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.

Source: TEEN TOP’s Twitter, TEEN TOP’s Official Website

CN Blue’s Jung Yong Hwa is most likely to succeed as a solo singer

CN Blue’s Jung Yong Hwa was recently selected as an idol group member who is most likely to succeed as a solo singer.

In the episode of SBS E!’s K-Star News that aired on May 16, Jung was selected as an idol group member who is most likely to succeed as a solo singer as he’s been acknowledged as a singer-song writer who has singing, composing, and producing talents.

Jung’s talent has been acknowledged in various different fields. CN Blue topped the Oricon Chart with their second Japanese single album Where You Are as the first foreign band in 41 years in the history of the chart. He was also acknowledged as an actor, receiving The New Star Award at SBS TV’s Drama Awards in 2009.

One of the production crew of K-Star News says, “Jung Yong Hwa’s musical talent is given by God. His charming look and charismatic leadership helped him rank the first.”

Source: TV Report

Kim Hyun-joong’s ‘First Impact’ snags No. 1 spots on Oricon charts

Singer Kim Hyun-joong has again usurped the No. 1 spot on two Oricon charts, this time with a live DVD capturing moments from his Japanese tours that took place in November 2011 and February of this year.

The DVD entitled “First Impact” was released on Wednesday and topped Oricon’s daily DVD and music charts. As well as containing the finest moments from Kim’s concerts and fan-meets, “First Impact” also shows backstage scenes and has a special message from the Hallyu star himself.

Kim has recently collaborated with Japanese singer-songwriter duo B’z. KeyEast Entertainment announced on May 1 that Kim successfully recorded a song titled “Heat,” which is set to be released in Japan in July as Kim’s second single. Kim has long been a fan of the Japanese duo.

This prompted Kim’s Japanese distributor Universal Music to consult with B’z about working together. The Korean star is currently on a fan-meet tour that will take him to Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Source: Korea Joongang Daily

Kim Hyun Joon will hold a free live concert and invite 32,000 fans in Japan

Kim Hyun Joong will hold a free live concert on July in Japan.

On the afternoon of May 18, Kim’s agency, Keyeast, revealed that they will hold a free concert with 32,000 seats at Saitama Super Arena in Japan on July 15.

This upcoming live concert will also be the showcase of Kim’s second Japanese single, “Heat” that will be released on July 4.

A random lot of 32,000 people will be drawn among those who purchase Kim’s second official album, Heat’s normal or limited package, and they will be invited to attend the high-quality concert for free.

This concert, which will be held in two parts on July 15, Kim will perform 10 songs including his hit songs and songs from his second single album.

Kim, who started the Kim Hyun Joong Fan Meeting Tour 2012 in the beginning of this month, successfully ended the fan meetings in Singapore, Hong Kong, and will hold another fan meeting in Taiwan on May 18 and 19 for two days.

His fan meeting tour is creating a stir with his performance of 14 songs, witty talks, and other variety of programs within the event.

Source: Starnews

Big Bang Celebrates ‘Alive Tour 2012′ with a Special Edition Album.

Big Bang fans are in for another treat as the group is set to release another version of their fifth mini-album. This special edition was produced in celebration of Big Bang’s ‘Alive Tour 2012′ in Japan.

Entitled ‘Alive-Monster Edition’, this upcoming release will have three different versions: Type 1 includes a CD, a DVD, and a shirt, Type 2 includes a CD and a DVD, while Type 3 will have the CD only.

The CD will include three new songs, namely ‘Monster’, ‘Alive’, and ‘Bingle Bingle’. In total, there will be thirteen tracks for this special edition album. Meanwhile, the DVD will feature six music videos, including the making of the Monster Edition itself.

‘Alive Monster Edition’ will be available starting June 20, 2012.

Source: YGEX

All the B2ST members show up at a concert of JYJ’s Junsu

All the B2ST members showed up at a concert of JYJ’s Junsu and received a lot of attention.

Having released his first solo album, titled Tarantallegra on May 15, Junsu held a concert titled the 1st Asian Tour in Seoul at the Jamsil Gymnasium, Seoul on May 19 The concert is scheduled to be held till May 20. .

Reportedly, all the members of B2ST enjoyed the concert from the audience seats. Somebody tweeted: “This is where Junsu’s concert is going on. There are guys covering their faces with masks and they are B2ST! And nobody cares for them—six members of B2ST and two of their managers.”

Junsu and B2ST members became friends through a football team of celebrities named FC MEN. B2ST Jang Hyun Seung was cast as a lead in musical Mozart, taking over the role by Junsu.

Netizens responded: “Kim Jusu and B2ST! What a high-profile relationship!” “Six members of B2ST appear at Junsu’s concert! Amazing” “Wish I hit Junsu’s concert. Envy you guys with tickets.”

Source: TV Report

Past picture of Big Bang’s Taeyang revealed!

A past picture of Big Bang’s Taeyang has been revealed.

Previously on May 18, Se7en uploaded pictures and posted on his Twitter, “Taeyang’s childhood pictures in celebration of his birthday! He’s so cute. P.S Young Bae, you should be nice to me. I have about 200 pictures of you in my hard drive! That was the most normal ones I could find! Happy Birthday! I love you.”

Taeyang who is topless in the picture, has short hair and is smiling brightly.

Netizens commented: “He’s so cute.” “His smile is going to make me melt.” “He sure looks young.”

Source: TV Report

JYJ’s Kim Jun Su’s older brother composes music for Kim Jun Su

Kim Juno, JYJ’s Kim Jun Su’s older brother, has shared his feelings about participating in music production.

On May 19, Juno tweeted, “My first attempt in writing lyrics was the song ‘Mission.’ Jun Su trusted me in writing another song called ‘Fever,’ then he asked me for two more songs saying that he liked the lyrics.

When I was going through that process, I highly doubted if an amateur like me could write songs good enough for my brother’s first solo album. Also, I was afraid of hurting his reputation. But when I heard that the music came out great, many people loved it, and the concert was successful, I couldn’t help thinking that I had the best younger brother in the world.”

He expressed his gratitude by adding, “I will be very happy if I get to see him performing ‘Mission,’ ‘Tarantallegra,’ ‘Turning Around And Around,’ and ‘Fever’ myself. Because I had other things to do, I never got to see them directly, but I thank Jun Su for trusting me in producing the songs and giving outstanding performances. I know that all songs listed on his album are great pieces of music, but I want to give special thanks for those who especially love ‘Tarantallegra,’ ‘Turning Around And Around,’ and ‘Fever.’”

On May 15, Kim Jun Su released his first official album Tarantallegra and held 1st Asia Tour in Seoul on May 19 at the Jamsil Arena. The concert will go on until the next day, the 20th.

Source: TV Report

U-Kiss Kevin, Kiseop and Eli battle for sexiness?

If the lyrics of U-Kiss’ comeback single “Doradora” asks you to leave and never look back, the boys’ sexiness unearthed in their performances is asking the opposite. Instead of doradora (leave, leave) it entices you toborabora (look, look).

Next week’s episode of Arirang TV’s Simply K-Pop will show U-Kiss’ sexy dance choreography for Doradora. Among the seven members of the group Kevin, Kiseop and Eli receive the most attention from many fans who were at the studio to watch the performance live.

Eli showing off his broad muscular shoulders after performance, Kiseop flaunting his abs while at the center doing the sexy wave and Kevin’s unbeatable sexy facial expression and hand gestures. Judging the pictures, who do you think is the sexiest? Hosted by LED Apple’s Hanbyul, the said episode will be aired on Arirang TV on May 22nd at 11am (KST).
Source: Korea.com

SNSD’s Yuri shows off her classy look from the back

SNSD’s Yuri recently attracted attention with her classy look from the back.

On May 20, some pictures of Yuri were uploaded on an online community board under the title of “Fashion Queen Yuri’s breathtaking looks from the back.”

The pictures were captured from SBS TV’s drama series Fashion King.

In the pictures, Yuri is wearing a black dress that exposes her back. Her slim waist and beautiful legs are especially attracting attention.

People responded: “She looks so beautiful from the back,” “I hope her character becomes happy in the series,” “I love Anna.”

Yuri is currently playing the role of Anna in the series.

Source: Starnews

TaeTiSeo recently ranks the top on Inkigayo for two weeks in a row

SNSD’s subunit, TaeTiSeo recently ranked the top on Inkigayo for two weeks in a row.

The three member group won Mutizen Song with the song “Twinkle.” The show was filmed at the SBS Hall in Seoul on May 20 and aired live.

With the winning of Mutizen Song in Inkigayo, the girl group was honored to win another crown, following the one received from KBS2’s Music Bank.

Sadly, TaeTiSeo wasn’t able to show up on the show because of SNSD’s schedules abroad. SNSD will take part in SM Town Live World TOUR Ⅲ in Los Angeles, held at the Honda Center in California, U.S., on May 20 at 7 p.m.(local time).

Having released on April 28, TaeTiSeo’s first mini-album set a record of ranking 126th on the Billboard 200 Album Chart, which was the first and the highest ranking by a Korean act.

Source: Starnews