2014년 12월 20일 토요일

A Chinese-styled crazy song

She is Chinese and her husband is German. He made this song for her.



Who were Koreans’ favorite singers in 2014?

Who were Koreans’ favorite singers in 2014?

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Updated : December 18 2014
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(OSEN)

South Korean singer-songwriter IU, whose real name is Lee Ji-eun, was crowned the most popular musician among Koreans this year, according to a survey released Thursday.

Gallup Korea surveyed 2,774 Koreans aged 13 and older to determine Koreans’ favorite musicians. They were asked to name their three favorite K-pop artists. 

IU topped the poll with 12.9 percent of the total votes. 

The singer enjoyed immense popularity this year with her seven-track remake album “Flower Bookmark,” released in May. She also held several concerts and made guest appearances on albums by established musicians. 

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(OSEN)

Most recently, the 21-year-old sang on the track “Sokyeokdong” with veteran singer Seo Taiji, winning high acclaim from music critics and fans. 

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(SM Entertainment)

K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation was the second-most popular K-pop act, garnering 12.4 percent of the total votes. The group released its fourth EP, “Mr. Mr.,” in February.

The eight-member group was Koreans’ favorite pop group for three consecutive years, from 2009 to 2011, but fell to No. 5 last year. 
Another girl group, Sistar, nabbed the No. 3 slot with 10.5 percent, followed by boy band EXO with 9.4 percent. 

Also included on the list were veteran female vocalist Lee Sun-hee, girl groups Girl’s Day and Apink, legendary musicians Lee Seung-cheol, Cho Yong-pil and Seo Taiji, boy groups Beast and Big Bang, first-generation idol group g.o.d and balladeer Sung Si-kyung. 

Gallup unveils its list of distinguished people in various sectors at the end of every year. 

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)

SM launching global auditions next year

SM launching global auditions next year

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Published : 2014-12-17 20:29
Updated : 2014-12-17 20:29
Girls’ Generation (SM Entertainment)
SM Entertainment, the nation’s largest entertainment agency, will launch a worldwide talent search next year.

SM is slated to hold a large-scale global audition with agency representatives heading to nine countries and 28 cities across Asia, Europe and North America, the agency announced Wednesday. And for the first time for a Korean agency, SM will take auditions to Russia, where K-pop has slowly begun to spread and taken on a life of its own.

SM is home to some of K-pop’s biggest and most internationally recognized acts such as Girls’ Generation, Super Junior, TVXQ and EXO.

In search for the nation’s next big act, SM officials will also be heading to Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Canada, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and China, as well as hosting local auditions across the nation for singers, dancers, actors, models and composers looking to make a splash in the Korean entertainment industry.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)

EXO to release first live concert album

EXO to release first live concert album

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Published : 2014-12-17 20:28
Updated : 2014-12-17 20:28
EXO. (SM Entertainment)
Just in time to ring in the holiday season, K-pop group EXO will release the group’s first live concert album on Monday, SM Entertainment said Wednesday.

The live album will feature EXO’s previous concert series at the Seoul Olympic Park’s Gymnastic Stadium from May 23-25. The upcoming release will include a total of 36 tracks, including the group’s monster hits “Growl,” “Overdose,” “Wolf” and “History.”

Along with a digital album, EXO will also be releasing the 2-disc physical album in stores across the country.

Apart from the group’s new live album, EXO fans can look forward to hearing a new holiday tune with the release of EXO’s upcoming Christmas single “December, 2014,” which will be released Friday through the mobile game “SuperStar SMTOWN.”

The new single will mark the act’s second holiday release after EXO’s first Christmas album, “Miracles in December,” dominated the top of charts upon its release last December.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)

2NE1 snags Billboard’s best K-pop album pick of 2014

2NE1 snags Billboard’s best K-pop album pick of 2014

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Published : 2014-12-14 21:04
Updated : 2014-12-14 21:04
Psy (YG Entertainment)
As the countdown to 2015 approaches, the assessment of the year’s best songs, albums and industry newcomers is in full swing. Rounding out the year, Billboard’s top picks of the 10 best K-pop albums of 2014 land the feisty K-pop icons of 2NE1 the crown.

The ladies’ second full-length album, “Crush,” was praised for cleverly exploring hybrid genres including reggae and R&B and landed them at the No. 1 spot, beating out other much awaited K-pop heavy-weight comebacks such as Seo Taiji and Rain.

The magazine referred to opening the album with its eponymous single, which is not the album’s lead track, as a sign that although the group’s sound is maturing, the ladies have not forgotten where they come from. “ ... opening the record with ‘Crush,’ with its bewitching Middle-Eastern vibe and aggressive attitude similar to their signature hit “I Am the Best” proved that the girls know where their roots lie and they’re happy to treat fans while still evolving as artists.”

According to Billboard, “Crush” debuted at No. 61 on the Billboard 200, marking the highest chart position and biggest sales week for a K-pop album ever. The album was released on Feb. 27 and came nearly four years after the group’s first full-length album, “To Anyone.”
2NE1 (YG Entertainment)

In somewhat of a surprising twist, taking second place on Billboard’s stamp of the year’s best K-pop albums is a band that would not even be labeled as a K-pop act by locals. Popular indie band Nell beat out the likes of K-pop starlet IU for the No. 2 spot with the band’s latest sixth full album, “Newton’s Apple.” Coincidentally released on the exact same day as 2NE1’s album, the magazine referred to Nell’s record as the strongest Korean rock album of the year.

“ ... ‘Newton’s Apple’ highlights Nell’s vocalist/chief composer Kim Jong Wan’s clever and honest songwriting skills. ... All the lyrics are wrapped in warm, lush arrangements and instrumentals that enchant the listener simply by themselves,” Billboard wrote.

With IU and Seo Taiji taking the third and fourth spots, respectively, rounding out the rest of the Top 10 lists are HA:TFELT (known best as Yenny from the Wonder Girls), Taeyang of Big Bang, B.A.P., Epik High, CNBLUE and Rain’s “Rain Effect.”

As for Billboard’s list of the year’s 20 best K-pop songs, Beast took the top spot with the boy band’s single, “Good Luck,” followed by Seo Taiji & IU’s “Sogyeokdong” and G-Dragon & Taeyang’s “Good Boy.”

Of course, no Korean music chart would seem complete without one of cheekiest faces of K-pop. Despite his fading presence from the mainstream international spotlight this year, Psy has still managed to infiltrate the magazine’s year-end round-ups with the artist’s 2-year-old viral phenom single “Gangnam Style” being ranked at No. 14 of the year’s most streamed songs.

Psy was also listed as the 15th most streamed artist of 2014, beating out global superstars Chris Brown, Eminem, One Direction and Maroon 5.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)

2014년 12월 9일 화요일

Psy’s ‘Hangover’ most watched K-pop video in 2014

Psy’s ‘Hangover’ most watched K-pop video in 2014

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Updated : December 09 2014
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The music video of South Korean rapper Psy’s latest single “Hangover” is the most viewed K-pop video on YouTube this year, the video-sharing site said Tuesday. 

The video, featuring American rapper Snoop Dogg, garnered 100 million views across the globe within a month of its release on YouTube in June. It drew 164 million views as of Tuesday. 

The world-famous star already rewrote YouTube history with his viral hit “Gangnam Style,” released in July 2012. The video attracted more than 2.1 billion views, becoming the most watched video on YouTube. 

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K-pop idol band EXO made it to the top 10 with “Overdose” at No. 2 and “Miracles in December” at No. 10. 

Eight-member girl group Girls’ Generation took the third spot with “Mr. Mr.,” followed by 2NE1’s “Come Back Home” and Taeyang’s “Eyes, Nose, Lips.”

The most sought-after Korean channel on YouTube was SM Town, a channel operated by the nation’s biggest agency SM Entertainment, followed by Psy and KBS World TV, the English channel of the public broadcaster KBS.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)