Do you know what were their legal names?
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Many people choose their children’s names based on pretty sounds or family heritage, but some stars earned their names through their fortunes. These four K-Pop idols all changed their legal names to prevent bad luck from following them around—and judging by their fame and success, it may have worked.
1. Lisa (BLACKPINK)
Now named Lalisa Manoban, BLACKPINK Lisa was named Pranpriya Manoban when she was born. Native to Lisa’s home country of Thailand, the name Pranpriya comes from two Thai words: praan meaning “breath” or “soul” and priya meaning “beloved”.
While the name Pranpriya may sound beautiful, after consulting with a fortune-teller, Lisa’s family was told the name could bring her bad luck. So, when Lisa was a child, she changed her legal name to Lalisa, meaning “one who is praised.”
2. Joohoney (MONSTA X)
A few years ago, MONSTA X’s Joohoney changed his English stage name from its original form of Jooheon, his legal name. However, what many people don’t know is that Joohoney actually changed his legal name several times too.
When he was born, Joohoney’s parents named him Lee Ho Joon. However, he felt like the name was bringing him bad luck. So, when he was in middle school, he changed his name to Lee Ji Hwan—but it still wasn’t the right fit. Eventually, he found the perfect name: Lee Joo Heon.
3. Mijoo (Lovelyz)
In a recent radio appearance, Lovelyz’s Mijoo revealed that she’s changing her legal name at the age of 26. Her birth name, Lee Mi Joo, translates to “beautiful pearl” in Hanja, but her mother recently requested that she change it.
Mijoo revealed that her mother went to see a fortune teller, just like Lisa’s parents did. During their meeting, the fortune-teller told Mijoo’s mother that her daughter needed to change her name, likely because it could bring her bad luck. As such, the Lovelyz star has changed her name to Lee Seung Ah—though she’s keeping Mijoo as her stage name.
4. Yoon Jisung (Wanna One)
Actor, soloist, and former Wanna One leader Yoon Jisung also changed his name because of bad luck. His current name translates to “holy wisdom” in Hanja, which definitely sounds like a name with good connotations.
But when he was born, his parents named him Yoon Byeong Ok. In a 2019 interview, the star explained that he changed his legal name to Yoon Ji Sung because “things weren’t looking up for [him]” with his original name.
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Comparing Top 10 Best-Selling K-Pop Girl Group Albums From 10 Years Ago Vs. Today
Throughout the last decade, K-Pop album sales as a whole have gone from regularly reaching the tens and occasionally a couple hundreds of thousands of sales, to now being much more common to reach closer to, or even over, a million! As the music genre becomes more popular overall, both in South Korea as well as internationally, physical album sales are just continuing to rise despite the more digital era.
Here’s a look at the top ten best-selling K-Pop girl group albums in 2011 compared to now. For the 2011 albums, the number of sales they had at the end of the year is listed along with how many they’ve sold to date!
2011
10. Jumping by KARA
Released on November 10, 2010 with the title song “Jumping”, this album sold 58.1k copies by the end of 2011, and has sold 60.4k copies to date!
9. Pinocchio by f(x)
Released on April 20, 2011 with the title song “Pinocchio (Danger)”, this album sold 61.6k copies by the end of 2011, and has sold 74.0k copies to date!
8. Lupin by KARA
Released on February 17, 2010 with the title song “Lupin”, this album sold 73.3k copies by the end of 2011, and has sold 75.3k copies to date!
7. 2nd Mini Album by 2NE1
Released on July 28, 2011, this album sold 85.8k copies by the end of 2011, and has sold 115.8k copies to date!
6. STEP by KARA
Released on September 6, 2011 with the title song “Step”, this album sold 100.7k copies by the end of 2011, and has sold 101.9k copies to date!
5. To Anyone by 2NE1
Released on September 9, 2010, this album sold 154.2k copies by the end of 2011, and has sold 168.7k copies to date!
4. Run Devil Run by Girls’ Generation
Released on March 22, 2010 with the title song “Run Devil Run”, this album sold 169.0k copies by the end of 2011, and has sold 418.0k copies to date (including sales for the original album, Oh!, that this is a re-release of)!
3. Hoot by Girls’ Generation
Released on October 27, 2010 with the title song “Hoot”, this album sold 180.8k copies by the end of 2011, and has sold 192.4k copies to date!
2. Oh! by Girls’ Generation
Released on January 28, 2010 with the title song “Oh!”, this album sold 218.5k copies by the end of 2011, and has sold 418.0k copies to date (including sales for the re-release, Run Devil Run)!
1. The Boys by Girls’ Generation
Released on October 19, 2011 with the title song “The Boys”, this album sold 385.3k albums by the end of 2011, and has sold 466.9k copies to date!
2021
10. Kill This Love by BLACKPINK
Released on April 5, 2019 with the title song “Kill This Love”, this album has sold 429.4k copies to date!
9. One-reeler/Act IV by IZ*ONE
Released on December 7, 2020 with the title song “Panorama”, this album has sold 456.4k copies to date!
8. Feel Special by TWICE
Released on September 23, 2019 with the title song “Feel Special”, this album has sold 457.9k copies to date!
7. The Boys by Girls’ Generation
Released on October 19, 2011 with the title song “The Boys”, this album has sold 466.9k copies to date!
6. TWICEcoaster: Lane 1 by TWICE
Released on October 24, 2016 with the title song “TT”, this album has sold 487.3k copies to date!
5. Eyes Wide Open by TWICE
Released on October 26, 2020 with the title song “I Can’t Stop Me”, this album has sold 487.3k copies to date!
4. BLOOM*IZ by IZ*ONE
Released on February 17, 2020 with the title song “Fiesta”, this album has sold 492.5k copies to date!
3. Oneiric Diary by IZ*ONE
Released on June 15, 2020 with the title song “Secret Story of the Swan”, this album has sold 541.4k copies to date!
2. More & More by TWICE
Released on June 1, 2020 with the title song “More & More”, this album of TWICE has sold 576.0k copies to date!
1. The Album by BLACKPINK
Released on October 2, 2020 with the title song “Lovesick Girls”, this album by BLACKPINK has sold 1.33 million copies to date!
