Dreamcatcher (group)

Dreamcatcher (group)
Dreamcatcher (formerly known as MINX; also stylized as Dream Catcher) is a South Korean girl group formed by Happyface Entertainment (now Dreamcatcher Company). The group consists of seven members: JiU, SuA, Siyeon, Handong, Yoohyeon, Dami and Gahyeon. They made their official debut on January 13, 2017, with the single album Nightmare.
Dreamcatcher originally debuted under the name MINX with a five-member line-up of JiU, SuA, Siyeon, Yoohyeon, and Dami. In November 2016, the group announced that they would re-debut in 2017 under the new name Dreamcatcher, with two new members Handong and Gahyeon, as well as a darker concept with a non-mainstream music style to stand out from other K-pop girl groups.
Dreamcatcher has come to be known as "The Face of Rock in K-pop" and their music has been praised for its distinctive sound with elements of rock and metal. The group has developed a stronger international rather than domestic popularity and a reputation for touring overseas often.
Career
2014–2016: MINX
Under the name Minx, the group held their first live performance at the Oak Valley Summertime Festival on August 9, 2014, where they performed two original songs: "Action" and "Why Did You Come To My Home". On September 15, Happyface Entertainment officially announced their new girl group. Three days later, Minx released their debut digital single "Why Did You Come to My Home", and made their official music show debut on M Countdown on the same day. That December, they released a holiday single, a cover of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" with girl group and labelmate Dal Shabet.
In July 2015, Minx released their first and only EP Love Shake, with a lead single of the same name. The single was promoted as a "joyous song" that "goes well with summer", a remake of the song "Love Shake" from Dal Shabet's Bang Bang album.
In November 2016, after a year of limited activity, Happyface Entertainment revealed that Minx would re-debut under the name Dreamcatcher with two additional members, Handong and Gahyeon. In a later interview, CEO Lee Joowon said that he believed Minx had failed because there were too many K-pop girl groups promoting at that time with a similar "cute" concept and music style. He explained that Dreamcatcher was intended to have a "girl group style that didn’t exist in Korea, a girl group concept that didn’t happen very often" and that the point of launching Dreamcatcher would be to do "what others won't do."
2017: Re-debut as Dreamcatcher and start of Nightmare series
On January 13, 2017, the group re-debuted as Dreamcatcher with the release of their single album Nightmare. Its lead single "Chase Me" is described as a "young metal number based on a rock sound," steering away completely from Minx's former musical style. On the same day, Dreamcatcher made their music show debut at Music Bank with "Chase Me".
On April 5, Dreamcatcher released their second single album Fall Asleep in the Mirror
with metal-rock lead single "Good Night". The fan showcase for the album sold out in three minutes. The song was later covered by all-female rock band Rolling Quartz in 2022.
Dreamcatcher released their first EP, Prequel, on July 27, with the lead single "Fly High", a "dramatic song with powerful guitar sounds that opens with a beautiful piano melody". Album tracks maintain their signature rock sound, with inspirations also drawn from the drum and bass genre. The album debuted at number five on the Billboard World Albums Chart.
On August 5, Dreamcatcher performed at the Jeonju Ultimate Music Festival (JUMF), marking their first rock festival attendance with a live band-backed 30-minute set.
In September 2017, Dreamcatcher embarked on their first world tour, beginning with their "Fly High Concert in Japan". The group performed in Osaka on September 26, and in Tokyo on October 9.
On October 3, Happyface Entertainment announced Dreamcatcher's participation in JTBC survival show Mix Nine. By December 10 however, despite JiU's top 9 ranking in the show, Happyface Entertainment announced that all members participating in the show would leave due to a schedule conflict with their tour in Brazil.
From December 1-9, Dreamcatcher held their first tour in Brazil as part of their "Fly High" world tour. All 1,600 seats for fan signing events across four Brazilian cities had sold out within ten minutes.
On December 8, Dreamcatcher announced a seven-stop tour in Europe in February 2018 as part of their "Fly High" world tour. Happyface Entertainment announced on December 28 that Dreamcatcher would hold a fan meeting on January 13, 2018, to celebrate the first anniversary of their debut with fans. All tickets to the fan meeting sold out in under one minute after sales opened to public on January 2.
Towards the end of the year, Dreamcatcher received critical acclaim from music critics worldwide for their unique sound that incorporated influences of rock and metal music. "Chase Me" placed at number 19 on Billboards Best K-Pop Songs of 2017: Critics' Picks, and Dreamcatcher was listed number three on Billboard's Best New K-Pop Acts in 2017.
2018–2019: Rising success, first world tour and international recognition
On January 4, 2018, Happyface Entertainment revealed that Dreamcatcher would release a new digital single dedicated to fans in celebration of their first anniversary, composed by Ollounder (오종훈) and Leez (이수민), who also composed Dreamcatcher's previous lead singles "Chase Me" and "Good Night". The digital single "Full Moon" was released alongside a promotional video on January 12. The single peaked number 16 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart. On January 13, Dreamcatcher held their first anniversary fan meeting at the Mary Hall Grand Theatre at Sogang University, where they performed "Full Moon" for the first time.
In February, Dreamcatcher became the first K-pop girl group to complete a tour of major European cities. The European leg of the "Fly High World Tour" ran from February 14 to February 25, visiting London, Lisbon, Madrid, Amsterdam, Berlin, Warsaw, and Paris.
On March 10, Dreamcatcher held their first domestic solo concert in Seoul, titled "Welcome to the Dream World". At the concert, the group also announced their official fandom name to be "InSomnia", with the meaning of "in dreams".
On May 10, Dreamcatcher released their second EP, Escape the Era. Lead single "You and I" is described as a "metal rock song with orchestral melodies", while album tracks fall within genres ranging from synth pop to metal ballad. Escape the Eras Outside and Inside versions ranked numbers one and three, respectively, on Hanteo's album chart and peaked at number three on Gaon and number one on China's Yinyuetai. It debuted on the Billboard World Albums Chart at number seven.
On June 21, Dreamcatcher held their "Welcome to the Dream World in Taipei" concert in Taiwan, starting their second world tour. On July 14, Dreamcatcher held two concerts in Tokyo, Japan as part of their "Welcome to the Dream World" world tour. The next day, Dreamcatcher signed with Japanese record label Pony Canyon to make their Japanese debut in the fall.
On July 27, Dreamcatcher embarked on the Latin American leg of their "Welcome to the Dream World" world tour. The tour ran from July 27 to August 5, with stops in Buenos Aires, Santiago, Lima, Bogota and Panama City. On August 12, Dreamcatcher made their first appearance in the United States, performing at KCON 2018 in Los Angeles.
Their third EP, Alone in the City, was released on September 20, led by title track "What", a song with 'symphony and rock sounds.' On October 5, it was announced that Dreamcatcher would debut in Japan in November with a Japanese version of their single "What", scheduled for release on November 21. On October 20, Yoohyeon made her debut as a runway model for BNB12 at Seoul Fashion Week 2019 S/S.
On February 13, 2019, Dreamcatcher released their fourth EP, The End of Nightmare, the final chapter in the Nightmare series. Lead single "PIRI" incorporates a repeating melody line from its namesake musical instrument. On the same day, Happyface Entertainment announced that they had changed their name to Dreamcatcher Company, in a sign of more support for Dreamcatcher. The End of Nightmare debuted on the Billboard World Albums Chart at number six.
From March to May 2019, Dreamcatcher went on the Asia leg of their "Invitation from Nightmare City" tour, announced to be held in Jakarta, Manila, Singapore, Seoul, and Japanese cities Tokyo and Kobe. However, due to undisclosed reasons, the concert stop in Jakarta was later canceled; instead, a short fan meeting was held. In July, additional shows for Melbourne, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur were announced, set to take place from late August to early September. The Melbourne stop was unfortunately cancelled the day before the concert due to a fire occurring at the venue. The Sydney and Kuala Lumpur stops were held successfully.
On September 11, Dreamcatcher released their first Japanese studio album titled The Beginning of The End, which included Japanese versions of most of their previous Korean singles and three Japanese tracks. The music video for lead single "Breaking Out" was released two days prior to the album release.
Siyeon finished runner-up in tvN vocal competition show V-1, which aired from September 13-15.
On September 18, Dreamcatcher released special EP Raid of Dream. Lead single "Deja Vu" is an orchestral rock song, released in collaboration with RPG mobile game King's Raid. A Japanese version of the song was also uploaded simultaneously. Raid of Dream was listed number nine on Billboard'''s The 25 Best K-pop Albums of 2019: Critics’ Picks.
After "Deja Vu" promotions, Dreamcatcher embarked on the European leg of their "Invitation from Nightmare City" world tour from October 24 to November 7, visiting London, Milan, Berlin, Warsaw, Paris, Amsterdam, and Helsinki. This was the group's second European tour. Thereafter, as part of the same world tour, the group also held their first ever tour in the United States from December 6 to December 15, visiting Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Orlando, and Jersey City. Handong was absent from both Europe and America tours due to at the time unspecified reasons, later revealed to be her participation in Youth With You.
2020–2021: Handong's temporary absence, Dystopia trilogy and breakthrough
On February 18, Dreamcatcher released their first full-length Korean studio album, Dystopia: The Tree of Language, along with the music video for the up-tempo EDM-rock title track "Scream". The album was later named by Time magazine as one that defined K-pop's year in 2020 and Dreamcatcher's "best release yet". It ranked 15th on NME's "The 25 best Asian albums of 2020", which also lauds the group as 'masters of chameleonic pop'. "Scream" also placed number 6 on Dazed's "The 40 best K-pop songs of 2020" and number 32 on Paper's "The 40 Best K-pop Songs of 2020".
Dreamcatcher's third Japanese single, "Endless Night", was released on March 11, after its official music video was released a week earlier via Pony Canyon's YouTube channel.
On March 12, Dreamcatcher announced support for Handong's participation in the Chinese idol-producing show Youth With You.
From March 20, Dreamcatcher held a two-week-long follow-up promotion to "Scream" with "Black or White", a Michael Jackson-inspired track from their first studio album.
As part of an ongoing collaboration with MyMusicTaste, Dreamcatcher performed a six-member concert, called "Global Streaming Into The Night & Dystopia", on July 4, the group's first online concert for a global audience. On July 8, Siyeon released the OST track "Good Sera" for the drama Memorials, her second after her Love & Secret OST collaboration "Two of Us" in 2014.
On July 15, Dreamcatcher released epic orchestral rock song "R.o.S.E BLUE", an OST collaboration for the mobile shooting game Girl Cafe Gun.
On August 17, Dreamcatcher released their fifth EP Dystopia: Lose Myself, the second installment of the "Dystopia" series, which became their then best selling album by a wide margin as well as their first release to surpass 100,000 sales. Lead single "Boca", which means 'mouth' in Spanish, is a moombahton rock song that warns against irresponsible words that could hurt others.
On October 16, after her return from China was delayed by circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Handong officially rejoined the group and released her solo debut song, "First Light of Dawn", on October 19.
On November 7, Dreamcatcher held their second online concert, named "Dystopia: Seven Spirits", the group's first solo concert since Handong's return.
On November 9, Dreamcatcher officially joined the social media platform Weverse. On November 20, Dreamcatcher released their fourth Japanese single "No More". On November 21, Siyeon released her third OST track "No Mind" for the drama Get Revenge. On November 27, Dreamcatcher announced that they would be performing the opening theme song for anime television series King's Raid: Successors of the Will, titled "Eclipse", their second time collaborating with the King's Raid franchise following "Deja Vu".
On January 26, 2021, Dreamcatcher made their comeback with their sixth EP and the final installment of the "Dystopia" series, Dystopia: Road to Utopia, led by nu-metal single "Odd Eye". Dreamcatcher reached number one on Billboards Next Big Sound chart for the week of February 13, becoming the first K-pop girl group to do so.
On March 26-27, Dreamcatcher held a two-part online concert named "Crossroads", with acoustic-led Day 1 subtitled "Utopia" and the performance-based Day 2 subtitled "Dystopia".
On May 14, Dami and Siyeon released an OST "Shadow" for the drama Dark Hole in two versions; the original debuted at number one on K-OSTs chart and number five on the rock genre charts. On July 5, SuA was promoted to be a regular guest on SBS Power FM radio show Wendy's Youngstreet, following her Tuesday guestings since May. On July 25, Dami was featured on the song "BUFFALO" by sunwoojunga.
On July 30, Dreamcatcher made their comeback with the special EP Summer Holiday. Lead single "BEcause" sees the group return to their horror roots with 'haunting pizzicato plucks and horror score stings', as well as choreography and a music video inspired by Jordan Peele's Us.
On August 31, Dreamcatcher's contract with their Japanese management Pony Canyon ended.
On October 15, Dreamcatcher returned to the JUMF stage for the second time following their 2017 appearance. Gahyeon was also appointed as the MC for the event.
On October 30, Dreamcatcher held their fourth online concert, titled "Halloween Midnight Circus".
2022–present: Apocalypse trilogy, first music show wins and Reason
On April 12, 2022, Dreamcatcher released their second Korean studio album Apocalypse: Save Us and its lead single "Maison". The album contains solo songs written, composed and arranged by the members themselves, and spans a variety of genres from traditional ballad to R&B and jazz. On April 20, the group earned their first music show win with "Maison" on MBC M's Show Champion, 1,924 days after debut, setting a new record for girl groups for the longest time between debut and first win. On April 26, Dreamcatcher wrapped up their promotions with their goodbye stage performance on SBS MTV's The Show, where they earned their second music show win. On April 27, Dreamcatcher Company announced the Apocalypse: Save Us World Tour, scheduled to take place in America from June 28 to July 20, with stops in New York City, Reading, Louisville, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. After the initial announcement, an additional show was added in Los Angeles as well as Mexico City due to popular demand.
On May 15, Dreamcatcher performed in Frankfurt, Germany at KPOP.FLEX, the largest K-Pop festival ever held in Europe. On June 4, Dreamcatcher were the first Korean act to ever perform at the Primavera Sound Festival, in Barcelona, Spain.
On August 16, SuA released her first OST track, "Still With You", for the drama Café Minamdang. The song is a 'dreamy ballad with impressive clear vocals from SuA'.
On October 4, Dreamcatcher Company announced a new leg of the 2022 world tour, with Dreamcatcher returning to tour Europe for the first time since November 2019. The "Apocalypse: Follow Us" tour was scheduled to start on November 14 and visit five countries: Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom, and France. On October 11, Dreamcatcher released their seventh EP Apocalypse: Follow Us and lead single "Vision". Dazed ranked "Vision" number 16 on "The best K-pop tracks of 2022".
In November, all seven members of Dreamcatcher renewed their contracts early, before the end of their existing contracts, citing mutual trust between the members and the company.
On January 13, 2023, Dreamcatcher released a special single "Reason", dedicated to fans in celebration of their sixth anniversary. On January 18, the "Reason: Makes Dreamcatcher" US tour was announced, with stops in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., New York City, Reading, Chicago, Denver, Irving, Oakland, and Los Angeles, starting on February 28 and ending on March 20. On April 21, Dreamcatcher performed in Las Vegas, at the inaugural WeBridge Expo 2023.
On May 20, Dreamcatcher performed in a special concert commemorating the first anniversary of the opening of the Blue House.
On May 24, Dreamcatcher released their eighth EP, Apocalypse: From Us, and progressive rock lead single "Bon Voyage", their first album release since last year's contract renewals. This comeback marks their most successful to date, boasting a number 1 peak on the Worldwide iTunes Charts and two music show wins in two consecutive days on The Show and Show Champion.
Dreamcatcher is slated to perform at the Jeonju Ultimate Music Festival for the third time on August 11, while on August 28, they will be holding their first concert in Manila since 2019, titled "Under the Moonlight".
On November 1, it was confirmed that Dreamcatcher would be releasing their ninth EP, Villains, on November 22.
Artistry
Since their rebirth in 2017, Dreamcatcher has maintained a signature rock and metal sound unique amongst their K-pop peers. Now known as 'the Face of Rock in K-Pop' 'at the forefront of the resurging rock genre', the band has spoken extensively about rock being 'the core of their (musical) identity' despite its nicheness and training their vocal styles to better fit their rock sound. Main vocalist Siyeon in particular has fronted a rock band in high school, and points to Japanese rock band One Ok Rock as her musical influence. JiU cites Japanese kawaii metal band Babymetal, Korean girl group Fin.K.L and Korean singer Jang Na-ra as her inspirations, while SuA cites Korean singer BoA and Korean boy group TVXQ as her inspirations. Yoohyeon cites British girl group Little Mix as her musical influence. Other influences in Dreamcatcher's music include genres such as EDM, R&B, jazz, retro funk, moombahton, pop ballads and orchestral instrumentals.
Dreamcatcher has been credited for inspiring the next generation of K-rock acts, including indie rock band Rolling Quartz.
The group is also known for their powerful rock-based vocals and intense 'knife-like dancing' 'more powerful than that of boy groups'.
Dreamcatcher members have been involved in the writing and composition of their songs. SuA has also choreographed for the group's performances.
Other ventures
Philanthropy
On May 1, 2020, Millenasia Project announced that Dreamcatcher, alongside Korean boy group In2It and female soloist AleXa, would feature in their song "Be The Future". The project, supported by UNESCO's Global Education Coalition, emphasized the importance of maintaining good hygiene practices and expressed gratitude to teaching staff worldwide for their continued efforts in educating students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On May 16, 2021, the Korea Entertainment Producer’s Association (KEPA) released a song to provide comfort during the COVID-19 pandemic, "NOW N NEW 2021", featuring Siyeon and Yoohyeon, alongside 60 other singers.
On April 21, 2022, Dreamcatcher donated 50 million KRW to a school development project.
Ambassadorship
On May 11, 2017, Dreamcatcher were appointed public relations ambassador for host province Gangwon-do for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
On April 28, 2018, Dreamcatcher were appointed public relations ambassador for copyright protection for Microsoft's latest Blockchain Security Technology commercialization and copyright protection campaign.
Endorsements
In 2021, Dreamcatcher was selected by beauty brand Neogen for a brand collaboration, releasing a special collection of skincare products. In 2023, Neogen selected JiU and Yoohyeon as new models and brand ambassadors. Mobile fashion accessory brand Slash B Slash released a limited edition collaboration of Dreamcatcher-themed Samsung Galaxy products at their second offline pop-up store at WeBridge Expo in Las Vegas.
Members
JiU – leader, vocalist
SuA – dancer, vocalist
Siyeon – vocalist
Handong – vocalist
Yoohyeon – vocalist
Dami – rapper
Gahyeon – vocalist
DiscographyKorean albums Dystopia: The Tree of Language (2020)
Apocalypse: Save Us (2022)Japanese albums The Beginning of the End (2019)
Concerts
HeadliningToursDreamcatcher 1st Tour Fly High (2017–2018)
Dreamcatcher Welcome to the Dream World (2018)
Dreamcatcher Concert: Invitation from Nightmare City (2019)
Dreamcatcher World Tour [Apocalypse: Save Us] (2022)
Dreamcatcher World Tour [Apocalypse: Follow Us] (2022)
Reason: Makes Dreamcatcher (2023)
Dreamcatcher World Tour [Apocalypse: From Us] (2023)Special concertsDreamcatcher 1st Concert – Fly High in Japan (2017)
Dreamcatcher 1st Concert in Seoul – Welcome to the Dream World (2018)
Dreamcatcher Concert: [Apocalypse: Broken Halloween] (2022)Online concerts'''
Dreamcatcher Concert Global Streaming Into the Night & Dystopia (2020)
Dreamcatcher [Dystopia: Seven Spirits] (2020)
Dreamcatcher Concert Crossroads: Part 1. Utopia & Part 2. Dystopia (2021)
Dreamcatcher Online Concert: Halloween Midnight Circus (2021)
Videography
Filmography
Reality shows
Television series
Awards and nominations
References
External links
Official website (Japanese)
K-pop music groups
Musical groups established in 2014
2014 establishments in South Korea
South Korean girl groups
South Korean pop rock music groups
Musical groups from Seoul
Musical septets
Pony Canyon artists