99-547: Keep Your Head Down is the fifth Korean studio album (ninth overall) by South Korean pop duo TVXQ , released on January 5, 2011, by S.M. Entertainment . Recording and writing for the album roughly began in the summer of 2009, but full production did not begin until August 2010, after U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin debuted their first performance as a duo at the SM Town Live '10 World Tour concert in Seoul, South Korea. Bringing in
198-806: A cappella rendition of " O Holy Night " with BoA. The group released the physical single of "Hug" on January 14, 2004. The single debuted at number thirty seven on the monthly MIAK chart selling less than 5,000 copies. On February 6, 2004, TVXQ made their official television debut at the Mnet and KM cable music program Music Tank , where they performed "Hug" and "O Holy Night". The following day, they performed on SBS 's Inkigayo . The sales of "Hug" picked up following their television appearances, and on March 28, 2004, TVXQ won their first music show award with "Hug" on Inkigayo . "Hug" won two more music show awards in April 2004. By May 2004, "Hug" sold 118,114 copies and reached
297-423: A different song with different lyrics. Yunho said, "The song is about a man's mind towards a woman who had left him. We can sometimes find out that a certain song seems to talk about my own story. In this way it totally depends on the interpretation using our own thoughts." In July 2011, TVXQ released their thirty-second Japanese single " Superstar ", which was certified gold by month's end. From July to August,
396-479: A five-member boy band which also consisted of members Hero Jaejoong , Micky Yoochun , and Xiah Junsu , TVXQ were immediately launched to mainstream recognition following the release of their first single " Hug " (2004). Their first four albums as a quintet, Tri-Angle (2004), Rising Sun (2005), "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap. (2006), and Mirotic (2008), received chart-topping commercial success in South Korea, with
495-598: A joint statement in support of SM Entertainment, and urged the trio to resolve their issues with their management quickly if they wished to continue their careers as TVXQ members. As a result of the legal battle, the Shenzhen show for the group's Mirotic tour was canceled a week before its scheduled date on November 21, 2009, thus prematurely ending the tour. Despite the injunction, Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu maintained their activities as TVXQ members under Avex's management in Japan, and
594-504: A lawsuit against JYJ to validate their contracts. In June 2010, JYJ submitted a lawsuit against SM Entertainment to void their exclusive contracts. Following the suits, SM Entertainment attempted to denounce JYJ and their new agency C-JeS, while Yunho and Changmin remained silent throughout the legal proceedings. In the meantime, Avex released two of TVXQ's greatest hits albums, the Complete Single A-side Collection and
693-609: A lawsuit against their agency S.M. Entertainment , claiming that their 13-year contracts were excessively long and their profits were unfairly distributed. In October 2009, the Seoul Central District Court granted the three members a temporary contract injunction, thus halting TVXQ's group activities in South Korea. The trio continued their activities with TVXQ in Japan under their Japanese label Rhythm Zone , but in April 2010, Rhythm Zone's parent label Avex Trax suspended TVXQ in order to sign Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu as
792-524: A nationwide five-Dome tour and the first foreign artists to headline the Nissan Stadium . Billboard has described the band as "K-pop royalty." With the disbandment of H.O.T. in 2001 and Shinhwa 's departure in 2003, producer Lee Soo-man of SM Entertainment went on a search for another boy band to stay competitive in the growing K-pop market. In early 2003, Lee eventually selected five teenage boys from four different SM training teams to debut in
891-503: A new line of producers, including E-Tribe and Outsidaz, Keep Your Head Down largely consists of dance-pop songs with urban and electronic arrangements. The album has been described by critics as fierce, dark, and powerful due to its SMP influence, an experimental genre that is defined by mixing the styles of orchestral pop , rock , and contemporary R&B with hip hop beats to create catchy, rhythmic tracks that allow for very strong dance performances. Released in two different versions,
990-627: A peak at number four on the MIAK for April 2004, and stayed charted for ten consecutive months. On June 24, 2004, TVXQ released their second single "The Way U Are", which entered the MIAK at number two for June 2004. In July 2004, TVXQ participated in their first SM Town project and collaborated with other label mates to release the SM Town album, 2004 Summer Vacation in SMTown.com . In October 2004, TVXQ released their first full-length studio album Tri-Angle . It
1089-465: A photo shoot session, which turned out to be a briefing for their upcoming debut. To build group chemistry, the members moved into a small dormitory room arranged by their management. After a few weeks of training and rehearsals, they recorded their first song "Thanks To" and performed it at the SM New Face Showcase. Yunho was appointed as the band's leader. During their early recording sessions,
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#17331479296931188-586: A platinum certification by the RIAJ. In March 2011, Keep Your Head Down was reissued with a new single, " Before U Go ", and the repackaged album Before U Go peaked at number nine on the Gaon, pushing the album to be the third best-selling record of 2011 in South Korea. While promoting Keep Your Head Down , Yunho and Changmin spoke up for the first time about their 2010 hiatus and breakup with JYJ. According to Yunho, JYJ had "exceedingly deep conflicts" with their agency and
1287-422: A record which was last held by Taiwanese artist Ouyang Fei Fei twenty-four years prior. In July 2008, TVXQ released their twenty-third single, " Dōshite Kimi o Suki ni Natte Shimattandarō? ", their third number-one single in Japan. They performed the single at Avex's 20th anniversary meeting and at A-Nation 2008, their fourth consecutive concert with Avex. In August 2008, TVXQ returned to Korea to prepare for
1386-472: A relationship breakup, came under intense media scrutiny after it was claimed that it was written as a diss track to JYJ . Several TVXQ and JYJ fansites also withdrew their support for the song. Yunho and Changmin clarified that the lyrics were misinterpreted, stating, "It's just a song about a man's anger towards the woman that threw him away. That's all." The album has been commercially successful across Asia. In South Korea, it immediately shot to number one on
1485-750: A series of projects, starting with a concert. The TVXQ Special Comeback Live: Your Present held a total of three shows in Seoul and Macau from September 30 to October 15, 2017. On October 25, 2017, the duo released the Japanese compilation album Fine Collection ~Begin Again~ , which comprised songs released by the duo since 2011. The album's accompanying Begin Again Tour debuted at the Sapporo Dome in November 2017 and ended at
1584-559: A staple song of K-pop. Mirotic has sold over 600,000 copies, the first Korean album in six years to surpass half a million sales in South Korea. In October 2008, TVXQ released the Japanese version of "Mirotic", which topped the Oricon, breaking a record that the group had set with their previous single. TVXQ were the first Korean group to attend the Japanese New Year Eve's music festival Kōhaku Uta Gassen , and their invitation to
1683-598: A vocal dance unit. Xiah Junsu, the first to join the new group, became an SM trainee at age eleven and was originally trained to be a solo singer. He was put into an R&B trio with trainees Sungmin and Eunhyuk (both now of Super Junior fame), and the trio made their first appearance on the reality show Survival Audition – Heejun vs. Kangta, Battle of the Century , a 2002 series that starred former H.O.T. members Kangta and Moon Hee-jun as mentors for prospective singers. U-Know Yunho, who signed with SM Entertainment in 2000,
1782-472: A week later and debuted at number four, selling over 52,000 copies. With the critical and commercial success of T , TVXQ delayed their Korean comeback to put more focus on their new Japanese releases, and from February to March 2008, the group released a series of five singles consecutively for six weeks, promoting the releases as the "Trick" project. Each single contained a solo track by a member, as well as some of their own compositions. With their new records
1881-553: Is the duo's best Korean record to-date. Musically Tense has elements of neo soul with throwback-inspired pop, and it is described to be more mature than the duo's earlier efforts. The lead single " Something ", a swing jazz pop number, debuted at number four on the Gaon Singles Chart and reached number seven on the Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100 , TVXQ's highest debut on both charts. In Japan, "Something"
1980-512: The One Piece theme song, " Share the World " (2009). After a year-long hiatus, TVXQ returned as a duo with their fifth Korean album Keep Your Head Down (2011), topping album charts in most major Asian markets upon release. Their first two Japanese albums as a duo, Tone (2011) and Time (2013), solidified their success in Japan as it forged TVXQ's reputation as one of the top-touring artists in
2079-627: The Gaon Album Chart , their seventh number-one album since the chart's inception in 2010. New Chapter #1 ultimately finished the month of March at number four with 110,666 copies in Korea. The duo released their ninth full-length Japanese studio album Tomorrow on September 19, 2018, and debuted number one on the Oricon Albums Chart. The record is supported by the nationwide Tomorrow Tour from September 2018 to January 2019. With 33 stops, it
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#17331479296932178-479: The Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards . The album's title single, " Keep Your Head Down " also stayed strong on the charts, winning seven number-one trophies on music shows The Music Trend , Music Bank , and M! Countdown. The Japanese version "Keep Your Head Down", which was released as a physical single in Japan on January 26, 2011, was a chart-topper and became TVXQ's second best-selling single in Japan, earning
2277-834: The New York-Korea Festival , a concert produced by KBS Global to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Korea's entry into the United Nations. It was held in New Jersey. On October 23, TVXQ performed with SM Town at the SM Town Concert in New York at Madison Square Garden concert and garnered international media attention. TVXQ also participated in the 2011 K-pop Music Fest in Sydney, Australia, presented by JK Entertainment on November 12. Their new Japanese holiday single " Winter "
2376-458: The Nissan Stadium in January 2018. TVXQ broke several records with the tour: they are the first music group in Japan to hold a three-day concert at the Nissan Stadium and are the first foreign artists to bring over a million people with one tour. The tour broke a new record for K-pop in Japan, with a total of one million tickets sold. " Reboot ," the duo's first Japanese single since their hiatus,
2475-747: The Oricon Albums Chart , surpassing BoA 's record in becoming the first and only foreign artist in Japan to earn eight number one albums. On May 24, 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic , TVXQ held a live online concert Beyond the T, the fifth concert organized by SM Entertainment and Naver as part of Beyond LIVE , the world's first online-dedicated live concert series. On March 16, 2022, TVXQ released their Japanese extended play Epitaph to support their nation-wide Japan tour, Classyc: Live Tour , their first live concert series in three years. The tour sold 300,000 tickets across Japan. On October 5, 2023, it
2574-509: The Republic of Korea Armed Forces on July 21, 2015. Prior to his enlistment, TVXQ released the full-length album Rise as God , which debuted at number one. Changmin joined the Military Police on November 19, 2015. Yunho was honorably discharged from service on April 20, 2017, while Changmin was honorably discharged on August 18, 2017. On August 21, TVXQ announced their comeback to be
2673-560: The Single B-side Collection , both of which were released on June 30. They were TVXQ's closing releases under their contract with Rhythm Zone. After several months of inactivity, Yunho and Changmin made their comeback appearances in August 2010 for the Seoul stop of the SM Town Live '10 World Tour , where they performed re-recorded versions of older TVXQ songs. Their two-piece performances garnered strong and supportive reactions from
2772-514: The TRF tribute album TRF Tribute Album Best for TRF's 20th anniversary. They sang a cover of "survival dAnce ~no no cry more~" and were the only Koreans to participate on the album. TVXQ set several records with their Time tour , which commenced at the Saitama Super Arena in April 2013. The duo became the first K-pop artist and the fourth foreign artist to embark on a five-dome tour, and were
2871-427: The music videos was first unveiled on March 10, 2011. A short film with a running time of little over 15 minutes, the music video has actor Choi Jong-yoon and actress Ara star alongside Yunho and Changmin as morally conflicted police officers. On March 14, the main video, directed by Jo Soo-hyun, was released. The full short film was released on March 20, and the last video, a dance version directed by Hong Won-ki ,
2970-457: The repackage of Keep Your Head Down , was released on March 16, 2011. The repackage features three new tracks, all of which are remixes of the album's only lead single, "Before U Go." The single is produced by TVXQ's frequent collaborator Yoo Young-jin and his brother Yoo Han-jin [ ko ] , who also produced their fifth album lead single " Keep Your Head Down ". In July 2009, Hero Jaejoong , Micky Yoochun , and Xiah Junsu filed
3069-489: The 1st Live Tour 2006: Heart, Mind and Soul, from May to June 2006. The tour consisted of eleven shows that attracted an audience of 14,800. After the tour, TVXQ released two more Japanese singles, "Begin" and "Sky". The latter debuted at number six on the Oricon, making it the group's first single to reach the top ten in Japan. The group resumed their Korean activities with the release of their third Korean album, "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap. on September 29, 2006. The album entered
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3168-550: The 4th Live Tour 2009: The Secret Code, which consisted of 21 shows to an audience of 279,500 people. The last two shows of the tour were at the Tokyo Dome , making TVXQ the first Korean group to perform at the venue. The concert's DVD, which was released in September 2009, pre-sold 107,000 copies and ultimately sold more than 353,000 copies. A number-one seller, TVXQ were the first foreign artist in twenty years to peak at first place on
3267-611: The Hanteo Chart, boosting the sales for the original album, Keep Your Head Down . The lead single, "Before U Go", peaked at number thirteen on the Gaon Singles Chart and number one on various online music charts, receiving generally positive reviews from music critics. The single also won number-one trophies on music programs The Music Trend and Music Bank . In August 2011, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family banned "Before U Go" and three other K-pop music videos, ruling that it
3366-399: The Japanese release of Resident Evil: Extinction . Released in November 2007, the single peaked at number three on the Oricon and won Best Collaboration Video at Japan's MTV Video Music Awards . TVXQ's sixteenth Japanese single " Purple Line ", released on January 15, 2008, became the group's first single to debut at number one on the Oricon. Their third Japanese album T was released
3465-548: The Korean Wave. According to the Oricon , TVXQ have the most number-one singles and albums for a foreign artist in Japan, and are Japan's best-selling foreign artist of all time. Their Time Tour , one of the highest-grossing concert tours of 2013, broke attendance records for foreign singers in Japan until 2017, when TVXQ broke their own record with their Begin Again Tour . TVXQ are the first non-Japanese Asian artists to headline
3564-526: The Korean charts at number one and became the best-selling record of 2006 after one month of release. The success of the album gave TVXQ four coveted grand prize awards in 2006: at the M.net KM Music Festival, they received four awards, including Artist of the Year and Best Group. TVXQ won all three of their nominations at the 16th Seoul Music Awards , and at the 21st Golden Disk Awards , "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap won Album of
3663-530: The Korean charts at number one for December 2005. Rising Sun garnered several popularity awards for the group at the end of the year, including M.net KM Music Video Festival 's Best Popular Music Video award, the ceremony's daesang ("grand prize"). In February 2006, TVXQ embarked on their first headlining international concert tour, the Rising Sun Tour . Comprising six shows only, the tour started off with four shows in Seoul, South Korea. On July 14, 2006,
3762-567: The Orico'. In January 2007, TVXQ announced their second international tour, O: The 2nd Asia Tour , and toured Seoul, Taipei , Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai and Beijing . The tour attracted an audience of 184,000. TVXQ released their second Japanese album Five in the Black in March 2007, debuting at number ten on the Oricon with nearly 27,000 copies sold on its first week. Drawing in an audience of 46,600,
3861-509: The Oricon's DVD rankings. In July 2009, members Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu attempted to split with their Korean management SM Entertainment , claiming that their thirteen-year contract was excessively long, schedules were held out without permission of the members, and profits were unfairly distributed. In October 2009, the Seoul Central District Court granted the trio a temporary contract injunction, and TVXQ's group activities in Korea were ceased. In November 2009, Yunho and Changmin released
3960-619: The Oricon, selling 233,000 copies. Meanwhile, the duo also embarked on their world tour concert Tistory: Special Live Tour , a commemoration for their tenth year in the K-pop industry. On December 26, 2014, the duo's eleventh debut anniversary, TVXQ's wax figures at Madame Tussauds were unveiled in Shanghai . By the end of 2014, TVXQ became the 5th artist by total sales revenue in Japan in 2014, with ¥ 3.691 billion. The duo entered their second hiatus when Yunho started his mandatory military service for
4059-409: The T tour, TVXQ released their twenty-second Japanese single, " Beautiful You / Sennen Koi Uta ". The latter track, "Sennen Koi Uta", was used as the opening theme for the historical Korean drama The Legend when it aired in Japan. Despite the drama's disappointing ratings, the single was a number-one seller, making TVXQ the first non-Japanese Asian performer to release two number-one singles in Japan,
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4158-670: The Taiwan press of Tri-Angle . Inspired by the success of BoA's Japanese music career, TVXQ signed with Japan's Avex Group in late 2004. In November 2004, they released an English version of "Hug" in Japan, but the single failed to gain momentum despite TVXQ's success in South Korea, Taiwan, and China. Re-introduced as Tohoshinki ( 東方神起 ) for the Japanese market, the members learned Japanese and move to Japan for their first official single. They released their debut Japanese single " Stay with Me Tonight " in April 2005 through Avex's record label Rhythm Zone . The single reached to number thirty-seven on
4257-626: The Year, the ceremony's grand prize. TVXQ also took home the biggest awards at the SBS Gayo Daejeon . The album's international success won the group their first award in Japan, the Bess Buzz Asia in Korea award at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan . In November 2006, TVXQ returned to Japan to release their eighth Japanese single, "Miss You / 'O'-Sei-Han-Gō" ( miss you / 'O'‐正・反・合 ) , which became TVXQ's first top three single on
4356-484: The album spawned two promotional singles with one lead single , " Keep Your Head Down ". Lyrically, the album explores dark themes of relationships, betrayal and self-empowerment. In South Korea, the album debuted at number one on the Gaon Albums Chart for the week of January 8, 2011, and maintained its number-one position for a second week. By the end of the month, Gaon reported that 230,227 copies were shipped. By
4455-400: The album's third track "Maximum", a dance-pop song that was originally recorded by all five TVXQ members in 2009. Bringing in a new line of producers including E-Tribe and Outsidaz, principal recording for Keep Your Head Down spanned three months. In November 2010, S.M. Entertainment announced TVXQ's return with Keep Your Head Down in January 2011. On December 20, 2010, two weeks ahead of
4554-477: The announcement of their first world tour, the Live World Tour: Catch Me . Catch Me was released online on September 24 and on September 26 through normal commercial outlets. It became Yunho and Changmin's second number-one album and TVXQ's fifth number-one album in South Korea, and maintained its number-one position on the Gaon Albums Chart for three weeks. On November 26, TVXQ released Humanoids ,
4653-560: The audience, prompting Yunho and Changmin's decision to continue TVXQ activities without the other three. There were brief talks about recruiting new members, but SM's CEO Lee Soo-man suggested that they should continue as a duo act. Shortly after the concert, the duo began working on their comeback album and brought in a new line of producers, including E-Tribe and Outsidaz. In September 2010, Avex dropped JYJ, citing conflict with C-JeS. Avex then declared its support for remaining TVXQ members Yunho and Changmin on November 24, announcing that
4752-443: The band JYJ . The suspension pushed remaining TVXQ members U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin to an indefinite hiatus, and TVXQ's fifth Korean album was put on hold. In August 2010, Yunho and Changmin performed as TVXQ in Seoul's SMTown Live '10 World Tour , which was described to be an "experimental" stage for the duo. Earning strong and supportive reactions from the audience, Yunho and Changmin decided to continue TVXQ activities without
4851-602: The band was offered some tentative names to use: SM5, Dream Team, O Jang Yuk Bu ( Korean : 오장육부 ; Hanja : 五臟六腑 ; literally "The Five Visceras and the Six Entrails"), Jeon Meok Go (short for Jeonseoleul Meokgo Saneun Gorae; 전설을 먹고 사는 고래 ; literally "A Whale That Eats Legends"), and Dong Bang Bul Pae ( 동방불패 ; 東方不敗 ), the Korean name for the Chinese wuxia character, Invincible East . They decided on Dong Bang Bul Pae, and even obtained permission to use
4950-412: The band were plunged into legal turmoil and internal conflict when members Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu attempted to split from their Korean agency SM Entertainment. Prior to the trio's departure in 2010, TVXQ released their last Japanese album as a quintet, Best Selection 2010 , which became the band's first album to top the Oricon Albums Chart . The album spawned two platinum-selling singles, including
5049-417: The country. Their tenth Japanese album XV (2019) made TVXQ the first foreign music act in Japan to have six number-one albums in a row. Selling over 10 million physical records in the first 10 years of their career, TVXQ are one of Asia's most successful music acts of their generation. They are sometimes referred to as "Asia's Stars" and the "Kings of K-pop" for their immense success and contributions to
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#17331479296935148-465: The duo have signed a new record contract with Rhythm Zone's sister label Avex Trax . Yunho and Changmin released TVXQ's comeback Korean album Keep Your Head Down on January 5, 2011. The album debuted at number one on the Gaon Albums Chart , and maintained its position for a second week. With 230,922 copies sold by mid-2011, Keep Your Head Down won the Album of the Year for the first quarter of 2011 at
5247-438: The duo to become the first international artist of Japan to bring in the largest number of concertgoers in the last three years, reaching over 2 million. On August 30, 2014, TVXQ announced their second five-Dome tour at Avex's A-Nation concert for early 2015, which went on to be their tenth anniversary tour in Japan. The tour's accompanying studio album, With , was released on December 17, 2014. It debuted at number one on
5346-544: The duo toured around Japan for Avex's A-Nation summer concert, and at the Tokyo stop, TVXQ performed as the closing act, breaking Ayumi Hamasaki 's record of closing the concert eight years in a row. TVXQ were the first foreign performers to close the festival. On September 28, the group released the Japanese album Tone , which earned them their first number-one studio album. It sold over 200,000 copies on its first week and earned RIAJ's platinum certification on its second week. TVXQ
5445-549: The end of February. In March 2010, the group released their last single together, " Toki o Tomete ", which was certified platinum by the RIAJ. On April 3, 2010, Avex declared the suspension of TVXQ's Japanese activities, stating that each member would be pursuing a solo career. However, a week later, Avex announced the formation of a "special unit" with members Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu—later known as JYJ —a move that led to Yunho and Changmin's indefinite hiatus from music activities. After JYJ's announcement, SM Entertainment filed
5544-515: The end of the year, 263,412 copies of the album were sold in South Korea alone, making it the third best-selling album of 2011. Before U Go debuted at number one on South Korea's Gaon Albums Chart and the Hanteo Chart , selling 55,243 copies by July 2011. By the end of the year, Before U Go sold 60,709 copies. Including Keep Your Head Down , the albums collective sold over 324,000 copies in South Korea and 89,000 copies in Japan. Before U Go ,
5643-457: The event was considered one of the biggest highlights of their Japanese music career. In January 2009, the group released their twenty-fifth Japanese single " Bolero / Kiss the Baby Sky / Wasurenaide ", which was another number one single for the group. "Bolero" was used as the theme song for the Japanese film Dance Subaru , and TVXQ also made brief cameo appearances in the film. In February 2009,
5742-553: The first foreign artist to release ten number-one singles in Japan. By July 2012, TVXQ came to be recognized as the first foreign artist in Japan to sell over 3.1 million CD singles, breaking a ten-year, ten-month long record that was previously held by the American vocal duo, The Carpenters . The group had a fan club event tour called "The Mission" that attracted over 100,000 fans TVXQ returned to South Korea in September 2012 to release their sixth Korean album Catch Me , followed by
5841-613: The first foreign musical act to perform at the Nissan Stadium as a headlining artist. The tour attracted a record audience of 850,000 people. The tour grossed US$ 90 million, breaking Tone's record. On December 26–27, 2013, TVXQ held two concerts titled Time Slip at the Korea International Exhibition Center in Ilsanseo-gu , South Korea to celebrate their tenth anniversary. Promoted as TVXQ's tenth anniversary debut album, their seventh Korean studio album Tense
5940-464: The group continued to release new Japanese singles together until early 2010. However, the members' last public performance together was on December 31, 2009, at the 60th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen , where they performed their twenty-eighth single, " Stand by U ". In January 2010, TVXQ released their twenty-ninth single, " Break Out! ", which created a new record for the group. The single topped the Oricon and broke Elton John 's fourteen-year record of having
6039-448: The group kicked off their third international tour, the 3rd Asia Tour: Mirotic, which went through five cities in Asia. TVXQ released their fourth Japanese album The Secret Code in March 2009 and it debuted at number two on the Oricon. It managed to sell over 317,000 copies in Japan, earning a platinum certification. From May to July 2009, TVXQ went on their fourth headlining Japanese tour,
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#17331479296936138-462: The group toured Japan from May to June 2007. The five singles TVXQ released upon completion of the tour, including " Lovin' You ", " Summer ", " Shine / Ride On ", " Forever Love " and " Together ", peaked in the Oricon top five, their most successful being "Summer", which peaked at number two. TVXQ were also featured in Kumi Koda 's thirty-eighth single " Last Angel ", which was used as the theme song for
6237-523: The group toured around Japan from March to May 2008. The T tour concluded with 17 shows and attracted an audience of 150,000 people, more than three times the size of their previous Five in the Black tour. The tour's DVD, released in August 2008, sold 112,000 copies. T also received a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in May 2008. Shortly before completing
6336-410: The highest first-week sales for a foreign artist. On February 17, 2010, TVXQ released their Japanese greatest hits album Best Selection 2010 , a compilation of their number-one hits including new singles released after 2009's The Secret Code , such as " Share the World / We Are! ", "Stand by U", and "Break Out!". The album sold over 400,000 copies in one week, earning RIAJ's double platinum status by
6435-553: The latter winning the Golden Disk Award for Album of the Year . Mirotic contained the hit single " Mirotic " (2008), touted by international music critics as a staple song of K-pop . TVXQ were one of the first Korean artists to lead the Korean Wave in Japan, where they were propelled to mainstream stardom following the release of their fourth Japanese album The Secret Code (2009). However, despite their commercial success,
6534-576: The lyrics and the duo were allowed to perform the original edit on their shows. On March 25, "Before U Go" was the number one song of the week and topped the K-charts, winning a trophy on Music Bank . On March 27, "Before U Go" won on The Music Trend . Keep Your Head Down received generally positive reviews from music critics and K-pop fans, who have praised the album's "powerful" production and its cohesive blend of pop and R&B . The lyrics of "Keep Your Head Down", which talks about recovering from
6633-588: The members had irreconcilable differences about their career. Changmin added that the team had worked so hard to the point where they felt like they could finally "harvest the fruits of [their] labor", yet instead of being happy they had to perform their final stage with heavy hearts. JYJ responded by saying that they did not regret their decision in leaving SM Entertainment. The lyrics of "Keep Your Head Down" also came under media scrutiny, with claims that they were directed at JYJ. TVXQ responded by saying that similar claims would still happen even if they were to release
6732-524: The name from Film Workshop , but the name was later rejected by their management because the Hanja was not aesthetically pleasing. Their name was subsequently finalized to Dong Bang Shin Ki ( 동방신기 ; 東方神起 ), which was suggested by Lee's acquaintance. TVXQ made their first public appearance and debut on December 26, 2003, in a BoA and Britney Spears showcase, where they performed their debut single " Hug " and an
6831-585: The official album release, TVXQ released the digital single "Athena", the theme song for the South Korean television drama Athena: Goddess of War . Two versions of the album were subsequently announced – a special edition with a 100-page photobook; and a normal edition, which includes one bonus track. A week before the album's official release, two teaser trailers for the music video of lead single "Keep Your Head Down" began airing on television and other broadcast media around South Korea. "Keep Your Head Down"
6930-408: The other three. There was an attempt to add new members to the group, but their mentor Lee Soo-man suggested that they should continue as a duo act. The duo began working on their comeback album shortly after the concert in Seoul. " Keep Your Head Down ", an SMP song Yunho performed at the concert, was chosen to be the album's lead single . The song was produced by Yoo Young-jin , who also produced
7029-560: The quartet disbanded when Yunho and Jaejoong were selected to join Lee's new group in 2003. Heechul and Kangin went on to debut as members of Super Junior two years later. Max Changmin, the youngest at age fifteen, was the fourth to join the new band. Micky Yoochun, who started his training only a few months before the band's official debut in December 2003, was the last member to make the cut. The boys received phone calls from Lee and were told to attend
7128-573: The real-time daily charts of Hanteo, selling nearly 30,000 physical copies on its first day of release. Keep Your Head Down debuted at number one on the weekly Gaon Albums Chart and maintained its number one position for a second week. By the end of the month, Gaon reported over 230,000 shipments. Keep Your Head Down was the year's third best-selling album, with 263,412 copies sold in South Korea. The album also debuted at number four on both Taiwan's G-Music and Japan's Oricon . Before U Go debuted at number one on South Korea's Gaon Albums Chart and
7227-406: The release of their fourth Korean album, Mirotic . The group assumed more creative control in this album compared to their last Korean releases: Yunho wrote the rap for several tracks, Junsu and Changmin wrote the lyrics to two tracks and Jaejoong and Yoochun recorded their own solo tracks. Mirotic was slated to be released on September 24, 2008, but due to an unprecedented amount of pre-orders ,
7326-487: The release of their sixth Japanese album Time for March 6. The album became their fastest selling studio album to date, selling over 277,000 copies in its first month of release. Its lead single, " Catch Me -If You Wanna- ", sold over 137,000 copies, and topped the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart, making the group the first foreign artist to have had twelve number ones on Oricon. In March the group took part in
7425-410: The release was postponed to September 26. The album entered the charts at number one and sold over 110,000 copies in one week, setting a new record. The album's lead single " Mirotic " became TVXQ's most successful single of their career. The song won a total of nine number-one trophies on Korean music programs Inkigayo , Music Bank , and M Countdown , and was touted by international critics as
7524-552: The repackage of Catch Me , which also peaked at number one. Two days after the reissue's release, SM Entertainment and JYJ dropped their lawsuits against each other and reached a settlement, ending their three-year legal dispute. As part of the agreement, both parties stated that they would no longer interfere with each other's activities, and it was agreed upon that JYJ's contracts with SM Entertainment had ended in July 2009. On January 16, 2013, TVXQ announced on their official Japanese site
7623-528: The repackage of Keep Your Head Down , titled Before U Go . The repackage was released on March 16, while the Japanese version of the release, which includes the Japanese version of the lead single "Before U Go", was released on May 5. Lead single "Before U Go" was described to be "traditional R&B track", equipped with a unique style that complements the vocal structures of Yunho and Changmin. TVXQ debuted their first performance of "Before U Go" on KBS 2TV 's Music Bank on March 18, 2011. In order to promote
7722-524: The seventeenth ending theme for the long-running anime series One Piece . Their debut Japanese album Heart, Mind and Soul was released two weeks later, and it debuted on the Oricon Albums Chart at number twenty-five, selling 18,000 copies. In April 2006, TVXQ released their first double A-side single "Rising Sun / Heart, Mind and Soul" as a follow-up from their album. The single peaked at number twenty-two. To support Heart, Mind and Soul and its subsequent releases, TVXQ held their first Japanese tour,
7821-451: The single on MBC 's Show! Music Core music program and the MBC radio, TVXQ slightly modified the lyrics of "Before U Go" to pass MBC's strict broadcast standards. The original lyrics "I was a stupid fool who couldn't even take care of you", was changed to "I was stupid and couldn't even take care of you". South Korea's other broadcasting corporations, including KBS and SBS , had no issues with
7920-502: The theme song for Changmin's television drama Paradise Ranch , was released on January 26, 2011, and only managed to peak at number 111 on the Gaon Singles Chart. Despite the track's leak on March 12, the scheduled digital download release of "Before U Go" on March 14 topped various online download and streaming charts in the first few hours. The music videos for "Before U Go" was released in three parts. The teaser trailer for
8019-561: The third foreign artist, after Michael Jackson and the Backstreet Boys , to perform at the Tokyo Dome for three consecutive days, attracting crowds of over 165,000. The Tone tour's 550,000 audience was also the largest mobilization for any Korean artist in Japan at the time, until TVXQ broke their own record with their 2013 Japan tour Time . With the release of their thirty-fourth Japanese single, " STILL " in March 2012, TVXQ became
8118-576: The tour stopped by Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia , where TVXQ were the first Korean artist to hold a concert in the country. The tour's second and last overseas stop was in Bangkok , Thailand on July 15, 2006. A CD recording of their concert in Korea was released on July 14; the DVD was released six months later in January 2007, and had initial sales of 38,000 units. On March 8, 2006, TVXQ released their fourth Japanese single, "Asu wa Kuru Kara" ( 明日は来るから ) , which became
8217-556: The weekly Oricon Singles Chart . Before returning to Korea to prepare for their second Korean album, TVXQ released their second Japanese single "Somebody to Love" in July 2005, which peaked at number fourteen on the Oricon. TVXQ's debut in Japan was not as successful as their management had hoped, and the group said their first few months in Japan were difficult. To promote their singles, TVXQ performed for Avex's annual A-Nation summer concert tour in August 2005, their first musical festival in Japan. Their second Korean album Rising Sun
8316-503: Was TVXQ's first record to debut at number one on the MIAK, selling a total of 242,580 copies in the month of October. According to the MIAK, "The Way U Are" and Tri-Angle were two of the top ten best-selling physical albums of 2004. During the promotions of Tri-Angle , SM Entertainment had plans to promote TVXQ in mainland China and Taiwan under the support of its overseas partner, Avex Group . TVXQ members recorded Mandarin versions of their popular singles and released them exclusively on
8415-724: Was TVXQ's most expansive tour in Japan. The duo released their 46th Japanese single " Jealous " on November 21, 2018, as the lead track for their tenth Japanese album XV . It debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart, their 13th time topping the chart. This broke several records, making TVXQ the foreign artist with the most number ones, most top-10s, and highest cumulative sales in Oricon Singles Chart history. TVXQ released their extended play New Chapter #2: The Truth of Love , sequel to New Chapter #1 , on December 26, 2018, day of their fifteenth debut anniversary. Similar to their 2015 album Rise as God , The Truth of Love
8514-487: Was a member of several failed project groups throughout his years as a trainee. In 2001, he was featured as a rapper in Dana 's debut single "Diamond" and briefly toured with her. That same year, Hero Jaejoong auditioned for SM Entertainment and was subsequently accepted into the agency after going through various auditions. Following trainees Heechul and Kangin , Yunho and Jaejoong joined the project group Four Seasons in 2002, but
8613-399: Was announced in November 2013. The album was released on January 6, 2014, and debuted at number one on South Korea's Gaon Albums Chart and Hanteo Albums Chart, with first-week sales of 73,100 copies. First-month shipments reached 194,198 units, making Tense the best-selling album of January 2014 in South Korea. Music critics rated Tense favorably, with a general consensus that the album
8712-542: Was announced that TVXQ would be releasing their ninth Korean studio album 20&2 on December 26, 2023, to commemorate their twentieth anniversary within the group's special celebration project 20&2 (20th Anniversary & Two Members). The duo held their twentieth anniversary concert tour, the 20&2 Asia Tour , from December 2023 to April 2024. Immediately after the tour, they announced their Japan-wide tour, Zone Tour , beginning from November 2024 to March 2025, to celebrate their twentieth anniversary in Japan, which
8811-422: Was digitally released on January 3, 2011, and the full album was made available for download on January 5, 2011, the same day as the traditional CD release of the album's special edition. On January 11, S.M. Entertainment released a free TVXQ iPhone app to promote the album. On January 12, 2011, physical copies of the normal edition were distributed to retailers. In early March 2011, S.M. Entertainment announced
8910-433: Was harmful media to youth as it promoted violence and gambling. S.M. Entertainment submitted a petition to refute their decision. "Athena" was digitally released on December 20, 2010, and debuted at number 50 on the weekly Gaon Singles Chart . The music video for the album's lead single "Keep Your Head Down", officially premiered on January 3, 2011. The single debuted at number 5 on the weekly Gaon Singles Chart. " Journey ",
9009-460: Was released as a double A-side single with " Hide & Seek " on February 5, 2014. In late February 2014, TVXQ announced their follow-up Korean single " Spellbound ". An expanded version of Tense , re-titled Spellbound , was released on February 27, 2014, and debuted at number two on the Gaon Albums Chart, shipping 61,405 copies in two days. Tree , TVXQ's seventh Japanese studio album,
9108-493: Was released in South Korea on September 12, 2005, and became the group's first breakthrough album. It debuted at number one on the Korean charts and was the fourth best-selling record of 2005. The album's lead single "Rising Sun" was a popular hit, and it eventually became the group's signature piece . TVXQ ended the year with two more releases: their third Japanese single "My Destiny" and a Korean maxi single " Show Me Your Love ", featuring Super Junior. The latter single entered
9207-763: Was released on December 20, 2017. The single debuted at number two on the Oricon Singles Chart , selling over 123,000 copies. The duo started preparations for their eighth Korean studio album upon their return to Korea. New Chapter #1: The Chance of Love was released on March 28, 2018, after a two-week pre-release promotional period. Following the album's release, the duo announced the Circle #welcome Tour , which opened in Seoul's Jamsil Supplementary Stadium on May 5 and 6, 2018. The tour went on to play shows in Hong Kong and Bangkok . New Chapter #1 debuted at number one on
9306-568: Was released on March 29. The entire short film took five days to shoot at locations in Gangnam , Incheon , and Ilsan . TVXQ TVXQ (stylized as TVXQ!/DBSK ; Korean : 동방신기 ; Hanja : 東方神起 ; RR : Dongbangsingi ; lit. Rising Gods of the East), known as Tohoshinki in Japan, is a South Korean pop duo formed by SM Entertainment , composed of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin . Originally
9405-522: Was released on March 5, 2014. It debuted at number one on the Oricon Albums Chart , moving 225,000 copies on its first week of release. With Tree , TVXQ became the first foreign band in Japan to have three consecutive studio albums with first-week sales of over 200,000 copies, breaking Bon Jovi 's thirteen-year record. TVXQ continued to break new records with their seventh Japanese concert tour Tree: Live Tour 2014 , which toured Japan from April to June. The tour drew in over 600,000 people in total, pushing
9504-429: Was released on November 30. The single's A-track, "Winter Rose", was selected as the commercial song for Seven & i Holdings's Winter Gift , which premiered on November 8. TVXQ also contributed in their Korean management's December compilation album 2011 Winter SMTown – The Warmest Gift , and released the song "Sleigh Ride". On December 31, TVXQ performed "Keep Your Head Down" at the 62nd NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen . It
9603-474: Was tagged as a "special" album release, so it was not regarded as an official studio release. Though TVXQ did not promote the record, it debuted at number two on the Gaon Album Chart. In Japan, it debuted at number 12 on the Oricon Albums Chart. Their tenth Japanese album XV , promoted as their fifteenth debut anniversary in Japan, was released on October 16, 2019. It was TVXQ's eighth album to debut atop
9702-421: Was the second overseas artist in Japan to achieve album sales of more than 200,000 in a week; the previous holder was Bon Jovi with their 2000 album, Crush . In the latter months of 2011, the duo performed for a string of K-pop music festivals around the world. They first performed at the 2011 Hallyu Dream Concert at Gyeongju Citizens' Stadium in South Korea on October 3. On October 9, TVXQ participated in
9801-570: Was their first time performing at the Kohaku since the split, drawing media attention. TVXQ started 2012 with their comeback Japanese solo tour, the Tone tour , in January 2012. Tickets were sold out in a few minutes. Spanning a total of twenty-six shows in nine cities, the Tone Tour reached to an audience of 550,000, more than twice the audience count of their 2009 Japanese tour, The Secret Code. TVXQ also became
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