Nicole Yongju Jung (born October 7, 1991), referred to as Nicole, is an American singer based in South Korea. She is a member of South Korean girl group Kara. Her solo debut mini album, First Romance, was released on November 19, 2014.[1]
Nicole Jung | |
|---|---|
 Jung in July 2022 | |
| Born | Nicole Yongju Jung October 7, 1991 Glendale, California, U.S |
| Other names | Jung Yong-ju |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | K-pop |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels |
|
| Member of | Kara |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 정용주 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Jeong Yong-ju |
| McCune–Reischauer | Chŏng Yong-chu |
Early life
editJung was born on October 7, 1991[2] in Glendale, California[3] to Korean parents. She attended Mark Keppel Elementary School and Toll Middle School in Glendale, California. She participated in choir, drill team, played the violin for 4 years and took dance classes.[4] She auditioned for DSP Media by sending a video of her singing an Ivy and Black Eyed Peas song. Jung made the decision to go to South Korea and experienced hardships such as adjusting to the culture and missing her friends.[5] She accepted DSP's offer, her mom moved with her to South Korea and has opened up a Korean BBQ restaurant called "Aura The Grill".[6]
Jung was on a show called "KAIST" which was renamed to "Nicole The Entertainer's Introduction to Veterinary Science" in Konkuk University.[7] The first episode aired on November 12, 2009. She "graduated" from college in January 2010.[8]
Career
edit2007–2013: Kara
editJung debuted as the youngest member in Kara on March 29, 2007, with their single "Break It", alongside Park Gyuri, Han Seungyeon, and Kim Sunghee. In May, Sunghee departed from the group, and two members were added in July – Goo Hara and Kang Jiyoung.
On December 4, 2008, Kara released their 2nd mini-album "Pretty Girl", and in February 2009 came the follow-up album "Honey"; the latter's title track of the same name became the group's first #1 single on music shows when it topped M! Countdown and The Music Trend.[9] In late July 2009, Kara released their second album named "Revolution".[10] Owing to the popularity of the songs "Wanna" and "Mister", the group's overall popularity increased, and they followed with their third mini-album "Lupin".[11]
In August 2010, Kara officially debuted in Japan with a Japanese version of their 2009 Korean single "Mister". After this, Kara released their fourth mini-album Jumping in South Korea in November 2010.
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On January 19, 2011, Jung announced, alongside fellow members Kang Jiyoung and Han Seung-yeon, that they were terminating their contract with DSP through court. On April 28, 2011, the dispute between DSP Media and Kara's 3 members was officially announced as resolved.[citation needed]
Jung injured her ankle during Kara's first stand-alone concert in Korea, which was held on February 18, 2012. She was performing a solo performance cover of Michael Jackson's "Beat It", when she hurt her ankle while leaving through a lift.[12][13] After she got hurt, she did limp a little during performances but she still finished the concert. Afterwards in the dressing room, she received acupuncture for her injury. Despite her injury, she still performed on the very next day. Afterwards, Jung's injury was publicly revealed as she was photographed at airports in a wheelchair.[14] Despite her injury, Nicole still hosted SBS "Inkigayo" with a cast on her leg. Owing to the ankle injury, she was unable to perform in group performance choreography during their Speed Up promotion in Japan from March to April 2012.[citation needed]
Kara has released Kara Collection in 2012, both in South Korea and Japan, an album containing each of the girls' solo songs. Jung's song was "Lost", which featured close friend Jinwoon.[citation needed]
Jung performed with the group for the last time at the 2013 MBC Gayo Daejejeon on December 31, 2013. The group performed a medley of their past hit singles along with "Damaged Lady", from the group's fourth album Full Bloom.[15]
2014: First Romance
edit
On January 13, 2014, it was announced that Jung would be withdrawing from the group due to the expiration of her contract with DSP Media,[16] and that she would be flying to the States for two months to focus on improving her vocal and dance skills while preparing to make a solo debut.
On October 14, 2014, Jung signed an exclusive contract with B2M Entertainment. The agency revealed, "Following the end of her contract with DSP Media, Nicole is currently preparing for her solo debut after confirming a new agency and completing the contract signing. Nicole's new agency was established by CEO Gil Jong Hwa, who had been with KARA from their debut to their peak. Since their connection under DSP Media, they have maintained close relations with one another."[17]
Jung's solo debut mini album, First Romance was released on November 19, 2014, and the title song MAMA, which was used to promote the mini album. First Romance in November sold 8,754 copies. By the end of 2014, the mini album had sold 10,137 copies.[18]
2015–2022: Japanese debut with "Something Special", Bliss EP, and new agency
editOn April 22, 2015, it was revealed that Jung would debut in Japan on June 24.[19] She performed her debut song before release at the 'KCON 2015 Japan X M! Chttp://series-top.com/new-showsountdown'. On June 17, she released a short PV of her debut single "Something Special".[20] On June 24, Jung released the PV for "Something Special".
In December 2015, Jung released news that she would be coming back in Japan with her second Japanese single in 2016. It was revealed that the single would be called "Don't Stop" to be released on February 17. On January 16, she released a short PV version of "Don't Stop"[21]
On March 2, 2016, Jung revealed on her Instagram that she would be releasing her first solo Japanese album, titled Bliss on April 27, 2016.[22] The title track from the album is titled "HAPPY", the PV teaser was released on March 31, 2016.[23] She had her first solo concerts titled "2016 Nicole The 1st Live" spanning two days, April 29, 2016, and May 1, 2016. She end her contract with CJ Victor in 2016 & B2M in 2017. She joined Diamond Music for her Japanese promotions.
In 2020, Jung opened a YouTube channel.[citation needed]
2022–present: New agency
edit
In July 2022, Jung decided to sign with new label JWK Entertainment.[24] It was also announced that she will return with the digital single "You.F.O" on July 27.[25]
In February 2023, the agency will release a new digital single "Mysterious" which is scheduled for March 9.[26]
Other activities
editJung was featured on former DSP Media artist Sunha's first album Fahrenheit in the song "String" (2008).[citation needed] In April 2009, she sang a duet with former Noel member Kang Kyun-seong called "Happy And".[27] In August 2009, she and singer Jay Park became part of historical culture variety show Nodaji, replacing Choi Min-yong and Kim Tae-hyun. The show was eventually cancelled due to low ratings in October 2009.[citation needed]
In September 2009, Jung was featured in numerous live performances of Mighty Mouth's single "Love Class".[28] In July 2010, she sang a duet with Park Myung Soo for his single "Whale" (고래).[29]
Jung was a member of "Dazzling Red", one of the idol project groups for the 2012 SBS Korean Music Festival – The Color of K-Pop concert with fellow idols After School's Nana, 4Minute's Hyuna, Secret's Hyoseong, and SISTAR's Hyorin.[30] Dazzling Red released a single, "This Person", in December 2012.[31]
Jung was invited to the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards Japan (as the only Korean artist invited that year) on June 22, 2013, and performed her solo song "Lost" from Kara Collection.[32]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN [33] | |||
| Bliss |
|
19 | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||
EPs
edit| Title | Album details | Peak | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [35] | |||
| First Romance |
|
5 |
|
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||
Singles
editAs lead artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak positions | Sales | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [37] |
JPN [38] |
JPN Hot [39] | ||||||||||||
| Korean | ||||||||||||||
| "Lost" (feat. Jeong Jin-woon) | 2012 | 85 | — | — |
|
Kara Solo Collection | ||||||||
| "Mama" | 2014 | 69 | — | — |
|
First Romance | ||||||||
| "You.F.O"[A] | 2022 | —[B] | 71 | — |
|
Non-album singles | ||||||||
| "Mysterious" | 2023 | —[C] | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "5!6!7!8!" | 2024 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Japanese | ||||||||||||||
| "Something Special" | 2015 | — | 8 | 29 |
|
Bliss | ||||||||
| "Don't Stop" | 2016 | — | 11 | 45 |
| |||||||||
| "Promise" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||||||||
| "Selfish" | 2023 | — | 27 | — |
| |||||||||
| "Gravity" | — | 26 | — |
| ||||||||||
| English | ||||||||||||||
| "Champions (Prod.Tome&Jame)" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | ||||||||||||||
As featured artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart position | Sales | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [35] |
KOR Hot [47] | |||||||||||||
| "Happy...And" (해피 엔드)
(Kang Kyun-sung feat. Nicole) |
2009 | — | — | Non-album singles | ||||||||||
| "Gorae" (고래)
(Park Myung-soo feat. Nicole) |
2010 | 12 | — | |||||||||||
| "This Person" (이사람) (with Dazzling Red) |
2012 | 2 | 6 |
| ||||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | ||||||||||||||
Other appearances
edit| Year | Title | Other artists | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Kkeun" (끈) | SunHa | Fahrenheit |
| 2010 | "Bingeul Bingeul" (빙글 빙글) | No Brain, SeungYeon, Gyuri | MBC Music Travel Lalala Live Vol.11 |
| 2011 | "Hayangyeoul" (하얀겨울) (Mr.2 cover) |
Kang Ji-young, Han Seung-yeon | Immortal Song 2: Christmas Special |
| 2014 | "Chalali Binunmul-e" (차라리 비눈물에) | Jung Il-woo | The Night Watchman OST |
| 2020 | "SYNERGY" (시너지) | Exos Heroes OST |
Video albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN [48][49] | |||||
| NICOLE CONCERT 2019～Summer Wave～ |
|
74 | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||||
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | My Way | Press information clerk | Cameo |
| 2013 | KARA The Animation | Herself | Japanese dub |
Television drama
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Person Is Coming | Gang of school girls, along with Park Gyu-ri, Goo Ha-ra and Kang Ji-young |
| 2011 | URAKARA | Nicole |
| 2014 | Secret Love | Melly |
Variety and reality shows
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Star Golden Bell (Level With Me Season 2) | MC |
| 2010-2011 | Heroes | Cast Member |
| 2024 | Ride the Wind 2024 | Contestants |
Events shows hosting
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Inkigayo | MC with Goo Ha-ra and IU |
| 2013 | 27th Golden Disk Awards | Host with Jung Yong-hwa |
| 2015 | 2015 International Campus Song Festival (ICSF) | Hosted with Eric Nam |
| 2016 | Beauty Station THE SHOW (Online Series) | MC with Jeon Hye-bin and Donghyun |
| 2018 | Beauvly (Online Series) | MC |
Bibliography
edit- Yamauchi Hiroe (June 7, 2019), Nicole First Photobook: hana. (in Japanese) (Softcover ed.), Tokyo: Kodokawa, ISBN 978-4-047-35456-2
Awards
edit| Year | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 3rd Mnet 20's Choice Award Hot New Variety Star | — | Nominated |
| 2012 | Miss and Mister Idol Korea 2012 | Miss Korea: 2nd Place | Won |
| 2024 | Weibo Music Awards 2024 | Best Stage Charisma Of The Year | Won |
| 2024 | Ride The Wind 2024 | Best Stage Of The Year | Won |
References
edit- ^ Song, Cho-rong (November 11, 2014). "'솔로 데뷔' 니콜, 걸그룹 카라 아닌 홀로서기 위해 극복해야 할 과제 - 열린세상 열린방송 MBN". MBN Star (in Korean). Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ Mark Russell (29 April 2014). K-Pop Now!: The Korean Music Revolution. Tuttle Publishing. p. 94. ISBN 978-1-4629-1411-1.
- ^ Jung, Nicole. "interview". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ "IT ̴24, ̴24". inews24. 7 June 2007. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ [1] Archived March 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "아우라더그릴 방문을 환영합니다". Aurathegrill.com. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "DZ а հݡ߰翡". The Korea Economic Daily. 2009-11-19. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Nicole graduates from college". Allkpop. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ [2] Archived May 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "ɱ ѡ ī ұ ̵ ī ´١". Newsen.com. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "투데이코리아". Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
- ^ "Kara's Nicole Performs for "KARASIA" Through an Ankle Injury". Soompi. 20 February 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Nicole's Injured Leg is Recovering after Rehabilitation". Soompi. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "KARA's Nicole spotted in a wheelchair". Allkpop. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "[K-POP Behind] Kara's Last Performance?". Getitk.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Nicole prepares to leave for America + DSP Media releases statement". 13 January 2014. Allkpop. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
- ^ "Nicole Officially Signs with B2M Entertainment for Solo Debut". Soompi. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Former KARA Member Nicole Drops Teaser Images Ahead of Solo Debut". Soompi. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Nicole to make her solo debut in Japan in June". Allkpop. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
- ^ "Nicole hypes up her Japanese debut with a short PV of Something Special". Allkpop. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
- ^ "Nicole Nicole "Don't Stop" won't stop dancing in short PV". Allkpop. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
- ^ "Nicole to release first Japanese album, 'Bliss'". seoulwave. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ "Nicole Released New Japanese Song Teaser,"cute & sexy"". sportsdonga. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ^ Gong, Mi-na (July 11, 2022). "카라 출신 니콜, JWK엔터 전속계약..본격 국내 활동 예고[공식]" [Nicole from KARA, exclusive contract with JWK Entertainment... Full-scale domestic activity notice]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved July 11, 2022 – via Naver.
- ^ Kang, Kyung-yoon (July 14, 2022). "카라 니콜, 8년 만에 솔로 컴백..."성숙한 매력으로 돌아올 것"" [Kara Nicole, solo comeback after 8 years... "I will return with a mature charm"]. Seoul Broadcasting System (in Korean). Retrieved July 14, 2022 – via Naver.
- ^ Ji, Min-kyung (February 28, 2023). "카라 니콜, 8개월 만에 솔로 컴백..3월 9일 신곡 'Mysterious' 발매" [Kara Nicole makes a solo comeback after 8 months... Released a new song 'Mysterious' on March 9]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved March 1, 2023 – via Naver.
- ^ (주)NSP뉴스통신사. "한국의 경제뉴스통신사 - NSP통신". Dipts.com. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "[2009.09.14] Mighty Mouth "We get strength whenever we're on stage with Nicole"". Karaholic Forums - International KARA (카라) District for Kamilia. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Kpop, Kdrama, Korean Star news from the heart of Seoul, Korea - English Korea.com". Korea.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "New Still of "Dazzling Red" Idol Project Group Released". Soompi. 25 December 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Kpop, Kdrama, Korean Star news from the heart of Seoul, Korea - English Korea.com". Korea.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Kpop, Kdrama, Korean Star news from the heart of Seoul, Korea - English Korea.com". Korea.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Nicole Japanese Discography on ORICON STYLE". Oricon Chart (in Japanese). Oricon. 18 June 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ CDアルバムランキング [May 2016 Album Chart]. Oricon Chart (in Korean). Oricon. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ a b "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ "Circle Chart" 2014년 12월 Album Chart [December 2014 Album Chart]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). KMCIA. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ "Gaon Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). KMCIA. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ "Oricon News > Nicole > the work > single". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100". Japan Hot 100. Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ "NICOLE FC限定パーカー！Limited CD SINGLE「YOU.F.O」が限定価格で販売決定！". Nicole Official Website (in Japanese).
- ^ "Download Chart 2022 Weeks 31". Circle Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "Download Chart 2023 Weeks 10". Circle Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "June 2015 Oricon Singles Chart". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
- ^ "February 29, 2016 - Oricon Singles Chart". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
- ^ "May 22, 2023 - Oricon Singles Chart". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 18, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
- ^ "December 25, 2023 - Oricon Singles Chart". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
- ^ "Korea K-Pop Hot 100 Music Chart". Billboard. 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
- ^ 1000人が選んだ!漫画史上"最強"キャラクターランキング! (in Japanese). 22 June 2007. Retrieved October 28, 2007.
- ^ Peak positions for albums on the Oricon DVD Chart:
- NICOLE CONCERT 2019～Summer Wave～: "NICOLE CONCERT 2019～Summer Wave～" (in Japanese). Oricon DVD Chart. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- ^ "You.F.O" was released physically exclusively in Japan in limited quantities.[40]
- ^ "You.F.O" did not enter the Circle Digital Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 101 on the Circle Download Chart.[41]
- ^ "Mysterious" did not enter the Circle Digital Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 105 on the Circle Download Chart.[42]
External links
edit
- Nicole at B2M Entertainment (in Korean)