Boyfriend, who recently celebrated their 2nd anniversary, are continuing to go "On & On" with the release of a special practice video!
Unlike what you're probably used to, Boyfriend's choreography practice will literally give you a different perspective as it's filmed from behind the members instead. Make sure to catch the adorable bonus footage at the end as well!
On & On" is a song that will lift the spirits of those who feel longing for their past love as it sings for a new beginning. The song gives a refreshing sound with the electric guitar accompaniment and features elements of British rock.
B.A.P will be recognized at the '2013 Creative Brand Awards'!
The boys are receiving the Culture Contents Industry award at the event hosted by the Korea CEO Summit and sponsored by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning.
The '2013 Creative Brand Awards' presents awards to four brands in the design industry, the culture industry, the fusion industry, and the health industry. Since B.A.P topped the iTunes hip hop album charts in the USA and swept a total of 13 rookie awards all over Asia, Europe, and even America, they've definitely done their job to spread K-pop globally.
SECRET, T-ARA, T-ARA N4, 2NE1, CL, Lee Hyori, Seo In Young, 4Minute
As May’hem draws to a close, K-Pop fans have a lot to mull over.It was an exciting month full of some killer comebacks and debuts from some of the fiercest females in the biz.
Three soloists and three groups made their mark on the industry in the past month, each bringing a unique edge and sound to the table, to battle it out in the music charts, on televised stages, and for the support of fans.
Who came out on top and who was a big flop?
The month began with 4Minute’s late April release of “What’s Your Name?”The popular track kicked off May’hem on April 26 and is still going strong now.
Within the first 24 hours, “What’s Your Name?” had gotten over one million YouTube views and has been steadily climbing the charts all month long.It just made it to the top spot on the Billboard Kpop Hot 100 this week and had previously reached number one on the Melon chart May 13 and the Gaon Single Chart May 23.
The lead single follows a fast-paced hip-hop style and the rest of the mini album released on the same day, Name Is 4Minute, shows the versatility of the group.The other songs utilize a variety of genres including blues and rock melodies.
Girl group T-ARA debuted their first official sub-unit, T-ARA N4, on April 29 with “Countryside Life.”The song has a very specific message, one that is an important expression for the four members of the group.At its core, “Countryside Life” is basically their way of addressing all the negative comments and antis that seem to have been following the members around for the past year or so.
T-ARA N4 gave a much different image from that of the group as a whole and the single attracted international attention giving the girls the opportunity to perform in the US.
That experience, however, did not go according to plan and was one giant mess of a failure.
The future of the track and the sub-unit still remain to be seen as they are expected to release five new versions of “Countryside Life” with the rapping portion each completed by a different high-profile American artist.
So far, the song remains the lowest performer of the bunch, as far as chart rankings go, and judging by the continuing string of nasty comments directed at the idols, it really is no surprise.
Secret’s fourth mini album Letter From SECRET and the release of the title track “YooHoo,” were also technically released in April, but the promotional schedule was a big part of May’hem as well.
“YooHoo” is a return to the cute, playful side of the four Secret members and the poppy song and music video show the gals galavanting in the warm sunshine of Saipan.
Very soon after the song’s release it on April 30, it moved up to the number one spot on several real-time music charts and was also one of the most searched terms on Naver, Daum, and Nate in the beginning of May.
Perhaps the most notorious K-Pop diva on the scene, Lee Hyori came back with a vengeance on May 6 with the pre-release single “Miss Korea.”Approaching her sound with a completely new look and style, the veteran star gave us all a throwback with her first single from Monochrome.
The inspirational, self-composed track sends a message of hope and encouragement to listeners and reinforces Lee Hyori’s image as a powerful female who does not care what others think.Within a week “Miss Korea” found itself atop the Gaon Singles and Download charts.
Monochrome itself, her fifth solo studio album, was released on May 21 and with it the single and video “Bad Girls.”And this is the point where Lee Hyori took the charts by storm.
The quirky, star-studded music video (which includes cameos from Leessang’s Gil, model Jang Yoon-ju, and actress Kim Seul-gie) is interesting and humorous and a fantastic companion to the song that, like “Miss Korea” shot to the top of the charts in a matter of hours.
In between Lee Hyori’s releases, on May 12, another veteran singer, former Jewelry member Seo In Young, released Forever Young, her first mini album in two years.Like Secret, the soloist returned to her persona of the past and focused on ballads for her latest album.
The promotional track, “Let’s Break Up,” emphasizes the singer’s powerful vocals and definitely sets her apart from the rest of the herd.Not only is her singing style different, but Seo In Young’s experience and poise really shine through in the song.
Her May’hem comeback performed well enough in the charts, but was also highly regarded by both critics and her fellow artists.2AM’s Seulong, in particular, praised Seo In Young’s latest accomplishment on Twitter for its lyrics and melody.
Unfortunately for Seo In Young, it was not long before industry and fan attention turned back onto the singles from earlier in the month, and perhaps more importantly, to the final singer to add something to the May’hem mix, CL.
The 2NE1 leader came in just at the end of the month with her May 28 solo debut – and as the track’s title suggests, she is by far “The Baddest Female.”
The song and its accompanying video exude swag and show off just what a badass CL can be.The slow-rap-electronica-dubstep hybrid is so different from the May’hem competitors that it is no wonder the music video had over two million views within the first 24 hours after its release.
4Minute may have started us out with a hip-hop inspired single, but CL really drove it home with “The Baddest Female.”The song has an original sound, and the persona CL portrays in the video puts her on an entirely different playing field.
Like many of the other songs released and promoted this month, CL’s solo debut quickly rose to the tope of the real-time charts where it has been dominating for the last couple days.And her success raised white flags from her fellow femme fatale competitors.All hail CL, the baddest female in K-Pop and the clear May’hem victor.
Earlier this week on the 26th, SNSD’s resident twinkling girls hit up the stage at a KyungBok high-school event, much to the excitement of the crowd. They performed their hits “Twinkle” and “Baby Steps”, and took the time to participate in some events.
The three girls performed once again on the 30th, having been invited to appear at the JTBC Concert. Thumbs up for Taeyeon’s remixed adlibs?
EXO has finally released the videos for their new single "Wolf" after oh-so-many tantalizing teasers.
EXO-K fans get a Korean version, EXO-M fans have a Chinese version - and well, fans of both get the pleasure of enjoying both videos.
The unified EXO group released the new music videos on May 30 as a glorious prequel to their highly anticipated new album XOXO on June 3.
The "Wolf" chorus is definitely catchy in both versions, even if the choreography for it is a little silly - the wolf ears kind of distract from the hardcore tone of the song and all that bass-thumping. The dancing overall is dynamic and powerful, but with a lot less wolf-like behavior than the second teaser video alluded too.
But maybe that is for the best - a lot of fans were shaking their heads over the animalistic crawling around seen in the teaser, worried that it may make the video a bit farcical.
The end result, however, is not. It is an interesting video that is reminiscent of a darker Super Junior, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it would be really interesting to see a dance battle between the two groups... Super Junior with their tight, precise choreography and EXO with their in-your-face, beastly dance moves.
After watching and re-watching both versions of the song, I was trying to determine which version I liked more. There are good and bad points to both.
The song's opening rap is best delivered in Korean. When listening to the Chinese lyrics it feels like there are too many syllables thrown in and it is disruptive to the delivery.
However, when it gets to the slower-paced breakdown around 1:15, I am going to have to side with the Chinese version. The Korean version seems rigid and rough, whereas the Chinese version has a nice flow to it.
The same goes for the quick-delivered group rap portion around 1:50, the Chinese has a nice ring to it. The lyrics meld seamlessly into one another and make for a much better presentation.
As far as the chorus is concerned, they are very similar, but the Korean version definitely adds a level of power that the smooth-sounding Chinese lyrics cannot accentuate.
The Korean bridge is clearly superior. At 2:30 we have a similar issue as with the opening - the Chinese lyrics feel muddled and cannot be presented in the same way as the more direct sounding lyrics in Korean.
As for the ending of "Wolf," it is a complete toss up. They are similar yet have their own unique flair. Too close to call.
Taken as a whole song, "Wolf" in both languages is good. Sure, it's kind of all over the place, and some parts are stronger that others. If I had to make a final verdict, I'd have to say the Korean version wins, but barely.
I would like to point out, however, that a complete EXO, with both K and M joined, is really great - enjoyable to watch with a little something for everyone. When the guys head out on their promotions for the track and XOXO, they will be able to give fans twice the excitement and double the fun. Andthat is a beautiful thing.
Donghyun's agency stated, "Donghyun and Sandeul have been casted for this musical and will be doing a musical for the first time. Donghyun was chosen as the lead role after his first musical audition."
This musical will be gin this September in Japan at the AiiA Theater Tokyo.
On the other hand, Boyfriend has recently released a new song and is busy in Korea and Japan.
As fans already know, Henry's a guy of many talents as he's not only skilled on the piano and violin in addition to being a great dancer and singer, he also has experience with composing songs! International fans will also have an easier time communicating with him as this idol is also fluent in several languages - making him the perfect star to take things to a global level.
He's got a surprise guest in his solo debut teaser, so make sure to watch it!
Henry's first mini album 'Trap' will be released on June 7th, so stay tuned for more goodies coming our way!
Where were SNSD when I was in high-school? T_T
