Sunday 31 March 2013

[SNS PIC] Tiffany, YoonA, and Taeyeon Take Adorable Selcas

Recently on her Instagram on March 30, Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon uploaded a set of four photos along with a message, “We are waiting behind the stage. We can’t wait.”

In the pictures are Tiffany, YoonA, and Taeyeon. Tiffany is wearing a black blouse and holding the camera, while Taeyeon and YoonA are standing behind her. With their adorable facial expressions and cute poses, Tiffany, YoonA, and Taeyeon look gorgeous in these selcas.

Fans that saw these photos commented, “Tiffany, YoonA, and Taeyeon are all lovely,” “Taeyeon is so cute,” “Tiffany’s wink melts my heart,” “YoonA’s legs are gorgeous.”

Meanwhile, Girls’ Generation is currently busy with its “2013 Girls’ Generation Second Japanese Arena Tour,” which will end on April 21, 2013.

The post [SNS PIC] Tiffany, YoonA, and Taeyeon Take Adorable Selcas appeared first on Soompi.



Saturday 30 March 2013

[SNS Pic] Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon’s Comical Selca

Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon creatively poses with someone’s glasses.

On March 29, she posted on her Instagram, “Nerrrdddd want to be like Ednaaaa~~ nerddddd” and also included two pictures.

The post [SNS Pic] Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon’s Comical Selca appeared first on Soompi.



Thursday 28 March 2013

Jessica Gives Sexy Piercing Gaze for Beauty+ Magazine

Girls’ Generation’s Jessica gave a piercing and sexy gaze for the April edition of the beauty magazine, Beauty+.

This photo shoot was held along with the cosmetics brand, Banila Co, for which Jessica is a model. She sports smokey makeup and elegant dresses. Her beauty and professionalism is said to have impressed the staff significantly. It is also said that Jessica’s hectic schedule of going back and forth from Korea to Japan did not cause her to slow down or show fatigue.

Jessica shows off a lovely and mature atmosphere in these photos. Her ability to understand each concept of each cut is said to make her one of the top model choices for brands and magazines.

Jessica also shared some of her beauty tips with the magazine. She said that she always cleanses her skin thoroughly even when she is busy. The items that she always carries around with her are a mask, moisturizer, tint and perfume. Jessica also shared the skin products she uses before going to sleep, hair care tips, self makeup tips and more. Jessica also revealed that she likes to collect sneakers and t-shirts.

This photo shoot and Jessica’s beauty and fashion tips can be seen in the April issue of Beauty+.

The post Jessica Gives Sexy Piercing Gaze for Beauty+ Magazine appeared first on Soompi.



SM Artists Attend Fifth Anniversary Launching Party for 10 Corso Como

On March 28, luxury brand 10 Corso Como held it’s fifth anniversary launching party at the Sogongdong Lotte Mall in Seoul.

10 Corso Como has collaborated with SM Entertainment to produce an album called “10 Corso Como Seoul Melody,” which features give of SM’s currently popular artists including, DBSK, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, SHINee and f(x). Hit songs from these groups were remixed and released in as a limited edition album.

In addition, the “10 Corso Como Seoul Melody” is complemented by “Fifth Anniversary Collaboration Limited Edition” luxury apparel and accessories of designer brands in partnership with the five artists. These are sunglasses by DBSK, clothes by Super Junior and Girls’ Generation, SHINee’s Thom Browne Cardigan and f(x) headphones by Audio-technica.

Other SM artists such as BoA and EXO-K also attended this event. Check out the photos by clicking through the gallery!

The post SM Artists Attend Fifth Anniversary Launching Party for 10 Corso Como appeared first on Soompi.



Girls’ Generation turn into rock stars?

It seems like some of the lovely ladies of Girls’ Generation has turned into rockstars! In the photo above, as posted via Taeyeon‘s Instagram account, she can be seen posing with Tiffany, Seohyun and

[SNS PIC] Kangin Appears to Have Lost Some Weight

On March 25, Girls’ Generation‘s Taeyeon posted on her Facebook “it was a gud show :) Thor!! was the BEST! kk SUPER SHOW 5 WORLD TOUR Fighting!” with the following photo. 

In the photo, Taeyeon, Super Junior‘s Kangin and Girls’ Generation Seohyun pose for a photo after Kangin and the rest of Super Junior had finished performing at the Seoul Olympic Stadium on March 23 as part of their world tour. Netizens were especially drawn to Kangin’s appearance, for having noticeably slimmed down. In addition, for having his arm around Taeyeon and his hand place comfortably on her shoulder, he was called out by Netizens for using “naughty hands.” 

In related news, Kangin and Super Junior will be traveling to China, Japan, Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Peru as part of their “Super Show 5″ world tour. 

The post [SNS PIC] Kangin Appears to Have Lost Some Weight appeared first on Soompi.



Wednesday 27 March 2013

Girls’ Generation’s YoonA Leaves Cute Message to Fans, Looks Amazing Close Up

For us common folks, it’s a good thing when technology keeps improving. However, it must be stressful for celebrities because if there’s a hint of skin trouble, it will be really obvious on screen or in pictures.

On March 27, Girls’ Generation’s YoonA posted a message through the group’s official homepage.

It reads, “You’re doing well S♡NE, right? It feels like it’s been a long time since I wrote something. I’m currently really busy participating in the arena tour. When I recently went to Korea, it was during the last bits of winter so it was really cold. I hope that no one got a cold~ I’m getting better. Please be careful.”

 Meanwhile, Girls’ Generation is currently touring Japan with “2013 Girls’ Generation’s Arena Tour” and will host its last concert on April 21.
 

The post Girls’ Generation’s YoonA Leaves Cute Message to Fans, Looks Amazing Close Up appeared first on Soompi.



[SNS Pic] Tiffany, Seohyun, Yuri and Taeyeon Are “Ghetto Generation”

Half of the girls are trying to be ghetto. Whether they’re successful or not, that is up to you.

On March 27, Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon posted on her Instagram, “Kyah! Yuri unni is super cool. Rocckkkkk.”

The post [SNS Pic] Tiffany, Seohyun, Yuri and Taeyeon Are “Ghetto Generation” appeared first on Soompi.



W Korea release videos of SM Entertainment artists and 10 Corso Como Collab

To celebrate 10 Corso Como’s fifth anniversary, SM Entertainment has made a collaboration with the company titled Seoul Melody. SM also collaborates with W Korea magazine. The artists featured are

Yuri Prepares Herself for Arena Concert by Stretching in Backstage

On March 24, Japanese channel MBS aired documentary “Jounetsu Tairiku” about Girls’ Generation, their extravagant on-stage celebrity selves, and more down to earth, honest, and earnest behind-the-scene lives during their busy schedule between Korea and Japan. 

The documentary successfully garnered attention from dedicated Girls’ Generation fans with their detailed documentation of the group’s journey, especially of their preparation of the arena tour. Girls’ Generation is the first Korean girl group to go on the arena tour and are expecting to gather approximately 200,000 people in the audience. During their preparation for one of the live concerts, the camera captured Yuri stretching in the backstage. 

According to “Jounetsu Tairiku,” intense stretching is a part of Yuri’s daily life. Yuri is known for her athletic abilities among fans and have been voted as the best body by foreigners in the past, all thanks to her love for yoga and stretching. Yuri flaunted her flexibility and perfectly lean body in front of the camera with some stretching moves like bending her body forward and lifting her leg straight up above her head. 

“Jounetsu Tairiku” also documented members of Girls’ Generation diligently preparing for their Japanese arena tour and promoting recent Korean album “I Got a Boy.” 

The post Yuri Prepares Herself for Arena Concert by Stretching in Backstage appeared first on Soompi.



Tuesday 26 March 2013

Who Wore It Better: Suzy vs. Tiffany

Who’s ready for another round of Who Wore It Better? This round, it will be between two gorgeous idol stars: miss A‘s Suzy and Girls’ Generation‘s Tiffany.

Recently, a post was made on an online community forum titled, “Suzy and Tiffany, Same Clothes, Different Feeling” along with two photos.

In the photos, Suzy and Tiffany are wearing the same dress but each give off a different charm. Suzy’s black hair color and milky white skin further emphasized the fiery red color of the dress. On the other hand, Tiffany’s blinging necklace and her dark red hair color emitted a different kind of charm through the dress.

Netizens who saw these photos commented, “Suzy and Tiffany, they are both pretty,” “Suzy and Tiffany’s similarity is their bright smile,” “Both Suzy and Tiffany’s legs are national treasures,” “Do you think Suzy and Tiffany share clothes?” and more.

So Soompiers, it’s time to vote for your pick between Suzy and Tiffany! Who will it be?

View This Poll

The post Who Wore It Better: Suzy vs. Tiffany appeared first on Soompi.



Girls’ Generation Wants to be Called “Artists” Instead of “Idols”

It’s an age-old question in the K-pop industry. What is the difference between an idol and an artist?

With accusations often flung around by critics and fans (or anti-fans) that K-pop idols are not real artists, it is likely that the singers ask themselves the same question at some point in their career: Are they idols or are they artists? What is the difference anyway?

It seems that the members of Girls’ Generation have not been able to escape this line of questioning too. Recently in an interview for a Japanese documentary program, the girls sat down to seriously discuss their position on this dilemma.

Most of the members had similar opinions on the topic. Jessica defined an idol as someone who is admired by the youth, but expressed regret that these days, any young singer can be called an idol. Sooyoung honestly revealed that she would like to be known as an artist instead of an idol. Yuri alluded to how difficult that change can be by arguing that those titles cannot be decided on one’s own. Defining the line between artist and idol is hard and, as the members of Girls’ Generation pointed out, often it is not up to the singers themselves.

What do you guys think? How do you define an artist and how do you define an idol?

The post Girls’ Generation Wants to be Called “Artists” Instead of “Idols” appeared first on Soompi.



Monday 25 March 2013

Girls’ Generation’s Jessica Looks Beautiful at the Airport

Recently on an online community bulletin board, several photos were uploaded under the title, “Jessica’s photos at the airport look like pictorial.”

The pictures show Girls’ Generation’s Jessica, who was at the Incheon Airport on March 17 to leave for “2013 Girls’ Generation Arena Tour.” With her long hair blowing in the wind, Jessica looks beautiful in the photos. She shows off her flawlessly natural beauty has she talks on her cell phone.   

Netizens that saw these pictures admired, “Jessica is so pretty,” “She is a goddess,” “She looks great with blond hair,” “I wonder who she is talking to on the phone,” “Love the wind effect.”

Meanwhile, Girls’ Generation will be completing their “2013 Girls’ Generation Arena Tour” on April 21, 2013.

The post Girls’ Generation’s Jessica Looks Beautiful at the Airport appeared first on Soompi.



Celebrity Candid Moments in K-Pop This Week!

Hey Soompiers!

Another week has passed in the world of K-Pop and our stars are so faithful keeping us up to date with their lives! From Girls’ Generation’s TaeFany’s airplane date to Se7en’s latest appearance in his military uniform, Shinhwa celebrating its 15th anniversary and BoA fitting inside a bag, lots of little bits of daily goodness are in store!

Flip through the gallery to see a few of many celebrities in the bizz sharing what’s on their mind… and who knows? Maybe you’ve learned something new about your favorite stars!



U-Kiss Snaps a Photo with Backstreet Boys in Malaysia

Recently, U-Kiss revealed a picture they had taken with the nineties pop sensation Backstreet Boys and commented, “It was such and honor. We are so happy to have met the best world star.”

The two groups met each other in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at “Twin Towers LIVE 2013” event, celebrating the opening of “F1 Malaysia Grand Prix.” On March 22, U-Kiss and Backstreet Boys held a pre-concert press conference together. They had a great series of conversations, including a story about how they used to practice with Backstreet Boys’ hit single “As Long As You Love Me” in their trainee days.

“Twin Towers LIVE 2013″ is known as one of Malaysia’s biggest night of festivity. U-Kiss was invited to this event as a representative of Korea. Previously, Wonder Girls attended the event in 2011 and Girls’ Generations in 2012. 

In other news, U-Kiss recently released their third regular album “Standing Still.” 

The post U-Kiss Snaps a Photo with Backstreet Boys in Malaysia appeared first on Soompi.



Girls’ Generation’s Hyoyeon, miss A’s Min and Han Ga In Spotted in Hong Kong

There is that saying that beautiful people stick close together.. oh how true!

On March 13, Girls’ Generation’s Hyoyeon, miss A’s Min and Han Ga In were invited to attend “EEG&EMG Spring Banquet 2013” in Hong Kong as Korea’s representatives. The event was organized by an influential entertainment company in China and many of China’s top celebrities also attended the event.

Recently, an online community bulletin posted a picture of the three girls posing at the event. Inside the picture, Hyoyeon wore a sexy outfit slightly revealing her toned legs while Min chose a party dress from the spring collection and Han Ga In looked elegant in her mostly all-black dress and pumps.

The post Girls’ Generation’s Hyoyeon, miss A’s Min and Han Ga In Spotted in Hong Kong appeared first on Soompi.



Friday 22 March 2013

SM Releases Previews for “10 Corso Como” Featuring Changmin, Eunhyuk, Tiffany, Jonghyun, and Krystal

SM Entertainment has partnered up with luxury brand 10 Corso Como to create the “10 Corso Como Seoul Melody” project. Through their official YouTube channel, SM released five video teasers featuring Dong Bang Shin Ki’s Changmin, Super Junior’s Eunhyuk, Girls’ Generation’s Tiffany, SHINee’s Jonghyun, and f(x)’s Krystal.

“10 Corso Como Seoul Melody” features a selection of five of SM Entertainment’s currently popular artists, namely DBSK, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, SHINee and f(x). Hit songs from these groups were remixed and is to be released as a limited edition album.

The videos are from each member’s individual photo shoots for the magazine “W.” Each video has a different effect, style, and feel, accented by the SM artists’ unique charms.

“10 Corso Como Seoul Melody” and the limited edition launch party is set on March 28, with items in the 10 Corso Como flagship store in Cheondamdong also expected to go on sale online.

The post SM Releases Previews for “10 Corso Como” Featuring Changmin, Eunhyuk, Tiffany, Jonghyun, and Krystal appeared first on Soompi.



Kpop Magnetism: What pulls in the fans and why? The Korean Drama.

  What’s your deal? Why do you like music that’s in a different language? Why do you love it so much? How did you ever get into Kpop in the first place? Questions like

Idols Choose the Best of the Best Amongst Themselves

Who really is the best dancer among idols? Or the best singer? Put your biases aside! The idols have voted and chosen among themselves who the best of the best really are.

To celebrate their fifth anniversary, Sports Donga surveyed seventy current idols to vote for the best idol groups in five categories: Best Vocalist, Best Rapper, Best Dancer, Best Visual, and Best TV Presence. Each category was divided by gender and the winners were determined purely by the number of votes. Check out the winners (and the runner ups)  and see what other idols had to say about the them.

The idol groups who participated in the survey are Girl’s Day, Nine Muses, Rainbow, miss A, Big Bang, Girls’ Generation, B.A.P, Shinhwa, CNBLUE, AOA, FT Island, EXO-K, MBLAQ, U-KISS, ZE:A, JJ Project, JYJ, G.NA, 2AM, 2PM, KARA, and 15&. 

The post Idols Choose the Best of the Best Amongst Themselves appeared first on Soompi.



Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun is ‘a lovely girl’

Another Girls’ Generation member graces another magazine pictorial. Aside from Yoona, Girls’ Generation’s youngest member, Seohyun, graces the April issue of InStyle Korea. Like Jessica who had a pictorial for an

Girls’ Generation’s Jessica has a blooming day

Known for her beauty and great fashion sense, Girls’ Generation‘s Jessica is gracing another magazine issue, this time it’s for the April issue of Cosmopolitan Korea. Dressed in sexy see-through

Thursday 21 March 2013

Girls’ Generation’s YoonA Perfects Candy Colored Spring Look for “InStyle”

Girls’ Generation‘s YoonA has recently been featured in an “InStyle” magazine photo shoot that matches the new season of Spring by sporting soft pastel and candy-colored outfits.

YoonA sports a variety of outfits from feminine knit sweaters, stylish wide-leg pants to flower-print maxi jumpsuits. Each outfit is completed with a different MCM candy bag, which perfected a feminine and romantic atmosphere. YoonA also sported the “it” color of the season, mint green and yellow, to show off the hottest spring trends.

All of the mini tote bags that YoonA models in this photo shoot is from the 2013 MCM spring collection, named the Candy Bag. Not only does it come in pretty colors, but the size and functionality of the bag make it one of the most wanted items of the season.

It is said that YoonA received high praise from the photo shoot staff for showing professionalism as well as having a fun time with the aura that matches some of the most famous top models.

YoonA’s candy color styling can be found in the April edition of “InStyle.”

The post Girls’ Generation’s YoonA Perfects Candy Colored Spring Look for “InStyle” appeared first on Soompi.



Jessica Reveals a Bit of Her Black Bra for Cosmopolitan

Girls’ Generation Jessica Fans it looks like March 21 is your special day! Earlier, W Korea revealed their April edition photoshoot pictures of Jessica showing off her abs. Then, Cosmopolitan did another favor for Jessica fans by posting their April edition photoshoot pictures of her. In one of them, she is shown revealing her shoulder and a part of her sexy black bra, hubba hubba!

There were three Cosmopolitan pictures revealed: one showing her in sunglasses and a hot pink see through shirt, another showing her wearing a white beanie with sunglasses attached to it, and finally a picture where she is dressed like a hip-hop girl and reveals a bit of her black bra.

The concept of the photoshoot was “funny & funky.” The photoshoot was a collaboration between Cosmopolitan and Vivian Westwood Eyewear. You will be able to see Jessica’s full eyewear photoshoot on the April edition of Cosmopolitan! 

The post Jessica Reveals a Bit of Her Black Bra for Cosmopolitan appeared first on Soompi.



Jessica Looks Stunning for W Korea

Well it looks like Girls’ Generation Jessica has abs that are as good as her sister f(x) Krystal’s! On March 21, pictures from Jessica’s photoshoot with the fashion brand “Rag & Bone” were revealed through the April edition of fashion magazine “W Korea.”

For the photoshoot Jessica showed different charms from sexy to cute. Her feminine charms were highlighted through the photoshoot. The most eye-catching photo is the one where she is shown wearing a tank top with lace details and white skinny jeans. Jessica has one hand over her head and she shows off her beautiful abs!

A representative of the photoshoot stated, “Jessica continued to make professional model-like poses and showed sensual eyes that dazzled the photoshoot staff.”

“Rag & Bone” is imported in South Korea exclusively by the contemporary multi shop brand “BEAKER.” 

The post Jessica Looks Stunning for W Korea appeared first on Soompi.



Wednesday 20 March 2013

Girls’ Generation – I Got a Boy: Kpop Music Mondays

Girls' Generation I Got a Boy

Woohoo! Our first Music Monday of the year for a 2013 song, and it’s a HUGE song. It’s Girls’ Generation’s “I Got a Boy” which got a bergillion views and lots of hype. Lots of people asked us how we felt about it, which we stated in the video above. If you haven’t seen Girls’ Generation’s video yet, check it out below, and then we’ll expand on some more of the points we discussed in the video.

For starters, we really like writing these blog posts, because we get the chance to talk about our ideas in a lot more depth. In our videos, we have to balance the need to express our opinions with our desire to entertain. We’re silly people, and like to talk about not silly things in silly ways. Talking for too long, on it’s own, is boring for us, and we want to make the videos fun. These posts, though, let us talk a lot more about ideas that would take us farrrr too long to talk about in video format. So, let’s talk a bit more here, if you’re up for it.

For starters, we aren’t thrilled by the song, and we won’t be convinced otherwise by people telling us what the song means or what it does. I’m also going to argue against potential comments here from people who say that the song is a lot better when you listen to it a lot more. Sure, that may very well be the case. If I listen to it another 20 times, I might start liking it. The problem for me is, I don’t want my pop music to do that. I want to listen to a song and be blown away by it and to be caught up in a mindless fury of dancing. I don’t want to have to work hard at liking a pop song. That’s not why I listen to pop music. Make me dance because I love the song; don’t make me put effort into liking your song.

I like my songs to follow a pattern. This song breaks the pattern of songs, for me. Sure, it’s different, and very original for a Kpop song, but not everything that’s different is good. I remember reading some godawful books in English class simply because they were the first of their kind. Great: kudos for being original, but you still suck, Djuna Barnes (Ohhhh, how I hated reading “Nightwood” What a sack of crap!)

And so it is with this song, though I don’t violently heave at the thought of it like I do “Nightwood.” “I Got a Boy” is not a sack of crap. It started off great, but then falls apart in trying to do too much. In my opinion, it’s better to be great at one thing than mediocre at many things. Electric Shock, an absolutely awesome song, had a solid pattern and sound. They stuck to it. They developed it a bit, but they didn’t abandon it within the song. “I Got a Boy,” though…I…I just don’t know what they were thinking. You might find it’s great, and you might like the originality. We find it forced and unaesthetically pleasing, and feel like if it was given to a band that wasn’t famous, many people would feel the same way, too.

The imagery in the video also doesn’t do it for us whatsoever. But, then again, you know that we’re not particularly fond of SM videos, though we often love their songs. This video: it just upset us on so many levels. Girls’ Generation are women now, not children. Act a little more…mature? Why do they act like fools when the boy rings the doorbell? Is this new technology to you? Why throw all of your stuff everywhere? Uggh! That opening scene was just so…bizarre. The video would have been a lot better without it.

Girls’ Generation dance phenomenally well here. This is probably one of the best dances from a female group that we’ve ever seen. It’s badass, aggressive, and confident, and we don’t see that from a lot of girl dances, right? I just wish they would have stuck with that image of power and assertiveness, and not regressed back into slack-jawed ninnies when the boy is around. When they’re with each other, the girls are rugged and tough. Bring a boy into the picture, and they act like they’re five years old again. That’s not cute. That’s not endearing. That’s ridiculous, and just a dumb message to get across.

Let us know your thoughts. We’re 50/50 with this. It’s got some really good parts in the song, and has really outstanding dancing, and it’s got some really bad parts in the song, and has really stupid imagery.

If you like it more than we do, make sure you pick it up via iTunes and YesAsia. More importantly, though, if we haven’t annoyed you with our review, give us a vote for the Shorty Awards! We’re in second place, and we’re catching up to first, but we need the power of the Nasties to Nastify the Shortys! Do it!

Nominate Simon and Martina for a social media award in the Shorty Awards!Nominate Simon and Martina for a social media award in the Shorty Awards

And, if you’re feeling like getting in a few more chuckles, you can do so at the expense of Martina’s inability to pronounce some words. She also can’t help but think of buttcracks at times. Oh Martina, you special, special girl :D

For the original post on Girls’ Generation – I Got a Boy: Kpop Music Mondays, or for our kpop and Korean Food videos, check out our Korea blog!



KpopCharts Update: Need Dual Boy

Girls Generation I Got a Boy

Girls’ Generation “I Got a Boy” – Vote for it Here!

OOoOOOooOOHH Don’t you want to know what we think about the song? People ask us this just about every time we go on Twitter. It’s so odd! It seems like the reaction to the song is so controversial. Some people love it, some people hate it. Those who love it are accused of either being blind Sones or paid off by SM for saying that; those who hate it are accused of being biased and dumb. What if we have a middle reaction to it? I guess we’ll be blind, biased, dumb, and paid off? The best of both worlds!

Anyhow, we’ll tell you what we think about them when Music Monday comes around and they’re voted in. We’re like, 99% sure they’ll win. So you’ll just have to wait till then!

Interestingly, this is one of the rare songs and videos in which we have people call us up (who know our number) and tell us their thoughts about the song. It’s not something that happens with every song (because thousands of songs are released and our phones would be ringing non-stop), but we’ve had people who don’t like Kpop call us up just to voice their opinions on the song. Oh! It’s so evocative! Thoughts?

Kim Sung Gyu “I Need You” – Vote for it Here!

Man, this is such a pretty song! I know that Nell (or, one of the members of Nell) helped in the making of this song, but doesn’t it sound just so very…Nellian? It sounds more like Nell than it sounds like Infinite, that’s for sure. There’s no Orange Juice in this song. What’s an Infinite song without Orange Juice?

I feel like soon every Kpop artist will have some snacky or junk food associated with them. I can eat Doritos, Bull Jerky, and drink Orange Juice, and a non-Kpop fan would think it’s just an odd meal, while a Kpop initiate would be like “damn: that’s one hella Kpop meal.” Now I just need some band to sing about ranch dressing. I will pimp that song out to no end. Any one singing about ranch dressing is guaranteed to have the full force of my marketing prowess behind them. GET TO IT, RECORD LABELS!

Kim Sori “Dual Life” – Vote for it Here!

*hip thrusts*

*hops over to blue screen*

*films hip thrusts in front of blue screen*

*camera bursts into flames*

*memory card salvaged*

*import to computer*

*computer bursts into flames*

*uploaded it to YouTube before that happens*

*YouTube bursts into flames*

*Internet dies*

OOOH YOU SO NASTY!

Hey: why does blogging about stuff always have to be so thoughtful and stuff? Sometimes I just want to write about silly stuff and how much I dance. CUZ I CAN DANCE SO GOOD! And this song is great for dancing.

Side note: dancing is not just for single men pretending to like dancing just in hopes of getting a woman. Dancing should not be stopped as soon as marriage is accomplished. Married guise can dance with their wives, too. So…yeah. Remember that.

*goes back to hip thrusting*

For the original post on KpopCharts Update: Need Dual Boy, or for our kpop and Korean Food videos, check out our Korea blog!



Girls’ Generation – I Got a Boy

For the original post on Girls’ Generation – I Got a Boy, or for our kpop and Korean Food videos, check out our Korea blog!



New Year, New Look, New SNSD?

In case you’ve been living under a K-pop rock (or in an eggnog-induced food coma — believe me, we’ve all been there), here’s some important news: SNSD, the current queens of K-pop, will be making a highly anticipated Korean comeback. Their latest full-length album, entitled I Got A Boy, (and it’s about time, given that they bragged about bringing all those boys out in 2011) will drop on January 1, 2013, ensuring that SONEs across the globe can ring in the new year to the dulcet tones of fresh GG tunes.(...)
Read the rest of New Year, New Look, New SNSD? (1,000 words)


© Dana for seoulbeats, 2012. | Permalink | 86 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Girls' Generation, SM Entertainment, SNSD

The post New Year, New Look, New SNSD? appeared first on seoulbeats.



Girls’ Generation – Dancing Queen

For the original post on Girls’ Generation – Dancing Queen, or for our kpop and Korean Food videos, check out our Korea blog!



Taetiseo – Twinkle: Kpop Music Mondays

Taetiseo Twinkle

Oooh! Wasn’t sure if this was gonna last a second week on top of the KpopCharts, but Taetiseo’s “Twinkle” pulled in a womping 22,000 votes. Huzzah!

And Ms. Trololo makes a comeback! We had to put her in here because – for the love of all that is holy – it seems like we can’t talk about Girl’s Generation without people thinking that we hate SNSD, even though we compliment them A LOT! Yes, in an interview a long time ago we talked about why we think 2NE1 would do better in the US than Girl’s Generation, and – for some reason – people viewed that as a statement that we don’t like Girl’s Generation. Come on! That’s not fair! I think Michael Jordan in his prime could beat Kobe Bryant in his prime, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like Kobe! By the way, that metaphor is not something Martina would ever write. She’d probably be like “just because I think Sailor Venus is stronger than Sailor Mercury it doesn’t mean that cutey cutey hello kitty Twilight Spudgy bla bla.” Long story short, Girl’s Generation often make awesome songs. Some we like, some we don’t like, but that has no impact on how we feel about them as a whole.

Anyways, we like this song! It’s a really big change from the Girl’s Generation stuff we’re used to, in terms of its sound, and we like it. The lyrics, though, aren’t really our thing. Is it just us, or does it seem like Girl’s Generation seem to date exceptionally unappreciative men? This song talks about indifferent guys, Run Devil Run talks about bad boyfriends, Hoot as well. WTF?! AYO! SNSD: I know you read this blog religiously. Let us help you out. Just, give us a call (you have our numbers) and we’ll hook you up with guys that will treat you well and who won’t be checking out any other girls. Seriously! Stop dating dummies.

On that note, this is the last Music Monday for two weeks. *GASP!* I know. We’re flying out of Korea on Friday and we’re in California for a few days, notably, the days that we take to make Music Monday. Sorry everyone. We’re going to get something worth the sacrifice, though, since we’re going to be doing videos with MBLAQ, Sistar, Wonder Girls, and B2ST. Sure, it won’t be a Kpop Music Monday, but it’ll be cool, at least! So, consider yourselves warned!

As always, if you like the song as much as we did, you can pick it up via iTunes or you can get the album mailed to you via YesAsia. And – again as always – we’ve got bloopers. This week, though Martina got her voice back, she still really sucked at speaking. DAMMIT MARTINA! It’s EXO! NOT E-X-O!!!

For the original post on Taetiseo – Twinkle: Kpop Music Mondays, or for our kpop and Korean Food videos, check out our Korea blog!



Join us at the Google Kpop Concert

Google Kpop Concert

Ok, so here’s the deal. We’ve been sitting on this for a long time and we’re SO STOKED TO TALK ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW!

We’re going to the Google Kpop Concert! MBC is bringing Sistar, B2ST, Super Junior, Kara, TVXQ, MBLAQ, Girls’ Generation, f(x), and Wonder Girls to perform at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, and we’re gonna be there, too!

But – here’s what’s cool – we’re not going just for the sake of it or because we’re two crazy fans with thousands of dollars to blow on plane tickets there and back. Nope. Come on! We live in Korea! We can go to concerts here just fine! Fact is, we’re going to this concert on official business. We were invited by YouTube to come to the event and record some of the activity, as well as some special videos before the actual event.

The day before the actual event, we’ve got something very special lined up. So far, we’ve got MBLAQ, B2ST, Wonder Girls, and Sistar confirmed to do videos with us. There are other artists that we’re HOPEFULLY gonna be able to do things with, but everyone’s schedules are really tight. It’s not like they fly in and wander around waiting for people to film stuff with them. This took a lot of work to get set up, so we’re actually quite lucky to be able to do videos with so many artists :D

Big point of this all is where you – you awesome people you – come in: we’ve always been interested in connecting Kpop artists with their international audience, so we asked – when we’re talking on film with the Kpop idols – if we can ask some of YOUR questions as well, rather than just ours. This is your chance to get Kpop Idols to answer your questions, to talk back to you! So, leave your questions for whoever you want us to ask in the comments section below, either on this page or in the YouTube video comments. If we pick your question, then it’ll be pretty cool if you have MBLAQ say your name and Wonder Girls say where you’re from. No? At least I think it’d be cool :D

We’ve got some other surprises in store for this event, and we’re gonna be getting some pretty cool stuff, which – of course – we’d like to give back to you, our awesome viewers! We’ll be giving it, of course, to people who Subscribe to us on YouTube, Follow us on Twitter, and Like us on Facebook, because we like you more than other people :D

Otherwise, we’re not ONLY making videos before the concert. We’re gonna be attending the concert as well, and so should you! Tickets for this event are free! All you gotta to is Request Tickets online on this site on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 7:00PM PDT. That’s it! So get on that page and start refreshing like crazy and, if you get tickets, we’ll hopefully see you there! We won’t be on stage performing any F-art songs, though, so don’t get your hopes up!

Also, just a heads up: since we’re gonna be spending Sunday and Monday at this event, there will be no Kpop Music Monday for the 21st of May. Sorry guise! We’re spending a lot of time working on these videos instead. We’ll upload our special videos for the event ASAP, so hopefully that’ll make up for our not making a Music Monday.

For the original post on Join us at the Google Kpop Concert, or for our kpop and Korean Food videos, check out our Korea blog!



Is K-pop Entering the American Consciousness?

K-pop has tried to enter the American consciousness for years; with the largest music industry in the world, who wouldn’t try and break into the American music market? The cross-over of K-pop into the western sphere has been a topic that we here at Seoulbeats have discussed ad nauseum. With forays into the Westerm music markets by BoA, SNSD, Wonder Girls and Se7en, it is a topic that is widely debated and August Brown of the LA Times discussed this in his article “K-pop enters American pop consciousness.”

The article focuses on the use on internet to market K-pop and how Korean entertainment companies are trying to expand into the global market. The author brings up good points, discussing how K-pop, though new to western audiences, is still “uncannily familiar” and the importance of the internet and social media in the spread of Hallyu.  However, the author focuses mainly on SNSD as a representation of K-pop. I will concede that SNSD is an immensely popular girl group in K-pop, but this genre of music is not just pigeon-holed into the image of 9 gorgeous, long legged women with aegyo. The writer does touch on international collaborations that JYJ, GD&TOP, and 2NE1 have done and mentions Drunken Tiger, F.T. Island, and C.N. Blue in passing. He fails to even mention BoA or Se7en’s work in the United States. He does discuss the work of Wonder Girls in the U.S. but completely fails to mention the movie they starred in or the fact that they were the first Korean act to enter the Billboards charts. What about Tablo, who managed to rank first in iTunes’ hip hop charts with Fever’s End Part 2? A notable achievement, but one that wasn’t even mentioned.

Not only that, but it is fairly obvious that the author is new to  K-pop. He writes

Traditional Korean culture can be patriarchal, but K-pop’s most famous acts, whose members often have roots in California, are groups of women deploying butt-kicking superhero imagery.

Any seasoned K-popper will know that is not the case. That K-pop is heavily dependent on a construed  image and that image–even if it is one that is of independent, fierce woman– is made by men and that these women rarely have actual autonomy over their music.

Brown goes on to attribute the selling out of Madison Square Garden to SNSD, which other news sources such as NPR have also falsely claimed.  SNSD was not the only act to perform in Madison Square that day and he manages to ignore the fact that SNSD was just one part of the SMTOWN Live in New York Concert, where other groups such as DBSK, Super Junior, BoA, and SHinee participated.  He also refers to BoA and Super Junior as “rising K-pop acts.” I would hardly call Super Junior or BoA “rising,” seeing as that they have already hit incredible popularity. It’s this kind of skewed journalism that has me worried for SNSD and 2NE1‘s actual debut in the U.S.

Is it true though that K-pop is expanding world-wide? Yes, there is no doubt about that; however, is it to the extent that the media generalizes it? No. An important aspect that many of the articles from western news sources fails to mention is the incredible persistence and dedication of the fanbase of these idols. If you watched SNSD’s appearance in “Live with Kelly,” the loud cheering for the girls was not by new fans but rather already established SONEs. The almost religous devotion of these fans are definitely a factor to the promotion of these idols. Was Rain really the second most influential person in the entire world in 2008? No. But his dominance in the polls attest to the power of Clouds. Even just looking back at the comments on our Ideal Type polls on Seoulbeats is evidence enough at the dedication of some of these fans.

While it is nice to see that K-pop is gaining attention world wide, it is unsettling to see how narrow the coverage on the actual genre is. Most of the articles on Western news sites only use SNSD as a reference point, and while they are arguably one of the biggest groups in K-pop, they are not the only successful ones. Though it is a step up from citing netizens as a source, it is nonetheless misleading and not actually comprehensive of the actual genre.

What are your thoughts, Seoulmates? Leave your comments below!

(LATimes, Korea Herald, Times, NPR, Songfacts)

 

 

 


© Gil for seoulbeats, 2012. | Permalink | 37 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: America, Girls' Generation, SNSD

The post Is K-pop Entering the American Consciousness? appeared first on seoulbeats.



KpopCharts Update: One Twinkle Father

Taetiseo Twinkle

1) Taetiseo “Twinkle”Vote for it here!

First off, we gotta say that we’re very surprised that we’re not reviewing this for upcoming Kpop Music Mondays. Wow! B.A.P’s “Power” has received the most votes ever in the history of the KpopCharts, and – as it stands right now – it’ll take an army of Twinkies (that’s what we call TTS fans) to overtake first place. It’s doable – of course it’s doable – but I don’t think we’re on the best terms with a lot of SONES. Not that we dislike SNSD! We really like some Girl’s Generation songs, like we mentioned in some of our K Crunch Cocktails. We just really went off on The Boys a while ago and I don’t think we’ve ever been forgiven.

Anyhow, with the numbers that this video has now on our KpopCharts, it looks like it’ll take first place next week, as it would easily take first place any other week if it weren’t for B.A.P.’s incredibly strong voting happening now. Unless there’s some other mega blockbuster song coming out. Anyone?

2) BTOB “Father”Vote for it here!

Not sure what we can really say about this song. I mean, it’s a ballad, and it’s serious, and it’s sad. Not our thing. We like being happy more than we like being sad. The song’s got a great message, though, which we can appreciate. Just…not fans of the video. Not really sure what we’d be able to say for it for a Music Monday. Maybe we can sniffle and sob for 10 minutes? That wouldn’t make for a good review. We’d call it the Jo Kwon Edition. Ha! Jo Kwon fans, don’t be mad! We’re just playing :D

3) JYP “You’re the One”Vote for it here!

Ok JYP: you’ve gained our respect big time. These last two videos of yours are really well shot and produced. We loved Wonder Girls’ “Be My Baby”, and this video’s right up there with exceptional quality shots and editing. Seriously: who directs these videos? I want to shake his hand. It wasn’t the greatest video in the world, but it was just really interesting and really well done. The first person perspective with the woman’s hand was interesting, the transitions between different locations was cool, the bed sheet becoming a dropped curtain was clever. The lighting was great, the lens flares weren’t obnoxiously used. Just…well done. From our perspectives as people who spend countless hours making really low budget videos, we can appreciate this. Well done JYP! Doubt you’ll overtake Taetiseo, but if you did we’d be happy to review this video. Batooba…not so much :D

For the original post on KpopCharts Update: One Twinkle Father, or for our kpop and Korean Food videos, check out our Korea blog!



The SNSD Sub-Unit Twinkles With Potential

When I first saw the set of teasers for TTS‘ promotional single, “Twinkle,” I must say my initial disappointment from the teaser images was quelled. The MV looked pretty well done, there was evidence of real singing and the song sounded appealing.

With mixed reactions so far to the whole project, let’s delve straight into the album review.

1. “Twinkle” - The first thing that struck me about the song was how strong the instrumentation influences were. There’s a fair amount of drum and trumpet styled sounds, with a mix of piano thrown in. But given how girl group releases this year have been geared towards such sounds (Sistar’s “Alone” and 4Minute’s “Volume Up” springs to mind), it could probably just be a sign of things to come, that the hard-edged electronic sounds that characterised most of last year’s girl group music is on its way out.

The song comes across as a pretty driven, Korean-esque take on “Lady Marmalade,” meaning slightly over-done, quite showy, but very impressive to listen to and thoroughly enjoyable for the most part.

(...)
Read the rest of The SNSD Sub-Unit Twinkles With Potential (922 words)


© Nicholas for seoulbeats, 2012. | Permalink | 46 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Girls' Generation, Seohyun, SNSD, TaeTiSeo, Taeyeon, Tiffany

The post The SNSD Sub-Unit Twinkles With Potential appeared first on seoulbeats.



Taetiseo – Twinkle

For the original post on Taetiseo – Twinkle, or for our kpop and Korean Food videos, check out our Korea blog!



K Crunch Cocktail – Chocolate Thumbs Only

SNSD Chocolate Love

It’s time for a special good vs bad Korean Commercial edition of K-Crunch Cocktail. MMM, tastes like corporate! Which probably doesn’t taste very good now that I’ve said that. A while ago we did a cell phone advertising edition which had some totally awesome songs and videos to go with it, but this week we’ve got one great song and one not so good song.

1) Girls’ Generation “Chocolate Love”

First up is Girls’ Generation with “Chocolate Love”. This is actually advertising a cell phone that was really long but thin, it kind of looked like a small chocolate bar which I guess is why they called it a chocolate phone. The song itself, I totally totally love. It creates an unlikey marriage between tuba and very digital robotic synths. They even toss in a tiny little acoustic guitar chord that comes in only twice or three times just after the chorus. I just can’t get over that Korean composers can pump out such awesome songs non-stop. The video itself is pretty much just shots of Girls’ Generation dancing around, but I think the outfits are so awesome (but I don’t like the white outfits) and I love the fan dance and the other dance as well. Normally a non-stop video featuring only shots of a band would bore me, but I don’t know why this particular video doesn’t bother me. Maybe there are a lot of outfit changes and I’m easily distracted by—OH LOOK! THAT HAT IS SO SPARKLY! WEEEEEEEeeeeeeEEEE!!! *Martina runs off chasing it*

2) 2PM “Only you, Only coway”

So we talked about the good, but have you seen the bad? The so bad it’s good? Like watching a really terrible movie that’s so endearingly bad you find yourself showing it to all your friends and watching it all the time. That’s what has happened with us and Coway. Now we totally get that Kpop singers have to do advertising to make money, I totally get that, and if a Korean company was like, Simon and Martina, we want you to be in a beer ad where you make super thumbs up and clinck beers together in super slooow motion and act really cheesy we’d be like, “SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!” but I think what went wrong with Coway is that there is a total lack of humour present. Everyone knows that 2PM has been hired to advertise for Coway, so why make the commercials so serious? Cell phones, drinks, and beer can be made into a more natural commercial since kpop idols are doing what they do best, singing and dancing + phone. But Coway is a water filtration system. That’s right, a water freaking filtration freaking system. If that doesn’t scream kpop idol, I don’t know what else does! What’s next? Big Bang advertising Pepto Bismol? How about JYJ advertising Door Stoppers? I didn’t even KNOW what Coway was until I read more about it, which means the actually song they got 2PM to sing wasn’t exactly advertising very well. But then again, here I am researching “what is this coway thing!!??” so perhaps it was unintentionally brilliant marketing. That, or I just wanted to know why 2PM were dancing and singing this bizarre song before every YouTube video I played. I guess writing a love song to my water filtration system just feels really….fake.

And there are even entire “Korean” lessons, brought to you by Coway, where the members of 2PM will teach you a single word. If they had let me and Simon direct that video, it would have been hilarious while still informative. When Taecyeon drinks his strategically placed Coway Filtration Glass Of Water, there isn’t a HINT OF HUMOUR!!!!! BUT YOU KNOW TAECYEON IS LAUGHING IN HIS HEAD AT HOW CHEESY THIS IS! AGHRHHH!! All I wanted to see was a wink and the gun after he drank that glass, or even, “Coway, not just delicious, it helps to keep my sexy body cool after a long day of dancing” and then he dumps the glass of cold water all over his body and shakes the water droplets off in ripito fipito sipi slow motion. That would be both hilarious, obviously jokey (like UV’s cheesy editing in Itaewon Freedom) and it would advertise for them as being a fun company while showing 2PM as having a good sense of humour. Okay, this has gone on for too long. After you watch the worst song ever, check out the Epic Taecyeon and Chansung Lesson and let us know what you would have done differently.

3) CrispiCrunch “Thumbs Up”

Our last song is a request from Rachel from Texas, who is currently living in Virginia, and requested CrispiCrunch’s “Thumbs Up”. I’m so happy for this request because this song is great and the video is hilarious. It’s rare to find bands that are willing to be funny and jokey in a way that makes them look uncool. This duo, along with UV, PSY, sometimes JYP, and perhaps Girl’s Day (at least I hope that they are being jokey), are willingly to do this, and it makes for an awesome music video. Ah yes, two cool looking guys go to a club in Korea and try to pick up girls with their cocky attitude and dance skillz with a zeeeeee or zed…depending on where you are from. The girls are non-impressed and the result is awesome. The ending of the video, also awesome, so make sure you stick around to catch it. I think the reason why we like this video so much is because we often point out how we dislike the “fake” club scene video where everyone is behaving in an orderly fashion and no one is drinking or acting rowdy. I think CrispiCrunch is really showing you what it can be like to be a Korean club. People are not AS crazy as CrispiCrunch, but soju + Korean boys + Korean girls = I’ll let you find out for yourself when you come to Korea.

For the original post on K Crunch Cocktail – Chocolate Thumbs Only, or for our kpop and Korean Food videos, check out our Korea blog!



SNSD: As the Limelight Fades

On April 18th, research company Lee’s PR revealed several results from polls taken to determine the ranking of some of the hottest stars in the world of K-pop and K-Entertainment. To little surprise, SNSD maintained their #1 position for Most Popular Female Singer for First Half of 2012, reigning in 26.9% of votes (from a sample size of roughly over 1300 voters) to beat out other top competitors such as IU, Wonder Girls, and miss A. According to news sources, SNSD has consistently ranked #1 in this category since 2009, except for a slight dip during late 2011. Of course, for a group like the one and only, the ever-enviable Girl’s Generation, news such as this has become fairly standard praise.

Without much doubt, SNSD is one of the few power house groups in K-pop that can effectively dominate charts all across the boards to stomp out competition without so much as a cute little wink. For years now, since the “Gee” explosion, the girls of SNSD are loved not only in Korea, but also in a plethora of foreign markets including Europe and South America. They have recently made a handful of appearances on American and French television, and have successfully headlined two Asia tours. The ladies of SNSD are everywhere all the time–CFs, advertisements, endorsements, dramas, theatre–and it seems like now, more than ever, Girls Generation seems to be living at the peak their sucess.

(...)
Read the rest of SNSD: As the Limelight Fades (909 words)


© Nabeela for seoulbeats, 2012. | Permalink | 102 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Girls' Generation, SNSD

The post SNSD: As the Limelight Fades appeared first on seoulbeats.



“W Korea” to Feature SM Artists in 40-Page Pictorial

Fashion magazine “W Korea” has recently revealed a few preview stills of the upcoming 40-page pictorial of SM Entertainment‘s top artists. The previews feature Girls’ Generation‘s Tiffany, f(x)‘s Krystal, SHINee‘s Jonghyun and DBSK‘s Changmin.

This pictorial will feature a total of 19 SM artists such as Changmin, Donghae, Kangin, Eunhyuk, Yesung, Taeyeon, Tiffany, Seohyun, Yuri, Minho, Jonghyun, Key, Onew, Taemin, Sulli, Krystal, Luna, Victoria and Amber.

This pictorial is named the “Seoul Melody” project and its purpose is to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the fashion concept store, “10 Corso Como.”

This 40-page photo shoot will be revealed in the April edition of “W Korea,” which will be released on March 20. On March 23, the first video teaser will be revealed and the final video clip of the photo shoot will be released on March 25.

The post “W Korea” to Feature SM Artists in 40-Page Pictorial appeared first on Soompi.



Was SNSD’s “Time Machine” PV a Waste of Time?

A few weeks ago, I posted with certain glee to tell you all that my secret BFFs SNSD were planning to resume Japanese promotions with the release of a PV for the awesome pop ballad “Time Machine.”  As is customary, the girls teased us twice — first with a 30-second clip of an apparently miserable man, then with a 1.5 minute long clip of all nine of them in extremely varied weather conditions looking appropriately sad and regretful.  The pieces of the puzzle, it seemed, were there: sad man + sad women = an SM artist was finally, finally going to release a music video with a plot!  Surely–surely, they weren’t kidding us, right?  There was really going to be some semblance of a plot in this video, right?  Right?

Well.  Not exactly.  But it was kinda-sorta an improvement over the nonsensical dove-releasing, the excessive use of the matrix cam, and the dancing-inside-a-fictitious-box thing that they normally do…I think?

Let’s get to it.

(...)
Read the rest of Was SNSD’s “Time Machine” PV a Waste of Time? (1,329 words)


© Dana for seoulbeats, 2012. | Permalink | 33 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Girls' Generation, SNSD, So Nyeo Shi Dae

The post Was SNSD’s “Time Machine” PV a Waste of Time? appeared first on seoulbeats.



K Crunch Cocktail: Abracadabra Shy Visual Juliette

Simon and Ga In

1) Brown Eyed Girls “Abracadabra”

NANANANANA! I Met GAAAA-INNN! Ha! No, really, I don’t want to brag about it too much. We’ve been lucky enough to meet a bunch of Kpop idols on the different shows we’ve been on, but those shows are usually a lot of work and planning. This run in with Ga-In was just pure fluke. She was just walking around, asking some young guise some stuff, while some cameras were filming her. We’re not sure why, or for what show it was. WHO CARES! We just happened to be in relax mode rather than work mode, so we could finally fanboy/fangirl over an idol we met, just by chance.

Anyhow, she asked me if I knew who she was, and I said that I did, and that I’m a big fan. She thanked me for it. Then I tried explaining in my broken Korean that I have a YouTube channel and I make kpop videos, but she squished her face in the most emotive look of pure confusion that I gave up explaining and said “Sajin Jusayo!” (which means “picture please!”). So we took pictures together. Woot! Not as amazing a story as some would have expected, but – ah well! Still cool, in our books :D

2) SHINee “Juliette”

We’ve talked about almost every major SHINee video out there. We reviewed Lucifer first, and then Hello. We did the Japanese version of Replay, and – finally – we’re talking about Juliette. Of course, we totally love this song, as we mentioned in the video. SHINee, in fact, has barely ever let us down (apart from Hello, which..uhhhhgghhh). We’ve got such high hopes for Sherlock. SHINee! Don’t disappoint us PLZ!

3) Girls’ Generation “Visual Dreams”

We just realized this now, as we’re writing this blog post, that we’re talking about two SM bands. Pure coincidence. Anyhow, it’s about time we talked about Visual Dreams, which doesn’t really seem to be discussed when it comes to the SNSD canon as much as their other singles. Too bad. We really like this song! It’s so lighthearted, and we like seeing an SM production that isn’t so overblown and super serious. It looked like fun to shoot, even if it wasn’t the best video in the world, and the song is just so peppy and…Japanese? Yes, they’re not singing in Japanese, but it feels perfect for our vision of Japan, for some reason. Ah well. Side note: we’re going to Japan on Friday for a few days. We’ll make sure to play this song as we walk around and hopefully it’ll be a befitting soundtrack. Double FYI: if you’re in Japan in the Ikebukuro area, we’ll be there! PARTY TIME!

4) Secret “Shy Boy”

Holy crap! A GUY REQUESTED SOMETHING! Seriously! Barely any guys ever request anything. It’s all girls! And a couple of dogs. But a guy! We had to pick his request immediately. And it’s from a band we really like: Secret! We just don’t like this song too much, though we love their other songs. And we like, especially, that they’re not disturbingly thin girls. Seriously: not to pick on Girls Generation here, but when we hear about them having the best legs, we’re a little…ummm…ok let’s not use strong words here. Let’s say that we forcefully disagree. Secret has bodies that we’re more appreciative of: curvy, with some meat on them thighs! Womanly bodies, not girly bodies. We like that, and we like Secret for rocking it. Boomshakalaka!

Side note: tonight is such a freaking crazy night for us: since we’re going to Japan tomorrow morning, we’re not sure if we’re gonna be able to upload this weekend’s playlists in Japan, so we’re uploading them all tonight. HOLY FREAKING INSANITY! AHHHH! Ok that’s all for the side note.

For the original post on K Crunch Cocktail: Abracadabra Shy Visual Juliette, or for our kpop and Korean Food videos, check out our Korea blog!



Se7en Wants 2NE1 and Girls’ Generation to Come and Perform for the Military

On March 19 at 1:00 PM, Korean local time, singer Se7en entered Uijoungbu 306 Reserve Battalion surrounded by approximately 100 fans.

When asked about his thoughts and plans in the army, especially since he would be older than most, Se7en answered, “It doesn’t matter how old I am. I will do my best.”

Se7en was also asked about his feelings toward actor Yoo Seung Ho, who recently enlisted. Se7en replied, “I really admired Yoo Seung Ho for enlisting quietly, unlike me. (Laugh) I am so grateful for all the love and support from my fans for 10 years. For the next two years, I will work hard, not as singer Se7en, but as Choi Dong Wook. I will stay healthy and will enjoy this experience. I would like to thank everyone for coming, and again, I will do my best.”

When asked to pick a girl group he would like to have for a visit, Se7en answered, “I would like everyone to come and perform. As for a girl group, other than 2NE1, Girls’ Generation would be nice. I will miss everyone.”

The post Se7en Wants 2NE1 and Girls’ Generation to Come and Perform for the Military appeared first on Soompi.



SHINee wants you to be part of SMTOWN!

If you think you have what it takes to be part of SM Entertainment, home of famous artists such as KangTa, BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, SHINee, f(x) and EXO, then

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Girls’ Generation’s Yoona graces the cover of Instyle Korea

Gracing the April issue of Instyle Korea is none other than Girls’ Generation‘s Yoona. Giving off a bright and warm feeling perfect for spring season, Yoona, dressed in different pastel

Monday 18 March 2013

SM Entertainment Celebrates with 10 Corso Como’s Fifth Anniversary

Luxury brand 10 Corso Como partnered with SM Entertainment to celebrate its fifth anniversary. The result is a collaboration project called “10 Corso Como Seoul Melody,” intended to present both brands as a leading force in global trends. “10 Corso Como Seoul Melody” features a selection of five of SM Entertainment’s currently popular artists, namely DBSK, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, SHINee and f(x). Hit songs from these groups were remixed and is to be released as a limited edition album.

DJ Soul, Glen Check and Edie Oh are among the DJs who will give their own sensibilities to the K-Pop songs and reinterpret them for a different feel on the compilation album.

In addition, the “10 Corso Como Seoul Melody” is complemented by “Fifth Anniversary Collaboration Limited Edition” luxury apparel and accessories of designer brands in partnership with the five artists. These are sunglasses by DBSK, clothes by Super Junior and Girls’ Generation, SHINee’s Tom Brown Cardigan and f(x) headphones by Audio-technica.

“10 Corso Como Seoul Melody” and the limited edition launch party is set on March 28, with items in the 10 Corso Como flagship store in Cheondamdong also expected to go on sale online.

The post SM Entertainment Celebrates with 10 Corso Como’s Fifth Anniversary appeared first on Soompi.



Girls’ Generation to Release New Japanese Best Selection Mix

After releasing two full albums in Japan, K-Pop’s powerhouse girl group Girls’ Generation will be releasing a special Japanese album very soon.

The album is called “Best Selection Non Stop Mix” and it is a collection of their most popular songs released in Japan. From “Gee” to “Mr. Taxi” to “Paparazzi“, all your favorite Girls’ Generation Japanese songs were remixed by DJ and Producer Taku Takahashi in a special collection.

To promote this upcoming release, Girls’ Generation released a special preview video through SMTOWN‘s official YouTube channel on March 17. The preview video is a compilation of some of the songs that will be part of the special mix.

The mix is available for pre-order and will be official released on March 20.

The post Girls’ Generation to Release New Japanese Best Selection Mix appeared first on Soompi.



Celebrity Candid Moments in K-Pop This Week!

Hey Soompiers!

Another week has passed in the world of K-Pop and our stars are so faithful keeping us up to date with their lives! From Park Shin Hye’s movie date with a male celebrity to Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun being a sweet student, Lee Jong Suk’s sneaky post with Kim Woo Bin and Kara’s Kang Ji Young posing with her wig, lots of little bits of daily goodness are in store!

Flip through the gallery to see a few of many celebrities in the bizz sharing what’s on their mind.. and who knows? Maybe you’ve learned something new about your favorite stars!

The post Celebrity Candid Moments in K-Pop This Week! appeared first on Soompi.



Sunday 17 March 2013

Girls’ Generation releases teaser for new Japanese remix album

Girls’ Generation has released a teaser for their new Japanese remix album, Best Selection Non Stop Mix. Japanese fans are in for a treat as the new album will be released

Friday 15 March 2013

Taeyeon’s “And One” achieves all-kill status

Known for being an OST Queen, Girls’ Generation‘s Taeyeon‘s latest release received an all-kill status on  music charts. Taeyeon sung And One for SBS hit drama ‘That Winter, the Wind Blows’

Thursday 14 March 2013

Who Wore It Better: Song Hye Gyo vs Girls’ Generation

It’s time for another edition of Who Wore It Better! This time it’s a fierce competition as both contenders are extremely beautiful and talented ladies: Song Hye Gyo and Girls’ Generation.

Recently, a post was made on an online community forum titled, “Song Hye Gyo vs. Girls’ Generation, Same Clothes, Different Feeling.” In the post, several pictures were uploaded that showed Song Hye Gyo and Girls’ Generation’s Yuri and Jessica wearing the same skirt and jacket.

In the photo, Song Hye Gyo is wearing a yellow-toned skirt and jacket to display her feminine charms. On the other hand, Yuri wore the jacket and Jessica wore the skirt as they mixed and matched the yellow pieces with other items. Although they are wearing the same clothing, all three of them display their own unique charms.

Netizens made comments such as, “It’s hard to say who wore it better,” “Wouldn’t Song Hye Gyo the goddess have the win?” “The Girls’ Generation members wore the pieces separately. I think they wore it more sensibly,” and more.

What do you think Soompiers? Who wore it better?

The post Who Wore It Better: Song Hye Gyo vs Girls’ Generation appeared first on Soompi.