Brian Joo (

Korean name Korean names are names that place their origin in, or are used in, Korea. A Korean name in the modern era typically consists of a surname followed by a given name, with no middle names. A number of Korean terms for names exist. For full names, ...

: Joo Min-gyu (); born January 10, 1981), better known professionally as Brian (), is a

Korean American Korean Americans () are Americans of full or partial Korean ethnic descent. While the broader term Overseas Korean in America () may refer to all ethnic Koreans residing in the United States, the specific designation of Korean American impli ...

singer and one-half of the R&B duo

Fly to the Sky Fly to the Sky () is a South Korean R&B duo consisting of Brian Joo and Hwanhee. Initially marketed as Korean idol, K-pop idols, the duo later developed a more mature image and became one of the most popular R&B groups in South Korea. The duo ha ...

. His first solo album, ''

The Brian ''The Brian'' is the first solo album from Brian Joo (from the R&B duo Fly to the Sky). Originally scheduled for release in November 2006, it was postponed until December 18. Brian performed two songs from his album, "가지마" (''Gajima'', ' ...

'' was released in December 2006. His second solo album, ''Manifold'' was released in December 2009.

Early life and education

Brian Joo was born on January 10, 1981, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

to Korean immigrant parents. His original Korean name was Joo Jin-taek (), but his father changed it to Joo Min-gyu () when he was three years old. Joo grew up in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

and spoke Korean at home. His parents worked at casinos in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

and his brother, Jason Joo, is an officer in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

. While attending Holy Spirit High School, a friend signed him up for an audition with Brothers Entertainment without Joo's knowledge. The company has discovered several Korean-Americans who wish to pursue an entertainment career in South Korea. After several months of training, he was sent to

SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...

in South Korea, and on December 9, 1999, made his debut as one of the two members of

, along with

Hwanhee Hwang Yoon-seok (, born January 17, 1982), better known as Hwanhee (), is a South Korean singer, actor and a member of South Korean R&B duo Fly to the Sky. Career Hwanhee graduated from Gwang Moon High School before his debut. He was encourag ...

, at the age of 17. Joo was accepted to

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

, but did not end up attending due to the demands of his music career. He later enrolled in

Dongguk University Dongguk University () is a private university in Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. A top-tier university acknowledged locally in Korea. It is one of the few Buddhist-affiliated universities in the world, and is a member of the International Asso ...

, where he graduated from the Department of Theatre and Film.

Fly to the Sky

Joo is a member of Fly to the Sky with

, Brian sang and also rapped. As Fly to the Sky made its musical transition from bubblegum pop to heavy R&B, Joo felt discontent and inferior, and felt that Hwanhee was more appreciated for his vocal skills. Joo has appeared on television many times. Since 2005, he has appeared on a number of

variety shows Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a compè ...

, including hosting MBC's ''Music Core'' in 2006 and becoming a host for SBS' ''Green Gold'' in 2009. In August 2009, Fly to the Sky decided to work on separate projects and have become solo singers under different labels. On April 14, 2014, Brian Joo announced on his Twitter that Fly to the Sky will be making their comeback in May. The band later signed up with H2 Media, the agency of member Hwanhee. Their 9th new album "Continiuum" has been released and the main title track is "You You You". The single peaked at number one on Gaon digital chart. Although being on hiatus for five years, Hwanhee and Brian expressed their good teamwork and solid friendship in an interview, telling "There were rumors about us being gay and liking men, but it's not like that. We're that close so people feel that way about us".

Solo career

2006-2008: ''Show! Music Core'' and solo debut with ''The Brian''

In May 2006, Joo became a co-host of ''

Show! Music Core ''Show! Music Core'' (), or simply ''Music Core'' is a South Korean music television program broadcast by MBC. It airs live every Saturday at 15:30 (KST). The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform live on stage. I ...

'' alongside actress Jang Mi-inae. Later that year, he won the Popularity Award at the 2006

MBC Entertainment Awards The MBC Entertainment Awards () is a Korean awards ceremony held annually and sponsored by MBC. The awards ceremony is held at the end of each year and lasts approximately 140 minutes, being broadcast in two parts on MBC. Hosts History of wi ...

for his work on the show. Joo released his debut solo album, ''

'', on December 18, 2006. The album incorporated diverse genres such as

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

. With the album, Joo said he hoped to gain more respect as an artist, rather than being known as "Fly to the Sky without

". He described one of his motivations for making a solo album: The album debuted at #7 on the monthly Recording Industry Association of Korea album chart and sold 15,376 copies by the end of December. The album's lead single, a ballad titled "Don't Go", topped various South Korean real-time music charts upon its release and was awarded first place on ''

Inkigayo ''Inkigayo'' (; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform on stage. ...

'' on January 21. While promoting the album, Joo was diagnosed with

vocal cord nodule Vocal cord nodules are bilaterally symmetrical benign white masses ( nodules) that form at the midpoint of the vocal folds. Although diagnosis involves a physical examination of the head and neck, as well as perceptual voice measures, visualizat ...

s and had to adjust his schedule to avoid further injury. Joo left his position on ''Show! Music Core'' in November 2007 to focus on overseas promotions.

2009-2012: ''Manifold'', ''Unveiled'', and musical theater

On December 10, 2009, Joo released his second solo album, ''Manifold'', which sold 15,000 pre-order copies. The album was a departure from Joo's earlier work and featured

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

and

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

songs, including the lead single "My Girl" featuring hip hop duo Supreme Team. Joo signed an exclusive contract with

Jellyfish Entertainment Jellyfish Entertainment (), is a South Korean entertainment company established by composer and producer Hwang Se-jun in Seoul, South Korea. Jellyfish Entertainment is the home of artists including Jang Hye-jin, VIXX, Verivery, Evnne and fo ...

in October 2010. On April 7, 2011, Joo released his first mini album, ''Unveiled'', including for its lead single an emotional ballad titled "Love Is Over Now". ''Unveiled'' debuted at #7 on the

Gaon Album Chart The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Koreabased on their Record sales, physical sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, ...

. To promote the album, Joo went on a solo tour of the United States in June 2011 with stops in Seattle, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York. Upon returning to South Korea, Joo made his musical theater debut in August in a Seoul production of ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

'', in which he played the role of Mark. In 2012 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, Joo performed as a principal cast member representing the Korean culture in a

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

-style musical called Loving the Silent Tears and based on Supreme Master Ching Hai's poetry collection to commemorate the 19th Anniversary of Supreme Master Ching Hai Day.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Filmography

Television shows

Television series

Web series

Radio shows

Notes

References

External links

Brian Joo
- Official Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Joo, Brian 1981 births Living people SM Town Jellyfish Entertainment artists Dongguk University alumni Rutgers University alumni American musicians of Korean descent American people of South Korean descent Singers from New Jersey People from Absecon, New Jersey Fly to the Sky members Holy Spirit High School (New Jersey) alumni K-pop singers American contemporary R&B singers American male singers American emigrants to South Korea American television hosts Korean-language singers of the United States South Korean male idols South Korean male pop singers South Korean Christians 21st-century American singers