ASTRO's Career Journey, Boy Group Once Called 'Not Celebrities' - Continues to Grow Despite Agency Chaos

Kapanlagi.com - ASTRO is a boy group from South Korea that debuted in 2016. Although they started their first career through acting, their ability to pursue a career as K-Pop idols is commendable.

Proof of this is that ASTRO's debut mini album reached the 6th position on the Billboard World Albums Chart and 4th on the Gaon Music Chart. The group, consisting of six handsome men, namely JinJin, MJ, Cha Eun Woo, Moonbin, Rocky, and Sanha, has a strong resilience.

Shortly after their debut, Fantagio Entertainment, as the agency that manages ASTRO, faced internal problems that had a negative impact on their activities. However, they have managed to overcome those times. They continue to grow and remain active until now.

ASTRO's journey is an interesting one to explore. If you are curious about how this group has persevered, please read the following information.

1. Debut Astro Started from the Web Drama 'TO BE CONTINUED'

ASTRO (Credit: Twitter/@offclASTRO)

The career of ASTRO members began as trainees at Fantagio iTeen, a program from Fantagio Entertainment agency. Initially, they were known as i-Teen Boys. Eventually, Fantagio announced a new group along with the profiles of its members through social media.

Fantagio Entertainment introduced ASTRO through a web drama project titled 'TO BE CONTINUED' in August 2015. The agency also did the same when forming 5urprise. In that drama, the members played themselves and acted alongside Kim Sae-ron, Seo Kang-joon, and Hello Venus.

Next, they had a project in a reality show titled ASTRO OK! READY in 2016, which aired on MBC Every1. Before their official debut through the mini album titled 'Spring UP' with the main song 'Hide & Seek', they held a national showcase tour called 'Meet U Project'. This project included a nationwide tour of South Korea with 20 performances and two fan meetings.

The pre-debut project of ASTRO can be considered extraordinary, so it is understandable that it received a lot of support from AROHA (ASTRO fans). In fact, one week after its release, their first mini album managed to reach the 6th position on the Billboard World Albums Chart and the 4th position on the Gaon Music Chart.

2. Astro Agency Experiences Internal Chaos Several Times

ASTRO (Credit: Twitter/@offclASTRO)

Fantagio Entertainment, the agency that oversees ASTRO, has been in the spotlight several times due to internal chaos. This has raised concerns among fans as it is considered potentially harmful to the idols' activities.

The first chaos that caused quite a stir occurred on December 2, 2017. It started with JC Group, the largest investor in Fantagio, firing Na Byung-joon, the CEO and founder of Fantagio Entertainment. The company's deficit was cited as the reason for Na Byung-joon's dismissal.

Furthermore, in January 2018, there was a serious effort by Fantagio's management in Korea to stabilize the company. It turns out that not only Na Byung-joon was fired, but also several other employees who were unilaterally dismissed. The team claimed that JC Group's decision was an 'abnormal intervention' and demanded that Na Byung-joon be reinstated. Otherwise, a mass strike would be a threat. The chaos clearly disrupted the activities of the artists.

After that, Woo Young-seung was also fired on May 14, 2018. This had an impact on ASTRO's career, who at that time was preparing for a comeback in June. The schedule had to be postponed. However, ASTRO finally managed to release the special album Rise Up with the main song Always You on July 24, 2018.

There is a quite sad story behind the comeback that was actually prepared. At that time, ASTRO was not promoted on music programs. The reason was clear, internal problems that were plaguing Fantagio, their label. However, in the end, ASTRO was able to go on a tour to Japan throughout August 2018.

3. ASTRO Once Called 'Not Celebrities'

ASTRO (Credit: Twitter/@offclASTRO)

Despite gaining popularity and receiving much love from AROHA, it turns out that one of the ASTRO members, Cha Eun Woo, still holds a sad story from the early days of their debut. This was revealed when he appeared on 'ASK US ANYTHING,' a JTBC program. Cha Eun Woo and the other members attended an event that was supposed to welcome them as celebrities, but there were doubts about ASTRO because they didn't have a big name yet.

"There is one thing from the past that I remember. At that time, we went to a resting place for an event. The six of us wore matching outfits for the event," said Cha Eun Woo. "Many people thought we were celebrities. However, I heard one person actually say, 'I thought there were celebrities'." continued the idol who is also a star of the drama TRUE BEAUTY.

At first, he felt normal. However, after reconsidering, he felt offended. That's what made him feel the need to work even harder in the future.

4. ASTRO Comeback with Album 'All Yours'

ASTRO (Credit: Twitter/@offclASTRO)

ASTRO's career has been running for 5 years since their official debut. They continue to work and entertain AROHA. In addition, the members also have their own busy schedules, one of them being Cha Eun Woo whose popularity as an actor has also skyrocketed. Nevertheless, they continue to work and make a comeback for AROHA this year.

Specifically, on April 5, 2021, ASTRO made a comeback with an album titled 'All Yours'. This marks ASTRO's comeback after almost a year. JinJin, Rocky, and MJ were fully involved in the making of the songs in this album.

ASTRO's Moon Bin mentioned that this album is a continuation of the 'All Light' series and contains a message that they want to give everything. The 10 songs in it represent the members' hopes for AROHA to know their hearts.

Well, KLovers, that's the story of ASTRO's career journey that continues to survive and grow even though they are in an agency that has experienced chaos multiple times.

(kpl/gen/ans)