Hyukoh | |
|---|---|
 Hyukoh in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Seoul,South Korea |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | |
| Members |
|
Hyukoh (Korean:혁오) is a South Koreanindie band signed to DooRooDooRoo Artist Company. The band was formed in May 2014 and consists of leader, singer, and guitaristOh Hyuk, bassist Im Dong-geon, guitarist Lim Hyun-jae, and drummer Lee In-woo.[1]
Frontman Oh Hyuk was raised in several cities across northern China (Jilin,Shenyang andBeijing) for the first twenty years of his life due his parents' profession as university professors. Upon graduating high school in 2012, Oh moved to South Korea on his own to pursue music full-time despite his parents' strong opposition. Oh speaksMandarin Chinese,Korean andEnglish and his diverse cultural influences are directly reflected in Hyukoh's music, in which he infuses a mix of Korean, Mandarin Chinese and English lyrics.[citation needed]
Im Dong-geon, Lim Hyun-jae, and Lee In-woo joined Oh to form Hyukoh in 2014. Oh was previously producing music as a one-man band under the name Hyukoh, and the members eventually came together and took on the name as the current four-piece band. The members came together largely by chance: Oh had already worked with Lee in the past, and Lim attended high school with Lee. Oh was introduced to Im through a mutual acquaintance.[2][3]
On September 18, 2014, Hyukoh released their debut EP20, named after the band members' age at the time.[4] The band experienced moderate success in South Korea, often selling out small-scale venues and gaining a strong following inHongdae, an area in Seoul known for being the epicenter ofSouth Korea's indie music scene.[5]
Hyukoh gained mainstream popularity in 2015 after participating in the popular Korean variety programInfinite Challenge; they performed "Wonderful Barn" at Yeongdong Expressway Song Festival withJung Hyung-don.[6] Positive responses from critics and the public translated into their second EP22—named after the band members' age at the time—charting in the top ten of theBillboard World Albums Chart two months after its release.[citation needed]
On July 21, 2015, Hyukoh became the first act to sign with independent label HIGHGRND, a subsidiary of Korean media conglomerateYG Entertainment.[7] The following year, they represented Korean indie bands at Strawberry Music Festival in Shanghai and Beijing, performing on April 30 and May 2, 2016.[8] They also performed at theSummer Sonic music festival in Japan in August.[9]
The band released their first studio album,23, on April 24, 2017. The lead single, "Tomboy", placed second on theMelon digital chart and first onGenie,Bugs!, and Olleh's digital charts not long after its release. The album ranked sixth onBillboard' World Albums Chart in May. Following the release of23, the band went on their first world tour.[citation needed]
In June 2018, Hyukoh's song "Citizen Kane" was featured in a TV commercial byApple Inc. for theiPhone X smartphone.[10]
Hyukoh planned to begin touring in February 2020, with dates slated for shows in Seoul, Asia, Europe, and North America.[11][12] They were only able to fulfill appearances in Seoul and Japan before the pandemic struck, and the majority of the tour was eventually cancelled due toCOVID-19 travel restrictions.[13]
Im enlisted on April 20, 2021, in order to carry out hismandatory military service. He was seen off by family, friends, and his bandmates. The location of his training camp and time of entry were not publicized.[14]
Hyukoh has also been recognized for their attention to the band's visual aesthetic, ranging from their music videos to wardrobe choices. The band frequently works with photographer Han Dasom and videographer Jung Dawoon (DQM), who are members of the creative group Dadaism Club. They met in 2014.[2]
Oh has citedThe Beatles andThe Whitest Boy Alive as major influences in the band's musical style.[15]
Following their rise to fame, Hyukoh has faced multiple accusations of plagiarism. In 2015, internet users suggested that their song "Lonely" was derived from "1517" by German-Norwegian bandThe Whitest Boy Alive, while "Panda Bear" was compared to Yumi Zouma's "Dodi".[16] HIGHGRND released a statement on July 24 to address the rumors and stated that Hyukoh had received compliments on "Lonely" from The Whitest Boy Alive frontmanErlend Øye after performing the track as an opener for him while he visited Korea. The label also clarified that "Panda Bear" was released months before Yumi Zouma's "Dodi", making the suspected plagiarism impossible.[17] "Panda Bear" faced further accusations as a copy of American indie bandBeach Fossils's "Golden Age". These suspicions were furthered by a now-deletedtweet from Beach Fossils suggesting Hyukoh had mixed "Golden Age" to create "Panda Bear". Oh later posted a screenshot of this tweet to hisInstagram account refuting the claims.[18]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [20] | JPN [21] | US World [22] | |||
| 23 |
Track listing
| 5 | 106 | 6 | |
| AAA (withSunset Rollercoaster) |
Track listing
| 18 | — | — |
|
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [26] | |||
| AAA Live (withSunset Rollercoaster) |
| 47 |
|
| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [20] | JPN [21] | US World [22] | |||
| 20 |
Track listing
| — | 130 | — |
|
| 22 |
Track listing
| 9 | 112 | 4 | |
| 24 |
Track listing
| 12 | — | — |
|
| Through Love |
Track listing
| 8 | — | — |
|
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||||
| Title | Year | Peak positions | Sales | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [32] | ||||
| "Wi Ing Wi Ing" (위잉위잉) | 2014 | 1 |
| 20 |
| "Panda Bear" | 2015 | 95 |
| Non-album single |
| "Comes and Goes (와리가리)" | 1 |
| 22 | |
| "Tomboy" | 2017 | 2 |
| 23 |
| "Leather Jacket" (가죽자켓) | 16 |
| ||
| "Love Ya!" | 2018 | 46 | — | 24 |
| "Help" | 2020 | 117 | Through Love | |
| "Young Man" (with Sunset Rollercoaster) | 2024 | 140 | AAA |
| Title | Year | Peak positions | Sales | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [32] | ||||
| "Ohio" | 2014 | 29 |
| 20 |
| "Lonely" | 91 |
| ||
| "I Have No Hometown" | — |
| ||
| "Feels Like Roller Coaster Ride" | — |
| ||
| "Our Place" | — |
| ||
| "Bamboo" | 2015 | — |
| Non-album single |
| "Hooka" | 10 |
| 22 | |
| "Big Bird (큰새)" | 37 |
| ||
| "Gondry (공드리)" | 41 |
| ||
| "Settled Down" | 83 |
| ||
| "Mer" | 86 |
| ||
| "Die Alone" | 2017 | 36 |
| 23 |
| "Tokyo Inn" | 41 |
| ||
| "Paul" | 61 |
| ||
| "Burning Youth" | 64 |
| ||
| "2002WorldCup" | 65 |
| ||
| "Jesus Lived In A Motel Room" | 68 |
| ||
| "Wanli" (Wanli万里) | 79 |
| ||
| "Surf Boy" | 80 |
| ||
| "Reserved Seat" (지정석) | 84 |
| ||
| "Simon" | 86 |
|
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Wi Ing Wi Ing (위잉위잉)" | 2014 | 20 |
| "Panda Bear" | 2015 | 22 |
| "Comes and Goes (와리가리)" | ||
| "Hooka" | ||
| "Gondry" | ||
| "Leather Jacket (가죽자켓)" | 2017 | 23 |
| "Tomboy" | ||
| "Wanli (Wanli万里)" |
From February 26, 2019 to March 15, 2019 : European Tour《24: how to find true love and happiness》
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(February 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient/Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 7thMelon Music Awards | Top 10 Artists | Hyukoh | Won |
| Artist of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Album of the Year | 22 | Nominated | ||
| Song of the Year | "Comes and Goes" | Nominated | ||
| 17thMnet Asian Music Awards | Best Band Performance | Hyukoh | Nominated | |
| UnionPay Song of the Year | "Comes and Goes" | Nominated | ||
| Naver Yearly Ranking | Most Downloaded Song | "Wi ing Wi ing" | Won | |
| 2016 | 25thSeoul Music Awards | Performance Culture Award | Hyukoh | Won |
| 30thGolden Disc Awards | Best Rock Band Award | Won | ||
| 5thGaon Chart K-Pop Awards | Discovery of the Year (Indie) | Won | ||
| Popular Singer of the Year[38] | Nominated | |||
| 13thKorean Music Awards | Song of the Year | "Comes and Goes" | Nominated | |
| Artist of the Year | Hyukoh | Nominated | ||
| Newcomer of the Year | Won | |||
| Best Modern Rock Album | 22 | Nominated | ||
| Best Modern Rock Song | "Comes and Goes" | Won | ||
| Netizen's Artist of the Year | Hyukoh | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | Top 10 Artists | Nominated | ||
| Best Band Performance | Won | |||
| 2018 | Best Rock Band Award | Won | ||
| 15thKorean Music Awards | Musician of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Song of the Year | "Tomboy" | Won | ||
| Album of the Year | 23 | Nominated | ||
| Best Modern Rock Album | Won | |||
| Best Modern Rock Song | "Tomboy" | Won | ||
| MBC Plus X Genie Music Awards[39][40] | Song of the Year | "Love Ya!" | Nominated | |
| Band Music Award | Nominated | |||
| Genie Music Popularity Award | Hyukoh | Nominated | ||
| 2020 | Mnet Asian Music Awards[41] | Best Band Performance | Nominated | |
| Song of the Year | "Help" | Nominated | ||
| Worldwide Fans’ Choice | Nominated |
