Early Years (1997—1999)
Baby V.O.X debuted in 1997 with five members: Kim E-Z, Lee Hee-jin, Jang Hyun-jung, Cha Yu-mi, and Jung Shi-woon. Their debut single was called Hair Cut and was included on the album Equalizeher, released on July 10, 1997. The group was inspired by the Spice Girls, but they failed to achieve success due to their sexy concept (as Koreans are still very conservative to this day). Cha Yumi was injured during a performance, so she was replaced by Kan Miyoun. Jung and Jang left the group after their contracts expired and were replaced by Shim Eun Jin and Lee Gai. The group switched to a cuter and more modest style, similar to groups like S.E.S. and Fin.K.L. After the release of the album Baby V.O.X II, the single "Ya Ya Ya" became successful and reached seventh place on the Korean pop charts. This was followed by a second single called "Change". Immediately after the release, Lee Gai was pressured by DR Music because she lied about her age. She had debuted in the trio Setorae over ten years ago under the name Lee Hee-jung.
Rise to Popularity (1999—2003)
In June 1999, Yoon Eun Hye replaced Lee Gai and the lineup remained unchanged. The single "Get Up" was released. For the first time, they reached number one on the Korean charts. Another single "Killer" won first place on the music charts and was awarded the 'Top Excellency Award' at the Seoul Music Awards in 1999. Their third single 'Missing You' was included on the album Come Come Come Baby (1999).
During that year, Baby VOX appeared on various shows multiple times. After the success of their third album, they began to promote on the international market, including China, Japan, and other Southeast Asian countries. Their fourth album Why included two singles: "Why" and "Betrayal", and during this time they hosted the program SBS Beautiful Sunday-Cruise to the Korea Strait. Their fifth album Boyish Story was released in 2001 and included the singles "Game Over", "Doll", and "I Wish You are My Love".
Due to their popularity, Baby VOX released a compilation of hits collected from their first five albums, with two hit singles Coincidence and Go. With Coincidence, the group became number one on the Korean music charts for the first time in three years. Coincidence was also released during the World Cup season and they performed all over Korea during the 2002 Korea vs Japan World Cup season, remaining popular throughout the summer. Additionally, they successfully held a live concert in Seoul, which was very popular. They were also awarded in China.
The group held a concert in Mongolia in 2004, becoming the first Korean idol group to do so.
Decline and Disbandment (2003—2006)
In the spring of 2003, Baby VOX released their sixth album, something that many Korean groups had not achieved. Baby VOX topped the Chinese music chart with the single I'm Still Loving You, reached third place with What Should I Do, and fourth with the same song in Thailand. Additionally, pre-orders for the album in several countries were distributed as follows: 200,000+ in China, 50,000+ in Taiwan, 30,000+ in Hong Kong, and 120,000+ in Thailand, totaling 400,000 pre-orders plus album sales in South Korea alone (210,000+) with total album sales exceeding 610,000. This happened when the group's fate began to change. While 'What Should I Do' reached number one on the Korean music chart, their second single The Wish was not as popular. The group's seventh and final album Ride West, released in April 2004, includes songs in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, as well as participation from famous American hip-hop artists such as Tupac Shakur, Jennifer Lopez, and independent rapper Floss P, although Tupac's "appearance" was a freestyle he recorded in prison. Due to copyright issues, Afeni Shakur, Tupac's mother, filed a criminal case. The music video for the album's song "Xcstasy" was made in English and imitated hip-hop videos popular in the US at the time. A member of the Korean hip-hop group DJ DOC, offended by the alleged misuse of Tupac Shakur's lyrics, made negative comments in the media but later apologized. The group was forced to cancel the single release. The second single "Play Remix" featuring Jennifer Lopez was promoted for some time, but sales were lower than previous albums.
After 2004, Baby VOX took a break, and in 2005 Shim Eun Jin and Yoon Eun Hye left the group. In February 2006, Baby VOX were officially disbanded.