After School

## About the Group

After School is a now 6 Member girl group from Korea. They debuted in 2009 under Pledis Entertainment. Due to Pledis' lack of funds, they have been unable to make a comeback for the last years.

## History

source of following article (slightly edited)

### **Pre-debut:**

After School was first formed following Kahi's departure from Korean-American girl group S-Blush, as Kahi began planning to produce a new group together with the current CEO of Pledis Entertainment. The first member other than Kahi was Bekah, who was a trainee while Kahi was in S-Blush. With Kahi's recommendation, Bekah was brought from Hawaii to South Korea. They were then introduced to Jungah, followed by Soyoung and Jooyeon, forming a five-member group.

After School as a group first made an unofficial appearance on 29 December 2008 at the SBS Song Festival. Kahi and Jungah performed "Play Girlz" alongside Son Dam Bi whilst the remaining members, Soyoung, Jooyeon and Bekah served as backup dancers for Son Dam Bi's performance at the event.

### **After School in July 2009:**

During the month of April, the group announced that a new member, Uee, was joining the group. The group then released their second single, "Diva" on 9 April 2009.

On 29 October 2009, Soyoung officially graduated from the group to pursue an acting career. Two new members were then added to the group, Raina and Nana, and After School made a comeback on 25 November 2009 with the single "Because of You".

### **2010: "Bang!" and Orange Caramel:**

At the start of 2010, the group won the Best Rookie Award at both the Billboard Japan Music Awards and Seoul Music Awards.

On 25 March, After School released their third single album Bang! with new member Lizzy where the group took on a marching band concept. The group practiced playing the drums for five months with a trainer for the single.

In June 2010, Raina, Nana, and Lizzy formed a sub-unit, revealed to be named Orange Caramel, and released their first mini-album. Orange Caramel debuted on June 16, with the title track "Magic Girl".

On 6 December 2010, Pledis Entertainment released Happy Pledis 1st Album. A portion of the profits from the album were donated to the "Save the Children" organization.

### **2011: Virgin, line-up changes, Japanese debut and A.S. Red & Blue:**

On 27 January, Pledis Entertainment announced that they had signed a contract with Japanese record label AVEX TRA; After School started their Japanese activities by collaborating with Japanese R&B superstar Namie Amuro. This was the first release to include new member E-Young. In March 2012, the song won Best Collaboration at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2012.

After School's first studio album, Virgin, was released on 29 April with new member E-Young.

### **After School in December 2011:**

In June 2011, After School made a cameo as a female idol group, Pure, in the Korean horror film White: The Melody of the Curse. They performed segments of their hit song, "Bang!". On 17 June 2011, Pledis Entertainment announced that original member Bekah was to 'graduate' from After School; Bekah released her 'graduation' song "Take Me to the Place" on 11 July. In July, Pledis Entertainment announced that After School would separate into two sub-units, A.S. Red & Blue as part of the group's second comeback project for the year.

Prior to their official debut in Japan, After School held a showcase in Japan at Akasaka BLITZ in Tokyo on 17 July 2011, selling out tickets within one minute.

Happy Pledis 2011 was released on 1 December and featured all Pledis artists, including Son Dam-bi and pre-debut NU'EST (then called Pledis Boys). A portion of the "Happy Pledis" earnings were donated to UNICEF, and the album was also a gift to the fans.

### **2012: Playgirlz, "Lady Luck/Dilly Dally", line-up changes and "Flashback"**

After School's third Japanese single was a double A-side single consisting of two songs, "Rambling Girls" and a Japanese remake of their 2009 hit "Because of You". The single was released on 25 January 2012, and debuted at number six on the Oricon Daily Singles Chart.

On 29 February 2012, After School released a promotional digital single, "Just in Time", to promote the new album which was released the following month. "Just in Time" is also used in a Samantha Thavasa commercial featuring After School, who are models for the fashion company.

### **After School in July 2012**

After School's first Japanese album, Playgirlz, was released on 14 March 2012. On 23 April 2012, Avex Trax announced that After School would release their fourth Japanese single, "Lady Luck/Dilly Dally", on 13 June 2012. The single is a double A-side single and the regular edition also contains an additional track, "Slow Love". The single debuted at number 3 on Oricon's daily Singles Chart with sales of 7,648 and at number 6 on Oricon's weekly Singles Chart with sales of 13,424 respectively. As of the end of 2012, the single has sold over 17,000 copies in Japan.

After School started their promotion tour for Playgirlz in late April. With a total of four dates, the tour kicked off at Zepp Tokyo on 27 April, followed by Zepp Nagoya on 28 April and Namba, Osaka on 30 April.

The tour's first stop at Zepp Tokyo on 27 April marked the admission and first performance of new member Kaeun. On 5 June, Pledis Entertainment announced that Kahi would graduate from the group to pursue a solo career, as well as to study acting. After School's tour finished on 17 June at Tokyo Dome City Hall, which was also the last time Kahi performed with the group. She stayed with the group until September to help with promotion.

After School's fifth Korean single album, Flashback, and a music video for the title track were released on 20 June. This was the first release to include new member Kaeun, as well as being the first release to not include Kahi. Jungah, who was revealed to be the group's new leader after the departure of Kahi, said that the album's title refers to the group's desire to return to their original image and produce music for all ages.

### **2013–2015: "First Love", Dress to Kill, line-up changes**

After School held a fan meeting in Thailand on 23 February 2013 and performed in front of over 3,000 fans. Due to the success of the fan meeting in Bangkok, After School held another fan meeting in Taiwan on 30 March. This meeting was also held as a charity event with the proceeds from the ticket sales going to children in need. A total of 1,000,000 Taiwan dollars was raised for charity.

After School at a fan meeting in 2013
The group released their first compilation album, The Best of AFTERSCHOOL, on 27 March 2013 along with their first live DVD of their Playgirlz Japanese concert. Their sixth Korean maxi-single, "First Love", was released on 13 June, and was produced by Brave Brothers. This single marked the first time the group had worked with the producer since "Because of You" in 2009. Their fifth Japanese single "Heaven", was released on 2 October. "Heaven" debuted at number 6 on the Oricon Daily Singles Chart with over 18,596 copies sold during its debut week. On 19 December, the music video for "Shh", the group's sixth Japanese single, was released on YouTube. On 20 February 2014, After School released a single titled "Week" in collaboration with Brave Brothers for his 10th-anniversary project.

After School's second full-length Japanese album, Dress to Kill, was released on 19 March 2014. The album has twelve tracks including "Heaven", "Shh", and "Ms. Independent", the title track. The album was released in three versions: a CD + DVD version which includes music videos and a special fan meeting video, a CD version with a bonus track of the Japanese version of "Flashback", and another CD version (Mu-mo special) with the bonus track "Lucky Girl".

At the beginning of 2014, After School began filming a beauty variety show for KBS titled After School's Beauty Bible. The show focused on the members becoming beauty editors and providing the viewers with information and tips about Korean beauty, with topics ranging from makeup to style and trends. The show became quite successful and aired in over 100 countries through KBS World's YouTube channel. The second season of the show began airing in September.

After School's second Japanese tour, "Dress to SHINE", began on 21 November 2014 in Tokyo and ended on 24 November in Osaka. On 31 December, Jooyeon's contract with Pledis Entertainment expired, and she announced her graduation from After School that same day. Jooyeon continued to promote as a member of After School in Japan, as her contract with AVEX TRAX had not yet expired. After School released their music video for "Shine" on 9 February 2015 to promote their Japanese compilation album BEST which was released on 18 March. Jooyeon officially graduated from the group on March 20, at a fan-club event at Negishi Tokyo Cinema in Tokyo, held to promote the album, where she received her graduation diploma.

### **2016: Line-up changes and solo endeavors:**

On January 28, 2016, Pledis announced that Jungah had graduated from the group after seven years of activity due to the expiration of her contract. It is expected that After School will continue to promote as six members.

With the lack of group promotions, members Uee and Nana have taken a more active role as actresses. MBC's Marriage Contract, starring Uee, began airing on March 5. In the drama, she played the character of Kang Hye-soo, a single mother with a terminal illness who enters into a contract marriage. In November, Uee starred in the MBC drama Night Light, alongside Jin Goo and Lee Yo-won. She played the character of a poor woman who is able to turn her life around with an opportunity. Nana made her acting debut in a support role in TvN's The Good Wife, a Korean remake of the American drama of the same name, with the show debuting on July 8. On June 17, Raina's second duet with San E, titled "Sugar and Me", was released, peaking at No. 5 on the Gaon chart. Lizzy joined the hosting lineup for FashionN's Please Take Care of My Vanity 2. Kaeun has been focusing on her DJ gigs, and has confirmed an acting debut in the pre-produced drama The Idolmaster KR, set to premiere in early 2017.