For this week’s special Music Monday, it’s the perfect day to finally get to talk about one of my all-time favorite K-pop groups: MYNAME. October 27, 2020 is their 9th debut anniversary. And this week, I thought I’d go down memory lane and think about just how I became a big fan of MYNAME.
MYNAME debuted on October 27, 2011 under H2 Media, a company founded by Fly to the Sky member Hwanhee. I remember watching their debut music video for “Message” and enjoying it. It was a very strong debut.
But I guess I wasn’t completely sold on them to actually follow them quite yet. However, I can point to three specific moments that would eventually change that.
On January 6, 2012, MYNAME performed an acoustic version of “Message” with indie duo Rooftop Moonlight on Music Bank. And I was in awe!
I wasn’t completely familiar with MYNAME yet, but when I first watched that Music Bank episode, the song sounded so familiar. Then I remembered “Wait a minute. I know these guys!” This excellent and unique performance made me realize these guys are pretty talented and definitely piqued my interest.
At the same time, I’d become a big fan of KBS’s variety show Let’s Go Dream Team. And on that show was a young guy with bright red hair who caught my eye. He was fun, funny and would become one of the show’s aces. And again, it was only after a while that I realized he was Seyong of MYNAME.
I was soon on my way to becoming a real fan of the group.
By May 2012, I was actively following the group and was excited by the news of their first comeback after their debut. But for me, the catch was that my family and I would be in the Philippines when the new song would be released. Knowing the internet in the Philippine countryside wasn’t going to be the best, I hoped that somehow I’d be able to still watch the music video and listen to the song upon release.
June 1, 2012. Sitting at home in a small town in Cagayan Province in the Philippines, I battled the painfully slow and unstable cellular data connection to download MYNAME’s new music video. After many stops and starts and A LOT of wasted data because of it, I was finally able to grab it. And it was worth it.
“Hello & Goodbye” was AMAZING. The emotional dance track, the dramatic music video. It far exceeded my expectations. And I immediately loved it.
If there is a moment I can point to when I officially became a fan of MYNAME, it’s that moment on June 1, 2012. Sitting in my room in Ballesteros, Cagayan, Philippines, while on vacation, waiting an hour or two just to download the MV from YouTube using my roaming cellular data connection. And that excitement and awe in watching the music video and listening to the song for the very first time.
MYNAME would steadily make a name for themselves in the industry. That included their Japanese debut in July 2012 and another release in November with title track “What’s Up.”
They released their next Korean comeback “Just That Little Thing” on January 24, 2013.
And as great as that song is, their next release would end up being their most successful.
Their first mini album was led by the title track “Baby I’m Sorry.” And to accompany that title track, the group starred in a short film which co-starred veteran actor Yu Oh Seong and martial artist/future-“Superman” Choo Sunghoon. The full 30-minute short film would be released later. But a truncated 7-minute cut of the film would serve as the music video for the track. And it was a hit:
Topping the charts and giving the group their highest spot on Music Bank ever (#5 on the day of their debut performance of the track), “Baby I’m Sorry” should’ve been MYNAME’s decisive arrival in the industry. Unfortunately (and for many possible reasons that are enough to discuss in its own post), MYNAME wouldn’t be able to reach the heights of K-pop popularity.
“Baby I’m Sorry” is absolutely one of the all-time favorite songs. And the epic music video (and short film) are excellent.
MYNAME would soon go on to focus on their Japanese promotions where they admittedly enjoyed much more success than they did in Korea. And those Japanese releases are also worthy of their own featured post as well.
But for today, I happily celebrate MYNAME’s debut anniversary. The members are all doing well today and while they are no longer under H2 Media and are focusing on solo projects and their military responsibilities, they are still together as a group.
It’s fun to look back and reminisce about how I became a MYNAME fan. That is a MYgirl, or MYboy in my case. I did like some people’s suggestion of the fan name “NAMEtags.” But the guys have acknowledged their male MYboy fans over the years as well, so that’s very much appreciated. =D
Here’s to many more years with MYNAME!