TURAN (투란) was a girl group under StarPro Entertainment. They debuted on July 10, 2013 with the release of their first digital single "Shotgun".
They disbanded in 2017 after years-long issues with the group's line-up.
Career[]
2011-2012: Pre-debut[]
In June 2011, StarPro Entertainment formed TURAN and had a two-year preparation period for their trainees leading up to the debut.[1]
2013–2014: Debut with "Shotgun", Lineup changes[]
On May 16, 2013, StarPro Entertainment released a faceless photo teaser of TURAN through a press conference. They also announced that the members would be revealed on the 16th, wrap up filming the music video on the 20th then debut on June 3.[2] However, their debut was then postponed due to unknown reasons.
After holding a debut showcase on June 21, 2013, they finally made their debut on July 10 with the digital single "Shotgun".[3] The debut lineup consisted of Hanbi, Sebin, Ryuji, Lee Kyung, Lian, Alyssa and Chae Eun.
On August 16, 2013, the group made their music show debut on Music Bank.[4][n 1]
By late October 2013, all members except Lian and Alyssa appeared to have left the group and new members: Hyejin, Seyul, Hwajung, Hyobin and Ubyeol were recruited.[5][6] In November 2013, Alyssa confirmed on Weibo that Hanbi, Sebin, Ryuji, Lee Kyung and Chae Eun had departed from the group and asked fans to support the new lineup.[7] Shortly after this, Seyul and Hwajung also appeared to have left in December as they stopped appearing with the group.[8]
2014: More lineup changes, Cancelled comeback[]
On January 17, 2014, the group updated the new five-member lineup to their SNS.[9]
In February 2014, TURAN started promoting as a six-member group with new member E-Hwa.[10]
In March 2014, TURAN appeared on the Chinese show Face To Face as a seven-member group with new member Rumi.[11] The same month, the group announced that they were preparing for a comeback soon.[12]
In April 2014, Rumi appeared to have left the group as they had returned to their six-member formation.[13]
In May 2014, Ubyeol, Lian, E-Hwa, and Hyobin silently departed from the group. This was followed by the addition of four new members: Semin, Sodam, Seulgi, and Minyoung.[14]
In July 2014, Sodam, Seulgi, and Minyoung appeared to have left the group while three new members: Jiyoon, Jiyeon and Hyun Yea were spotted.[15]
During their promotion in China in July and September 2014, the lineup fluctuated between three,[16] four,[17] and six[18] members without any official announcement, with multiple new members spotted at different events. By the end of the promotion, the group ended up with four members left.[19][n 2]
2015: Mystery Member[]
On May 23, 2015, they released their first mini album, Mystery Member, with a five-member lineup.[20][n 3]
The same year, Jiyoung appeared to have returned to TGN Entertainment and debut in their girl group Leader'S in June,[21] while Alyssa returned to China and released her first solo digital single "暖暖的" in July.[22][23]
2016: Hello TURAN[]
Almost a year later, in March 2016, TURAN suddenly appeared on the Chinese show God of War as four with Hyun Yea, Alyssa, Hyejin and Lian, who had previously departed from the group in 2014.[24]
On April 26, 2016, TURAN released a mini album titled Hello TURAN in China as a duo, consisting of Lian and Alyssa.[25][n 4] However, plans for the duo were scrapped due to the THAAD political conflict.[26]
By August 2016, all of the members, except for Hyejin, appeared to have departed from the group and StarPro Entertainment had to recruit new members: Haesol, Nael, Cherry and Chaehee to salvage the group.[27][28] Sometime after this, Chaehee also left the group and was replaced by Sogeum.[29]
2017: Disbandment, Re-debut in HINT[]
In early 2017, the group announced that they had changed their name to HINT and signed a one-year contract with Thai company CRBIZ for promotions in Thailand.[29][30]
TURAN was ultimately disbanded as the remaining members were re-debuted in StarPro Entertainment's new girl group HINT on March 31, 2017, with the digital single "TangTangTang".
Aftermath[]
- During their career, HINT fared better, with less lineup changes and more comebacks than TURAN, before ultimately disbanding on September 27, 2022.
- Hanbi officially debuted as an actress in 2014.[31] She is currently active as an actress and model, under the stage name Park Sui.[32]
- Jiyoung returned to TGN Entertainment and joined their girl group Leader'S in June 2015, under the stage name Sandy.[21] She later re-debuted in Lucky Girls on July 25, 2016 and RoseVary on November 8, 2016.
- Semin joined the dance group New Top, which later changed its name to Mo.I in 2015 and debuted as a duo in 2017.
- Hwajung joined in D.Holic in 2015 but left in 2017. She made her solo debut on January 1, 2019, with the digital single "Silkeot".
- Alyssa officially debuted as a soloist under her real name, Zhao Cai Er, on May 19, 2016 with the Chinese single "开口说爱你".
- Chae Eun competed in Produce 101 in 2016 but was eliminated at 75th place. She later re-debuted in A.De on June 23, 2016, under the stage name Suyeon.
- Ubyeol re-debuted in S2U in 2017, under the stage name MiU. She later left the group in 2018 and re-debuted in My Darling in 2020, under her original stage name. She is currently active as a model.[33]
- Lian participated in Miss Trot in 2019 and debuted as a trot soloist on August 28, 2019 with the EP Pandora, under her real name Jang Haon.[34]
Members[]
Due to lack of information on the members of this group, some members still may be missing
| Name | Position(s) | Year(s) active |
|---|---|---|
| Hanbi (한비) | Leader (2013), Vocalist | 2013 |
| Sebin (세빈) | Vocalist | 2013 |
| Ryuji (류지) | Rapper, Vocalist | 2013 |
| Lee Kyung (이경) | Main Vocalist | 2013 |
| Chae Eun (채은) | Maknae (2013), Vocalist | 2013 |
| Alyssa (엘리샤) | Leader (2014-2016), Vocalist | 2013–2016 |
| Lian (리안) | Leader (2013), Lead Vocalist | 2013 - May 2014; 2016 |
| Hyejin (혜진) | Rapper, Vocalist | Nov. 2013 – 2017 |
| Hwajung (화정) | Main Vocalist | Nov. 2013 - Dec. 2013 |
| Seyul (세율) | Rapper | Nov. 2013 - Dec. 2013 |
| Hyobin (효빈) | Rapper, Vocalist, Maknae (2013-2014) | Nov. 2013 - May 2014 |
| Ubyeol (유별) | Vocalist | Nov. 2014 - May 2014 |
| E-Hwa (이화) | N/A | Feb. 2014 - May 2014 |
| Rumi (루미) | N/A | Mar. 2014 |
| Semin (세민) | N/A | May 2014 - Dec. 2014 |
| Seulgi (슬기) | N/A | May 2014 |
| Sodam (소담) | N/A | May 2014 |
| Minyoung (민영) | N/A | May 2014 |
| Jiyoon (지윤) | N/A | Jun. 2014 - 2015 |
| Jiyeon (지영) | N/A | Jun. 2014 - Jul. 2014 |
| Hyun Yea (현예) | N/A | Jun. 2014 - 2016 |
| Jiyoung (지영) | N/A | Aug. 2014 - 2015 |
| Haesol (해솔) | N/A | 2016–2017 |
| Nael (나엘) | N/A | 2016–2017 |
| Cherry (체리) | N/A | 2016–2017 |
| Chaehee (찬희) | N/A | 2016 |
| Sogeum (소금) | N/A | 2016-2017 |
Discography[]
Korean[]Mini albums[]
Digital singles[]
|
Chinese[]Mini albums[]
|
Trivia[]
- Alyssa was the only foreign member, being from China. She was the first member to be cast and trained for nearly three years.[35]
- Hanbi was an ulzzang pre-debut.[36]
- Jiyoung was a trainee under TGN Entertainment.[21]
Notes[]
- ↑ Their debut on Music Bank is their first and last appearance on a music show.
- ↑ Most of the new members from this period remain unknown, except for Jiyoung.
- ↑ Due to TURAN's complicated lineup changes, it's unknown which 5 members participated in this release.
- ↑ It was revealed by Lian years later that the mini album was planned by the two members without the company.
Gallery[]
(L-R: Ubyeol, Seyul, Hyobin, Lian, Hyejin, Alyssa, Hwajung)
(L-R: E-Hwa, Alyssa, Hyobin, Lian, Hyejin, Ubyeol)
(L-R: Hyun Yea, Jiyeon, Hyejin, Semin, Alyssa, Jiyoon)
References[]
- ↑ (KR) CDNews: 신예 걸그룹 '투란' 7명 미녀멤버 공개 "반응이 HOT"
- ↑ (KR) Media Paper: 얼굴없는 신예걸그룹 '투란' 데뷔발표! 네티즌기대!
- ↑ (KR) Daum: [포토엔]투란 '쇼케이스로 선보이는 첫무대'
- ↑ (KR) EToday: ‘뮤직뱅크’ 투란, ‘뱅뱅뱅’ 가요계 신고식
- ↑ (KR) Naver Blog: 안소니앤테스 2014 S/S 컬렉션 패션쇼 공식협찬 음료 '카톡' - 걸그룹 투란
- ↑ (KR) NEWSCJ: ‘2013 대한민국 문화연예대상 시상식’ 투란 ‘깜찍한 인사’
- ↑ 赵采儿alyssa on Weibo (November 16, 2013)
- ↑ YouTube: 투란 (December 9, 2013)
- ↑ @turanstarpro on Facebook (January 17, 2014)
- ↑ (KR) EKoreaNews: 패션스쿨 모다랩 연예인과 발렌타인데이 파티
- ↑ 赵采儿alyssa on Weibo (March 2, 2014)
- ↑ @TURANGirls on Twitter (March 4, 2014)
- ↑ (KR) CCToday: 신인 걸그룹 '투란' "군인 오빠들 많이 사랑해 주세요"
- ↑ @semin00 on Facebook (May 28, 2014)
- ↑ @zhaoyingcui on Facebook (July 13, 2014)
- ↑ @zhaoyingcui on Facebook (July 24, 2014) (1)
- ↑ @zhaoyingcui on Facebook (July 24, 2014) (2)
- ↑ @zhaoyingcui on Facebook (September 27, 2014) (2)
- ↑ @hyejin.lee.336 on Facebook (September 27, 2014)
- ↑ (KR) Genie: TURAN - Mystery Member Album Info
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 (KR) TopStarNews: [인터뷰] 리더스(Leader's) 윤슬아, “정직한 노래 들려드리고 싶다”… ‘기대할게요’
- ↑ 赵采儿alyssa on Weibo (November 10, 2015)
- ↑ @赵采儿alyssa on Weibo (July 15, 2015)
- ↑ 赵采儿alyssa on Weibo (March 6, 2016)
- ↑ (KR) Naver: 장하온 "걸그룹 투란으로 활동, 지금의 나를 만들어준 밑거름"
- ↑ (CH) Sohu: 限韩令原因可能导致韩国艺人赵采儿单飞发展？
- ↑ YouTube: 160813 경남남해상주썸머페스티벌 투란 채희 - Cheer Up(원곡 트와이스)
- ↑ (KR) KSACN: TURAN members profile
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 @crbiz.event on Facebook (January 1, 2017)
- ↑ (TH) MGROnline: ซีอาร์บิซ (CRBIZ) อิมพอร์ต 5 สาวเกิรล์ลกรุ๊ป “HINT” เอาใจคอเพลงเกาหลีเมืองไทย
- ↑ (KR) GukJe News: 걸 그룹 출신 '한비' 이젠 배우로서 우뚝
- ↑ Park Sui (@sui__s2/) Instagram profile
- ↑ @miu_luv3 Instagram profile
- ↑ (KR) SilverI News: 아이돌 걸그룹 출신 트로트계 샛별, 장하온! 드디어 큰 일
- ↑ (KR) SportsWorldi: [줌인] 투 란, 노래면 노래 춤이면 춤 "팔방미인 여기 있소"
- ↑ (KR) Naver: 박경희, 걸그룹 ‘투란’으로 데뷔 임박