When you think of the term "UP," what do you think of first? Many people might say the Pixar movie that was released back in 2009 -- I mean, I can't blame them... it was a great movie.

But the OG K-POP fans know of a different UP. 

UP was a co-ed group that debuted in 1996 and is known for their fun summer tracks. Unlike the movie, they aren't pronounced "Up," like the direction opposite of "down," but they're pronounced like the letters "U" and "P," so you say U-P. The two letters are actually an acronym that stands for  "Ultra People." Today, we're going to take a look back at UP, who struck the summer of the late 1990s. 

UP officially debuted in May of 1996 as a three-member co-ed group. Their song was titled "1024," and they were able to secure a good rank in the charts, but they weren't considered top-tier. 

As a rookie group, they charted pretty well, especially considering all the STARS that came back that year, including Seo Taiji and the Boys and H.O.T. However, the agency wanted an all-kill, so they decided to shift their concept from a techno concept to a concept that the public would find more appeal in. 

After the first album, rapper Kang Hyun left the group, leaving the remaining two members. Two new members (Park Sang Hoo, Lee Jung Hee) joined the group at the age of sixteen, and this became the new UP with four members. They began preparing for their second album, with a concept change.

In the summer of 1997, they released their second album, which turned out to be their most successful album. 

Their songs "Ppuyo Ppuyo" and "The Sea" were mega-hits that summer, and their concept change turned out to be a huge success! The bubbly beat, along with an addicting hook and melody, made both of these tracks bangers to listen to, especially if you're on your way for summer vacation. They were so successful that they peaked at #1 for five weeks straight on SBS TV Gayo 20 and charted #1 on KBS Gayo Top 10. The really unique thing about this album was that they were able to peak at #1 with BOTH tracks, something rare for even top-tier singers back in this time! 

UP also showcased their live singing skills during this album quite frequently despite it being a time when it was common to lipsync their performance. UP's female vocal Lee Hae Jung had a very charming and refreshing voice, and the public compared her voice quite often to Cool's Yuri, as they had similar singing styles. 

Following their mega-hit second album, they immediately began preparations for their third album; however, we have to remember this was a time when "Singles" and "EP" albums didn't exist. This was solely a studio album market, and they released their third album within two months of their second album promotions. The public criticized the company for releasing the album prematurely, and fans complained about the mediocre quality of the album. On top of that, their follow-up title track was a ballad track, which completely contradicted UP's concept, giving fans even more confusion.

The promotions quietly ended amongst controversy, and some fans claim that this was such a poorly prepared album for a group that could've really become another top-tier co-ed group. And along with that, the group released their fourth album in 1999, which ultimately became the last official full-length album for this group.

The concept was definitely unique, but it wasn't great enough to attract enough attention, and the group eventually disbanded and went their own ways.

Fast forward two decades later, we were able to see two of the original UP members on Sugar Man, performing their two hit singles "Ppuyo Ppuyo" and "The Sea" with Oh My Girl's Seunghee & Mimi.

The fact that they appeared on Sugar Man illustrates that they really did have a lot of popularity, especially with these two tracks, and the videos make it seem like a lot of people really enjoyed their music. Though we cannot see them promote as a group anymore, it's still great that we can still jam out to their wonderful music, especially with the summer season coming up.

What are your thoughts on UP? Have you heard any of their tracks before? Which one was your favorite? Let us know in the comment below!