Uniq (band)
| Company type | Boy band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder | Yuehua Entertainment |
| Headquarters | South Korea, China |
Area served | South Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, Brazil |
| Products | Music (EPs, singles), concerts, endorsements |
| Owner | Yuehua Entertainment |
UNIQ (stylized in all caps) is a boy band originating from South Korea and China, created by the Chinese entertainment company Yuehua Entertainment in 2014. The ensemble is composed of five members: Zhou Yixuan, Kim Sung-joo, Li Wenhan, Cho Seung-youn, and Wang Yibo. Their official debut occurred on October 20, 2014, with the single "Falling In Love," which was simultaneously released in both China and South Korea.
Pre-debut
Originally, Uniq was planned to be a boy group under YG Entertainment, with members undergoing training periods ranging from two to five years at YG. The project was envisioned as a joint venture with Yuehua Entertainment but ultimately launched exclusively under Yuehua's management.
2014: Debut with Falling in Love
Uniq’s first appearance on South Korean television took place on October 16, 2014, on the program M Countdown. Their debut track, "Falling In Love," was officially released on October 20 across China and South Korea at the same time. An English rendition followed on November 5. On November 25, they hosted their inaugural fan meeting in Beijing and commenced promotional activities in Taiwan starting November 27, including a press conference held on December 1. Their reality series, The Best Debut, consisting of three episodes, premiered on December 2 via the Chinese streaming service iQiyi.
At the outset of their career, Uniq contributed songs to original soundtracks for prominent films, which helped increase their exposure in various markets. They released "Born to Fight" for the Chinese version of TMNT on October 23 and "Celebrate" for Penguins of Madagascar on November 10. These soundtrack contributions facilitated broader brand recognition and extended their reach to diverse audiences.
2015: EOEO and Japanese Debut
In January 2015, Uniq secured endorsement deals with the Chinese sportswear brand Xtep. By February, they had replaced Ko Chen-tung as the official ambassadors for the Chinese beauty retailer Mix-Box.
Their first fan meeting outside of China took place in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 7.
In April, Yuehua Entertainment announced Uniq’s return with their debut mini album titled EOEO. On April 22, they performed "EOEO" alongside "Listen to Me" on MBC’s Show Champion. The following day marked their official comeback in China at the KU Music Asian Music Awards, where they performed "Listen to Me" and received the award for "Best New Artist". The mini album and accompanying music video for "EOEO" were released on April 24; the video achieved the number three position on the YinYueTai Weekly MV Chart.
On May 22, Uniq unveiled the music video for their subsequent single "Luv Again". They earned their first music program trophy on CCTV’s Global Chinese Music chart on May 23. The group set a new record on this chart by accumulating six wins—three through non-live voting and three via live voting—surpassing the previous record held by EXO-M in 2014.
Uniq made their Japanese debut with showcase events held in Osaka and Tokyo on July 19 and 20.
In December, they became endorsers for Dr. Bear, a confectionery brand based in China.
To commemorate their first anniversary, Uniq released a second digital album titled Best Friend on October 16. They also announced a 1st Anniversary Tour featuring stops in Beijing, Shanghai (which was later postponed indefinitely), and Japan. November saw fan meetings across several Japanese cities including Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Tokyo. Additionally, they issued a special Japanese single album for Best Friend, containing versions in Japanese, Korean, and instrumental tracks. The tour concluded with a final event in Beijing on November 28.
On December 7, Uniq released the track "Erase Your Little Sadness." Later that month, on December 28, they debuted "Happy New Year," whose music video featured labelmates Cosmic Girls. This song reached number four on the China V Chart.
2016: Expansion into China and Japan Markets
In February 2016, Uniq partnered with Inke, a prominent Chinese live-streaming platform, to initiate promotional activities. On March 24, they unveiled the track "My Dream" for the film MBA Partners, which entered the China V Chart at the #3 position. To boost the movie's visibility, Yixuan, Wenhan, and Sungjoo embarked on a two-week promotional tour covering 14 different cities.
Uniq's inaugural fan meeting in São Paulo, Brazil, took place on June 25.
Later in December 2016, the group launched their Japanese single album titled "Falling in Love," which included Japanese renditions of both "Falling in Love" and "Listen to Me." They organized a Live Meet and Greet event on December 10 followed by a fan signing session on December 11 in Japan.
Activities from 2017 Onward
On January 19, 2017, Uniq released the single "Happy New Year 2017," penned by Zhou Yixuan. Due to conflicting schedules, Yibo was unable to participate in either the recording or the music video; the remaining members symbolically represented his presence by creating a snowman.
Two singles, "Never Left" and "Next Mistake," were launched simultaneously on April 19, 2018.
Since 2018, Uniq has been on an indefinite hiatus without an official breakup announcement as members focus on individual pursuits. Yibo has concentrated on acting roles; Wenhan debuted with the group UNINE; Yixuan became part of New Storm; Seungyoun debuted in X1, while Sungjoo commenced his mandatory military service.
To commemorate their sixth anniversary on October 16, 2020, Yixuan released a track titled "Remember That Day When We," dedicated to both Uniq members and their supporters.
Members
- Zhou Yixuan ()
- Kim Sung-joo ()
- Li Wenhan ()
- Cho Seung-youn ()
- Wang Yibo ()
Extended plays
| Title | EP details | Highest chart rankings | Sales figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | |||
| EOEO |
|
7 |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart rankings | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China Baidu |
China Billboard |
Korea Gaon |
US World | |||
| "Falling in Love" | 2014 | — | — | 294 | — | EOEO |
| "EOEO" | 2015 | — | — | — | 16 | |
| "Luv Again" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Best Friend" | — | 24 | — | — | rowspan="7" Template:Non-album singles | |
| "Happy New Year" | 8 | 4 | — | — | ||
| "Falling in Love" (Japanese version) |
2016 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Happy New Year 2017" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Never Left" | 2018 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Next Mistake" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Monster" | — | — | — | — | ||
"—" indicates tracks that did not chart or were not released in that specific region.
Soundtracks
Other charted songs
Production credits
Music videos
Awards
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