F-iV

The four members of F-iV were first formed as a group by their label in 1999 due to the rise in popularity of R&B music from groups such as Fly to the Sky and Brown Eyes,[1] and were recruited for their music talents such as composition and arrangement.[3] The group spent three years training in preparation for their eventual debut.[1]

On September 25, 2002, F-iV released their debut album F-iV [Faiv] under CS Entertainment, which featured songs with R&B and ballad elements.[1] However, they underwent label issues shortly after their debut; about a month later, the group moved to a new label, Waltz Music, and re-released their first album (with a new album cover and an altered tracklist).

F-iV [Faiv] gained attention due to the fact that member Kim Hyun-soo produced five out of the eleven tracks. One of those tracks was the title song, "Girl", which received critical success and was nominated under the category Best New Group in 2003 at the Mnet Asian Music Awards (then called the Mnet Music Video Festival), one of the major music awards ceremonies in South Korea. The group was also chosen as one of the Best New Artists of 2003 at KMTV's Korean Music Awards along with Se7en and Big Mama.[6]

The group followed up the success of their debut album with their sophomore album F-iV Story on March 30, 2004.[7] Unlike their first album, in which Kim Hyun-soo participated in, F-iV Story was entirely written and composed by other professional songwriters and composers; the title song, "I'm Sorry", for example, was written and produced by Bang Si-hyuk. The album produced two more follow-up songs, "Shadow Dance" and "Merry Christmas".

The promotion of F-iV Story was met with several setbacks such as a halt in the promotion of "Shadow Dance" and the members' imminent military enlistment. Leader Seo Ji-won eventually enlisted for his service as a social service agent on November 8, 2004. Woo Jung-tae's enlistment was pushed back due to his mother's health issues; he starred in an Mnet variety show called Home Sweet Home before enlisting. Kim Hyun-soo transitioned to his original position of songwriting, later going on to write songs for other artists like Ryu Nine.[8] Main vocalist Chang Hae-young had to promote "Merry Christmas" on his own, albeit still under F-iV's name. The group went on an indefinite hiatus until 2012.

The members of F-iV came together after a seven-year hiatus to record an EP titled Thank You on February 6, 2012.[9] The album was released ten years after their 2002 debut album F-iV [Faiv][10] to commemorate their tenth anniversary as a group.[10]

After a four-year hiatus, F-iv appeared publicly again in 2016 on South Korean television channel JTBC's Two Yoo Project Sugar Man, where they made a special appearance as guests in Episode 37 of the show's first season.[4][11][12]