FTISLAND and the “사랑앓이 (Love Sick)” Debut
On June 7, 2007, FTISLAND debuted with their first album Cheerful Sensibility. Consisting of 13 tracks, the album is split into two sections—the first section, “Emotional Chapter,” contains all of the rock ballads and the second section, “FTISLAND Chapter,” is filled with pop-rock songs. The album was repackaged on December 3, 2007; titled The Refreshment, this version featured three new tracks. In total, FTISLAND released five music videos for Cheerful Sensibility, though the leading single was rock ballad “사랑앓이 (Love Sick).”
The Music Videos
The music video for “사랑앓이 (Love Sick)” features pre-debut Eunjung from T-ARA and Supernova's Kim Kwangsu, Park Geonil, Song Jihyuk, and Kim Sungje as they demonstrate the different ways of falling in and out of love, whether it be from cheating or the relationship failing due to an argument, all to show how one can become love sick. The video is pure late-’00s gold; anybody who remembers layering short sleeves over long sleeves, side-parting their bangs, and rocking plaid tops over screen tees will feel nostalgic watching the music video.
FTISLAND also released music videos for “행복합니다 (I’m Happy)” and “FT ISLAND.” Tracks “남자의 첫사랑은 무덤까지 간다 (A Man’s First Love Follows Him To The Grave)” and “천둥 (Thunder)” also got videos, both featuring “한사람만 (Only One Person)” in them as well, making the former become a nearly eight-minute-long video while the latter became a nine-and-a-half minute video. The video for “행복합니다 (I’m Happy)” features Supernova’s Jung Yoonhak and Song Jihyuk. Eunjung also stars in the music videos for “남자의 첫사랑은 무덤까지 간다 (A Man’s First Love Follows Him To The Grave)/한사람만 (Only One Person)” and “천둥 (Thunder)/한사람만 (Only One Person)” alongside actress Min Hyorin.
The interesting part about the videos for “남자의 첫사랑은 무덤까지 간다 (A Man’s First Love Follows Him To The Grave)/한사람만 (Only One Person)” and “천둥 (Thunder)/한사람만 (Only One Person)” is that they appear to tell two stories branching off from the same situation. Both videos open with Hongki sitting inside of a busy club, admiring two different women in the crowd; the story changes once he decides which girl he’s going to approach, ending with “한사람만 (Only One Person).” The videos are old and have no subtitles, so if you decide to watch, make sure to keep an eye on them so you can digest the entire storyline.
Unfortunately, an official upload for “FT ISLAND” cannot be found on the YouTube channels for FTISLAND or their entertainment label FNC Entertainment, but we’re sure the video is just as fun as the track.
The Debut Performances
FTISLAND debuted on M!COUNTDOWN on June 7, 2007, where they performed their single “Love Sick” and “FT ISLAND.” While there are no official debut performances uploaded on YouTube, Mnet did upload past performances of “사랑앓이 (Love Sick)” and “천둥(Thunder)” for FTISLAND’s 10th anniversary, along with past performances of many other FTISLAND hits. While these may not be their debut performances, they are still incredibly fun to watch and just as nostalgic as all of the music videos released from Cheerful Sensibility. It is also nice to appreciate how talented each member was when they first debuted while also appreciating the obvious growth in Hongki’s vocals between then and now.
The Legacy
FTISLAND is considered by many to be the first K-Rock idol group to debut, setting the stage for acts like DAY6, The Rose, and labelmates N.Flying, and their debut was widely received by the Korean public, with Cheerful Sensibility being the sixth best selling album of 2007 in Korea.
The group received their first music show win from M!COUNTDOWN on July 19, 2007, just 12 days after they debuted. “사랑앓이 (Love Sick)” would go on to win six music show trophies in total; two from M!COUNTDOWN (July 19 and July 26), three on Inkigayo (July 29, August 5, and August 12), and one on Music Bank on September 14. “천둥(Thunder)” also received a trophy from Music Bank on October 12, 2007.
FTISLAND’s debut also gave them massive recognition during the 2007 end-of-year award shows, with the group winning “Best New Male Group” and “Mnet.com Award” at the Mnet Asian Music Awards and “Popularity Award” and “Newcomer Award” at the Golden Disk Awards. The group also won “Best New Asian Artist” at the Asia Song Festival and, strangely enough, became the first Asian recipients of the “Blistex's World's Most Beautiful Lips Award.”
For their 10th anniversary album Over 10 Years, they released a new recording of “사랑앓이 (Love Sick)” with a feature by Kim Nayoung. They also released a music video for this version, giving an updated take on the original music video but only focusing on one couple instead of several. FTISLAND promoted “사랑앓이 (Love Sick)” on music shows once again in 2017, though Nayoung did not appear with them.