F(x)

f(x) or F(x) (/ˌɛf ˈɛks/; Korean: 에프엑스) is a K-pop girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2009. The group is composed of four (formerly five) members: Victoria, Amber, Luna and Krystal. They have been recognized as "the most reliably risk-taking act in
K-Pop"^[3] due to their experimental fashion and their eclectic, electropop sound.^[4] Each member has also participated in other forms of entertainment, such as acting and television hosting.

Since their debut, f(x) has released four full-length albums, two extended plays, one repackaged album, one Korean Physical single and one Japanese Physical single. They have also won many awards and starred in their own reality shows.

f(x) is one of the few K-pop groups to receive international recognition, as they were the first K-pop act to perform at SXSW^[5] and their widely acclaimed second album, Pink Tape, was the only K-pop album chosen by the American music channel Fuse to be among the "The 41 Best Albums" of 2013.^[6]

History

Casting and pre-debut

Krystal was first spotted with her sister, Jessica, by S.M. Entertainment in 2000 on a family visit to Korea, which earned her a small role in Shinhwa's "Wedding March (Neoui Gyeoteseo 2)" (너의 곁에서 2) music video.^[7][8]

Former member Sulli debuted as a child actress in 2005 when she was selected to play young Princess Seonhwa of Silla in the SBS television drama,Ballad of Seodong.^[9]

In 2006, the agency recruited Luna after her performance on the television program Truth Game.^[10]

Victoria was spotted by one of S.M. Entertainment's agents at a Beijing dance competition in September 2007, and later joined the company.

Two months later, Amber was cast through S.M. Global Auditions in Los Angeles, California, where she signed a contract to become one of two trainees.

2009: Debut, LA chA TA and Chu~♡

f(x) was introduced, as the "Asia's Pop Dance Group", through a video teaser released on August 24, 2009.^[11] Their debut single, "LA chA TA", was released on September 1.^[12] On September 2, the group performed their single for the first time at a showcase held at the Samseong-dong Fashion Center.^[13] They made their official debut on September 5 at their first broadcast performance under MBC's music show Music Core.^[14]

In October, f(x) promoted the LG Chocolate cellphone alongside label mates Girls' Generation.^[15] Both groups released their own rendition of the song "Chocolate Love", with f(x)'s being an electro-pop version on October 8.^[16] Their first physical single, "Chu~♡", was released on November 9.^[17]A month later, the group appeared as special guests at Girls' Generation's Into The New World concert held at the Olympic Fencing Gymnasium on December 19 and 20.,^[18] performing their singles "LA chA TA" and "Chu~".

2010: Nu ABO and rising popularity

In January 2010, f(x) collaborated with Chinese boy band M.I.C. to promote the LG Cyon cellphone.They released a Chinese cover of "Lollipop", written by Julius Dixson and Beverly Ross, on January 2. f(x) also had their first documentary reality show Hello f(x) in April, which filmed the members' travel experiences in several countries like Africa and Thailand.

Subsequently, f(x) released their first extended play, Nu ABO on May 4. Consisting of six tracks, the lead single "Nu ABO" topped various online music portal charts in Korea,^[19] and also become one of Gaon Chart's weekly number-one singles. The group held their first performance of the song on KBS's Music Bank on May 7.^[20]

Shortly after the group's comeback, Amber went on hiatus in June due to an ankle injury. The remaining four members were to continue group activities without her for the rest of the year. Starting July 17, f(x) began performing "Mr Boogie" on music shows as a follow-up single from their EP. The group went on to participate in the SMTown Live '10 World Tour on August 21 at the Seoul Jamsil Olympic Stadium. They also performed in Tokyo, Shanghai, Los Angeles, and Paris on later dates.^[21] This marks the first time f(x) and their fellow label mates are performing outside of Asia. In October, f(x) was announced to have their second documentary reality show, f(x)'s Koala, which would be filmed without Amber. The show featured the f(x) members' sharings about their sightseeing in Los Angeles, Tokyo and other world-famous cities to attain cultural experiences, which helps promote f(x) and South Korea in different countries.

f(x) was later announced to have been signed to Japan's Avex Entertainment, and their albums will be released under the label in Japan, Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong.^[22]

2011: Pinocchio and Hot Summer

In early 2011, it was announced that Amber has returned to the group from her hiatus and the group would be preparing for their upcoming comeback and album release.^[23] On April 20, f(x)'s first full-length studio album Pinocchio, along with its lead single, "Pinocchio (Danger)", was released. The single peaked at number one on the Gaon digital single chart upon its release. The group held their first performance of the single on KBS's Music Bank on April 22 and achieved eight wins with "Pinocchio (Danger)" on various music shows.

On June 14, "Pinocchio" was re-released under the title Hot Summer. The repackage album contained the title track "Hot Summer", a remake of aMonrose song written by Thomas Troelsen and Remee,^[24] as well as three previously released digital singles "LA chA TA", "Chu♡" and "Is It Ok?".^[25]The single was a success, peaking at number two on the Gaon digital single chart and recording over 375,000 downloads during its release week. The song went on to become the 16th most successful digital song of 2011 in South Korea, selling 2,909,384 copies by the end of the year.

In August 2011, f(x) released an OST song called "Garagabana" for the online game Bust-a-Move;^[26] and in December, they released an English song entitled "1, 2, 3" as part of the 2011 Winter SMTown – The Warmest Gift album.^[27]

2012: Electric Shock and Japanese debut

f(x) released their second EP titled Electric Shock on June 10, 2012.^[28][29] Upon its release, the EP received widespread acclaim from South Korean critics, many commending its cohesive production and f(x)'s newfound sonic direction.^[30] On June 14, the group began promotions for the album, starting on Mnet's M! Countdown. They performed both the title track "Electric Shock" and album track "Jet" as part of their special comeback stage. The group eventually achieved 9 wins on various music shows

On November 30, f(x) received the "Best Dance Performance - Female Group" award for "Electric Shock" at the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong.

2013: SXSW, Pink Tape and SMTOWN Week

In January 2013, the songs "Electric Shock" and "Jet" from f(x)'s second EP were both nominated for "Best Dance and Electronic Song" award at the 10th Annual Korean Music Awards.^[31][32] "Electric Shock" eventually won the award. In the same year, f(x) was also awarded the "Digital Bonsang" award at the Golden Disk Awards and Seoul Music Awards, as well as the "MBC Music Star Award" at Melon Music Awards.

In March, f(x) became the first K-pop artist to perform at the SXSW, a festival held annually in Austin, Texas.^[33]

The group's second full-length album Pink Tape was released on July 29. Their showcase, "f(x) Music Spoiler - Play! Pink Tape", was held through Naver Music on the same day. The album peaked at number one on multiple music charts internationally, including Billboard's World Albums Chart^[34] and Gaon Albums Chart.^[35] The album also received several critical acclaims, and was the only Kpop release in 2013 to be ranked in "The 41 Best Albums of 2013", by Fuse.^[36] f(x) began promotions for the album starting with Mnet's M! Countdown on July 25. "Airplane" ranked #3 onBillboard's "20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2013".^[37][38]