May (singer)
May | |
---|---|
Birth name | Bang Yu-jeong (방유정) |
Also known as | Mei, メイ, 메이 |
Born | May 6, 1982 |
Origin | Seoul, South Korea |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | |
Instruments | Acoustic guitar |
Years active | 2006 - present |
Labels |
|
Website | MAY's official website |
May (also known as: Mei, メイ, 메이, born May 6, 1982) is a Korean singer,[1] well known in South Korea for singing the song "Miracle". She speaks Korean, Japanese, and English.
May was born on May 6, 1982 in Seoul, South Korea. She started her music career in South Korea in late 2005 singing "Miracle", a well known song in South Korea. Within a month she was chosen by Avex's Show Case Live because she was able to speak Japanese. By early 2006 she was signed to Avex Trax in Japan, and had a contract to publish her first EP "Wonderland" with CJ Music in South Korea, which charted at #23 in the Korean top 200 and sold 743 copies within the first week. Within 3 months, May released her second EP "Smile" with a different publisher, Doremi Media in South Korea, and it charted at #27 and sold 695 copies in the first week. By 2007, May had released her first Japanese Album "a Little Happiness" which charted at #77 on Oricon.
Biography
2005-2006:Between South Korea and Japan
Wonderland
May is a Korean artist who made her debut in 2006 but wasn't able to gain any success on any releases. May started her music career singing "Miracle" as a theme song along with a F.I.R. cover song "Lydia" as an insert song for a popular Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) weekend drama "Friends" in late 2005. On 7 March 2006 May had a contract with CJ Music releasing her first EP or mini album entitled "Wonderland" that featured seven songs. May did not gain much success with her first released charted at #23 on Korean top 200.
Smile
Three months later, on 2 June 2006, May released her second EP or mini album "Smile" with a different publisher, Doremi Media. "Smile" reached #27 in the chart. She also covered another song from F.I.R., "Fly Away". May released two versions of "Smile": a first press limited version with her "M" symbol, and a regular version without the "M" symbol.
A Little Happiness
Early in 2005, Avex launched a project called Show Case Live. It featured samples of eight upcoming artists, including May. She signed under the Avex label later that year. On 21 February 2006, May released her first single "Wonderland", which failed to chart on Oricon. Before Mat's "Smile" EP, she released her second single "Kienai Niji" on May, 2006 also fail to chart. On 26 July 2006, May released "Surrender (c/w Lydia)", her third single, which gained her little success. May released her fourth single in autumn on 8 November 2006. By 10 January 2007, Sarai no Kaze was released as her fifth single, also her first single to chart at #132 sold 518 copies in the first week. By end of the month May released her first album "a Little Happiness" chart at #77.
2007-present: May's first tour around Japan
Onna Gokoro and tour
MAY is about to set off a tour in 2007 after releasing her sixth single "Onna Gokoro" on 4 April 2007.
The "M" Symbol
MAY uses a M symbols to represent her own name. Usually, the M symbols appear on her website and covers of her singles, albums, and EPs.
Discography
Korean EP
Album # | Album information | Copies sold |
---|---|---|
1st | "Wonderland"
|
743 |
2nd | "Smile"
|
693 |
Japanese studio albums
Album # | Album information | Copies sold |
---|---|---|
1st | "A Little Happiness"
|
N/A |
Japanese singles
Single # | Single information | Top position | Sold Copies |
---|---|---|---|
1st | "Wonderland"
|
Fail to Chart | N/A |
2nd | "Kienai Niji"
"Breeze of Wind"
|
Fail to Chart | N/A |
3rd | "Surrender (c/w Lydia)"
|
Fail to Chart | |
4th | "Kogarashi no Junjo"
"The Rainbow Which Does Not Vanish"
|
Fail to Chart | N/A |
5th | "Sarai no Kaze"
"Natural Cold Wintry Wind"
|
#132 | 508 |
6th | "Onna Gokoro" Alternate Title:
|
Fail to Chart | N/A |
7th | "Kizuna / Toki Wo Tomete"
|
Fail to Chart | N/A |
Other recordings
- A-nation'06 Best Hit Live / V.A - Compilation (Japanese) Avex Trax
- featured May songs
- Wonderland
- Surrender
- Fly Away
References
- ↑ 얼굴없는 가수 유우, 알고보니 가수 메이…이름 바꿔 활동. 마이데일리 (in Korean). 6 July 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
External links
- May's Official website (Japanese)
- May's Oricon Page (Japanese)