15& (Korean: 피프틴앤드, also known as Fifteen And) was a South Korean duo formed by JYP Entertainment in 2012. The duo consisted of Park Ji-min and Baek Ye-rin. The name refers to fifteen being their age at debut, with the ampersand meaning they can continue to have success into the future.[1] They released their debut single "I Dream" on October 5, 2012.[2] Following a four-year hiatus which began in February 2015, the group de facto disbanded upon the expiration of both members' contracts with JYP Entertainment in 2019.

15&
Also known asFifteen And
OriginSeoul, South Korea
Genres
Years active2012–2015
LabelsJYP
Past members
Website15and.jype.com

History

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Formation

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In 2012, Park Ji-min was the first-place winner of the South Korean reality TV competition, "K-pop Star".[3] With the opportunity of signing with three major record labels (YG Entertainment, SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment), she had chosen to sign with JYP Entertainment on May 21.[4]

When Baek Ye-rin was ten years old, she was introduced as a "R&B genius" on Star King.[5] In 2008, she auditioned with Beyoncé's "Listen" and was accepted as a trainee at the same time as 2PM's Wooyoung and Highlight's Doo-joon.[6][7] Baek had been a JYP trainee for five years before she officially debuted with Park.[8]

2012–2013: Debut with I Dream and Somebody

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15&'s debut single I Dream was released on October 5, 2012. The duo's debut officially began on October 7, 2012, performing on SBS Inkigayo.[9] On October 12, 2012, 15& held their 'school attack' guerrilla concerts. The girls performed at the Chungdam Middle School, Eonnam Middle School, Sungil Information High School and Dankook University. Supported by KT Corporation's Genie Music, the concert attracted both students and local residents' attendance.[10]

15&'s second single Somebody was released on April 7, 2013. The music video showed the two parodying the "K-Pop Star" judge panel while reacting to staged auditions/cameos by Park Jin-young and some of Park Ji-min's fellow contestants from K-pop Star 1. On April 7, 2013, 15& made their comeback performance on K-pop Star 2 finale with "Somebody". Upon its release on the same day, the song rose to the summit of music charts on Olleh, Melon, Daum and others.

2014–2019: Can't Hide It, Sugar, Love is Madness, and unofficial disbandment

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15&'s third single Can't Hide It was released on April 13. On the same day, they made their comeback performance on K-pop Star 3 finale with "Can't Hide It."[11] It was also revealed that their first album is scheduled to be released in May 2014. 15&'s first album Sugar was released on May 26, 2014.[12] They made their comeback on Mnet's M Countdown on May 29, 2014.[13]

15& released the fourth single Love Is Madness, featuring Kanto of Troy on February 9, 2015.[14] They performed the song for the first time along with other songs on February 14, 2015 for their Valentine's Day concert for singles.[15]

Following four year of hiatus, the expiration and non-renewal of Park Ji-min's contract with JYP Entertainment in August 2019 led to the group's de facto disbanding.[16]

Discography

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Studio albums

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Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[17]
Sugar 9

Singles

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Title Year Peak chart positions Sales (download) Album
KOR
Gaon

[19]
KOR
Hot 100

[20]
"I Dream" 2012 6 11 Sugar
"Somebody" 2013 3 10
"Can't Hide It" (티가 나나봐, Tiga Nanabwa) 2014 1 3
"Sugar" 17 36
"Love Is Madness" (사랑은 미친짓)
featuring Kanto of Troy
2015 2 Non-album single
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Other charted songs

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Title Year Peak chart positions Sales Album
KOR
Gaon

[19]
"Rain & Cry" 2014 46
  • KOR: 52,613 (DL)[26]
Sugar
"Star" 85
  • KOR: 25,834 (DL)[26]
"Not Today Not Tomorrow" 95
  • KOR: 23,805 (DL)[26]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2013 Best New Artist Nominated
2015 Bonsang Award Can't Hide It Nominated
Popularity Award Nominated
Hallyu Special Award Nominated
Best R&B / Soul Song Love is Madness (feat. Kanto of Troy) Nominated
2016 Bonsang Award[27] Nominated
Popularity Award Nominated
Hallyu Special Award Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "'Jyp 천재소녀' 박지민 백예린이 밝힌 15&의 3가지 반전[인터뷰]". 5 October 2012.
  2. ^ "15& Official Website". Archived from the original on 2012-09-27. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  3. ^ "JYP Entertainment Opens Park Ji Min's 15& Homepage". enews world. September 24, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-09-28. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  4. ^ "K팝스타' 박지민, JYP와 전속계약 "데뷔 앨범 준비" (in Korean). Nate. May 21, 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  5. ^ "JYP '천재소녀' 백예린 알고보니 김조한 제자" (in Korean). Nate. October 2, 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  6. ^ "JYP Reveals K-Pop Star Park Ji Mins Fellow Member for 15&, Baek Ye Rin". Mnet. September 27, 2012. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2012.K-Pop Star Park Ji Mins Fellow Member for 15&, Baek Ye Rin&rft.pub=Mnet&rft.date=2012-09-27&rft_id=http://mwave.interest.me/enewsworld/en/article/16146/jyp-reveals-k-pop-star-park-ji-mins-fellow-member-for-15-baek-ye-rin&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:15&" class="Z3988">
  7. ^ Lyu, Jacob (11 September 2007). "동영상 UCC 오디션서 예비스타 5명 선발". Yonhap News.
  8. ^ Heo, Seol-hee (27 September 2012). "박지민 듀엣 천재소녀 알고보니 '스타킹' 출신 백예린". OSEN.
  9. ^ Cho, Yoo-kyung (5 October 2012). "박지민·백예린, 두 천재소녀의 만남 '15&' 데뷔앨범 공개". 스포츠동아.
  10. ^ Kwak, Hyeon-soo (14 October 2012). "15& 게릴라 콘서트, 가는 곳마다 열광...무서운 10대 위력 제대로". TVdaily.
  11. ^ Heo, Seol-hee (13 April 2014). "15&, '티가나나봐' 컴백 박지민·백예린 여유로운 선배". My Daily.
  12. ^ Kwon, Ji-young (26 May 2014). "[정오의 신곡] 15& '슈가', 소녀들의 R&B가 달콤하게 시작됐다". OSEN.
  13. ^ Jeong, Ji-won (29 April 2014). "15& 박지민, 눈에띄게 깜찍해진 미모(엠카운트다운)". Newsen.
  14. ^ Kim, Sara (9 February 2015). "[한밤의 신곡] 15&, 소녀들의 귀여운 이별공감 '사랑은 미친 짓'". OSEN.
  15. ^ Kim, Sara (February 16, 2015). "15& '사미자쑈', 커플파괴 이색공연 성료..유쾌 발랄". OSEN. Archived from the original on 2021-12-05.
  16. ^ Lee, Eun-jung (August 6, 2019). 박지민, 7년만에 JYP 떠난다.."피프틴앤드 사실상 해체 [Park Ji-min, leaving JYP after 7 years.. "15& de facto disbanding"]. Yonhap News (in Korean). Retrieved August 6, 2019 – via Daum.
  17. ^ "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  18. ^ "Gaon Album Chart - 2014년 5월 (May 2014)". Circle Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  19. ^ a b "Gaon Chart" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on March 9, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  20. ^ "Korea K-Pop Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  21. ^ Cumulative sales for "I Dream":
  22. ^ "Gaon Download Chart - 2013년". Circle Chart (in Korean). KMCIA. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  23. ^ "2014년 Download Chart". Circle Chart (in Korean). KMCIA. Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  24. ^ Sales by month:
  25. ^ "2015 Download Chart". Circle Chart (in Korean). KMCIA. Archived from the original on January 11, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  26. ^ a b c "2014년 23주차 Download Chart". Circle Chart (in Korean). KMCIA. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  27. ^ "Seoul Music Awards Global (scroll to K-POP STAR 2015 [LIVE VOTE] and click "Main and Popular (Overseas)" to reveal the nominees)". Seoul Music Awards. SportsSeoul. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
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