April (girl group)
April (Korean: 에이프릴) is a South Korean girl group formed by DSP Media. The group debuted on August 24, 2015, with their EP Dreaming and its title track "Dream Candy".[1][2][3] The group is composed of six members: Chaekyung, Chaewon, Naeun, Yena, Rachel and Jinsol.
April | |
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![]() April in August 2018. L to R: Jinsol, Yena, Chaewon, Chaekyung, Rachel, Naeun | |
Background information | |
Origin | Seoul, South Korea |
Genres | K-pop |
Years active | 2015 | –present
Labels | DSP |
Associated acts | |
Website | Official website |
Members | |
Past members |
Name
The group name is made up of 'A' and 'pril'. 'A' means 'the best girl group' and 'pril' means lovely girls. As combined, 'April' makes the meaning of 'the best, lovely girls'.[4] Also known as 'Sa-wori' (사월이, April), 'Apple' (에플, pun of April) or 'Pril-e' (프릴이, pun of pril). After their debut, fans started calling them 'Chung-jeong-dol' (청정돌, pure idol).[5]
History
2015: Debut and Somin's departure
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April's formation was first announced by DSP Media on February 9, 2015, following their previous girl groups Fin.K.L, Kara and Rainbow.[6][7] The six-member group (Somin, Chaewon, Hyunjoo, Naeun, Yena, and Jinsol) debuted on August 24 with the EP Dreaming[2][8] and the title track "Dream Candy" (Korean: 꿈사탕).[3][9]
On November 9, the group's leader, Somin, announced her departure from the group, admitting she was uncomfortable with the concept the group would pursue;[10][11] she would later go on to join the co-ed group KARD. The remaining five members released the single album Boing Boing, including the title track "Muah!" and the B-side "Glass Castle" on November 25.[12] It was followed by a Christmas special album titled Snowman, released on December 21.[13]
2016: Spring and line-up changes
On February 12, 2016, DSP Media announced that the group's fan club name was "Fineapple" (Korean: 파인에플).[14] On February 14, the group hold a mini-concert titled "Everland Romantic Concert" for Valentine's Day.[15] On February 18, April won the Girl Group Rookie of the Year award at the 22nd Korean Entertainment Arts Awards.[16]
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The group's second EP, Spring, was released on April 27. It contains six tracks including the lead single, "Tinkerbell" (Korean: 팅커벨).[17][18] During promotions for Spring, Hyunjoo took a temporary hiatus from the group due to health issues, and April promoted as a four-member group.[19]
On August 21, the group held their first solo concert, titled Dream Land, at the Baek Am Art Hall in Seoul, to celebrate their first anniversary.[20] Another concert was held in Tokyo, Japan, on October 15. Yoon Chae-kyung also participated in both concerts as a guest member.
On October 29, Hyunjoo announced her departure from April, following a seven-month hiatus, in order to pursue an acting career.[21] New group members were confirmed in November: Chaekyung,[22] who had previously appeared as a guest member, and Rachel.[23][24]
2017: Prelude, Mayday and Eternity
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April released their third EP Prelude as a six-member group on January 3, 2017,[25][26] with the title track "April Story" (Korean: 봄의 나라 이야기). The group also held their comeback showcase performance for Prelude on the same day.[27] On February 14, they performed a cover of Apink's "Luv" for the 100th episode of The Show.[28] From February 16, they also performed on M Countdown with the track "Wow". On February 26, they released "So You" as a digital single. On March 20, April held their second Japanese fan-meeting titled "[#April JAPAN FANMEETING 2017~April Story~]" at Shinagawa Intercity Hall, Tokyo.[29]
On April 4, they released the tennis-court-themed music video for the single "Sting", through the first episode of their reality program A-IF-Ril.[30] The program aired for five episodes.[31] On May 8, the group's second reality program of the year, April Secret, began airing on Naver TV.[32]
On May 29, April released their second single album, Mayday.[33] The music video for "Sting" was re-released under the title "Lovesick",[34] along with the title track "Mayday".[35] They performed "Lovesick" on M Countdown on June 22.[36]
On September 20, their fourth EP Eternity was released along with the title track "Take My Hand" .[37]
On October 18, it was announced that the group will hold their second Japanese solo concert titled "APRIL 2nd LIVE CONCERT IN JAPAN 2017 「DREAM LAND」 (Take My Hand)" on December 10, 2017.[38] The group also performed a concert in Korea on Christmas Day titled "2017 SPECIAL CHRISTMAS APRIL EVE".[39]
2018: The Blue, Japanese debut and The Ruby
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On January 30, 2018, DSP Media through the group's Twitter revealed the upcoming secret single set to release for February 7.[40] On January 31, the agency revealed that the single was to be part of a special unit album.[41][42] On February 1, it was revealed that the upcoming subunit consisting of members Jinsol and Naeun would release a song "My Story".[43][44]
On February 26, 2018, DSP Media confirms that April's full group comeback was set for March 12, with the group's fifth EP The Blue along with the title track "The Blue Bird" .[45]
On March 22, DSP Media announced that April was set to make its Japanese debut sometime during the following month.[46] The group made Japanese debut on April 25 with the releasing Japanese version of their 2016 single "Tinkerbell". The single also contains the Japanese version of the b-side track "Yes, sir!" as well as the instrumental version of both songs. The single was promoted through TV shows appearances and a series of fan-meetings in various cities of Japan.
On September 17, the news outlet OSEN released an exclusive report about APRIL making a fall comeback.[47] The reports were later confirmed by the group's youngest member Jinsol who revealed during an interview that the group was indeed preparing for a comeback.[48] On October 4, DSP Media confirmed that the group would come back with their sixth EP The Ruby. The album was released on October 16, along with the title track "Oh! My Mistake".[49][50]
2019—present: Japanese comeback, Da Capo, Hello Summer and forthcoming comeback
On January 16, 2019, April released the single "Oh-E-Oh (Japanese ver.)".[51] In the same month, they released "Magic Dream" for the television drama My Strange Hero.[52]
On March 11, 2020, DSP Media announced that April would postpone their March comeback to April 2020 amid the coronavirus concerns.[53] On April 10, it was revealed that April would make a comeback with their 7th EP titled Da Capo on April 22. According to DSP Media, "Da Capo" is a musical term which means "from the beginning".[54] On April 22, Da Capo and its title track "Lalalilala" were released. Da Capo peaked at number five on the Gaon Album Chart, while "Lalalilala" peaked at number 40 on the Gaon Digital Chart, becoming their highest charting releases to date.[55][56][57]
On July 14, 2020, DSP Media announced that April would make a summer comeback with the special single album Hello Summer on July 29, with the title track "Now or Never".[58]
Members
Former members
- Somin (소민)
- Hyunjoo (현주)
Discography
Filmography
Television
Year | Title | TV network |
---|---|---|
2015 | Here Goes April | Naver V Channel |
2016 | Daily APRIL | AfreecaTV |
2017 | A-IF-Ril | Mnet |
April Secret | Naver V Channel | |
Awards and nominations
Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brand of the Year Awards | 2020 | Rising Star Award - Female Group | April | Won | [59] |
Korean Entertainment Art Awards | 2016 | Female Rookie of the Year | Won | [60] | |
Gaon Chart Music Awards | 2016 | New Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
Seoul Music Awards | 2016 | Bonsang Award | Nominated | [61] | |
New Artist Award | Nominated | ||||
Popularity Award | Nominated | ||||
Hallyu Special Award | Nominated | ||||
2021 | Bonsang Award | Nominated | [62] | ||
K-wave Popular Award | Nominated | ||||
Popularity Award | Nominated | ||||
Korea Brand Awards | 2016 | Star of Tomorrow, Rising Star Award | Won | ||
Korean Culture & Entertainment Awards | 2017 | K-Pop Artist Award | Won | [63] | |
2018 | Won |
References
- 1theK (원더케이) (23 August 2015). "[MV] APRIL(에이프릴) _ Dream Candy(꿈사탕)". Retrieved 23 June 2017 – via YouTube.
- Lee, Jeong-ah. "'DSP 신인' 에이프릴, 데뷔일 전격 공개". Nate News. SK Communications. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
- Won, Ho-jung. "April debuts with hopeful song 'Dream Candy'". Kpop Herald. Korea Herald. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- "에이프릴 '팀명 의미, 최고의 사랑스런 소녀들'". 뉴스1 (in Korean). 2015-08-24. Retrieved 2019-06-09.
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- Bae, Jung-yun (2016-04-14). "April Releases Album Cover for ′Spring′". bntnews. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
- "에이프릴(APRIL) 2nd Mini Album 'Spring'". Melon. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
- Kim, Kyung-min (2016-05-12). "에이프릴 현주, 건강악화로 잠정 휴식 "4인 체재로 활동"". XSPORTSNEWS.
- Kim, Ji-yeon (2016-08-22). "April Successfully Completes 1st Anniversary Solo Concert". CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
- Pyo, Jae-min (2016-10-29). "에이프릴 현주, 탈퇴 후 연기 활동..DSP "멤버 충원" [공식입장]". OSEN. KoreaDaily. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
- "'Produce 101's Yoon Chae Kyung to join April as a new member! - allkpop.com". allkpop.com. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
- "April welcome 2 new members to the group! - allkpop.com". allkpop.com. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
- Choi, Seung-hae (2016-11-24). "April to Include Two New Members Chae Kyung and Rachel". CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
- Lim, Jeong-yeo (2016-12-21). "April to return with new members". The KPOP Herald. Retrieved 2016-12-24.
- Lee, Bora (2016-12-21). "April to Release First Album as 6 Member Group". CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 2016-12-24.
- Lim, Jeong-yeo (2016-12-26). "April's 'Prelude' showcase". K-Pop Herald. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
- "YouTube". youtube.com. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
- "April JAPAN FANMEETING 2017~April Story~ - チケットぴあ[イベント ショー・ファンイベントのチケッ". t.pia.jp. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
- "April surprise fans with an MV for 'Sting' - allkpop.com". allkpop.com. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
- 14, JiwonYu March; 2017 (14 March 2017). "APRIL's New Variety Show Reveals Title And Format Details". soompi.com. Retrieved 23 June 2017.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- (에이프릴), APRIL GLOBAL (15 May 2017). "[INFO] 'APRIL's Secret' videos are also uploaded on yangstarTV's official Youtube account. #APRIL #에이프릴 #에이프릴의_쉿크릿". twitter.com. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
- 15, C. Hong May; 2017 (15 May 2017). "Update: APRIL Reveals Preview Of Fun New Tracks From Single Album "MAYDAY"". soompi.com. Retrieved 23 June 2017.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- APRIL (29 May 2017). "[MV] APRIL(에이프릴) 따끔(Lovesick) Music Video". Retrieved 23 June 2017 – via YouTube.
- APRIL (29 May 2017). "[MV] APRIL(에이프릴) MAYDAY (메이데이) Music Video". Retrieved 23 June 2017 – via YouTube.
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- "新着情報 - April JAPAN OFFICIAL FANCLUB". aprilweb.jp. Archived from the original on 2019-05-26. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
- "『2017 Special Christmas April Eve』".
- https://mobile.twitter.com/APRIL_DSPmedia/status/957991735262511104
- "에이프릴, 2월 7일 스페셜 유닛 출격…베일 속 손의 주인공은?".
- "에이프릴, 데뷔 첫 유닛 출격…2명의 멤버는?".
- "에이프릴 나은X진솔, 스페셜 유닛 결성 '내 이야기'로 활동(공식)".
- https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/112/0002998709
- "에이프릴, 3월12일 'The Blue'로 컴백…고급스러운 분위기(공식)".
- "April is pretty in pink for their Japanese debut with 'Tinker Bell'".
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- "Alif K. on Twitter". Twitter.
- ""청정돌의 변신"…에이프릴, 16일 'the Ruby'로 가요계 컴백 [공식입장]".
- "에이프릴, 10월 16일 'the Ruby'로 컴백".
- "April release scheduler for second Japanese single 'Oh-e-Oh'". 2018-12-21.
- DOM (2019-01-15), [MV] APRIL (에이프릴) - Magic Dream 복수가 돌아왔다 OST Part.9 (My Strange Hero OST Part.9), retrieved 2019-06-09
- "[공식입장] 에이프릴, 코로나19 여파로 3월 컴백 연기". 뉴스1 (in Korean). 2020-03-12. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
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- 2020년 4월 Album Chart [April 2020 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved 7 May 2020.
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- "'올해의 브랜드 대상' 방탄소년단X강다니엘X싹쓰리···유재석 활약 눈길". Seoul Kyungje. September 28, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
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- "Seoul Music Awards Global (scroll to K-POP STAR 2015 [LIVE VOTE] and click "Main, Popular (Overseas) and Rookie" to reveal the nominees)". Seoul Music Awards. SportsSeoul. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
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- "APRIL in Korea Culture & Entertainment Awards".
External links
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