10+ K-Pop Groups From The Early ’00s You Should Be Embarrassed You Don’t Know About

1. CSJH (The Grace)

Produced by SM Entertainment, this girl group was active between 2005 and 2011. Although 3 of the members are still signed with SM Entertainment, they have been promoting individually for the past 7 years.

2. 5tion

With the song “More Than Words”, this acapella group was very popular in the early 2000s. They have recently reformed the group with all new members.

3. K-Pop

No, this is not the genre. This is the group called K-Pop. Their songs “Shadow” and “0.5” hits but their biggest hit was this cheerful tune called “Youth”

4. D.Bace

Produced by the legendary Lee Hyun Do, a former DUEX member, they hit their prime in the early 00s, winning a Rookie of the Year award thanks to their debut title track “Everything to You”.

5. Black Beat

Perhaps one of the most underrated K-Pop groups ever, SM Entertainment invested so much into this group. However years of marketing and training did not pay off with the group’s success. Some of the members are still signed with SM, with Jang Jin Young working as a vocal trainer and Shim Jae Won as a choreographer.

6. SUGAR

Did you know that in early 2000s, Hwang Jung Eum, Park Soo Jin, and IconiQ used to be in one girl group called SUGAR? They came out with catchy tunes like Shine and Secret.

7. Shinvi

SM Entertainment released this trio of soulful young singers in the early 2000s. They got tons of buzz for the song “To My Friend”, as the lyrics were controversial at the time, describing same-sex love between two girls.

8. AkDong Club

Before Wanna One, there was Akdong Club. Just like Wanna One, they were formed by a reality survival show that aired in 2002. Their single “Remember” was number one song in Korea that year.

9. BATTLE

In 2005, Mnet launched an audition program called “Battle Shinhwa” and found 6 young boys to create a boyband that would be just as popular as Shinhwa in Korea.

10. PARAN

Paran means “sensation” in Korean. They debuted in 2005, making a sensation in K-Pop scene with their beautiful harmony and charms. Member AJ later joined U-Kiss after Paran disbanded.

11. M.I.L.K

Finally, M.I.L.K is a Korean girl group that was produced by SM Entertainment in 2001. Their debut album was also produced by H.O.T’s Moon Hee Joon. The popular Girls’ Generation song “Into The New World” was actually supposed to be their single, except they disbanded before the song was released.