[Article] K-pop stars brace for competition in April

Source: KPop Herald

bb-kpopherald-article

Three big-name K-pop acts will release a new album this April, with fans anticipating a fierce face-off in the K-pop scene.

K-pop boy band BIGBANG was the first to confirm its return to the music scene as a group three years after it unveiled “Still Alive” in February 2012. 

Yang Hyun-suk, CEO of its label YG Entertainment, said that BIGBANG’s upcoming track is the best song ever, adding to anticipation about its comeback. 

“I thought to myself (while listening to their new music), ‘This is why they are BIGBANG, this is why they are YG veterans.’ It’s not just the title track that is great, but all the songs are great,” said Yang. 

Though the group was absent from the music scene, the five guys have appealed to K-pop fans individually as actors or soloists. 

Taeyang turned up trumps with his mega-hit track “Eyes, Nose, Lips” while “Good Boy” by his subunit GD X TAEYANG stormed the music charts last December.

Daesung has successfully ended his solo concert tour in Japan while T.O.P appeared in several TV ads and fashion magazines.

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(JYP Entertainment)

K-pop quartet missA is also gearing up to drop a new album in April, according to K-pop pundits. 

The upcoming album will be the girl group’s first release since their second full studio album “Hush” released in November 2013.

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(OSEN)

K-pop fans are also getting excited about singer-songwriter IU’s return scheduled in April. 

The 21-year-old vocalist is reportedly putting the final touches on her upcoming album, though her agency said that it is yet to be confirmed. 

The release comes nearly a year after her seven-track remake album “Flower Bookmark” in May 2014. 

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Also read:

BIGBANG's Taeyang impressed the 4,000-strong crowd at his solo concert in Singapore with his sheer physicality.

SINGAPORE: BIGBANG member Taeyang’s amazing performance at the Singapore Expo on Sunday (Feb 8) proved that he is not only great as part of the K-pop boy band, but an excellent solo performer as well.

taeyang-singapore-rise

Like BIGBANG’s leader G-Dragon, who has successfully carved out a name for himself as a solo artiste, Taeyang has recently released his solo album and embarked on his solo concert tour, of which Singapore was one of the stops. Here, the 26-year-old star wowed the 4,000-strong audience with his music, impossibly smooth dance moves and sheer physicality of his performance.

The moment he stepped on stage, there was a surge of movement in the stands, as the overwhelmingly-female audience leaned forward and craned their necks to see Taeyang belt out his song Body.

Taeyang revelled in the attention and the cheers from the enthusiastic crowd that threatened to drown out his singing. He danced with an infectious energy which was matched by his equally-gifted dance team.

SHIRTLESS IN SINGAPORE:

After a slew of upbeat songs, Taeyang slowed things down with You’re My, which had the audience mouthing the words as they moved to the beat. Then, in a Bieber-esque moment, he serenaded a lucky female fan on stage

“What are you doing later?” asked Taeyang. The girl was so excited she just kept nodding and saying “Yes!” even before he asked if he could be her boyfriend for the evening. The screams of delight from the crowd were simply deafening, and got even louder when he hugged the girl from behind.

The only time they screamed louder was when Taeyang whipped off his shirt and showed off his eye-popping physique before launching into another series of songs.

“Are you enjoying the show so far? I have been waiting a really long time for this. I’m really happy! All I’ve been waiting for was to meet you guys on this stage,” said Taeyang, as cheers erupted from the audience. “He is soooo cute!” cooed one audience member when Taeyang flashed a boyish grin while shirtless.

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The singer powered through several other songs like Good Boy and Love You To Death and was not even breathing hard despite executing complex dance routines as he sang. He was in tip-top shape, and, as if to prove a point, he stripped off his top once more and threw it into the crowd, causing a small commotion in the mosh pit.

Taeyang seemed to have pulled out all the stops to set himself apart from BIGBANG, and emerge from the long shadow of the band’s leader G-Dragon.

“Is it okay without GD? Was it enough without GD?” asked Taeyang after Good Boy, a collaboration between him and G-Dragon. The answer to both questions was a resounding “Yes!” from the audience. While he said he is glad to have the chance to go solo, Taeyang still performed a number of BIGBANG’s songs like Fantastic Baby and Bad Boy during his show, a sign he still very much sees himself as part of the band.

Taeyang quite literally gave his all during the show. He gave away the shoes and cap he wore during the show to concert-goers through a lucky draw, and threw his scarf into the crowd as well towards the end of the show. That was apparently still not enough for one fan, who screamed “I want your number!” during the give-away.

If his Singapore concert is anything to go by, Taeyang has the right mix of boyish charm and sex appeal to create a loyal fan base, and appears to be on track to become an outstanding solo artiste.

- CNA/ha

Source: Channel News Asia

Find another article on Taeyang's concerts in Malaysia and Singapore here:
http://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/172876/20150209/big-bang-taeyang-malaysia-singapore.htm


For more on Taeyang's World Tour 'RISE' please visit:
[TOUR GALLERY: Photos | Videos] Taeyang World Tour 'RISE' 2015



Soompi K-Pop Idol Vocalist Challenge: Round 3

Soompi K-Pop Idol Vocalist Challenge: Round 3

Welcome back to Round 3 of the K-Pop Idol Vocalist Challenge!

As expected, it was a tight race for Round 2, some match-ups even coming down to measly differences of less than two percent: INFINITE Sungkyu barely edged ahead of Super Junior Yesung, and FTISLAND Hongki and BIGBANG Taeyang went neck-and-neck right to the end as well, Taeyang taking the victory in the end. Still other matches ended in complete landslide victories. BIGBANG Daesung and JYJ Junsu advanced with margins of over 20 percent over the other singers in their respective groups.

Now that we’re halfway through the tournament, the casualties are getting heavier and heavier. We’ve lost some amazing talent along the way, including EXO‘s Baekhyun and SISTAR‘s Hyorin last round, among many others.  But do not fear; we haven’t lost everyone! The Soompi staff voted and we’ve brought back four singers eliminated in Round 2 that we think deserve another chance, one from each quadrant of the bracket. Check out the full list of results from Round 2 below to see which eliminated contestants have returned to the game!

(The staff saves have been placed in a different quadrant than the one in which they started.)

PINK

1st place: INFINITE Sungkyu

2nd place: Super Junior Yesung

3rd place: SHINee Onew

RED

1st place: BIGBANG Daesung

2nd place: Girls’ Generation Taeyeon (STAFF SAVE)

3rd place: f(x) Luna

ORANGE

1st place: BIGBANG Taeyang

2nd place: FTISLAND Hongki (STAFF SAVE)

3rd place: EXO Baekhyun

YELLOW

1st place: JYJ Junsu

2nd place: SISTAR Hyorin

3rd place: MBLAQ G.O

GREEN

1st place: EXO Chen

2nd place: Ailee (STAFF SAVE)

3rd place: WINNER Seungyoon

LIGHT BLUE

1st place: A Pink Eunj

2nd place: B.A.P Daehyun 

3rd place: CNBLUE Yonghwa

BLUE

1st place: IU 

2nd place: BEAST Yoseob

3rd place: INFINITE Woohyun

VIOLET

1st place: TVXQ Changmin

2nd place: Super Junior Kyuhyun (STAFF SAVE)

3rd place: 2AM Jokwon

(click to view large version)

best k-pop idol vocalist

Are you ready for Round 3? Turn the page, watch the videos, and cast your votes for who you think is the best K-pop idol vocalist!

You have until Friday, February 13 at 5 p.m. KST to vote, and you can vote once every 12 hours! (Please don’t spam; we will be removing spam votes.)

Turn the page to start with the left side of the bracket!

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Source: Soompi

[Unconfirmed Info] Fuzhou Fan Event now BIGBANG concert and autograph session?

According to reports on Weibo other websites are now picking up on the story that the originally rumoured GYBRI Fan Meeting in Fuzhou (as reported yesterday) is actually a BIGBANG concert and autograph session.

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The event is to be held at the Fujian Fuzhou Strait International Conference & Exhibition center on the 28th March 2015. There is no official confirmation on this yet.

Please note that a GDYBRI Fan Meeting is more likely as the one in Harbin the week before is now confirmed: GDYBRI Fan Meeting in Harbin, China on 21st March 2015 confirmed

This event is now confirmed as a GDYBRI Fan Meeting on the 28th March in Fuzhou:
GDYBRI Fan Meeting in Fuzhou, China on 28th March 2015 confirmed

Source: Korean Yin Yue on Weibo and http://news.kstyle.com/article.ksn?articleNo=2013572

Please also visit the original article from yesterday:
[Unconfirmed Info] GDYBRI Mini Concerts in Chengdu and Fuzhou in March?


[Video] Michael Bublé covers Taeyang's ENL during warm-up 2015-02-04 + Taeyang comments

Leave a comment on Michael Bublé's Instagram to let him know what you think!

michaelbuble




Taeyang commented on Michael Buble's post thanking him.

Taeyangcomment-MichaelBuble

Tablo Invites “Tablo’s Dreaming Radio” Listeners to YG’s Cafeteria; Gives Fans “YG Tour”

Tablo Invites “Tablo’s Dreaming Radio” Listeners to YG’s Cafeteria; Gives Fans “YG Tour”

Epik High’s Tablo kept the promise he made with “Tablo’s Dreaming Radio” listeners.

One of the listeners of Tablo’s radio show, “Tablo’s Dreaming Radio,” sent a story to the broadcast studio saying that she “wanted to eat a meal at YG Entertainment’s cafeteria.” YG’s cafeteria is famous for having quality Korean food, and serving celebrities such as Justin Bieber. Hearing the listener’s story, Tablo promised listeners of his show that he will hold a small fan meeting at YG’s cafeteria.

On January 30, Tablo sat down at a table where BIGBANG and Jinusean often eat their meals, according to him, with some of his radio fans at the cafeteria. He also shared how his daughter Haru was doing, and talked about the radio program.

Later, WINNER‘s Kang Seung Yoon, who had taken over “Tablo’s Dreaming Radio” for one day, visited the fan meeting and took pictures with the fans.

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After the meal, Tablo served coffee to the fans and took pictures with each listener. He also showed them Epik High’s studio, which is located across from YG’s building.

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2

When the “YG tour” ended, Tablo left for his next schedule after bidding farewell to the listeners saying, “Next time, I will invite some listeners to MBC’s cafeteria.”

Source (1)


Source: Soompi


[Spotted] TOP was seen at YG Entertainment today 2015-01-27

Credit: SPONGEDREAM on Weibo via @
 

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[Pre-Info] BIGBANG WELCOMING 2015 3DVD Collection (Updated)

FULL details for this release can now be found here: [Release] ?BIGBANG’S 2015 WELCOMING COLLECTION DVD? Japan edn release 2015-03-25



Looks like the Welcoming DVD Edition is back in the news with a new release date of 25th March 2015: (Information unconfirmed, via GDREIRA):

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Previous information:
[Pre-Info] BIGBANG WELCOMING 2015 3DVD Collection





[Pre-Info] BIGBANG WELCOMING 2015 3DVD Collection.

2015?1?14???

BIGBANG’S 2015 WELCOMING COLLECTION DVD[DVD3??]
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No further details are available at this point.

Info via yuuka4893


FULL details for this release can now be found here: [Release] ?BIGBANG’S 2015 WELCOMING COLLECTION DVD? Japan edn release 2015-03-25

Lee Jung Jae Used BIGBANG T.O.P’s House to Discreetly Meet up with His Girlfriend

Lee Jung Jae Used BIGBANG T.O.P’s House to Discreetly Meet up with His Girlfriend

Lee Jung Jae seems to have gotten some help from his close hoobae, T.O.P, to have discreet meetings with his girlfriend, Lim Se Ryung.

Star Today revealed that a neighbor of BIGBANG’s T.O.P reported to have seen Lee Jung Jae and his girlfriend enter the singer’s house together. Moreover, the house that Dispatch indicated in their report to be where the couple sometimes met up, which they referred to as the home of Lee Jung Jae’s hoobae who “he is very close with,” seems to be T.O.P’s. In the report, the same house was referred to as “a good place to have meetings with other famous celebrities.”

According to a real estate dealer, T.O.P’s house, a villa in Hannam-dong, costs about 3 billion won (about 2.7 million USD), and has four rooms and three bathrooms. Celebrity friends of T.O.P may have favored this house as a meeting place because the villa is known to have a great security system.

villa

An anonymous person testified, “I heard that T.O.P’s house is sometimes used as a place to have meals and drinks together with celebrities [more privately]. I’m sure Lee Jung Jae and Lim Se Ryung were also invited [to T.O.P’s house] for that purpose.”

Meanwhile, Lee Jung Jae revealed through an interview that he was friends with T.O.P by saying, “Because T.O.P and I have similar interests, I think of him as a friend.” He attended the VIP premiere of T.O.P’s movie “The Commitment” and was also spotted having coffee with T.O.P and his other celebrity friend Jung Woo Sung.


Source: Soompi

Please read a start YG has released since the publication of this article here:

YG statement following Soompi TOP house article 20150108

The Battle Continues! 24 Hours Only – Vote for Round Two of Best Fandom in Soompi Awards 2014 #ILoveBIGBANG

The Battle Continues! 24 Hours Only – Vote for Round Two of Best Fandom in Soompi Awards 2014

Welcome to Round 2 of Best Fandom voting for this year’s Soompi Awards!

We know that K-pop fans are some of the most powerful fans out there (remember blowing up the EMAs?) and we wanted to include a category to allow fans to be loud and proud! For Soompi Awards 2014, we will be including a special “Best Fandom” category that will be determined based ONLY on voting from Twitter!

You can vote by tweeting the following hashtag – simply replace the blank with the name of your favorite group:

ILoveHashtag

Voting consisted of 24-hour periods on December 26 and January 1, each starting on 8PM KST and ending 8PM KST the next day (only and exactly 24 hours!) Round 1, which began on December 26, brought in a whooping 8.4 million tweets (votes) on Twitter from close to 100 different fandoms, with the contenders joining in on a neck-and-neck race to the top! Check out the results for Round 1 here.

But don’t fret! Round 1 only accounts for 50% of the total vote, so your group still has the chance to take the win by voting in Round 2!

Please note that only votes that use the corresponding hashtags (#ILove_________) and are tweeted from January 01 8PM KST to January 02 8PM KST will count for Round 2. However, there are no restrictions on how many times you can vote, so be sure to vote with the hashtag as many times as possible during the 24-hour period!

period 2

You can also click on the icons below to tweet!

rsz_2am rsz_2pm rsz_2ne1
rsz_4minute rsz_a_pink rsz_b1a4
rsz_bap rsz_beast rsz_beg
rsz_bigbang rsz_block_b rsz_boyfriend
rsz_bts rsz_cnblue rsz_exo
rsz_fx rsz_girls_day rsz_got7
rsz_ikon rsz_infinite rsz_jyj
rsz_kara (1) rsz_mblaq rsz_miss_a
rsz_nuest rsz_secret rsz_shinee
rsz_sistar rsz_snsd rsz_super_junior
rsz_teentop rsz_tvxq rsz_ukiss
rsz_vixx rsz_winner rsz_wonder_girls

Don’t see your favorite group in the icons above? Don’t worry, you can still vote just by tweeting #ILove____! Here’s a helpful spreadsheet on the uniformity of each group hashtag~

VOTE NOW!

Good luck – May the best fandom win!

PS – Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in this year’s Soompi Awards 2014! 


Source: Soompi

More Updates: