Brian Joo

In this Korean name, the family name is Joo.

Brian Joo (Korean name: Joo Min-gyu (Korean: 주민규); born January 10, 1981), better known professionally as Brian (Korean: 브라이언), is a Korean American singer and one-half of the R&B duo Fly to the Sky. His first solo album, The Brian was released in December 2006. His second solo album, Manifold was released in December 2009.

Brian Joo
Background information
Born	(1981-01-10) January 10, 1981 (age 42) California, United States
Origin	New Jersey, United States
Genres	K-pop R&B Gospel
Occupation(s)	Singer Songwriter Actor Television host
Instrument(s)	Vocals Piano Keyboard Drums
Years active	1999–present
Labels	SM PFull Jellyfish iMe Korea^[1]
Korean name
Hangul	주민규
Revised Romanization	Ju Min-gyu
McCune–Reischauer	Chu Minkyu
Birth name
Hangul	주진택
Revised Romanization	Ju Jin-taek
McCune–Reischauer	Chu Chint'aek

Early life and education

Brian Joo was born on January 10, 1981, in Los Angeles, California to Korean immigrant parents.^[2][3] His original Korean name was Joo Jin-taek (Korean: 주진택), but his father changed it to Joo Min-gyu (Korean: 주민규) when he was three years old.^[4] Joo grew up in New Jersey and spoke Korean at home.^[5][6] His parents worked at casinos in Atlantic City and his brother, Jason Joo, is an officer in the U.S. Navy.^{[citation needed]}

While attending Holy Spirit High School, a friend signed him up for an audition with Brothers Entertainment without Joo's knowledge. The company has discovered several Korean-Americans who wish to pursue an entertainment career in South Korea. After several months of training, he was sent to SM Entertainment in South Korea, and on December 9, 1999, made his debut as one of the two members of Fly to the Sky, along with Hwanhee, at the age of 17.

Joo was accepted to Rutgers University, but did not end up attending due to the demands of his music career.^[7] He later enrolled in Dongguk University, where he graduated from the Department of Theatre and Film.^{[citation needed]}

Fly to the Sky

Main article: Fly to the Sky

Joo is a member of Fly to the Sky with Hwanhee, Brian sang and also rapped. As Fly to the Sky made its musical transition from bubblegum pop to heavy R&B, Joo felt discontent and inferior, and felt that Hwanhee was more appreciated for his vocal skills.^[8]

Joo has appeared on television many times. Since 2005, he has appeared on a number of variety shows, including hosting MBC's Music Core in 2006 and becoming a host for SBS' Green Gold in 2009.

In August 2009, Fly to the Sky decided to work on separate projects and have become solo singers under different labels.

On April 14, 2014, Brian Joo announced on his Twitter that Fly to the Sky will be making their comeback in May. The band later signed up with H2 Media, the agency of member Hwanhee.^[9] Their 9th new album "Continiuum" has been released and the main title track is "You You You".^[10] The single peaked at number one on Gaon digital chart.^[11]

Although being on hiatus for five years, Hwanhee and Brian expressed their good teamwork and solid friendship in an interview, telling "There were rumors about us being gay and liking men, but it's not like that. We're that close so people feel that way about us".^[12]

Solo career

2006-2008: Show! Music Core and solo debut with The Brian

In May 2006, Joo became a co-host of Show! Music Core alongside actress Jang Mi-inae.^[13] Later that year, he won the Popularity Award at the 2006 MBC Entertainment Awards for his work on the show.^[14]

Joo released his debut solo album, The Brian, on December 18, 2006.^[15] The album incorporated diverse genres such as soul and jazz. With the album, Joo said he hoped to gain more respect as an artist, rather than being known as "Fly to the Sky without Hwanhee".^[16] He described one of his motivations for making a solo album:

Many people think Hwanhee is the main vocalist [of Fly to the Sky] and I am the second vocalist or rapper. I won't mention his name, but one producer once said to Hwanhee after a performance, "You're truly a great singer", when he only said, "Good job", to me. So I wanted to prove that I could do it too.^[17]

The album debuted at #7 on the monthly Recording Industry Association of Korea album chart and sold 15,376 copies by the end of December.^[18] The album's lead single, a ballad titled "Don't Go", topped various South Korean real-time music charts upon its release^[15] and was awarded first place on Inkigayo on January 21.^[19] While promoting the album, Joo was diagnosed with vocal cord nodules and had to adjust his schedule to avoid further injury.^[20]

Joo left his position on Show! Music Core in November 2007 to focus on overseas promotions.^[21]

2009-2012: Manifold, Unveiled, and musical theater

On December 10, 2009, Joo released his second solo album, Manifold, which sold 15,000 pre-order copies.^[22] The album was a departure from Joo's earlier work and featured hip hop and dance music songs, including the lead single "My Girl" featuring hip hop duo Supreme Team.^[23][24]

Joo signed an exclusive contract with Jellyfish Entertainment in October 2010.^[25]

On April 7, 2011, Joo released his first mini album, Unveiled, including for its lead single an emotional ballad titled "Love Is Over Now".^[26] Unveiled debuted at #7 on the Gaon Album Chart.^[27] To promote the album, Joo went on a solo tour of the United States in June 2011 with stops in Seattle, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York.^[28]

Upon returning to South Korea, Joo made his musical theater debut in August in a Seoul production of Rent, in which he played the role of Mark.^[29] In 2012 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, Joo performed as a principal cast member representing the Korean culture in a Broadway-style musical called Loving the Silent Tears and based on Supreme Master Ching Hai's poetry collection to commemorate the 19th Anniversary of Supreme Master Ching Hai Day.^[30][31]

Discography

See also: Fly to the Sky discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions	Sales
		KOR ^[32]
The Brian	Released: December 18, 2006 Label: PFull Entertainment Formats: CD, cassette Track listing 일 년을 겨울에 살아(Living One Year in Winter) 가지마 (Don't Go) First Date 사랑하지 않으니까요(Because I Don't Love You) 닮아 가기(Becoming Similar) 하지 말라고 신사(Gentleman) 검은 눈물(Black Tear) 눈물 속으로(Into the Tears) 바래! 바래! (I Want! I Want!) (feat. 윤동훈 Trepass) All I know 바래! 바래! (I Want! I Want!) (Remix)	—^[a]	KOR: 19,715^[33]
Manifold	Released: December 10, 2009 Label: On Point Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download Track listing Dreaming 내 여자 (My Girl) (feat. Supreme Team) One Step Erase Tell Me Baby (feat. Day Day of Dalmatian) Lock Me Up Bullet Move It 친구의 여자를 사랑했네 (A Friend's Girl I Loved) (feat. Tablo & Mithra Jin) 눈물이 마르면... (Tears Run Dry) Do It (Move It English Ver.) Tears Run Dry (눈물이 마르면... English Ver.) Bullet (English Ver.)	9	KOR: 15,000^[22]

Extended plays

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions	Sales
		KOR ^[32]
Unveiled	Released: April 7, 2011 Label: Jellyfish Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download Track listing Domino (눈물의 구성요소) Love Is Over Now (사랑하다 끝났어) Wish You Were Mine (나도 약속이 있었으면 좋겠다) 24 Song 4 U Domino (English version) Love Is Over Now (English version) Love Is Over Now (Instrumental) Shine. (On Your Heart_ 단편영화 "출발" OST) (Physical Only) [Bonus Track]	7	KOR: 4,466^[34]
ReBorn Part 1	Released: January 26, 2012 Label: Jellyfish Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download Track listing Let This Die (너 따윈 버리고) (feat. Tiger JK) Can't Stop (feat. Jay Park, Beenzino) Don't Tell Me I'm Wrong (Duet with Jade Valerie) Let This Die (Extended English version) (feat. Flowsik) Can't Stop (English version) (feat. Jay Park, Dumbfoundead) Domino (Acoustic version) Let This Die (Instrumental)	8	KOR: 2,596^[35]

Filmography

Television shows

Year	Title	Role	Ref.
2006-2007	Show! Music Core	Host	^[13]^[21]
2009	Strong Heart	Regular guest	^[36]
2014	Welcome Back to School	Regular cast	^[37]
2021	Cooking - The Birth of a Cooking King	Contestant	^[38]

Television series

Year	Title	Role	Ref.
2011	The Greatest Love	Kang-min (cameo)	^[39]
2015	My Beautiful Bride	Chaebol man (cameo)	^[40]
2018	Yeonnam-dong 539	Lion	^[41]

Web series

Year	Title	Role	Ref.
2018	No Choice But to Meet You	Brian	^[42]

Radio shows

Year	Title	Role	Ref.
2022	'K-Pop Connection	Special DJ	^[43]

Controversy

Joo's ties to the United States stirred controversy in 2002, when Fly to the Sky was the host of the radio show "1010 Club". At that time, the death of two teenage Korean girls in the Highway 56 Accident caused a surge in anti-American sentiment in Korea. Because of Joo's American citizenship, guest Hyun Jin-Young asked for his opinion regarding this matter. In response, Joo stated that while the American soldier must be brought to justice, he did not want relations between Korea and the United States, his home country, to become strained. His comments were reported as "You can't talk badly about the United States in front of me. I'm an American. Please only hate the American soldiers (responsible for the incident)." (내 앞에서 미국에 대해 나쁘게 얘기하면 안 된다. 나는 미국인이다. (사건을 일으킨) 미군 부대만 싫어해달라)^[44]

Joo's statement was met with harsh criticism and backlash. Not long after the airing he posted a statement on the website of 1010 Club, in an attempt to clarify his position:

Unfortunately, during our program, I might have said something that some people took the wrong way...I wanted to make clear that the people involved with the incident are guilty and should face proper punishment. I also understand that the officers involved said that they were not guilty, which in fact they were. Even if they said that it was an accident, they still caused the accident, and for that should be willing to face what comes to them. That is what I wanted to point out and but, since my KOREAN isn't 100% good, I believe what I said threw a lot of people off I would like to take the time to apologize. Please do not be upset with me for this misunderstanding.^[45]

Notes

1. The Brian peaked at #7 on the Recording Industry Association of Korea's monthly album chart.

References

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7. Nguyen, Mai (September 2, 2011). "Just Waiting for the Right Time: An Interview with Brian Joo". Asia Pacific Arts. University of Southern California. from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
8. ^{[dead link]} 신화, 플라이 투 더 스카이, 쥬얼리, 장수 비결은? 2007-10-13 at the Wayback Machine
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11. Gaon Digital Chart Week 22 of 2014 2014-06-01 at the Wayback Machine Gaon.co.kr (May 2014). Retrieved May 31, 2014
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31. . Loving the Silent Tears... Archived from the original on September 26, 2012.
32. Gaon Album Chart positions:
    • Manifold: "2010년 1주차 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
    • Unveiled: "2011년 16주차 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved February 23, 2021.
    • ReBorn Part 1: "2012년 4주차 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved February 23, 2021.
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38. Yoo Jung-min (November 25, 2021). "브라이언X정세운X김승수, 요섹남들의 숨막히는 대결 ('쿡킹')" [Brian X Jeong Se-woon X Kim Seung-soo, a breathtaking confrontation between sexy men (‘Cooking’)] (in Korean). Ten Asia. from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2021 – via Naver.
39. "브라이언, 유인나 위해 '최고의 사랑' 카메오 출연". E Daily (in Korean). May 17, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
40. "플라이투더스카이 브라이언, '아름다운 나의 신부' 깜짝 출연". Enews (in Korean). June 19, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
41. [공식] 브라이언, 연기자 겸업 선언…'연남동539' 캐스팅 확정. News1 (in Korean). December 20, 2017.
42. "'만날수밖에없는' 김정남·양정원·브라이언, 폭소 뿜뿜 코믹 케미". Sports Chosun (in Korean). October 31, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
43. Hwang Ji-hyang (April 20, 2022). "플라이투더스카이 브라이언, 영어 라디오방송 스페셜 DJ" [Fly to the Sky Brian, Special DJ for English Radio] (in Korean). NEWSIS. Retrieved April 20, 2022 – via Naver.
44. ^{[dead link]} 브라이언 '미국에 대해 나쁘게 얘기하면 안 된다' 논란..^{[permanent dead link]}
45. ^{[dead link]} Groonet.com 플라이 투 더 스카이 브라이언... "나는 미국인" 발언 구설수 (Brian of Fly to the Sky, "I'm an American" statement controversy) Retrieved December 24, 2006.

External links

• Brian Joo - Official Website