A hugely successful South Korean pop star, Seotaiji (aka Jeong Hyeon-Cheol, born February 21, 1972) joined his first band, Sinawe, in 1990, at age 17. A year later, he was on his own, and he formed his next band, Seotaiji & Boys. Over the course of their four studio albums (and two live ones to boot) in five years, Seotaiji & Boys changed their sound from a dance-oriented pop group to that of a (rather controversial) rock and metal act. The transition over the four records was bolstered sales-wise by the anti-establishment attitude of the lyrics. In 1996, Seotaiji & Boys called it a day, and after a few years laying low and weighing his options, Seotaiji returned to dominate the K-rock scene on his own. 1998 marked the debut of his solo album, Seotaiji. A huge seller, it announced his return to the pinnacle of the South Korean pop world, and was followed by the equally successful Ultramania LP in 2000. 2002 saw the re-release of Ultramania, and 7th Issue appeared in 2004. A deluxe collection of his entire catalog was planned for release in 2007, just ahead of a planned release for album number eight in 2008. ~ Chris True