CNBLUE

CNBLUE (Korean: 씨엔블루) is a South Korean pop rock band formed in 2009. The band consists of Jung Yong-hwa (leader, main vocals, guitar, keyboard, rap), Kang Min-hyuk (drums), and Lee Jung-shin (bass). First bassist Kwon Kwang-jin left the band after they released their debut Japanese extended play Now or Never in 2009, and was replaced by Lee Jung-shin. Lee Jong-hyun (guitar and vocals) left the band on August 28, 2019.

CN is an initialism for Code Name, while BLUE is a backronym for burning, lovely, untouchable, and emotional; it is meant to portray the images of Jong-hyun, Min-hyuk, Jung-shin, and Yong-hwa, respectively. On January 14, 2010, CNBLUE debuted in Korea with the lead single "I'm a Loner" from their first Korean EP Bluetory.

CNBLUE's first live performance took place in Tokyo, Japan, at the entrance of Shinjuku Station in early 2009; it was one of at least 20 other bands performing in the area. By mid-June 2009, the band began to perform on the streets and in live clubs. They formally debuted on August 19, 2009 with Now or Never. The EP was recorded completely in English, and failed to chart on the Oricon Albums Chart. In late September, their original bassist Kwon Kwang-jin left the band and was replaced by Lee Jung-shin later that year. Their second extended play Voice was released in November. Recorded with both English and Japanese tracks, Voice peaked at number 227 and charted for two weeks. Guitarist Lee described the band's independence in the country as "tough, but equally rewarding".

In January, FNC Entertainment unveiled a series of video teasers for CNBLUE's debut in South Korea. Bluetory was released on January 14, 2010, and stayed at the top of the Gaon Album Chart for two weeks. "I'm a Loner" was promoted as the lead single, and peaked at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart. The band had their first televised live performance on KBS' Music Bank on January 15. The song was an immediate commercial success and the band had their first music show chart win on Music Bank on January 29 and SBS' Inkigayo on January 31. CNBLUE held the record for achieving number one on South Korea's music programs in the shortest time since debut, grabbing their first win only 15 days after debuting with "I'm a Loner". The band had their debut reality show CNBLUEtory, broadcast on Mnet beginning March 10.

In March, the band started preparations for their first full-length independent album Thank U in Japan. It was released on March 20 with several tracks co-written and co-composed by Jung Yong-hwa. The album peaked at number 90 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts.

CNBLUE headed back to Korea and released their next single, "Love Light" on May 10, in precedence of their next album. On May 19, their second extended play Bluelove was released and peaked at number three on the Gaon Album Chart. CNBLUE held their comeback performance on Mnet's M! Countdown the following day. It was promoted with the track "Love", which peaked at number two on Gaon, matching the success the band found earlier with "I'm a Loner". The band eventually won on first place on M! Countdown on June 10 and Inkigayo on June 20.

After their success in Korea, the band headed back to Japan. They released their first single "The Way" on June 23. For the first time, they charted in Oricon's Top 40 at number 26. The release was followed by their second single "I Don't Know Why" on September 16. The song reached number eight on the Oricon Daily Chart, marking the first time the band made it inside the top 10. The band then embarked on a small tour across Japan in order to promote the single.

The same year, Kang Min-hyuk and Lee Jong-hyun made their acting debut in the omnibus film Acoustic. They released a song for the movie's OST on October 7, entitled "High Fly".^{[citation needed]}