H.O.T. was a popular five-member South Korean boy band of the late 1990s. The five-member boy band enjoyed massive success alongside the likes of Sechs Kies, Baby Vox, Fin.K.L., S.E.S. and Shinhwa. Like many Korean bands, their name is an acronym - H.O.T. standing for "High-five Of Teenagers". Before their disbandment they dominated the charts, setting the standard for other Kpop boybands. They were formed by SM Entertainment in 1996 and disbanded in 2001.

History

In 1998, "We Are The Future"'s promo video song earned an American MTV Video Award for Best International Video.

They maintained a friendly rivalry with other K-pop bands such as Young Turks Club , Maddie and Sechs Kies, and were close friends with Kim Hwan Sung of N.R.G., who died tragically from pneumonia a week or two prior to his 20th birthday. Kangta, especially was heartbroken by his friend's death. When N.R.G. released their album after Kim Hwan Sung's death, Kangta wrote the main track of their album.

H.O.T. released their last hit song, "A Song for Lady", which was used in the Korean drama "Autumn in my Heart".

Disbandment and post-H.O.T.

H.O.T. disbanded in May 2001. As H.O.T.'s neared the end of their contracts with SM Entertainment, it was rumored that financial issues caused the group to split. Each member received royalties equivalent of 1 cent for each copy of their album sold, meaning that each of them would earn roughly $10,000 for selling million copies of their album. When An once complained that they were being underpaid, Lee Soo Man said "I even pay for your gas, what are you complaining about?" in response.

After the split, Kangta and Moon Hee Jun were offered lucrative contracts to SM Entertainment as solo artists and released moderately successful albums. While Kangta's music was usually mainstream pop, Moon Hee Jun in the beginning, like Kangta, started with the mainstream pop, but later attempted to establish a rock music career. However, Hee Jun was overshadowed by his teen idol image and was met with harsh criticism.

The remaining members, Jang Woo Hyuk, Tony An, and Lee Jae Won, formed a three-member group called JTL under another label, and sold moderately successful albums.

In 2005, Moon Hee Jun left SM Entertainment, creating his own company, PS Entertainment, and releasing one album. Later that year, Hee Jun headed off to military service, a duty required for every male Korean citizen.

Lee Jae Won also left SM Entertainment, and on April 4, 2005, he released his first post-H.O.T. album, "No Pain, No Gain".

On September 12, 2005, Jang Woo Hyuk released his first solo album No More Drama, performing with the renowned American hip-hop group Elite Force, who was also a former dance team for Will Smith. Woo Hyuk was the last member to release a solo album, and earned a reputation as "The Prince of Dance Music" or "The King of Dancers' world."

Discography

Albums

Joint discography

• Christmas In SMTOWN (December 15, 1999)
• Christmas Winter Vacation In SMTOWN.com (December 8, 2000)
• Christmas Winter Vacation in SMtown.com - Angel Eyes (December 4, 2001)

References

External links

• Beginning of My Inferiority Complex
• H.O.T.'s Official Site
• SM Entertainment's Official Site