Biography
South Korean girl group Apink channels an earlier upbeat chapter of K-pop dominated by the wholesome Fin.K.L and S.E.S. They entered the scene in 2011 via the Seven Springs of Apink EP and followed with their first full-length album, Une Année, in 2012. Their next studio set, Pink Memory, landed in the same summer as their initial Japanese venture, 2015’s Pink Season. The sextet maintained parallel activity across both territories while attaining a U.S. career high with 2018’s One & Six, a pattern that continued into the 2020s. Their fourth Korean studio album, Horn, appeared in 2022.
Plan A Entertainment—later rebranded IST Entertainment—assembled the lineup in 2011, consisting of Park Cho-rong, Yoon Bo-mi, Jeong Eun-ji, Son Na-eun, Kim Nam-joo, and Oh Ha-young; founding member Hong Yoo-kyung departed in April 2013 to focus on academics. With nostalgic production choices and a fresh-faced image, Apink launched via the Seven Springs of Apink EP in April 2011, led by its opening track “Mollayo” (“I Don’t Know”). Snow Pink, their second EP, followed later that year. Marking their first anniversary, they unveiled the aptly named single “April 19,” drawn from debut LP Une Année. A third EP, Secret Garden, surfaced in 2013 and contained their breakthrough “NoNoNo,” which reached number two on the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100. The 2014 Pink Blossom EP yielded “Mr. Chu,” matching that same chart peak and paving the way for their first number-one release, the Pink Luv EP.
As their Asian fanbase grew, Apink staged their first Japanese concert before issuing a Japanese-language take on “NoNoNo,” which climbed to the Top Five there, and delivering their debut Japanese album, Pink Season. A second Korean studio album, Pink Memory, and its supporting tour rounded out 2015. Further regional expansion took them to Singapore, Vietnam, China, Thailand, Malaysia, and Taiwan. In 2016 they became the first K-pop girl group to tour North America since 2NE1 in 2012, selling out dates in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, and Vancouver. That same year Apink shifted toward greater sonic depth and maturity on third album Pink Revolution, anchored by the Korean chart-topper “Only One.” They also offered a “special album,” Dear, as a token for their loyal followers, while second Japanese collection Pink Doll sustained momentum in that market through year’s end.
Early 2017 kept them occupied in Japan, and they returned to Korea with Pink Up and its hit single “Five.” The single album Miracle and chart-topping EP One & Six arrived in 2018, steering their sound and presentation toward a more grown-up tone; the six-track set, featuring “I’m So Sick,” also marked their strongest U.S. showing to date. They closed the decade with 2019’s mini-album Percent.
Apink opened the 2020s with Look, whose “Dumhdurum” became their highest-charting Korean single since 2015. Activity stayed light through 2021 aside from the tenth-anniversary single “Thank You.” The six members staged their return in 2022 with fourth full-length Horn.
Plan A Entertainment—later rebranded IST Entertainment—assembled the lineup in 2011, consisting of Park Cho-rong, Yoon Bo-mi, Jeong Eun-ji, Son Na-eun, Kim Nam-joo, and Oh Ha-young; founding member Hong Yoo-kyung departed in April 2013 to focus on academics. With nostalgic production choices and a fresh-faced image, Apink launched via the Seven Springs of Apink EP in April 2011, led by its opening track “Mollayo” (“I Don’t Know”). Snow Pink, their second EP, followed later that year. Marking their first anniversary, they unveiled the aptly named single “April 19,” drawn from debut LP Une Année. A third EP, Secret Garden, surfaced in 2013 and contained their breakthrough “NoNoNo,” which reached number two on the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100. The 2014 Pink Blossom EP yielded “Mr. Chu,” matching that same chart peak and paving the way for their first number-one release, the Pink Luv EP.
As their Asian fanbase grew, Apink staged their first Japanese concert before issuing a Japanese-language take on “NoNoNo,” which climbed to the Top Five there, and delivering their debut Japanese album, Pink Season. A second Korean studio album, Pink Memory, and its supporting tour rounded out 2015. Further regional expansion took them to Singapore, Vietnam, China, Thailand, Malaysia, and Taiwan. In 2016 they became the first K-pop girl group to tour North America since 2NE1 in 2012, selling out dates in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, and Vancouver. That same year Apink shifted toward greater sonic depth and maturity on third album Pink Revolution, anchored by the Korean chart-topper “Only One.” They also offered a “special album,” Dear, as a token for their loyal followers, while second Japanese collection Pink Doll sustained momentum in that market through year’s end.
Early 2017 kept them occupied in Japan, and they returned to Korea with Pink Up and its hit single “Five.” The single album Miracle and chart-topping EP One & Six arrived in 2018, steering their sound and presentation toward a more grown-up tone; the six-track set, featuring “I’m So Sick,” also marked their strongest U.S. showing to date. They closed the decade with 2019’s mini-album Percent.
Apink opened the 2020s with Look, whose “Dumhdurum” became their highest-charting Korean single since 2015. Activity stayed light through 2021 aside from the tenth-anniversary single “Thank You.” The six members staged their return in 2022 with fourth full-length Horn.