Brian Joo
Brian Joo
Brian Joo (브라이언;Joo Min-gyu: 주민규); born January 10, 1981), better known professionally as Brian(Korean: 브라이언), Korean American singer and one-half of the R&B duo Fly to the Sky. His first solo album, “The Brian” was released in December 2006. His second solo album, Manifold was released in December 2009.
Joo was born in Los Angeles, California to Korean immigrants. The family later moved to Absecon, New Jersey. Joo was raised with a strict Korean upbringing, and learned to speak Korean and adhere to Korean customs. Brian’s older brother, Jason, and their parents are employed at casinos in Atlantic City.
While attending Holy Spirit High School, a friend signed him up for an audition with Brothers Entertainment without Joo’s acknowledgement. The company has discovered several Korean Americans who wish to pursue an entertainment career in South Korea. After several months of training, he was sent to SM Entertainment in Korea, and on December 9, 1999, made his debut as one of the two members of Fly to the Sky, along with Hwanhee, at the age of 17. Joo later went on to attend Rutgers University, but only completed a single year. Attending school in the States while simultaneously being a recording artist in Korea became too demanding, and Joo decided to cease his education in the States and return to Korea. While back in Seoul, Joo enrolled in Dongguk University, where he graduated from the Department of Theatre and Film.