Hello Venus (Korean: 헬로비너스; often stylized as HELLOVENUS) was a South Koreangirl group formed by Tricell Media (formerly ajoint venture betweenPledis Entertainment andFantagio). The group originally consisted of: Alice,Nara, Lime,Yooara, Yoonjo andYooyoung. They debuted with the lead single "Venus" from their debutextended playof the same name on 9 May 2012. In July 2014, Fantagio and Pledis ended their Tricell Media joint ventures. Yooara and Yoonjo remained underPledis, with the other four members continuing their group activities underFantagio.[1][2] In October 2014, Fantagio introduced two new members: Seoyoung and Yeoreum. The group officially disbanded in 2019, after all the members' contracts expired. The group is most notable for songs such as: "Sticky Sticky", "Wiggle Wiggle" and "I'm Ill".
Pledis Entertainment collaborated with Fantagio Entertainment, an acting agency, for Hello Venus' showcase in April.[3]Yoo Ara and Yoonjo were trainees ofAfter School, both having performed on their first albumVirgin and were originally intended to join the group.[4] Yoo Ara, along with fellow Pledis trainees Kim Kyungmin and Nicole Yi, were the final three candidates to become After School's ninth member, but Noh Yi Young (now known as E-Young) was chosen instead. Lime was in the pre-debut line-up of a girl group called Viva Girls under Medialine Entertainment alongsideNine Muses memberGyeongree.[5][unreliable source?] However, the group disbanded, and the members left the company.
Lime was a backup dancer forChae Yeon.[5][unreliable source?] She was also a rapper inLee Jung's "들어봐 (Look At Me)"[6] and Honey Family's "역전의 드라마 (Reversal of Drama)"[7] under the nameHaley.
Alice was previously a solo singer under the stage name of "Ora" and released the single "Naughty Face" in 2010. On 1 May 2018, it was announced that she had sued her former company for not giving her proper training and allegedly trying to force her to wear revealing outfits and perform in adult entertainment venues. The company argued that Alice had violated her contract and not carried out her schedule, but a judge ruled in Alice's favour, saying that the company could not provide any evidence to back up their claims.[8][9]
The group was originally a seven-member line-up; consisting of the Alice,Nara, Yoo Ara, Nicole, Yoonjo, Lime, andYooyoung. however, Nicole departed Pledis shortly before Hello Venus's debut.[10]
2012–2013: Debut withVenus,What Are You Doing Today? andWould You Stay for Tea?
Hello Venus first became known under the name Venus. On 17 April, Hello Venus was officially announced with a teaser image, along with the opening of an official website. The final group had six members, containing two members from Pledis: Yoo Ara and Yoonjo, and four members from Fantagio: Alice, Nara, Lime and Yooyoung. Hello Venus release their debut mini album,Venus on 9 May 2012, with a total of four tracks including the lead single of the same name.[11]
Hello Venus continue to release new digital single,Like a Wave on 4 July 2012. The single was a part of re-release their debut mini album,Venus.[12]
Hello Venus' second extended playWhat Are You Doing Today? was released on 12 December. The album contains five tracks, with the lead single of the same name.[13]
Promotions for "What Are You Doing Today?" concluded on 27 January, however on 30 January, Tricell Media announced that the group would begin promoting their follow-up song, "Romantic Love" immediately, with the first performance onMBC Music'sShow Champion the same day.[14]
Hello Venus in 2013
Hello Venus released their third extended playWould You Stay for Tea? on 2 May 2013, with a total of four tracks including the lead single of the same name.[15] The following day, Tricell Media announced that the group will hold their first solo concert at Sogang University's Mary Hall on 22 June.[16]
It was announced on 31 July via Hello Venus' official Daum café that Pledis and Fantagio had decided to end the Hello Venus project. Alice, Nara, Lime, and Yooyoung would continue to promote as Hello Venus, while Yoo Ara and Yoonjo would return to Pledis, pursuing careers in acting and continue their careers in music. The remaining members would work on releasing a new album and would also be venturing into acting. Hello Venus was then managed solely by Fantagio.[1]
On 16 September, the group's agency announced that they are scheduled to have a comeback sometime in the fall. The comeback was reported to be in collaboration with theBrave Brothers, as well as introducing a new member to the group.[17] On 22 October, Fantagio introduced two new members: Seoyoung and Yeoreum, and announced that the group would be making their comeback with a single in the following month.[18] A music video teaser for their upcoming single "Sticky Sticky" was released on 31 October, featuring all the members in a sexy concept. The song and music video was released on 6 November 2014.[19]
On 20 December 2014, Fantagio announced the group would have a comeback with their fifth digital single, "Wiggle Wiggle", produced by Brave Brothers. On 23 December 2014, the first teaser video was released. On 2 January 2015, Fantagio posted the first teaser images of the members. The official music video was released on 8 January 2015. The group released their fifth mini album,I'm Ill, on 22 July 2015, promoting the song of the same name.[20][21]
2016–2019: Devine Channel collaboration,Mystery of Venus, and disbandment
On 5 May 2016 Fantagio announced that the group will have a comeback with a digital single called "Glow". The song is a collaboration with producing and writing team Devine Channel. On 6 May 2016 Fantagio posted the first teaser images of members, Nara, Yeoreum and Seoyoung. On 7 May 2016 Fantagio posted the second teaser images of members, Alice,Yooyoung and Lime. On 10 May, "Glow" was released as a digital single.[22]
On 10 July, Fantagio announced that the group will be releasing a second collaboration song with Devine Channel, called "Paradise".[23] The song was officially released on 18 July as a digital download and a music video for the song was released on the same day.[24]
On 1 November, "Runway" was released as the final collaboration single with Devine Channel.[25]
On 29 December 2016 it was reported that the group will be making a comeback with a mini-album on 11 January 2017.Mystery of Venus was released on 11 January 2017, in conjunction with the music video for the title track "Mysterious".[26][27]
On 26 April 2019, it was confirmed that the group will disband after the members' contracts expired on 8 May 2019.[28]
In October 2012, five months after their debut, Hello Venus became endorsement models for Bugs 3.0, a smartphone music application from Neowiz Internet.[29]
^헬로비너스, 후속곡 '로맨틱 러브'로 '팬심 사냥' 출격.asiae.co.kr (in Korean). The Asia Economy Daily. 18 April 2014.Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved30 October 2014.
^'여신돌' 헬로비너스, 생애 첫 '단독 콘서트' 개최.asiae.co.kr (in Korean). The Asia Economy Daily. 3 May 2013.Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved30 October 2014.
^2012년 Download Chart [2012 Download Chart].Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). p. 3. Archived fromthe original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved26 November 2017.
^2012년 07월 Download Chart [July 2012 Download Chart].Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). p. 2. Archived fromthe original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved5 January 2020.
^Cumulative sales for "What Are You Doing Today?":
2013년 01월 Download Chart [January 2013 Download Chart].Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). p. 2. Archived fromthe original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved26 November 2017.
2013년 02월 Download Chart [February 2013 Download Chart].Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). p. 3. Archived fromthe original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved26 November 2017.
^2013년 Download Chart [2013 Download Chart].Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). p. 4. Archived fromthe original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved26 November 2017.
^2014년 11월 Download Chart [November 2014 Download Chart].Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). p. 2. Archived fromthe original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved26 November 2017.
2015년 04주차 Download Chart (국내) [4th week of 2015 Download Chart (Domestic)].Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). p. 2. Archived fromthe original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved26 November 2017.
2015년 32주차 Download Chart [32nd week of 2015 Download Chart].Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). p. 2. Archived fromthe original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved26 November 2017.
2015년 33주차 Download Chart [33rd week of 2015 Download Chart].Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). p. 3. Archived fromthe original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved26 November 2017.
^2016년 20주차 Download Chart [20th week of 2016 Download Chart].Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). p. 2. Archived fromthe original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved26 November 2017.
^2016년 30주차 Download Chart [30th week of 2016 Download Chart].Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). p. 2. Archived fromthe original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved26 November 2017.
^Venus (photobook). Hello Venus. South Korea: Windmill Media. 2012. Credits. 0121.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"오늘뭐해? MV".Digipedi Studios.Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved27 March 2014.
^난 예술이야 (photobook). Hello Venus. South Korea: Windmill ENT. 2015. Credit.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^*Arrici Cinematography (Digipedi) (26 May 2016)."hellovenus - 빛이 내리면". Vimeo.Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved24 February 2017.
Arrici Cinematography (Digipedi) (23 August 2016)."HelloVenus - Paradise". Vimeo.Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved24 February 2017.
^Mystery of Venus (photobook). Hello Venus. South Korea: Windmill ENT. 2017. Credits.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Lee, Mi-hwa (10 July 2013)."헬로비너스 'SICAF 홍보대사로 위촉 됐어요~'".NewDaily (in Korean).Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved10 February 2019.
^Song, Jae-won (19 November 2013).헬로비너스, 2013 아동학대 예방의 날 홍보대사 위촉!.Asia Kyungje (in Korean).Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved10 February 2019.
^Gil, Hye-seong (13 February 2013)."헬로비너스, 2회 가온차트K팝어워드 女그룹 신인상".Star News (in Korean).Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved5 February 2019.
