f(x) were a South Korean multinational girl group formed by SM Entertainment. f(x) is a function of mathematics, which means that they would carry out various activities, based on the various talents and attractiveness of the members, like the formula whose results change depending on the value of x. In addition, “f” symbolizes flower and “x” symbolizes ‘X’ on the female chromosome XX which, taken together, symbolizes “flower reminiscent of women.
f(x) was first introduced as a five-member dance-focused pop group in a teaser clip released on August 24, 2009. Their debut single “LA chA TA” was released on September 1, with a showcase held the following day at Samseong Fashion Center in Gangnam. The group was composed of Victoria, Amber, Luna and Krystal and previously Sulli until her departure from the group in August 2015. At the start of 2010, f(x) collaborated with the Chinese boy band M.I.C. to promote the LG Cyon cell phone, releasing a Chinese cover of “Lollipop”. In April they appeared in their documentary reality programme, Hello f(x). On May 4, the group released their first extended play, Nu ABO. The lead single “Nu ABO” was a commercial success in Korea and become a number one single on the Gaon Chart.
In June, Amber went on hiatus due to an ankle injury, while the remaining members continued group activities without her for the remainder of the year. They promoted the single “Mr Boogie” as a follow-up single from their EP and participated in the SM Town Live ’10 World Tour, as well as filming their second documentary reality show, f(x)’s Koala. Towards the end of 2010 it was announced that f(x)’s albums would be distributed under Japanese label Avex Entertainment in Japan, Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong. Amber returned to the group in early 2011.
They released their first physical single, “Chu~♡”, in November. A month later, the group appeared as special guests at Girls’ Generation’s Into The New World concert in Seoul. f(x) released their first full-length studio album Pinocchio in April 2011, with the lead single “Pinocchio (Danger)”. The single peaked at number one on the Gaon digital single chart, and the group went on to take eight music show wins. On June 14, Pinocchio was re-released under the title Hot Summer. The single peaked at #2 on the Gaon digital single chart and was downloaded over 375,000 times in the week of release. The song went on to become one of the most successful singles of 2011 in South Korea, selling 2,909,384 copies by the end of the year.
he group released their second EP Electric Shock in June 10, 2012. It was met with critical acclaim and they achieved nine music show wins with the title track Electric Shock. In November, the group won the ‘Best Dance Performance – Female Group’ award for “Electric Shock” at the 2012 Mnet Asian Mussic Awards in Hong Kong. In January 2013, two songs from the EP, “Electric Shock” and “Jet”, were nominated for ‘Best Dance and Electronic Song’ at the 10th Annual Korean Music Awards, with “Electric Shock” going on to win the award.
In 2014, the group won the ‘Group Artist’ award at the 20th Korean Entertainment Arts Awards, the ‘Disk Bonsang’ at the 28th Golden Disk Awards, and the ‘Best Overseas Artist Performance’ award at the Yin Yue Feng Yun Bang Awards in China. On July 7, they released their third studio album, Red Light, with the electronic house title track of the same name. The music video gained 2 million hits on YouTube within a day and was again well-received overseas. Shortly after the album was released, it was announced that Sulli was unable to perform with the group for health reasons, and that she would be taking a temporary hiatus.
In January 2016, the group won the Disk Bonsang award at the 2016 Golden Disk Awards and commenced their first concert tour, Dimension 4 – Docking Station in Seoul which continued with six concerts in Japan in February. In July 2016, they released a new single, All Mine. The song was accompanied by a music video, directed and edited by Amber. On October 16, the music video for “Electric Shock” surpassed 100 million views on YouTube, making f(x) the third Korean girl group, and sixth Korean group overall to reach this milestone. From 2016, f(x) halted group promotions and the members have embarked on individual music, acting, and modelling careers.
