Spica (Korean스피카, stylized as SPICA) was a South Korean girl group formed in 2012 under B2M Entertainment. The group consists of Kim Bo-a, Park Si-hyun, Park Na-rae, Yang Ji-won and Kim Bo-hyung. Their pre-debut single "Doggedly" was released on January 10, 2012, followed by their debut mini-album, Russian Roulette, on February 8, 2012. They officially disbanded on February 6, 2017, though Bohyung has confirmed a possible reunion in the future.[1]

Spica
Spica on September 27, 2013 (L-R) Jiwon, Bohyung, Boa, Sihyun, Narae
Spica on September 27, 2013
(L-R) Jiwon, Bohyung, Boa, Sihyun, Narae
Background information
OriginSeoul, South Korea
Genres
Years active2012 (2012)–2017 (2017)
Labels
Past members

History

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2012: Debut and further releases

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In the beginning of 2012, B2M Entertainment announced that they would debut a girl group.[2] Their name is a reference to Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo. On January 10, 2012, the group released their first digital single, "Doggedly" (독하게; also translated "Potently"). The music video sparked high interest, as their fellow label-mate Lee Hyori made an appearance.[3][4]

On January 31, B2M Entertainment announced that the group would have their formal debut with a mini-album, titled Russian Roulette. The full-length music video was released on February 7.[4] Promotions for "Russian Roulette" began two days later on M! Countdown.[5][unreliable source] The lyrics of the song were later modified in order to meet MBC's broadcasting standards.[6][unreliable source] The group released a repackaged extended play entitled Painkiller on March 29, promoting the title track of the same name.[7]

Spica returned with their second EP titled Lonely on November 21, promoting the title track of the same name.[8] They worked again with Sweetune, who also produced "Russian Roulette". The group first promoted the song on Music Bank on November 23 and held the "goodbye performance" on January 6 on Inkigayo. Other songs on the album are "With You", written by Kim Bo-a, "That Night" (그날 밤), written by Kim Bo-hyung, and "Since You're Out of My Life".[9] The album peaked at number 8 on Gaon's weekly album chart,[10] selling 2,113 physical copies.[11]

2013–2014: Digital singles and US debut

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Spica performing at the 2013 Yangju Cotton Festival

In the summer of 2013, Spica was the subject of OnStyle's TV show Lee Hyori X Unnie in which they sought and received guidance from the former Fin.K.L member, Lee Hyori.[12] The show was shot following Lee Hyori's promotion period for Monochrome and culminated in the band's comeback in August. On August 27, B2M Entertainment released a digital single, "Tonight", along with a music video which[13] Lee Hyori and her husband, Lee Sangsun, collaborated and produced.[14][unreliable source] Tonight's lyrics are written by Boa and Lee Hyori, and the original song was written by Dsign Music. On August 30 Spica had their comeback performance at Music Bank and made Lee Hyori cry for them.[15][unreliable source] With this single, the group was able to reach the top 10 in the Gaon Music Chart for the week of August 25–31, ranking tenth overall and eighth on the Downloads Chart with 102,297 downloads.[16][unreliable source]

 
Spica in the Seoul Square on February 13, 2014

On January 26, 2014, Spica released "You Don't Love Me",[17][unreliable source] a single musically and visually influenced by soul music of the 1960s. The song is a continuation of their relationship with the Lee Hyori and her production team, with the lyrics co-written by Kim Bo-a and Lee Hyori. Spica also released a song for the original soundtrack of the Korean drama A Witch's Love called "Witch's Diary."[18][unreliable source]

In August, Spica partnered with Billboard to release their first English-language single.[19] The single, "I Did It", was produced by Oliver Goldstein, Cory Enemy and Daniel Merlot.[20] The song and its music video were released August 6, and the group made their U.S. debut performance at KCON.[21] Ryan Book of The Music Times said the song "takes a very Beyoncé attitude, expressing themes of female empowerment with pop music".[20]

In November 5, the entire group released the digital single "Ghost",[22] produced by Sweetune.[23] The music video was directed by Lee Sa-gang and featured scenes of the group during the 2014 Spring/Summer Seoul Fashion Week at Dongdaemun Design Plaza.[24]

2015–2017: Last activities and disbandment

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In 2015, member Park Si-hyun and Cao Lu (former Fiestar member) collaborated on The Secret Weapon and performed Uhm Junghwa's "Invitation".

In March 2015, Spica provide the song "Because of You" for the Super Daddy Yeol OST.[25]

In December 2015, Spica signed an exclusive contract with CJ E&M.[26] On March 25, Spica attended KCON Abu Dhabi along with other artists. In February 2016, it was reported that Spica would release a new mini-album in April 2016,[27][unreliable source] but the album was delayed.

Member Bo-hyung became one of the contestants on JTBC singing competition show Girl Spirit, that aims to highlight the main vocalists of lesser-known girl groups.[28] The first episode premiered on July 19, 2016. She eventually won the competition.

On August 25, 2016, Spica made their first comeback after a two-years hiatus with the release of a digital single titled Secret Time.[29][unreliable source][30][unreliable source] Following that, they hold their first Japanese showcase on December 4 at the same year at The Tokyo Astro Hall. The group did a cover of Utada Hikaru's "Flavor of Life" specially for the showcase. They also performed a five-member version of Spica.S's "Give Your Love"

On February 6, 2017, CJ E&M announced that the group had disbanded, and the members would be going their separate ways.[31] On February 8, 2017, the group posted a letter on Instagram, confirming that they would return again in the future.[1]

Former members

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  • Park Si-hyun (박시현)
  • Kim Bo-a (김보아)
  • Park Na-rae (박나래)
  • Yang Ji-won (양지원)
  • Kim Bo-hyung (김보형)

Subgroup Spica.S

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In September 2014, B2M Entertainment formed a subgroup of Spica named Spica.S (Spica Special). The subgroup is composed of four members: Park Si-hyun, Park Na-rae, Yang Ji-won, and Kim Bo-hyung.[32] On September 11, 2014, the subgroup released their debut single, "Give Your Love" produced by Brave Brothers.[33]

Discography

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Extended plays

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Title Album details Peak chart
positions
Sales
KOR
[34]
Russian Roulette 46
  • Re-released: March 29, 2012 (Painkiller)
  • Label: B2M Entertainment, LOEN Entertainment
  • Format: CD, digital download
12
Lonely
  • Released: November 21, 2012
  • Label: B2M Entertainment, LOEN Entertainment
  • Format: CD, digital download
8

Singles

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Title Year Peak chart
positions
Sales
(digital download)
Album
KOR
[38]
Billboard
K-Pop

[39]
Korean
"Doggedly (독하게)" 2012 50 57 Russian Roulette
"Russian Roulette (러시안 롤렛)" 36 39
"Painkiller" 60 65 Painkiller
"I'll Be There" 42 45 Non-album single
"Lonely" 38 50 Lonely
"Tonight" 2013 10 9 Non-album singles
"You Don’t Love Me" 2014 16 19
"Give Your Love" (Subgroup: Spica.S) 92
"Ghost" 59
"Secret Time" 2016 117
English
"I Did It" 2014 Non-album single

Soundtrack appearances

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Title Year Peak chart
positions
Sales
(Digital download)
Album
KOR
[38]
"Your Dance" (feat. Space Cowboy) 2013 Dancing 9 OST
"A Witch's Diary" 2014 50 A Witch's Love OST
"Because of You" 2015 57 Super Daddy Yeol OST
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Videography

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Music videos

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Title Year Director(s)
Korean
"Doggedly" 2012 Kim Chol[52]
"Russian Roulette" Chul K[53]
"Painkiller" Eun You Kim[54][55][56]
"I'll Be There"
"Lonely"
"Tonight" 2013 Lumpens[57][58]
"You Don’t Love Me" 2014 Lee Won-joo (Lumpens)[59]
"Give Your Love" (Subgroup: Spica.S) Kim Seoun-guk (Lumpens) [60]
"Ghost" Lee Sa-gang[24]
"Secret Time" 2016 Go Yoo-jeong (Lumpens)[61]
English
"I Did It" 2014 Michael Laburt[62][unreliable source]

Awards and nominations

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
2012 Spica Best New Female Artist[63] Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b "KIM BOHYUNG on Instagram: "We will always be with you You will be always in our heart We always love you mercury 진심으로 사랑합니다 머큐리 ♥️"". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  2. ^ Lee, Hye-rin (January 2, 2012). 이효리 소속사, 신예 5인조 걸그룹 스피카 공개 [Lee Hyo-ri's agency unveils new 5-member girl group Spica]. Naver (in Korean). Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  3. ^ Lee, Nancy (January 10, 2012). "Spica Music Video Starring Lee Hyori Released". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  4. ^ a b 열애중 이효리, 그 치명적 매력 어디갈까 [Lee Hyo-ri in love, where will her fatal charm go?]. Osen (in Korean). January 4, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  5. ^ "SPICA makes their debut with "Russian Roulette" on 'M! Countdown'!". allkpop. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  6. ^ "SPICA to Alter Lyrics of "Russian Roulette"". Soompi. February 8, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  7. ^ SPICA [@b2m_spica] (March 19, 2012). "[스피카] 2012.03.29 ::Painkiller:: 1st mini album repackage release" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (November 21, 2012). "[Video] Spica is So Very Lonely in New MV". enewsWorld. Mwave. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  9. ^ "Lonely". Naver Music (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  10. ^ "2012년 48주차 Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  11. ^ "2012년 11월 Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  12. ^ "SPICA's Shining Bright in "Lee Hyori's XUnni"". Seoulbeats. October 3, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  13. ^ SPICA(스피카) - Tonight Music Video (Videotape).
  14. ^ "Lee Hyori revealed to have written the lyrics for SPICA's 'Tonight'". Allkpop. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  15. ^ "Lee Hyori cries watching SPICA's 'Tonight' comeback stage". Allkpop. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  16. ^ "Gaon Chart releases chart rankings for August 25 - August 31". Allkpop. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  17. ^ "SPICA decides 'You Don't Love Me' in their retro single". Allkpop. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  18. ^ "K-Drama OST Roundup:Hello Venus Sings 'It's Just Love' For 'Cunning Single Lady', SPICA Provides The Soundtrack For 'Witch's Romance'". KpopStarz. April 20, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  19. ^ "S. Korean girl group SPICA to debut in U.S." Yonhap News Agency. August 1, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  20. ^ a b Book, Ryan (August 7, 2014). "SPICA Delivers English-Language Single 'I Did It' on Verge of KCON 2014 Performance". Music Times. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  21. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (August 7, 2014). "Exclusive Video Premiere: K-Pop Group SPICA Make Their English Debut With 'I Did It' Single". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  22. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (November 6, 2014). "Watch SPICA Go Makeup-Free in Heartfelt 'Ghost' Video". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  23. ^ Yi, Jeong-hyeok (October 30, 2014). 걸그룹 스피카, 완전체로 컴백. 신곡 '고스트' 5일 공개 [Girl group Spica is making a comeback with a full lineup. New song 'Ghost' released on the 5th] (in Korean). Sports Chosun. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  24. ^ a b Bak, Su-jeong (November 5, 2014). 스피카, 스페셜 싱글 ‘고스트’ 공개..리얼 삼각관계 뮤직비디오 눈길 [Spica unveils special single ‘Ghost’…Real love triangle music video attention] (in Korean). TenAsia. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  25. ^ "[슈퍼대디열 OST Part 2] 스피카(Spica)_ 너 때문에(Because of You) _가사". YouTube.
  26. ^ "SPICA renews contract with CJ E&M". Allkpop.
  27. ^ "Spica to Make a Comeback in April". Soompi. February 10, 2016.
  28. ^ Kim, Jae-heun (July 22, 2016). "'Girl Spirit' explores little-known idols". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on July 23, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  29. ^ "Spica Confirms Comeback Date And Details". Soompi. August 16, 2016.
  30. ^ "SPICA Reportedly Decides To Disband". Soompi. February 6, 2017.
  31. ^ [단독] '이효리 그룹' 스피카, 데뷔 5년 만에 해체 [[Exclusive] 'Lee Hyori Group' Spica disbanded 5 years after debut]. Naver.
  32. ^ "Spica Introduces Unit Group Spica.S While Kim Bo Ah Prepares for Solo Project". Mwave. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015.
  33. ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (September 12, 2014). "Spica.S Wants You to 'Give Your Love' in New Mv". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  34. ^ "Gaon Weekly Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  35. ^ "2012년 02월 Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
  36. ^ "2012년 03월 Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
  37. ^ "Album Chart - November 2012". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  38. ^ a b "Gaon Digital Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  39. ^ "Korea K-Pop Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  40. ^ "2012년 01월 Download Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
  41. ^ Cumulative sales of "Russian Roulette":
  42. ^ Cumulative sales of "Painkiller":
  43. ^ Cumulative sales of "I'll Be There":
  44. ^ Cumulative sales of "Lonely":
  45. ^ Cumulative sales of "Tonight":
  46. ^ Cumulative sale of "You Don’t Love Me":
  47. ^ Cumulative sale of "Give Your Love":
  48. ^ "2014년 46주차 Download Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
  49. ^ "2016년 35주차 Download Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
  50. ^ Cumulative sales of "A Witch's Diary":
  51. ^ Cumulative sales of "Because of You":
  52. ^ Lee, Ellie (January 6, 2012). "Hyori Supports Upcoming Girl Group SPICA". MTV K. Viacom. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  53. ^ DIR. Dongha Kim (February 8, 2012). "[Official Music Video]SPICA_Russian Roulette". Vimeo.
  54. ^ "Spica_Painkiller MV". 12Rounds.co.kr. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  55. ^ "Spica_I'll be there MV". 12Rounds.co.kr. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  56. ^ "Spica_Lonely MV". 12Rounds.co.kr. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  57. ^ "Lumpen Film works". Lumpens.com. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  58. ^ "Lumpen Official Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  59. ^ Hyunwoo Nam (February 15, 2014). "Spica_You don't love me_Music Video". Vimeo.
  60. ^ Hyunwoo Nam (October 24, 2014). "SPICA S_Give Your Love_Music Video". Vimeo.
  61. ^ Secret Time (photobook). Spica. South Korea: CJ E&M. 2016. B2M Entertainment.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  62. ^ timmydee (July 31, 2014). "SPICA Set to Release American Debut, "I Did It"". Soompi. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  63. ^ "Nominees for the 2012 MAMA Announced". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. October 23, 2012. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
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