Hwayoung Tweets to Fans

Former T-ara member Hwayoung just tweeted a message for her fans.
She posted to Twitter on July 31 at 10:33PM KST, “To my fans, you’ve loved me until now, and I’m sorry that I’ve only given you disappointment. Please stop now, and look forward to our more mature and improved selves in the future. I apologize for making you worry during this time. I also want to apologize to my Core Contents Media family. I’ll greet you all with a better image next time.”

Fans commented, “You will never ever dissappoint us! Keep your head up, hwayoungie! We are supporting you <3,” “Be strong! Hwayoung! I’m cheering you on,” and “Please don’t cower. You might feel tortured now, but after a little time passes, they’re people who’ll be nothing. Be strong!”
What do you make of her statement?

Source: Hwayoung’s Twitter

T-ara’s Hwa Young Full Press Release

The press release was issued on July 30 and translates as follows:

For T-ara’s group activities, when one member thinks of herself highly or when a member is moving differently than the group, I believe the team’s entire color and the entire team structure begins to shake.

I would like to inform you that the currently growing talks of making a T-ara member an outcast and discord within the group is not related to the truth.

Even from T-ara’s debut days there were talks of Eun Jung being an outcast, So Yeon being an outcast, Boram being an outcast and others, but these were all stemmed from jealousy at a young age which were quarrels that passed over one or two days before quickly being reconciled.

For [T-ara’s Budokan concert] we moved with some 230 staff members. The difference in will that the T-ara members were referring to was not about coming on and off stage.

If a member is just moving along, being careless and only thinking of one’s self, a performance can only squeak along leading to a performance that only seems fancy on the outside and make it impossible to hold a performance that focuses on the performance’s internal aspect which is what [the T-ara members] meant by saying all the stars and staff would have to hold the performance with their will.

The most important thing to staff and to stars is his or her health.

The reason being that the body has to be healthy and one’s condition good in order to show a great performance on stage.

Eun Jung once had a time she slipped and fell on an icy road and tore a ligament while Ji Yeon once injured her leg during a drama shooting leading her to be in a cast.

Additionally during the recent Japan tour, during the Osaka concert Ji Yeon crashed into a lighting equipment leading to a fracture in her nasal bone and though the hospital recommended emergency surgery and though our staff and the concert attendees were against her standing on stage, Ji Yeon would not let go of her intent to go on stage leading her to finish her performance and, upon returning to Korea, be admitted to the hospital for three days to receive surgery and treatment.

Hwa Young injuring her leg and unable to stand on stage was done for her protection. Despite her insisting she wanted to go on stage, all our staff and the T-ara members stopped her and Hwa Young followed her will to only stand on stage for Day by Day.

Therefore, the talk of differences in will by the T-ara members were not about coming on, and off, stage.

There are countless staff and managers who are giving their all for these stars while receiving a relatively low pay.

Even with the low salary these staff members are driving through the night without sleep, waiting on the stars 24 hours, checking their makeup and wardrobe behind the stage and creating the star’s wonderful appearances and doing so with the goal to create a top star one day sooner.

Additionally, the managers and most staff members are living in small-sized houses or dorms shared with some 3 to 7 other individuals.

If these staff members are being hurt and crying because of a specific star, feeling skepticism over their career path and even coming to switch careers, the T-ara members, who provide the public laughter and joy, are being pretentious and unreal.

The eight members of T-ara who live on the popularity provided by the masses believe in the importance of teamwork over the individual T-ara and because of this we took into respect the opinions of 19 staff members and believing that we shouldn’t have staff members who are having a hard time, I am informing you of a decision made after much contemplation.

I, and many others, believe this is the right decision and know this is a pain like that of tearing a piece off one’s own flesh, but decided this thinking of T-ara’s future and for T-ara’s continued existence and with the staff members, until 7 this morning, we helped the T-ara members to understand and persuaded them.

I’d like to add once more that there never was discord between the T-ara members and Hwa Young, nor any acts trying to make a member an outcast.

Previously I stated that members who did not work hard in the growth system for T-ara from 7 to 9 members and those who gave damages to another member could be replaced or be reinforced with additional members for T-ara’s future.

If T-ara thinks of itself first, become idle and move passively, T-ara will become T-ara in name only and with its insides empty. This is why I believe one should always be humble, strive hard and be refined in their feelings and character.

This is the only way I believe T-ara will move beyond Korea and to become a hallyu T-ara.

As Hwa Young is a rapper with much potential, Core Contents Media has decided to allow [Hwa Young’s] contract to be cancelled without condition and believe as the status of a free agent singer she will be able to find a good place and develop further as a singer.

We are deeply regretful and apologize for the concern we have given to T-ara’s many loving fans and can only say we are sorry to deliver an unfortunate and unsavory bit of news on T-ara’s third anniversary since its debut.

Additionally, myself and the Core Contents Media staff members are sorry we could not listen to the opinion of the T-ara members who wanted to find a way to continue with Hwa Young as I could not go against the feelings of the many staff members who had been experiencing hardships.

Lastly, I want to express my apologetic feelings to the T-ara members and pray Hwa Young will become a superb rapper.

Though the press release revealed the fate of T-ara and former member Hwa Young, many fans were left dissatisfied with the vagueness of the announcement. Such questions that lingered included why member Hwa Young was leaving the group if there was no discord, who the series of Tweets by the T-ara members was referring to if not Hwa Young and also the fate of Hwa Young’s twin sister Hyo Young who is also signed with Core Contents Media.

Japan’s Kyaryy Pamyu Pamyu Tweets Then Deletes About T-ara

Japanese fashionista and singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu has tweeted about T-ara and its controversy.

On July 30, the singer tweeted, “Outcasts are no good. Really low! They say the ones that are outcast have a problem too but that’s all a lie. The ones making others outcasts are 100%, 1000000000% bad! How much the tormented must be suffering… just reading the news makes my heart hurt.”

She added, “Though I’m not a group so I can’t be outcast, if I was together all the time with a group? I think I’d want to quit! I don’t think I would want to go.”

The singer also added her disappointment in T-ara saying, “I used to like T-ara but… I really don’t like this and I can’t understand. I really don’t like it.”

She later deleted the last tweet about T-ara.

T-Ara x Hwayoung: Aftermath

 

Core Contents Media, has shocked many fans and the like, by revealing that T-ara’s impending schedule will follow through as planned without any delays. A representative of Core Contents Media told OSEN news that T-ara will “resume as a seven-member unit without Hwayoung” and that “T-ara’s schedule will undergo no changes and will continue as planned.” “We planned the comeback just in time for the end of the Olympics,” states Kim Kwangsoo, “We wanted to carry the festive spirit of the Olympics into T-ara’s upcoming single.”
 ‘Sexy Love’ will be released on August 15th.

An SBS PD, after seeing the controversy unfold, defended Hwayoung by tweeting that he would no longer cast T-ara.
It seems as though the tweet was deleted shortly afterwards, however it sparked yet another round of controversy with fans now leaning towards Hwayoung being the victim of bullying and unfair treatment.
Due to this controversy, it’s been reported that T-ara is also facing issues with their upcoming concert, as all but 600 tickets to their concert were returned.

 

 The tweet and the Facebook comment have both been removed, but not before quick netizens made screen captures and spread it online, making the names of the producers reach number one on most searched.

 Netizens have discovered further evidence to prove the speculated rumors regarding Hwayoung being bullied to be true.

On November 6, 2011, a post titled, “Being an outcast.. Really is difficult and tiresome“, was uploaded onto Nate Pann, an online community forum, under the username ‘Suk Ryu’ (Ryu is Hwayoung’s last name).
Although the post has yet to be confirmed, netizens have speculated it to indeed be Hwayoung, as it well matched her current situation.
The message read:

Hello. I’ve been contemplating whether I should post this or not, but have decided to write a few things..
The group I’m in is… A group everybody will know just by revealing the group’s initial.
I’m a new member in the group, so it has been very awkward and because I’m also very timid, I’m unable to approach them easily… That’s one of the reasons why I’m becoming an outcast.
The original members must have strongly opposed my addition to the group…
I’m basically treated as if I’m an invisible at the dorm.
But when the cameras are rolling, they would suddenly have their arms around my shoulders.
When we’re practicing… I really feel like I’m going to die.
When I make a little mistake, I’d get criticized hearing things like, ‘You can’t even do this?’ and would get cursed at.
Even right now, I’m alone since they all went grocery shopping without me..
They’ll be back in a few hours, but I want to just forget about my singing career and leave.
However, this is the path I decided to take and I’m the one who decided to join, so it’s hard to do so.
I feel a bit better now that I’ve written this.
Thank you.

Criticisms have been rising for T-ara as more “evidence” is surfacing in regards to the bullying. In addition, a website titled T-Jinyo (“We Demand the Truth from T-ara”) was formed and is rapidly seeing an increase in members by the hour.

 

 

As previously reported, various fans and the like have been demanding that Eunjung be booted off from all broadcasts featuring the idol. Many comments were especially directed towards the idol’s segment in the variety show ‘We Got Married‘, and most recently, her role in the SBS drama ‘Five Fingers‘, set to debut its pilot episode in August.
However, chief producer Kang Shin Hyo has confirmed that no such thing will happen. “We have no plans of removing Ham Eunjung from this project,” states Kang, “None of the claims that have been brought up against T-ara and Eunjung have been proven to be true. We are not going to expell her from the production when nothing has been confirmed.”
“We didn’t cast all the members in T-ara,” continued Kang, “We casted Ham Eunjung and Eunjung only. The drama will air with Eunjung still a part of the cast.

T-Ara x Hwayoung Controversy

 

Over the weekend, T-ara has been the hot topic throughout the world of K-Pop, causing many fans to worry. Fans’ worst fears were then confirmed, when CCM (Core Contents Media) announced that Hwayoung would no longer be a part of T-ara. Let’s take a look at how this chaotic story came about.

Stage 1: The Plan

[7/25-26] T-ara‘s Budokan concert for ‘Jewelry Box‘ in Japan were treated to special unit performances from the girls. Held on July 25th and 26th, the members captivated the audience members with special individual and unit performances during the concerts. Eunjung, Jiyeon, and Hyomin put on a hip hop dance show to the tune of EXILE‘s “Choo Choo Train” while Soyeon let out her sexy side with a cover of Koda Kumi‘s “Cutie Honey“. Boram and Qri formed their own unit called ‘Unnis’ and showed off their adorable aegyo to AKB48‘s “Aitakatta“. Hwayoung was not able to perform throughout most of the concert due to a leg injury.

[7/25] Towards the beginning of the Budokan performance, Soyeon, Eunjung, Qri, Boram, Jiyeon, and Hyomin each greeted the fans one at a time, and afterwards Hwayoung came on stage with her crutches, and the fans encouraged her with their cheers. When the concert was nearly over, T-ara performed their hit song “Day By Day“, and finally Hwayoung appeared and performed her rap portion on stage on a chair.


After the concert, the T-ara members then posted a few tweets that netizens assumed was directed towards fellow member Hwayoung in a teasing manner, and the fans were shocked at the girls lashing out at Hwayoung and the fans are now questioning T-ara’s teamwork.

T-Ara: Day By Day

 T-ara topped the Gom TV’s real-time music chart with a music video of their new song “Day By Day” in only thirty minutes after the video was released.
  People are showing their interest in the music video with such comments as: “It’s good. The song is awesome.” “T-ara always entertain us with this type of thing to watch.” Now here's my view on it~!

 After a brief delay, T-ara made their return today with the release of their new mini-album and the music video for their soon-to-be No. 1 smash hit, “Day by Day”.
  Keeping in theme with their last few single releases, the “Day by Day” music video is another mini-movie, clocking in at just over 10-minutes with five minutes of 'Making Of.' It features a futuristic sci-fi concept that comes after the group previously went retro for “Roly Poly” and gangster/mafia “Cry Cry” and “Lovey-Dovey”.
  In fact, they’ve virtually followed the exact same formula as their last two hits, snagging only two to three members for the mini movie. This time around it's Jiyeon and Hyomin that star in “Day by Day”, which has a dark and dramatic sound like “Cry Cry”, while Eunjung will join the pair in part II of the video, which will be for the Euro dance tune “Mirage/Don't Leave."
  Recent addition Dani, the 14-year-old who is scheduled to officially join T-ara later this year, is the only other member of the group to appear in the “Day by Day” video. CCM is only booking T-ara’s top actresses to star in the drama versions of their music videos, but it would be nice to see the other members included in some capacity, even if it’s just a non-speaking role in the background.

  Now for the video and song. The video directed by Cha Eun Taek, a famous music video director, it includes “Day By Day,” and “Don’t Leave Me.” composed by the famous composers Jo Young Soo and Kim Tae Hyun and written by Ahn Young Min. At the beginning, a narrator gives us a pretty standard sci-fi plot line about how everybody in 2333 wants to become a 'God,' behaving like violent animals and having 'God' turn the planet into an apocalyptic wasteland. New member Dani plays a young blind girl who possesses a mysterious power, while the flame-haired Hyomin, who seems to be her sister, is protecting her. Rumors spread of Dani’s gift, leading a bleach blonde war lord, played to absolute perfection by Jiyeon, to come after the pair in hopes of capturing Dani, in order to harness her power and take over the land (Last part is kind of expected).
  Hyomin looks utterly amazing with her Anime red hair, but Jiyeon completely steals the show as the evil war lord. She pulls off the sexy bitch role better than anybody else in K-Pop, so I’m glad to see her playing up to it.
  This is the first time we’ve seen Dani, other than in pictures, but despite the initial opposition from fans (including myself), it’s obvious that she’s going to make a great addition to T-ara. She somewhat looks like miss A’s Suzy, thicker eyebrows, a bigger nose and the four or five year age gap, but she’s still very distinctive, which is an important part of T-ara’s image. She actually seems like a better addition than Areum, who looks like another Visual for the group, but doesn’t stand out as much as Dani does (Qri 2.0 in short).
  The CGI effects, the costumes to the sets, “Day by Day” rocked and nailed everything on the visual front, instantly making it one of the best looking videos of the year. The storyline was entertaining, but I wouldn’t rank “Day by Day” as my favorite idol MV of 2012 just yet.
  In conclusion, “Day by Day” is going to be a hell of a song to beat and it is what makes T-ara’s trademark style and pushes it into slicker, glossier territory. It’s easy to see why T-ara’s the fastest rising group in Hallyu. I’m definitely obsessed with “Day by Day” and so far I can’t get enough. I'll be waiting for part II, but do hurry up! 

  T-ara's first performance of “Day By Day” will be on MBC TV’s Show! Music Core on July 7. Areum, the eighth member of T-ara, will also be part of the group from that day.

Official photos of Dani, T-ara's 9th Member revealed!

Following the news where Core Contents Media announced Dani as T-ara's 9th member, the company has now revealed her official photos.

As reported before, she has just turned 14 this year, she was born in Los Angeles and has lived in the U.S. since she was 4 years old.  It was revealed that she will join the group this December, and the reason behind it, is that she wants to practice more to make sure she's well prepared before debuting.

Meanwhile the 8th member which is said to be a 19-year old girl with both the looks and skills and boasts a height of 168cm will be revealed at a later date and will join T-ara for their July comeback.

The group is currently preparing for their Thailand Concert which will be held on June 3rd as well as their July comeback for their single titled "Day by Day" where they teamed up with the popular choreographer named Jonte Moaning for their choreography.

Far from the predebut photos which were revealed check out Dani's beautiful photos below~

Credits:
CCMEnt.co.kr,Nate

Jonte Moaning Leaks T-Ara and Gang Kiz's Songs

  Choreographer Jonte Moaning, best known for his work with Beyonce‘s “Single Ladies“, has been revealed to be working with T-ara for their comeback album!
  Moaning worked with miss A for their “Touch” choreography, and this time he’s teamed up with T-ara for their “Day by Day” comeback next month.
  Representatives of Core Contents Media stated, “T-ara’s dance team visited New York for six days, and were taught the ‘Day by Day’ choreography by Moaning himself.”
To raise anticipation for the comeback, a video featuring Moaning will be released giving fans a glimpse of the choreography and T-ara’s new song on May 24.
  However, prior to its official release, a leaked version of the video has been circulating online. A Core Contents Media representative stated, “T-ara’s new song, which was originally scheduled for release in July, and Gang Kiz’s follow-up song and choreography were leaked on YouTube.”
  They continued, “The choreography is special in that our dance team went to New York for six days to learn it under ‘Single Ladies‘ choreographer Jonte Moaning. Only our representatives from Japan and the U.S. were present to record the choreography so we’re trying to figure out how the leak happened. We’ll be taking this internationally.”
  Core Contents Media is currently investigating the case, and will be filing lawsuits against those involved in the leak.

Gangkiz to T-ARA: "We're Sorry, but Thank you"

 Gangkiz expresses their gratefulness for T-ara's support.

  Ahead of their official debut on May 18th, Gangkiz said in an interview, "We're sorry, but thank you."

 For Gangkiz's debut project, T-ara accompanied Gangkiz as staff for 9 days and 8 nights to Europe.

  Leader Hwang Jihyun revealed her gratitude for T-ara by saying, "I'm sorry, but thank you. They weren't required to come with, but they willingly helped us. T-ara also had no break in Europe, but even though they suffered a lot in Korea with their busy schedules, they came and helped. They must of struggled a lot, even making video narration's for us, so thank you."

As singers, Gangkiz want to be able to exceed T-ara's success.

  Leader Hwang Jihyun said, "We though it would be great if we could pass, or even just reach T-ara's level. We'd like to become like T-ara, and T-ara, if we can compete in good faith with each other, we can both develop our skills better. In the future, we'd like to develop and grow like T-ara has and show a better appearance."

And Then There Were Nine

 
  Many of Korea’s top girl groups are singing and dancing in large packs these days. A Pink, Rainbow, Nine Muses, and quite a few others have debuted over the last few years with seven or more members. Of the large groups, three have earned reputations as the best of the best – gaining popularity through promotions in South Korea, Japan and then all over the world. And interestingly enough, they’re about to share something else in common: the number of ladies. How did they arrive at so many? Is there something special about nine idols together in a group? 

   Let’s start with the group that made the number famous: Girls’ Generation.

GIRLS’ GENERATION

SM Entertainment, one of Korea’s “top three” agencies alongside JYP and YG, debuted Girls’ Generation in 2007. At the time, nine was an unusually large idol group – the second largest in SM next to brother group, Super Junior. Most other groups of both sexes at the time were limited to trios, quartets and quintets.
During an interview on Radio Show Ya Shim Man Man 2, members Sooyoung, Yuri and Yoona revealed that the trainee competition to join the group was fierce. Apparently, the original plan was for a three-member group, but was extended to 10 after three extensive line-up revisions. After the departure of Soyeon (who later debuted  with T-ARA), the final roster consisted of leader Taeyeon, Yuri, Sunny, Tiffany, Sooyoung, Jessica, Hyoyeon, YoonA and Seohyun.
 As of April 2012, Girls’ Generation introduced their first sub-group, TaeTiSeo. Though the group name was drawn from the names of the first three members, Taeyeon, Tiffany and Seohyun, according to OSEN, representatives from SM stated that the members were interchangeable, so future promotions may include other members of GG.

Girls Generation and TaeTiSeo (Unit Group)

AFTER SCHOOL

After School Debut Members

  Pledis Entertainment took an interesting approach to their first idol group, After School, by declaring from the start that there would be an “admission/graduation” system. New members would be “admitted” into After School, and would “graduate” when it was time to move on to other projects – making member changes appear more natural. Many idol groups cut and add members, but not without much speculation and suggested internal conflict. Announcing from debut that active members are interchangeable took the bulk of negative pressure away from the agency whenever they decided to add to or withdraw from After School’s membership.
  A.S. originally consisted of leader Kahi, Bekah, JungAh, Juyeon and Soyoung in 2007, and admitted UEE, Raina, Nana, Lizzy and E-Young by 2011. Soyoung graduated in 2009 and Bekah graduated in 2011 respectively. Newest member Gaeun was introduced on April 10 in Japan, and will bring the group’s total active members to nine when she joins A.S. for their album release this June. But in an interesting twist, After School’s capacity may come back down to eight soon, as Pledis CEO Han Sung Soo announced through an interview on May 2 that another graduation will take place (StarNews). After School currently has three promoting sub-groups: Orange Caramel, After School Red and After School Blue.

After School Current Photo and New Member Gaeun

 After School Sub-Groups: Orange Caramel (Left), After School Red (Top), and After School Blue (Bottom)

  

T-ARA

T-ARA Debut Members

 

  Core Contents Media formed T-ARA in 2009 with members Eunjung, Hyomin, Jiyeon, Jiwon and Jiae, though it is unclear whether they initially planned to add more. After the departure of Jiwon and Jiae just before their official debut, the group gained Boram, Q-ri, Soyeon and Hwayoung, bringing the current total to seven. Although there have been no sub-groups announced for T-ARA yet, several members have become popular personalities on variety shows and even acted as leads in movies and television dramas.
   CEO Kim Kwang Soo announced earlier this year that two more girls would be added, bringing the total up to the 9 for this group as well. His official statement not only confirmed the member addition, but also served as a warning to members becoming comfortable in their top star position.  “I’ve seen a portion of the celebrities I’ve created become conceited and idle about three years after they’ve risen to popularity. Although T-ARA is working hard, I have decided to make changes to show them that they must continue to try and work even harder onstage and offstage.”  (Kim Kwang Soo, Naver)

Current T-ARA to Add Two New Members

IS 9 THE MAGIC NUMBER?

   Agencies with large groups are well aware of what comes with them – uneven popularity among fans between members, issues of pay distribution and visibility during off-promotion activities. Internal issues aside, it does provide an agency with a larger pool of artists to work with; side projects like sub-groups and acting in dramas and movies is much easier to facilitate when audiences are already familiar with the talent from their high-time in a popular group. Some members may even achieve enough popularity and support to have a second solo career, returning to the group only for group promotions.
   It’s a bit of a reach to say that the number “9″ is specifically the ticket to big success, but as far as we can tell, it seems to sit right in the perfect range. There are enough members to spread out and break down into solos or sub-groups as the agency sees fit, but not too many that fans are put-off by the amount of names to remember and activities to follow. With a wide enough range of personalities and talents, a group of nine has a better chance of appealing to a wider range of audiences.

All Image Credits to Respective Agencies.

What do you think? Do 9-member groups have a better chance at lifting off?

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!