Biography
South Korean boy band Super Junior spearheaded the Korean Wave throughout the 2000s, establishing themselves as familiar figures throughout Asia while preparing global listeners for K-pop’s worldwide expansion during the 2010s. Primarily recognized for the 2009 blockbuster track “Sorry, Sorry,” the prize-winning ensemble of numerous members built on the chart-leading album sharing that title by delivering a continuous run of domestic number-one albums, penetrating the American market through 2010’s Bonamana and claiming their initial U.S. World Albums summit with 2014’s Mamacita. By moving into Japanese-language releases and appearing in assorted subgroups, Super Junior sustained a steady role within K-pop through the close of the 2010s. Their tenth full-length Korean studio album, The Renaissance, appeared in 2021, with the two-part album The Road arriving the following year.
Assembled by S.M. Entertainment, Super Junior (also known as SJ or SuJu) launched in 2005 and immediately gained traction inside Korea along with other Asian pop markets. Conceived originally as a rotating lineup whose name would update annually—Super Junior 05 shifting to Super Junior 06—the plan changed when the first rotation instead produced an addition rather than a replacement, ultimately swelling the roster to 13 members. The initial dozen comprised Leeteuk, Heechul, Han Geng (the sole Chinese member, selected from auditions to broaden Asian appeal), Yesung, Kang-In, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, and Kibum.
A self-titled debut album surfaced in December 2005. Follow-up single “Miracle” topped Asian charts, prompting the choice to retain the expanded lineup and remove the yearly suffix. Thirteenth member Kyuhyun joined in 2006, after which the group issued single “U,” again reaching number one and earning multiple awards. The larger Super Junior divided into subgroups in 2007, among them Super Junior-K.R.Y., Super Junior-T, and Super Junior-M, the latter becoming their most successful side project. Main lineup album Don’t Don faced delay from an automobile accident yet debuted at number one upon its September 2007 release. Regional popularity grew via a multi-city Asian tour in 2008 ahead of third album Sorry, Sorry in 2009, whose title track became an international hit while the set ranked among top sellers in Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, China, and the Philippines.
After Sorry, Sorry, Kibum, Han Geng, and Kang-In departed for separate reasons, leaving a ten-member configuration for fourth album Bonamana. Mr. Simple (also titled A-CHa) followed the next year, leading Korean charts and reaching number three on Billboard’s World Albums tally. Sexy, Free & Single (also titled Spy) emerged in summer 2012, restoring Kang-In to the lineup. Following Japanese debut album Hero, Super Junior shifted from their customary synth-driven approach toward R&B and funk textures on Mamacita, enlisting American producer Teddy Riley for the title track. Ninth album Devil arrived in 2015, succeeded by reissue Magic that incorporated “Magic” and “You Got It.” Nearly two years later, PLAY surfaced in 2017, marking their fourth Top Three entry on the Billboard World Albums chart. Repackaged the following April as REPLAY, it yielded the trilingual single “Lo Siento” (Korean, Spanish, and English), which performed strongly on Billboard’s Latin Digital Singles chart. Another Latin crossover arrived in October 2018 via mini-album One More Time, featuring Mexican band Reik on a version of the title track. Ninth set Time_Slip appeared in 2019 shortly after Kang-In’s departure just days before a global music festival performance in Saudi Arabia. Reaching the Top Ten on the U.S. World Albums chart, Time_Slip was promoted by singles “Show,” “Somebody New,” “The Crown,” and “I Think I.”
The group returned in March 2021 with tenth full-length The Renaissance, produced by Lee Soo-man, securing their seventh straight summit on the South Korean album chart. Next album The Road was released in two EP-length volumes across the ensuing year, beginning with The Road: Keep on Going in July 2022 and concluding with The Road: Celebration that December.
Assembled by S.M. Entertainment, Super Junior (also known as SJ or SuJu) launched in 2005 and immediately gained traction inside Korea along with other Asian pop markets. Conceived originally as a rotating lineup whose name would update annually—Super Junior 05 shifting to Super Junior 06—the plan changed when the first rotation instead produced an addition rather than a replacement, ultimately swelling the roster to 13 members. The initial dozen comprised Leeteuk, Heechul, Han Geng (the sole Chinese member, selected from auditions to broaden Asian appeal), Yesung, Kang-In, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, and Kibum.
A self-titled debut album surfaced in December 2005. Follow-up single “Miracle” topped Asian charts, prompting the choice to retain the expanded lineup and remove the yearly suffix. Thirteenth member Kyuhyun joined in 2006, after which the group issued single “U,” again reaching number one and earning multiple awards. The larger Super Junior divided into subgroups in 2007, among them Super Junior-K.R.Y., Super Junior-T, and Super Junior-M, the latter becoming their most successful side project. Main lineup album Don’t Don faced delay from an automobile accident yet debuted at number one upon its September 2007 release. Regional popularity grew via a multi-city Asian tour in 2008 ahead of third album Sorry, Sorry in 2009, whose title track became an international hit while the set ranked among top sellers in Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, China, and the Philippines.
After Sorry, Sorry, Kibum, Han Geng, and Kang-In departed for separate reasons, leaving a ten-member configuration for fourth album Bonamana. Mr. Simple (also titled A-CHa) followed the next year, leading Korean charts and reaching number three on Billboard’s World Albums tally. Sexy, Free & Single (also titled Spy) emerged in summer 2012, restoring Kang-In to the lineup. Following Japanese debut album Hero, Super Junior shifted from their customary synth-driven approach toward R&B and funk textures on Mamacita, enlisting American producer Teddy Riley for the title track. Ninth album Devil arrived in 2015, succeeded by reissue Magic that incorporated “Magic” and “You Got It.” Nearly two years later, PLAY surfaced in 2017, marking their fourth Top Three entry on the Billboard World Albums chart. Repackaged the following April as REPLAY, it yielded the trilingual single “Lo Siento” (Korean, Spanish, and English), which performed strongly on Billboard’s Latin Digital Singles chart. Another Latin crossover arrived in October 2018 via mini-album One More Time, featuring Mexican band Reik on a version of the title track. Ninth set Time_Slip appeared in 2019 shortly after Kang-In’s departure just days before a global music festival performance in Saudi Arabia. Reaching the Top Ten on the U.S. World Albums chart, Time_Slip was promoted by singles “Show,” “Somebody New,” “The Crown,” and “I Think I.”
The group returned in March 2021 with tenth full-length The Renaissance, produced by Lee Soo-man, securing their seventh straight summit on the South Korean album chart. Next album The Road was released in two EP-length volumes across the ensuing year, beginning with The Road: Keep on Going in July 2022 and concluding with The Road: Celebration that December.
Albums
