15& (Korean: 피프틴앤드, also known as Fifteen And) was a South Korean duo formed by JYP Entertainment in 2012. The duo consisted of Park Ji-min and Baek Ye-rin. The name refers to fifteen being their age at debut, with the ampersand meaning they can continue to have success into the future.[1] They released their debut single "I Dream" on October 5, 2012.[2] Following a four-year hiatus which began in February 2015, the group de facto disbanded upon the expiration of both members' contracts with JYP Entertainment in 2019.
When Baek Ye-rin was ten years old, she was introduced as a "R&B genius" on Star King.[5] In 2008, she auditioned with Beyoncé's "Listen" and was accepted as a trainee at the same time as 2PM's Wooyoung and Highlight's Doo-joon.[6][7] Baek had been a JYP trainee for five years before she officially debuted with Park.[8]
15&'s debut single I Dream was released on October 5, 2012. The duo's debut officially began on October 7, 2012, performing on SBSInkigayo.[9] On October 12, 2012, 15& held their 'school attack' guerrilla concerts. The girls performed at the Chungdam Middle School, Eonnam Middle School, Sungil Information High School and Dankook University. Supported by KT Corporation's Genie Music, the concert attracted both students and local residents' attendance.[10]
15&'s second single Somebody was released on April 7, 2013. The music video showed the two parodying the "K-Pop Star" judge panel while reacting to staged auditions/cameos by Park Jin-young and some of Park Ji-min's fellow contestants from K-pop Star 1. On April 7, 2013, 15& made their comeback performance on K-pop Star 2 finale with "Somebody". Upon its release on the same day, the song rose to the summit of music charts on Olleh, Melon, Daum and others.
2014–2019: Can't Hide It, Sugar, Love is Madness, and unofficial disbandment[edit]
15&'s third single Can't Hide It was released on April 13. On the same day, they made their comeback performance on K-pop Star 3 finale with "Can't Hide It."[11] It was also revealed that their first album is scheduled to be released in May 2014. 15&'s first album Sugar was released on May 26, 2014.[12] They made their comeback on Mnet's M Countdown on May 29, 2014.[13]
15& released the fourth single Love Is Madness, featuring KantoofTroy on February 9, 2015.[14] They performed the song for the first time along with other songs on February 14, 2015 for their Valentine's Day concert for singles.[15]
Following four year of hiatus, the expiration and non-renewal of Park Ji-min's contract with JYP Entertainment in August 2019 led to the group's de facto disbanding.[16]
^Lee, Eun-jung (August 6, 2019). 박지민, 7년만에 JYP 떠난다.."피프틴앤드 사실상 해체 [Park Ji-min, leaving JYP after 7 years.. "15& de facto disbanding"]. Yonhap News (in Korean). Retrieved August 6, 2019 – via Daum.
