Source: kbsworld
Thursday, May 2, 2013
[News] 2PM-Shinhwa Look to Make a Splash with Comeback Albums
With girl-groups such as 4minute, T-ARA and SECRET dominating the K-Pop scene, the men are making their comebacks in May: Shinhwa and 2PM.
Other than SHINee, INFINITE and TEEN TOP, no male artist groups have stood out in the first quarter of 2013. Shinhwa and 2PM, who command a distinctive fan base, may be able to change that come May.
While neither teams have announced their official release dates, 2PM will likely stage their comeback performance a bit sooner, according to sources. The overall theme of the new album, Grown, will hinge on maturity. If 2PM’s previous image was sculpted abdominals and shirt-ripping kind of sexy, they now hope to become more controlled, mature type of refined sexy. As the album title suggests, they hope to show a level of maturity in their music as well. “Only One” and “Return To This Song” will be the title songs. As sing-a-song writers, Joon Ho and Jun.K wrote several songs for the album.
Shinhwa is reportedly coming back with an upbeat dance song of their style. Although no teasers have been released yet, fans are bubbling with excitement as they anticipate the longest-lived idol group in K-Pop history. An associate of Shinhwa revealed that the album hopes to be one that will be looked up to by other musicians, especially male group artists like themselves.
Shinhwa made an appearance on “Radio Star” last week and will go on “SNL Korea” on May 4.
Shinhwa is the longest lasting K-Pop idol group and celebrated their 15th anniersary since debut this year.
Source: kpopstarz.com
[News] U.S. Billboard States, ‘Watch Out for Psy-Lee Hyori-2PM this May’
U.S. Billboard spotlighted Psy, Lee Hyori and 2PM stating that May was the month to watch out for for K-Pop.
On April 30, they released an article online that stated that many K-Pop artists including Lee Hyori, T-ARA, 2PM, Psy’s international promotions and more would be making a comeback and gained much attention.
Billboard first talked about Lee Hyori, “K-Pop diva Lee Hyori will be making her first comeback in 3 years. She is currently busy filming three music videos and also will have rapper Beenzino featured in her song.”
Lee Hyori first debuted in a girl group called FinkL and later debuted as a solo singer in 2003. She is most famous for her sexy image and also won many awards.
She released her photo-essay book about her daily life in 2012. She is an advocate for animal rights and has been dating Lee Sang Soon since 2011.
For Psy’s “Gentleman,” they stated, “Psy has officially begun his international promotions and we are curious to see if this song will become just as successful as ‘Gangnam Style’.”
Psy became a global hit last year when his “Gangnam Style” video went viral. Since then he has made many new records on YouTube, music charts and Guinness world records.
For group 2PM, it will be their first comeback in 2 years. Billboard stated, “2PM, who has been busy overseas and in Japan, will finally be coming back. They will be releasing their new album, Grown, and feature a double title song.”
2PM is a group under JYP Entertainment and is best known for their ‘beast idol’ image. They consist of 6 members and are one of the top male idol groups in the industry.
They also stated other artists to watch out for such as T-ARA, SHINee’s comeback, B.A.P’s U.S. tour, After School’s special performance, Hello Venus comeback and more.
Source: kpopstarz.com
[News] Who Is At The Top Of The Big 3? ‘Girls’ Generation, Psy, Suzy Bring In The Big Bucks For Their Labels’
Who Is At The Top Of The Big 3?’Girls’ Generation, Psy, Suzy Bring In The Big Bucks For Their Labels’
In the world of K-Pop, signing with one of the ‘Big 3' labels means you are well on your way to stardom, but some acts undoubtedly do better than others.
YG, SM, and JYP Entertainment manage the biggest and hottest stars in K-Pop.With industry know-how and immense financial resources, the top three Korean music management companies create and promote their groups around the world, earning them scads of fans and international recognition.
But what acts bring in the most money for their labels?
As many have guessed, after the release of “Gangnam Style,” Psy tops the list.The record-breaking song has thrusted K-Pop into the limelight and the effects have trickled down to the other groups under YG Entertainment.
But that does not mean that other popular acts were unknown before Psy.Psy only joined the label in 2010 and had released his first four albums under LNLT Entertainment.Five-member group Big Bang previously made up nearly 50% of YG’s earnings since their debut in 2006 and girl group 2NE1 has also contributed to the incredible success of the company.
At the moment YG executive Yang Hyun-suk is busy not only managing his wildly popular acts (which also include hip-hop trio Epik High and newcomer Lee Hi), but also preparing for the debut of a new girl group later this year.
SM Entertainment may market a different variety of singers, but there is no denying their global popularity.
The company is home to mega groups Girls’ Generation (SNSD) and Super Junior who have experienced international fandom with their tight choreography and catchy numbers.TVXQ and SHINee also contribute to the earnings of the label which has
After Psy, SNSD has arguably the greatest name recognition in the K-Pop community, and the ladies bring in a huge portion of the company’s profits each year.Super Junior, in the midst of a global tour having just wrapped up four concerts in South America, have helped SM gain followers around the world, making them one of the biggest contributors to their record company’s profits.
Rookie group EXO is expected to continue SM Entertainment’s legacy with their own contribution to the company’s bank account this year.
Rounding out the Big 3 labels in Korea is JYP Entertainment with ‘$100 million girl’ Suzy at the top. The company may be struggling to compete with the likes of YG and SM these days, but they still have a solid reputation internationally for producing some of the greatest K-Pop acts.
Suzy’s solo career may currently be at the top of the list for JYP, but with six-member boy band 2PM making their comeback next month, that could all change.JYP’s promotions for 2PM’s newest album have been focused not only in Asia, but the US and Europe as well, and the group recently held two concerts in the famous Tokyo Dome performing for 110,000 fans.
Fans are also eager to see what is up next for international girl group miss A who previously have added to the label’s popularity.
Competition may be steep among the Big 3, but with such a wide variety of groups and singers to choose from it is no wonder YG, SM, and JYP have found their places at the top of the market.
Source: kpopstarz.com
[News] 2PM to hold a ‘Naver LINE’ chat session and invite 20 lucky fans on set
2PM will be talking and meeting with their fans through the Naver LINE chat session, titled ‘2PM IS BACK LINE Star Chatting & Invitation to the Set‘, just in time for their comeback!
The ‘beastly idols’ will catch up with HOTTESTs around the world through the virtual fan meeting, and 20 lucky fans will be invited to meet the boys on the set of the chat in Gangnam. Fans all over the world can enter the contest for an exclusive invite by sending your response to 2PM’s comeback teasers via email (nv_enter@naver.com), and applications will be accepted until the 5th. Twenty applicants will then be invited to see 2PM up close while they host their online chat.
2PM have even more goodies in store as they will listen to the wishes of the fans on set and hold fun events for fans to enjoy from their computer screen.
2PM are all ‘GROWN‘ up and will return on May 6!
Source: allkpop
[News] ‘We Got Married: Global Edition’ Huge Hit Among International Audiences
When the hit TV variety show We Got Married announced that they would be doing an international version of the program, fans around the world were eager to see what was in store.
Now it is ranked number 1 as the most viewed variety show with approximately 9.3 million viewers, according to iQiyi, a Chinese video sharing site.
We Got Married Global Edition pairs up two Korean pop stars, Taecyeon of 2PM and HongKi of FT Island, with starlets from other countries, Gui Gui (a Taiwanese actress) and Mina (a Japanese actress).
The couples are faced with the same challenges seen in many international relationships; cultural differences, language barriers, and acclimating to one another’s personalities.
South Korean TV network MBC produces the show and it is currently being broadcast in 22 different countries by Sony Pictures Television Networks Asia.There are also shortened subtitled versions of each episode available on YouTube.
We Got Married Global Edition was uploaded to the Chinese sharing site iQiyi on April 26 and within the first day had already been viewed more than 9 million times.This is an especially impressive achievement for the program as the site is generally dominated by Chinese shows.
So far there have been four episodes of We Got Married Global Edition aired and MBC plans to run the series for eleven more.
As the series continues and more subtitled episodes are made available on the internet, We Got Married Global Edition is expected to gain more and more attention around the globe as fans tune in to see what will become of these cross-cultural couples.
Source: kpopstarz.com