Brian Joo

Some of this article's listed sources may not be reliable. Please help improve this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged and removed. (September 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Brian Joo
Joo in 2008
Background information
Born	(1981-01-10) January 10, 1981 (age 44) California, United States
Origin	New Jersey, United States
Genres	K-pop R&B Gospel
Occupations	Singer Songwriter Actor Television host
Instruments	Vocals Piano Keyboard Drums
Years active	1999–present
Labels	SM PFull Jellyfish iMe Korea[1]
Korean name
Hangul	주민규
Revised Romanization	Ju Min-gyu
McCune–Reischauer	Chu Minkyu
Birth name
Hangul	주진택
Revised Romanization	Ju Jin-taek
McCune–Reischauer	Chu Chint'aek

Brian Joo (Korean name: Joo Min-gyu (Korean: 주민규); born January 10, 1981), better known professionally as Brian (Korean: 브라이언), is a Korean American singer and one-half of the R&B duo Fly to the Sky. His first solo album, The Brian was released in December 2006. His second solo album, Manifold was released in December 2009.

Brian Joo was born on January 10, 1981, in Los Angeles, California to Korean immigrant parents.^[2][3] His original Korean name was Joo Jin-taek (Korean: 주진택), but his father changed it to Joo Min-gyu (Korean: 주민규) when he was three years old.^[4] Joo grew up in New Jersey and spoke Korean at home.^[5][6] His parents worked at casinos in Atlantic City and his brother, Jason Joo, is an officer in the U.S. Navy.^{[citation needed]}

While attending Holy Spirit High School, a friend signed him up for an audition with Brothers Entertainment without Joo's knowledge. The company has discovered several Korean-Americans who wish to pursue an entertainment career in South Korea. After several months of training, he was sent to SM Entertainment in South Korea, and on December 9, 1999, made his debut as one of the two members of Fly to the Sky, along with Hwanhee, at the age of 17.

Joo was accepted to Rutgers University, but did not end up attending due to the demands of his music career.^[7] He later enrolled in Dongguk University, where he graduated from the Department of Theatre and Film.^{[citation needed]}

Joo is a member of Fly to the Sky with Hwanhee, Brian sang and also rapped. As Fly to the Sky made its musical transition from bubblegum pop to heavy R&B, Joo felt discontent and inferior, and felt that Hwanhee was more appreciated for his vocal skills.^[8]

Joo has appeared on television many times. Since 2005, he has appeared on a number of variety shows, including hosting MBC's Music Core in 2006 and becoming a host for SBS' Green Gold in 2009.

In August 2009, Fly to the Sky decided to work on separate projects and have become solo singers under different labels.

On April 14, 2014, Brian Joo announced on his Twitter that Fly to the Sky will be making their comeback in May. The band later signed up with H2 Media, the agency of member Hwanhee.^[9] Their 9th new album "Continiuum" has been released and the main title track is "You You You".^[10] The single peaked at number one on Gaon digital chart.^[11]

Although being on hiatus for five years, Hwanhee and Brian expressed their good teamwork and solid friendship in an interview, telling "There were rumors about us being gay and liking men, but it's not like that. We're that close so people feel that way about us".^[12]

In May 2006, Joo became a co-host of Show! Music Core alongside actress Jang Mi-inae.^[13] Later that year, he won the Popularity Award at the 2006 MBC Entertainment Awards for his work on the show.^[14]

Joo released his debut solo album, The Brian, on December 18, 2006.^[15] The album incorporated diverse genres such as soul and jazz. With the album, Joo said he hoped to gain more respect as an artist, rather than being known as "Fly to the Sky without Hwanhee".^[16] He described one of his motivations for making a solo album:

Many people think Hwanhee is the main vocalist and I am the second vocalist or rapper. I won't mention his name, but one producer once said to Hwanhee after a performance, "You're truly a great singer", when he only said, "Good job", to me. So I wanted to prove that I could do it too.^[17]

The album debuted at #7 on the monthly Recording Industry Association of Korea album chart and sold 15,376 copies by the end of December.^[18] The album's lead single, a ballad titled "Don't Go", topped various South Korean real-time music charts upon its release^[15] and was awarded first place on Inkigayo on January 21.^[19] While promoting the album, Joo was diagnosed with vocal cord nodules and had to adjust his schedule to avoid further injury.^[20]

Joo left his position on Show! Music Core in November 2007 to focus on overseas promotions.^[21]

On December 10, 2009, Joo released his second solo album, Manifold, which sold 15,000 pre-order copies.^[22] The album was a departure from Joo's earlier work and featured hip hop and dance music songs, including the lead single "My Girl" featuring hip hop duo Supreme Team.^[23][24]

Joo signed an exclusive contract with Jellyfish Entertainment in October 2010.^[25]

On April 7, 2011, Joo released his first mini album, Unveiled, including for its lead single an emotional ballad titled "Love Is Over Now".^[26] Unveiled debuted at #7 on the Gaon Album Chart.^[27] To promote the album, Joo went on a solo tour of the United States in June 2011 with stops in Seattle, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York.^[28]

Upon returning to South Korea, Joo made his musical theater debut in August in a Seoul production of Rent, in which he played the role of Mark.^[29] In 2012 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, Joo performed as a principal cast member representing the Korean culture in a Broadway-style musical called Loving the Silent Tears and based on Supreme Master Ching Hai's poetry collection to commemorate the 19th Anniversary of Supreme Master Ching Hai Day.^[30][31]

• Brian Joo - Official Website