Broken Valentine

History

Broken Valentine is a South Korean alternative rock band that started in 2002. Their first name was "6. August." When vocalist Van and guitarist Ansu left in 2004, the band changed their name to "B. August," and bassist Sunghwan took over lead vocals. In March 2007, the band officially became Broken Valentine after Van and Ansu returned to the lineup as lead vocalist and guitarist.

In December 2008, the reunited group entered the Korean round of the YAMAHA-sponsored "Asian Beat" band competition. They became the finalist to represent South Korea at the Asian Beat Grand Finale in Hong Kong the following year. At that event on February 28, 2009, Broken Valentine won both the Grand Prize and the Best Composer Award for their song "Answer me," which became their most popular track. They were the first team in Asian Beat history to win two awards in the same year.

Later in 2009, the band released their first EP, the self-produced Calling You. They held a showcase concert to celebrate and continued playing local gigs and supporting other bands across South Korea. But the South Korean music scene offered few outlets for independent acts, making nationwide recognition hard to come by. So in 2011, they auditioned for the KBS television program Top Band, a Survivor-style reality show where bands compete against each other. Broken Valentine was seen as an early favorite and advanced to the round of 16, where they were eliminated by the band Toxic.

After their elimination, the band held their fourth exclusive concert, "Royal Straight Flush," on October 14, 2011, drawing more than 500 people. In December of that year, they released the single "Down," with all members contributing to writing, composing, and production. Their first full album, Shade, came out in 2012. The following year, they released their second full-length album, Aluminum. The title track gained attention from music fans after the death of vocalist Van.

On August 3, 2015, it was reported that Van (Kim Kyung Min) had died from drowning while swimming with friends. At the time, the band was working on their third album, Sad, which was scheduled for release after drummer Koopa finished his military service in September. Van's funeral procession took place on August 5, 2015. A tribute performance in his memory was held on November 18, 2016, with the remaining band members attending.

After a year of no activity, Broken Valentine reunited as a trio to release an EP called Project. Nabla. Noh Dae-geon of Bursters and Heo Gyun of Hash provided vocals for the album. In an interview with Osen after the release, the band confirmed that Ansu had decided to leave during discussions about their future following Van's death. The band also held a fan meeting and concert the next day to promote the new album. On December 9, 2017, they performed a solo concert called "Night Plan" with several guest vocalists.

On February 10, 2019, Broken Valentine added new members Kim Kyung-jun and Park Jun-ho. On September 21, they returned with a solo concert, "Four Ours," featuring newly composed music. One week later, they released the song "Not Yours." On December 29, 2022, the band put out their third studio album, 3. They began promoting it at Nodeul Island Live House on January 14, 2023. On February 26, 2023, it was announced that Koopa would leave the band after a performance at Seokchon Lake on March 25.

The band writes and composes their own songs, mostly written by Byun G and Van. Their music is categorized as alternative rock and post-grunge. The current lineup includes bassist and leader Sunghwan, guitarist Jihwan, lead vocalist Kyungjun, lead guitarist Junho, and drummer Taehee. Past members include lead vocalist Van (2002–2004; 2007–2015, until his death), lead guitarist Ansu (2002–2004; 2007–2016), and drummer Koopa (2002–2023).