K-pop is an industry filled with talented idols, loving fans, extravagant award shows, and huge entertainment companies. These companies and their employees work day and night to make sure that the idols who debut under their company and also their songs are always successful.
Some of the biggest companies that debut idols are YG Entertainment, Hybe Corporation, SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and more. Not only these companies, but many other small companies also work towards debuting amazing idols.
Hybe corporation itself was a very small company called “Bighit,” which later became a huge entertainment company due to their idols.
But not all K-pop groups debut under an entertainment company. Some K-pop idols debut as a part of a group that is formed at a university. One such group is the seven-membered K-pop group “A-plus.”
Overview
A-plus is a seven-membered K-pop girl group that debuted this year. They were formed under the K-pop department of Howon University. They debuted on the 2nd of March 2023 with their debut single, “Candle Light.”
The group’s name, “A-plus,” means free and refreshing youth. Almost all the members of the group are in their 20s which makes this name fit for the group.
Since they debuted from a university, they decided to go with a name that suits the same vibe. Hence they came up with A-plus. The K-pop department’s dean, Shin Yona, considers the girls as her personal A-plus.
Shin Yona is not only the dean of the K-pop department at Howon University but was a member of the ballad and R&B quartet “Big Mama.”
She says that most people think that debuting in their 20s is not a good thing because they will become too old, but she wants to change that and bring more K-pop groups to debut, just like A-plus.
The members of the group are Lee Heeju, Baek Jihyun, Kim Jiyoon, Song Hwanhee, Byun Soobin, Kim Jamin, and An Soyeon. The leader of the group is Lee Heeju, and she is also the oldest of the group. The maknae of the group is Kim Jamin.
Their song “Candlelight” is an upbeat pop song. It was released alongside a music video. The music video currently has over 100K views.
This is a very newly debuted K-pop group. There is no new information about their future come back. Some of the previous K-pop groups that debuted from the same K-pop department at Howon University are Azer and Azer Blossom.
Out of these two groups, one group has disbanded, but the other group is still active. Due to this, there is no possibility of predicting the future of the group as well.
It hasn’t been announced if the group has been disbanded or not yet. The dean has said that the group is working on more activities. The only thing fans can do now is to wait for any information from the K-pop department of Howon University.
Members
The group consists of seven members. Some of the members have previous experience in the entertainment industry, as they have participated in survival shows and dance competitions. Who is your A-plus bias?
Lee Heeju
Lee Heeju is the oldest member of the group. She was born in the year 2000. Lee Heeju is the leader of A-plus.
Lee Heeju attended an interview with the group’s youngest member Kim Jamin where they both sang a lot of songs in karaoke and also talked a lot about the group.
Baek Jihyun
Baek Jihyun is the second oldest member of the group. She was born on the 3rd of May 2023.
She has had previous experience in the K-pop industry as she was part of Azer Blossom. Azer Blossom is the previous K-pop group that also debuted under Howon University’s K-pop department.
She was the main vocalist and lead dancer of Azer Blossom. The group disbanded shortly in the same year, and Jihyun debuted under A-plus in 2023. Jihyun initially declined the offer to join A-plus after the dean of the K-pop department convinced her she decided to join.
She also has a YouTube account. She posts dance and vocal covers on that channel. She has posted a dance and vocal cover of “So Bad” by STAYC.
Kim Jiyoon
Kim Jiyoon is a part of A-plus. She was born on the 14th of February 2002. Her English name is Aileen Kim.
She has a YouTube channel with more than 26K subscribers. She posts dance covers and tutorials of various songs such as Rescue Me by OneRepublic, Antifragile by Le SSerrafim, No Lie by Sean Paul, etc. She has also posted a dance tutorial for No Lie too.
Jiyoon is good at freestyle dancing, sports, and exercising. Jiyoon also enjoys making music, which is why her favorite course is performance-creative. She also enjoys watching TV shows and movies, playing instruments, and making different things with her hands. She is bilingual. She is fluent in English and Korean.
Song Hwanhee
Hwanhee was born on the 14th of May in 2002. Her English name is Becky Song. She declined the offer to be a part of A-plus at first. Later, the dean spoke to her and convinced her.
Her favorite class in the K-pop department is Audio Editing. She enjoys recording herself and trying to edit and mix that audio by herself during the class. She thinks that class prepares them for the future, so she likes it a lot.
Hwanhee is also bilingual, and she speaks both English and Korean. She is a huge fan of MeloMance, a South Korean duo that debuted in March 2015.
Byun Soobin
Byun Soobin was born in the year of 2003. She likes to dance a lot. It is evident through Soobin’s Instagram posts that she loves taking pictures, and her favorite types of photos are the ones where she can just enjoy nature.
She also posts dance covers of a lot of different songs on her social media page. She has posted a dance cover of Bad Girl, Dictator, and Indigo. She also takes dance classes at Slam Beat dance academy and participates in dance competitions actively.
She has also posted a dance reel for their song Candlelight.
An Sooyeon
An Sooyeon was born on the 1st of July in 2003. She is the second youngest of the seven members in the group. Before her debut in A-plus, she was a part of the survival show Starts Awakening. In Stars Awakening, she was part of the female idol category. Stars Awakening was a Japanese- Korean co-production.
She enjoys dancing and likes to keep people around her happy. She also takes dance classes at Hak Enter Academy to continue her interests.
Her favorite classes in the K-pop department are Pilates and Ballet. She did not expect these courses to be a part of K-pop but later realized their importance. Due to these classes, her interest in Ballet increased, and now it’s one of her favorite things to do.
She also enjoys eating Beijing-style sweet and sour pork.
Kim Jamin
Kim Jamin is the lead vocalist and dancer of the group. She is also the maknae (youngest) of the group. She was born in 2003.
She joined Howon University after being inspired by the first K-pop group that debuted from the K-pop department, Azer. She wanted to be an idol and thought after joining, and she would also debut like Azer. Her dream came true with A-plus.
She has performed in various shows like the Busan Expo Children’s Wish, along with Soobin and Jiyoon.
Songs and Albums
The group, A-plus, has released only one album. Their debut single album was titled “Candlelight.” It was released on the 2nd of March.
The song was released along with a music video. The music video was released on 1theK’s official YouTube channel. The music video has over 100K views right now.
With vocal and rap elements, the song is an upbeat dance pop. The music video features all the members dancing energetically to the upbeat music. The members are now focusing on promoting their album and performing on more stages.
Other Activities
All the members are currently continuing their education at Howon University in the K-pop department. Since most of the members are interested in dance, they take dance classes and attend competitions. Some of the members have also participated in the 2030 Busan Expo Children’s Wish.
The leader of the group and the group’s maknae took part in an interview with KBS Jeonju. The entire A-plus, along with the dean of the K-pop department, took part in an interview with Korea JoongAng Daily.
The current focus of A-plus is to promote their album and perform on more stages. According to what the dean of the K-pop department at Howon University said, the girls might have a comeback again. It would be great to see the girls again with more knowledge and experience they have gained through the rest of their course.
Also read: Most Popular K-Pop Boy Groups Of 2023
