TVXQ The final lineup of TVXQ consisted of Changmin,
U-Know Yunho,
Kim Jae-joong,
Park Yoo-chun, and
Kim Jun-su. The group officially debuted on December 26, 2003, during a
BoA and
Britney Spears showcase. They performed their debut single "Hug", which became a hit in South Korea. TVXQ has been releasing number one albums in Korea since their second studio album
Rising Sun (2005), which was also the album that gave the group their first Daesang (), or Grand Award, at the
Mnet KM Music Festival. Their fourth Korean album
Mirotic (2008) was the Album of the Year at the 2008 Mnet KM Music Festival and the 2008
Golden Disc Awards. The album features the group's most well-known and bestselling single, "Mirotic." In 2005, TVXQ made their Japanese debut with the single "
Stay with Me Tonight," debuting at number 37 on the
Oricon Singles Chart. They grabbed their first number one single in Japan with "
Purple Line" (2008). Their fourth Japanese album
The Secret Code spawned two platinum-selling singles "
Dōshite Kimi o Suki ni Natte Shimattandarō?" and
Share the World" (2009), a theme song for the anime
One Piece. TVXQ was plunged into legal turmoil when members Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu filed an injunction against their agency in July 2009. This led to their much-publicized departure from the group in 2010. A year later, Changmin and Yunho returned as a duo, releasing albums in both Korean and Japanese. As a duo, TVXQ set sales records and concert attendance records in Japan, becoming the country's bestselling and highest-grossing foreign music act.
S.M. The Ballad and solo career In 2014, Changmin joined the ballad group
S.M. the Ballad, initially formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2010. On the group's 2nd album
Breath, he sang the Japanese version of the title track "Breath" with
f(x)'s
Krystal Jung.
2015–present: Close to You, Chocolate, Human, and Devil Changmin released his first Japanese solo
mini album Close to You on November 18, 2015, one day before his enlistment. The lead single is a ballad titled "Into the Water", among six other tracks. Bundled with a DVD that includes a music video and behind-the-scenes footage,
Close to You was a limited release and was only made available for purchase to members of TVXQ's Japanese fanclub,
Bigeast. On March 13, 2020, it was reported that the TVXQ member was preparing to release a solo album. A source from SM Entertainment confirmed the news and stated, "Changmin is currently working hard, with the goal of releasing his solo album in April." On March 23, 2020, SM Entertainment announced that Changmin would be releasing his debut mini album
Chocolate on April 6. The mini-album consists of six songs of varying genres—including the title track "Chocolate" and features a collaboration with Korean singer
Chungha. Although Changmin had previously released solo songs in the past, through TVXQ's albums, contributions to soundtracks and as well as a Japanese solo mini-album,
Chocolate marked Changmin's official solo debut in Korea after debuting in the band more than 16 years ago. Fellow member
Yunho also released his first solo mini-album
True Colors the previous year. On December 8, 2021, Changmin released his second Japanese mini album
Human. On January 13, 2022, Changmin released his second mini album
Devil. ==Television and acting career==