CNBLUE (Korean: 씨엔블루), is a South Korean band “CN is an abbreviation of ‘Code Name’ while BLUE is an abbreviation of the members’ individual images,” said by one of the members. ‘Burning’ represents Lee Jong Hyun, ‘Lovely’ represents Kang Minhyuk, ‘Untouchable’ represents Lee Jung Shin, and ‘Emotional’ represents Jung Yong Hwa. Debuted on August 19, 2009 in Japan with the band’s first mini album, Now or Never. They were coined as the “2nd FT Island”. The group released four teasers for their 1st album Bluetory, starring one member per each of the videos in the sequence of Jonghyun, Minhyuk, Jungshin and lastly, Yonghwa on the 6th, 8th, 11th and 13 January respectively. On the January 14, CNBLUE debuted their first mini-album with lead single “I’m a Loner” (Korean: 외톨이야).
2009: DEBUT, NOW OR NEVER, AND VOICE
In mid-June 2009, CNBLUE began to perform on the streets and in live clubs in Japan. As an indie band, they formally debuted on August 19, 2009 with Now or Never. The mini album was recorded completely in English, and failed to chart on the Japanese national music chart. Later, in November, the second extended play was released entitled Voice. Voice peaked at position 227, and stayed on the Oricon for two weeks, and was recorded mostly in English but also in Japanese. Also that year former Bassist Kwon Kwang Jin left CNBLUE in late September after the release of CNBLUE’s first mini album. Kwang Jin was replaced by Lee Jungshin later that year.
2010: KOREAN DEBUT, THANK U, AND OTHER ACTIVITIES
In January, FNC Music unveiled new teaser pictures for CNBLUE’s debut in South Korea. Bluetory was released on January 14, 2010. It stayed at the top of the Gaon Chart for two weeks. “I’m a Loner” (Korean: 외톨이야) was promoted as the title track. The song peaked at number two, solidifying their break into the industry. The group had their first televised live stage on KBS Music Bank on January 15. Later, on January 29, the group won their first music show chart win on Music Bank.
The group debuted their new reality show on Korean music channel Mnet, titled “CN Bluetory,” on February 10. In March, the band started preparations for their first full length album ThankU. It was released on March 20, 2010, with only one new track. The album peaked at number 90 on the Oricon charts, their highest thus far. Later, in April, their official fanclub name was announced as BOICE, a combination of “blue” and “voice.”
CNBLUE headed back to Korea in May and released their next promotional single, “Love Light” (Korean: 사랑 빛), on May 10, 2010. The song peaked at number 10 on the Korean national chart and foreshadowed their upcoming release. On May 19, the second extended play was released, named Bluelove. It was promoted with the track “Love,” which charted at number 2, matching the success the band found earlier with “I’m a Loner.” Bluelove peaked at number 3, but stayed on the chart for many weeks. CNBLUE held their comeback stage on M!Countdown the following day.
After success in Korea, the band headed back to Japan. They released their first single “The Way” on June 23. For the first time, they charted within the Oricon top 40 at number 26. The release was followed by “I Don’t Know Why” on September 16 the same year. The song reached number eight on the Oricon daily chart, marking the first time the band made it inside the top 10. On the weekly chart, they peaked at number 15. On the Japanese indie top chart, the band reached number one. The band embarked on a small tour across Japan in order to promote the single.
CNBLUE members Kang Min Hyuk and Lee Jong Hyun will star in the Korean movie “Acoustic.” They released a song from the OST on October 7 entitled “High Fly” that peaked at number 98 on the Gaon Chart.
2011: RE-MAINTENANCE AND FIRST STEP
On January 9, they released their 3rd Japanese single, Re-maintenance. They started off their 2011 Japanese promotions with a Zepp Tour in 4 cities: Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya and Tokyo from January 9–16.
FNC Music, their entertainment agency in South Korea, released teasers for a CNBLUE comeback for February in 2011. However, it was later changed to a March 21 release date. The teaser was noted for having a “more of the same departure from their pop rock sound into a heavier concept.”
