T-Max (Korean티 맥스; RRTi Maegseu), stylized T-MAX or T.max, was a South Korean pop music group formed in 2007 under the label 2Step Entertainment (later Planet 905[1]). The group began as a trio, where the "T" in its name was derived from the words "triple" and "trinity".[citation needed] T-Max released an album, an EP, five singles, some of which have songs different from its title, and several soundtrack singles for television shows such as Boys Over Flowers, Detectives in Trouble, and Master of Study. Its members have pursued individual acting gigs in dramas, sitcoms, and musicals.

T-Max
티 맥스
OriginSouth Korea
GenresK-pop, J-pop, pop, boy band
Years active2007–2012
LabelsPlanet 905
Past members
  • Kim Joon
  • Shin Min Chul
  • Park Yun Hwa
  • Joo Chan Yang
  • Park Han Bi

History

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T-Max began with three members: Kim Joon, Shin Min Chul and Park Yun Hwa, formed under 2Step Entertainment. Shin was a former member of the boy band B.O.K. and sang on soundtrack songs "Dan Nyum" (Sang Doo! Let's Go to School) and "Tears" (Strange Woman Strange Men). Park Yun Hwa was a former contestant in Battle Shinhwa, a 2005 television contest to create a new boy band. T-Max's first single, "Blooming", was released on July 19, 2007. The group performed on music shows such as MNet's M! Countdown, Show Music Tank and Music Bank.[citation needed] A second single, "Lion Heart", followed on November 30.[citation needed] On December 29, 2008, the group released a third single, Run To You, which featured the track "Neol Saranghae" (Korean: 널 사랑해, My Love).[citation needed]

The members of T-max got involved in television projects for 2009. Park Yun Hwa was on a SBS show called “Mak Ban Shi” (Idol Maknae Rebellion), which showcased the youngest members of various idol groups: participants included Dongho of U-Kiss, Seunghyun of FT Island, Jinwoon of 2AM and Shorry of Mighty Mouth.[citation needed] Shin sang "Last Hero" for the historical drama series The Return of Iljimae.

When Kim landed a starring role as high school "prince" Song Woo Bin in the Korean live-action adaptation of Boys Over Flowers, T-Max was selected to do the theme song "Paradise", which brought the group fame.[2] Other Boys Over Flowers tracks followed, including "Say Yes" and "Wish Ur My Love". A Japanese version called "Motto Paradise" was released on September 2. The group participated in the F4 special edition of the Boys Over Flowers soundtrack, which included "Nappeun Maeumeul Meokgehae", among other tracks.[3] On July 15, T-Max released an EP Single Collection, which featured three solo tracks; each of which was sung by a different member.[2] The group released the digital single Love Parade on September 3, which featured the track "Wonhae" (Korean: 원해, Want).

In 2010, T-Max contributed original soundtrack (OST) singles for Master of Study and Fuyu No Sonata. Park Yun Hwa also collaborated with 4Minute member Hyuna on the song "Last Winter" which is found on a different Love Parade single released in February 2010.[4] With Park Yun Hwa's plan to leave the group to fulfill his military service,[5] T-Max added two new members to the group: Joo Chan Yang was a former Superstar K contestant, and Park Han Bi was new to the music scene.[6] The group released the studio album Born to the MAX in June.[7]

T-Max contributed to soundtrack singles "Believe" and "Sesangkkeuteseo" for the Detectives in Trouble series in 2011. On September 29, Kim departed from the group for his military service.[8] Prior to Kim’s enlistment, T-Max released one last single "Geunyeoga Ureo" (Korean: 그녀가 울어, She Was Crying), a ballad which tells of a man’s confession and seeking forgiveness, and describes the pain of farewell from his lover.[8] On January 4, 2012, the group officially disbanded, with its members to embark on solo careers in music or acting.[9] Yoon Jung Soo, the CEO of Planet 905, said, “They’re a group like real brothers to me, and I truly did all I could for them, so I wanted to take in whatever decision they chose. I told them that they could return as T-Max whenever they wanted to.”[10]

Influence

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In October 2013, at a fan event in Singapore, the cast of the South Korean variety show Running Man showed a video montage of themselves in the roles of the Boys Over Flowers guys, and then appeared onstage where they sang T-Max's "Paradise".[11]

Members

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T-max had five different members over its lifetime. Shin Min-chul (신민철) and Kim Joon (Kim Hyung-jun 김형준) were members from 2007 to 2011. Park Yun-hwa (박윤화) was a member from 2007 to 2010. Park Han-bi (박한비) and Joo Chan-yang (주찬양) were members from 2010 to 2011.[12]

Discography

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Studio albums

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Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[13]
Born to the MAX
  • Released: May 28, 2010
  • Label: Planet905
  • Formats: CD, digital download
"—" denotes release did not chart.

Extended plays

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Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[13]
Single Collection
  • Released: July 9, 2009
  • Label: Planet905
  • Formats: CD, digital download

Singles

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Title Year Peak chart positions Album
KOR
[14]
"Blooming" 2007 Non-album singles
"Lion Heart"
"Bang Bang Boom" (널 사랑해) 2008
"Jun Be O.K" (준비 O.K) 2009 Single Collection
"Want" (원해) Non-album single
"All I Can Say" (해줄 수 있는 말) 2010 70 Born to the MAX
"Don't Be Rude" (까불지마) 79
"She's Crying" (그녀가 울어) 2011 Non-album single
"—" denotes release did not chart.

Soundtrack appearances

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Title Year Peak chart positions Album
KOR
[14]
"Paradise" 2009 Boys Over Flowers OST
"Say Yes"
"Wish Ur My Love"
feat. J.ae
"Fight the Bad Feeling" (나쁜 마음을 먹게해) F4 Special Edition
"At Least Once" (한번쯤은) 2010 33 Master of Study OST
"Believe" 2011 Detectives in Trouble OST
"—" denotes release did not chart.

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards Best OST "Paradise"[15] Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "T-MAX Official Site". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15.
  2. ^ a b "T-Max - Single Collection (Special Edition) CD - T-max, KT Music". Yesasia. 2009-10-11. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
  3. ^ "iTunes - Music - F4 Special Edition (Boys Over Flowers) [花より男子] [Original Sound Track] by Various Artists". iTunes. 2009-04-28. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
  4. ^ "HyunA and T-MAX team up for the Love Parade". Allkpop. 6Theory Media. 2010-02-09. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
  5. ^ "T-MAX's Park Yun Hwa officially enlists for the army". Allkpop. 6Theory Media. 2010-11-16. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
  6. ^ "T-Max welcomes a new member, Park Hanbi". Allkpop. 6Theory Media. 2010-03-25. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
  7. ^ "Ahead of comeback, T-Max takes on mission to achieve fancafe member count of 10K members". K Bites. 2010-05-27. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
  8. ^ a b "'Boys Over Flowers' Kim Joon enlists in the military". Allkpop. 6Theory Media. 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
  9. ^ "Boy band T-max call it quits after four years together @ HanCinema :: The Korean Movie and Drama Database". Hancinema. 2012-01-04. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
  10. ^ 티맥스 해체 공식발표 "멤버들 각자 원하는 분야서 활동" : 네이버 뉴스. news.naver.com (in Korean). Naver. 2012-01-04.
  11. ^ "Running Man Cast Brings 'Boys Over Flowers' To Singapore Fan Meeting; Successfully Concludes Their Race With Fans : News". KpopStarz. 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  12. ^ "Profile". T-Max Official site (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2011-07-15.
  13. ^ a b "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-08-03.
  14. ^ a b "Gaon Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-08-03.
  15. ^ "2009 M.net Korean Music Festival Winners list" Archived 2013-01-27 at the Wayback Machine. MAMA. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
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