ASTRO, Heart, All fans

By Rachael Lovette

I love K-Pop. But there is something special about ASTRO’s mix of retro-cool guy vibe, that is not just unique but also effortlessly refreshing in this heavily EDM inspired genre.

Hailing from South Korea, this group sextet is just your average group of goofy, boys next door. From shameless competing with each other in everything (photoshoots, basketball, you name it they’ve challenged each other on it) and to live streaming their adventure to relocate a cicada outside to their endless support of each other’s activities and everything in between, you can’t help but fall in love with the men of ASTRO (and the feeling for is mutual).

Wanna be your star! Hello, we are ASTRO.

The ASTRO fandom aptly named AROHA (as they both signify cosmic entities) consists of three parts -- ASTRO, Heart, and All fans. By carefully bolding various parts of it you get AROHA, which is a clever play on words the members came up with themselves as a way to symbolize the love between them and their fans. ASTRO includes ROHA (as they lovingly refer to them) in everything. They ask for fans' opinions, share their day with them, offer support, write songs dedicated to them, talk to them as if they are family, and much more.

Now without further ado let’s meet the members.

MJ

• Real Name: Kim Myung Jung

• Role: Main Vocalist & Oldest Member (Unofficially: Mood Maker)

• Birthday: March 5, 1994

• Nicknames: The Happy Virus (self-nickname: Smile Engine)

• Often considered the most mischievous of the group because he likes to joke a lot

• He is well known for his amazing ability to impersonate people and animals

• Contestant of 2012 JYP Ent. x HUM Audition and won a one-year scholarship from Seoul National University

• Regularly states he has a baby belly and doesn’t want to get rid of it for abs

• On August 22, 2020, he debuted in the trot idol group Super Five,

JinJin

• Real Name: Park Jin-Woo

• Role: Leader, Main Rapper, Lead Dancer

• Birthday: March 15, 1996

• Nicknames: Angelic Smile

• Often considered the photographer of the group because of his hobby of taking photos of the members

• Gets referred to as the slow rapper because of his beatboxing skills and how slow he talks

• The last member to wake-up in the morning

• He attended NY Dance Academy at Ilsan before joining Fantagio as a trainee

• Started street dancing in secondary school, won various awards and was even on a team with GOT7’s Yugyeom

Cha Eunwoo

• Real Name: Lee Dong Min

• Role: Vocalist, Visual, Face of The Group

• Birthday: March 30, 1997

• Nicknames: Morning Alarm, White Tee Guy, and Face Genius

• Considered the smartest member and best English speaker of the group

• Scouted on the street when he was on the way to the bathroom

• Participated in Mr. Pizza’s iTeen Audition Promotional Model 2013 with Moonbin

• Often has the busiest individual schedule compared to the other members, due to acting and model projects

• Was an MC for Show! Music Core from October 1, 2016, to January 27, 2018

Moonbin

• Real name: Moon Bin

• Role: Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist, Center

• Birthday: January 26, 1998

• Nicknames: U-Know Moonbin, Binnie, and Sleepyhead

• Known by fans as Astro’s Puppy-Cat

• Debuted in the entertainment industry in 2004 as a child model and as a child actor in 2009 in the hit K-Drama Boys over Flowers

• His childhood best friends are iKON’s Chanwoo, SF9’s Chani, and GFriend‘s SinB

• Modeled in the 2012 Fantagio iTeen’s Audition with Kang Chanhee & Lee Jaesung

• He regularly creates and/or learns dance choreography of other top pop songs (including K-Pop) and broadcasts his dance practices for fans on V Live

Rocky

• Real Name: Park Min Hyuk

• Role: Main Dancer & Lead Rapper

• Birthday: February 25, 1999

• Nicknames: Chef Minhyuk (staff nickname: Dancing Machine)

• Considered the most reliable and hardworking person of the group by members

• Before signing a contract with Fantagio, Rocky had auditioned for TVN Korea’s Got Talent

• Has choreographed a large number of ASTRO’s B side-tracks including choreo for their MVs “Fireworks” and “Wake up Call”

• Holds 4th rank Black Belt in Taekwondo

• Regularly shares videos of his choreography to globally popular songs

Sanha

• Real Name: Yoon San Ha

• Role: Lead Vocalist & Maknae

• Birthday: March 21, 2000

• Nicknames: Beagle

• Considered an expert in annoying, teasing, and picking on the other members

• He is very flexible and can fit in a suitcase, bag, or cupboard with is

• He almost didn’t make the cut to join Astro due to his height but had a growth spurt before the debut

• Was the first-ever artist to have braces at the time of ASTRO’s debut

• He mastered how to play the guitar in 8 months

• He is an MC for the music show Show Champion with Moonbin

Favorite Moments

ASTRO excels in stable vocals and creative, energetic choreography, effortlessly capture the hearts of viewers. From comeback performances to music videos and everything in between there’s something magical in the chemistry of this group. But don’t just take my word for it. Here’s a mini list of some of my favorite songs and dangerously hilarious moments from them:

After ZZZ

All Night

Blue Flame

Crazy Sexy Cool

KSTYLE TV - The Immigration

Whisper Challenge

Extracurriculars

Whether it’s on TV, in a magazine, or on a billboard, chances are you’ve seen one or more members participating in a solo or sub-unit project. But they aren’t ever truly alone. This team is truly a team, regularly surprising each other on set with food, flowers, or words of encouragement, sending coffee trucks for the whole staff, or video calling them to say hi. They truly care about one another and it shows as proven in their behind-the-scenes in ASTRO Play (their unedited reality show), photos, and more. So how exactly are they supporting each other outside of ASTRO?

Acting + Modeling

Eun Woo is a familiar face (or at least should be) in coming of age K-Dramas with many many popular shows under his belt including My ID is Gangnam Beauty and the upcoming True Beauty.

Since his supporting role in the 2019 K-Drama Moment at Eighteen where he played an openly gay high school student, Moonbin is a star on the rise. His drama the Mermaid Prince was so well received by fans a prequel The Mermaid Prince: The Beginning recently dropped.

Moonbin, MJ, and Eun Woo are models and brand ambassadors for a variety of products spanning beauty, fashion, food, and feminine hygiene products.

Music + Dance

In September 2020 Moonbin and Sanha dropped their subunit album titled In-Out under the subunit name ASTRO-Moonbin&Sanha.

Our favorite dancer extraordinaire, Rocky hasn’t put away his dancing shoes just yet. He’s been actively sharing his choreography videos on ASTRO’s YouTube as well as going live on V Live with fans.

MJ competed on and won MBC’s Favorite Entertainment, a variety music program that aimed to create a trot boy group in July 2020.

JinJin is well known in the K-Pop industry for his songwriting skills and has written a variety of tracks including the solo rap track, Like a King.

Despite their busy schedules, one thing is for certain - their fans. From social media posts checking on AROHA and sharing a meal on V Live to personally answering fans’ comments any and everything in between ASTRO truly hearts all fans.

Rachael Lovette is the Digital Director at Flower Bomb Media with a passion for everything K-Pop, fashion, model advocacy, and pop culture. Follow her on Instagram @kindofvoguish.