Rania (band)

RANIA
라니아
Origin Seoul, South Korea
Genres K-pop
Years active 2011 (2011)–present
Labels
Website http://cafe.daum.net/1248./
Members
  • Di
  • T-ae
  • Xia
  • Hyeme
  • Seulji
  • Alex
Past members
  • Sarah
  • Data
  • Minhee
  • Yijo
  • Joy
  • Riko
  • Saem
  • Jooyi
  • Sharon
Korean name
Hangul 라니아
Revised Romanization RANIA
McCune–Reischauer RANIA

RANIA (Hangul: 라니아, stylized as Rania or RaNia, shortened from Regeneration Idol of Asia) is a South Korean girl group formed by DR Music in 2011. The group was initially produced by American Teddy Riley[1] with their first debut single "DR Feel Good" in 2011.[2] The group composed of six (formerly debuted with eight members) members: Di, T-ae, Xia, Hyeme, Seulji and Alex. Although the group is South Korean, former members Joy, Data, Riko are of Thai and Japanese descent, respectively,[3][4] while current member Alex is of African-American descent.

Career

Pre-debut

RANIA was originally set to debut in mid 2010 as the third generation of Baby V.O.X. However their record company DR Music decided to rebrand them as a new group named RANIA with eight members: Riko, T-ae, Xia, Saem, Joy, Lucy (later known as Jooyi) and Sarah.[5] T-ae, Riko and Saem were chosen to star alongside former 2PM member Jay Park in his movie Hype Nation,[6][7] causing DR Music to push back the group's debut. At the beginning of 2011, Sarah made her decision to leave the group and was replaced by Chinese trainee Yijo. Before the addition of Yijo, trainees Data and Minhee were set to take Sarah's place. However, Minhee left due to parental problems, and Data left due to homesickness.

2011-2012: Debut with Teddy Riley, The First Expansion In Asia,Masquerade, Time Rock Da Show, Joy's departure and Style

RANIA made their debut in April 2011[8] as an eight-member group, consisting of Riko, Saem, Xia, Jooyi, Di, Joy, T-ae and Yijo. However, upon their debut single's release, Yijo was not included and she left RANIA.[9][10] They performed on 6 April on KBS's Music Bank, with the song "DR Feel Good", composed by producer Teddy Riley. The song was originally given to Lady Gaga.[11] However, since their music video and live performances caused controversy in Korea as some viewers felt that their image and concept were too provocative,[12] RANIA were forced to change their choreography and make minor changes to the outfits.[13][14] After the conclusion of "DR Feel Good" promotions, the group returned in June with their promotional single "Masquerade",[15](also composed by Riley).[11] Despite having planned an American debut,[11] the group didn't make any advancements at that time.[16] On the contrary, Riley left the group after falling out with their record label.[17]

The group released their first mini album, Time to Rock Da Show, on 16 November 2011.[18][19] The music video for its title track, "Pop Pop Pop", written by Brave Brothers,[20] was revealed four days later.[21] Joy stopped near promotions because her parents' house had been affected in the flood which occurred in Thailand at the time of the release,[22][23] and later left RANIA in June 2012.

On 30 May 2012, RANIA performed a new song named "Killer" at the Dream Music Concert. They made a comeback on 16 September with "Style", whose music video was revealed on 20 September. Jooyi was not a part of this comeback,[24] but she was still a member of RANIA.

2013-2014: Just Go, Riko's departure and delayed American debut

RANIA released the lead single "Just Go" on 8 March 2013, along with their first full-length album, also titled Just Go (or Goodbye's The New Hello).[25] They also announced to debut in America in the summer of 2013.[26] Empire Records was to be handling the girls' distribution while Fireworks was to handle their American management.[27] Larry Rudolph and Adam Leber, two of Britney Spears' managers, decided to be RANIA's managers throughout their U.S. promotions.[28] Starting 21 May, RANIA began filming for their MTV reality show Road to Fame in Los Angeles and other cities across the U.S. The show would feature the group's preparations for their U.S. debut and would air for three months. It was also revealed that the album would feature collaborations with both Snoop Dogg and 2 Chainz.[29] However, RANIA's American debut was delayed again in June.[30] Instead, they began to film a CF for Woongjin Waterpark Play°C[31] and released a special digital-single, "Up", for fans on 5 July.[32]

In May 2014, the group signed with Spanish label INGENIOmedia and confirmed they would have a comeback in July with "Acceleration", with a second round of promotions in September.[33] The label also confirmed that they were looking for a sixth member to replace Riko, who was absent from the group since "Just Go".[25][34] Following an incident where a staffer at INGENIOmedia leaked RANIA's comeback track to a fan, the company severed ties with the group, stating they were "taking too long".[35] INGENIOMedia later released a statement saying that they were not looking for a member to replace Riko, apologizing for any confusion, and said that any news on member changes would have to come from RANIA's company.[36] The group performed with trainee Sharon Park, who would later leave to go back to working as a fashion model.

In mid 2014, Saem and Jooyi stopped attending public events and deactivated their official social media accounts. This led to intense fan speculation that they had left the group, but DR Music did not release an official statement regarding their situation.

2015-present: Line-up changes and Demonstrate

In August 2015, RaNia made their appearance with two new members, trainees Hyeme and Seulji. In fall of 2015, the group announced their comeback on November 6 with their second mini album Demonstrate, confirmed the departure of Saem and Jooyi and the additions of Hyeme, Seulji and Alex.[37] Alex is the first ever African-American woman to be an official member of a Korean girl group.[38]

Members

Current members

Former members

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales Track listing
KOR
[39]
Just Go (Goodbye's The New Hello) 9

EPs

Title Album details Peak chart positions Track listing
KOR
[39]
Time to Rock da Show
  • Released: 17 November 2011
  • Label: DR Music, Yedang Company
  • Format: CD, digital download
 —
Demonstrate
  • Released: 5 November 2015
  • Label: DR Music, Danal Entertainment
  • Format: CD, digital download
 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Single albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Track listing
KOR
[39]
Teddy Riley, The First Expansion In Asia
  • Released: 6 April 2011
  • Label: DR Music
  • Format: CD, digital download
 —
Style
  • Released: 16 September 2012
  • Label: DR Music, Yedang Entertainment
  • Format: CD, digital download
 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
KOR
Gaon
[41]		 KOR
Billboard
[42]
"DR Feel Good" 2011 99 — Just Go (Goodbye's The New Hello)
"가면무도회 (Masquerade)" 192 —
"Pop Pop Pop" 66 —
"Style" 2012 40 47
"Just Go" 2013 26 34
"Demonstrate" 2015 — — Demonstrate
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

References

  1. ↑ "New group Rania dreams to conquer Korea and America". Allkpop. 6 April 2011.
  2. ↑ 라니아 :: 네이버 통합검색. Naver (in Korean). Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  3. ↑ "Introducing Joy of the girl group Rania". 20 August 2010.
  4. ↑ "Rania’s successful overseas trip in Thailand". Allkpop.com. 20 July 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  5. ↑ "Rookie girl group Rania to debut in August". Allkpop.com. 25 July 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  6. ↑ "그룹 라니아의 티애, 박재범과 '하이프네이션' 출연 확정" [Rania's Ta-e and Jay Park confirmed to appear in 'Hype Nation']. Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). 15 June 2010.
  7. ↑ "Rookie girl group Rania reveals their leader". 26 July 2010.
  8. ↑ "Rookie group ‘Rania’ to hold debut showcase on April 6th". Allkpop.com. 30 March 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  9. ↑ "[Update: MV] Rania releases debut single, "Dr. Feel Good"". Allkpop.com. 5 April 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  10. ↑ "Rania adds new member Lee Jo & releases new version of "Dr Feel Good"". 17 April 2011.
  11. 1 2 3 "걸그룹 ‘라니아’ 국내 최초로 한ㆍ미 동시 데뷔" [Upcoming girl group Rania to debut in both America and Korea]. Heraldcorp.com (in Korean). 27 September 2010. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "베일벗은 라니아, 파격의상+섹시안무··'충격적 비주얼'" [Rania's cheap outfits and sexy choreography are... "a schocking visual"]. Asiae.co.kr (in Korean). 7 April 2011.
  13. ↑ "포미닛.라니아 "선정적 안무와 의상 수정"" [4Minute and Rania to make changes to their choreography and outfits]. Yonhap News (in Korean). 12 April 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  14. ↑ "Rania revamps choreography and outfits, adds a 25-second high note part". Allkpop. 15 April 2011.
  15. ↑ "Rania to return with ‘Masquerade’ for follow-up promotions". Allkpop. 4 June 2011.
  16. ↑ "Rania unleashes plans for U.S. and Asian advancement". 3 May 2011.
  17. ↑ "So Teddy and Rania are kaput. Now what?". Seoul Beats. 26 May 2011.
  18. ↑ "RaNia releases second mini-album, "Time To Rock Da Show"". Allkpop.com. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  19. ↑ "RaNia :: Time To Rock Da Show". Naver (in Korean). 16 November 2011.
  20. ↑ "Rania to make a comeback with Brave Brothers this year". Allkpop.com. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  21. ↑ "RaNia reveals "Pop Pop Pop" music video". Allkpop.com. 20 November 2011.
  22. ↑ "RaNia’s Thai Member Joy Indefinitely Leaves Group; Brother Still Missing From Thai Floods". Mwave. 12 June 2012.
  23. ↑ "RaNia's agency explains Joys absence" (in Korean). 12 June 2012.
  24. ↑ "RaNia to Return as Five Members With New Single". Mwave. 20 September 2012.
  25. 1 2 "[Video] RaNia Releases New MV and Explains Riko’s Absence". Mwave. 8 March 2013.
  26. ↑ "RaNia to start promotions in the US during the summer".
  27. ↑ "RaNia Signs with Empire Records to Begin Entry into American Music Market". Mwave. 26 October 2012.
  28. ↑ "RaNia to team up with Britney Spears' managers for their U.S. promotions". 28 March 2013.
  29. ↑ "RaNia to Collaborate with Snoop Dogg and 2 Chainz". Mwave. 2 April 2013.
  30. ↑ "RaNia plans seven country promotional tour + US advancement delay". 8 July 2013.
  31. ↑ "The ladies of RaNia embrace the warm weather in their sexy 'Woongjin Play Doci' CF + making film". 12 June 2013.
  32. ↑ "RaNia splash around in bikinis for "Up" MV + free song download". 4 July 2013.
  33. ↑ "RaNia to make a comeback in July with 'Acceleration' + Spanish intro added to 'Style' MV". 3 May 2014.
  34. ↑ "RaNia to hold an audition to recruit another member". 5 May 2014.
  35. ↑ "Question about Rania to INGENIOmedia". Facebook (in Spanish). 29 July 2014.
  36. ↑ http://www.allkpop.com/article/2014/05/rania-to-hold-an-audition-to-recruit-another-member
  37. ↑ "라니아, 美 흑인 래퍼 알렉산드라 합류 '화려한 이력'" (in Korean). November 4, 2015.
  38. ↑ "RaNia to promote with first ever official African American member in K-Pop". November 4, 2015.
  39. 1 2 3 "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  40. ↑ "2013년 04월 Album Chart (국내)". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  41. ↑ "Gaon Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  42. ↑ "Billboard K-Pop Hot 100". Billboard Korea. Retrieved 2 June 2014.

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