The Wonder Girls are a Korean girl group under JYP Entertainment. Each of the five original members were selected through auditions. Debuting in early 2007, they became popular in the fall of that year with the song “Tell Me.” They have scored three consecutive #1 hit singles: “Tell Me,” “So Hot,” and “Nobody.” In 2008, they won two “Artist of the Year” awards. The group embarked into the American market in 2009, with the English version of their hit single “Nobody.” They are co-managed in the US by JYP Entertainment and Jonas Group.

As a group, the Wonder Girls were initially introduced through a program called MTV Wonder Girls. The first four episodes outlined the characteristics and profiles of each member and showcased their schedules for the day. After those episodes, a fifth member was added and the Wonder Girls had their first showcase in the MTV Studio. They performed “Don’t Cha” by the Pussycat Dolls as well as some of their own songs, including “Irony” and “It’s not Love.”

The girls officially debuted in early 2007 on a Korean show “Show! Music Core” singing their song “Irony” a single from their debut mini-album, The Wonder Begins (February 2007). The mini-album sold over 11,000 copies and established a fan club. Unfortunately, 2007 was not the best year for these girls. All the members were beset by various injuries and health problems. One member, Sohee, was sidelined for a month after tearing a knee ligament in a fall from a running motorcycle during the filming of her movie. In late July, the parents of member Hyuna had withdrawn her from the group permanently due to health problems. She was later replaced in the fall of that year.

Although there were many unfortunate incidents, the girls released their first mini-album and their debut single “Tell Me” reached #1 on various Korean television and internet music charts. On May 22, 2008, the lead single of their CD single was released; “So Hot” topped online music charts. After a brief hiatus, the group returned in early fall of 2008 with a music video and song for their next single, “Nobody.” The song went to #1 on several Korean television music charts and remaining there for four consecutive weeks, as well as winning “Song of the Month” award for two months: September and October 2008. At the end-of-the-year awards show, Wonder Girls took home three awards, including the highly-desired “Song of the Year” award as well as “Best Video” for “Nobody” and “Best Female Group.”

The Wonder Girls got an amazing break in June 2009 when it was announced that they would be joining the Jonas Brothers for the North American leg of the Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009! The group would be one of the opening acts. JYP Entertainment announced that “Nobody” would be the first English single, followed by “Tell Me,” and that an English album would be forthcoming. However, in order to fully concentrate on their American debut, members Sohee and Sunmi had to drop out of high school. The group was originally contracted for thirteen shows, but eventually went for forty-five shows!

Almost one year after the Jonas Brothers Tour, the Wonder Girls headlined their own tour across the US and Canada: Wonder World Tour, which included fellow label-mates 2PM. The tour was to be a combination of the English and Korean versions of their title hits, covers of popular English songs, and their new songs from their upcoming album. Currently the girls can be seen in both Korea and New York recording their songs for their American album as well as attending different events in New York, including many fashion events.

Image Courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/bokamokacoka/

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About the author

Eisha Vatsal
I enjoy a range of music and love to learn about different artists from all over the world. I love to read. My favorite season is a mixture of late spring and early summer (before it gets too hot).

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