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May 23, 2012

FT Island promotes release of ‘20’



To mark the release of its second Japanese album entitled “20,” FT Island held launch events over the weekend, meeting more than 10,000 fans in Tokyo and Osaka.
At the meet-and-greet mini-concerts, the band sang a total of five songs including “Wanna Go,” which was composed by members Song Seung-hyun and Choi Min-hwan. Group leader Choi Jong-hoon’s track “Stay” as well as “Satisfaction” were also performed by the Hallyu group.
When quizzed on the significance of the album’s title, the band said it decided on “20” because it is the average age of the band members.
The group also said it was grateful for the past two years in Japan and that it had been exactly two years since FT Island’s debut across the East Sea.
“20” sold 10,372 copies in Japan on the day of its release and became the third-highest-selling album on Oricon’s weekly chart.
The band is set to tour Japan from June 24 until July 8.
By Carla Sunwoo
Source: Korea Joongang Daily

G.Na’s comeback, another addition to female-powered K-pop



Singer G.Na who has returned to the K-pop scene with her third mini-album BLOOM is climbing the charts rapidly.
G.Na, a hot icon, has become another female singer, ranking high upon the release of the album.
Her title track “2Hot” ranked second on Olleh Music within 8 hours of its release, followed by IU’s “The Day’s End.” “2Hot” is quickly climbing the charts on other music sites, ranking fifth on Melon.
Her chart-topping start proved that the staying-power of female singers is far from dying out. In fact, the music charts are filled with female singers: IU’s “the Day’s End”, Titaseo’s “Twinkle”,Baek Ji Young’s “Voice” and Sistar’s “Alone”, all ranking within the top 5.
G.Na’s title track “2Hot”, written by a hitmaker Kim Do Hoon, is well-received by music fans as the song seems to best fit her voice and accentuate her feminine side.
According to G.Na’s agency Cube Entertainment, “2Hot” is a musical-like track with a retro melody, highlighting her femininity and sexiness.

Source: Starnews

Group BTOB is set to conquer the Asian market



Group BTOB is set to conquer the Asian market.
On May 23, the group is to release the Asian special edition of their album, including the song “I Stole the Lips” in Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Singapore..
The newly added song “I Stole the Lips” already received a lot of attention when members of BTOB
 wrote the song in the JTBC’s series “I Live in Cheongdam even before their debut.”
The group is to take part in the Global Music Conference-Music Matter, held in Singapore on May 24
The group jet off to Singapore to take part in Music Matters, held on May 22.
Tags: K-Stars, Starnews

B.A.P lands first magazine cover 4 months after debut



B.A.P recently appeared on the biggest Hallyu magazine cover in Taiwan 4 months after their debut.
The magazine Trendy is published from Cite Media Holding Group, which has 70 percent of the market share in Taiwan. Over 30,000 first editions are being published.
The magazine is the best magazine among other Hallyu magazines. It ranks first or second in magazine sales in Taiwan.
The magazine is also popular in Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and Malaysia. It keeps on track by selling over 100,000 editions in East Asia.
B.A.P has only released two singles but they appeared on the May edition cover with Shinhwa, following CNBLUE and Big Bang.
A spokesperson for the magazine said that a Korean star, who has never been to Taiwan and debuted in Taiwan through TV dramas or movies, has never appeared on the magazine cover either. As a result, B.A.P has set a new record.
Each member (Bang Yong Gook, Him Chan, Dae Hyun, Young Jae, Jong Up, and Zelo) was introduced through a 10 page spread and satisfied their East Asian fans.
The group released their second album Power and ranked high on iTunes Hip Hop Album chart and entered the Top 10 list on Billboard World Album chart. The group has also proved that they are popular in Russia and Asian countries.
Source: TV Report

How is 2PM’s Taec Yeon doing after the surgery?



Recently, 2PM’s Taec Yeon greeted his fans on Twitter after getting a surgery.
On May 22, the star tweeted, “The surgery was successful and I’m leaving the hospital in just five days. A lot of things happened in the meantime like JJ’s new song came out and Woo Young talked about his soloist debut. It’s still hard for me to go around freely, but let me prepare for another new start.”
On the 16th of May, JYP Entertainment posted his injury on the website: “After a promotion event in Japan on the 15th, 2PM members took a break playing arm-wrestling and Taec Yeon fractured his left humerus.”
Netizens who read Taec Yeon’s tweet commented: “Don’t get hurt again.” “Congrats on leaving the hospital.” “Don’t overwork on your upcoming Budokan concert.”
2PM is holding an exclusive live concert, “6 Beautiful Days,” in Budokan Japan starting on the 24th of May. The group will release its new single “Beautiful” on June 6 and begin their large-scaled album promotion.
Source: Starnews

SM Town a success in LA



SM Town’s third world tour kicked-off in Los Angeles on May 20 at the Honda Center in Anaheim with more than 12,000 local fans flocking to the K-pop event.
Artists such as BoA, TVXQ, SHINee, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, f(x) and EXO performed one act after another, showcasing some of their greatest hits.
The bands shook things up by also singing songs out of the K-pop genre. Super Junior’s Kyuhyun and TVXQ’s Chagmin paired up to sing Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are” while Girls’ Generation’s Jessica and Crystal of f(x) sang Katy Perry’s “California Girls” to the delight of fans.
Yet it seems that stars were not only found on the stage — there were some heavyweights from Hollywood among the screaming fans, as well.
Singer Quincey Jones was present as well as some 200 music producers and composers from The Underdogs, the producers behind Beyonce’s “Listen” and Chris Brown’s “Turn up the Music.”
Actor Simon Curtis, who had previously tweeted his interest in Girls’ Generation member Sooyoung, was also present at the show.
The SM Town Live World Tour III will make stops in Taipei, Taiwan on June 9, and Tokyo, Japan from Aug. 4 to 5 before making its way back home to Seoul on Aug. 18.
By Carla Sunwoo [carlasunwoo@joongang.co.kr]
Source: Korea Joongang Daily

B1A4 will release a special edition album on May 24



B1A4 will come back to the music scene with a special edition album.
B1A4 will release a special edition album, which contains total 15 songs including two new songs “Baby Goodnight” and “Because of You,” on May 24 on online music stores.
The teaser video of “Baby Goodnight” recently attracted wide attention as it showed B1A4 members talking on the video phone for real. It’s increasing people’s attention now as there will be an unexpected reversal in Gong Chan’s part.
People responded: “It was weird that they say baby goodnight at the end. I wonder what they’re trying to do after they put their babies to bed,” “The teaser photos and video seem to be very sweet but the part of Gong Chan insinuates a reversal at the end, so I cannot guess the story at all,” “It’s only increasing my expectation. I just wish it gets released soon.”
B1A4 will give their comeback performance on KBS 2TV’s Music Bank on May 25.
Source: TV Report


Kim Hyun Joong again set a new record in Japan.
On May 16, Kim topped the Oricon’s Daily Chart with the DVD of his live concert in Japan titled First Impact. It also topped the Oricon’s DVD Weekly Chart as over 16,000 copies were sold.
It’s the second time that a foreign solo singer topped the Oricon DVD Weekly Chart after Micheal Jackson with Micheal Jackson Vision in 2010. It’s especially more meaningful because Kim is the first Korean solo singer to set such a record.
BoA ranked third with 8 Films & More in 2003 and Jang Keun Suk ranked fourth with Jang Keun Suk 2011 Asia Tour Last in Seoul in 2011. However, Kim set a new record on the chart and he’s attracting wide attention both in Korea and Japan.
Its Blu-ray Disc version also ranked third on the Oricon’s Blu-ray Disc Chart with over 7,000 copies being sold.
Kim has recently finished his fan meetings in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan and will hold large-scale fan meetings in four cities of China from June.
Source: Star Daily News

Big Bang vs. Wonder Girls, “Albums release on June 3″



Top boy and girl idol groups in Korea will release their new albums on the same day, namely Big Bang and Wonder Girls.
Wonder Girls, an idol group composed of 5 girls, will release their new album in Korea on June 3. The album will also be released online on May 4.
A spokesperson for the group’s agency, JYP Entertainment, says, “The group members worked hard to make the album so please look forward to listening to the songs.” The group will hold their exclusive concert at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul on July 7.
Big Bang, an idol group composed of 5 boys, will also release their new album on June 3. Then they will release all of their new songs offline on June 6.
According to the group’s agency, YG Entertainment, Big Bang’s new album includes 5 new songs, including the title song “Monster,” written by G-Dragon and Choi Pil Gang, “Still Alive,” “Feeling,” and “Round and Round.” The album also includes songs, “Blue,” “Fantastic Baby,” and “Bad Boy” from their 5th mini album, which was released in February.
It is very rare for top idol groups to release their new songs on the same day.
Since Big Bang and Wonder Girls have ranked first with their songs many times, lots of people are paying attention to their positive competition.
In addition, many people are curious about the result of the showdown between Yang Hyun Seok from YG and Park Jin Young from JYP.
Source: Starnews

TEEN TOP to return with ‘Artist’ on May 30th



After impressing KPOP fans with their third mini-album “It’s” and title track “Going Crazy” in which they won their first ever awards since their music debut, TEEN TOP will be returning to the music scene on May 30th with newly revealed fourth mini-album title “Artist”.
The official Twitter of TEEN TOP tweeted, “Wa…Artist TEEN TOP has released some new pictures k k I will go look at them!” The album cover above was first revealed on the group’s official website and depicts the boys in a much different light than previously seen before. They sport different toned hair colors, their clothes speckled with a grunge theme. It’s a unique picture and does show off their artistic sides. One can only imagine what the songs will sound like.