| “ |
Showtime, NU'EST time! Hello, we are urban electro band, NU'EST. |
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| —NU'EST | ||
NU'EST (뉴이스트; an acronym for "New Establish Style Tempo") was a five-member boy group under Pledis Entertainment. They debuted on March 15, 2012 with their first single "Face".
Four of the members participated on Mnet's Produce 101 Season 2 in which only Minhyun made to the final 11 to become a member of Wanna One. From July 2017 to December 2018, the group promoted as a four-member sub-unit called NU'EST W in the absence of Minhyun.
The group effectively and officially disbanded on March 15, 2022 on their 10 year anniversary with JR, Aron and Ren leaving Pledis Entertainment on the 14th while Baekho and Minhyun renewed their contracts with the agency.[1]
History
Pre-debut
In March 2011, it was revealed that Pledis Entertainment was looking for the last member of their upcoming boy group, tentatively called After School Boys (애프터스쿨 보이즈), through a public audition.[2] On June 6, 2011, Dongho and Jonghyun were revealed as two of the members.[3] On June 29, 2011, it was revealed that the group would be debuting at the end of the year with 5–6 members while their official name would be decided soon.[4]
On November 21, 2011, a group photo was released for Pledis' charity album "Happy Pledis 2012 'Love Letter'", which was released on December 1, 2011.[5] The album's title track "Love Letter" was performed by Son Dam Bi and After School and featured Pledis Boys' Minhyun and Dongho and female trainees Ara, Hyelim, and Junghyun. The entire group was also featured in the music video for "Love Letter".
On December 29, 2011, the group held a special stage with After School at the SBS Gayo Daejeon.[6]
2012: Debut
On January 17, 2012, a teaser photo was released and revealed that the group would be debuting as a five-member ensemble and under their official name, NU'EST.[7]
2013: NU'EST M
On November 8, 2013, Pledis Entertainment announced they are currently working with Yue Hua Entertainment to prepare for the debut of NU'EST-M. The unit consists of all five members of NU'EST and one artist from Yue Hua, Jason. They held their debut stage and press conference on November 11, 2013.[8]
2014-2016: Japanese debut, Bridge the World, Canvas
On August 26, 2014, following the end of their tour in Japan, it was confirmed that NU'EST would be making their Japanese debut in the beginning of November.[9] The group released their first Japanese single "Shalala Ring" on November 5.
On May 20, 2015, NU'EST returned in Japan with their second Japanese single "Na.Na.Na.Namida".
The group released their first Japanese full length Bridge the World on November 15.
After completing their promotions in Japan, NU'EST returned with their fifth mini album Canvas on August 29, 2016.
2017–2018: Produce 101 Season 2, Minhyun's absence, NU'EST W
Four of the members participated on the reality survival show Produce 101 Season 2 while Aron did not participate due to leg recovery. Minhyun was the only member that made to the final 11 to promote with the project group Wanna One, while the other members formed the four-member subgroup NU'EST W (the W in the name means the group is waiting for him to return), as they released three mini albums between 2017 and 2018.
2019: Minhyun's return, Happily Ever After, The Table
Wanna One's contracts came to an end on December 31, 2018 and they officially disbanded in January 27, 2019. All five members of NU'EST renewed their contracts with Pledis Entertainment.[10] Minhyun released his first digital single "Universe" on April 3 as a pre-release single for their sixth mini album Happily Ever After, released on April 29.
The group announced that they will make another comeback with their seventh mini album The Table on October 21.
2020: The Nocturne, Drive
Pledis stated an announcement in April that NU'EST is making another comeback with a new mini album, The Nocturne, on May 11.
NU'EST released their second Japanese studio album Drive on October 7.
2021: Aron's hiatus, Romanticize
On January 2, Aron announced that he would be going on a hiatus to focus on treatment after a medical review, as he has been experiencing symptoms of anxiety. The group will promote with four members.[11]
On April 11, Pledis announced that NU'EST will make a comeback with their second studio album, Romanticize, on April 19. It is their first in 7 years after the release of Re:Birth in 2014.[12]
On June 29, Aron announced on a special Naver V Live that his health improved and that he would be returning from his hiatus.[13]
2022: Needle & Bubble, disbandment
On February 28, Pledis Entertainment announced that the group's contract will end on March 14, in which JR, Aron and Ren decided not to renew their exclusive contracts while Baekho and Minhyun will renew with the agency, and the group will release one final album under the agency the same month.[14] Later that same day, the members confirmed the group's disbandment after sharing handwritten letters to their fans.[1] On March 2, it was announced that the best album Needle & Bubble, their final album, would be released on March 15 to mark the group's 10 year anniversary before disbanding.[15] On March 15, their 10 year anniversary, they officially disbanded.
Members
| Member | Position(s) | Years active |
|---|---|---|
| Aron (아론) | Lead Dancer, Lead Rapper, Vocalist | 2012–2022 |
| JR (제이알) | Leader, Main Rapper, Main Dancer, Vocalist, Face of the Group | 2012–2022 |
| Baekho (백호) | Main Vocalist | 2012–2022 |
| Minhyun (민현) | Lead Vocalist, Visual | 2012–2022 |
| Ren (렌) | Vocalist, Maknae | 2012–2022 |
| Pre-debut (as Pledis Boys) | ||
| Seungcheol (승철) | N/A | N/A |
| Doyun (도윤) | ||
Sub-units
Discography
KoreanStudio albums
Best albums
Mini albums
Single albums
Digital singles
Special singles
Collaborations
Features
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JapaneseStudio albums
Best albums
Singles
Digital singles
TaiwaneseBest albums
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Awards and nominations
| Year | Recipient | Award | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia Artist Awards | |||
| 2021 | NU'EST | AAA Best Achievement | Won[16] |
Gallery
- Main article: NU'EST/Gallery
References
Official links
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