It’s been 16 years since 1st Gen band Sechskies disbanded, but now it looks like they’re coming back! Following a TV show appearance, they’ve rumoured to be preparing for a new album together.
Sechskies (also popularly known as Jekki) are Jiwon, Jaejin, Jaeduc, Sunghoon, Jiyong and Suwon.
The group debuted in April 1997 on the DSP Media label. They were formed as a band of six to rival SM Entertainment’s then popular 1st Gen group, H.O.T. If you’ve watched the K-drama Reply 1997, these band names should definitely both ring a bell. The name Sechskies is supposed to mean ‘six crystals’ in German, but in fact it means ‘six gravel.’ The band also had two sub-groups, Black Kies and White Kies.
Sechskies debuted with School Song and built a huge fanbase (Dear Sechskies Friend) very quickly. They released five studio albums in quick succession, Vol. 1 – School Song (1997) Vol. 2 – Welcome To The Sechskies Land (1997) Vol. 3 – Road Fighter (1998) Vol. 3.5 – Special Album (1998) and Vol 4 – Com’Back (1999). In 1998, they also appeared in their own movie, Seventeen, where they starred as high school kids dealing with typical teen troubles.
As they ended the 1990s as an extremely popular group, it was a surprise when they announced they would disband only a few months later, in May 2000. On KBS TV’s 100 points out of 100 show a few years ago, Jiwon said that he was the one who suggested the band go out on a high, although on the last concert day, he did wonder if they were doing the right thing.
Fast-forward to April 2016 and the TV Show Infinite Challenge has reunited the guys for a special live stage, putting them back in the spotlight. Recently, they were on the show performing in front of kids way too young to be original fans. However, the classic tunes plus some impressive dance moves even impressed the tots. Sechskies must have enjoyed the nostalgic experience as the band are now rumoured to be talking about full-on comeback, possibly with YG Entertainment. Watch this space!
Recommended viewing
See the guys win some new young fans on Infinite Challenge
A Sechskies playlist from YouTube – enjoy the 90s baggy pants!
