ASTRO is a South Korean idol group created by Fantagio Entertainment. They officially debuted on February 23, 2016 with the single “Hide & Seek” from their debut EP, Spring Up, and was named as one of the best new K-pop groups of 2016 by Billboard.
The group consists of seven members – MJ, JinJin, Eunwoo, Moonbin, Rocky, and Sanha
Pre-debut
Before they were officially part of Astro, some of the members were already active in the entertainment industry. Moonbin, for one, acted in the widely popular 2009 drama Boys Over Flowers as the younger version of Kim Bum’s character.
Astro members were first once known as the iTeen Boys during their trainee days as part of Fantagio iTeen, the agency’s rookie talent development program. They formally earned their group name on August 2015 through an announcement from the label.
Also in August 2015, they starred in the web drama series To Be Continued, featuring the members as themselves, as well as Kim Sae Ron, Seo Kang Joon, and Hello Venus.
In January 2016, they had their own reality show, Astro OK! Ready, which aired on MNC Every1, followed by a nationwide showcase tour called “Meet U Project” leading up to their official debut.
With the “Meet U Project,” the group toured all over South Korea, and held a total of twenty shows and two fan meetings.
2016: Spring Up, Summer Vibes, and Autumn Story
Astro’s debut EP, Spring Up, was released on February 23, 2016, with the title track “Hide & Seek”.
They also held a debut showcase where they announced their official fan club name “Aroha”, an abbreviation for the phrase “Astro hearts all fans,” and which also means “love” in Māori.
Within a week of its release, Spring Up reached number 4 on the Gaon Music Chart and number 6 on the Billboard World Albums Chart in the United States.
Two days after the official release of the album, Astro released the music video for the song “Cat’s Eye,” which contains clips from their web series To Be Continued.
Come March 2016, Astro became the only Korean group invited to the LeTV Entertainment Awards in China.
On July 1, the group released their second EP, Summer Vibes, with the title track “Breathless”.
The album peaked at number 6 on the Billboard World Albums Chart and #21 on the Billboard World Digital Songs Chart.
By the end of July, they performed at the Staples Center as part of the lineup for KCON 2016 in Los Angeles.
On August 27 and 28, Astro held their first solo concert at the KEPCO Art Center in Seoul, followed by their first Asia showcase in Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand throughout October and November of the same year.
They then released their third EP, Autumn Story, on November 10, with the lead single “Confession”. The music video for the song features Astro’s labelmate Sei of the group Weki Meki.
2017: Winter Dream, first concert tour, Dream Parts 1 & 2
Astro released the album Winter Dream on February 22, featuring the title track “Again”. However, the album was not promoted on music shows because it was considered a special album dedicated to their fans.
The release of Winter Dream completed the group’s seasonal project which includes their previous albums Spring Up, Summer Vibes, and Autumn Story.
Four days after the release of Winter Dream, Astro held an anniversary fan meeting, titled “The 1st Astro Aroha Festival”.
On May 29, the group released their fourth EP, Dream Part.01, along with the lead single “Baby”. The album consists of 8 songs with lyrics written by some of the members.
They also embarked on their first tour, called “The 1st ASTROAD”, from July 15 to August 29 with stops in Seoul, Osaka, and Tokyo.
On November 1, Astro released their fifth EP, Dream Part.02, featuring the title track “Crazy Sexy Cool”.
2018: Dream Part.02 ‘With’
On January 10, the released a limited edition of their Dream Part.02 album – Dream Part.02 ‘With’ – which sold out all 10,000 copies in pre-orders alone.
The special album features a poem written by member Eunwoo, a hidden “thanks to,” and polaroid photos taken by the members themselves.
The group is also set to make a comeback in the middle of the year.
Astro Member Profiles
MJ
JinJin
Eunwoo
Moonbin
Rocky
Sanha
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the Leader of Astro?
Park Jin Woo is the leader of Astro
Who is the youngest (maknae) in Astro?
Yoon Sanha is the youngest member, born in March, 2000
Which Astro members speak English?
Jinjin and Eunwoo are the best English speakers in Astro
