Myname

History

Seyong was recruited as a trainee under JYP Entertainment in 2007 while in middle school, training for three years before leaving due to personal issues and later joining his current agency. He subsequently appeared in the KBS drama I Believe in Love. Insoo auditioned for Superstar K2 in 2010, where the show highlighted his dance major studies and a visit from his high school friend MBLAQ leader Seungho, who offered advice before the audition. On July 30, 2011, Hwanhee announced he would debut a five-member boy group called "Hwanhee Boys" in September or October after two years of training. The five members introduced were Seyong, Insoo, Jun.Q, Gunwoo, and Chaejin, and they debuted as Myname. The group appeared on the reality show SBS MTV's Ta-Dah It's Myname, whose pilot aired on October 25, 2011, with regular broadcasts starting November 5. Myname made their official debut stage on M Countdown on October 27, and their debut single "Message" was released digitally on October 28. In January 2012, they made a cameo on the KBS drama Dream High 2. Their first single album, led by "Hello & Goodbye", came out on June 1, 2012, and they participated in the reality show SBS MTV's Diary premiering June 25. Myname officially debuted in Japan on July 25, 2012 with "Message (Japanese ver.)", holding a showcase at Tokyo's Shibuya-AX for 2,000 fans; the single ranked No. 1 on Tokyo Shibuya Tower record sales and No. 9 on the Oricon Chart. In August, they became the first male models for Japanese swimwear brand San-ai. Their second Japanese single "What's Up" was released on November 21, with a release event at LaQua in Tokyo Dome City drawing 1,500 attendees. The group held their first solo concert, Myname 1st Live "What's Up", on December 15 at Zepp Namba and December 17 at Zepp Tokyo, attracting 5,000 fans. On January 7, 2013, Myname W Kitchen premiered on Tokyo MX, a cooking show introducing Korean food to Japanese audiences, co-hosted by AKB48's Mariya Nagao.