Turbo (South Korean band)

Turbo
From left: Kim Jung-nam, Kim Jong-kook, Mikey, KCON LA 2016.
Background information
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	K-pop dance hip hop
Years active	1995–2000 2015–present
Labels	GM Agency (1995–2000) The Turbo Co. (2015–present)
Members	Kim Jung-nam Kim Jong-kook Mikey

Turbo (Korean: 터보) is a popular South Korean duo in the mid to late 1990s. The duo originally consisted of Kim Jong-kook and Kim Jung-nam. In early 1997, Kim Jung-nam left from the group and Kim Jong-kook later continued promotion with new member Mikey. They became one of the biggest stars in the Korean entertainment industry during their active time from 1995 to 2000 and sold millions of albums and records in Asia as a whole. In 2015, they made a comeback as a trio after 15 years with "Again".

Turbo was formed in October 1994 to compete against the then popular dance group, Deux. Leader and former DJ Kim Jung Nam was responsible for the rap and choreography while Kim Jong-kook, former vocalist for a high school band, took care of the vocals. This combo proved to be well matched, as Turbo's name soon became synonymous with dance music.

They launched their first album in August 1995, titled "280 km/h speed". Living up to their group name and album title, Turbo took the dance world by storm debuting with the song "나 어릴적 꿈"(My Childhood Dream). The untimely death of Deux member Kim Sung Jae just one month after Turbo's debut, made Turbo the heir apparent to become the kings of the Korean dance scene. Following up with songs "검은 고양이" (Black Cat) and "선택" (Decision), Turbo was labeled as "dance music's scary kids" for rising in popularity so fast.

Just a year after their debut, Turbo returned with their second album, "New Sensation". Reaffirming their popularity, the album sold 800,000 copies within the first two months. After "Twist King" Turbo performed "Love Is...(3+3=0)" and "어느 재즈 바... (At the Jazz Bar...)". By the end of their second album promotion, Turbo was firmly entrenched as a premier dance group.

This status was short lived however, as Turbo broke up just months later. Citing problems with their management, Turbo went into seclusion. Their hiding was so effective that police were brought in to investigate their whereabouts. Eventually, due to public demand for Turbo's return, half of Turbo returned. Kim Jung Nam, unable to reconcile his differences with the management, left the group. He later joined the 5 member group SNAP in 1999. This left Kim Jong Kook looking for a new partner.