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Baby V.O.X. (standing for Baby Voices of Xpression) was one of South Korea's most popular girl groups, belonging to record company DR Music. Although it initially had much internal turmoil, Baby V.O.X. eventually became a successful, cohesive group from 1999 to 2005, releasing many hit albums. However, after the dismal failure of their last album Ride West, it began to unravel again. By the end of that year, all of the members had left the company, with some going solo, and others moving into other entertainment areas. KBS News reports, though, that as of September 2006, DR Music is rebuilding the group with new members and is hoping to recreate Baby V.O.X.'s past success.

Members

Earlier Members

• Cha Yumi (차유미), from 1997 to 1998.
• Jang Hyunjung (장현정), from 1997 to 1998.
• Lee Gai (이가이), from 1997 to 1999.

Later Members

• Kim E-Z (김이지; 金倚珍 or 金丽芝), born February 3, 1980; member from 1997 to 2006.
• Lee Heejin (이희진; 李姬珍 or 李喜珍), born February 21, 1980; member from 1997 to 2006.
• Shim Eun Jin (심은진; 沈恩珍), born February 6, 1981; member from 1998 to 2005.
• Kan Miyoun (간미연; 簡美妍), born February 2, 1982; member from 1997 to 2006.
• Yoon Eun Hye (윤은혜; 尹恩惠), born October 3, 1984; member from 1999 to 2005.

History

The group was formed in 1997, just as other groups like S.E.S. were starting out. Although their first single ("Haircut") was not a horrible failure (hitting #47), the success of the first album was dismal. This was attributed by the different, edgier style that Baby V.O.X. had, considering that their rivals Fin.K.L and S.E.S. had adopted cute looks to great success. DR Music (their record company) then replaced three members (with Kan Miyoun, Lee Gai, and Shim Eunjin) and had them train for the next year in order to succeed. Their second album, titled Baby VOX II, was a much bigger success, hitting #7 on the Korean pop charts. However, there was more internal turmoil when it was revealed that Lee Gai was much older than the rest of the girls and had actually lied to the management company about her age. Considering that she was also viewed as not fitting in with the rest of the members, she was cut from the group and replaced by Yoon Eun Hye, who was significantly younger and appeared to have more mass appeal. Their third album, released in 1999, showed off the new Baby V.O.X., and it was their first major success, topping the Korean music charts and having three strong singles: "Get Up", "Killer", and "Missing You".

Their third album's success can be partially attributed to changing music tastes in Korea. Baby V.O.X., like many K-pop groups, has gone through several image makeovers through the years. However, although they focussed on a cuter image for their second album (apparent in their music video and performances for the second album's lead single "Ya Ya Ya"), the group was always seen as the more mature and sexier Korean girl group. The group's success was no coincidence, as during the turn of the millenium, the Korean music industry was abandoning childish concepts in favor of sexier ones. Fortunately, Baby V.O.X. fit into this new concept very well, and they continued to succeed with their fourth and fifth albums.

In 2002, Baby V.O.X. released a greatest hits album as their "5.5"th, featuring two CDs of dance music and one of ballads, with a VCD of their music videos included. One of the new songs on the album, "우연" (Chance), was a great success, and Baby V.O.X. managed to perform it on the network music shows for almost the whole summer. The single's success was sustained by the Latin remix of the single, which fit in quite nicely with popular tastes at the time. It was also during this time that the group found fame outside of Korea; they were successful in China and Thailand with this album and single.

In spring of 2003, Baby V.O.X. released their 6th album, a feat achieved by very few Korean pop groups. They even released a photo album that was purported to have semi-nude images of the girls (with Eun Hye unable to participate due to her being underage), causing some controversy, but it faded as the image content was found to be hyped up by the media. However, this was also when Baby V.O.X.'s luck started to change. Although their singles "나 어떡해" (What Can I Do) and "바램" (Desire) were popular, album sales were lower than usual. In addition, performances appeared to be lackluster, especially with the latter single, as it was not promoted for a long time; this may be attributed to the fact that members have stated that they did not like this album's concept.

Their seventh and last album Ride West, released in April 2004, featured 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, although Tupac's "appearance" is a freestyle rap that he recorded while in prison. This album was proclaimed to be what catapulted Baby V.O.X. into the international spotlight, hence the English single. In fact, the music video for the album's feature song, "Xcstasy", was done in English, featuring expensive luxury vehicles and well-dressed, highly preened divas, apparently in emulation of the "Bling bling" style of hip-hop videos popular in the United States during the late 1990s and early 2000s. They performed in this style as well, with sexy dance moves and provocative clothing, seen as a bit extreme in conservative Korea. However, this release was accompanied by much controversy. There was first the issue as to whether their managing group, DR Music, could legally use Tupac's material in the recording, with Tupac's repesentatives claiming that DR did not have authorization. While this was going on, a member of Korean hip hop group DJ DOC, offended by the (mis)use of Tupac's lyrics, stated that the Baby V.O.X. girls were whores and denounced them harshly in the media. Although he later apologized, the damage was done, as the group quickly stopped performing the single. No further promotion was given to the album, and sales were dismal.

The slow implosion of Baby V.O.X. continued in 2005. As their contract was up by the end of 2004, fans wondered whether Baby V.O.X. would stay together. Shim Eunjin decided that she would not, because she did not agree with the group's image and direction, and was the first to leave the group (in order to pursue a solo career). She was followed by Yoon Eun Hye, who initially resigned her contract but left it in order to pursue an acting career, which so far has been quite successful (as evidenced by her hit drama Goong). Baby V.O.X. continued for a while as a threesome, doing some promotional activities outside of Korea, with their record company promising that Baby V.O.X. would continue. However, as the months passed on, so did the members. Kim EZ left sometime in early 2006 (to pursue acting), with Kan Miyoun also leaving (and signing a solo deal on another label). Lee Heejin was the only remaining Baby V.O.X. member, and she also left DR Music to pursue a career in acting. However, DR Music insists that Baby V.O.X. will go on with new members, with a new album to come out by the end of 2006.

Notes

1. As these members were unpopular and have since left the public life, it is difficult to find info on these members.
2. According to kmon.net, she was scheduled to debut with the group during the first album but because of illness was unable to do so.
3. This lineup is considered to be the main Baby V.O.X. group, as it was the first to achieve large-scale success.
4. Multiple sources give differing versions of the Hanja versions of these names.
5. Though not an "original" member, she had participated in some first album activities.

See also

• Download a sample from Baby VOX's classic hit Betrayal
• List of Korea-related topics

External links

• beautifulvoices.net, a fansite with extensive info on history and individual members (English)

• Girl groups
• K-pop
• Korean musical groups