f(x) | |
|---|---|
_01.jpg) f(x) performing at Jeju K-pop Festival in October 2015 From left to right: Victoria, Krystal, Amber, and Luna | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Seoul, South Korea |
| Genres | |
| Years active |
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| Labels | |
| Members | |
| Past members | Sulli |
| Website | f(x) Japan website |
f(x) (/ˌɛf.ˈɛks/;Korean: 에프엑스;RR: Epeuekseu) is a South Koreangirl group, consisting ofVictoria,Amber,Luna,Krystal, and previouslySulli until her departure from the group in August 2015. Formed bySM, f(x) officially debuted in September 2009 with the release of the digital single "La Cha Ta".
Their debut studio album,Pinocchio (2011), and their two extended playsNu Abo andElectric Shock produced three number-one singles on South Korea'sGaon Digital Chart. Their acclaimed second studio album,Pink Tape (2013), was the onlyK-pop album on US music channelFuse's "41 Best Albums of 2013",[1] the onlyidol album to be featured in Korean critics' definitive list of "Top 100 Classic Albums of All Time",[2] and was named "Greatest K-pop Album of the 2010s" byBillboard.[3] The group's third and fourth albums,Red Light (2014) and4 Walls (2015), were commercially successful and well received by music critics. Following the release of theSM Station single "All Mine" in 2016, the group halted group promotions and the members have embarked on individual music, acting, and modelling careers. In August 2019, f(x) officially reunited as a three-piece (without Victoria) and performed at the three-nightSM Town Live 2019 in Tokyo concert. As of 2025, f(x) has been removed from the artist section on the official SM Entertainment website.
Known for their eclectic,electropop-based sound, f(x) is one of the first few recognized K-pop groups internationally, becoming the first K-pop act to perform atSXSW. In 2017,Billboard ranked f(x) at number seven on their "Top 10 K-pop Girl Groups of the Past Decade" list.[4]
f(x) is used as the notation forfunctions in mathematics. It is used to symbolize their various activities, based on the various talents and attractiveness of the members, like a function in which the output or results change depending on the input value of x. In addition, "f" symbolizes flower and "x" symbolizes 'X' on the female chromosome XX which, taken together, symbolizes "flower reminiscent of women".[5]
Krystal was scouted by SM Entertainment in 2000 while on a family visit to Korea, along with her sisterJessica (who would go on to be a member ofGirls' Generation). She subsequently appeared in a small role inShinhwa's music video for the song "Wedding March" ("너의 곁에서 2").[6][7]Sulli was a child actress, making her first television appearance in 2005 as the youngPrincess Seonhwa of Silla inSBS'sBallad of Seodong.[8]Luna was recruited by SM following her 2006 appearance on the reality television programTruth Game.[9]Victoria was scouted through a Beijing dance competition in September 2007 after winning first place.[10] In 2008,Amber was cast through S.M. Global Auditions inLos Angeles, California.[citation needed]
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SM introduced an upcoming girl group f(x) as a "Asia Pop Dance Group" with its goal the group focused on pop dance group.[11][12][13] Their debut single "La Cha Ta" was released on September 1, with a showcase held the following day at Samseong Fashion Center inGangnam.[14] The group's broadcast debut was on September 5, onMBC'sMusic Core.[15] Shortly after their debut, f(x) featured in promotions of theLG Chocolate cell phone alongsideGirls' Generation. Both groups released versions of the song "Chocolate Love"; f(x)'s being an electropop version released on October 8. They also released their first physical single, "Chu~♡", on November 9.[16][17] A month later, the group appeared as special guests at Girls' Generation'sInto The New World concert at theOlympic Fencing Gymnasium,Seoul.
At the start of 2010, f(x) collaborated with the Chinese boy bandM.I.C. to promote theLG Cyon cell phone, releasing a Chinese cover of "Lollipop". In April they appeared in their documentary reality programme,Hello f(x).[18] On May 4, the group released their first extended play,Nu ABO.[19][20] The lead single "Nu ABO" was a commercial success in Korea and become anumber-one single on theGaon Chart. In June, Amber went on hiatus due to an ankle injury, while the remaining members continued group activities without her for the remainder of the year. They promoted the single "Mr Boogie" as a follow-up single from their EP and participated in theSMTown Live '10 World Tour, as well as filming their second documentary reality show,f(x)'s Koala. Towards the end of 2010 it was announced that f(x)'s albums would be distributed under Japanese label Avex Entertainment in Japan, Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong. Amber returned to the group in early 2011.
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f(x) released their first full-length studio albumPinocchio in April 2011, with the lead single "Pinocchio (Danger)". The single peaked at number one on the Gaon digital single chart, and the group went on to take eight music show wins. On June 14,Pinocchio was re-released under the titleHot Summer. The repackaged album contained the title track "Hot Summer" (a remake of aMonrosesong produced byThomas Troelsen andRemee), as well as three previously released digital singles: "LA chA TA", "Chu~♡", and "Is It Ok?".[21] "Hot Summer" peaked at #2 on the Gaon digital single chart and was downloaded over 375,000 times in the week of release. The song went on to become one of the most successful singles of 2011 in South Korea, selling 2,909,384 copies by the end of the year. In August, the group released a song called "Garagabana" for the gameBust-a-Move and in December they released a song in English, titled "1, 2, 3", as part of the2011 Winter SMTown – The Warmest Gift album.
The group released their second EPElectric Shock on June 10, 2012.[22] It was met with critical acclaim and they achieved nine music show wins with the title track"Electric Shock". In November, the group won the 'Best Dance Performance - Female Group' award for "Electric Shock" at the2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards inHong Kong. In January 2013, two songs from the EP, "Electric Shock" and "Jet", were nominated for 'Best Dance and Electronic Song' at the10th Annual Korean Music Awards, with "Electric Shock" going on to win the award.[23][24]
In 2013, f(x) was awarded the Digital Bonsang award at theGolden Disk Awards andSeoul Music Awards, as well as the "MBC Music Star Award" at theMelon Music Awards. In March they became the first K-pop artists to perform atSXSW inAustin, Texas.[25] During their visit to the US, the group collaborated with actressAnna Kendrick for a comedy skit forFunny Or Die. On July 29, the group released their second full-length albumPink Tape with the lead single "Rum Pum Pum Pum", and held a showcase titled "f(x) Music Spoiler - Play! Pink Tape" throughNaver Music. The album was a success both in Korea and the US, peaking at number one onBillboard's K-pop Hot 100 and World Albums Charts[26] and the Gaon Albums Chart.[27][28] It was the only Korean album to appear onFuse's "41 Best Albums of 2013".[1] A track from the album,Airplane, was also ranked third onBillboard's "20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2013".[29]
In 2014, the group won the "Group Artist" award at the 20th Korean Entertainment Arts Awards, the "Disk Bonsang" at the 28thGolden Disk Awards, and the "Best Overseas Artist Performance" award at the Yin Yue Feng Yun Bang Awards in China. On July 7, they released their third studio album,Red Light, with the electronic house title track of the same name. The music video gained 2 million views on YouTube within a day[30] and was again well-received overseas.[31][32] Shortly after the album was released, it was announced that Sulli was unable to perform with the group for health reasons, and that she would be taking a temporary hiatus.[33]
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On July 22, 2015, f(x) released a Japanese physical single album,Summer Special Pinocchio / Hot Summer, which debuted at #23 onOricon's weekly chart.[34] In August, it was announced that Sulli had officially left the group to focus on acting.[35] The remaining four members continued as a group, releasing their fourth studio album,4 Walls, in October. The album sold 66,000 copies upon its first week of release and was well received by critics.[36] To promote the album's release, the group starred in a web reality program titledf(x)=1cm.[37] In December, they released the single "12:25 (Wish List)" as part of S.M Entertainment's Christmas project,Winter Garden. At the year-end 2015Mnet Asian Music Awards, f(x) performed withPet Shop Boys, and won the 'Global Fans Choice' award.[38]
In January 2016, the group won the Disk Bonsang award at the 2016Golden Disk Awards and commenced their first concert tour,Dimension 4 – Docking Station, inSeoul which continued with six concerts in Japan in February. On January 31, they announced their official fan club name,MeU.[39][40] On July 22, 2016, f(x) released a new single,"All Mine", through theSM Station project.[41][unreliable source] The song was accompanied by a music video, directed and edited by Amber.[42][unreliable source] On November 2, 2016, f(x) released their second Japanese physical single album,4 Walls / Cowboy, including a Japanese version of "4 Walls", along with a new song titled "Cowboy", which was performed live on the same day at the group's encore concert inYokohama.[43] On October 16, the music video for "Electric Shock" surpassed 100 million views on YouTube, making f(x) the third Korean girl group, and sixth Korean group overall to reach this milestone.[44][unreliable source]
In an interview with Krystal on January 19, 2018, she stated that the members frequently discussed making a comeback but timing never worked out.[45][46][47]
In August 2019, f(x) officially reunited and performed together at the three-nightSM Town Live 2019 in Tokyo concert as a three-piece (without Victoria).[48] On September 1, Amber announced via her social media accounts that she had not renewed her contract with SM Entertainment.[49] On September 5, SM Entertainment shared that Luna had also not renewed her contract with the company; Victoria also announced her departure from SM on her Instagram, but SM instead reported that Victoria's contract with them was still under discussion.[50] Victoria was eventually reported to remain in SM in some capacity.[51]
On October 12, 2020, it was announced that Krystal had officially left SM, and had signed an exclusive contract with H& Entertainment.[52]
On April 9, 2021, SM announced Victoria's contract with them had expired.[53] On April 23, during a review video of her activities from debut to present, Luna expressed confusion over f(x) being referred to in the past tense, stating that the group had not yet disbanded.[54][55]
In an industry focused more on mini-albums, f(x)'s discography leaned more towards full-length studio albums, releasing four internationally acclaimed albums during their time as a group. In 2015, while reviewing4 Walls, American music magazineSpin called f(x) the "world's greatest living pop group" at the time.[56] In 2017,Billboard ranked f(x) at number seven on their "Top 10 K-pop Girl Groups of the Past Decade" list.[4]
"Rum Pum Pum Pum" and "4 Walls" were both included onBillboard's "The 100 Greatest K-pop Songs of the 2010s" staff list, at numbers 33 and 9, respectively.Billboard also noted that "Ice Cream Cake" represents a baton pass from f(x) toRed Velvet as the best idol group alive, meaning that f(x) was the former holder of the title.[57]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | I Am - SM Town Live World Tour in Madison Square Garden | Themselves | Biographical film |
| 2015 | SMTown: The Stage |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Hello f(x) | Travelled in Africa, Thailand and Japan. |
| 2010–2011 | f(x) Koala | Travelled in Los Angeles, Tokyo and other world-famous cities. Amber was not present due to her ankle injury. |
| 2013 | Go! f(x) | |
| Amazing f(x) | Travelled in New Zealand. | |
| 2015 | f(x)=1 cm | First reality show after Sulli's departure |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Korean Music Awards: Group Musician of the Year 2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | 14th Mnet Asian Music Awards—Best Female Dance Performance 2012 | Succeeded by |
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