VIXX LR (Korean: 빅스 LR) was the first official sub-unit of South Korean boy bandVIXX formed by Jellyfish Entertainment. Established in August 2015, VIXX LR consists of VIXX vocalist Leo and rapper Ravi. The duo debuted with their first mini album, Beautiful Liar, on August 17, 2015.
Name
VIXX LR is a combination of VIXX (Korean: 빅스 pronounced "vicks"; acronym for voice, visual, value in excelsis[1]) and the initials of the members stage names, "L" for Leo and "R" for Ravi.[2] At their debut showcase, Leo further explained that the name also stands for "left" and "right", in reference to their contrasting qualities and images that create harmony when they perform together. Ravi gave an additional, more literal interpretation, saying it correlates to their positions while standing on stage from the audience's point of view.[2] The letters "L" and "R" also represent the first and last letters in the word "liar" from the title of their debut EP, Beautiful Liar, and its lead single of the same name.
History
On August 7, 2015, Jellyfish Entertainment released a video trailer on VIXX's official website after a mysterious countdown with a silhouette of the group's last special album Boys' Record. As time went by, the band members disappeared one by one, until only Leo and Ravi remained, raising speculation that another comeback for the group was imminent. A video trailer for VIXX LR was then revealed.[3] Jellyfish confirmed that VIXX LR would be VIXX's first official sub-unit, comprising rapper Ravi and vocalist Leo.[3][4]
VIXX LR released their debut mini album, Beautiful Liar, on August 17, 2015, and held their first promotional showcase at Yes24 Muv Hall in Hongdae, Mapo-gu, Seoul that same day.[4][5] They began music show activities on August 18, with a special stage performance of their debut single "Beautiful Liar"on SBS M's The Show.[6] The duo debuted on the BillboardWorld Albums chart and the South Korean Gaon Album Chart at number two.[7] On September 1, they earned their first music show win on SBS MTV's The Show, with 9,464 votes, the second-highest all-time score in the program's history, only behind parent group VIXX's "Error".[8] On September 4, 2015, VIXX LR wrapped up their three week promotional cycle for Beautiful Liar on KBS2's Music Bank with a goodbye stage performance.[9]
"Beautiful Liar" was nominated for two awards at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards for Best Collaboration and Unit and Song of the Year.[10] In January 2016 VIXX LR held showcase performances in Nagoya, Tokyo and Osaka as part of their first live showcase tour Beautiful Liar in Japan.[11]
On July 19, 2017, Jellyfish Entertainment announced that VIXX LR is aiming to make a comeback and release a new album in August.[12] On August 14, VIXX LR announced that their second mini album Whisper would be released on August 28, 2017.[13][14][15]
VIXX LR announced their first concert tour, Eclipse, in October 2017.[16] The first two shows, collectively titled Eclipse in Seoul, were held on November 18 and 19 at the Olympic Hall in Seoul.[17] On January 24, 2018, VIXX LR released their first compilation album, Complete LR, in Japan. The album contained all tracks from both of their previously released mini-albums, plus two new songs, one of which was a Japanese version of "Whisper".[18] The duo held the final three shows of the Eclipse tour in Tokyo, on January 25, and Osaka, on January 27 and 28 respectively.[19]
On April 11, 2023, Ravi announced that he had departed from VIXX following the corruption issue related to his military service, thereby ending the duo sub-unit.[20]
Name of music video, year released, director, and additional notes
Title
Year
Director
Note(s)
Ref(s)
"Beautiful Liar"
2015
Su-ah Hwang
Debut music video. Portrays the contrasting emotions felt by a man (played by Leo) dealing with separation due to a breakup. His internal conflict is presented as dual personalities with opposing egos. Ravi portrays the stronger, more provocative persona while Leo portrays the softer, more emotional side. The beach scenes were filmed in Eulwang-ri.
A blue (Leo) and red (Ravi) color theme is used to represent the conflicting emotions of coolness and passion experienced in youth. A dance sequence between the two takes place at the end.
^ abKim, Ha-jin (August 17, 2015). 빅스 LR "레오, 라비의 상반된 모습 보여드릴 것" [VIXX LR "Leo and Ravi will show the opposite sides of each other".]. TenAsia (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kim, Jae-yoon (August 18, 2015). 더쇼, 빅스LR 'Beautiful Liar' 첫 데뷔무대 최초 공개 [The Show, VIXX LR's debut performance of "Beautiful Liar"]. SBS Entertainment Sports (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021 – via Naver.
^Jeong, Yu-na (October 11, 2017). [공식] 빅스 LR, 11월 첫 단독 콘서트 개최 확정 [[Official] VIXX LR will hold first solo concert in November]. Sports Chosun. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021 – via Naver.
^Lee, Ha-na (November 19, 2017). [현장] 빅스 LR, "빅스 콘서트와는 달라···준비하면서 고민 많았다" [[On Site] VIXX LR, "It's different from a VIXX concert. I had a lot of worries while preparing."]. Seoul Economic Daily. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021 – via Naver.
^ abVIXX LRが日本初アルバム発表、リリースイベントも開催 [VIXX LR announce first Japanese first album and hold release event]. Natalie (in Japanese). December 5, 2017. Archived from the original on April 13, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
^Sun, Mi-kyung (January 30, 2018). 빅스LR, 日 첫 단독콘서트 성료..라비 신곡 깜짝 공개 [VIXX LR, successfully completed first solo concert in Japan...Surprise release of Ravi's new song.]. Osen. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021 – via Naver.
Beautiful Liar: 2015년 35주차 Album Chart [Album Chart – Week 35 of 2015]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 27, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
Whisper: 2017년 35주차 Album Chart [Album Chart – Week 35 of 2017]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
^ ab"Vixx Lr" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
^"FIVE-MUSIC Korea-Japan Album Chart" (in Chinese). Five-Music. Archived from the original on April 17, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2014. Note: To access, select the indicated week and year in the bottom-left corner:
2015년 09월 Album Chart [Album Chart – September 2015]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2021. (See #11)
2015년 Album Chart [2015 Album Chart]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 11, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2021. (See #37)
2017년 08월 Album Chart [Album Chart – August 2017]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2021. (See #11)
2017년 09월 Album Chart [Album Chart – September 2017]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 13, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2021. (See #17)
2015년 35주차 Digital Chart [Digital Chart Week 35 of 2015]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 27, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2021. (See #21 "Beautiful Liar")
2017년 35주차 Digital Chart [Digital Chart Week 35 of 2017]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2021. (See #66 "Whisper")
2015년 37주차 Download Chart [Download Chart – Week 37 of 2015]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2021. (See #83)
2017년 35주차 Download Chart [Download Chart – Week 35 of 2017]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2021. (See #87)
^Park, Su-jeong (August 17, 2015). 빅스 LR, 주목해야 할 포인트 셋 '즐길 준비가 돼 있어' [VIXX LR, three points to pay attention to. "Ready to Enjoy"]. TenAsia. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021 – via Naver.
^Yoon, Jun-pil (August 14, 2015). 빅스 유닛 LR, '뷰티풀 라이어' MV 티저 공개...감성 레오 vs 거친 라비 [VIXX unit LR, "Beautiful Liar" MV teaser released...Sentimental Leo vs Rough Ravi]. TenAsia. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021 – via Naver.
^Bang, Ji-young; Choi, Hyun-jeong (August 17, 2015). 빅스 LR "을왕리에서 M/V 촬영…입이 짜서 힘들었다" [VIXX LR "Filming M/V at Eulwang-ri...I had a hard time because my mouth was salty"]. Sports Donga. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021 – via Naver.
^Lee, Ho-yeon (August 28, 2017). '컴백' 빅스LR 레오 "MV 속 댄스, 간지러웠던 부분 해소" ["Comeback" VIXXLR Leo. "Dance in the music video, getting rid of the itchy part."]. Herald Pop. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kim, Hae-in (August 28, 2017). 빅스LR, '위스퍼' 오늘(26일)공개..."청춘 담은 자작곡" [VIXX LR's "Whisper" will be released today (26th). "Composed song about youth"]. TenAsia (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021 – via Naver.
