H.O.T. - Career

Career

H.O.T. was a group that enjoyed massive success in their career, allowing them to become major influences on the future of boy bands and the rest of the music scene in Korea, their popularity also led to the creation of female groups in Korea. The group was formed by Lee Soo-man, the head of SM Entertainment, in 1996. Kangta was the first to join the group when he and a friend were discovered singing and dancing at an amusement park. Moon Hee-joon auditioned and made it into the group, and he recommended that Jae-won be considered; he auditioned and made it as well. Jang Woo-hyuk joined after winning a dancing contest, and Tony An, originally discovered by Brothers Entertainment in the United States, moved to SM with his friend Andy Lee, who later pulled out and joined the group Shinhwa. The new group was called H.O.T. - High Five of Teenagers.

H.O.T. made their debut with their first album, We Hate All Kinds of Violence in September 1996. This album and its first single, Junsa Ae Hoo Yeh, sparked controversy because some of their songs apparently plagiarized others, and lawsuits were placed against the group.

Despite their controversial debut, they released a second single from the album, Candy, which became the first of their hit songs.

They released their second album in June 1997, entitled Wolf & Sheep. This became another controversial release, since the title track featured strong language that caused it to be banned from all the major radio stations. However, a second single from this album, “We Are the Future” brought them back into the spotlight with another #1 hit. In 1998, "We Are The Future"'s earned an American MTV Award for Best International Video.

The next year the group had their first live tour, starting with the Seoul Olympic Stadium. H.O.T. was the first Kpop group to hold a concert here, thanks to their large fanbase. Owing to their popularity, they were seen frequently in advertisements. At one point, they had their own soda brand with the catch phrase "I only drink H.O.T." They released their third album, Resurrection, in September 1998. This album featured a more “serious” style, with music gravitating towards rock.

They released their fourth album, Iyah!, and a “Best of” album in the following year, 1999 . They also starred in a "Space Jam"-like movie called "Age of Peace", for which they also released a soundtrack consisting songs that the members themselves composed. Everything in the film except for the five members were computerized, and the film was released in Japan during promotional activities for their fourth album. They won numerous awards from KMTV, and various popular music shows in Korea for their fourth album and the soundtrack.

They released their fifth and final album, Outside Castle, in September 2000. All of the members took part in composing the lyrics. H.O.T. enjoyed great success with all of their albums, and were known for their talent of writing and composing many of their own songs. In addition, Moon Hee-joon and Jang Woo-hyuk were also known for their dancing abilities, and often choreographed the groups routines.

They maintained a friendly rivalry with other K-pop bands such as Sechs Kies, and were close friends with Kim Hwan-sung of N.R.G., who died from pneumonia a week or two prior to his 20th birthday. Kangta was heartbroken by his friend's death, and when N.R.G. released their album after Kim Hwan-sung's death, he wrote the main track of their album.