Hip hop artist Tiger JK will be collaborating with global artists for the ‘2010 MAMA‘ (Mnet Asian Music Awards), to be held on November 28th in Macau.
Special invites were extended to his rapper friends in America, the Philippines, and Japan to create a special stage promoting global music.
Tiger JK commented, “No matter what music you do, you will never advance if you’re forever trapped in a small pond. To have an Asian music awards ceremony such as MAMA introducing music from all parts of Asia, and showing interest in one another is very welcoming to me as an artist.”
Representatives of MAMA added, “The majority of Korean music introduced to the rest of Asia consists of idol dance music. We hope that Tiger JK’s stage will give us the opportunity to promote a variety of genres. The stage itself will be extremely large-scale and will break the standards of hip hop.”
The stars invited for this year’s special MAMA stage include Stylistic Jones from America, ZEEBRA from Japan, and Roscoe Umali from the Philippines. The three all collaborated with Tiger JK frequently, and created a deep music-based friendship.
The song they will be performing is also being produced by a famous Japanese producer, Fantastic Plastic Machine (FPM). Regarding his participation in MAMA, FPM stated, “I love the meaning behind being able to collaborate with different countries all over Asia. This is a stage I am highly anticipating.”
It was reported recently that SHINee’s solo concert will have a new date and location.
On November 19th, a representative from SM Entertainment revealed, ‘It has been decided that SHINee will have a concert on January 1st and 2nd at Seoul’s Olympic Stadium.‘
The original dates for the SHINee concert were for December 18th and 19th, but the venue was changed to accomodate fans from both Korea and Asia, due to an explosive interest in the concert.
Tickets will be on sale on November 31st at 8:00PM KST via Gmarket.
Actress Song Yun Ah impressed everyone with her impressive dance skills at the ‘8th Korean Film Awards‘ held in Seoul on November 18th.
After giving birth to her first baby this past August, the ‘8th Korean Film Awards’ marked her first public appearance as a mother, and quite the busy one too since she participated as an MC and performed for the opening stages.
Song Yun Ah performed SNSD’s ‘Genie‘ alongside the girls, and even dressed up in their exact outfit. Although she messed up the choreography at first, she quickly caught on and became a good replacement for the missing Tiffany (who is currently recovering from an injury).
Other actresses sent their support by reacting warmly to their performance.
After the opening stages, Song Yun Ah commented,
“I was glad when I first heard that the ‘Korean Film Awards’ would be coming back this year. It’s an honor to be able to MC for this event and I’m extremely thankful. I did wonder what they would do to make me suffer, and as if reacting to my anticipation, they put me up on stage with SNSD.’ I’m so extremely sorry to SNSD, the stars of Asia, but also thankful. I’d also like to thank my choreographer for teaching me the dance despite the condition my body is in!“
The 8th Korean Film Awards took place on November 18th at the Sejong Center.
Stars who walked the red carpet include SHINee’s Onew, Song Chang Il, Seo Ji Hye, Nam Bora, Song Yun Ah, Gong Hyo Jin, Seo Young Hee, Seo Woo, Jo Yeo Jung, Lee Yo Won, Choi Daniel, Lee Sun Gyun, Kim Sae Ron, Won Bin, Park Shin Hye, and more.
After much controversy the last time they performed at a film awards ceremony, the SNSD girls were back on stage again and they were without Tiffany as she is laid low with injury. The girls performed ‘Hoot‘ and ‘Genie‘, with the actors giving excellent reactions when the cameras panned to them.
List of Winners (Major) ================= Best Film – Poetry Best Screenplay – Poetry Best Director – Lee Chang Dong (Poetry)
Best Actor – Won Bin (The Man from Nowhere) Best Actress – Seo Young Hee (Bedevilled)
Best Supporting Actor – Yu Hae Jin (Moss) Best Supporting Actress – Yun Yeo Jeong (The Housemaid)
Best Male Rookie – Song Sae Byeok (The Servant) Best Female Rookie – Kim Sae Ron (The Man From Nowhere)
The awards ceremony broadcast was delayed, after the broadcaster chose to show the men 1,500m freestyle swimming final in which national swimmer, Park Tae Hwan, was partaking, and won the silver medal. The rating for the swimming event was 34.8%, so it seems like they made a good decision.
Park also anchored the relay team in the last race of the swimming competition, as the Koreans won the silver medal in the 4×100 men’s individual medley relay in a dramatic finish.
With news surfacing a few days ago that SNSD would be performing in Japan’s FNS Music Festival on December 4th, netizens wondered whether KARA would be doing the same.
Well it was recently revealed by DSP Media that KARA would be unable to attend Fuji Television’s end of the year festival because of scheduling reasons.
DSP revealed, “We were invited to the FNS Music Festival, but due to conflicting schedules in Korea, we had to turn it down.”
KARA will begin promotions in Korea this week, and are expected to stay in the country through December. They will begin their comeback performances on November 20th through Music Core.
Various top stars attended the ‘‘2010 Style Icon Awards” at the CJ E&M Center in Seoul on November 17th, which is an events show that awards celebrities who are considered to be one of Korea’s representative ‘Style Icons’ for 2010.
Winners on the night are as follows:
Style Icon of the Year: Lee Byung Hun
Popularity Award: SS501’s Kim Hyun Joong
International Style Icon: So Ji Sub
New Style Icon, Movie Actor: Big Bang’s T.O.P (Choi Seunghyun)
New Style Icon, Actor: Song Joong Ki
New Style Icon, Singer: CNBlue
Fashionista: Oh Yeon Soo
Style Leader: Gong Hyo Jin
Cultural/Arts award: Kolleen Park
Model: Han Hye Jin
Style Icon Actor: Chun Jung Myung
Style Icon Actress: Shin Min Ah
Female Singer: 2NE1
Style Icon TV Star: Kim Jung Eun
Movie Actress: Lee Min Jung
Movie Actor: Joo Jin Mo
Special Award: Andre Kim (received by Andre Kim’s son, Kim Joong Do)
Sky Beautiful Sharing Award: Tiger JK & Yoon Mirae
Lee Seung Gi, who has mostly been active in the acting and variety show fields for the majority of 2010, will finally be standing on stage to meet his fans as a singer.
Lee Seung Gi will be opening his ‘2010 Lee Seung Gi Hope Concert’ on November 21st in Seoul; this marks his first independent concert after a year of absence from the music industry.
The singer already has 4 full albums under his name, along with numerous singles, album remakes, and drama OST tracks, so there will be plenty of songs to choose from.
It was reported that Lee Seung Gi will perform a variety of genres for the concert, and is currently preparing special stages for the event. He will be delivering ballad tracks with a string orchestra and brass bands, and have a joint performance with ‘rock legends’, Resurrection.
He’ll even be performing an OST track from his drama ‘My Girlfriend is a Nine-tailed Fox’ alongside fellow cast members Shin Min Ah, Park Soo Jin and Noh Min Woo. To top it all off, he’ll also be singing the trot songs ‘Sister‘ and ‘Love Twist‘.
Many fans are also highly anticipating Lee Seung Gi’s attempt at dancing – which he claims is his ‘weakest’ field.
A video of Psy’s Guerrilla Concert, held a couple of weeks ago in Hongdae, was recently uploaded onto Psy’s official Youtube channel.
During the concert, Psy showcased his passionate and energetic dance for his title track, ‘RIGHT NOW‘, as well as performed many of his past hits.
After the concert, Psy’s ‘followers’ list on his me2day increased at a rapid rate from 16,000 to 45,000. Comments left on his me2day included, “I’ve purchased a ticket for his December concert already”, and “Please come to my neighborhood too.”
Psy will be performing at the ‘YG FAMILY CONCERT’ on December 4th and 5th, and will also be holding a 3 day concert from December 23 to the 26th with Kim Jang Hoon, titled ‘2010 Kim Jang Hoon and Psy’s One Touch’.
Check out the video below! (We kind of wish he surfed the crowd, that would have KILLED it!)
Sometimes, K-pop fans get a little too overly-stimulated with flashy tracks and choreography, and so we lose the natural voices of performing artists. 2PM recently sat down for an interview and performance on Kim Jung Eun’s “Chocolate“, and while there, they delivered a beautiful performance of “I Can’t” from their latest album, “Still 2:00PM“.
Fans have been eagerly waiting for this live performance, as it’s easily one of the best tracks from the album. Melodious and smooth, the boys’ natural voices were accentuated by the light accompaniment of an acoustic guitar.
Check out the performance below, and be prepared to be swept away.
The “2010 Love Sharing Concert” took place on November 14th at the Seoul Olympic Stadium, and it was aired through SBS in place of the weekly music show, Inkigayo, which was pre-empted.
Apart from Yonghwa and Jo Kwon, SNSD’s YoonA replaced Sulli for this special occasion.
The annual charity concert event organized by Nongshim in collaboration with Red Cross Korea is into its 11th anniversary this year, having begun in 2000, and it offers fans a chance to catch their favourite singers in action for free. In addition, Nongshim will also be donating ramen packets to Red Cross.
Performers include SNSD, PSY, 2PM, 2AM, miss A, V.O.S, 2NE1, Kim Jang Hoon, and VNT.
Besides the performances, the ladies of SBS Heroes (Shin Bong Sun, Narsha, Kahi, IU, Jiyeon, Lee Jin) and the members of CNBLUE participated earlier in a special ‘love sharing’ activity on October 29th by visiting a disabled infant home and acting as ‘one day’ parents to the children there.
After saying goodbye with “Soom” not too long ago, the B2ST boys are now back with a new round of promotions starting with the “2010 Love Sharing Concert” on November 14th.
Having taken your breath away with “Soom” before saying goodbye, the B2ST boys now return to say the “Lights Go On Again” because you are “Beautiful.”
After making her solo debut in October, Ga-In has definitely made an impression with her title track, “Irreversible“, culminating in her claiming top spots on numerous online music charts.
It took her a while, but she finally claimed the Mutizen award on Inkigayo two weeks ago, which was really the icing on the cake, including a present from her “husband” Jo Kwon.
Since that win though, Ga-In has seemingly quietly ended her promotions, as she is now focusing entirely on her acting career for the MBC daily sitcom, “All My Love.”
But in view of doing charity for a good cause, and to say a proper goodbye to her fans who have supported her, Ga-In appeared this afternoon for her final “Irreversible” performance.
They’ve become musical gods in Korea, broken records in Japan, vacationed in Paris, and toured China, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan. Their foray into the global market was launched last month with the debut album “The Beginning“, which surpassed the half million mark in pre-orders with the luxury edition easily selling out in less than a week. So it should come as no surprise that the ever-grandeur Hammerstein Ballroom was bursting at the seams tonight as JYJ took the stage in the heart of New York City, launching the JYJ World Tour, their first American showcase tour in front of 3,400 ecstatic fans.
Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu are no strangers when it comes to pleasing a crowd; after all, they’ve been on the music scene for over seven years and have been part of seven tours. And it’s definitely paid off – the turnout for JYJ’s first flesh-and-blood appearance in New York City was overwhelming. It would be an understatement to label the wait outside of the venue to simply be a “line around the block.” Imagine a crowd of human sardines that takes up ten feet of sidewalk in width, barricaded by metal fences on the verge of tipping over in certain places. Extend that image by a few avenue blocks and you get the idea. Some hardcore Cassiopeians reportedly camped out the night before (they were eventually turned away… then eventually returned around 6AM); others traveled from all over the East Coast just to see these three stars in person. And hello, after the hack job by Tinsel PR and Entitled Entertainment, the concert became free and “first come first serve” – who could pass up an opportunity like that?
Unfortunately, the venue reached its maximum capacity before the entire line was let in, so many disappointed fans were left in the cold and turned away at the entrance. Those that were lucky enough to get in began to flood the floor and balcony levels as fans scrambled to get a good view of the stage. With a vibrant pink pattern titillating on the LCD screen onstage, excited chatter mixed with a chorus of Cassiopeians singing along to the background hum of “Ayyy Girl” as the stage crew played with light and sound tests. Finally, the lights clicked on and MC Shane Yoon dramatically introduced the show, only to be humorously interrupted by fellow MC Julie Chang who got the show officially started. allkpop had previously reported that Arden Cho would be the female MC for the show, but the earlier disorganization and mess caused her to miss the New York stop, though she will apparently be at the Las Vegas and Los Angeles shows. Anyway, with no opening acts to prolong the wait, fans were immediately quenched with the live spectacle of three drippingly sexy Korean men slowly rising out of the stage floor onto elevated platforms. Cue the deafening screams of fangirls in blissful vertigo.
With the extreme levels of energy pulsating within the ballroom, “Empty” was the perfect song to kick-start the show: the boys casually walked down the steps from the platform to the slow beginning and suddenly came to life with fast-paced choreography as the percussion beat thrummed from the speakers into the crowd. A few arm pumps and mesmerizing pelvic thrusts later, the music transitioned into the fun, electro-dance beat of “Be The One“, with fanchants ringing loud and clear from beginning to end. I absolutely love the heavy, robotic dance moves that come in after the first chorus, and getting to see it live unquestionably amplified the sex factor tenfold. As the song came to an end, the fog machines at the base of the stage began to pump their goods toward the crowd, casting a complete veil over our vision. While the haze might’ve produced a cool effect for the audience, I couldn’t see anyone around me or even the stage which was less than a foot away from my eyes for the next few minutes. From what I could tell though, the young men had taken their positions with mic stands near the front of the stage. Their voices pierced the fog, so to speak, with the third song of the night, “Be My Girl“, a slow-paced track composed by Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins. It was nice to see both JYJ’s sexy and sensitive sides in the span of ten minutes!
After the break, the stools were briskly whisked away and the threesome performed a Korean song from Yoochun’s drama “SungKyunKwan Scandal” titled “Chajatta (Found)”, an optimistic track about someone finally meeting the love of his life. JYJ returned to the pop ambiance afterwards with their big Kanye West collab track “Ayyy Girl”; just as they did earlier that night, the audience sang along to the lyrics, word for word. Finally, JYJ wrapped up the night with a remixed version of “Empty”, which added a layer of electronica pop to the original track. With the members shouting at the audience to jump, it felt like the entire venue was experiencing a mini earthquake. As the song climaxed and neared its end, Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu stepped back onto the platform they started on and disappeared for a dramatic close to the night.
White confetti cannons exploded into the air and the ”Ayyy Girl” music video was broadcast on the LCD screen as if to console any members of the audience who were already experiencing JYJ withdrawal symptoms. Dazed fans filtered out of the entrance doors, with little cliques dotting the lobby as friends took final photos together and others reminisced about the highlights of the concert. Many fans also ended up lingering in the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of the trio leaving the venue for their hotel which was located just down the block.
This was my first time seeing JYJ perform live, and the trio ultimately lived up to the hype that they’ve constructed over the past seven years. One of the keys to TVXQ’s international success lay in the members’ exceptional vocal ability, and it was delightful to discover firsthand that they were just as talented live as in studio. Furthermore, the members put on a great show despite the logistical mess that has recently plagued the tour.
Later this week, JYJ’s schedule includes two more tour stops in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. For those of you that are planning to attend, you’re in for a hell of a concert!
Photography: Jenny Tszeng & Matt Marasigan Videography: Matt Marasigan
SS501’s leader Kim Hyun Joong recently participated in the 2010 Asian Games opening ceremony in Guangzhou, where he sang the official theme song together with other famous Asian names.
On November 12th, the Hallyu star represented Korea as he sang ‘Sunshine Again‘ alongside famous singers Wei Wei (China), Tan Jing (China), David Tao (Taiwan), and Joey Yung (Hong Kong).
The theme song holds the meaning of never losing sight of your dreams and maintaining the friendship between Asian countries.
SBS will be holding their 11th “2010 Love Sharing Concert” on November 14th in celebration of their 20th anniversary.
SNSD’s Yoona will be taking the place of f(x)’s Sulli by MCing for the event alongside “Inkigayo” MCs, Jung Yonghwa and Jo Kwon.
The “Heroes” team and CNBLUE led by Jung Yonghwa participated earlier in a special ‘love sharing’ activity for the concert on October 29th by visiting a disabled infant home and acting as ‘one day’ parents to the children there. This special footage will be shown during the concert.
In addition, the line-up for the concert which will be airing in place of Inkigayo this week includes VOS, 2PM, Rainbow, miss A, Ga-In’s goodbye stage, 2NE1′s “Can’t Nobody“, and B2ST’s first ever performance for their comeback, “Lights Go On Again” and “Beautiful.”
Check back with allkpop for more details on this interesting event!
It’s that time of year again – The year end Mnet Asian Music Awards are almost here!
And this year, allkpop has partnered with Mnet to bring all of our international readers a live broadcast of the 4 hour long awards show. So get ready to get your k-pop world’s rocked, because it’s going to be one hell of a show!
Make sure to vote for your favorite artists at: www.2010mama.com, follow their official twitter @mnetmama! And then… tune into allkpop.com on November 28th, for 4 hours of k-pop awesomeness!
2010 Mnet Asian Music Awards Date: Sunday, November 28, 2010; 6:00PM (Hong Kong Time Zone, 4-hour Broadcast) CLICK HERE FOR WORLD TIME CONVERTER Location: Cotai Arena at The Venetian Macao Official Website: http://www.2010mama.com
‘Sexy Queen’ Lee Hyori showed off some new skills while attending her fan camp on November 10th.
The event, called ‘ ‘2010 Hyori & Us‘, involved Hyori and 100 of her fans leaving for a one night, two day camping trip. In an effort to get to know each other, the group played various sports and games. Hyori especially made sure to remember every face and name, shortening the distance between herself as a star and her fans.
However, the highlight of the event was after dinner. Hyori pulled out a guitar and stunned her audience with a performance of few pieces that she’s been working on. The multitalented singer delivered an acoustic version of her debut hit track, “10 Minute,” as well as other highly popular songs including “Ain’t no Sunshine” and “Umbrella.”
The singer went on to perform other non-title tracks from her album, for a total of 11 songs – in effect, the singer delivered an impromptu mini-concert for her delighted fans. The event concluded with performances of “Ruby” and “Scandal.”
The G20 Seoul Summit will be taking place in Seoul, Korea over the next two days (11th – 12th November), and to commemorate the occasion, a G20 Korea Concert was held two weeks ago on October 28th at Sangam Sunset Park involving popular K-pop acts.
The list of K-pop artists who performed that evening include 2PM, PSY, miss A, MBLAQ, Se7en, Sori, SG Wannabe, and Son Dambi. Although most of us couldn’t be there to support them live, the concert was aired on the evening of November 10th through MBC.
Check out the performances below, which come with English subs for international audiences.
As a result of this special broadcast, the MBC sitcom “All My Love” was canceled for today.
The JYJ World Tour will need MCs for its American stops, and it’s enlisted the aid of model Arden Cho and actor Shane Yoon to guide the event for JYJ’s three stops in New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.
Arden Cho, as most of you know, models for Clinique; Shane Yoon is known for his brash character in the hilarious webseries, “Ktown Cowboys“.
It was reported recently that SHINee’s solo concert will have a new date and location.
