Baby V.O.X.

Baby V.O.X () is a South Korean girl group formed in 1997, whose final and best-known line-up consisted of Kim E-Z, Lee Hee-jin, Shim Eun-jin, Kan Mi-youn, and Yoon Eun-hye. It is considered one of the most prominent "first generation" K-pop girl groups of the late 1990s and early 2000s, along with S.E.S. and Fin.K.L,
- and is recognized as one of the groups at the forefront of the Korean Wave, having broken into the Chinese market. The group released seven studio albums and disbanded in 2006.

On December 20, 2024, Baby V.O.X reunited for the first time in 14 years with a performance at the 2024 KBS Song Festival.

History

1997–1999: Debut and early years

Baby V.O.X began in 1997 as a five-member group consisting of Kim E-Z, Lee Hee-jin, Jung Hyun-jeon, Cha Yu-mi and Jung Shi-woon. The group's first single, "Hair Cut", was taken from the album ''Equalizeher'', released on July 10, 1997. The group displayed a style inspired by Spice Girls, but the first album was not successful because of the edgy concept. Cha Yumi was injured during the performance, so she was then replaced by Kan Miyoun. Hyun-jeon and Shi-woon left the group because of an internal conflict and they were replaced by Shim Eun Jin and Lee Gai. The group adopted a more modest and "cutesy" style, used by popular groups such as S.E.S. and Fin.K.L. From the album ''Baby V.O.X II'', the single "Ya Ya Ya" became a success, reaching number seven on the Korean pop charts. It was followed by a second single, "Change". Following the release, Lee Gai was forced out by DR Music, as the agency had falsified her age by nearly 10 years, leading to controversy when her true birth year was disclosed. She had first appeared with the trio Setorae over ten years before under her birth name of Lee Hee-jung.

1999–2003: Breakthrough years and mainstream success

In June 1999, Yoon Eun Hye replaced Lee Gai and this line-up became permanent. The single "Get Up" was released. For the first time, the group reached number one on the South Korean music pop charts. Another single, "Killer", was also number one and received the Top Excellency Award in the Seoul Music Awards in 1999. The third single, "Missing You", was also included on the album ''Come Come Come Baby'' (1999).

In the years that followed, Baby VOX made a number of appearances in variety shows. After the success of the third album, the group promoted itslf internationally, including in China, Japan and other Southeast Asian countries. The fourth album, ''Why'', included the singles "Why" and "배신 (Betrayal)", and the group hosted the television program ''Beautiful Sunday-Cruise to the Korea Strait''. The group's fifth album, ''Boyish Story'', was released in 2001 and included the singles "Game Over", "인형 (Doll)" and "I Wish You are My Love".

The group released a compilation album with singles 우연 ("Coincidence") and "Go"; Coincidence was the group's first number one single in three years. "Coincidence" was re-released for the 2002 World Cup and gained additional popularity. The group held a concert in Mongolia in 2004, the first South Korean idol band to do so. The group also performed in Pyongyang, North Korea in 2003, and was the second girl group to perform in North Korea.

2003–2006: Final albums and separation

In spring 2003, Baby VOX released a sixth album, '' Devotion''. Baby VOX topped the Chinese music chart with the Chinese single "I'm Still Loving You" and the South Korean charts with "What Should I Do".

The group's seventh and final album, ''Ride West'', released in April 2004, had songs in English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean, as well as appearances by well-known American hip hop artists such as Tupac Shakur and Jennifer Lopez and the independent rapper Floss P, although Tupac's "appearance" was a freestyle rap that he recorded while in prison. The rights for the sample of Tupac's verse were not cleared, and this resulted in a court case pursued by the rapper's mother, Afeni Shakur. A music video for the album's feature song, "Xcstasy", was made in English and emulated the hip-hop videos popular in the United States at the time. A member of the South Korean hip-hop group DJ DOC, offended by the alleged misuse of Tupac Shakur's lyrics, denounced them in the media but later apologized. The group was forced to abandon the release of the single. A second single, "Play Remix" featuring Jennifer Lopez, was promoted for a short while, but sales were lower than from its previous albums.

Shim Eun-jin officially left the group in October 2004 and Yoon Eun-hye in April 2005. By May 2005 the group was no longer promoting, and it officially disbanded in February 2006.

2010: Reunion

In August 2010, Baby V.O.X reunited for an appearance on the music talk show '' Kim Jung-eun's Chocolate'', marking their first group activity in six years after effectively disbanding in 2004.

2024–present : Reunion stage and New Baby V.O.X 2025

Baby V.O.X reunited again after 14 years in December 2024 with performance on KBS annual music show ''KBS Song Festival''.

On January 17, 2025, according to Osen's reporting, Baby V.O.X to appears on variety show for the first time in 14 years. On January 23, Baby V.O.X will participate in the MBC entertainment program "Omniscient Interfere". On February 1, during an episode of Mr. House Husband 2, member Yoon Eun-hye revealed that the group would soon release re-recorded versions of some of their past songs. On February 13, the group released the single album "New Baby V.O.X 2025", featuring re-recorded versions of Killer and Coincidence.

Style and influence

Baby VOX has consistently stated that they were inspired by the Spice Girls, who led the girl power movement in the UK during their early days, and since the late 1990s, they have been the first South Korean girl group to attempt sex appeal by adopting the R&B and pop styles popularized by groups like TLC. The Wall Street Journal described them as "the Asian version of the Spice Girls", and Japan's Mainichi Shimbun introduced them as "expected to cause a tectonic shift in the Japanese music industry". Domestic music industry insiders have stated that "Baby Vox is considered to have laid the groundwork for today's girl groups. They were a girl group ahead of their time, such as the first foreign singer to hold a solo concert in China", solidifying their influence. In 2014, Billboard selected Baby VOX as a K-pop girl group you should know.

Significance and impact towards K-pop

Their first album, which made its major debut on July 3, 1997, contained a feminist message. This was a topic that was unimaginable at the time, and unlike other girl groups that imitated Japanese girl groups such as Speed, they took advantage of POP and promoted themselves as the "Spice Girls of Asia".

Endorsements

As one of the most popular groups of their time, Baby VOX endorsed many brands. Around September 1999, the group participated in a commercial for Hardee's. The next following year of 2000, the group also were featured in the Lotte Ice Cream commercial. In 2004, the group were promotional ambassadors Korean Air.

Members

Final members

* Kim E-Z – leader, rapper (1997–2006, 2024-present)
* Lee Hee-jin – lead vocal (1997–2006, 2024-present)
* Shim Eun-jin – sub vocal (1998–2004, 2024-present)
* Kan Mi-youn – main vocal (1997–2006, 2024-present)
* Yoon Eun-hye – sub vocal (1999–2005, 2024-present)

Former members

* Cha Yumi, sub vocal (1997)
* Jung Hyun-jeon, lead vocal (1997–1998)
* Jung Shi-woon, rapper, leader (1997–1998)
* Lee Gai, sub vocal (1998–1999)

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Single albums

Awards

Future generations

On December 26, 2006, DR Music unveiled the members of the second generation Baby V.O.X, a spinoff group called "Baby V.O.X. Re.V" (pronounced "reeve"). Like the original group, there is one lead vocalist, three "sub-vocalists" and a singer/rapper.

RaNia debuted in April 2011 after being originally scheduled in mid-2010. However, the company, DR Music decided to rebrand the group as a new group with eight members. RaNia is the third generation of Baby V.O.X.

References

External links

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South Korean girl groups
South Korean dance music groups
Musical groups established in 1997
Musical groups disestablished in 2006
K-pop music groups
1997 establishments in South Korea
2006 disestablishments in South Korea
South Korean musical quintets
DR Music artists