Meet The Latest K-Pop Boy Group in Town—D1CE!
It’s not a secret that the K-Pop music industry has a high productivity and production demand. Every year, there are new groups that are debuting in the Korean music scene. Whether it’s a boy group or a girl group, both have been doing a lot of steps to be able to get a debut date. And one of them is the boy group called D1CE (d-once), which consists of five members (Yonggeun, Hyunsoo, Yoojun, Woodam, and Jinyoung) who debuted with the release of their mini-album Wake up: Roll the World under the auspices of D1CE Company in early August 2019. The mini-album contains six songs with the title track “깨워” (Wake up).
Are you curious enough to dive deep into the details about this group? Check out the article below to find out more information about this group!
D1CE Group Profile
D1ce is a 5-member boy group consisting of Woo Jin-young, Jo Yong-geun, Park Woo-dam, Jung Yoo-jun, and Kim Hyun-soo. Since their early debut, many K-Pop fans are already familiar with members of D1CE. And that’s maybe because prior to their official debut, some of the members had already participated in a few survival shows.
D1CE made their debut on August 1st, 2019, under the auspices of D1CE Company (D1CE Entertainment), a subsidiary of Happy Face Entertainment.
Just like the Dreamcatcher Company which is devoted to managing the activities of the girl group DREAMCATCHER, D1CE Company is also a label that houses and handles all matters related to the D1CE. Besides D1CE Company and Dreamcatcher Company, Happy Face Entertainment also has another subsidiary label call Music Company.
Group Information
- Group name: D1CE
- Origin: Seoul, South Korea
- Years active: 2019–present
- Debut date: August 1st, 2019
- Label(s): Happy Face Entertainment, D1CE Company
- Associated acts: HNB
- Members: Yonggeun, Hyunsoo, Yoojun, Woodam, and Jinyoung
- Fandom Name: Don1y
- Official Colors: Pantone 13-0919 & Pantone 19-0805
- D1CE Official Sites:
Twitter: @officialD1CE
Instagram: @officiald1ce
YouTube: D1CE Official
Fan Café: 디원스D1CE
D1CE Members Profiles and Facts
Yonggeun Profile
Stage Name: Yonggeun (용근)
Birth Name: Jo Yong-geun (조용근)
Possible Position: Leader, Lead Dancer, Vocalist
Date of Birth: January 23rd, 1995
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
Height: 175 cm (5’9″)
Weight: 54 kg (119 lbs)
Blood Type: A
Yonggeun Facts
- He participated in Mnet’s Produce 101 Season 2 and was ranked 93rd on the show
- He participated in JTBC’s Mix Nine and was ranked 25th on the show
- He studied at Kyunghee University
- He has been friends for eight years with Jinyoung
- He auditioned along with Woodam, Hyunsoo, Jinyoung, and former members Jaehee, Junhyeong, Hyunsik, Jongmin, and Yooncheol for a position in Mix Nine, but they didn’t pass the audition
- Yonggeun attended STC Academy with Minhwan, Jinyoung, and former members Jaehee and Hyungjin before becoming a trainee
- EXO‘s Sehun, BLK‘s Taebin, IN2IT‘s Jiahn, and The Rose‘s Dojoon are his good friends
- EXO‘s D.O is his role model
- He was a trainee in DSP Media from September 2014 to 2016, alongside Produce 101’s Choi Dong-ha
- He and Junhyeong appeared in the “Fri. Sat. Sun” teasers by DalShabet alongside Ziu of VAV
- He made an appearance in the 1st episode of Gu Hara ON&OFF: The Gossip as one of the DSP Media trainees alongside A-JAX’s Joonghee, The Rose’s Dojoon, K.A.R.D’s BM, K.A.R.D’s J.Seph, and K.A.R.D’s Somin, APRIL’s Chaekyung, and APRIL’s Jinsol, as well as Apple.B’s Yuji
Hyunsoo Profile
Stage Name: Hyunsoo (현수)
Birth Name: Kim Hyun-soo (김현수)
Possible Position: Lead Vocalist, Rapper
Date of Birth: April 12th, 1995
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Height: 176 cm (5’9″)
Weight: 60 kg (132 lbs)
Hyunsoo Facts
- He participated in JTBC’s Mix Nine and was ranked 14th on the show
- Daegu, South Korea, is his hometown
- He studied at Kyunghee University
- His voice is very unique and husky
- His dad jokes are his signature
- His dialogue is very strong
- His goal is to have abs because he has a ‘marshmallow belly’
- Park Hyoshin and his father are his role models
- On June 14th, 2018, he officially debuted as a member of a subunit with Jinyoung with the song “Falling In Love”
Yoojun Profile
Stage Name: Yoojun (유준)
Birth Name: Jung Min-hwan (정민환)
Possible Position: Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist
Date of Birth: July 26th, 1995
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Height: 178 cm (5’10”)
Weight: 62 kg (137 lbs)
Blood Type: O
Yoojun Facts
- He studied at Kyunghee University
- He trained at STC Academy
- Prior to this group, he trained under Woollim entertainment
- He has a younger sister
- He participated in Boys24 and was ranked in the top 17 under Unit Green and then Unit Blue on the show
- He appeared on Dreamcatcher‘s “Full Moon” short MV
- He also collaborated in performance with HF solo artist Lee Sieun (former member of RAMISU)
- Fellow Boys24’s Unit Green member, Choi Chani, is his best friend
- He acted in the web drama Lemon Car in 2017
- On December 2nd, 2018, he along with Woodam and Jinyoung released their special digital single, “너 참 예쁘다”
Woodam Profile
Stage Name: Woodam (우담)
Birth Name: Park Woo-dam (박우담)
Possible Position: Main Vocalist
Date of Birth: August 2nd, 1995
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Height: 173 cm (5’8″)
Weight: 57 kg (126 lbs)
Woodam Facts
- He studied at Dong-ah University
- He participated in Produce 101 Season 2 and was ranked among the top 35 on the show
- In Produce 101, he was one of the best vocalists
- He is a former DJ on AfreecaTV, his content is now unavailable
- He didn’t pass the audition on JTBC’s Mix Nine
- He was supposed to participate in Boys24, but dropped out before the start
- His wide range as a vocalist is his signature
- He likes to do the other members’ make-up
- He is good friends with RAINZ‘ Joo Wontak
- On December 2nd, 2018, he alongside Jinyoung and Yoojun released a special digital single “너 참 예쁘다”
Jinyoung Profile
Stage Name: Jinyoung (진영)
Birth Name: Woo Jin-young (우진영)
Possible Position: Rapper, Maknae
Date of Birth: May 31st, 1997
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Height: 173 cm (5’8″)
Weight: 51 kg (112 lbs)
Blood Type: AB
Jinyoung Facts
- Woochinom and Charmander are his nicknames
- During his time as a JYP trainee, he received the nickname Loco because of his resemblance to the rapper
- He has an older brother serving in the military
- A few years ago, his father passed away
- A studied at Kyunghee University
- He participated in Produce 101 Season 2 and was ranked 40th on the show
- Because of his iconic catchphrase “Woo Jinyoung mitcheoji” (Woo Jinyoung is crazy), he got really popular on Produce 101 Season 2
- He participated in JTBC’s Mix Nine and was even ranked 1st on the show
- Yonggeun is his good friend for eight years
- His father wanted him to become an actor
- He attended STC academy before becoming a trainee
- He passed the exam for SOPA, but then he dropped out of school and only took an exam to get GED at the age of 17
- He was cast by JYP, Cube, FNC, Starship, and Happyface Entertainment
- Until the beginning of 2016, he was a JYP Entertainment trainee
- Stray Kids‘ Han and Bang Chan, as well as I.O.I‘s Jeon Somi, are his good friends
- He’s also close to the members of ONF, A.C.E‘s Donghun and Byeongkwan, Seven O’Clock‘s Hangyeom, and former member Vaan, as well as TREASURE 13‘s Choi Hyunsuk and CIX‘s BX
- He was eliminated then was given a 2nd chance but got eliminated in the 2nd round again on Mnet’s Show Me The Money 8
- On December 2nd, 2018, he along with Woodam and Yoojun released their special digital single, “너 참 예쁘다”
Profile Source: Kprofiles.com
Pre-debut
Prior to their debut, the public was already familiar with D1CE members because they had participated in a few survival shows such as Produce 101 Season 2, Mix Nine, and Show Me the Money Season 8.
Before debut, the five members of D1CE had participated in one or more survival events. The leader of D1CE, Jo Yong-geun, participated in the Mnet survival show, Produce 101 Season 2, and JTBC’s Mix Nine. Unfortunately, Jo Yong-geun was eliminated at the 93rd rank on Produce 101 Season 2 and at 25th rank on Mix Nine.
Member Jung Yoo-jun, also joined survival show Boys24 under the name Jung Min-hwan. In the show, he joined the green and blue units before being eliminated. While Park Woo-dam also participated in Produce 101 Season 2 and was eliminated in the 35th position. In addition, Park Woo-dam also appeared at the Mix Nine event although he did not pass the agency audition.
Then, there is Woo Jin-young who participated in more than two survival shows. He participated in the second season of Produce 101 and was eliminated in the 40th position. Not only that, but Woo Jin-young also participated in Mix Nine and made it into the debut line-up by occupying the first position.
Unfortunately, the final line-up of Mix Nine never proceeded to a debut. In 2019, Woo Jin-young competed again in the eighth installment of Mnet’s Show Me The Money (SMTM8). He made it into the second round even though he was eventually eliminated.
And lastly, Kim Hyun-soo also participated in Mix Nine. He made it to the final round but did not manage to secure himself a position in the debut line-up.
Debut Era
D1CE made their debut on August 1st, 2019, under the auspices of D1CE Company (D1CE Entertainment), a subsidiary of Happy Face Entertainment. They released an extended play (EP) titled Wake Up: Roll the World and picked the song “Wake Up” (깨워) as the title track. They performed their debut track on their debut showcase at the SAC Art Hall on the same day.
The MV for their title track was also released within the same day through their official YouTube account. The catchy beat and music will remind you of EXO’s “Growl” era.
Now, the MV has been watched for more than 568,000,000 times.
It generally received a good response from fans:
“Great group. Can’t wait to hear more. Am I the only one not here because of Edward?” wrote one user.
“Damn, they’re actually good for a new group bc this seems more like a comeback,” wrote another user.
“I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE SONG WHEN IT CAME OUT,” another user commented excitedly.
Discography
Extended plays
- Wake Up: Roll the World (2019)
- Draw You: Remember Me (2020)
Singles
- “Wake Up” (깨워) (2019)
- “Draw You” (너를 그린다) (2020)
Interaction with DREAMCATCHER
It is not a secret that D1CE and girl group DREAMCATCHER are close with each other. Although D1CE is under D1CE Company, a label that houses and handles all matters related to the D1CE, and DREAMCATCHER is under Dreamcatcher Company, they are both still under a subsidiary company of Happy Face Entertainment so it makes sense that they have a few moments together.
Right after their debut, DREAMCATCHER, which debuted first ahead of D1CE showed their support when they attended D1CE’s debut showcase and first performance.
Dreamcatcher went to support D1CE debut showcase~✌️#드림캐쳐 #Dreamcatcher pic.twitter.com/WhEnJlppfp
— Moori ʚ🐥ɞ (@2Moori) August 2, 2019
What great sunbaes!
Latest News
In May 2020, through their official Twitter account, D1CE company made an announcement that D1CE would have their first comeback since debut on June 17th, 2020. D1CE’s second mini-album would be titled DRAW YOU: REMEMBER ME.
D1CE(디원스) SECOND MINI ALBUM
[DRAW YOU : REMEMBER ME] SCHEDULER2020.06.17 PM 18:00#D1CE #디원스#DRAW_YOU#REMEMBER_ME pic.twitter.com/ZsSrv48qjt
— 디원스 D1CE (@officialD1CE) May 29, 2020
The individual teaser and concept photos were released from June 1st to June 5th, 2020. The new concept was unique since aside from the members’ flowery concept pictures, the teasers also revealed the drawing and cartoon version of each member, making the audience swooned by their 2D and 3D charisma.
Look at how creative the teaser concepts are!
Then on June 9th, 2020, through their official Twitter account, the group released the tracklist of their newest album. It was later revealed that member Jinyoung also contributed to the production team. He composed, arranged, and wrote most of the lyrics from the album tracks.
D1CE(디원스) SECOND MINI ALBUM
[DRAW YOU : REMEMBER ME] TRACK LIST2020.06.17 PM 18:00#D1CE #디원스#DRAW_YOU #너를_그린다#REMEMBER_ME pic.twitter.com/Sg0qGvgdvt
— 디원스 D1CE (@officialD1CE) June 9, 2020
They also released the highlight medley through D1CE’s official YouTube Channel.
On June 10th and June 15th, two music video teasers were released to give a feel of their newest music. There’s also an element of surprise here as it revealed that the former Produce 48 contestant Lee Si-an made a special appearance in the teaser.
Finally, the full music video for “Draw You” was released on June 17th, 2020, at 6 PM KST (the same day as their album releases). The MV used pastel colors as the color palette that matched with their soft music.
Check out their hot new comeback MV below!
So, those are all the things that you need to know about the freshly-debuted boy group under Happy Face Entertainment, D1CE! What do you think about the group? Let’s chat about them in the comment box below!
