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.

 List of albums
 Studio albums 
 Title Album details Peakchartpositions SalesKORWe Hate All Kinds of Violence Released: September 7, 1996
 Label: SM Entertainment
 Format: CD, cassette, digital download rowspan="2"   KOR: 1,500,000+Wolf and Sheep Released: July 11, 1997
 Label: SM Entertainment
 Format: CD, cassette, digital download KOR: 1,000,000+ Resurrection Released: September 24, 1998
 Label: SM Entertainment
 Format: CD, cassette, digital download 12  KOR: 1,103,439I Yah! Released: September 15, 1999
 Label: SM Entertainment
 Format: CD, cassette, digital download 2  KOR: 1,350,153Outside Castle Released: September 29, 2000
 Label: SM Entertainment
 Format: CD, cassette, digital download 1  KOR: 879,613

 Live albums 
 Title Album details Peakchartpositions SalesKORGreatest Hits:Song Collection Live Album Released: April 12, 1999
 Label: SM Entertainment
 Formats: CD, cassette, digital download 3  KOR: 175,31499 Live in Seoul Released: January 6, 2000
 Label: SM Entertainment
 Formats: CD, cassette, digital download 4  KOR: 110,542H.O.T. Forever Released: April 27, 2001
 Label: SM Entertainment
 Formats: CD, cassette, digital download 6  KOR: 138,616

 Compilation albums 
 Title Album details Peakchartpositions SalesKORAge of Peace: The Original Soundtrack Released: July 16, 2000
 Label: SM Entertainment
 Format: CD, digital download 39 KOR: 231,223

 Singles 
 Title Year Album"Warrior's Descendant"1996We Hate All Kinds of Violence"Candy""Wolf and Sheep"1997Wolf and Sheep"Full of Happiness""We Are the Future""Line Up!"1998Resurrection"Hope""I Yah!"1999I Yah!"Git It Up""It's Been Raining Since You Left Me""Outside Castle"2000Outside Castle"We Can Do It""A Song For Lady"

 List of movies 
 Age of Peaces (2000)

 Concert and tours 
1998 - H.O.T. The 1st Concert, Olympic Gymnastics Arena
1998.Feb.21 ~ Mar.31 - USA Live Tour, New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Hawaii
1999.Jan.22 ~ Feb.3 - H.O.T. The 2nd Concert, Seoul Sejong Center, Busan, Gwangju (65,400 attendees)
1999.Sept.18 - 99 Live In Seoul, Seoul Olympic Main Stadium (45,000 attendees)
2000.Feb.1 - 2000 H.O.T. Live Concert In Beijing (15,000 attendees)
2001.Feb.27 - 2001 H.O.T. Live Concert - H.O.T. Forever, Seoul Olympic Main Stadium (80,000 attendees)
2018.Oct.13 ~ 14 - 2018 Forever [High-five Of Teenagers] Concert, Seoul Olympic Main Stadium (100,000 attendees)
2019.Sep.20 ~ 11 ~ 22 - 2019 [High-five Of Teenagers] NEXT MESSAGE Concert, Gocheok Sky Dome (60,000 attendees)

 Awards 

 Golden Disc Awards 
YearCategoryRecipientResult1996Best New ArtistH.O.T. 1997Grand Prize (Daesang): Best AlbumWolf and Sheep Main Prize (Bonsang): Best ArtistH.O.T. 1998 1999 

Mnet Asian Music Awards
 Year Category Recipient Result1999Best Popular Music Video (Daesang) "I Yah!" Best Group Best Dance PerformanceBest Music Video Director Hong Jong-ho for "I Yah!"2000Best Popular Music Video (Daesang)"Outside Castle"Best Dance PerformanceBest Male Group200810th Anniversary Remember 1999H.O.T.

 MTV Video Music Awards 
YearCategoryRecipientResult1998International Viewer's Choice Award for MTV Asia"We Are the Future"1999International Viewer's Choice Award for MTV Korea"Line Up!"

 Seoul Music Awards 
YearCategoryRecipientResult1997Grand Prize (Daesang)H.O.T. Main Prize (Bonsang) 1998Grand Prize (Daesang)H.O.T. (shared with Sechs Kies) Main Prize (Bonsang)H.O.T. 1999 

 References 

 Other websites 

 Official website (archived) (in Korean)

Category:1996 establishments in South Korea
Category:Hip hop bands
Category:K-pop music groups
Category:Musical groups established in 1996
Category:SM Entertainment artists
Category:South Korean boy bands