NU'EST

History

Pre-debut

Prior to their debut, NU'EST made appearances in their labelmates' music releases. They were backup dancers for After School Blue's "Wonder Boy", and featured in their label's Christmas release "Love Letter". They also released their own music video for "Love Letter" as Pledis Boys. JR appeared in Orange Caramel's "Bangkok City" music video, and was also featured in Uee's solo song "Sok Sok Sok". Baekho appeared in After School's "Play Ur Love" music video, and Minhyun starred in Orange Caramel's "Shanghai Romance" music video.

JR, Minhyun, Aron, and Ren were also featured with After School's Lizzy in a commercial for New Balance. JR and Baekho appeared on the KBS television program Hello Counselor and were revealed by After School's Kahi as two members of the group. This drew attention from viewers and they became a topic of interest online. Pledis Boys, now dubbed "After School Boys", later performed with After School at the SBS Gayo Daejeon. Minhyun and Ren also gained attention modeling for designer Park Yoon-so's F/W 2012–13 Seoul Fashion Week show, titled 'Big Park'.

2012–2014: Debut with ''Face,'' ''Action,'' ''Hello'', ''Sleep Talking'', ''Re:BIRTH'' and Japanese debut

NU'EST made their debut with their first single, "Face", on March 15, 2012. Their debut stage was on M! Countdown on the same day.

The group began airing their own reality show, Making of a Star: NU'EST Landing Operation, during the promotional period.

They returned with their first EP, Action, on July 11, and became ambassadors for Korea's Scout Association. During their promotional period and the rest of the year, NU'EST began to expand to the global market, holding events in Japan, Australia, other parts of Asia, and the United States, including performances at KCON. In December, NU'EST began endorsements with McDonald's.

Baekho and Ren made acting appearances in the drama Jeon Woo-chi alongside label mate Uee in January 2013. The group returned with their second EP, Hello, on February 13. They held their first exclusive concert, Show Time NU’EST Time, on the same day to commemorate the release. During the promotional period, they were cast for SBS MTV Diary along with their then-label mate Hello Venus. In March, NU'EST celebrated their first anniversary through a concert in Japan, NU′EST Debut 1st Anniversary Live Show Time. On April 8, Aron became a DJ for Arirang's Music Access.

On August 22, 2013, NU'EST released their third EP, Sleep Talking, with the lead single of the same name.

To celebrate Music Core's 400th episode in March 2014, Ren performed Girl's Day's "Something" alongside BtoB's Minhyuk, A-Jax's Seungjin, and VIXX's Hongbin.

On July 9, 2014, NU'EST released their first full album, Re:Birth, with the lead single "Good Bye Bye". They made their Japanese debut on November 5, with the single "Shalala Ring".

2015–2016: Japanese promotions, ''Q Is'' and ''Canvas''

NU'EST released the digital single "I'm Bad" on February 27, 2015, with a limited edition physical release on March 15 to celebrate their third anniversary. Baekho did not participate in the lead single as he was recovering from vocal cord polyps surgery, but he did contribute to the B-side track, "A Scene Without You." On April 2, Minhyun collaborated with Korean indie artist Fromm on the single "The Aftermath". On April 19, Aron ended his position as a DJ at Arirang's Music Access. The group held their first solo showcase in North America in Dallas, put together by My Music Taste, on third May.

NU'EST released their second Japanese single, "Nanananamida", on May 20. On August 14, Aron took up a position as a DJ on SBS PopAsia with his own show Aron's Hangout. NU'EST released their first Japanese studio album, Bridge the World, on November 18, after pre-releasing the tracks "Bridge the World", "Cherry", "Access to You", and "Ame Nochi Eien". "Cherry" was used as the theme song to the film Their Distance, which the members starred in as their Japanese film debut.

Their fourth EP, Q is, was released on February 17, 2016, with the lead single "Overcome". They began promotions for the album the following day. NU'EST released their fifth extended play Canvas and the accompanying single "Love Paint (Every Afternoon)" on August 29, 2016. After four years of promotions, the group received their first music show nomination on The Show. On October 6, 2016, the music video for "Daybreak", a duet between Minhyun and JR from Canvas, was released.

2017–2018: ''Produce 101 Season 2'' and NU'EST W

After the commercial decline of their previous releases and considerations of disbandment, JR, Baekho, Minhyun, and Ren participated in the reality television series Produce 101 Season 2 during the first half of 2017. During their appearance on the show, previously released albums, including Q Is and Canvas, rose on South Korean album charts, reflecting a sudden surge in popularity of the group.

After the final episode of Produce 101 Season 2 aired, NU'EST's previous releases shot back up on music charts and topped the Gaon Chart. Only Minhyun ranked within the top 11, earning a position in the temporary boy group Wanna One, and he promoted exclusively with them for 1.5 years. The remaining members announced they would be promoting as NU'EST W until Minhyun's return. Due to the group's sudden surge in popularity, they (as NU'EST W) returned to music shows to promote their single "Hello" (first released in 2013), and ranked number 11 on Inkigayo.

Following the conclusion of Produce 101 Season 2, JR and Ren also became models for the cosmetics company Labiotte. Subsequently, Baekho and Aron also joined their groupmates in promoting the brand. Ren joined the JTBC variety show Learning the Hard Way, of which he is a fixed member. Aron featured on Raina's single "Loop".

While Minhyun's Wanna One contract officially ended on December 31, 2018, he did not officially return to NU'EST until a month later. This was due to Pledis and Swing Entertainment coming to an agreement that allowed Minhyun to attend scheduled year-end shows and award ceremonies throughout January 2019 as a member of Wanna One. Minhyun's final Wanna One activity before returning to NU'EST was a final concert (titled Therefore) that was held across four days, ending on January 27, 2019.

2019–2020: ''Happily Ever After,'' ''The Table,'' ''The Nocturne,'' ''Drive''

After reuniting for the first time in almost two years, NU'EST announced their contract renewal with Pledis Entertainment. On March 15, 2019, they released a special digital single "A Song For You" to celebrate their seventh anniversary since debut.

On April 3, Minhyun released a digital solo single "Universe" as the pre-release single from the upcoming NU'EST album. The single is accompanied by the music video shot in Budapest and Milan. The group held their first solo concert in six-years titled "Segno" on April 12–14 to an audience of 36,000. Their sixth EP Happily Ever After was released on April 29 with the lead single "Bet Bet". It is their first release in three years and the last in the three-part series of "Knights searching for the Queen" narrative which began with their fourth EP in 2016. The EP secured triple crowns on Gaon Chart for the week of April 28 – May 4 by topping the album chart, digital download chart, and BGM chart after its release. In May 2019, NU'EST released an official audio recording of the song "Blessing", which had been recorded as a candidate for their debut song in 2012.

On October 21, the group released their seventh EP The Table with the lead single "Love Me". The single went on to win in all five major music broadcast shows, which also marked the group's first win since debut on Show! Music Core and Inkigayo.

Seven months after their last comeback, the group released their eighth EP The Nocturne with the lead single titled "I'm in Trouble" on May 11, 2020. The album topped the Album Sales, Retail Album, Download, and BGM charts on Gaon's Weekly Chart. "I'm in Trouble" also debuted at no. 6 on Gaon's Digital Chart, becoming the complete group's first lead single since debut to break into the Top 10, excluding their singles as NU'EST W.

On October 7, NU'EST released their second Japanese-language album, "Drive". The song "Drive" is the group's first Japanese album release in 5 years after "Bridge the World".

2021–2022: ''Romanticize'', solo projects, ''Needle & Bubble'' and disbandment

On April 19, 2021, the group released their second studio album, Romanticize, with the lead single "Inside Out". Only four members participated in full promotions for the album as Aron went on a brief hiatus in January 2021 due to anxiety issues (but performed with the group in music shows), eventually rejoining the group in June. The album topped Hanteo's weekly album sales chart and earned two crowns on the Gaon Music Chart. The lead single also went on to score wins on M! Countdown, Music Bank, Show! Music Core, and Inkigayo, earning the group its second music show grand slam since their single "Love Me" in late 2019.

Following the success of their second album, the group spent the rest of 2021 mostly working on their solo projects. JR made his acting debut in the SBS television series Let Me Be Your Knight; Minhyun began filming the tvN series Alchemy of Souls and briefly reunited with Wanna One at the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards; Aron hosted Circle Room, a talk show exclusively on Twitter; Baekho made his musical theater debut in the Seoul productions of Midnight Sun and Altar Boyz, and Ren performed the title role in the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

The group held their first live in-person concert in 2 years titled The Black from November 26 to 28, 2021 at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul. On December 2, the group performed in and won the Best Achievement award at the 2021 Asia Artist Awards. Later that month, they performed at the 2021 KBS Song Festival and SBS Gayo Daejeon, held on December 17 and 25, respectively.

After nearly a year of no new releases, it was announced on February 28, 2022, that the group's exclusive contract with Pledis Entertainment will end on March 14. It was also announced that members Aron, JR, and Ren will leave the agency at the conclusion of their contract, while Baekho and Minhyun opted to renew. With the news of their contract expiring, the group confirmed their disbandment through handwritten letters to their fans, announcing their decision to pursue individual projects. A compilation album, Needle & Bubble, was released on March 15 to mark the group's 10-year anniversary as they officially disbanded on the same day.

Members

• JR (제이알)
• Aron (아론)
• Baekho (백호)
• Minhyun (민현)
• Ren (렌)

Philanthropy

To mark their seventh debut anniversary, the group donated funds to The Snail of Love in March 2019 to cover cochlear implant surgery and language rehabilitation therapy for children. The donation also helped fund music education programs to help people with developmental disabilities connect with the world through music.

Sub-groups

NU'EST-M

From 2013 to 2014, NU'EST-M was formed as a sub-group in collaboration with Yuehua Entertainment to exclusively target the Chinese market. All five members participated in NU'EST-M with the addition of Jason, a Chinese trainee from Yuehua Entertainment. The group recorded Chinese versions of the lead singles "Face" and "Sleep Talking."

NU'EST W

Main article: NU'EST W

From July 17, 2017, to December 31, 2018, the remaining members of NU'EST promoted as a sub-group, NU'EST W, while Minhyun exclusively promoted with Wanna One. NU'EST W released a total of three EPs before ending promotions in 2018.

Discography

Main article: NU'EST discography

Korean albums

• Re:Birth (2014)
• Romanticize (2021) Japanese albums
• Bridge the World (2015)
• Drive (2020)

Filmography

Television

Film

• Their Distance (2015)

Concerts and tours

Concerts

Tours

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by NU'EST

References

References

1. "뉴이스트 프로필". [[Naver]].
2. Park, Young-woong. "애프터스쿨 보이즈, 5인조 연말데뷔..팀명 미정". Star News.
3. (December 29, 2011). "플레디스 보이즈, 애프터스쿨과 SBS '가요대전' 출격". Naeil.
4. Jeong, Soong-yi. (2012-04-07). "뉴 이스트-민현-렌,'패션쇼 모델 됐어요'". Osen.
5. (March 5, 2012). "뉴이스트(NU'EST), 타이틀곡 'FACE' 티저 공개와 동시에 관심 폭발". [[Sports Chosun]].
6. (March 20, 2012). "뉴이스트, 리얼리티 통해 매력 발산...'女心' 사수 작전". [[Sports Donga]].
7. "뉴이스트 "또래 현실 노래, 우린 10대 대변인"". KBS News.
8. (July 19, 2012). "NU'EST Becomes Honorary Ambassadors for the Korea Scout Association". enewsWorld.
9. (August 6, 2012). "NU'EST Heads to Thailand, Australia and Singapore for First Overseas Activities". enewsWorld.
10. "뉴이스트, 패스트푸드 광고 모델 발탁.."새로운 경험"". Osen.
11. (January 17, 2013). "뉴이스트 백호-렌, '전우치' 감초역활 톡톡". Asia Kyungje.
12. (February 4, 2013). "뉴이스트, 신곡 '여보세요' 재킷 공개... '소년에서 남자로'". Asia Kyungje.
13. (January 24, 2013). "NU'EST to Hold Its First Exclusive Concert in February". enewsWorld.
14. (March 16, 2013). "NU′EST Celebrates First Anniversary with a Concert in Japan". enewsWorld.
15. "헬로비너스, SBS MTV '다이어리' 걸그룹 최초 출연". E Today.
16. "뉴이스트 아론, 데뷔 후 첫 라디오 DJ 도전장". Osen.
17. (August 23, 2013). "뉴이스트, 잠자는 숲속의 미녀? 잠꼬대하는 가요계의 악동!". Ten Asia.
18. (March 7, 2014). "'음악중심' 400회, 걸스데이 뛰어 넘을 보이스데이 결성". Ten Asia.
19. (July 4, 2014). "뉴이스트, 정규 1집 음원 하이라이트 공개..새로운 성장 들린다". Ten Asia.
20. (August 27, 2014). "뉴이스트, 일본 첫 투어 성공적 마무리...11월 일본 데뷔싱글 발매". Ten Asia.
21. (February 26, 2015). "뉴이스트(NU'EST), 감성 자극 티저 공개 'I'm Bad'". Ten Asia.
22. (April 23, 2015). "NU'EST Announce First U.S. Concert".
23. (June 3, 2015). "NU'EST Talks To KPopStarz Japan: Part 1 [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]". Kpop Starz.
24. (August 13, 2015). "NU'EST's Aron to host his own SBS Pop Asia radio show". [[Seoul Broadcasting System]].
25. "【撮り下ろし＆独占インタビュー】NU'EST① firstアルバム『Bridge the World』をリリース！「僕たちの音楽で世界に橋をかけよう！」".
26. (October 23, 2015). "「NU'EST」レン、日本映画デビュー作「知らない、ふたり」に自信". [[Eiga]].
27. (February 17, 2016). "뉴이스트 '여왕의 기사', 본격 '카툰돌'의 서막". Ten Asia.
28. (August 29, 2016). "뉴이스트 "작사, 작곡 참여..우리의 색깔이 묻어난다"". Ten Asia.
29. (October 5, 2016). "뉴이스트 JR&민현, 유닛곡 프리뷰 이미지 공개". Ten Asia.
30. Benjamin, Jeff. (October 17, 2017). "10 Reasons NU'EST Was Always Worth Your Attention".
31. Lee, Gyu-lee. (April 29, 2019). "NU'EST's old song surges in YouTube viewership". [[The Korea Times]].
32. (February 24, 2017). "뉴이스트 측 "'프로듀스 101' 출연 확정"". Ten Asia.
33. "NU'EST get massive popularity spike and re-enter Korean music charts".
34. "'차트 역주행' 뉴이스트, 프로듀스 101 시즌2 통한 제 2의 전성기". sporbiz.
35. "'차트 역주행' 뉴이스트, 꽃길 예약". TenAsia.
36. "YMC '프듀101' 시즌2 멤버들 계약 확정.."시즌1과 비슷"(공식)".
37. "[SS이슈]'프로듀스 101' 아이돌 시장 지각변동 이끌까".
38. link. Seon. Mi-kyeong. (June 19, 2017). Osen
39. (May 2023). "뉴이스트(NU'EST), '여보세요'로 '인기가요' 11위 등극...'명실상부한 역주행 곡'". topstarnews.
40. "뉴이스트 김종현-최민기, 화장품 모델 발탁 "깨끗한 이미지"". 뉴스엔.
41. "박준형·소유·소진·정기고·최민기, JTBC2 '사서고생' 출연". OSEN.
42. "오캬 레이나, 31일 솔로 컴백...뉴이스트 아론 피쳐링". [[Ilgan Sports]].
43. "워너원 측 "12월31일 계약종료, 1월 콘서트로 마무리"(공식입장 전문)".
44. (February 1, 2019). "뉴이스트 5人, 플레디스와 재계약 체결 "더 성장한 모습 보여줄 것" [전문]".
45. Lee, So-jeong. (February 1, 2019). "NU'EST renews contract with Pledis". [[The Korea Herald]].
46. (March 10, 2019). "'7주년' 뉴이스트, 3년만 완전체 컴백..화려한 귀환(공식)".
47. (April 3, 2019). "[퇴근길 신곡] ''넌 나의 유니버스''..뉴이스트 컴백한 민현, 감성보컬의 취향저격".
48. (April 3, 2019). "[HI★스포] "나만의 언어로" 황민현, 행복을 바라는 별의 노래".
49. OSEN. (April 15, 2019). "뉴이스트, 꿈 이룬 단독 콘서트 'Segno' 성료...3만6천여 명 팬과 열광".
50. (April 15, 2019). "[N리뷰] 데뷔 7년만 '체조' 입성한 뉴이스트, 포기하지 않아 빛난 '꿈'".
51. (April 29, 2019). "뉴이스트 'Happily Ever After' 전격 컴백...3년만의 완전체 "비주얼 폭발"".
52. (April 29, 2019). "뉴이스트 미니 6집 앨범 3년 만에 완전체로 컴백".
53. OSEN. (May 9, 2019). "뉴이스트, 가온차트 3관왕 차지..앨범+다운로드+BGM 차트 1위[공식]".
54. (May 5, 2019). "뉴이스트 '데뷔 B곡' 5일 음원 기습공개 '팬 깜짝 선물'".
55. (September 17, 2019). "뉴이스트 측 "오는 10월 21일 컴백 확정" (공식입장) - 베프리포트".
56. Park, Seo-hyun. (November 4, 2019). "뉴이스트, 미니7집 'The Table' 활동 성료‥음방 5관왕 대미 장식".
57. (2020-05-11). "[알쓸신곡] 뉴이스트만의 야상곡...9년차의 과감한 변신".
58. (2020-05-21). "'대세' 뉴이스트, 'The Nocturne' 가온차트 4관왕 쾌거…파죽지세 행보".
59. (May 21, 2020). "뉴이스트, 20주차 가온차트서 3관왕...아이유 2관왕 영예".
60. "NU'EST、新録オリジナル曲を含む5年ぶりの日本アルバムリリース決定".
61. Daly, Rhian. (April 26, 2021). "NU'EST: "We hope when others think of us they'll think of artists who never settle for the status quo"".
62. Kim, Hyun-seo. (June 29, 2021). ["궁금 인터뷰]서하준 "가장 힘든 것, 스스로 희망고문하고 기대하기""](http://www.topstarnews.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=14610527).
63. Park, So-young. (May 5, 2021). "뉴이스트, 정규 2집 활동 끝..음원∙음반 1위→음방 그랜드슬램 (공식)".
64. Lee, Ho-yeon. (April 9, 2021). "'뉴이스트 JR→루나 이신' 김종현, '너의 밤이 되어줄게'로 드라마 데뷔".
65. (April 20, 2021). "[단독]뉴이스트 황민현, 홍자매 손 잡았다...'환혼' 주연 캐스팅".
66. (November 15, 2021). "워너원, 3년 만에 다시 뭉친다...MAMA 특별무대 장식".
67. Lee, Seung-hoon. (November 18, 2021). "뉴이스트 아론, 'Circle Room'으로 증명한 진행 실력..백호X렌 지원 사격".
68. Cheon, Yoon-hye. (March 3, 2021). "뉴이스트 백호, 뮤지컬 '태양의 노래' 전격 합류..뮤지컬 첫 도전[공식]".
69. Lee, Jae-eun. (November 19, 2021). "[공식] 백호, 윤산하, 태양, Y(와이), 홍주찬 '알타보이즈' 캐스팅".
70. Kim, Min-ji. (November 1, 2021). "뉴이스트 렌, 뮤지컬 '헤드윅' 서울 공연 성료...차세대 뮤지컬 스타 탄생".
71. Sun, Mi-kyung. (November 11, 2021). "뉴이스트, 오는 26일~28일 오프라인 단독콘서트 'THE BLACK' 개최[공식]".
72. Kim, Soo-jin. (December 3, 2021). "'2021 AAA' 뉴이스트, 단체→개인 수상까지 "러브 덕에 가능"".
73. Hong, Se-young. (December 18, 2021). "뉴이스트, 섹시 카리스마 (가요대축제)".
74. (February 28, 2022). "뉴이스트, 10년 활동 마무리...JR·아론·렌, 소속사 떠난다".
75. (February 28, 2022). "뉴이스트, 10년 전속계약 종료...3월 마지막 앨범 발표[전문]".
76. Jeong, Hee-yeon. (February 28, 2022). "뉴이스트 해체→5人 손편지 공개 "각자의 길, 그룹 떠난다" [공식]". Donga.
77. (February 28, 2022). "서하준, "어머니가 작명소에서 지어주신 예명...본명 따로 있어".
78. Ji, Min-kyung. (March 1, 2022). "뉴이스트, 15일 베스트 앨범 발매..10년 활동 총망라 [공식]".
79. (February 12, 2020). "[단독] "독거노인 위해 써달라"...플레디스, 남몰래 기부".
80. (March 13, 2019). "뉴이스트의 따뜻한 7주년".
81. (November 8, 2013). "NU'EST、中国活動ユニットNU'EST-Mを結成". KStyle.
82. (November 12, 2013). "Pledis、中国大手YUEHUAとの合弁戦略記者会見を開催...NU'EST-Mやハンギョンも出席". KStyle.
83. (July 18, 2017). "뉴이스트, 워너원 민현 제외 새 유닛 '뉴이스트 W' 론칭 [공식]".
84. OSEN. (April 20, 2019). "뉴이스트, 완전체 리얼리티 '뉴이스트 로드' 선보인다..5월 8일 첫방".
85. "Shiranai, Futari (2015)". IMDb.
86. "デビュー1周年記念「NU'EST Debut 1st Anniversary Live ～Show Time～」".
87. (March 16, 2013). "Setahun Debut, NU'EST Gelar Konser Dengan 4.000 Fans".
88. 株式会社ローソンエンタテインメント. "「NU'EST 2nd Anniversary Live SHOWTIME2」がリリース決定！".
89. "NU'EST Announce First U.S. Concert".
90. "2016 NU'EST LIVE「SHOWTIME4」 @ 恵比寿ガーデンホール（2016年5月3日） - TOWER RECORDS ONLINE".
91. (September 15, 2017). "뉴이스트W, 대만 팬미팅 2분 만에 3천 석 매진". Dispatch.
92. (November 15, 2017). "대세돌 '뉴이스트w' 한국을 넘어 세계로!". KookminNews.
93. ""꿈이 현실로" ..뉴이스트W, 단독 콘서트로 화려한 피날레".
94. (October 2019). "뉴이스트 단독 팬미팅, 전 회차 전석 매진...압도적 티켓 파워".
95. 韓流ぴあ. (July 14, 2014). "【NU'EST】1stアルバム『Re：BIRTH』の中でどの曲が一番好き？(投票ページ)".
96. "NU'EST ベクホ、哀愁漂う男の表情...公式ティザーイメージ公開!".
97. (October 2, 2014). "Fans In Mexico, Chile, Peru And Brazil Are First To Experience Nu'Est's 'Re:Birth' Performance".
98. "A Milano il 30 novembre arrivano i Nu'est".
99. "NU'EST JAPAN TOUR 2015-SHOWTIME3- @ 恵比寿ザ・ガーデンホール ライブ・レポート（2015年4月4日） - TOWER RECORDS ONLINE".
100. k-magazinemx. (August 5, 2015). "NU'EST en México: Comienza la cuenta regresiva".
101. "今回のツアーは、自分たちのなかでも1つのターニング・ポイント".
102. "『2016 NU'EST JAPAN TOUR ～ONE FOR L.O.Λ.E～』 公式YouTubeチャンネルにてR.L.T.Lスペシャル映像大公開！".
103. "画像・写真 {{!}} NU'EST、日本ツアー"ONE FOR L.O.Λ.E"東京公演ステージ 18枚目".
104. (March 16, 2018). ""황민현 빈자리는 러브가"...뉴이스트W, 감동의 첫 콘서트". [[JTBC]].
105. (July 22, 2019). "뉴이스트, 해외 투어 'Segno' 태국 방콕 공연 성료..현지 반응 '폭발적'".
106. POP, 헤럴드. (September 16, 2019). "뉴이스트, 해외 투어 'Segno' 성료‥4만5천여 글로벌팬 열광시켰다".