O-24 was first formed in 1998, the group's project started in 1997. During that time, there were many girl group projects with the 'fairy girl' concept, and the company was preparing for a new 'hip-hop warrior' girl group. Prior to forming the new girl group, Minzee was the winner of the first Miss Binggrae contest in December 1993, making her debut as a popular child actress.
During her days as an actress, there were many actors who were popular at the time, so she decided to give it a try to become an idol. Mijung, who was a model for 'SMART' uniforms and later debuted as an actress, as one of the main cast along with her fellow member Minzee in one of the K-Drama episodes, she received a phone call from her mother, asking if she wants to become a singer. Kahye was a trainee, she used to train with S.
E. S. , Lee Hyori (Fin.
K. L) and Soy (T. T.
Ma). In December 1998, from an issue of TEENSTAR magazine, the group was first introduced as 'T. G' (or 'Tornado Girls') and quickly changed to 'O-24' on MUSICLIFE magazine.
O-24 made their debut as a four-member girl group. The four members were: Mijung, Kahye, Yeonjung and Minzee. The group debuted at a similar time as S#arp, g.
o. d and Koyote The album Live in Hip Hop released on January 3, 1999 on cassette, and February 20, 1999 on CD. The group first appeared on KMTV Show!
Music Tank on January 9, 1999. The title song "Freedom" is about social criticism and school bullying, similar to "Warrior's Descendant" by H. O.
T.. The song is influenced by "Come Back Home" by Seo Taiji and Boys. The song contained strong language, it was played a few times on music shows, and the lyrics were later changed.
The song peaked at #17 on SBS Inkigayo. O-24 were one of the few girl groups to introduce the girl crush concept to Korea and the second girl group (the first group is DIVA) to introduce Girl's Hip Hop, however at the time, their rival groups were far more famous such as S. E.
S. and Fin. K.
L and hence O-24 was overshadowed from debut. During the promotion of "Freedom" in March 1999, Yeonjung went into hiatus due to a leg injury during practice. And the group stopped promoting one week earlier, preparing for a new song.
In April 5th, 1999, the single "First Love" was reorganized and re-recorded. The song released during 100 days of the group's debut. With a fresh melody and complicated dance moves, the concept was unexpectedly changed and it was chosen to be their follow-up song.
It was also appears in the Orion's 'Wow' bubblegum commercial. Thanks to the commercial, O-24 achieved very good results and rises the group's popularity, the commercial can be seen in [https://youtu. be/-jS-W993nkY here].
During the interview of the magazine, it was confirmed that Yeonjung left the group due to injuries. The member stated that Yeonjung was feeling unwell, and wishing her all the best in the future. And thus, O-24 started all over again as a three-member girl group.
Despite the group getting recognition from their new image, the reaction was completely mixed at the time. A lot of people found the song catchy and memorable, but many fans were disappointed because the group's concept turned 180°, from 'intimidating, tough girls' to 'pretty girls'. This also left O-24 with a bad taste, O-24's member Minzee was a bit upset and disappointed.
They wanted to show the audience that they were a hip-hop warrior girl group, and they just to ended up having the same concept as S. E. S.
, Fin. K. L, CLEO and See U.
However, the group members tried their best to show the group's coolness by focusing more on dance breaks. The song peaked at #3 on KBS2 Music Bank, #5 on KMTV Show! Music Tank and #10 on SBS Inkigayo.
Shortly after the promotion of "First Love", on May 29, 1999, O-24 performed the original version of "Molla Molla" ("I Don't Know") on KMTV Show! Music Tank. The song was later reorganized to a dance-mix and the choreography was adjusted a few weeks later.
The song peaked at #3 on KBS2 Music Bank a...
Log in to join the conversation.
O-24 Fan Board
Write PostNo posts yet.
Be the first to write one!