KNK (band)

KNK

KNK performing "I Remember" at KBS Cool FM's
Jo Yoon-hee's Volume Up Radio on July 14, 2016.
Background information
Also known as Keunakeun
Origin Seoul, South Korea
Genres K-pop
Years active 2016 (2016)–present
Labels YNB Entertainment
Associated acts BESTie
Website ynbent.com
Members
  • Youjin
  • Seungjun
  • Inseong
  • Jihun
  • Heejun

KNK (Hangul: 크나큰; RR: Keunakeun, lit. "great" or "to be great") is a five-member South Korean boy band under YNB Entertainment, the company's first male idol group.[1] KNK is an initialism which stands for K-pop kNocK (Hangul: 케이팝 노크). It means "to knock on the door of K-pop with their music." They held their debut showcase on February 29, 2016 and officially released their debut single album entitled Knock on March 3, 2016.[2]

History

Pre-debut

All five members of KNK were trainees of different companies before joining YNB Entertainment. They had a long training period, with an average of 5 years.[3][4] As trainees, the members appeared in music videos of their label mate, Bestie. They also performed as backup dancers for the girl group.[5][6][7]

On December 15, 2015, a teaser video of the boys was uploaded on KNK's official YouTube channel.[8] The following day, it was revealed that the group would perform at 2015 SBS Awards Festival (SAF) alongside Noel, Bestie and Almeng. On December 26, KNK performed for the first time to the public at SAF where they performed the two songs on their debut single album. On December 30, the band's first reality show, My Keunakeun Television, premiered on Naver TV Cast.[1]

YNB Entertainment opened their official Naver V app channel for the company's artists, including KNK, on January 8, 2016.[9] Beginning on the first day of February, KNK had real-time broadcasts for almost every day via Naver V app as a countdown to their upcoming debut. The boys showed their daily rehearsals and preparations, as well as their album jacket photo shoot and the filming for their first music video.[10][11] On February 22, the company announced via SNS that the group would debut with their first single album on March 3, 2016.[2] On February 23 to 26, the band performed in several universities' freshman orientations.[12]

2016: Debut with "Knock", Awake and Remain

On February 26, 2016, teaser for the music video of KNK's debut single "Knock" was released.[13] The song was composed by production team ButterFly, led by Hwang Seong-je who composed BoA's "Atlantis Princess", Lee Soo-young's "Whistle to Me" and more, while the rap part was written by member Youjin. Furthermore, their choreography was helmed by Prepix’s Ha Woo-shin and the music video was directed by Lee Ki-baek.[14][15] Three days later, the band had their debut showcase at Ilchi Art Hall, Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, where they performed their songs "Knock" and "Angel Heart" as well as TVXQ's "Love in the Ice" and Kim Kwang-seok's "On the Street".[16][17]

On March 1, 2016, KNK made their debut on The Show, the band's first performance on a television music show. Their single album and music video for "Knock" was officially released on the 3rd of March.[18]

The group had their first schedule outside of South Korea, and performed their debut single "Knock" at the 20th China Music Awards in Macau on April 15, 2016.[19]

KNK released their first digital single "I Remember" on May 16, 2016. The medium tempo R&B track was composed by Kim Tae-joo, who also produced Beast's "Good Luck", "12:30", and more.[20]

On May 23, 2016, YNB Entertainment announced the comeback of the group with their first EP entitled Awake through KNK's official SNS. A group image teaser and individual photos for the EP was unveiled on May 24 and 25 respectively.[21][22][23] Awake and the music video for title track "Back Again" was released at noon on June 2, 2016. All tracks were produced by Kim Tae-joo. The choreography for the house tempo dance track "Back Again" was arranged by Prepix’s Ha Woo-shin while the choreography for the album's first track "Gone" was arranged by KNK's leader, Jihun.[24][25][26] Awake peaked at number 14 on Billboard's World Album chart and the group was recognized by Billboard as one of the most promising K-pop debuts from the first half of 2016.[27]

On November 7, 2016, KNK's comeback with their second EP entitled Remain was announced through their official SNS. The track list was also released on the 10th, revealing that Kim Tae-joo once again worked with KNK as the executive producer of the EP, while tracks "Goodbye" and "Tonight" were composed and written by members Youjin and Heejun respectively.[28][29] On November 15th, the music video teaser for the title track entitled "U" was released, however it was announced the next day that the agency decided to dispose the music video due to quality issues. A representative stated that there were no plans to film it again.[30][31][32]

Remain was released on November 17, 2016, and KNK held their live comeback show the same day through Naver V Live, where they performed TVXQ's "Love in the Ice", as well as their new songs "I Know" and "U".[33]

Members

From left to right: Youjin, Inseong, Heejun, Jihun Seungjun

Youjin

Kim You-jin (Hangul: 김유진) was born on February 10, 1993 in South Korea.[34] He is a former TS Entertainment trainee and trained with the members of boy group B.A.P.[3] He appeared in the music video for Bestie's "Zzang Christmas", and was included as a backup dancer for the live performances of the song.[5]

Seungjun

Park Seung-jun (Hangul: 박승준) was born on October 28, 1993 in South Korea.[34] He is a former Big Hit Entertainment trainee where he trained with BTS. He then moved to JYP Entertainment after winning 2nd place at the company's 10th Open Audition on February 19, 2013 and became an actor trainee.[3][35] He appeared in the music videos of his label mate Bestie, including "Zzang Christmas" and "Excuse Me". He was also one of the backup dancers for the live performances of Bestie’s "Zzang Christmas" and "I Need You".[5][6][7]

Inseong

Jeong In-seong (Hangul: 정인성) was born on July 1, 1994 in South Korea.[34] He is a former Big Hit Entertainment trainee with Seungjun, then moved to FNC Entertainment.[3] He appeared on the reality show Cheongdam-dong 111 in 2013. Inseong was a backup dancer for the live performances of Bestie's "I Need You". He also appeared with Seungjun in the music video for Bestie’s "Excuse Me".[6][7][36]

Jihun

Kim Ji-hun (Hangul: 김지훈) was born on February 20, 1995 in South Korea.[34] He is the leader of the group.[37] Jihun is a former Nega Network trainee.[4] He appeared with Youjin and Seungjun in the music video for Bestie's "Zzang Christmas", and was included as a backup dancer for the live performances of the song. Like Seungjun, Inseong, and Heejun, he was also a backup dancer for the live performances of Bestie's "I Need You".[5][7]

Heejun

Oh Hee-jun (Hangul: 오희준) was born on May 8, 1996 in South Korea.[34] He is a former FNC Entertainment trainee.[3] He appeared with Inseong on the reality show Cheongdam-dong 111 in 2013. He was the vocalist and guitarist of Kokoma Band (꼬꼬마 밴드) that was established three months before filming the show.[36]

Discography

Extended plays

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[38]		 US
World
[39]
Awake 7 14
Remain
  • Released: November 17, 2016
  • Label: YNB Entertainment, CJ E&M
  • Format: CD, digital download
 TBA

Single album

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[41]
Knock
  • Released: March 3, 2016
  • Label: YNB Entertainment, Interpark INT
  • Format: CD, digital download
 15

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Sales Album
US
World
[43]
"Knock" 2016 18 — Knock
"I Remember" (요즘 넌 어때) — — Awake
"Back Again" — —
"U" TBA Remain
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Filmography

Television

Reality/Variety shows

Year Title Network Member(s) Notes
2013 Cheongdam-dong 111 tvN Inseong, Heejun [36]
2015-2016 My Keunakeun Television Naver TV Cast All [1]
2016 Let's Go! Dream Team Season 2 KBS Youjin, Inseong [44]
Star King SBS All Episode 443 and 460
Pops in Seoul Arirang TV All Episode 3133 and 3180
After School Club Arirang TV All Episode 210
The God of Music 2 Mnet Seungjun Cameo (Episode 4)
Weekly Idol MBC Every 1 All with Astro and 4TEN (Episode 256)
Duet Song Festival MBC Seungjun, Inseong Guest panelists (Episode 12)
MBC Inseong Performed with Kim Wan-sun (Episode 22)
SNL Korea tvN Seungjun Cameo (Episode 156)
The Show SBS MTV Seungjun Special MC
Hello Counselor KBS Seungjun, Inseong Episode 285
12th Idol Star Athletics Championship MBC All
Running Man SBS All Episode 319[45]
King of Mask Singer MBC Youjin Episode 83[46]

Videography

Music videos

Year Title Director(s) Notes
2016 "Knock" Lee Ki-baek [13]
"Back Again" [47]
"Back Again (Dance Ver.)" [47]
"U (Performance Video)" Unknown Unofficial music video

Guest appearances

Year Song Artist(s) Member(s)
2013 "Zzang Christmas" Bestie Youjin, Seungjun, Jihun[5]
2015 "Excuse Me" Seungjun, Inseong[6]

Awards and nominations

Asia Artist Awards

Year Category Recipient Result
2016 Most Popular Artists (Singer) - Top 50[48] KNK 38th

Mnet Asian Music Awards

Year Category Recipient Result
2016 Best New Male Artist KNK Nominated
HotelsCombined Artist of the Year Nominated

Korean Culture Entertainment Awards

Year Category Recipient Result
2016 K-pop Singer Award[49] KNK Won

Golden Disk Awards

Year Category Recipient Result
2017 New Artist of the Year KNK Pending

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lee, So-hee. "[기획] 2016 뉴페이스① 임팩트-크나큰-아스트로-우주소녀, 데뷔 임박 '곧 만나요'". Zenith News (in Korean). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  2. 1 2 Lee, Ji-seok. "YNB 비밀병기 '크나큰' 전격 데뷔, 3월 가요계 지각 변동 예고". Sports Seoul (in Korean). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Kim, Ye-na. "빅히트-JYP-FNC-TS 출신 크나큰…K팝 시장 노크(종합)". TV Report (in Korean). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  4. 1 2 Lee, Eun-jeong. "크나큰 "꿈꿔온 데뷔, 간절했다…이름처럼 커나갈게요"". Yonhap News (in Korean). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "베스티(BESTie) - 짱 크리스마스 (Feat. 유세윤) M/V". YouTube. YNB Entertainment. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "[ M/V ] 베스티(BESTie) - Excuse Me". YouTube. YNB Entertainment. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "베스티-니가 필요해 안무 영상". Instiz (in Korean). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  8. ↑ "크나큰 (KNK) - Teaser Trailer (티저 트레일러)". YouTube. YNB Entertainment. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "YNB Entertainment Official Announcement". Twitter. YNB Entertainment. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  10. ↑ Park, So-young. "신예 크나큰, 데뷔곡 '노크' 안무연습 중 '깜짝 공개'". OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  11. ↑ Park, So-young. "신인 보이그룹 크나큰, 베일 벗었다…V앱서 '꾸러기 매력'". OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  12. ↑ Lee, Mi-young. "데뷔 앞둔 크나큰, 대학 신입생 1만명 만난다". Joy News 24 (in Korean). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  13. 1 2 Kim, Ah-reum. "그룹 크나큰, 데뷔곡 '노크' MV 티저 공개…'완성형' 아이돌의 탄생". Aju News (in Korean). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  14. ↑ Kim, Ji-yeon. "'완성형 보이그룹' 크나큰, 오늘(3일) 첫 싱글 발매 '女心 설렌다'". eNews24 (in Korean). Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  15. ↑ Lee, Joon-hyun. "[포토] 크나큰 '데뷔 쇼케이스 개최'". StarN (in Korean). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  16. ↑ Baek, Cho-hyun. "'데뷔' 크나큰, 완성형 보이그룹의 저력을 기대해 (종합)". News1 (in Korean). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  17. ↑ Kim, Ye-na. "'데뷔' 크나큰, 동방신기-김광석 커버무대 열창". TV Report (in Korean). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  18. ↑ Kim, Ye-na. "크나큰, 오늘(3일) 데뷔 싱글 '노크' 발표…'가요계 출격 시동'". Nate (in Korean). BNT News. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  19. ↑ Park, In-young. "[현장포토] "스웨그, 시크, 풋풋"…아이돌, 色다른 출국길". Naver (in Korean). Dispatch. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  20. ↑ Min, Susan. "KNK Releases New Single 'I Remember'". Mwave. CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  21. ↑ Jang, Kyung-Guk. "크나큰, 6월 2일 전격 컴백… 보이그룹 컴백 대열 합류". Naver (in Korean). Sports Donga. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  22. ↑ Kim, Ji-yeon. "KNK to Release Their First Mini Album". Mwave. CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  23. ↑ Kim, Ji-yeon. "KNK Members Look Dandy in Newly Released Photos". Mwave. CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  24. ↑ Lee, Nancy. "[Video] KNK is Officially 'Back Again' in Sexy New MV". Mwave. CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  25. ↑ Lee, Yoon-min. "크나큰, 6월 첫 미니앨범 발매". TV Daily (in Korean). TV Daily. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  26. ↑ Kim, Ji-yeon. "KNK's Ji Hun Choreographs Comeback Performance". Mwave. CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  27. ↑ Kim, Ji-yeon. "KNK Recognized by 'Billboard' as a Top K-Pop Artist". Mwave. CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  28. ↑ Kim, Ji-yeon. "KNK to Make Comeback With Powerful New Track". Mwave. CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  29. ↑ Noh, Yoon-jeong. "'컴백 D-6' 크나큰, 새 앨범 트랙리스트 공개 '작사·작곡·안무 직접 참여'". Naver (in Korean). Herald Pop. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  30. ↑ Seon, Mi-kyeong. "크나큰, 컴백 D-2 타이틀 'U' 뮤비 티저 공개..'강렬'". Naver (in Korean). OSEN. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  31. ↑ Kwon, Soo-bin. "크나큰 측 "퀄리티 문제로 신곡 뮤비 폐기, 재촬영 없다"". Naver (in Korean). News1 Korea. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  32. ↑ Kim, Ji-yeon. "KNK Makes Decision to Promote Upcoming Album Without Music Video". Mwave. CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  33. ↑ Noh, Yoon-jeong. "[어게인TV]'V앱' 크나큰, 미처 몰라봤던 실력파 아이돌". Naver (in Korean). Herald Pop. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 "Artists". YBN Entertainment Official Website (in Korean). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  35. ↑ Jo, Jong-won. "JYP 연습생 공채 10기 오디션 2위 차지한 '박승준'". Newsis (in Korean). Newsis. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  36. 1 2 3 "팀명이 우주소녀, 크나큰인 신인 아이돌 그룹 2팀". Instiz (in Korean). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  37. ↑ Kim, Hyun-cheol. "[E포토]크나큰 리더 지훈의 멋진 포즈". SBS funE (in Korean). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  38. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
    • "AWAKE". Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  39. ↑ "World Albums". Billboard. (subscription required (help)).
  40. ↑ "2016년 09월 Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  41. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
    • "KNOCK". Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  42. ↑ "2016년 04월 Album Chart (see #29)". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  43. ↑ "World Digital Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 16 March 2016. (subscription required (help)).
  44. ↑ Jeong, Sun-hae. "E대세 100명의 男 아이돌, '출발 드림팀' 뜬다". TV Daily (in Korean). TV Daily. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  45. ↑ Kim, Ji-yeon. "KNK Poses with Yoo Jae Suk on 'Running Man' Set". Mwave. CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  46. ↑ Kwon, Soo-bin. "'복면' UFO는 크나큰 김유진 "키만 큰 모델돌 아냐"". Naver (in Korean). News1 Korea. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  47. 1 2 Kim, Ji-yeon. "KNK Tops iTunes K-pop Albums Chart". Mwave. CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  48. ↑ "2016 Asia Artist Awards - the Most Popular Artists (Singer)". Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  49. ↑ Kim, Ji-yeon. "KNK Receives First Award Since Debut". Mwave. CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 3 December 2016.

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