JYJ (formerly known as Junsu/Jejung/Yuchun in Japan) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 by Kim Junsu, Kim Jae-joong, and Park Yoo-chun, the three former members of TVXQ. Their group name is taken from the initial letters of each member's names. The group was formerly managed by C-JeS Entertainment in Korea.
In April 2010, they released their debut record, the Japanese EP The..., which topped the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart.[2] Their subsequent releases, including their global debut album, The Beginning (2010) and their second studio album and first Korean full-length album, In Heaven (2011), all debuted at number one on the Korean Gaon Album Chart. JYJ is the first K-pop group to perform in Chile and Peru.[3][4]
The three-member group was announced in April 2010 by Rhythm Zone, a sub-label of Avex.[7][8] The group performed two rounds of lives: the four-day Thanksgiving Live in Dome concerts at Osaka Dome and Tokyo Dome in June,[7] and performances at the nationwide a-nation tour throughout August.[9] The group's debut release, The..., was released in September 2010, and debuted at number one on Oricon albums charts with 240,000 copies sold in the first week.[2] The DVD for their Thanksgiving Live in Dome concerts sold 116,000 copies the first week after being released. Both the album and DVD debuted at № 1 on Oricon's DVD and album chart in the same week.[10]
In September 2010, Avex Entertainment announced plans to suspend all of JYJ's Japanese activities.[8] Avex claimed this stemmed from issues the label had with the president of the group's Korean management, C-JeS Entertainment.[8] JYJ stated it was a conflict over new terms demanded by Avex in contract renegotiation.
The group released their English-language global debut album under Warner Music Asia, The Beginning, on October 12, with the Kanye West-produced single "Ayyy Girl" as lead track.[11] Two weeks before the release of the album, 500,000 copies of The Beginning had been pre-ordered and pre-sales for the 99,999 copies of the special edition of the album reached 400,000 requests.[12][13] JYJ promoted the new album via a worldwide showcase tour throughout October and November with dates in South Korea, Southeast Asia and the United States.[14] On November 27 and 28, they launched JYJ Worldwide Concert in Seoul, a two-day concert that was held at Seoul's Jamsil Olympic Stadium with a total seating of 100,000 (50,000 for each show).[15] It was directed by the American concert producer Jeri Slaughter.[16]
In spite of a ban in the Entertainment Departments of South Korea's three main terrestrial broadcasters,[17] JYJ had their first public broadcast performance on December 31, 2010, at the 2010 KBS Drama Awards.[18] They sang 찾았다 “Found You” – a ballad track from the drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal which starred member Yoochun.[19]