Who are MBLAQ?

By Rachel Lee

MBLAQ stands for Music Boys Live in Absolute Quality and are known for hits such as "Oh Yeah", "Y" and "Mona Lisa". The five-member K-pop boy band was formed by internationally acclaimed entertainer Rain under J. Tune Entertainment in 2009. Its members are leader/vocalist Seungho, 24, main vocalist G.O., 24, rapper and vocalist Cheon Dung, 21, vocalist Lee Joon, 24, and rapper Mir, 21.

They made a successful debut in June 2009 with the single "Just MBLAQ", which topped various online and offline music charts in Korea. Since their first release, they have tried different genres ranging from dance/pop to R&B. And in particular, their second single "Y" in 2010 and the first studio album "BLAQ Style" in 2011 both gained considerable amount of attention from fans and media.

Their mentor Rain has produced, written and choreographed a few tracks for the group including "Oh Yeah", "G.O.O.D Luv", and "Y". However, each member has also exhibited great talent in music production, proven by a number of songs including "You" composed and written by Mir and "Sad Memories" by Seungho.

G.O. and Lee Joon have pursued solo careers. G.O. released his first digital single "Believe" in 2011 and Lee Joon has appeared in the film "Ninja Assassin" and television dramas such as "Jungle Fish 2". The two youngest members of the group, Mir and Cheon Dung, are also known for their popular family members - actress Ko Eun-ah is sister of the former and Sandara Park is a member of 2NE1 and sister of the latter.

The idol group has achieved success in Japan and other Asian countries since their first Japanese single "Your Luv" was released in May 2011. Their first Asia tour "THE BLAQ% TOUR" kicks off in Indonesia on Saturday, running through August, including performances in Taiwan, Thailand, Korea and Japan.

The boys have won numerous awards since their debut, including the Rookie Award at the 18th Korean Cultural Entertainment Awards, Disk Bonsang at the 26th Golden Disk Awards and the Popular Singer Award at the 7th Asia Model Festival Awards.