F.Cuz
| Company type | Male idol group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Seoul , South Korea |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
F.Cuz (, meaning "Focus") is a South Korean male idol group that was initially under CAN Entertainment, later managed by Tunes-Will Entertainment, and has been independently active since their contract concluded in September 2016. The ensemble made their debut on January 8, 2010, with the single "Jiggy," showcased on Music Bank. Originally composed of four members—Jinon, LeeU, Kan, and Yejun—LeeU departed in August 2011 to embark on a solo path. The band briefly promoted as a trio in Japan before welcoming Daegeon and Raehyun in 2012. Their official fan club is named 'For U,' adopting Twinkle Light Silver as its representative color. The group's title reflects "a five-point star," symbolizing the members and the connection between "F.CUZ + FORU," representing the bond between the band and their supporters.
Pre-debut
Jinon, Raehyun, Kan, and Yejun were students at Anyang High School of Arts located in Anyang; Jinon was senior to the others. Jinon, Kan, and Yejun were members of a dance crew that also included renowned K-Pop artist Rain. Jinon had an active career before debut: in 2005, he joined the project group GM6 (which later became Supernova) but withdrew prior to debut due to health challenges such as depression and eating disorders. Additionally, he pursued acting roles, gaining recognition for his resemblance to Kwon Sang Woo, appearing in the drama Cinderella Man and featuring in SG Wannabe's "Gashiri" music video.
Raehyun and Kan also engaged in acting before joining F.Cuz. Raehyun appeared in several television dramas including Gloria, Over the Rainbow, Chosun Police (Season 3), Beautiful Life, and Rock, Rock, Rock, acted in the movie See You After School, and appeared in a commercial for Samyang ramen. Kan took part in dramas such as Soul and Assorted Gems.
LeeU, son of trot singer Sul Woon Do, pursued singing ambitions early on, losing sixty pounds during junior high school. He gained popularity as an ulzzang and appeared on variety shows alongside his father. LeeU briefly launched a solo career under the name "U," contributed the track "Listen to You" to the SBS drama Gourmet OST, and collaborated with Taru on the song "Oh! Again."
Daegeon started his career with Xing Entertainment—an agency known for training future members of U-KISS, Beast, and The Boss—and later moved to Golden Goose Entertainment. He debuted with Double B 21 (now called Apeace), participating in their promotions for "S.O.S." but exited the group shortly afterward.
2010: Jiggy, No One, international expansion, and Gorgeous
F.Cuz was officially introduced by CAN&J Entertainment on December 6, 2009. Following this announcement, each member released brief introductory videos that collectively attracted over 30,000 views. Production for their debut music video "Jiggy" commenced on December 15, 2009. The single was digitally launched on January 8, 2010, coinciding with their debut stage on KBS's Music Bank.
In February of that year, F.Cuz signed with Taiwanese label SEEDMUSIC to facilitate their overseas expansion. "Jiggy" became available digitally in Taiwan and Hong Kong starting March 8. On March 11, they returned to Korea with their first mini-album featuring the lead single "No One."
On November 18, 2010, F.Cuz released their album Gorgeous, which included the title track "Midnight Sun." They followed up with the single "친구졸업 (Friend's Graduation)," also known as "Wanna Be Your Love" in English; this release showcased a lively concept contrasting with the darker tone of "Midnight Sun." In January 2011, Kan suffered severe injuries from a car accident while returning from filming the drama Athena: Goddess of War, along with his manager and others involved. This unfortunate event led to a temporary halt in the group's promotional activities for their latest release.
2011–13: Departure of LeeU, For Century Ultimate Zest, and Hello Again
On May 21, 2011, Can Entertainment declared that Lee-U would exit F.Cuz in August following their debut single in Japan, attributing the decision to artistic differences and his desire to pursue a solo career. His agency, Castle J Enterprise, consented to his exit. Subsequently, the group expanded by adding Daegeon and Raehyun as new members to fill his position.
F.Cuz unveiled their mini album For Century Ultimate Zest on April 27, 2012, with the lead track "NO. 1" serving as the promotional song. In August of the same year, they released the single "꿈꾸는" (Dreaming I). The group made a comeback in Japan in April 2013 with the single "Hello Again," accompanied by a music video. Later that year, on October 31, they introduced their fifth Japanese single titled "Change," dedicating the remainder of 2013 to promotional activities within Japan.
2014–2016: Releases of One Love, Bargaining for Love, Two of Us, Contract Conclusion and U Concert
On March 27, 2014, F.Cuz returned to the Korean music scene with the single "One Love," marking their first domestic release after nearly two years of concentrating on the Japanese market during 2013. In July, they promoted the Japanese rendition called "Feeling My Soul."
Their fourth mini-album, Bargaining for Love, which included the title track "Cha-Ga-Wa," achieved a peak position of number 18 on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart. December 2014 saw the release of their seventh Japanese single "もう一度だけ" (Remind). On July 21, 2015, their eighth Japanese single "Two of Us" was launched and climbed to number three on the Oricon chart by July 25.
On September 12, 2016, an announcement was made through F.Cuz's official fan club that the members would not be renewing contracts expiring on September 30, signaling their transition into an independent ensemble.
Subsequently, on October 18, F.Cuz unveiled a refreshed logo featuring a five-point star symbolizing all five members completing the lineup. They also introduced the concept "U+U = F.CUZ+FORU," highlighting solidarity between the group and their fans.
On November 1, details about their Japanese concert titled 'U' were revealed, followed by ongoing promotional efforts for this event.
Current
- Jinon ()
- Kan ()
- Yejun ()
- Daegeon ()
- Raehyun ()
Former
- LeeU ()
Extended plays
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR |
JPN | |||
| No One |
|
10 | — | |
| Gorgeous |
|
11 | 140 | |
| For Century Ultimate Zest |
|
15 | 161 | KOR: 2,413 |
| Bargaining for Love |
|
18 | — | KOR: 1,583 |
Singles
| Title | Year | Highest chart rankings | Sales figures | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR |
JPN |
JPN Hot. | ||||
| Korean releases | ||||||
| "Jiggy" (Template:Korean) | 2010 | 111 | — | — | No One | |
| "No One" | 69 | — | — | |||
| "Midnight Sun (Original Ver.)" | 125 | — | — | Gorgeous | ||
| "No.1" | 2012 | 132 | — | — |
|
For Century Ultimate Zest |
| "Dreaming I" (Template:Korean) | 140 | — | — |
|
rowspan="2" Template:N/A | |
| "One Love" | 2014 | — | — | — |
| |
| "Cha-Ga-Wa" | — | — | — | Bargaining for Love | ||
| "Don't Touch (Korean Ver.)" | 2015 | — | — | — | rowspan="6" Template:N/A | |
| "Love Or Truth" | 2017 | — | — | — | ||
| "Shine" | 2020 | — | — | — | ||
| "Summer Days" | — | — | — | |||
| Dear.Me" | 2024 | — | — | — | ||
|- !scope="col" colspan="7"|Japanese releases |}
| Title | Year | Highest chart rankings | Sales figures | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|- ! scope="col"|Gaon Digital Chart (KOR) ! scope="col"|Oricon Singles Chart (JPN) ! scope="col"|Japan Hot 100 (JPN Hot.) |} |- !scope="col" colspan=7 |Japanese singles |} |- ! scope="row"|"Never Let You Go" ||2011 ||— ||37 ||— ||
- JPN: 2,568
|| |- ! scope="row"|"Luv Holic/Around You" ||— ||53 ||— || || |- ! scope="row"|"Drawing Heart" ||2012 ||— ||39 ||— || || |- ! scope="row"|"Hello Again" ||2013 ||— ||15 ||100 ||
- JPN: 8,148
|| |- ! scope="row"|"Change" ||— ||11 ||53 ||
- JPN: 11,640
|| |- ! scope="row"|"Feeling My Soul" ||2014 ||— ||9 ||26 ||
- JPN: 12,482
|| |- ! scope="row"| ||— ||7 ||30 ||
- JPN: 12,646
|| |- ! scope="row"|"Two of Us" ||2015 ||— ||9 ||23 ||
- JPN: 16,329
|| |- ! scope="row"|"Forever" ||2016 ||— ||13 ||52 ||
- JPN: 10,353
|| |- ! scope="row"|"Wonder World" ||— ||— ||— || || |}
Soundtrack appearances
| Title | Year released | Associated album | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Let Me Love" (Template:Korean) | 2010 | Secret Agent Miss Oh OST Part.2 | |
| "What Planet" (Template:Korean) | 2014 | KBS The Magic Thousand-Character Classic OST Part. 1 (What Planet) | |
| "This Is Love" (Template:Korean) | 2015 | 'My Regrettable Boyfriend OST Part 1' My Regrettable Boyfriend OST |
|
| "I Wanted to Say to You " (Template:Korean) | 'Missing Korea OST Part.1' Missing Korea OST |
External links
- Establishments in South Korea in 2010
- Disbanded musical groups in South Korea in 2016
- South Korean artists performing in Japanese
- K-pop groups
- South Korean performers singing in Mandarin
- Musical ensembles formed in 2010
- Musical ensembles disbanded in 2016
- Seoul-based musical groups
- South Korean male idol groups
- Artists under Universal Music Japan
- Musical groups disestablished in 2016