H.O.T. (band)

H.O.T. is a South Korean boy band that formed in 1996. They are thought of as the first K-pop idol group. Their formula became the model for many K-pop groups that have followed since. The members are: Moon Hee-joon, Jang Woo-hyuk, Tony An, Kangta, and Lee Jae-won.
H.O.T. was successful in South Korea, China, and Japan. They were among the first stars of the Korean Wave in Asia.
The group broke up in 2001 after a disagreement with SM Entertainment. However, they later reunited in 2018.
Formation
H.O.T. was formed in 1996 by record producer Lee Soo-man of SM Entertainment. Lee had done a survey of high school students to find out what their ideal pop group would be like. He used this information to create H.O.T.
The first member to join was Kangta, who Lee discovered at an amusement park. Next to join were Moon Hee-joon and Lee Jae-won. The fourth to join was Jang Woo-hyuk who Lee found when he won first place in a dance contest. Finally, Tony An joined the group after an audition in Los Angeles.
Career
1996-1997
H.O.T. made their first album in September 1996. It is called We Hate All Kinds of Violence and sold 1.5 million copies. Their first single was "Descendants of Warriors" which was a criticism of bullying. Their second single, "Candy," was a cheerful bubblegum pop song. That year, H.O.T. won Best New Artist at the Golden Disc Awards.
In July 1997, H.O.T. released their second album. It has the title Wolf and Sheep, and sold 1 million copies in ten days. The album included the singles "Wolf and Sheep," "Happiness," and "We Are the Future". The album won the Grand Prize at both the 1997 Golden Disc Awards and the 1997 Seoul Music Awards. The song "We Are the Future" was also nominated for an International Viewer's Choice Award at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.
By this time, H.O.T. had become a "social sensation" in South Korea. With their success came the rise of K-pop fan culture.
In 1997, H.O.T. made their first Chinese album.
1998
H.O.T. released their third album in September 1998. The title is Resurrection and it included a variety of styles. It had sold more than 1.1 million copies by the following year. At the 1998 Seoul Music Awards, it was awarded the Grand Prize.
Some accused the group of plagiarism as their song "Line Up!" was similar to a song by Rage Against the Machine.
1999-2000
H.O.T. made greatest hits album in April 1999. Then in June, they sang with Michael Jackson and S.E.S. at a concert in Seoul.
In September 1999, H.O.T. released their fourth album. It had the title I Yah!. The title track is about a 1999 fire that killed kindergarten students at the Sealand Youth Training Center in South Korea. The album sold more than 1.3 million copies. That month, H.O.T. also became the first K-pop group to perform at the Seoul Olympic Stadium.
2000
In February 2000, H.O.T. held their first concert in China. As a result they became popular in China. This inspired other South Korean groups to also hold concerts in China.
In September they released their fifth called Outside Castle.
That year, the group also starred in the sci-fi movie Age of Peace. Despite H.O.T.'s popularity at the time, the movie was not a hit.
2001: Disbandment
H.O.T. announced in May 2001 that the group would break up. The members told the public that this was due to a contract dispute with S.M. Entertainment. In the following days, hundreds of fans protested outside of S.M. Entertainment. Some fans blocked roads and threw rocks at the company's windows.
2018: Reunion
In February 2018, H.O.T. appeared as a group on the South Korean television show Infinite Challenge. This was their first appearance as a group since 2003.
On October 13 and 14, the group held a reunion concert at the Seoul Olympic Main Stadium with 100,000 present.