the remaining four members will continue solely under Fantagio as HELLOVENUS.[2] Fantagio trainees Seoyoung and Yeoreum, later joined the group as new members, replacing former members Yoo Ara and Yoonjo. It was then revealed that the group would be making a comeback in October, their first without Yoo Ara and Yoonjo as well as their first with Seoyoung and Yeoreum.[3] The group then released their first single album entitled "Sticky Sticky", on November 6.[4]
On December 20, 2014, Fantagio announced the group's comeback set for January 2015. On January 8, the audio and music video for the digital single "Wiggle Wiggle" was released.
2016-2019: Devine Channel collaboration, Mystery of Venus, disbandment[]
In the start of 2016, it was announced that HELLOVENUS would be collaborating with production and writing team Devine Channel. They are also set to release three digital singles throughout the year. The first release of the project, "Glow", was released on May 10, 2016. The second release, entitled "Paradise", was then released on July 18. Lastly, the third and final release, "Runway", was released on November 1.
On December 29, 2016, Fantagio confirmed HELLOVENUS's comeback with their fifth mini album, Mystery of Venus, slated for release on January 11, 2017. On the day of the album's release, the group made their comeback with their new album, which was promoted between January and Feburary 2017.
After almost over a year of no updates on any new comebacks, on April 26, 2019, their agency announced that the group would disband following their contract expiration on May 8.[5]
Aftermath[]
Following Alice and Nara's departure from Fantagio, both members have been pursuing their solo activites as actresses. Alice signed with Kingsland Company in 2020 to promote as an actress under her real name Song Ju Hee.[6] Following her departure from the agency a year later, she signed with A2Z Entertainment (then known as Pop Music) and has since been pursuing her endeavors as both a soloist and actress.[7] Nara signed with C-JeS Entertainment in 2022[8] and later signed with Ghost Studio in 2023 and has also since pursed solo activites as an actress as well.[9]
In July 2019, members Lime, Seoyoung, Yooyoung and Yeoreum renewed their contracts with Fantagio as actresses under their new stage names Chae Joo Hwa, Lee Seo Young, Lee Hwa Kyum and Yoo Na Gyul, respectively.[10] As of 2021, all four members were removed from company's official artists page, signaling their departure. On June 28, 2021, Lee Hwa Kyum signed with Prain TPC as an actress.[11] On March 31, 2022, Seoyoung signed an exclusive contract with Urban Works Entertainment[12] and later signed with DSP Media as an actress on June 19, 2023.
Members[]
| Name | Position(s) | Years active |
|---|---|---|
| Alice (앨리스) | Leader (2014–2019), Main Vocalist | 2012–2019 |
| Nara (나라) | Lead Dancer, Sub Vocalist, Visual, Face of the Group | 2012–2019 |
| Yoo Ara (유아라) | Leader (2012–2014), Main Vocalist, Center | 2012–2014 |
| Yoonjo (윤조) | Main Vocalist | 2012–2014 |
| Lime (라임) | Main Rapper, Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist | 2012–2019 |
| Seoyoung (서영) | Lead Vocalist | 2014–2019 |
| Yooyoung (유영) | Lead Rapper, Lead Dancer, Sub Vocalist (Maknae 2012–2014) | 2012–2019 |
| Yeoreum (여름) | Sub Vocalist, Maknae (2014–2019) | 2014–2019 |
| Pre-debut | ||
| Nicole (니콜) | N/A | 2012 |
Discography[]
Mini albums[]
- Venus (2012)
- What Are You Doing Today? (2012)
- Would You Stay For Tea? (2013)
- I'm Ill (2015)
- Mystery of Venus (2017)
Live albums[]
- Hello Venus Live Album 2013 (2013)
Single albums[]
- "Sticky Sticky" (2014)
Digital singles[]
- "Wiggle Wiggle" (2015)
- "Glow" (2016)
- "Paradise" (2016)
- "Runway" (2016)
Collaborations[]
- "FM201.8-12Hz : All I Want" (with ASTRO & Weki Meki) (2018)
OSTs[]
- "After School Bokbulbok OST Part.2" ("Where Were You That You Came Now?") (2013)
- "Cunning Single Lady OST" ("It's Just Love") (2014)
Gallery[]
.png "Hello Venus Sticky Sticky concept photo (2).png (731 KB)")
.png "Hello Venus I'll Ill concept photo (2).png (8.34 MB)")
.png "Hello Venus I'll Ill concept photo (3).png (9.82 MB)")
.png "Hello Venus I'll Ill concept photo (4).png (2.72 MB)")
References[]
Official links[]
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