FTISLAND to Release New Japan Single, 'Ending Song for Japan Animation'

Group FTISLAND will be releasing their 11th Japan single soon.

FTISLAND will be releasing their new single on June 24 and begin activities.

This single will include a total of 3 songs including the title song and two other songs.

The title song will also be used as the ending song for a Japan animation movie version that is releasing on June 27.

FTISLAND members will also be featuring their voices in the animation as well.

Previously, their 4th single, SATISFACTION, from 2011 was also used as an ending song for the same animation.

On the other hand, FTISLAND has started their 'FTISLAND Arena Tour 2013- FREEDOM' and will be holding a concert on June 22 in Japan.

kpopstarz

2PM Taecyeon And Gui Gui's "I Love You" Tops Taiwanese iTunes Chart

“We Got Married: Global Edition” couple Gui Gui and Taecyeon recently recorded a duet together titled “I Love You” that is now available for download on iTunes. So far the track has been receiving great interest and has successfully topped Taiwan’s iTunes download chart. The song possesses a sweet melody and entertaining lyrics that will surely please global fans of “We Got Married.” Also noteworthy is the subsequent success of K.Will‘s “Marry You” OST that ranks ninth on the same chart, solidifying the variety program’s success abroad. 

“We Got Married: Global Edition” has proven to be one of the most popular programs watched on Chinese video streaming sites. It currently stands as the eighth most-watched entertainment program and for 11 weeks has been leading weekend views at the number one spot. 

ohkpop

Song Joong Ki Debunks Enlistment Rumors

Unconfirmed reports have been widely circulated about the possibility of beloved actor Song Joong Ki enlisting in the army as soon as this August. 

On June 20, OSEN reporters began to spread word that Song Joong Ki was in the midst of preparing for an August enlistment, therefore he would no longer be able to take on any more roles in upcoming dramas this year. 

Song Joong Ki’s agency representatives were quick to respond and deny the rumors, stating, “We haven’t received any form of a written order. We don’t know ourselves if Song Joong Ki will have to enlist this August or later this year. Once we know the official date, we will be sure to let the public know.”

Netizens who read about the actor’s possible enlistment commented, “How could Song Joong Ki suddenly leave for his enlistment?”, “It’s such a shame that he’ll have to enlist at the height of his career”, “Wow, I guess Song Joong Ki hasn’t enlisted yet?” and “I’m sure many fans would cry if Song Joong Ki had to leave.”

ohkpop

Yang Hyun Suk announces 2 new boy groups in the making + their survival competition program 'WIN'

If you were awaiting news on YGE's new boy group, you're in luck as there's not only one, but actually two in preparation! However, they'll be pitted against each other to be crowned the 'WINNER', which will also be their group name.

The two groups are currently referred to as 'A' and 'B' with different average ages, and to determine who will get to debut first, they'll face off in the survival competition program 'WIN' airing in July (in addition to all the other releases happening this same month).

It turns out Kang Seung Yoon, who has been confirmed for a solo debut in July, is actually a member of one of the boy groups as well, and Yang Hyun Suk firmly believes this talented ex-'Superstar K2' contestant is 'born to be a celebrity'.

Check out details through Yang Hyun Suk's latest letter to fans!

-

Briefly introduce us the new YG boy group.

There are two boy groups in preparation at YG Entertainment, and because we do not yet have official group names for them, I will go with Groups A and B.

Group A consists of 5 members whose average age is 20 years old. Two of the members in this group are KANG SEUNG YOON, whose solo debut date has just been confirmed, and an ex-contestant of K-Pop Star, Lee Seung-hoon.

Group B, on the other hand, is a younger group with 6 members whose average age is 17 years old. The then 13-year-old little boy rapper, B.I., who featured in MC Mong's "Indian Boy" in 2009 has been appointed as the leader of this group since he was 14. This year he celebrated his 17th birthday.

Between A and B, who will be the first to debut?

As you can see from Big Bang who took 7 years to actually make a debut, it is impossible to debut two boy groups at in a similar time frame.

After much consideration, we are planning to reveal one of the groups this year. I will leave the rest to the audience completely to see how the plan goes.

For this, we have been shooting something called Real Survival Program every day and night. It will show the scene of a fierce battlefield between groups A and B.

The official name of this survival program is WIN, which stands for YG's previous promotional phrase, "WHO IS NEXT"

The structure goes like this: the group that wins the most votes from the watchers can make a debut as soon as the program finishes. The loser group may be broken up or face member replacement. Nothing will be predictable.

The winner of WIN will be given with an official name WINNER. This WIN Program will be aired one episode a week for 10 weeks from the second week of July. WINNER will be making a debut the day after the 10th episode finishes.

The program may sound harsh, but this is a competition no professional artists can avoid in this field. This will be a program that portrays the reality in the most transparent manner.

How will WIN be run and how can the watchers participate?

YG is fully in charge of WIN Program, and the structure of the show will house many different forms.

WIN Program is a much-invested content with many experienced TV show experts involved. The show is produced by subcontracting and we are expecting to air it on national television. We will be cooperating with renowned foreign portal sites for our international fans.Foreign language subtitle service that includes English, Japanese, and Chinese will be provided as well.

In order to include the expanding market – i.e.themobile market – we are in negotiation with Kakao Talk to encourage watchers to participate not only through portal sites but also through mobile devices.

How will KANG SEUNG YOON, who already has a debut date, be affected by this WIN Program?

I have been watching KANG SEUNG YOON prepare his debut intensely for the last 3 years. And to cut to the chase, I simply think he is "born to be a celebrity." He's just got that much talent.

So it was my ambitious plan to make him a multiplayer, who can handle both solo and group activities at the same time. KANG SEUNG YOON has been preparing with group A members for the past 3 years. While his solo album aims to show an analogue sentiment he possesses, his participation in the group will aim for a wider variety of genres.

Have you ever imagined KANG SEUNG YOON dance?

Have you ever imagined him sing with other group members who are dancing to a strong hip-hop beat?

If you haven't, you will be seeing it on WIN Program from July. I personally believe that Kang Seung-yoonis now ready to fly further and higher after 3 years of hard preparation at YG Entertainment since the young age of 17.

If group A wins the WIN survival, he will be carrying out both solo and group activities simultaneously as planned. And if group B wins, he will only be working on his solo album.

When specifically will Big Bang members release their solo albums?

I will be back next Monday with more details!

2013.06.21  FROM YG 

allkpop

What were they thinking? Some of the Worst K-pop group names

If you've been a die-hard follower of K-pop through the years, or if you've just hauled yourself up on the bandwagon recently, you might've noticed that some of the group names in the industry are certainly... out there.

Think about it: though names are but a collection of a few letters from the alphabet, they command your attention anywhere and in any situation. It's no question that the K-pop industry has been getting a bit crowded recently. New idol groups are emerging left and right and fighting for our attention. And albeit harsh, sometimes it gets difficult trying to keep tabs on freshly debuted groups. 

But like all matters of our subconscious workings, whenever we feel overwhelmed by the smaller units, we tend to look for the overarching trends. 

Rest assured, though, because we think we may have found one - group names. 

The idol era that we so eagerly consume today traces its roots back to old school K-pop - a magical time when pants like these made ladies lose their senses:

But more so than the pants, we tend to associate the time with some of the group names that we can't seem to erase from our memories. 

Why we can't erase the names from our memories is completely open to interpretation. Perhaps you were an overly hormonal teenager who looked up to these groups at this time, or maybe you vaguely remember their names from watching the TV when you were a toddler. 

Whatever the case may be, let's look at some of the leading groups that became household names back in the day. 

M.I.L.K. 

Not the kind you drink with cookies. M.I.L.K. actually stands for "Made in Lovely Kin."   For anyone out there who knows what that means, please enlighten me. 

Baby V.O.X. 

"Baby Voices of Xpression." Notice they drop the "e" in expression, ladies and gentlemen. 

g.o.d.

If you thought their group name was any indication of their spiritual beliefs, you're so wrong. g.o.d. actually stands for "Groove Overdose." Why? I'm not sure. 

H.O.T.

And no, their group name has nothing to do with their attraction levels or magnetic charm. H.O.T. actually stands for "High-five of Teenager." I desperately wish I can say "SIKE," but I can't. 

Fin.K.L

Though Fin.K.L is actually an abbreviated form of "Fin Killing Liberty," I can't help but wonder whether the creative genius behind that name accidentally misread the "u" in Fun for an "i." Not that "Fun Killing Liberty" would've made any more sense than "Fin Killing Liberty" regardless.  

Young Turks Club 

I kid you not. This mixed group actually called themselves the Young Turks Club. After a little research I found out that the Young Turks were a secularist Turkish nationalist reform party in the early 20th century. How that relates to K-pop, I have no idea.
 

Back then, it could have very well been possible that the producers behind the names didn't have an extensive knowledge of English to know which choice words to string together for their groups. 

Here are some of the more recent names you might be more familiar with:

TRAX 

Typhoon of the Rose Attack on X-Mas. They claim that the name is based on the member's stage names, but omg - it truly is an unfortunate name. 

C-REAL

It's cute that they made a relatively harmless group name using the first initials of all the members' names. But honestly, this is all I see: 

MBLAQ

This could go both ways: Either the producers loved the way the initials "MBLAQ" looked together, so they desperately conjured up "Music Boys Live in Absolute Quality" to correspond to the letters. Or, the producers thought they were so clever coming up with "Music Boys Live in Absolute Quality" that they decided to use the first initials of their English concoction. 

CHI CHI 

"Creative electronic House Idols." Coming from a group that doesn't really scream electronic genre, their name is quite bold. 

YMGA

"Young Men Gangsta's Assocation." You know you're truly living the thug lyfe when you spell gangster "gangsta." 

H.A.M.

I mean... 

Here are the ladies of "Heart and Mind." 

TOUCH

"The Original Undeniable Charismatic Homme." 

... the what? 
 

BTS

This recently debuted boy group is known as "Bulletproof Boy Scouts" or "Bangtan Boys." Quick food for thought, though - why would boy scouts need to be bulletproof? What type of survival techniques are scoutmasters teaching kids these days? Anyways, of the two names, you decide which is better. Not to mention two of their members call themselves Rap Monster and SUGA. Sounds like they'll be serving up a serious dose of awesomeness in the near future with names that fierce. 

What are some of your worst K-pop group names?

allkpop

“Secretly and Greatly” Reveals New Posters of Kim Soo Hyun, Lee Hyun Woo, and Park Ki Woong

The movie “Secretly and Greatly” has unveiled special posters featuring the main actors Kim Soo Hyun, Lee Hyun Woo, and Park Ki Woong. 

The special posters were revealed through the portal site “The Magazine.” The posters show Kim Soo Hyun, Lee Hyun Woo, and Park Ki Woong as their character in “Dark Spy” mode, in contrast to their alter ego posters. In his poster, Kim Soo Hyun wears a suit and a conflicted expression. His caption reads, “I want to go back to when I didn’t know anything.” Kim Soo Hyun plays the lead character, Won Ryu Han, who is a North Korean spy under cover as the village idiot. 

Below him is Lee Hyun Woo who plays Ri Hae Jin, a fellow North Korean in disguise as a student. In his poster, he looks less like a student but more like an actual spy with his dark gear. His caption reads, “I just wanted to be next to the leader.” 

At the end is Park Ki Woong, another North Korean who joins the two as a rocker. In his poster, he has a mysterious and serious expression. “If I’m going to live just once, shouldn’t I live it out greatly?”

“Secretly and Greatly” opened on June 5 and broke box office records for highest number of views on opening day. Kim Soo Hyun also had an intimate fan meeting for the movie. 

soompi

EXO Ranks Number 1 for 2 Weeks in a Row on Hong Kong's HMV Chart

Idol group EXO's popularity has reached Hong Kong.

On June 3, EXO released their first album, XOXO, and has been number 1 on the Hong Kong HMV Weekly chart for 2 weeks.

EXO showed off their album power as the HMV chart is based on album sales. Being on the chart for 2 weeks in a row showed just how popular they were as a group in Hong Kong.

Their new album also ranked number 1 for 2 weeks on the Hanteo and Hot Tracks Charts in Korea as well. 

They also ranked number 1 on the U.S. Billboard World Albums chart and showed off their global popularity.

They are currently promoting their new song, "Wolf" and has won first place on all 3 music programs on KBS, MBC and SBS.

Most recently on June 19 they also won first place on MBC Music "Show Champion" as well.

These continuous wins and number 1 rankings have proved that EXO has been successful with their new album.

kpopstarz