Sugar (South Korean band)
| Sugar | |
|---|---|
| Genres | K-pop, J-pop |
| Years active | 2001–2006 |
| Labels | Starworld Bertelsmann Music Group S.M. Entertainment Toy's Factory (Japan) |
| Past members |
Ayumi Lee Lee Ha Rin Hye Seung Hwang Jung-eum Park Soo-jin |
Sugar (슈가) was a South Korean girl group active from 2001 to 2005. The group saw moderate success in the Korean music market, and released multiple songs in Japan. Sugar's Japanese singles "Take It Shake It" and "Real Identity" were notably the theme songs for Kaleido Star, a popular anime. After group's contract with SM Entertainment expired in December 2006, it was announced that Sugar had officially disbanded. All members of the group have since branched into acting and musical efforts.
Sugar debuted at the end of 2001 with their first song "Sweet Love", which did not see much popularity. The group's second song "Tell Me Why" was received more attention. Sugar was most compared by fans to the female groups M.I.L.K. and Shinvi for their similar musical styles and images. Many girl groups during this time only released a debut album before leaving the music market. However, Sugar returned in 2003 with the release of their second album, entitled "Shine". Member Sae Byul changed her name to Hye Seung, her real first name, for the promotion of their comeback.
After releasing their second Korean album, Sugar entered the Japanese music market. The group debuted with two songs that were used as the soundtrack of the anime Kaleido Star. Sugar released a single entitled Secret in South Korea in 2004, and then returned to the Japanese market. They went on to release three Japanese singles, and their first album entitled "Double Rainbow". The singles and album all charted and were met with moderate success. After the release of Sugar's third Japanese single, member Jung Eum decided to leave the group, and pursue a solo career in the entertainment industry. Soon after Jung Eum's departure, new member Lee Harin to the Sugar as her replacement. With the new line-up, Sugar released their fourth Japanese single, a ballad entitled "Heartful". Six months later Sugar released "Himawari", their fifth Japanese single. It was able to reach #29 on the Oricon, and remained on the charts for 7 weeks.
Sugar released another Korean album in 2006, returning after their year-long hiatus in the Korean music industry. Two months later they released their second Japanese album, entitled COLORS 4 WISHES. Member Soo Jin then announced that she would be leaving Sugar to pursue an acting career, and left the group after album promotions ended. Following her departure, Sugar released a DVD entitled "7 STARS", which contained all of their Japanese music videos. In July 2006, member Ayumi Lee debuted as a soloist but remained with the group. In the months that followed, Sugar remained in hiatus, with the media speculating about a new member that who would take in Soo Jin's place. By November there were still no announcements, and Ayumi continued to concentrate on her solo career.
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