Formed in South Korea in 1996, rock band YB – also known as Yoonband and the Yoo Do-hyun Band – was founded by singer, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist Yoon Do-hyun. After releasing his debut solo album, In Front of the Post Office in Autumn, in 1994, Yoon Do-hyun formed YB with bassist Park Tae-hee, guitarist Yoo Byung-yeol, and drummer Kim Jin-won. Their first album together was 1997’s solo release Yoon Do-hyun 2, which was followed by their first ‘band’ album, Alienation (1998), which reached number 32 on the South Korean Albums chart. On the verge of breaking up, changes were made when Yoo Byung-yeol left the group and replaced by guitarist Joon Heo. YB’s next album, An Urbanite (2001), nearly made the Top 10, clawing its way to number 12. Staunch supporters of human rights, the group were honored with the World Peace Music Award in 2003. Yoon Do-hyun briefly stepped away from his band to release Difference (2005), his second proper solo album. YB finally made it into the Top 10 with the number 4-charting album Why Be? In 2006. The group began to tour outside of Korea, playing in Europe and partaking in the 2009 Warped Tour in the US. Two years after the release of their Coexistence album in 2009, YB brought in guitarist Scott Hellowell, making the group a quintet. They appeared on the hugely popular South Korean talent show I Am a Singer in 2011, which brought them to the attention of a wider audience and gave a big boost to the band’s career. Their next album, Reel Implse (2013), reached number 15, while 2019’s Twilight State, rose to number 44. While no new album has been forthcoming, YB released a series of singles between 2020 and 2023 including “The Crowned Fool,” “Cigarette Girl,” “Drifting Free,” “Invincible,” “Song of the Angry Whale,” and “Promise.”
