g.o.d (; acronym for Groove Over Dose)
is a South Korean
boy band
A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...
formed by
SidusHQ
iHQ Inc., doing business as SidusHQ () is one of the leading talent management agencies in South Korea. It was founded in January 2001 by Teddy Hoon-tak Jung. The company is involved in talent management (artist content), and TV drama/music prod ...
. Debuting in 1999, the group became one of the most popular boy bands of the early 2000s in South Korea.
The members had gone on to solo careers in the entertainment industry after indefinitely discontinuing group activity in 2005 following the departure of a member. However, they regrouped as a quintet and made a comeback in July 2014.
Although the group is largely known for their "storytelling" lyrical style and signature blend of
R&B and rap, their repertoire features a diverse array of genres ranging from hip hop to funk.
As one of the best-selling artists in South Korea prior to the digital era, they are one of the few idol groups to have more than one album become a "million seller". Often referred to as "the nation's idol" due to the broad popular appeal of their hit songs,
they are regarded as "legends of K-pop".
Due to their extended hiatus and lack of overseas promotions, their popularity and fame has been largely limited to the domestic market or within the Korean diaspora overseas. However, their songs remain some of the most recognized and well-known within South Korea and their hits such as "
To Mother", "
Road
A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved.
Th ...
" and "
One Candle" are considered classic Korean language songs.
History
Beginnings
In 1997,
Park Joon-hyung flew to South Korea with the goal of creating a group which blended Western and Asian influences.
He recruited his cousin
Danny Ahn
Danny Ahn (; born December 22, 1978) is a South Korean- American entertainer best known as the main rapper of the South Korean pop music group g.o.d. Having made his debut in the entertainment industry as a member of g.o.d in 1999, Ahn has gone ...
and the latter's friend
Son Ho-young
Son Ho-young (; born March 26, 1980) is a South Korean- American singer and musical actor based in South Korea. Best known as a member of g.o.d, he made his debut in the entertainment industry with the group in 1999 and pursued a solo career as ...
,
Yoon Kye-sang
Yoon Kye-sang (; born December 20, 1978) is a South Korean actor and singer. He began his career in 1999 as part of the K-pop boy band g.o.d (South Korean band), g.o.d, then left the group in 2004 and pursued an acting career. He made his acting ...
and
Kim Tae-woo were later recruited through auditions.
Their formation was fraught with difficulties from the beginning as their talent management company EBM (which merged into
Sidus and again split to become
iHQ (SidusHQ) in 2005) had been affected by the
1997 Asian financial crisis
The 1997 Asian financial crisis gripped much of East Asia, East and Southeast Asia during the late 1990s. The crisis began in Thailand in July 1997 before spreading to several other countries with a ripple effect, raising fears of a worldwide eco ...
and was forced to cut financial funding for its trainees.
After over a year, executives allowed them to continue with the project due to their persistence and introduced singer-songwriter and
JYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1997 by Park Jin-young, J. Y. Park. Operating as a record label, talent ...
founder
Park Jin-young
Park Jin-young (; born December 13, 1971), also known by his stage names J. Y. Park and The Asiansoul or the initials JYP, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, record executive, and reality television show judge. Park rose to s ...
to be their producer and mentor.
Kim Sun-a left to pursue acting and
Kim Tae-woo, who was still a high school student, was the final member added, joining the group in July 1998.
The group was to be called "Got6", but their name was changed to g.o.d (Groove Over Dose) instead when it became a five-member boy band; Park Jin-young has since revealed that
Got7's group name originated from Got6.
1999: Debut
The group made their debut appearance on January 13, 1999, performing "To Mother" (어머님께), the title track of their
first album, live on the
SBS late night show ''One Night of TV Entertainment'' (
ko).
The music video for the song featured actor
Jang Hyuk. Although it has since become one of their most famous songs, the initial televised performance did not earn a positive response from those in the music industry. g.o.d also gained attention for their "boys next door" persona and vocal talent,
a stark contrast to the trend of the era which was largely focused on groups with
visually appealing members and highly sophisticated and energetic choreography.
They released their
second album at the end of the year and it garnered a much better response and also earned the group their first ever #1 win on a
music program.
2000–2006: Mainstream success, Kye-sang's departure, and hiatus
In January 2000, the five members appeared in a reality TV series, called ''g.o.d's Baby Diaries'' (
ko), which aired as a segment of
MBC's "Achieve the Goal Saturday" (
ko) weekend program. The members acted as a family to take care of an eleventh-month old boy named Han Jae-min.
Every one of them had a duty (i.e. Son Ho Young acted as 'mommy' and Park Joon Hyung as 'daddy'). The show was popular due to the fact that it was the first time an idol group had starred in their own reality show and its high ratings reportedly forced the sketch comedy show ''
Gag Concert'', which aired at the same time on MBC's competitor broadcaster
KBS, to switch time slots.
Just a year after debuting, g.o.d saw success with the release of their
third album, which sold over a million copies.
Its promoted track "Lies" (거짓말) dominated the #1 spot on
music programs and also won the ''Daesang'' ("Grand Prize") at the
KBS Music Awards. Following the success of their third album, g.o.d held their first national tour beginning in February 2001 and became only the second K-pop group (after
H.O.T.) to hold a concert in the largest sports venue in South Korea, the
Seoul Olympic Stadium
The Seoul Olympic Stadium (), a.k.a. Jamsil Olympic Stadium (formerly romanised as ''Chamshil''), is a multi-purpose stadium in Seoul, South Korea. It is the main stadium built for the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1986 Asian Games, 10th Asian Ga ...
.
In November that year, g.o.d launched their fourth album ''
Chapter 4'', their second album to hit a million in sales. The title track "Road" (길) topped the rankings on several music shows and has since become a classic hit. The album won the Disk ''Daesang'' (Grand Prize) at the 16th
Golden Disc Awards
The Golden Disc Awards (, formerly spelled the Golden Disk Awards before 2015) is an annual South Korean major music awards ceremony that honors achievements in the local music industry. The awards ceremony was founded with the purpose to prom ...
. Additionally, the group achieved a rare feat by sweeping the ''Daesang'' awards at the respective year-end music awards run by the country's three major broadcasting stations KBS, SBS and MBC.
The group nearly broke up in September 2001 after Park was discovered to be dating, which was considered to be taboo for most pop stars in South Korea at that time. Their management announced, without informing him or the other group members, that he was to leave the group and g.o.d would continue as a quartet. It was met with strong objection from fans, who repeatedly signed petitions, threatened to boycott concerts and stated their intentions of returning purchased merchandise for refunds. Ahn, Yoon, Son and Kim held their own press conference, without the knowledge of their management, to show their support for Park. By November, their management eventually backed down.
Having established themselves as the country's best selling idol group of 2001, g.o.d was invited to perform at the
inaugural MTV Asia Awards held in Singapore as the Korean representative and was nominated for the Favorite Artist Award (Korea).
While in Singapore, the group was interviewed by ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine and featured on the cover of the Asian edition for July 29. However, the article they were featured in was met with criticism by Korean music critics, local media and g.o.d's management agency SidusHQ as the author used a misquote attributed to
Yoon Kye-sang
Yoon Kye-sang (; born December 20, 1978) is a South Korean actor and singer. He began his career in 1999 as part of the K-pop boy band g.o.d (South Korean band), g.o.d, then left the group in 2004 and pursued an acting career. He made his acting ...
to segue into an opinion editorial about corruption within the K-pop industry rather than focus on g.o.d as one of the country's most popular pop groups.
They were chosen as the country's representative artistes to be featured in the
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea/Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
official album ''
Fever Pitch'', for which they recorded the song "True East Side". In July they took a break from television promotions and began their "100-day Human Concert" series where all the shows were sold out and each day had a different theme.
Yoon left the group in 2004 and g.o.d switched to
JYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1997 by Park Jin-young, J. Y. Park. Operating as a record label, talent ...
after their group contract with SidusHQ expired. They continued promoting as a quartet, releasing another two more albums. They went on hiatus from 2006 after holding their last concert in December 2005. Various media outlets and sources have described them as having disbanded between 2006 and 2014. However, the remaining members stated that they chose not use the term "disbanding" as they had promised fans they would reunite as a five-piece at some point in the future.
All members remained in the entertainment industry: Park returned to the United States to pursue acting, Ahn hosted
KBS Cool FM
KBS Cool FM (), also known as KBS 2FM ) is a 24-hour Hot AC music and entertainment radio station of the Korean Broadcasting System. It plays mostly older K-pop Music from the 90s compared to KBS Happy FM which plays the latest K-pop tracks. ...
's ''
Kiss the Radio
Kiss the Radio is a popular radio program broadcast on KBS Cool FM, airing from 22:10 to 00:00 KST every day.
History
''Kiss the Radio'' began broadcasting in 2004 with singer-rapper Danny Ahn of first-generation boy band g.o.d as its first D ...
'' while Son and Kim continued as singers and musical actors. The remaining four members unofficially reunited to perform in 2012 at the
Korean Music Festival 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, ...
and on
SBS MTV
SBS M is a South Korean pay television music channel owned by SBS Medianet, a division of SBS Media Holdings. It features South Korean pop artists, international music, news, and a few reality and variety programs.
It was launched in 2001 as t ...
's ''The Stage Big Pleasure''.
2014–present: Reunion
Beginning in 2013 there was already speculation that the members of g.o.d were discussing the possibility of reuniting.
Following
Yoon Kye-sang
Yoon Kye-sang (; born December 20, 1978) is a South Korean actor and singer. He began his career in 1999 as part of the K-pop boy band g.o.d (South Korean band), g.o.d, then left the group in 2004 and pursued an acting career. He made his acting ...
's confirmation to rejoin the group and lengthy discussion and organization with the members' individual managements,
they recommenced group activities under their original management agency
SidusHQ
iHQ Inc., doing business as SidusHQ () is one of the leading talent management agencies in South Korea. It was founded in January 2001 by Teddy Hoon-tak Jung. The company is involved in talent management (artist content), and TV drama/music prod ...
.
On May 3, 2014 their 15th anniversary concert was announced through a TV advertisement which aired on Korean cable channel
jTBC
JTBC (shortened from Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company; ; stylized in all lowercase) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on December 1, ...
, followed by confirmation from their management agency.
Despite the low-key announcement and the group's refusal to promote on
music programs, their comeback received extensive media coverage and became a trending topic on the internet within South Korea as they were the first inactive K-pop idol group to make a comeback with all of its original members.
The album ''
Chapter 8'' was released on July 8, 2014.
Several songs were pre-released as teasers for their official comeback tour. The pre-released singles, "
The Lone Duckling" (also "The Ugly Duckling") (미운 오리 새끼) and "Sky Blue Promise" (하늘색 약속), both achieved "
all kills" in the digital charts. The music videos for "Saturday Night", which contained references of their hit "Friday Night", and the ballad "Story of Our Lives" were uploaded on YouTube.
The album was repackaged and released in October as the "Thank You" edition and included a new song "Wind" (바람), whose lyrics were written by Yoon to express his gratitude to fans.
The group began their 15th anniversary tour on July 12, 2014 at
Jamsil Sports Complex with around 14,000 fans in attendance. It was their first concert as a quintet in 12 years. Initially they had planned to hold two concerts over two days in Seoul but extended it to eight more dates in four other cities due to popular demand.
They also made their first televised performance together in 12 years on September 5 as exclusive guests on ''
You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook
''You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook'' () is a South Korean talk show and live music television program airing from April 24, 2009, until July 22, 2022. It was hosted by You Hee-yeol, also known as his one-man band, Toy. The program has aired since Apri ...
'', the only guests who have been granted the honor. They concluded their national tour with an encore concert in October at the 40,000-capacity
Seoul Olympic Stadium
The Seoul Olympic Stadium (), a.k.a. Jamsil Olympic Stadium (formerly romanised as ''Chamshil''), is a multi-purpose stadium in Seoul, South Korea. It is the main stadium built for the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1986 Asian Games, 10th Asian Ga ...
, the second time they have held a sold-out concert at the venue.
In November they extended their tour overseas for the time, holding concerts at the
Staples Center
Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...
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 ...
and
Prudential Center
Prudential Center is a multipurpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey, United States. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), the New York Sirens of the Pro ...
in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
, and became the first single South Korean group to play at stadiums in the United States since
BIGBANG (
Alive Galaxy Tour).
The group made a rare live televised performance as a quintet, performing at the "I Am Korea" Gala Concert celebrating 70 years of
independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...
which was broadcast live on
KBS1
KBS 1TV is a South Korean free-to-air television channel that launched on 31 December 1961 and is owned by Korean Broadcasting System. The channel offers more serious programming than its sister channel KBS2, and airs with no commercials.
Hi ...
.
On December 9, 2015, they released the
maxi single
A maxi single, maxi-single, or maxi CD (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. Maxi singles are often mistaken for extended plays (EPs), especial ...
"A Funny but Sad Day" (웃픈 하루) and the music video was uploaded by CJ E&M in anticipation of their upcoming year-end concerts. Although the group did not promote the song at all, it was the top 30 most downloaded singles that month and remained in the
Gaon Digital Chart
The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...
for six consecutive weeks. They held a series of sold-out concerts in
Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
over five days before heading to
Daegu
Daegu (; ), formerly spelled Taegu and officially Daegu Metropolitan City (), is a city in southeastern South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; the fourth-largest List of provincial-level ci ...
and
Busan
Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...
to celebrate the Christmas holidays and New Year's Day with fans.
They took a break in 2016 while the members returned to their solo activities.
For the first two months of 2017 g.o.d embarked on their second nationwide tour since reuniting. Entitled ''g.o.d to MEN'' the tour began in
Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
and went to five other major cities.
The Incheon concert on January 13 was extended by several hours as it coincided with the 18th anniversary of their debut and culminated in a special fan event hosted by
DinDin
Lim Cheol (; born November 20, 1991), better known by his stage name DinDin, is a South Korean rapper, singer, actor, comedian, producer, television personality and radio personality. He made his debut in the entertainment world in 2013 when he a ...
.
On September 19, 2018, jTBC released a trailer of ''Shall We Walk Together'' (같이걸을까), a 10-episode travel variety-reality show which documented the members' trip to walk the
Camino de Santiago
The Camino de Santiago (, ; ), or the Way of St. James in English, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tra ...
in Spain. It began airing on October 11, as part of a series of projects to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut. On November 27, they released the single "Snowfall" (눈이 내린다) to little fanfare and it debuted at #63 on the
Gaon Digital Chart
The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...
that week with over 9 million downloads and streams despite intense competition from their much younger counterparts. From November 30 to December 2 they held a series of concerts entitled "Greatest" at the
KSPO Dome before playing in Busan and Daegu on December 22 and 25 respectively.
In a positive review, the ''
Kukmin Ilbo
''Kukmin Ilbo'' () is a South Korean daily newspaper published by The Kukmin Ilbo in Seoul, South Korea. In South Korea, "Kukmin" means "nation people". It is headquartered in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul
Seoul, officially ...
'' noted that the concerts were appropriately named as g.o.d was one of the few K-pop groups who could put together a full
set list
A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance.
A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
consisting almost exclusively of
number 1 songs, with 17 out of 20 songs in the set list being number 1 hits on South Korean music programs. On January 10, 2019, the album ''
Then & Now'' was released. It contains a mixture of new original material, including a title track composed by
Park Jin-young
Park Jin-young (; born December 13, 1971), also known by his stage names J. Y. Park and The Asiansoul or the initials JYP, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, record executive, and reality television show judge. Park rose to s ...
, remixed and re-recorded songs from previous albums. On January 13 they held the last of their anniversary concerts, playing to a sold-out crowd at the KSPO Dome.
On September 30, 2022, it was announced that g.o.d will hold a year-end concert that will take place at the Olympic Park Gymnastics Stadium in Seoul from December 9 to 11, marking their first performance in four years. On October 14, it was confirmed that g.o.d will be holding an additional Busan concert which will be held on December 24 and 25.
Artistry
Musical style and themes
Although known primarily for R&B, g.o.d has often displayed their versatility as their albums feature songs which combine elements of different genres such as
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- ...
, rap, funk and
dance pop
Dance-pop is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developi ...
: their debut single "To Mother" (어머님께) contains elements of hip hop and a refrain sung in R&B style, the upbeat and rhythmic "Friday Night" from the
second album heavily features
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
elements and the ballad "The Story of Our Lives" from the
most recent album utilizes a "duet" of the rap and singing parts in the chorus to create a polyphonic texture.
Park Joon-hyung has stated that from the beginning he had intended for the group to effectively combine Western and Asian influences into their music.
They were one of the few first generation K-pop groups to successfully incorporate elements of African American genres such as rap and hip hop into their music and utilize lines rapped entirely in Korean, which was uncommon at that time. While each song differs in genre, a key characteristic is a prominently distinct and simple melody which is accompanied by a minimalistic piano, guitar or percussion-based
groove
Groove or Grooves may refer to:
Music
* Groove (music)
* Groove (drumming)
* The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s
* The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station
* Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station
...
.
Their overall style has been described as a mixture of "belting styles"
with "gentle rap, candid lyrics and plain vocal narration". Their ability to seamlessly transition between rap and R&B is apparent in their hit songs, most of which are classified as R&B ballads or pop but contain at least several lines that are rapped. This combination of a prominent lyrical melody and rap has been described as their "signature".
Some songs feature a spoken narration to introduce the song. They have shied away from trending genres such as
bubblegum pop
Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a more specific rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States in the late 1960s, th ...
and
electronic music
Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
.
In contrast to their contemporaries such as
Shinhwa
Shinhwa () is a South Korean six-member boy band based in Seoul, composed of Eric Mun, Lee Min-woo, Kim Dong-wan, Shin Hye-sung, Jun Jin, and Andy Lee (South Korean singer), Andy Lee. Launched by SM Entertainment on March 24, 1998, the group si ...
,
H.O.T. and
Sechs Kies whose repertoire was largely either "feel-good" or hard rock or was choreography-based, g.o.d was focused on lyrical content, garnering them a wider demographic of fans.
The trademark features of their repertoire are the "story telling" style and subject matter of their lyrics.
MTV Asia
MTV was a pan-Asian music pay television channel that was launched on 5 May 1995 as a standalone pay television service. The channel was owned by Paramount Networks EMEAA.
History Pre-launch
The first incarnation of MTV Asia was launched on ...
describes their songs as "
eaningtowards the social commentary side, with heartfelt lyrics that make people cry until today."
Their songs often reflected relatable themes such as love, loss and family or were based on their personal experiences:
their debut single "To Mother" was partly based on leader Park Joon-hyung's childhood while "The Story of Five Men" (다섯 남자 이야기) described their frugal living conditions during their first year as struggling young singers.
Other songs are more humorous and parodied the members themselves, such as the self-composed "Sky Blue Balloon" (하늘색 풍선), in which rapper Danny Ahn refers to himself by his nickname Skinny Pig.
Critics and media have noted the group's unique blend of five distinctly different voices.
Mnet
M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...
's ''Legends 100'' series noted that "
hesynergy created by these five people began a page of popular music history that has never been seen before."
Image
Along with
Shinhwa
Shinhwa () is a South Korean six-member boy band based in Seoul, composed of Eric Mun, Lee Min-woo, Kim Dong-wan, Shin Hye-sung, Jun Jin, and Andy Lee (South Korean singer), Andy Lee. Launched by SM Entertainment on March 24, 1998, the group si ...
, g.o.d was the earliest idol group to adopt a more public-friendly approach towards fans, transitioning away from the mysterious and intensely private personas of earlier groups
H.O.T. and
Sechs Kies.
As a vocally-focused group, g.o.d did not adopt any image or concept aimed at a particular age demographic unlike most idol groups at that time which were pitched as
teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers themselves. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups.
By region Asia
Ea ...
s and it further added to their "
everyman
The everyman is a stock character of fiction. An ordinary and humble character, the everyman is generally a protagonist whose benign conduct fosters the audience's identification with them.
Origin and history
The term ''everyman'' was used ...
" persona and solidified their nickname "the nation's group".
Likewise, they have refrained from colorful and elaborate stage costumes or complex choreography, preferring to utilize themes and simple dance routines to allow members to directly engage with the audience.
Stage
g.o.d is the first K-pop idol group to hold one hundred concerts, a feat they achieved during the "100-day Human Concert" series in 2002 and 2003.
They gained popularity and acclaim as consummate entertainers for their stage presence and humorously casual style, often
presiding over their concerts themselves.
The group is noted within the industry for their interactive approach towards fans during concerts, which often feature segments such as taking song requests or teaching the audience a dance move.
Critics have described their concerts as "a giant ''
noraebang''" due to the group's large number of recognizable hit songs.
Since their early days, g.o.d's concerts have revolved around specific themes. Their first national tour was entitled "The Story of Five Men", a reference to the eponymous song from their
second album chronicling the austere conditions they endured while preparing to debut. The "100-day Human Concert" series notably featured a different theme for each concert.
After reuniting in 2014, the group has been more experimental, revising their choreography and the instrumentation of their background tracks several times. Their "g.o.d to MEN" national tour in early 2017 was designed and choreographed as a
Broadway musical. Lee Mi-hyun of the ''
JoongAng Ilbo
''The JoongAng'', formerly known as ''JoongAng Ilbo'' (), is a South Korean daily newspaper published in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the three biggest newspapers in South Korea, and a newspaper of record for South Korea. The paper also pu ...
'', in reviewing the Seoul leg of the tour, praised the group for their ability to entertain and reinvent themselves without compromising their artistic integrity or losing their unique sound.
Legacy
g.o.d was the first boy band to be dubbed "the nation's group" (), a sobriquet popularized by the media and cultural commentators due to their appeal to not only the teenage demographic, but across a much broader age demographic compared to their contemporaries.
In contrast to their contemporaries, who were primarily
targeting a teenage audience, they were known as the boy band which "appealed to both teenagers and their parents"
and "rose beyond its status as an idol group to be loved by people of all ages." Cultural commentators have noted that the subject matter of their debut song "To Mother" and other songs such as "One Candle" and "Road" further contributed to their broad popular appeal as the country was transitioning out of difficult times and was still recovering from the
1997 Asian financial crisis
The 1997 Asian financial crisis gripped much of East Asia, East and Southeast Asia during the late 1990s. The crisis began in Thailand in July 1997 before spreading to several other countries with a ripple effect, raising fears of a worldwide eco ...
when the group debuted.
They are the first idol group to star in their own reality show, ''g.o.d's Baby Diaries'', beginning a trend of idol singers and other entertainers participating in similar shows such as ''
Hello Baby'' and ''
The Return of Superman''.
g.o.d set a number of records in sales figures. They currently hold the record for the highest-selling album (not including a repackaged version) within a single month – their fourth album ''
Chapter 4'' (released in November 2001) sold 1,441,209 copies within a month of its release – and was the only K-pop group to have the sales figures of an album surpass the 1.2 million mark within that time frame until
BTS
BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip hop group, they ...
accomplished the same feat in 2017 with the album ''
Love Yourself: Her''. They are the most recent K-pop group to sell over a million physical copies of a full album and the last group to do so prior to the establishment of digital music stores, having sold over 1.7 million copies of ''Chapter 4'', before
EXO
Exo (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay Zhang, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen (singer), Chen, Chanyeol, ...
reached the milestone in 2013.
The enduring popularity and cross-generational appeal of their songs and their success has influenced many K-pop idol singers of the new generation, such as R&B quartet
2AM, boy band
B1A4
B1A4 () is a South Korean boy band formed by WM Entertainment. The group debuted on April 23, 2011, with the single "O.K" from the EP '' Let's Fly'', after being introduced to the public through a webtoon. They have released nine studio albums ...
, girl group
Twice
Twice (; Japanese language, Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ''Tuwaisu''; commonly stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon ...
and solo artist
IU, who have all cited g.o.d as industry "role models" and "inspirations". Widely acknowledged within the Korean music industry as "legends of K-pop", g.o.d is the only guest to perform on ''
You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook
''You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook'' () is a South Korean talk show and live music television program airing from April 24, 2009, until July 22, 2022. It was hosted by You Hee-yeol, also known as his one-man band, Toy. The program has aired since Apri ...
'' as exclusive guests and the first K-pop group to be the featured legend on ''
Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend''.
In 2013 the group was selected and featured in ''Legend 100 – Artists'', a
Mnet
M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...
documentary series highlighting 100 legendary Korean artists (both solo artists and groups) active from 1933 to 2002 selected by a panel of fifty professors, music critics and other music professionals for their contributions and achievements.
According to a 2016 poll conducted by ''
The Dong-a Ilbo'' in which thirty music industry experts and nearly 2,000 citizens voted for the top 15 greatest male K-pop idol groups of the past twenty years, g.o.d was ranked third by the public and fifth by the panel of experts. Of the inactive or disbanded first-generation groups, g.o.d was the first to make a comeback and still attain success in a highly saturated market in spite of a nearly decade-long hiatus,
which commentators have attributed to the overall increased interest in music and games popular during the 1980s and 1990s as well as the fact that the basis of their popularity had been centered on their vocal abilities and the lyrical content of their songs.
In contrast to the industry norm for group and all members' individual contracts to be managed by a single company, g.o.d's contractual arrangement was considered groundbreaking for its time as the contracts of the group and each individual member were managed by two different companies. They were managed by and the trademark of their group name is still owned by EBM (now
SidusHQ
iHQ Inc., doing business as SidusHQ () is one of the leading talent management agencies in South Korea. It was founded in January 2001 by Teddy Hoon-tak Jung. The company is involved in talent management (artist content), and TV drama/music prod ...
),
but individual contracts were managed separately: the individual contracts of the original four members (Park Joon-hyung, Yoon Kye-sang, Danny Ahn and Son Ho-young) were initially managed by SidusHQ while Kim Tae-woo was managed by Park Jin-young's label and agency
JYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1997 by Park Jin-young, J. Y. Park. Operating as a record label, talent ...
. It would set a precedent in the K-pop industry as this arrangement allowed long-running group
Shinhwa
Shinhwa () is a South Korean six-member boy band based in Seoul, composed of Eric Mun, Lee Min-woo, Kim Dong-wan, Shin Hye-sung, Jun Jin, and Andy Lee (South Korean singer), Andy Lee. Launched by SM Entertainment on March 24, 1998, the group si ...
to continue group activities after leaving
S.M. Entertainment
SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, 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 for g.o.d and fellow first-generation idol group
Sechs Kies to recommence group activities after a number of years despite all members being managed by different companies and agencies.
In popular culture
At the time of its release, "
To Mother" (어머님께) was the most requested track on radio stations.
Other songs, such as "
One Candle" (촛불하나), "
Love and Remember" (사랑해 그리고 기억해), "
Lies" (거짓말) and "
Road
A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved.
Th ...
" (길) are considered "indisputable K-pop classics recognized and enjoyed by Koreans of all ages"
and regularly
covered
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of ...
on singing competitions and music variety shows. "Sorrow" (애수), from the
second album, was
featured in the ''
Pump It Up'' video game series. Their songs have been used as background music on various television dramas and variety shows, including
tvN's ''
Reply 1994'',
KBS's ''
Drama Special
''KBS Drama Special'' () is a South Korean anthology series created and broadcast by KBS2, with each episode having a different story, cast, director and scriptwriter. The format is based on its predecessor ''Drama City'' and MBC's Best Theater. ...
'' and ''
The Return of Superman'' and many others.
Awards
Members
*
Park Joon-hyung (박준형) – rap, dance, leader
*
Yoon Kye-sang
Yoon Kye-sang (; born December 20, 1978) is a South Korean actor and singer. He began his career in 1999 as part of the K-pop boy band g.o.d (South Korean band), g.o.d, then left the group in 2004 and pursued an acting career. He made his acting ...
(윤계상) – vocals
*
Danny Ahn
Danny Ahn (; born December 22, 1978) is a South Korean- American entertainer best known as the main rapper of the South Korean pop music group g.o.d. Having made his debut in the entertainment industry as a member of g.o.d in 1999, Ahn has gone ...
(데니 안) – rap
*
Son Ho-young
Son Ho-young (; born March 26, 1980) is a South Korean- American singer and musical actor based in South Korea. Best known as a member of g.o.d, he made his debut in the entertainment industry with the group in 1999 and pursued a solo career as ...
(손호영) – vocals
*
Kim Tae-woo (김태우) – vocals
Discography
*''
Chapter 1'' (1999)
*''
Chapter 2'' (1999)
*''
Chapter 3'' (2000)
*''
Chapter 4'' (2001)
*''
Chapter 5: Letter'' (2002)
*''
An Ordinary Day'' (2004)
*''
Into the Sky'' (2005)
*''
Chapter 8'' (2014)
*''
Then & Now'' (2019)
Tours and concerts
;Concert tours
* 1st National Tour: The Story of Five Men (2001)
* SK Telecom Ting Concert (2003)
* g.o.d is Back (2005)
* 15th Anniversary Reunion Tour (2014)
* g.o.d 2015 Concert (2015)
* g.o.d to Men Tour (2017)
* g.o.d 20th Anniversary Tour "Greatest" (2018–2019)
* g.o.d "On" Concert Tour (2022)
* g.o.d's Masterpiece Tour (2023)
* g.o.d "Chapter 0" Concert (2024)
;Residencies
* 100 Days Human Concert (2002–2003)
See also
*
List of South Korean idol groups (1990s)
*
List of best-selling albums in South Korea
References
External links
Official YouTube channel* on
Mnet
M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:god
Grand Prize Golden Disc Award recipients
IHQ (company) artists
JYP Entertainment artists
Melon Music Award winners
MAMA Award winners
Musical groups established in 1999
South Korean boy bands
South Korean contemporary R&B musical groups
South Korean dance music groups
South Korean pop music groups
1999 establishments in South Korea