4Minute

A Korean dance-pop girl group out of Seoul, the quintet 4Minute was formed by music label Cube Entertainment in 2009 with Heo Ga-yoon, Jeon Ji-yoon, Kim Hyun-a, Kwon So-hyun, and Nam Ji-hyun. Led by their debut single, the rap-inhabited, synth-heavy pop tune "Hot Issue," the group released its first EP, For Muzik, in August of 2009. That December, they collaborated with Korean singers Mario and Amen for a Christmas song titled "Jingle Jingle." In 2010, they signed with Universal Music Group for international releasing of their music, and the band began scheduling concerts outside of South Korea, including Hong Kong and the Philippines. Later that year, the EP Hit Your Heart was issued, followed by their Japanese debut, Diamond, which charted in multiple Asian countries. Also multi-charting, their first Korean album, 4Minutes Left, arrived in the spring of 2011, and Kim released a solo EP titled Bubble Pop! that summer. The year 2012 saw another EP, Volume Up, and a compilation, Best of 4Minute, as well as an appearance by the band at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, California for KCON 2012. The EPs Name Is 4Minute and 4Minute World followed in 2013 and 2014, respectively. In February 2015, the group released a sixth EP, Crazy. It hit number one on Billboard's World Albums chart, a first for the quintet. ~ Marcy Donelson