This just in! Popular South Korean boy band 2PM member Junho is currently recording the OST for upcoming Taiwanese drama “Tiamo Chocolate” with its lead actor Vanness Wu (ε΄ε»Ίθ±ͺ)! A popular singer who launched his acting career with a role as one of the F4 boys in Taiwanese drama “Meteor Garden” (the Taiwanese version of the Korean “Boys Over Flowers” or the Japanese “Hana Yori Dango”), Vanness Wu has also been a very active member of the Third Wave, a group of Asian pop artists who produce contemporary Christian music together. He’s close friends with Brian Joo and Super Junior’s Siwon Choi, just to name a few.
Vanness and Junho are set to film the MV for this OST sometime in early April. Both guys are very excited about this collaboration, and Vanness even commented that Junho’s Mandarin pronunciation is almost perfect! We can’t wait to hear the final product!
Hi Apopaholics Anonymous readers (all 2 of you)! I am one of the K-pop-aholic bloggers, and this is my first blog post (yay!). I will be talking about a couple of recent K-pop music releases that have been getting serious playtime on my iTunes! OK, let’s get started!
First, I’d like to talk about 2AM’s new mini album, “F.Scott Fitzgerald’s Way of Love.” (Side note: why this album title makes a reference to F.Scott Fitzgerald is completely puzzling to me. But then again, I haven’t read any of his books, so maybe all he writes about is breaking up with his girlfriend and feeling depressed/sad/heartbroken. *shrug*). 2AM is, in my opinion, one of the best ballad groups in the K-pop scene right now (right up there with Super Junior KRY, my personal favorite :D), and let me tell you, this mini album is AMAZING. All of the vocals are silky smooth, and these guys put so much emotion in their singing that I feel like I’m falling in love and breaking up right along side them. Connecting with your listeners is the mark of a true artist, right? Ahhh these guys are so talented.
Anyways, keeping their tradition of having really long song titles, their title track is called “I Wonder If You Hurt Like Me.” The sad, soulful melody is really catchy, and I think that the song sounds beautiful as a whole. I loved their previous hit, “I Can’t Let You Go Even If I Die,” and this follow up does not disappoint! All of the other songs on the mini album are really solid, but my favorites (besides the title track) are “You Were Mine,” “Erase All Our Memories,” and “I Love You, I Love You.” I’ve been listening to these songs basically nonstop since they came out a few days ago. They’re that good. If you’re into soothing, easy-to-listen-to, ballad-type songs, I highly recommend the whole mini album! Check outΒ the music video for “I Wonder If You Hurt Like Me” here:
Next, I’d like to talk about Se7en’s recent(-ish) mini album that was released last month, creatively titled “2nd Mini Album.” This is another really great ballad-y mini album, chock full of smooth vocals and strong emotions. Se7en is actually the first K-pop artist that I ever listened to, but I have never liked one of his entire albums/mini albums until this one. I usually like his title tracks, but this time, the whole mini album was really good! My favorite track is one of the title tracks, “When I Can’t Sing.” Oh. My. Gosh. I rarely get hooked on songs the first time that I hear them, but this song got stuck in my head right away. Like “I Wonder If You Hurt Like Me,” I thought that the song had a beautiful, catchy melody. In fact, every single track on the mini album has a nice melody and is the kind of music that I like to listen to while doing work (or avoiding doing work… haha). Check out the music video for “When I Can’t Sing” here:
South Korean solo artist Fat Cat caught our attention with her hit single “Is Being Pretty Everything” a few weeks ago, and now she’s back with the follow-up single “Like a Dream!” This girl has such a sweet voice, can rap like no other, and exudes a sense of confidence that surely set her apart from fellow rookie artists in the competitive, perfection-driven stage of kpop performances. With IU, Fat Cat is one of the few female solo artists to make a name for herself in kpop, and we hope she continues to delight us!
Check out her live performance of “Like A Dream” on JTBC’s Music On Top on 3/14/12!
We especially loved her single “Is Being Pretty Everything!” Take a look at the MV below!
South Korean boy band MBLAQ is back with an energy-filled performance of “Run!” Currently in their follow-up promotions to the title track “It’s War” of their newly released “100% Ver.” EP, the boys put on a dazzling warrior versus ninja themed performance of “Run” on this week’s Music Bank. The boys’ swift martial arts moves revealed a side of MBLAQ that we haven’t seen much before! You go Leejoon! Hey beastly idols 2PM…I think you’ve got some competition! π
Check out both their “Run” and “It’s War” performances below!
After heating up Berlin on February 12th, popular South Korean boy band BEAST has done it again – lighting up the stage in Shanghai on February 25th with another “Beautiful Show” as a part of their 14 country, 21 city world tour. The night was filled with awesome performances that not only showcased the boys’ vocal talents but also their impeccable dancing skills that won them their “Best Dance Performance Male Group” title at the 2011 MAMA Awards. Plenty of fan-service, including a special fan serenade, kept Beauties smiling and cheering throughout the concert.
BEAST proved their international popularity after successfully completing the “United Cube in London” concert along with their fellow labelmates 4Minute and G.NA back in December of 2011. As one of the leading boy bands of the Hallyu wave, BEAST will undoubtedly continue to enlarge their international fan base as their world tour continues with shows in Spain, United States, Canada, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan and more.
As someone who started following BEAST after falling in love with their Fiction album (which, in my opinion, is hands-down the best mainstream K-pop production in 2011), I am so proud of their accomplishments so far and look forward to more wonderful music from them! Besides, it’s always nice and refreshing to see someone not managed by one of South Korea’s big three entertainment companies leading the Hallyu wave, right?
Enjoy some fan-taken pictures from the concert below. And if you’re unfamiliar with this group, check out their Fiction music video from their first full-length album “Fiction and Fact!”
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