Dal Shabet's Viki Departs

  Disappointing news for Dal Shabet fans, as leader Viki has announced that she will be departing from the group.
 On May 24th, Happy Face Entertainment announced, “Leader Viki, who started promoting as Dal Shabet since January 4, 2011, will be leaving the group to pursue her solo career. Viki will be resting for a short while, and then will go into preparations for her solo album.” The rep added, “Viki had solo activities in mind ever since she debuted with Dal Shabet. Viki and her agency have been talking this over for a long time, and we came to this decision before the release of Dal Shabet’s new album to help her, before it’s too late, to take on her new dream and fulfill it.” Viki also wrote her final post on the group’s official fancafe explaining her withdrawal.
Viki’s handwritten fancafe message stated:

“Hello, this is Dal Shabet’s Viki. It’s my first time greeting you all in a while but I’m afraid I have some bad news for our Darlings.
There were so many happy moments experienced with our fans while promoting as the leader of Dal Shabet, but I will be concluding my activities as a member of the group with our Yeosu schedule as my final participation. You’re surprised, right? But I’ll be back soon so please look forward to Viki’s solo promotions.
Ah! And our pretty Shabet dongsengs are also making a comeback! As it is their first studio album, please give them lots of love. Although I won’t be able to greet you as a member of Dal Shabet in the future, I hope our Darlings won’t forget Viki in their hearts. Please continue to give Dal Shabet your unchanging love and anticipate Viki’s solo transformation.
To my sisters, charming Serri, big eyed Ahyoung, the perfect daughter in law Jiyul, athletic Gaeun, and giant baby Subin. This unni will always be supporting you. And our Darlings! You know how much I love you, right? Thank you so much for your support and love. I’ll come back soon.”

“Viki will be wrapping up her promotions as a member of Dal Shabet with the performance at the Yeosu Expo on May 27. Dal Shabet will recruit a new member to replace Viki and will continue on with six members for its first studio album to be released on June 7,” the rep said.


 Dal Shabet debuted with Supa Dupa Diva last year and continued to promote actively with Pink Rocket, Bling Bling and Hit U, releasing four mini albums in total. The group won the Rookie Award at the 26th Golden Disk Awards and the Best Idol Music Award at the 19th Korean Culture & Entertainment Award, and was chosen as the Best Girl Rookie Singer of 2011 according to Korea Gallup.


 Dal Shabet will be leaving for Malaysia on May 25 in order to attend the 2012 Creative Youth Carnival in Malaysia to be held on May 26.

Misty Blue

  In the mood for a little indie? This is your gateway to the Korean music scene and everything it has to offer, which includes artists who may not get as much screen time, but are every bit as talented and worth a listen as those in the almost-visible-from-outerspace K-pop idol scene. We’ve already had a brief look at a few awesome bands in the Seoulsonic tour but make no mistake — not every everyone is a Crying Nut. Let’s take the volume down a notch and check out a band sporting a soft alternative rock sound with airy vocals. Misty Blue, you’ve been Indie ID’d.

Photo Credit: Pastel Music

   Vocalist Jung Woonsoo, guitarist Lee Jungwoo and bassist Choi Kyunghoon make up the trio named Misty Blue. Their first album, Your Star Name is SiriusB, features 14 tracks that range from indie-pop to jazzy to acoustic to ethereal.  They are signed to Pastel Music and since 2005 have released 5 EPs, 1 full album, appeared on  2 OSTs and contributed to a compilation album featuring Pastel artists. And in case you were wondering, all of Misty Blue’s album artwork were created by illustrator Kim Jiyoon.
   “Comfort,” from Your Star Name, was featured in the original soundtrack of the 2007 megahit drama, The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (more commonly known as just Coffee Prince).

E.VIAGRADATION

   Talented female rapper E.Via, known as the female Outsider has returned to the K-Pop scene for the first time in a year and a half with a new mini-album. Her newest release proves that she has tossed aside her youthfulness and has transformed into a alluring, mature woman. Her change is most obvious in the way she raps with her bold new voice, and E.Via proves that she has returned as a much more developed musician.
   MC the MAX‘s ISU is featured in “Crazy Fate“, helping her round out the sound to the title track. E.Via also expresses her own painful breakup experience in the song, and it is being coined her best project yet.
Check out a few of the tracks below!

Title Track: Crazy Fate

 Roses Blooming In the Night

Coming To a Stage Near You!

   There hasn’t been a whole lot of room for new girl groups this year with the hundreds of not so good boy bands that have debuted recently. There is hope though! All that is going to change next month when two of KPop’s well-known labels unleash new girl groups onto the KPop scene.

   GM Contents Media (sister label of Core Contents Media; home of T-ara and Davichi) is set to debut a new 7-member group called Gang Kids sometime next month.  Meanwhile, Pledis Entertainment, home of After School, K-Diva Son Dam Bi, and rookie boy band NU’EST, will launch the six-member Hello Venus on May 9th.
Both groups are already two of the most buzzed about of the year, and with their debuts both set for May, there’s going to be a lot of fun and friendly competition over which group does better, and which group actually is better.
So, let’s take a look at our two contenders!

 Gang Kids

   Our first contender is Gang Kids! Really?? Gang Kids? Well so far we know that the group is made up of three actresses, two models, and two trainees. They’re currently being overseen by CCM CEO Kim Kwang Soo, who you may know as the evil genius behind T-ara. They’re much older than your typical rookie group. Five of the girls' ages have been confirmed with the eldest coming in at 29, the youngest 22, and the other three three somewhere in-between.
Gang Kids’ first single is produced by Shinsadong Horang (Hit songs for B2ST, 4minute, T-ara), and CCM has made the hefty claim that the song is, “an upgraded version of Roly-Poly and Lovey-Dovey with a mature concept.” On top of the musical comparisons, the group will also follow in T-ara’s footsteps by releasing a ridiculously long music video for the song, which was shot with T-ara in Europe and comes in seven different parts. My gosh that's a lot of parts..
   There’s been a lot of criticism about the group’s name ‘Gang Kids’ since it was first announced, and they’ve already become a bit of a laughing stock across the KPop blogosphere. I despised the name at first too, but now it’s really grown on me, kind of. It’s not supposed to be taken so literally, and given the group’s bad girl, rough-around-the-edges look, I’d say that it’s just about capturing the rebellious nature of youth and never letting go of it — even when you’re pushing thirty like some of the Gang Kids are.
    Gang Kids have really caught my interest so far. There’s a big opening in the KPop market for more older female groups like Nine Muses and Brown Eyed Girls, so it’ll be nice to see some actual women debuting with a mature concept, rather than the typical young girls who like to play grown-up. I’m not expecting Gang Kids to be terribly talented on the music front given their backgrounds in modelling and acting, then again singers become actors and models later on, but I think they’ll follow T-ara by being very conceptually strong, which should definitely prove interesting.
    The biggest problem with Gang Kids is that they could end up being too similar to T-ara, just like EXO is to SHINee/Super Junior/TVXQ, so hopefully Kim Kwang Soo has something exciting up his sleeve to set them apart.

 Hello Venus

   Let’s take a look at Hello Venus (stylized HELLOVENUS). The six-member group has already been courting major media attention after being officially billed by Pledis as After School‘s ‘sister group’, as well as by unveiling a very eye-catching teaser photo. I have no idea what the exact image they’ll debut with will be, but the concept in their flowery teaser picture reminds me a bit of A Pink combined with BoA’s arty look for the Hurricane Venus album. It’s unique, distinctive, and I love it.
    So far we know that three of the Hello Venus members are 19-years-old, and that one is 24. Three of them were Pledis trainees who featured on After School’s Virgin album under the name Pre-School Girls (I always wondered who the hell the Pre-School Girls were!), and the other three are actresses from a different agency who were picked up by Pledis to join the group. Also, Hello Venus’ leader Ara, who was one of the Pre-School Girls, almost joined After School instead of E-Young at one point! She was featured on the After School’s Happy Pledis single-album back in late 2010.
    There’s no specifics details on Hello Venus’ first single yet, but according to reports, it’ll be a dance song helmed by a famous producer. Ooh interesting!
One of the most interesting aspects about both Hello Venus and Gang Kids is that half the members of each group are actresses, and not wannabe musicians, dancers, or artists like you’d expect. Given the huge success that T-ara has had by having half of their members being popular actresses, Eunjung, Jiyeon and Hyomin, it could be that many new groups are now trying to repeat the winning formula.

 (Screenshot of Eungjung as Baekhee and Miss A's Suzy as Hyemi in Dream High)

   So many boy bands have debuted recently, and only a few like B.A.P. have actually impressed me, so it’ll be nice to get a break from all that with some new girls to listen to. Both Pledis and Kim Kwang Soo have put a lot of money into their respective new groups, as well as a lot of time and energy on pre-promotion, so I’m expecting BIG things next month. Especially since CCM seem to have learned from their prior mistakes with Co-Ed, 5dolls, and most recently, SPEED, not that I don't like them, they do have some good songs.
So, which group do you think will do better? And which one has captured your interest the most? Gang Kids or Hello Venus!

Lee Sora Diet

 

   So I see diets are the most read posts haha. I decided to share a diet that seems to work for quite a few Idols and models. Throughout the diets remember to stretch, exercise, keep busy and don't wonder off the diet. Though, do have snacks so you won't go insane with the plain flavor you might get at times. Here is someone's days of the diet. Some of the food are Asian dishes or snacks. If you want to know what some of them are ask away. I'll keep updating it everyday so be sure to check on it.

Day 1

(Calories-restricted)
Weight: 57.5 
 Lee Sora's Diet exercise
Hula-hoop 5 minutes

Ate:
2 steamed chicken drumsticks
2 egg whites
150g sweet potato
120g potato
60g brown rice
2 slices corn bread
corn
3 cashew nuts
1 Hershey's kiss
1 serving cai fan(rice + broccoli+spinach++carrot)
1 slice banana cake with mango on top
1 1/2 slice chocolate cake
Gaah too many birthdays and I can't control myself :/


Progress as of today - 2.5 lbs lost so far, only 12.5 lbs to go! 

Open World Entertainment and Its Ugly Side

   The sexual objectification of women (and increasingly men) in the South Korean entertainment industry or really, in just about any entertainment industry is certainly nothing new or even shocking.  KPop fans in particular have sadly been largely desensitized to issues involving the inappropriate acts against females, and the pervasive influence of so-called “uncle fans” in driving the market for girl groups is hardly shocking and indeed even expected. But consumers of KPop would do well to remember that sexual misdemeanors and crime within the industry itself is a reality that has the potential to destroy not only careers, but lives and just because we don’t see it doesn’t mean that it isn’t happening to an alarming degree.

Possible 'Big' Mistake??

   I’ve waited almost an entire year for the Hong sisters to come out with their newest drama. Just moments after concluding their take on Korean entertainment in Best Love, I was rolling around frantically wondering when their next drama would release. And the writing duo didn’t disappoint; last October they announced that they would be coming out with their eighth drama this year, titled Big. So with 2012 having unequivocally arrived, it pleases me that the Hong sisters have already decided on a cast and a concept. But as always, there’s good news and then there’s bad news. 

An Idol's Life

  The word 'idol' first meant an inanimate object of worship, but it has evolved to include modern celebrities. On the Korean pop music scene, 'idol groups' are bands consisting of boys or girls in their teenage years or early 20s. And in recent years they've dominated the music industry. But  these stars aren't built in a day. To become a member of one of these bands, young children go through years of grueling training - all without any guarantee of success in the end. Being an idol usually calls for tough schedules and dance practices, but many have revealed what they’ve done to go the extra mile and get that distinguished ‘oomph’ in their figure. How far do these idols go to obtain and maintain their sexy and fit bodies? 

Actor Lee Jung Jea ate ginseng chicken soup 3 times day for 4 months to help achieve his amazing core

    

   Remember Kim Ah Joong from 200 Pounds of Beauty? She has the sexy, most desired body of the post-surgery Kang Hanna. She, along with Oh Yoon A and Cho Han Sun jump rope about 3,000 times everyday! I don’t even think I can count or think straight once I get that high.

   To train for Ninja Assassin, Rain hired trainers who trained the actors of “300.” He trained eight hours a day for eight months! As for diet, he only ate skinless chicken breast, raw fish, potatoes and salad. If he wanted spice, he would add some black pepper. Occasionally he treated himself to beef cooked in plain water. He cut his body fat from 12% to 5%!

    After Secret’s Zinger showed off her V-line, netizens began looking for the “Zinger Diet.” A supposed diet plan stated, “Morning 1 piece of toast with fat free milk, afternoon 1 sweet potato, evening 1 cucumber.” The menu varied from apples or chicken meat but most of the foods had very little calories and supplements to an insufficient full day meal. Fortunately, Zinger posted these wise words on her minihompy, “The diet plan that was revealed through media is not my daily meal plan. I definitely did not diet that way. You could ruin your health with that diet plan so please don’t follow it. Please lose weight slowly with constant exercise and food intake control. Through hard practice and diet, I will work to be Zinger who shows her good side.”

Well said, Zinger!

    The Wonder Girls , the girl group whose debut became the first by any Korean musicians to make it onto the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, lost a member to the stress of idol life. Sun-mi announced she was leaving to focus on her studies. The 19-year-old's decision came during the group's U.S. tour in 2009.
 "It was such a happy and precious experience for me to be on the tour of 50 U.S. cities and perform on the stage, but I came to wonder, can I go on living like this?' Sun-mi said in a statement later released by the group's management agency JYP Entertainment.
   Sun-mi's announcement not only jolted fans, but also stirred up controversy about the pressure on idol performers - either yet a trainee aspiring to be an idol star or already such a one - to maintain a schedule some say is too hard for a teenager to bear.

    Korean entertainment agencies look out to create idols, which they then also manage, maintain well-ordered training programs. Prospective talents in music or acting register with an agency, then, if accepted, undergo four to five years, on average, of training before their debuts. During that process, the company may require the aspiring star to live in a boarding house with colleagues (or rivals), go on a strict diet with regular weight checks and put in more than 10 hours of practice a day. The trainees under the entertainment label of their choice don't exactly know when they will debut,if that ever arrives

   Jo Kwon(2AM) and Min(Miss A) go way back as they had trained under JYP Entertainment for 8-10 years

 

From YouTube to YCME

I may be somewhat late, but I've come across an extremely talented singer. I've done small research and whether she wants to be known as an Idol or as an artist, she has an amazing voice. Her name is Ailee((Hangul: 에일리), born in New Jersey United States and part of YCM Entertainment.  She started off as a normal girl posting videos on Youtube of herself singing. While still in New Jersey singing, she collaborated with fellow Youtuber Johnyphlo and Decipher. As well as Brian Joo of Fly to the Sky. Ailee has also performed in singing competitions like the NY Kollaboration of 2006, winning Best Vocals. As a trainee she featured in Wheesung's song 'They Are Coming' that was released on October 9, 2011. 

Her debut single, Heaven, was released on February 9th 2012. The music video for Heaven also features BEAST's Kikwang and already passed 2 million views on Youtube. Her song won the Cyworld Digital Music Award for Song of the Month and Ailee won Rookie of the Month. For those interested in her video it shall be here.  Her single can be bought on iTunes for support.

Although she is just a rookie singer, she's already become an actress as well. Starring in popular teen drama Dream High 2 alongside big names such as Kang Sora, Park Jin Young, Kwon Hae Hyo, Kim Jung Tae and Choi Yeo Jin, T-Ara's Jiyeon and more. In the drama she played as Ailee, a member of popular girl group Hershe. She may not have many scenes but her voice makes up for that as she is also part of the OST for the drama. 


Ailee is an artist to look out for. She has the voice and the talent that would make anyone get chills. We look forward for this incredible singer to shine as well as the other singers. Ailee, good luck!

Going Global

 As some of us have seen, there's this current wave going global. I'm talking about the Korean Wave, or Hallyu, to some. It has been taking the world by storm with every year. It has struck all over Asia - China, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia. It has struck Europe - The UK, France, Germany. South America - Brazil, Chile, Peru. It has been growing so much that it is now coming to North America as well. Although it is coming to America, it's not its first attempt. If some of you have been in touch with the Korean Wave for some time, you have seen Se7en, BoA, JYJ and more try to get into the American music market. Though it may not have been a huge success for them, they have paved the road for the current Idols trying to debut in the U.S.

Other artists such as Wonder Girls and Girls Generation have started their American debut in the past year. The Wonder Girls started out with an English version of their hit song Nobody in 2009. Being played on Radio Disney and other stations and even performing on The Wendy Willams show. They have also starred in their own movie, The Wonder Girls, on Teen Nick. They have also been nominated for Best Asian Act on Teen Choice Awards.
Girls Generation recently made their U.S debut and performed on The David Letterman Show on February 1st and on Live With Kelly the following morning. The girls performing on Letterman's show would make any fan proud as it's a show that can launch an artist's career.
Another group's American debut is highly anticipated. It is none another than 2NE1 who has been working with Will.I.am of The Black Eyed Peas. They've also been crowned Best New Band of 2011 on MTV Iggy without even debuting in the American market.

SM Entertainment - home of Girls Generation, Super Junior, TVXQ and more, has been going around the world with their SM Town concert. They've gone all over Asia, Europe, North and South America and every time, they are greeted by hundreds of fans at the airport. SM Town is loved so much that fans wanted more. SME agreed and sent their artists to North America for a second time.
Famous idol group Big Bang has also been spotted in NYC shooting their music video for Bad Boy.


The best way to listen to the varieties Korean music is The Korean Music Festival or Youtube. KMF is the most notable and annual event in Southern California. It's a program that brings only the most noted artists of Korea. Selling out to a full house of 18,000 each year, the Festival surpasses all expectations and records as it takes root as a Korean American tradition. The Korean Music Festival is held at the world-famous Hollywood Bowl and attracts people not only from Southern California, but also from the rest of the nation and the world. This festival all started in 2003 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Korean immigration to the United States and has since grown into one of the most anticipated annual events in California. Global artists such has BoA and Rain have graced the stage to be enjoyed by Koreans and non-Koreans alike. KMF is a 4 hour long concert that consists of 12-15 artist lineup of K-Pop Idol groups to famous 'Trot' singers of past years. At the end of the concert an amazing firework finale starts and all the artists come out thanking the fans and singing.

Since Korean music is now going global, we can see how much it is loved. Hopefully Hallyu will grow onto Americans and the world even more than it is now. So far is has grown on Ludacris who has worked with YG Entertainment to produce SOUL by Ludacris headphones in South Korea. Continue to support your favorite artists and we'll see a new world of music soon enough.