Solid (band)

Solid
Solid at the 5th album, Into the Light, launch party on March 21, 2018, Seoul, Korea (L-R: Jaeyoon Chong, Johan Kim, Joon Lee)
Background information
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	R&B soul hip hop K-pop
Years active	1993-1997, 2018-present
Members	Johan Kim (Korean: 김조한) Jaeyoon Chong (정재윤) Joon Lee (이준)

Solid (Korean: 솔리드) is a South Korean R&B/Hip-Hop trio.^[1][2][3] They were formed in Orange County, California, in 1992, and made their debut in Seoul, South Korea, in 1993.^[2][4] The group consists of Johan Kim (김조한: George Kim), Jaeyoon Chong (정재윤: Jae Chong), and Joon Lee (이준: John Lee).^[3]

The trio is dubbed as the "Kings of R&B" in South Korea for their contribution to establishing and popularizing the genre in Korea.^[5][6][7] They are considered to be one of the biggest influences in developing the current sound of K-pop – incorporating American styles and sounds, like R&B, rap, hip-hop, a cappella, beatboxing, and turntablism, into Korean music – with commercial hits in the mid-1990s.^[8][9] With Johan Kim's soulful vocal – often referred to as "R&B daddy," Jaeyoon Chong's song craftsmanship and producing ability, and Joon Lee's unique voice, rapping style and DJing skills, the trio have set themselves apart as pioneers in a country where the predominant soundtrack was residing in ballad and dance music.^[10][11] For their complementary set of skills, Solid has become one of the most beloved musical groups by Korean music critics, artists, and fans.^[12][13][14]

As Joon Lee was inseparable from his eight-ball cane during the performances of Solid, it has quickly become the emblem of the group.^{[6][15][16][17]}

Solid released four full-length studio albums and one live album during their four-year run in the '90s from 1993 to 1997 and sold over 4 million records in Korea.^[4] Their breakout hit, "Holding the End of the Night" (Korean: 이밤의 끝을 잡고), from the sophomore album, The Magic of 8 Ball (1995), sold over million copies reaching the number one position on major Korean music charts solidifying them as one of the biggest musical acts in the 1990s K-Pop history.^[18] Success followed with a string of hits, "My only friend" (Korean: 나만의 친구), "You are my first and last" (Korean: 처음이자 마지막이야), "Meant to be" (Korean: 천생연분), which allowed them to become a household name in a rotation of K-pop classic catalogue still to this day.^[19][20]

Three members are also notable for being the first Korean Americans to have a success in the Korean music industry paving the way for more Koreans from abroad to enter into the Korean entertainment industry.^[21] Incidentally, this worked both ways: the industry began seeking talents from abroad proactively thereafter.^[13]

The trio began an extensive break from the group in July 1997 and went on to pursue individual careers while continuing their friendship.^[22] Kim remained in Korea as a distinguished solo musician.^[23][24] Chong established himself as a renowned music producer abroad – Taiwan, Hong Kong, Asian music scene and the U.S.^[25][26] Lee became a successful business entrepreneur running a real estate development company with thirty or so employees in the U.S.^[27][28]

After a twenty-one-year hiatus, the trio reunited and released the fifth studio album, Into the Light (2018), on March 22, 2018.^{[4][29][30][31]}

May 18 through 20th 2018, Solid held the second concert tours of their career, Into the Light, in Seoul, Korea with packed audiences.^[11]