| "To My Boyfriend" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Fin.K.L | ||||
| from the album Blue Rain | ||||
| Language | Korean | |||
| Released | August 4, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1998 | |||
| Genre | Bubblegum pop | |||
| Length | 3:57 | |||
| Label | DSP | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Kim Young-ah | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Fin.K.L singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "To My Boyfriend" on YouTube | ||||
"To My Boyfriend" (Korean : 내 남자친구에게; RR : Nae namja chingu aegae) is a song performed by South Korean girl group Fin.K.L, released on August 04, 1998, as part of the group's debut studio album Blue Rain by DSP Media. Stylistically, "To My Boyfriend" is a summer-themed dance and bubblegum pop song that lyrically resembles that of a love letter written towards the members' romantic interests. [1]
Fin.K.L's debut studio album Blue Rain spawned the singles "Blue Rain", "To My Boyfriend", and "Ruby". The album was met with commercial success in South Korea, where it sold over 231,000 copies by August 1998. [2] The song's accompanying music video was included in the group's compilation DVD album Forever 1998-2005 Music & Story, which was made available on November 18, 2005. [3]
"To My Boyfriend" was positively received domestically following its release. It became a popular mobile phone ringtone in the years after, particularly around Valentines Day. [4] "To My Boyfriend" was named one of the top 100 K-pop Masterpieces of all time by a panel of 35 Korean music experts in a collaboration with Melon and newspaper Seoul Shinmun in 2021. Critic Lee Kyu-tak contrasted the song's "exciting beats, sweet melody, and cute lyrics" with the group's "calmly toned-down costumes and stages" presented in their debut track "Blue Rain", and said that the concept shown in "To My Boyfriend" perhaps suited the group's image better. Lee added that "The non-exaggerated cute and lively images that Fin.K.L showed in 'To My Boyfriend' had a great influence on later K-pop girl groups", which is why, "along with S.E.S., Fin.K.L are remembered in K-pop history." [5]
"To My Boyfriend" achieved the top positions on the programs Inkigayo and Music Bank for two weeks each in September. The song additionally ranked number one on KMTV's cable music program Show! Music Tank for three non-consecutive weeks.
| Program | Date |
|---|---|
| Inkigayo | September 6, 1998 |
| September 13, 1998 | |
| Music Bank | September 22, 1998 |
| September 29, 1998 |
The song has been covered by numerous artists since its release in 1998. Taiwanese singer Yuki Hsu covered the song in her third studio album The Angel (1999), which included multiple covers of South Korean songs. The tracks "I Can’t Cry" and "Call Me" were adaptions of Fin.K.L's "Ruby" and "To My Boyfriend", respectively. [6] Boy group SS501, also managed under DSP, performed a cover of the song at their December 27, 2006 concert at the COEX, where they appeared in similar schoolgirl uniforms Fin.K.L wore for promotions in 1998. [7] Girl groups Wonder Girls and Kara additionally covered the song at the 2007 KBS Song Festival [8] and 2012 MBC Gayo Daejejeon, respectively. [9] On August 8, 2009, T-ara performed the song on SBS's Inkigayo to show off their cute and lively charm through the song. [10]
At the DSP Festival held on December 14, 2013, Kara and Rainbow teamed up and performed a cover of "To My Boyfriend". [11] On music programs, Lovelyz performed it on Music Bank 's Christmas Special in 2015 [12] and GFriend performed a special stage on the March 3, 2016 broadcast of M Countdown . [13] At the MBC Gayo Daejejeon at the end of that year, Hani, Seolhyun, and Tzuyu covered the track while sporting pink checkered skirts. [14] Weeekly additionally covered it on M Countdown on July 23, 2020, a month after their debut. [15]
Fin.K.L is a South Korean girl group formed by DSP Media in 1998 consisting of members Lee Hyori, Ock Joo-hyun, Lee Jin, and Sung Yu-ri. Fin.K.L was one of the most popular K-pop groups of the late 1990s and early 2000s, alongside rival girl group S.E.S. The group cemented their popularity in South Korea with the release the songs "To My Boyfriend" in 1998, "Eternal Love" in 1999, and "Now" in 2000.
Ock Joo-hyun is a South Korean singer and musical theatre actress, known mostly for her role as the lead singer of the South Korean girl group Fin.K.L. After their unofficial breakup in 2002, Ock released three solo albums and has participated in musicals, namely Wicked, Aida, Chicago, Cats, 42nd Street, and The Count of Monte Cristo.
DSP Media is a South Korean entertainment company established in 1991 by Lee Ho-yeon. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production company, and music publishing house. In January 2022, the company was acquired by RBW.
Stylish... is the debut solo studio album by South Korean recording artist Lee Hyori. It marked her solo debut since becoming a member of girl group Fin.K.L in 1998. The album was released through DSP Media on August 13, 2003, and was distributed by CJ E&M Music. It is primarily a pop and R&B record containing influences from hip-hop, featuring songwriting contributions from various musicians including MayBee, Won Tae-yeon, Yoon Il-sang, and Lee Hyun-do of Deux.
SS501 is a South Korean boy band consisting of five members: Kim Hyun-joong, Heo Young-saeng, Kim Kyu-jong, Park Jung-min and Kim Hyung-jun. They debuted in 2005 with the EP Warning, which included their first number one song, "Never Again".
Lee Gi-kwang, known professionally as Gikwang or Kikwang, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and actor. He originally debuted as solo singer with the stage name AJ, releasing his first mini album First Episode: A New Hero on April 4, 2009. In October 2009, he debuted as the main dancer, visual and a lead vocalist of boy group Beast, which was renamed Highlight in February 2017.
Joo Hyun-mi is a South Korean trot singer. Sometimes referred to as an "Empress of Trot", Joo is credited as being one of the leading figures in the trot music revival of the 1980s.
SBS Gayo Daejeon is an annual televised music festival that is broadcast by the Seoul Broadcasting System at the end of each year. The program first aired in 1997, and awards were given to musical artists from 1997 to 2006. The awards ceremony portion of the festival was revived in 2014 and discontinued the following year.
The MBC Gayo Daejejeon is an annual, end-of-the-year South Korean music show broadcast by the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). The event was first held in 1966 as a singing competition, but MBC stopped giving out awards in 2005.
Choi Dong-wook, better known by his stage name Seven, is a South Korean singer. He made his debut in 2003 with the studio album Just Listen, which sold over 210,000 copies by the end of the year and spawned the hit single "Come Back to Me". Its success led Seven to win the Best New Artist awards at various year-end award ceremonies in South Korea, including at the SBS Gayo Daejeon, MBC Gayo Daejejeon, Mnet Music Video Festival and Golden Disc Awards.
A-Jax was a South Korean boy band formed by DSP Media in 2012. Early in their career, the group was known as DSP Boyz but then was changed to A-Jax. The group's final lineup was composed of five members: Hyeongkon, Yunyoung, Seungjin, Seungyeop, and Junghee. They made the first appearance on TV as a group on MBC Music's Making the Star – DSP Boyz on April 24, 2012. The group made its official debut with the single "One 4 U" in South Korea on June 1 and in Japan on August 8, 2012 with the same song.
Music programs of South Korea are broadcast weekly, with different artists performing on the shows to promote their music.
School Anthem is the debut studio album by South Korean boy band Sechs Kies. It was released on May 14, 1997, by DSP Entertainment. The album features the hit song, "A Man's Path " (Hangul: 사나이 가는길.
"Road" is a song performed by South Korean boy band g.o.d. It was the title track of their fourth album Chapter 4, which was released in November 2001 and became their second "million"-selling album. In a 2006 poll conducted by Gallup Korea, 1,500 Koreans aged 13 and above listed their five favorite songs and "Road" was ranked 59th out of the top 100 songs named.
"Lies" is a song performed by South Korean boy band g.o.d. It was the title track from their third album Chapter 3, which was released in 2000. At the time of its release, the song became one of the group's most popular songs, dominating the rankings in music programs, and is still considered one of their representative songs and a classic K-pop song of the early 2000s.
"10 Minutes" is the debut single by South Korean recording artist Lee Hyori. It is taken from her debut studio album Stylish..., which was released through DSP Media and CJ E&M on August 13, 2003. A R&B and hip hop number, "10 Minutes" was written by MayBee with production handled by Kim Do-hyun. Following its release, the song became a commercial hit in South Korea and spurred numerous musical and fashion trends at the time—its popularity gave way to what domestic media dubbed as the "Hyori Syndrome".
"Eternal Love" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Fin.K.L for their second studio album, White (1999). It was written by Kim Young-ah, while production and arrangement was handled by Joo Tae-young and Jo Seong-jin. It was made available as part of White on May 13, 1999, serving as the primary single from the album. Upon its release, "Eternal Love" experienced success in South Korea and won various music program awards.
Resurrection is the third Korean studio album by South Korean boy group H.O.T., released on September 25, 1998, through SM Entertainment. The album produced two singles that were promoted with music videos and live performances on music programs in South Korea: "Line Up!" and "Hope".
"Atlantis Princess" is a song by South Korean recording artist BoA for her third Korean studio album of the same name. It was released via SM Entertainment as part of the album on May 30, 2003. Produced by Hwang Sung-jae with lyrics penned by Tae-hoon, the song is a pop and dance number with lyrics revolving around pursuing one's dreams and aspirations.
