JJCC

JJCC (pronounced J-J-C-C, Hangul: 제이제이씨씨) is a seven-member South Korean hip-hop boy group formed under the management of Jackie Chan Group Korea.^[1][2] The group debuted in March 20, 2014 with five members: E.co, Eddy, SimBa, San-Cheong, and Prince Mak who performed live on MNet M Countdown.^[3] Their debut single entitled At First was then released on March 24.^[4] JJCC is the first K-pop idol group to be formed by Jackie Chan.^[5] During their "Where You At" promotions, new members Zica and Yul joined.^[6]

Etymology

The name of the band is composed of the man who forms the group and the group's aim. The first "JC" comes from the first letters of the words Jackie and Chan while the second "JC" comes from the first letters of the words join and cultures. When combined together, it is literally "Jackie Chan Joint Cultures" (JJCC) translated to "Jackie Chan, let's spread K-Pop". In the same way, the pronunciation of the group name (Double-JC) stands for "Double Joy Creative" or "Let's create double the joy".^[5] The band name is a tribute to Chan as well as his effort to "join cultures" in Asia through music.^[1][7]

History

Formation of the group

Jackie Chan is a long-time fan of K-Pop. After seeing Kpop's great potential and development, he started to form a Kpop group and even personally manages them. JJCC's aim is for the world to be conquered once Asian culture unites through their different music and charm. In preparation for this, the members of JJCC received individual training on their personality and stunts as well as improving their singing, dancing, rapping, songwriting, and acting skills.^[7] Their dance skills include popping, b-boying, and even ballet. They are also able to speak in three languages- English, Chinese, and Korean.^[1]

Together with Chan, veteran K-Pop producer-composer Choi Jun-Young is serving as the executive producer of the group while Sha-Sha Lee is the CEO of the newly formed Jackie Chan Group South Korea establishment.

Pre-debut

The group is composed of five Koreans (E.Co, Yul, Zica, SimBa, San-Cheong), one Korean American (Eddy) and one inactive Chinese Australian (Prince Mak). Eddy competed on the cooking challenge show "Master Chef Korea" once as he is known for his cooking skills.^[7]

Although K-Pop is still rare on the Western mainstream, the group already attracted the American media prior to their debut mainly because of Jackie Chan. They were included in major news outlets such as the New York Post and even appeared in traditional papers. Jackie Chan's presence gives JJCC a possibility for the Korean wave to enter the American mainstream.^[8]

2014: Debut

On March 13, 2014, JJCC released their first teaser which was posted on their YouTube account, "Double JC".^[9] During this time, little is still known about the group except the revelation of the members and Jackie Chan as the producer-manager.^[10] One week after, on March 20, 2014, JJCC was first seen live on Mnet's M! Countdown, performing "At First" ("Everyone Is Like This At First"), which was also their official debut date.^[11] It was followed by Music Bank and Inkigayo. Finally on March 24, JJCC released their debut single as well as its music video.^[12] The song combines a melancholy hip-hop beat and a bit of R&B track. Prince Mak is not included in the music video as it is reported that he injured himself before the filming.^[13] Together with Kim Hee Sun and EXO, JJCC are performing on Chan's charity event entitled "2014 Peace, Love and Friendship" on April 6 in Beijing. The event, organized by Jaycee Chan, will have celebrities from all over the world and will include a concert, a fan meeting, launching event for ‘Jackie Chan Film Hall’ in Shanghai and more.^[14]

Prince Mak's hiatus

After much speculation, he officially announced in September 2016 that while he was still a part of JJCC he would be pursuing an acting career in China. ^[15]

Members

• E.Co (Hangul: 이코), born Ha Joon-young (Hangul: 하준영) on (1987-03-13) March 13, 1987 in Busan, South Korea.
• Eddy (Hangul: 에디), born Edward Young Oh or Oh Jong-seok (Hangul: 오종석) on (1990-07-07) July 7, 1990 in Los Angeles, California, United States.
• Yul (Hangul: 율), born Kim Chan-yul (Hangul: 김찬율) on (1992-02-27) February 27, 1992 in Gwangju, South Korea.
• Zica (Hangul: 지카), born No Dae-hwan (Hangul: 노대환) on (1992-04-17) April 17, 1992 in Gwangju, South Korea.
• SimBa (Hangul: 심바), born Kim Young-jin (Hangul: 김영진) on (1992-06-30) June 30, 1992 in Gyeonggi, Suwon, South Korea.
• San-Cheong (Hangul: 산청), born Choi Ha-don (Hangul: 최하돈) on (1993-05-14) May 14, 1993 in Daegu, South Korea.

Inactive Members

• Prince Mak (Hangul: 프린스 맥), born Henry Prince Mak or Mai Heng Li (Chinese: 麦亨利) on (1990-05-24) May 24, 1990 in Sydney, Australia.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Filmography

Variety shows

References

1. 1 2 3 "Jackie Chan’s K-Pop Group, JJCC (Double JC), Unveils All Five Members". Soompi. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
2. ↑ "Jackie Chan's K-pop boy band to release debut album". Retrieved 13 April 2014. 
3. ↑ "Jackie Chan's Group JJCC to Debut Today on 'M Countdown'". Kpopstarz. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
4. ↑ "Jackie Chan Trades Kicks for Artist Management, Guides K-Pop Band JJCC". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
5. 1 2 "[Interview Pt. 1] JJCC Reaches for the Top with Jackie Chan". Mwave. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
6. ↑ "JJCC to Add Two New Members and Have Comeback as a Seven-Member Group". Soompi. Retrieved 2015-11-21. 
7. 1 2 3 "Jackie Chan reportedly managing new K-Pop band". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
8. ↑ "Jackie Chan's JJCC Attracts US Media Prior To Debut". Kpopstarz. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
9. ↑ "JJCC(더블제이씨) - 첨엔 다 그래 M/V Teaser (Jackie Chan Idol)". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-04-23.
10. ↑ "The Debut Of Doubles: Jackie Chan's New Group JJCC Follows The Path Of SS501, Double K, And AA". Kpopstarz. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
11. ↑ "Jackie Chan's boy group JJCC spike interest with first MV teaser". Allkpop. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
12. ↑ "JJCC(더블제이씨) - 첨엔 다 그래(At First) M/V (Jackie Chan Idol)". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
13. ↑ "The quintet premieres with a mid-tempo R&B-pop release and special effects-heavy video". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
14. ↑ "EXO, Kim Hee Sun and JJCC Invited to Attend Jackie Chan’s Charity Event". Mwave. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
15. ↑ ""K-pop sensation Prince Mak pursues acting career with help from Jackie Chan"". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-12-02. 
16. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved September 13, 2014. 
    • "JJCC 1st Mini Album". August 23, 2014. 
    • "Ackmong". August 22, 2015. 
17. ↑ "2014년 08월 (August 2014) Album Chart (Domestic)". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved January 30, 2016. 
18. ↑ "2015년 09월 (September 2015) Album Chart (Domestic)". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved January 30, 2016. 
19. ↑ "Gaon Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved September 13, 2014. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to JJCC.

• Official website