ChoColat

Not to be confused with Chocolate (group).

ChoColat
Promotional photo for The Third Single Album (L–R: Melanie, Juliane, Tia, Min Soa)
Names
Also as	Chocolat
Hangul	쇼콜라
Background
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genre(s)	Pop
Debut	August 17, 2011
Disbanded	c. February 2017
Years active	2011–2013
Label(s)	Paramount Music
Members
Former	Min Soa Jaeyoon Juliane Lori Tia Melanie
SNS

ChoColat (쇼콜라; also as Chocolat) was a five-member girl group under Paramount Music. They debuted on August 17, 2011 with the digital single "ChoColat First Single Album".

In an interview with Asian Junkie in April 2017, Melanie confirmed that the group had disbanded after their contracts expired in February 2017.

They are best known as the first biracial girl group to debut in South Korea.

History

2011-2012: Debut with "Syndrome", The First Mini Album, Jaeyoon's departure, "The Second Single Album"

On August 2, 2011, ChoColat was introduced to the public by Paramount Music as the first biracial girl group to debut in South Korea, with the lineup consisting of Jaeyoon, Min Soa, Juliane, Tia and Melanie. Two days later, on August 4, the group made a cameo appearance in the Korean film Top Idol.

On August 16, ChoColat released the official music video for their debut track "Syndrome". The following day, they officially debuted with their first digital single, "ChoColat First Single Album".

On December 3, ChoColat appeared as four and performed their new track "I Like It" at K-Pop Con.^{[citation needed]} Jaeyoon was absent from this event due to health issues, later revealed to be a severe illness that prevented her from participating in both the recording and promotional activities for the comeback.^{[citation needed]}

On December 15, the group made their first comeback as four with their first mini album The First Mini Album. Although no official announcement was made, it is believed that Jaeyoon departed from the group during the promotion period of "I Like It", as no further updates regarding her status were provided.

On February 9, 2012, ChoColat released their second digital single "The Second Single Album".

2013-2016: "The Third Single Album", Lori's addition, hiatus

Following over a year-long hiatus with little information about the group’s status, it was confirmed on May 29, 2013 that ChoColat would be making a comeback in June. On June 5, they gave a preview performance of their upcoming release on Arirang TV’s After School Club.

On June 11, 2013, the group returned to the music scene with the release of their third digital single "The Third Single Album". The music video for "Black Tinkerbell" featured Lori, who was later officially introduced as ChoColat’s newest member during a radio program in October.

Following the end of promotions for their second single, ChoColat seemingly entered a hiatus. During the first half of 2014, the members took on solo activities, appearing in various variety shows and programs. However, as time went on, group-related updates became increasingly rare, and no further news about their status were provided.

After 2014, the members appeared to take a step back from the entertainment industry as they opened private individual SNS and no longer mentioned the group, leaving the group's status unclear. Among the members, only Tia continued to share updates. However, she also withdrew from the public eye after announcing in June 2015 that she had been accepted into the Department of Humanities at Pennsylvania State University, where she began her college journey in the United States.

2017: Disbandment

After more than three years without updates, Tia officially announced her departure from the group on February 3, 2017. Later, in an interview with Asian Junkie on April 14, 2017, Melanie confirmed that the group had disbanded following the expiration of their contracts in February 2017.

Aftermath

Following ChoColat's disbandment, the members went their separate ways:

• Jaeyoon started working as a vocal trainer for HiPitch Musical Studio in Korea.
• Lori became active as a real estate agent.^{[citation needed]}
• Min Soa opened a clothing store.
• Juliane has since left the entertainment industry to focus on her personal life.
• Tia debuted as a soloist in 2018 with the digital single "No More". She also kept working as a model and an occasional radio host in South Korea.
  • On January 4, 2024, she married the singer-songwriter DAVII, after announcing their engagement on December 21, 2023.
• Melanie has since left the entertainment industry and moved back in the United States.
  • She gave multiple interviews after the group's disbandment and mentioned her attending a school. She later married a non-celebrity husband and gave birth to a daughter.^{[citation needed]}

Members

Name	Position(s)	Year(s) active
Jaeyoon (제윤)	Leader (2011), Main Vocalist	Aug. 2011-Dec. 2011
Lori (로리)	Vocalist	Oct. 2013-2017
Min Soa (민소아)	Leader (2011–2017), Lead Vocalist	Aug. 2011-2017
Juliane (쥴리앤)	Sub-Vocalist	Aug. 2011-2017
Tia (티아)	Main Dancer, Vocalist	Aug. 2011-2017
Melanie (멜라니)	Main Vocalist, Rap, Lead Dancer, Maknae	Aug. 2011-2017

Discography

Mini albums

• The First Mini Album (2011)

Digital singles

• "ChoColat First Single Album" (2011)
• "The Second Single Album" (2012)
• "The Third Single Album" (2013)

Trivia

• Tia used to appear as a guest on various Korean variety shows and also worked as a model pre-debut.
• Juliane, Lori and Melanie were recruited into the group through personal connection with Tia.
• Their name comes from the idea that each member is a different type of chocolate. They were originally going to be named Chocolate but another group already debuted in 2010 with the same name.
• Their debut song "Syndrome" was introduced to ChoColat at the last minute by their CEO, who felt the track was a better fit for the group’s concept. At the time, the group had already recorded seven songs and was preparing a different track for their debut.
• Lori was a trainee from the start with Tia but didn't debut with the group to finish her studies.
• In an interview with KPOPALYPSE in 2017, Melanie revealed that the group had been inactive for years due to internal issues and legal limitations, which prevented them from speaking publicly about their situation. She noted that while she enjoyed performing, she faced significant challenges, including cultural differences, industry pressures, and lack of communication from management. Melanie also openly addressed the group's identity as a biracial K-pop group, acknowledging that it was a strategic marketing decision by the company designed to draw attention.
• In an interview with TRIPLE C in 2019, Melanie confirmed that the group had no future plans following the release of their third digital single. She revealed that the CEO was surprised by the group's lack of commercial success, despite initial expectations.

Gallery

"ChoColat First Single Album" (1)

"ChoColat First Single Album" (2)

"ChoColat First Single Album" (3)

"ChoColat First Single Album" (4)

"ChoColat First Single Album" (5)

The First Mini Album

"The Second Single Album" (1)

"The Second Single Album" (2)

"The Second Single Album" (3)

Official links

• Daum Cafe
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube