High-five Of Teenagers, probably the biggest household name in Korea, is most commonly referred to as H.O.T., or choti. They were created by SM Entertainment, known widely as the powerhouse for some of the most popular Korean groups. H.O.T. has been known as one of the first groups to perform Korean music as we know it today, revolutionizing and culturing a mix of rap, hip-hop, r&b, ballad, and pop.
The five-member hard-hitter group was started in September, 1996, with leader Moon Hee Jun, dancer Jang Woo Hyuk, American Tony An, lead-singer Kang Ta, and the youngest member, Lee Jae Won. Lead-singer Kang Ta, the first member of the group, was scouted while being dared by a friend to dance at the corner of a street in Lotte World, a Korean theme park. Moon Hee Jun and Lee Jae Won auditioned to receive spots on the newly formed group. Jang Woo Hyuk was scouted after he won a dance competition. Finally, Tony An, also known as An Seung Ho, was scouted in the American audition of the group. Shinhwa member Andy Lee was originally placed in the group, but since his parents thought he was too young, he did not enter the Gayo world until Shinhwa's debut.
Choti's first album was "We Hate All Kinds of Violence" (September 7, 1996). H.O.T. came out on MBC's "Toyoil Toyoil eun Jeul guh wuh" with the debut song "Junsa Eh Hui Eh", which was banned and taken off the radio for plagiarism charges. Not to be discouraged, the fivesome quickly recharged with "Candy" on December 1st, 1996, the hip, cute song that made a stamp on the Gayo music timeline. Their fresh faces, cute jumpers, big furry mittens, and kiddish appeal immediately hit home with all the girls in Korea. After the first album medley, H.O.T. performed their good-bye on Febuary 16th of 1997.
On June 28, 1997, H.O.T. released their second album, which some claim to be their very best album. "Wolf and Sheep", the title song of the album, held a more "tough" look than "Candy" had been. This song was also banned off the radio because of its explicit lyrics. During the second album (September 21, 1997), Club H.O.T. (H.O.T.'s official Korea-based fan club) came into existence at the Seoul Olympic Main Stadium. Using a tactic not unlike the one during the first album after being banned, H.O.T. quickly released another "happy" song, "Heng Bok". This style of overbaggy pants and overbaggy shirts hit it home with the fans, their parents, and the media. This song, having been at the top of the charts for five weeks, won the "King of Kings" award shortly thereafter. "We are the Future" was the next release from H.O.T., a song which is sometimes referred to as H.O.T.'s "best". They wore the famous red satin suits and had a complex dance, which proved them to not only be a group to impress the girls. From January 23 to January 25, 1998, H.O.T. had their first concert at the Seoul Olympic Stadium. On April 4th, the second Club H.O.T. came into existence. During this year, H.O.T. made a four stop US tour--New York, Washington, D.C., Hawaii, and Los Angeles. The good-bye for "Wolf and Sheep" was held on May 23, 1998, at the Dream Concert.
The third album H.O.T. produced, "Resurrection", came into being on September 25, 1998, on MBC's "Music Camp", with the song "Line Up!" This song was different from all of H.O.T.'s previous songs, being very rockish and hard. The second song released on the third album was "Beet" (Hope), a song written by lead-singer Kang Ta. From January 22 to January 28, 1999, H.O.T. had their second live concert. In April, the third Club H.O.T. was formed. On May 15, 1999, "Hope" was performed at the Dream Concert as a good-bye. "The Promise of H.O.T.", H.O.T.'s anime music video, was a song that promised the fans that H.O.T. would never separate. After these anime angel characters were developed, many started to call H.O.T. "chunsas" (angels).
July, 1999, H.O.T. came out with their own colognes, named "H.O.T. With Perfume". The three scents are "Twinkle Floral" (red), "Hero Spicy" (green), and "Optimist Fresh" (green). H.O.T. also came out with their own softdrink, called "Tic-Toc". H.O.T. promoted in Taiwan for a period of time during the summer. During the MTV Video Music Awards, H.O.T. won the International Viewer's Choice MTV Korea for their video, "Line Up!". They accepted the MTV award backstage, in New York City.
A lot of fans left H.O.T. during the fourth album because of their strange, Japanese rockish looks. Yet, many new fans were introduced to H.O.T. because of their eccentric looks. The fourth H.O.T. album, "I Yah!" was dedicated to the 23 kindergarteners who died in a fire in Korea. Since H.O.T. was in New York for the MTV Video Music Awards, they filmed their music video, "I Yah!". Their comeback was at the Seoul Olympic Main Stadium, on September 18, 1999. To H.O.T. fans, the stadium was jokingly "their home away from home", since all of H.O.T.'s concerts and fan meetings were held there. During this concert, Hee Jun slid due to the rain, and injured his back. He later had surgery and had a metal plate put in. The fourth album comeback was held on Music Camp during October, since Hee Jun needed recovery time. "Too Ji", written by Moon Hee Jun, was the next song on the album to be performed, which had a warlike appearance. Finally, the third single on the fourth album, "It's Been Raining Since You Left Me", was performed, written by Kang Ta. The fourth album had mostly been composed by the H.O.T. members, except for two songs by Yoo Young Jin. H.O.T. had their own TV show, "Log-in H.O.T.", aired in November, featuring other SM artists and a skit by Tony and Kang Ta.
H.O.T. performed in early February of 2000 in Beijing, where they recited some Chinese lines, and went to Los Angeles for the "Concert of Love", a charity concert. During the next few months, they went to Japan to film the first Japanese/Korean movie, "Age of Peace", which was a movie to commemorate the upcoming World Cup that will be held in Korea in 2002. The Japanese requested that the OST be made by H.O.T., so Moon Hee Jun wrote the main theme, "OP.T", and Kang Ta wrote another song, "The Best"; the first of which is techno, and the second which is rock. H.O.T. were also named the Korean anti-drug ambassadors, beating out other candidates by a long shot. They filmed their CF at the Seoul Olympic Main Stadium, holding the hands of their fans. H.O.T. then were chosen to be IBM's internet models, which they are filming a CF for.
H.O.T.'s highly anticipated fifth album is delayed and scheduled to be released in September. The theme song this time will be written by a H.O.T. member (this time, rumored to be Hee Jun's song). Club H.O.T. for the fifth album has been registered, and over 80,000 members joined, making this SM's biggest fan club, and H.O.T.'s biggest ever fanclub. The concert for the fifth album has been cancelled, due to a soccer game, delay in album production, and the fact that none of the stadiums in Korea could possibly hold the 80,000 fan club members and others who would want to see H.O.T. SM decided not to have H.O.T. perform on two separate days.
Today, H.O.T. is known as one of the best groups, having sold over a million copies of their CDs. Not only do they concentrate on performance skills, such as singing and dancing, they also remain role models for many commercials. Their albums have been dedicated to stopping violence and bringing hope, which has highly increased their popularity among parents, as well. They also help their fellow SM members out with album production and vocals, which make them SM's biggest asset. H.O.T. has also taken other Asian countries by storm, such as China, Taiwan, and Japan. It is estimated that one out of every two girls has an H.O.T. album. H.O.T.'s success has often been underplayed by problems, but they continue to serve as one of Korea's most well-known and well-loved groups. No matter how long they last, H.O.T.'s fans have proved to be the most enduring, and H.O.T. have proven to be a Korean music legend.
H.O.T.'s long awaited 5th album was released last year, 2000. It was titled 'They are Not Different From Us' after their song 'Outside Castle (Castle Outsiders)' which is about handicapped people and the bad treatment they recieve. 'Outside Castle' was written, composed, and arranged by Moon Hee Jun. Their next songs were 'We Can Do It', by Kang Ta, 'A Song For Lady', by Moon Hee Jun, and 'Abandoned Children', by Lee Jae Won. Similar to the H.O.T.'s change from the 3rd album to the 4th, H.O.T. again went under a major change of their appearences.
After 4 years and 8 months together as Korea's most popular male group ever, H.O.T. has announced their breakup on Sunday, May 13, 2001. H.O.T. members Jaewon, Woohyuk, and Tony, have officially declared a break with SM. Woohyuk said that he has been having money problems with the company.
H.O.T.'s Kangta has debut his solo album "Polaris" with Jazz music style. Also, Heejun has debut his solo album "Alone" with mix of Rock music & R&B. Woohyuk, Jaewon and Tony also signed with the company of G.O.D. and formed a new group called "JTL" which stands for "Jang Tony Lee". They debut their 1st album titled "Enter The Dragon". Forever H.O.T.