CNBLUE
South Korean pop/rock boy band CNBLUE formed in Seoul in 2009, but got their start in Japan, perhaps choosing to debut there because of rock's greater mainstream presence. Essentially a boy band with real instruments (think Busted), most of their songs were based on K-pop's basic electro-pop template, with live instrumentation layered over the top. They have been compared to labelmates FT Island, but had a less romantic, somewhat more street-tough sound. "CN" stands for "Code Name," with the "BLUE" standing for the invented personalities (think the Spice Girls) of the four members: "Burning," "Lovely," "Untouchable," and "Emotional."
They debuted in Japan in 2009 with an independently released mini-album, Now or Never. The album failed to chart, but the band picked up some fans who were already aware of frontman Jung Yong-Hwa through his acting role -- playing a boy band member, no less -- in the TV mini-series You’re Beautiful. After another mini-album, the band returned to Korea, where they were an instant smash hit, with their debut single "I'm a Loner" going straight into the charts at number two. Two hugely successful Korean mini-albums later, the band went back to Japan, where they then cracked the charts, presumably with the aid of fans who had followed their Korean successes, and landed a major-label deal with Warner Music. There is a big tradition of clever cross-marketing in East Asian pop, and this strategy really fueled the band's career, as it had for so many others; their success in one country fed their success in the other, and every time they went back and forth, they had a readymade stream of hits where all they had to do was re-record the vocals in the other language.
In their first few years they released more singles and full-length albums in Japan than in Korea, though at home they released a slew of mini-albums, a very popular format. Indeed, their eventual fame was greater in Japan, with their biggest success being the 2012 album Code Name Blue, which hit number one on the Oricon chart. Thanks to the Internet and the early-2010s international kitsch interest in K-pop, their fame spread throughout the world, and they played a number of overseas dates, notably at London's O2 in September 2012, a gig attended by more than 4,000 fans from all over Europe. In 2013 they became the first Korean rock band to undertake a world tour.
© John D. Buchanan /TiVo
Discography
50 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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CNBLUE [BETWEEN US] TOUR DVD
K-Pop - Released by FNC Entertainment on 28 Mar 2018
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
CNBLUE COME TOGETHER TOUR DVD
K-Pop - Released by FNC Entertainment on 17 Aug 2016
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Ryu Can Do It
Asia - Released by FNC Entertainment on 28 May 2014
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Cinderella Remix
Asia - Released by FNC Entertainment on 12 Nov 2015
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Live 2017 FNC KINGDOM -MIDNIGHT CIRCUS-
K-Pop - Released by FNC Records on 6 Jun 2018
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Live -2017 Spring Live - Shake! Shake! Leftside Right-
K-Pop - Released by FNC Records on 18 Oct 2017
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Live-FILM LIVE 2011-2017 -OUR VOICES-
K-Pop - Released by FNC Records on 28 Aug 2019
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Live-2013 Arena Tour -ONE MORE TIME-
K-Pop - Released by FNC Records on 5 Mar 2014
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Live 2015 FNC KINGDOM
K-Pop - Released by FNC Records on 18 May 2016
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Live 2016 FNC KINGDOM -CREEPY NIGHTS-
K-Pop - Released by FNC Records on 24 May 2017
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Live-2012 Special Event -Robot-
K-Pop - Released by FNC Records on 15 Sep 2020
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Live 2014 FNC KINGDOM -STARLIGHT-
K-Pop - Released by FNC Records on 25 Mar 2015
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Live-2015 Spring Live -WHITE-
K-Pop - Released by FNC Records on 5 Aug 2015
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Live-2017 Arena Tour -Starting Over-
K-Pop - Released by FNC Records on 9 May 2018
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Live-2011 Winter Tour -In My Head-
K-Pop - Released by FNC Records on 14 Mar 2012
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Live-2016 Spring Live -We're like puzzle-
K-Pop - Released by FNC Records on 21 Sep 2016
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Live 2013 FNC KINGDOM -Fantastic & Crazy-
K-Pop - Released by FNC Records on 25 Jun 2014
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Live-2012 Arena Tour -COME ON!!!-
K-Pop - Released by FNC Records on 20 Mar 2013
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo