Urban Zakapa

Urban Zakapa
Left to right: Kwon Sun-il, Jo Hyun-ah and Park Yong-in
Left to right: Kwon Sun-il, Jo Hyun-ah and Park Yong-in
Background information
OriginSeoul, South Korea
Genres
Years active2009–present
Labels
Members
  • Park Yong-in
  • Jo Hyun-ah
  • Kwon Sun-il
Past members
  • Choi Jae-man
  • Yoon Ji-min
  • Choi Yoon-jeong
  • Lee Ji-ho
  • Baek Ha Hyeong Ki
  • Han Tae-young[1]

Urban Zakapa (Korean: 어반자카파; RR: Eobanjakapa) is a South Korean R&B singer-songwriter group formed in 2009 by Fluxus Music. Originally a 9-member group, in 2012 they became a trio, consisting of Park Yong-in, Jo Hyunah and Kwon Soon-il. The group's name is an abbreviation for Urban, Zappy, Kaleidoscopic, and Passionate.[2]

Background

In 2004, Park Yong-in met Jo Hyun-a at practical music academy. He asked her to form a singing duo. At first Jo Hyun-a's parents opposed that idea, but Hyun-a showed passion to music and was awarded 'MBC 별밤뽐내기'. Eventually, Hyun-a's parents decided to support their daughter.

Kwon Sun-il also dreamed of being a musician. His alumnus, Yong-in, suggested he join to make a trio.

Although the group debuted in 2009 as a nine-piece with four vocalists and five instrumentalists with the song "Café Latte (커피를 마시고)",[1] there are currently only three vocalists due to artistic differences. Kwon Sun-il and his childhood friends, Jo Hyun-a and Park Yong-in write, compose and produce all of their own music.

Kwon won 1st place (singer) at S.M. Entertainment's first SM Youth Best contest[3] and was a former SM Entertainment trainee with Super Junior and TVXQ.[4] Park was part of the Korean R&B/Soul group Bluewind Soul with Han Won-jong, SG Wannabe's Lee Suk-hoon and others. Jo, the only female member of the group, was the vocalist of the hip-hop crew Overclass.

Career

After releasing their first two EPs (Coffee, Sweety You) in 2009, the group released their first studio album titled 01 in 2011.[5] In the same year, they released the single "Just A Feeling" which debuted at #59 on the Gaon Digital Chart[6] and on December 6, they also released "Snowing" which debuted at #32.[7]

Their third EP, Beautiful Day was released on April 3, 2012, and marks as the group's first album as a trio.[8] "Beautiful Day" debuted at #41 on the Gaon Digital Chart. Months later, the group released their second studio album on October 30, titled 02. "I Hate You (니가 싫어)" was released on September 5[9] as a single and debuted at #9 on the Gaon Digital Chart,[10] but was re-released with the album as its lead single. The album also had two other pre-released tracks, "River" and "All the Same (똑같은 사랑 똑같은 이별)". Both songs charted.[citation needed] 02 topped the Gaon Album Chart in its first week,[11] and in January 2013, the album was nominated for Best R&B and Soul album at the 10th Korean Music Awards.[12] "I Hate You (니가 싫어)" also earned the group two nominations at the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards, one for Song of the Year and another for Best Vocal Performance by a Group.[13]

On February 12, 2013, Park and Kwon sang "Love Afternoon (사랑오후)" for the soundtrack of the KBS2 drama, Ad Genius Lee Tae-baek.[14] In April, the group also released "Just a Little Bit (그냥 조금)" for the soundtrack of the tvN drama, Nine: Nine Time Travels.[15] On December 3, the group released their 3rd studio album, 03. The album debuted at #11 on the Gaon Album Chart[16] while its lead single, "Walk Backwards (거꾸로 걷는다)" debuted at #8 on the Gaon Digital Chart when it was released on October 23.[17]

In 2014, Urban Zakapa made a comeback with the single "Like a Bird" on May 18.[18] Park and Kwon also collaborated with SISTAR's Soyou for the single "The Space Between (틈)". The song was released on September 26.[19] It debuted at #3 on the Gaon Singles Chart.[20] On November 4, the group released their fourth album, 04, with the lead single, "Consolation" which also had its music video uploaded on the same day of the album's release. Urban Zakapa held their concert tour, Winter from November 22 until the end of 2014 in Seoul, Incheon, Daegu, Busan, Kwangju, Changwon, Seongnam, and Suwon.[21]

On May 12, 2015, the group released the song "A Different You" for the OST of Let's Eat.[22] On May 18, it was announced that Urban Zakapa were working on a mini album with rapper Beenzino. Their fourth extended play overall, UZ was released on May 28 with 5 tracks, including two singles, "Two One Two" and "Get (feat. Beenzino)" which was pre-released on May 22.[23][24] "Get" debuted at #56 on the Gaon Singles Chart.[25]

On Feb 19, 2016, it was announced that Urban Zakapa had signed on to Makeus Entertainment[26] since September 2015 and will be continuing their promotions for their upcoming album under the new company. On May 12, 2016, the group announced that they will be making their comeback on May 27, 2016 with their mini album 'Still'.[27]

Urban Zakapa also made their comeback through a special live party that was made available through online broadcasting service Naver V App. The event scheduled for May 26 took place at Banyan Tree Seoul and was attended by special guests Suzy, Lee Sung Kyung, Im Seulong, Younha, Block B's P.O.[28] and some of their other close friends.

On May 27, 2016, Urban Zakapa released their mini album with title track, "I Don't Love You (널 사랑하지 않아)". The music video starring actor Yoo Seung-ho and model Lee Ho Jung [29] was uploaded on the same day. The title track was highly received by the public and managed to clinch 1st place on all 8 Korean music charts, achieving a perfect all-kill.[30]

Urban Zakapa also held 3 Guerrilla Concerts at Myeongdong (May 29),[31] Han River Yeouido (June 5) [32] and Dong-A University in Busan (June 8) [33] to thank their fans for supporting them, these were broadcast through Naver V App and their Facebook Page. The guerrilla concert held at Han River on June 5, 2016 had an estimated attendance of 4000 people.[34] The group also held a commemorative mini album release concert on June 18 and June 19, 2016 at Seoul Olympic Park Stadium.[35] In April 2017, the band were announced as one of the groups recruited by Seo Taiji for his Time:Traveler project, celebrating the 25th anniversary of his career. On July 11, they released their cover of the Seo song "Moai" from his 8th album, Atomos.

Discography

Main article: Urban Zakapa discography
  • 01 (2011)
  • 02 (2012)
  • 03 (2013)
  • 04 (2014)
  • 05 (2018)

Awards and nominations

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Year Organization Category Nominated Work Result
2012 14th Mnet Asian Music Awards Song of the Year "I Hate You" Nominated
Best Vocal Performance by a Group Nominated
2013 10th Korean Music Awards Best R&B and Soul album 02 Nominated
2017 31st Golden Disk Awards Digital Bonsang "Don't Love You" Won
6th Gaon Chart Music Awards Song Of The Month "May" Won
2018 7th Gaon Chart Music Awards Song Of The Month "November" "When We Were Two" Nominated
Korea Popular Music Award Best R&B Won

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "K-Indie Gem: Urban Zakapa". seoulbeats. September 23, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-09-24. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
  2. ^ "Urban Zakapa". Korea Singer-song Writer Association. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  3. ^ "KYAA~ Urban Zakapa (Part 1)". go kpop. June 16, 2012. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
  4. ^ "Urban Zakapa's Kwon Soonil was almost a member of Super Junior". ohkpop. November 4, 2012. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
  5. ^ "Urban Zakapa stirs hearts with "The Spring Picture" MV". Allkpop. November 8, 2011. Archived from the original on 2014-11-04. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
  6. ^ South Korea's Gaon Singles Chart (in Korean) Originally from Gaon Music Chart (August 2011). Archived on October 16, 2014. Retrieved on November 4, 2014.
  7. ^ South Korea's Gaon Singles Chart (in Korean) Originally from Gaon Music Chart (December 2011). Archived on October 16, 2014. Retrieved on November 4, 2014.
  8. ^ "Urban Zakapa releases the music video for "Beautiful Day"". Allkpop. April 4, 2012. Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
  9. ^ "01". iTunes. September 5, 2012. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
  10. ^ "2012년 37주차 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  11. ^ South Korea's Gaon Album Chart from October 28 to November 3, 2012 (in Korean) Originally from Gaon Music Chart (October–November 2012). Archived on November 4, 2014. Retrieved on November 4, 2014.
  12. ^ "Nominees for the 10th Korean Music Awards Announced". Korean Indie. January 29, 2013. Archived from the original on November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  13. ^ "Winners from the '2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards'". Allkpop. November 30, 2012. Archived from the original on 2015-11-30. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
  14. ^ "Urban Zakapa create first subunit for 'Ad Genius Lee Tae Baek' OST". Allkpop. February 25, 2013. Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
  15. ^ "Urban Zakapa Releases MV for "Just a Little" from "Nine" OST". Soompi. April 17, 2013. Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
  16. ^ South Korea's Gaon Album Chart from December 1 to December 7, 2013 (in Korean) Originally from Gaon Music Chart (December 2013). Archived on November 4, 2014. Retrieved on November 4, 2014.
  17. ^ South Korea's Gaon Singles Chart from October 20 to October 26, 2013 (in Korean) Originally from Gaon Music Chart (October–November 2013). Archived on September 3, 2014. Retrieved on November 4, 2014.
  18. ^ "Urban Zakapa sings of early summer freshness in 'Like a Bird'". Allkpop. May 18, 2014. Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
  19. ^ "Soyu and Urban Zakapa sing about 'The Space Between' in MV teaser starring Ahn Jae Hyun and Nam Bo Ra". Allkpop. September 22, 2014. Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2014-09-04.
  20. ^ South Korea's Gaon Album Chart from September 21 to September 27, 2013 (in Korean) Originally from Gaon Music Chart (December 2013). Archived on October 10, 2014. Retrieved on November 4, 2014.
  21. ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (November 4, 2014). "[Video] Urban Zakapa Sings Words of 'Consolation' with 4th Album Release". M Wave. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
  22. ^ "식샤를 합시다2 OST Part.5". Melon. Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  23. ^ Jin, Min-ji (May 18, 2015). "Urban Zakapa working on EP". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  24. ^ "[Album] UZ". M Wave. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  25. ^ South Korea's Gaon Singles Chart from May 17–23, 2015 (in Korean) Originally from Gaon Music Chart (May 2015). Archived on June 3, 2015. Retrieved on June 3, 2015.
  26. ^ 포털, Ⓒ 함께 만들고 함께 즐기는 엔터테인먼트; 무단전재, ‘이데일리 스타in’-; 금지, 재배포 (2016-02-23). "어반자카파, 음악페스티벌 헤드라이너로 새 소속사 첫 활동". starin. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  27. ^ "어반자카파, 소속사 이적 후 첫 앨범…27일 컴백". 뉴스웨이. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  28. ^ "수지·윤하·임슬옹, 어반자카파 '시크릿 파티' 참석 인증샷 공개". 종합일간지 : 신문/웹/모바일 등 멀티 채널로 국내외 실시간 뉴스와 수준 높은 정보를 제공. 27 May 2016. Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  29. ^ "어반자카파 '널 사랑하지 않아', MV주연 유승호♥이호정 인증샷…"조현아와 훈내 진동"". The Chosun Ilbo. Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  30. ^ "'차트올킬' 어반자카파 "걱정했던 새 앨범, 용기 생겼다"". www.xportsnews.com. 2016-06-06. Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  31. ^ "어반자카파, 명동서 게릴라 콘서트 진행..1위 공약 지켜내며 '대세입증'". 브레이크뉴스. 30 May 2016. Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  32. ^ "어반자카파, 5일 게릴라 콘서트 개최…한강시민공원서 팬들과 만남 가진다". www.wowtv.co.kr. 5 June 2016. Archived from the original on 2012-11-16. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  33. ^ "어반자카파 권순일 "부산 게릴라콘서트 '넘나' 재밌는 것"". www.newsen.com. Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  34. ^ tf.co.kr (7 June 2016). "어반자카파, 게릴라 콘서트 마쳐…한강 일대 마비". 더팩트 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  35. ^ "%EC%96%B4%EB%B0%98%EC%9E%90%EC%B9%B4%ED%8C%8C%EB%AF%B8%EB%8B%88%EC%95%A8%EB%B2%94%EB%B0%9C%EB%A7%A4%EA%B8%B0%EB%85%90%EB%8B%A8%EB%8F%85%EC%BD%98%EC%84%9C%ED%8A%B8 : 네이버 통합검색". search.naver.com. Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2016-06-10.