South Korean singer
Son Ga-in
(
손가인
; born September 20, 1987), known
mononymously
as
Gain
, is a South Korean singer, actress and entertainer, best known as a member of the South Korean
girl group
Brown Eyed Girls
. Having debuted with her home group earlier in 2006, Gain eventually made her solo debut in October 2010 with
Step 2/4
to great commercial success, and has since released a total of six extended plays. In addition to her musical career, the singer also appeared in several native programs and series, most notably
We Got Married
and
All My Love
, where she co-starred alongside
2AM
's
Jo Kwon
.
Career
[
edit
]
2005?2009: Brown Eyed Girls and solo projects
[
edit
]
Son Ga-In was noticed by the existing members of Brown Eyed Girls after she was eliminated during auditions for the popular South Korean
reality series
,
Let's Coke Play! Battle Shinhwa!
She was approached by composer Ahn Jung-hoon and invited to audition at Brown Eyed Girls' company, eventually joining the group. The four members performed several small shows before officially debuting as Brown Eyed Girls in 2006.
[3]
In the same year, she performed a duet "Must Have Love" with
SG Wannabe
's leader Kim Yong-jun, which became her first number one hit during the Christmas season.
Despite having initial successes, it was not until 2009 that her home group made a breakthrough into Korean mainstream with their hit song "
Abracadabra
", which was notable for the group's shift of their image and their new direction. After the unexpected success of the song, the group went on to become one of the most mentioned names of
K-pop
girl-groups.
Beside from her activities with the group, she also had solo activities, beginning with her appearance in 4Tomorrow, a collaboration project with
4Minute
's
Hyuna
,
After School
's
Uee
and
KARA
's
Han Seung-yeon
. She also released a digital single, titled "We Fell in Love" (우리 사랑하게 됐어요) with then
We Got Married
partner
2AM
Jo Kwon
, composed by fellow member
JeA
, Kim Eana and produced by Lee Min-soo. The duet became a massive success, being her longest running number one hit on
Gaon Chart
.
2010: Solo career debut and
Step 2/4
[
edit
]
In April 2010, it was announced that all the Brown Eyed Girls' members would pursue their own solo careers beside the group's activities. Gain herself became the second member to start her solo activities after
Narsha
by releasing her first mini-album, titled
Step 2/4
with "Irreversible" as the title track in October 2010, to critical acclaim from critics and public due to its strong influence of
tango
. The video for the track was then released on October 8, 2010, alongside the album's release. The mini-album also achieved modest success, peaking at number two on
Gaon Weekly Albums Chart
while the title track became her first solo number one hit. Gain worked with university professor Park Myung-soo (Seoul Arts University) on the tango-inspired choreography for "Irreversible". On December 21, 2010, "Bad Temper" was released as a
digital download single
. She then resumed her group activities after the end of the album's promotion.
After the promotions of Brown Eyed Girls'
fourth album
, it was revealed that Gain had signed a contract with LOEN Entertainment to manage her solo career.
[4]
2012?2013:
Talk About S
,
Romantic Spring
and "Gentleman"
[
edit
]
Prior to the release of her second EP, Gain was featured on
Yoon Il-sang
's anniversary album
Yoon Il-sang 21st Anniversary Album: I'm 21
with a cover of "For You Not To Know" (
너만은 모르길
).
She also released a duet with
JYP
in April 2012, titled "Someone Else", to certain success, peaking at number two on Gaon Weekly Singles Chart. However it was only after the release of Brown Eyed Girls'
digital single
"The Original" that her
sophomore EP
would be released on October 5, 2012, followed by teasers of the album's content. Reunited with long-time collaborators of both her home group and her previous debut album, such as lyricist
Kim Eana
,
producer
Lee Min-soo
and Jo Yeong-cheol, the album was received with positive reacts from both critics and the public, while becoming her first release to take the top spot of Gaon Weekly Albums Chart, also her best selling release to date. Its title track, "
Bloom
", was also her best selling track and one of her signature hits to date. On November 30, 2012, "Nostalgia" was released digitally as a single, featuring rapper
Eric Mun
of boyband
Shinhwa
.
Later on April 8, 2013,
Romantic Spring
was released as a collaboration project between Gain herself and Korean singer
Cho Hyung-woo
, who later became her labelmate. The collaborative EP debuted at number three on Gaon Albums Chart. On April 13, 2013, she was featured in
PSY
's music video "
Gentleman
", along with the "arrogant" dance which was popularized in the Brown Eyed Girls song "
Abracadabra
".
[5]
She then returned with Brown Eyed Girls' 5th studio album,
Black Box
, which was released on July 25, 2013, and later appeared as a guest performer for
IU
's "Everybody Has Secrets" (
누구나 祕密은 있다
) on her
2013 release
. In the same year Gain parted with LOEN Entertainment and joined the APOP Entertainment roster, while making her first major appearance in film with
The Huntresses.
2014:
Truth or Dare
[
edit
]
At the beginning of 2014, Gain released her next EP, titled
Truth or Dare
, which featured lyrics from Kim Eana,
Lee Hyo-Ri
and
JYP
, along with guest performers such as
Bumkey
and Jo Kwon, with the former being featured in the album's first single. Considered as a "bolder" move for herself, the album was preceded by "Fxxk U", which received mixed reactions from the public due to its theme dealing with
domestic violence
; however, it was praised by critics. The second single "Truth or Dare" (
眞實 或은 對談
) was released on February 6, 2014, to modest success, while the third single "A Tempo" was released digitally on March 21, 2014. Later that year, Gain was featured in
Pitchfork
's 20 Essential K-Pop Songs list with "Fxxk U" and "Tinkerbell", the opening track for her second EP.
[6]
[7]
She also appeared as KARA's Goo Hara's friend in her own reality show
Hara ON & OFF
at the end of 2014.
2015:
Hawwah
, Brown Eyed Girls' 10th anniversary and upcoming projects
[
edit
]
It was announced that Gain would go on to release her fourth solo mini-album (fifth overall), titled
Hawwah
in February 2015 as a follow-up to her previous
Truth or Dare
EP. The album marked the first time in her solo career to feature two title tracks, followed by a Bible-influenced concept. Released in March 2015, the EP eventually debuted and peaked at number five on
Gaon Weekly Albums Chart
while appearing at number nine on
Billboard
World Albums Chart, thus became her fourth top five entry and her first to chart in the US. Its singles, "Apple" and "Paradise Lost" peaked at number two and number six on
Gaon Weekly Singles Chart
respectively. As of April 2015, the album has sold 4,203 copies.
[8]
She was later announced as one of the participants for JTBC's
Going to School
, a reality television show about idols going back to high school.
During an interview with
Billboard
, Gain announced that her
home group
would return with a new album to coincide with their tenth anniversary since debuting in 2006 and the possibilities of another solo release in 2015 also.
[9]
Gain released her first full album,
End Again
on September 8, 2016. The title track was "Carnival (The Last Day)".
[10]
Filmography and television work
[
edit
]
Gain appeared on
We Got Married
with
2AM
's
Jo Kwon
starting from September 2009. Their virtual marriage came to an end after 15 months in January 2011. She made her acting debut in MBC daily sitcom
All My Love
. She was the female lead Hwang Geum-ji, alongside Jo Kwon, who played the role as her younger twin brother Hwang Ok-yeop. Her character was the love interest of
Yoon Doo-joon
(from
BEAST
) character also named "Yoon Doo-joon". However, owing to schedule conflicts, her participation in the sitcom ended in May 2011. In 2013, she became one of the three main female characters for
The Huntresses
, along with
Ha Ji-won
and
Kang Ye-won
. She also participated in JTBC's
Going to School
in 2015, along with other idols such as
Taemin
of
Shinee
and Seulgi of
Red Velvet
.
Discography
[
edit
]
Gain discography
|
---|
EPs
| 5
|
---|
Singles
| 13
|
---|
Collaborative singles
| 8
|
---|
Extended plays
[
edit
]
Singles
[
edit
]
Singles as featured artist
[
edit
]
Other charted songs
[
edit
]
Filmography
[
edit
]
Television
[
edit
]
Films
[
edit
]
Music videos
[
edit
]
Awards and nominations
[
edit
]
- ^
Sales figures for
Step 2/4
as of October 2010.
[13]
- ^
Sales figures for
Talk About S
as of October 2012.
[14]
- ^
Sales figures for
Romantic Spring
as of April 2013.
[15]
- ^
Sales figures for
Truth or Dare
until the first half of 2014.
[16]
[17]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Mark Russell (April 29, 2014).
K-Pop Now!: The Korean Music Revolution
. Tuttle Publishing. p. 89.
ISBN
978-1-4629-1411-1
.
Archived
from the original on May 27, 2016
. Retrieved
October 30,
2016
.
- ^
"Gain"
. KBS World Radio.
Archived
from the original on November 28, 2020
. Retrieved
May 31,
2020
.
- ^
"Brown Eyed Girls and ZE:A talk about the history of their group names"
.
Allkpop
. May 9, 2010.
Archived
from the original on January 12, 2012
. Retrieved
May 22,
2012
.
- ^
"Brown Eyed Girls' Gain signs contract with Loen Entertainment for solo activities"
. Koreaboo.com. December 21, 2011. Archived from
the original
on April 12, 2014
. Retrieved
May 22,
2012
.
- ^
"싸이 "'젠틀맨' 按舞, 브亞걸 '시건방 춤'李 모티프"
"
.
Archived
from the original on May 11, 2021
. Retrieved
April 22,
2013
.
- ^
"Starter: 20 Essential K-Pop Songs"
.
Pitchfork
. August 7, 2014.
Archived
from the original on April 11, 2015
. Retrieved
April 15,
2015
.
- ^
"Starter: 20 Essential K-Pop Songs"
.
Pitchfork
.
Archived
from the original on March 3, 2016
. Retrieved
April 15,
2015
.
- ^
Sales references for "Hawwah":
- ^
"Gain Goes in on New 'Hawwah' EP, Religion and South Korea's Conservative Music Industry"
.
Billboard
.
Archived
from the original on April 17, 2015
. Retrieved
April 15,
2015
.
- ^
[MV] Gain(歌人) _ Carnival (The Last Day)
,
archived
from the original on December 27, 2019
, retrieved
December 16,
2019
- ^
"Gaon Album Chart"
.
Gaon Chart
. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from
the original
on March 26, 2015
. Retrieved
May 22,
2015
.
- ^
"Billboard World Albums Chart"
.
Billboard
.
Archived
from the original on September 16, 2015
. Retrieved
May 24,
2015
.
- ^
Sales reference for
Step 2/4
:
- ^
Sales references for
Talk About S
:
- ^
Sales references for
Romantic Spring
:
- ^
Sales references for
Truth or Dare
:
- ^
"Gaon Chart Physical Sales All Time ? Female groups/soloists *Updated MARCH 2015 ? Music"
.
Archived
from the original on April 15, 2015
. Retrieved
April 15,
2015
.
- ^
Sales references for
Hawwah
:
- ^
Sales references for
End Again
:
- ^
a
b
c
"Gaon Digital Chart"
.
Gaon Chart
. Korea Music Content Industry Association.
Archived
from the original on March 9, 2017
. Retrieved
May 22,
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Korea K-Pop Hot 100"
.
Billboard
.
Archived
from the original on October 9, 2014
. Retrieved
May 22,
2015
.
- ^
a
b
"2010年 Gaon Download Chart"
.
Gaon Chart
(in Korean). Archived from
the original
on October 18, 2013
. Retrieved
March 24,
2024
.
- ^
"2012年 Download Chart (國內)"
.
Gaon Chart
(in Korean). p. 2. Archived from
the original
on August 16, 2016
. Retrieved
March 24,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
"2012年 Gaon Download Chart"
.
Gaon Chart
(in Korean). Archived from
the original
on October 2, 2013
. Retrieved
March 24,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
"2012年 Download Chart (國內)"
.
Gaon Chart
(in Korean). p. 4. Archived from
the original
on August 16, 2016
. Retrieved
March 24,
2024
.
- ^
"2013年 Download Chart (國內)"
.
Gaon Chart
(in Korean). p. 4. Archived from
the original
on August 16, 2016
. Retrieved
March 24,
2024
.
- ^
"2014年 Download Chart"
.
Gaon Chart
(in Korean). Archived from
the original
on November 27, 2016
. Retrieved
March 24,
2024
.
- ^
Cumulative sales of "Truth or Dare":
- ^
"2014年 03月 Download Chart"
.
Gaon Chart
(in Korean). Archived from
the original
on August 2, 2017
. Retrieved
March 24,
2024
.
- ^
"2013年 20週次 Download Chart"
.
Gaon Chart
(in Korean). Archived from
the original
on December 1, 2017
. Retrieved
March 24,
2024
.
- ^
"2014年 Download Chart (國內)"
.
Gaon Chart
(in Korean). p. 3. Archived from
the original
on August 16, 2016
. Retrieved
March 24,
2024
.
- ^
"2013年 32週次 Download Chart"
.
Gaon Chart
(in Korean). Archived from
the original
on September 26, 2017
. Retrieved
March 24,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
Truth Or Dare ? 가인
(in Korean).
Mnet
.
Archived
from the original on March 15, 2015
. Retrieved
March 12,
2015
.
- ^
Lee, Geum-yun (October 12, 2012).
가인 ‘폴 댄스’ 映像 公開, 황수아 監督 ‘大 屈辱’?
.
The Asia Economy Daily
(in Korean).
Archived
from the original on April 2, 2015
. Retrieved
March 12,
2015
.
- ^
가인 하와 컴백, 過去 턱 成形說 너무한 거 아냐? “턱 깎지 않았다…저절로 바뀐 것”
(in Korean). Etoday. March 12, 2015.
Archived
from the original on April 2, 2015
. Retrieved
March 12,
2015
.
- ^
'4冠王' 가인-조권, 加溫 차트 '싹쓸이'
.
YTN
(in Korean). February 23, 2010.
Archived
from the original on February 26, 2010
. Retrieved
November 29,
2011
.
- ^
Hicap, Jonathan M. (October 29, 2010).
"Controversial Mnet Asian Music Awards bares nominees"
.
Manila Bulletin
. Manila Bulletin Publishing. Archived from
the original
on October 29, 2010
. Retrieved
February 12,
2011
.
- ^
"2NE1, '2010 MAMA' 5冠王..걸파워 빛났다(종합)"
.
Nate
(in Korean). November 29, 2010.
Archived
from the original on December 3, 2015
. Retrieved
November 29,
2010
.
- ^
a
b
"
'아담夫婦' 조권-街人, MBC 放送演藝對象 2冠王"
.
Joinsmsn
(in Korean). November 30, 2010.
Archived
from the original on December 12, 2015
. Retrieved
November 30,
2010
.
- ^
"MAMA Nominees"
.
mwave
. Archived from
the original
on October 29, 2016
. Retrieved
May 14,
2016
.
External links
[
edit
]
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Gain
.
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