Fly to the Sky

Fly to the Sky (hangul:플라이 투 더 스카이) is a South Korean R&B duo. Its members are Korean American Brian Joo and South Korean Fany (also known as Hwanhee; Korean: 환희 Chinese: 歡喜; meaning "delight"). Since their 1999 debut single "Day by Day," they released six albums. Although they were marketed as teen idols, the duo later changed their image and style with their third album Sea of Love in 2002. With their future albums, the duo became known as R&B artists and are known as the first R&B duo of South Korea.

Career

1999-2001
The duo started in late 1998 by Korean record company SM Entertainment. A friend of Brian Joo signed him up for auditions with Brothers Entertainment without his knowledge. while he was going to Holy Spirit High School, a Roman Catholic school in New Jersey. As for Fany, a staff member working for the company recommended him to audition at a school festival. 

Their first appeared on television on December 9, 1999. Their first album Day by Day sold over 250,000 copies.

Their second album The Promise was released in 2001. The album hit #2 on the charts, but it quickly slipped from the charts. In the same year, they had their first concert with singer Kim Jo-Han.

2002-2004
The duo released two albums during this time. Their third album Sea of Love was released while Joo was at New Jersey going to Rutgers University, so Fany performed the songs by himself. The album featured "Condition of My Heart" which was written by American singer Brian McKnight.

Their fourth album, Missing You came out around the time when his manager died in a car crash. Fany was especially shocked by his death, because he had been in the same car with his manager just hours before the incident.

Gravity, as their fifth and last album, came out by SM Entertainment. Their contract to the company ended soon after the release.

2004-present
Fly to the Sky signed on with PFull Entertainment after their first contract ended in 2004. They wanted a smaller label that cared less about money. Fly to the Sky recorded their sixth studio album Transition in January 2006.

The duo started their first tour in Korea called "Fly To The Sky: 2006 The Twice Tour". Starting from Jamsil Arena in Seoul in May 2006, they had concerts in major Korean cities like Busan, Daegu, Junju, and Kwangju.

When Transition became popular, Fly to the Sky made a special edition, which had more music videos, deleted scenes and the more songs titled "Hwan Sang (Illusion)," "Hot and Cold," and "When I Say."

In 2004 and 2005, there was a rumor that they would break up. Brian denied to rumours and said that Fly to the Sky was not disbanding. He said the two had hard time getting along for first few years of their career on the show "Yah Shim Man Man," which aired on July 10. He said that he felt envy towards Fany, because he received more attention and praise than him. Brian felt that he was not given his due as Fany. Eventually he found this difficult to bear, and suggested to Fany that they pursue their separate paths. Fany responded angrily and that led to a fight that nearly led to the duo breaking up. The two was on good terms again soon after, understanding each other better. After the fight, the two decided to try to better understand each other in order to solve their problems together and to support each other. Brian's eyes were filled with tears when he was talking about the rumour.

Since 2006, the duo has appeared many times in variety shows. Fany appeared on Korean television drama "Over the Rainbow" during summer of 2006, and Brian released his solo album The Brian in December 2006. They became more popular but some critics and fans said they were compromising their image as artists.

Discography
Day by Day (1999)
The Promise (2001)
Sea of Love (2002)
Missing You (2003)
Gravity (2004)
Transition (2006)

Awards

References

Other websites 
The websites are in Korean.
PFull Official Website
Fly to the Sky's official website at ilikepop.com

Interviews
FLY TO THE SKY Two voices, Two attractions, Four wings that soar once again 
Fly to the Sky returning with sixth album Transition
2006 interview with Melon.com

R&B bands
South Korean musical groups
1998 establishments in Asia
1990s establishments in South Korea