‘Sorry, Sorry’ is an international hit song of 2009 by K-pop boy band Super Junior. This song is one of the main reasons why people started to gain interest in Korean culture and K-pop and turning it into the current form that the world is obsessed with today. Long before BTS, EXO, and WANNAONE were trainees, Super Junior had already been singing and dancing on stage, stealing the hearts of young fans all over the world.
In early 2005, SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man said, he had been preparing a boy group where the members were chosen for their experience as actors, emcees, models, and radio hosts. The group was initially inspired by a Japanese girl groups' rotational concept, where new members will be replacing the selected ones. By 6 November 2005, the group debuted under the name ‘Super Junior 05,’ making them the first generation of the boy group project with the song ‘Twin’. A year later, SM Entertainment abandoned the rotational concept, and the group became known as ‘Super Junior’ also known as SuJu.
As one of the only groups from the 2000s that still produces music, it is incredible that they continue to actively push the boundaries of the industry as a team, even when so many members have since established themselves beyond their idol-singer status in the industry. They also have a unique fandom name E.L.F, which stands for Ever Lasting Friends.
They originally debuted with twelve members. But now, after Hangeng and Kangin left the group there are only 10 former members of SuJu. There are: Park Jung Soo (Leeteuk), Kim HeeChul (Heechul), Kim Jong Hoon (Yesung), Shin Dong Hee (Shindong), Lee Hyuk Jae (Eunhyuk), Choi Si Won (Siwon), Lee Dong Hae (Donghae), Kim RyeoWook (RyeoWook), Cho Kyu Hyun (Kyuhyun) and an inactive member Lee Sung Min (Sungmin).
The members are not only skilled in dancing or singing, but also really talented in other activities. Kim HeeChul known for his reality shows: Knowing Bros, Lipstick Prince, A style for you, etc. Because after his car accident of 2006 he still couldn’t recover from it properly so he can’t dance a lot. That’s why he started doing variety shows and became globally popular.
Another member Choi Siwon is also popular for his acting skills in dramas like: ‘Precious Family,’ ‘The Lord of Dramas,’ ‘She Was Pretty,’ ‘Revolutionary Love,’ etc.
Lastly, the main vocalist and Maknae of the group Cho Kyu Hyun is praised for winning a singing variety show named ‘King of Masked Singer’ for 5 consecutive weeks and became the first-ever idol to achieve this.
Since their debut, five Super Junior sub-units of this group have been formed. With the exception of Kibum, all of the members were a part of at least one sub-unit. The sub-units were part of SM Entertainment's strategy to not limit Super Junior's activities while certain members focused on their individual careers. This allowed the group members greater freedom to focus on different elements of their careers and gave the group opportunities to explore different musical styles and showcase different skills.
With the promotion of their music in China, the boy group created a sub-unit called Super Junior-M, which stands for Mandopop (Mandarin pop). The group became the first international music group in China that featured members of Chinese and Korean descent. The other sub-units were K-R-Y (Kyuhyun. Ryeowook, Yesung), Super Junior-T (trot), Super Junior-H (happy), D&E (Donghae & Eunhyuk).
Super Junior won their first award with their famous song ‘U’ in 2006. That was only the beginning. After that Super Junior became the best-selling K-pop artist for four years in a row. They were the first K-pop artist to enter Billboard's Latin Songs chart with their song ‘Lo Siento,’ as it ranked at Billboard's Latin Digital Song Sales Chart at No. 13 and Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart at No.2.
They are the first Korean artist to perform more than 100 concerts worldwide in 2014 from South Korea, Singapore, Philippines, Taiwan, and so much more. In 2019, they also performed in Saudi Arabia, making them the first K-pop act to do so. Not only that but now, in total, they have won 181 awards. They are undoubtedly talented.
This Saturday, 7 November 2020, Super Junior will be hosting an online fan meet to celebrate their 15th anniversary. The event is called Beyond LIVE – Super Junior 15th Anniversary Event – Invitation, as per the group’s official post on Twitter. It will stream on Naver’s online service called V Live at 5 pm Korean Standard Time. Aside from taking the time to speak to their fans, the group will also treat them to performances of their hit songs. They also plan on holding an online exhibition as well to look back on their journey together. Those interested in joining the online event can purchase their tickets on Naver’s V Live app.
Also, great news for the fans is they are going to release their new song titled ‘The Melody’ a pre-release single off of their upcoming 10th full-length album today 6 November at 6 PM KST. Since it’s their 15th anniversary, this song is to express gratitude not just to the members themselves, but also to the fans who have walked the path with them together. The teaser clip of the song shows the members as they are currently, sitting on a long couch and playfully interacting with each other. The sight of all of them together creates a sentimental mood. This song was actually going to be released on 2November but this decision was made out of respect for the sudden loss of a famous late comedian Park Ji Sun and her mother, whose bodies were discovered at their Seoul residence earlier that day.
So are going to celebrate their 15th anniversary together with SuJu by being an E.L.F?
Rumaiysa M Rahman is a 9th grader at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Dhaka.