Laboum is a South Korean girl group that debuted in 2014 under NH Media and Nega Network's joint venture Global H Media. Their name is taken from the French term meaning "The Party".
History
2014: Debut with ''Petit Macaron''
In August 2014, NH Media and Nega Network announced the upcoming debut girl group Laboum, who had been training for four years. The group was touted as a sister group to NH Media's U-KISS and Nega Network's Brown Eyed Girls. Laboum released their debut single album Petit Macaron on August 28, 2014, following the release of their music video for title track "Pit-A-Pat" the day before. The song was written by Seo Ji-eum, known for hits such as f's "Electric Shock" and TaeTiSeo's "Twinkle", and composed by Jung Jae-yeob. On October 24, Laboum announced that they would come back with Petit Macaron DATA PACK, a Petit Macaron re-release with extra digital contents, and a reworking of the track "What About You?". On October 31, the group held a comeback performance on Music Bank and released the song's music video, which featured a clockwork doll theme. Petit Macaron DATA PACK was released on November 3.
2015: ''Sugar Sugar'' and ''Aalow Aalow''
In late February 2015, ZN was cast to star opposite U-KISS' Kevin in the two "Milky Love" episodes of the omnibus web drama About Love. Both episodes were released on March 2 on Naver TV Cast. On March 16, Laboum announced they would come back with a more mature yet refreshing concept in "Sugar Sugar", which would feature a slumber party theme. Their second single album "Sugar Sugar" was released on August 14. Yujeong was a guest on a May episode of the popular radio programKiss the Radio, hosted by Super Junior. In June, Solbin was cast in the variety series Her Secret Weapon. The show focused on lesser-known girl group members and ranked them based on their performance in certain tasks that highlight the qualities female idols need to generate loyal fans. Out of ten contestants, Solbin tied with Berry Good's Taeha for sixth place. On November 26, 2015, Laboum uploaded a music video teaser for the comeback single "Aalow Aalow" to the group's official YouTube channel. The video was released on December 1 and featured an elegant, yet funky retro style. On December 4, Laboum held a comeback stage for "Aalow Aalow" on Music Bank. The single album was officially released on December 6.
2016–2017: ''Fresh Adventure'', ''Love Sign'', ''Miss This Kiss'' and Yulhee's Departure
On February 15, 2016, Laboum launched a campaign to fund their upcoming music video on the crowdfunding platform Makestar. Among other rewards, the group offered an "Honorary Producer" title in the music video credits to those who donated over a certain amount. The campaign reached its goal of $8,261 in just four hours. The makestar campaign ultimately raised $27,832 – 336.9% of its original goal. Laboum released the music video for "Journey to Atlantis" and its accompanying fourth single album Fresh Adventure on April 6, 2016. On August 23, 2016, Laboum's first mini album Love Sign was released. The album consists of six tracks, including the lead single "Shooting Love". On December 2, 2016, Laboum released their winter digital singleWinter Story. On April 17, 2017, their second mini album Miss This Kiss was released with the lead track "Hwi Hwi". They took home their first music show win on Music Bank on April 28, 2017, with "Hwi Hwi". The album was crowdfunded on the platform Makestar; the campaign raised $75,751.58 – 849.93% over its original goal. On July 25, 2017, Laboum released their summer digital single Laboum Summer Special with lead single "Only You". ZN, Yujeong, and Haein appeared on KBS Idol Rebooting Project , which first aired on October 28, 2017. On November 3, 2017, NH Media confirmed the departure of Yulhee from the group and terminated her contract.
2018-2019: The Unit, ''Between Us'', Japanese debut, ''I'm Yours'', and ''Two Of Us''
On February 10, 2018, the finale for The Unit was held live at COEX Stadium, with ZN ranked #8. ZN promoted briefly as a member of the show's winning girl group, UNI.T. She was unable to take part in the group's second and final album, "Begin with the End" due to Laboum's conflicting schedules. On July 9, a teaser image for the group's single album, Between Us was released. The following day, it was revealed that the single was produced by member Soyeon, and that all five members would participate in promotional activities. The group released its debut Japanese single "Hwi Hwi" on November 7, 2018 under Nippon Columbia. The single reached No. 9 on the Oricon charts. Laboum's sixth single album was released on December 5, 2018, with the lead single "Turn It On". Laboum released their first studio album "Two Of Us" with the title track "Firework" on September 19th, 2019. The comeback was also backed by Makestar, achieving 529% of its original goal, and earning $43,283.28 from participants.
