Woollim Entertainment has finally debuted their much anticipated girlband Lovelyz today. The group consists of eight girls aged 16 to 22 (international), three of whom (Jiae, Baby Soul (real name Lee Soojung) and Jin (real name Park Myungeun)) have previously debuted as soloists. In 2012, Yoo Jiae and Baby Soul released "She's A Flirt" featuring Infinite's Jang Dongwoo.
And this is Lovelyz's first single, "Goodbye Like Yesterday."
They're good but in all honesty I don't really like it that Jiae, Jin and Baby Soul, who have already shined as soloists, have to share spotlight with five other girls. Also you should have a look at their teaser images, in which the girls are dressed in what looks like school uniforms. I mean, Jiae and Baby Soul are 21 and 22 respectively! I wonder how those girls feel...
EDIT: It was awesome that they debuted with a ballad instead of a dance number. At least in the past two years most girlbands (if not all of them) debuted with a dance song. "Good Night Like Yesterday" draws people's attention to the girls' voices and it gives a good first impression that they really are singers...instead of dancers who sing to accompany their dance moves.
And the model that graces the video is, of course, none other than Infinite's leader Kim Sunggyu! If you're a long-time Sunggyu fan like me, you sure remember what happened on M-Net's "Jjang" when he was interviewed in light of his solo album "Another Me"...
Sunggyu complains that Kim Myungsoo, Infinite's visual member, got to star in his first solo single "60 Seconds." He's hoping that one day he'll star in his music video, and if you fast forward to 6:50 you'll see him hoping he'll get to showcase his acting ability one day. Sunggyu has since branched out to acting, playing the title role in a musical play called "Vampire", which was based by a play written by Czech composer Karel Svoboda. The play was performed in Tokyo on August 21-27 2014.
Last but not least, what's up with his red hair? Is it to celebrate the second anniversary of "Another Me", which was released on November 19 2012?
Showing posts with label Jang Dongwoo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jang Dongwoo. Show all posts
Monday, 10 November 2014
Monday, 2 June 2014
NKOTB, Infinite and anniversaries
Two years ago, precisely on June 1 2012, I watched New Kids On The Block (and Backstreet Boys, but who cares) in concert. It was their first concert in Jakarta in twenty years. As an eight-year-old, I came to the NKOTB concert at Istora Senayan on February 11 1992.
Their comeback was one of the best things that have ever happened in the realm of Blockheads. After they disbanded in 1995 following the departure of Jonathan Knight, there was little if any hope at all that they would reunite. But reunite they did in 2008, and unlike other old bands that cashed in on the "reuniting season" that was the late 2000s only for the sake of reuniting (here's looking at you, Spice Girls), the Kids proved that this second time around they were here to stay. Beginning with "The Block" in 2008, the Kids had solo projects between themselves (Jordan Knight and Donny Wahlberg notably had a duet in the single "Stingy"), before releasing a new album as a whole in April 2013 called "10" (it's their 10th album since debuting in 1986.)
MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE. Out of all my NKOTB faves. Not only does this song boast the musical maturity of the Kids, the video is also something out of the typical NKOTB videos that feature hot young girls (yes, even the MV of "Stingy" (which was out in 2011) features a girl that could pass for their young niece.)
Oh, and while we're at it...Jordan has also teamed with Nick Carter from Backstreet Boys and whipped out this single. I've never really liked BSB, but this one is worth checking out.
By the way, I found my way to NKOTB in 1990. I don't remember the exact date.
Exactly a year ago, June 2 2013, I discovered Infinite. You only need to check my previous Infinite entries to find out what attracted me to the seven Korean namjas. Infinite marks a new phase in my life that's groundbreaking on many levels. It revived my boyband phase, long dead since 1994. Infinite was also my first ever K-pop concert, and it wasn't like me to attend an artist's concert only about two months about discovering the artist. This June 9 will see the boys' fourth anniversary in the show business.
The spectacular "Last Romeo", the first single out of their latest full-length album "Season Two." This video is first Infinite video to achieve one million hits only within TWO DAYS after being released on May 21.
NKOTB and Infinite, two sets of boybands from different countries and eras - yet both hold a special place in my heart. These seemingly coincidental anniversaries (NKOTB's last concert in Jakarta, my discovery of Infinite and Infinite's debut anniversary) are not coincidences. To keep a long story short, it's God's way to show that He's planned to put them in my life, probably long before I came into existence.
Other NKOTB and Infinite coincidences related to me...
- NKOTB's maknae, Joey McIntyre, is exactly ten years and 4.5 months my senior. Infinite's maknae, Lee Sungjong, is exactly ten years and 3.5 months my junior.
- Both NKOTB and Infinite each has a Taurean member who's the main vocalist (Jordan Knight and Kim Sunggyu.) And I'm a Taurean myself.
- NKOTB's three-day concert in Jakarta ended on February 13 1992, exactly a month before my second favourite in Infinite, Kim Myungsoo, was born.
- The year I became a Blockhead was also the year Infinite's rapper, Jang Dongwoo, was born.
- This is not a coincidence but...no matter how old I am, I'll always be a kiddy Blockhead. Likewise, no matter how old Infinite boys will be, I'll always be a noona Inspirit <3
Yah Yeol-ah, I'm not the cheating type...Ask your NKOTB sunbaes!
Their comeback was one of the best things that have ever happened in the realm of Blockheads. After they disbanded in 1995 following the departure of Jonathan Knight, there was little if any hope at all that they would reunite. But reunite they did in 2008, and unlike other old bands that cashed in on the "reuniting season" that was the late 2000s only for the sake of reuniting (here's looking at you, Spice Girls), the Kids proved that this second time around they were here to stay. Beginning with "The Block" in 2008, the Kids had solo projects between themselves (Jordan Knight and Donny Wahlberg notably had a duet in the single "Stingy"), before releasing a new album as a whole in April 2013 called "10" (it's their 10th album since debuting in 1986.)
MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE. Out of all my NKOTB faves. Not only does this song boast the musical maturity of the Kids, the video is also something out of the typical NKOTB videos that feature hot young girls (yes, even the MV of "Stingy" (which was out in 2011) features a girl that could pass for their young niece.)
Oh, and while we're at it...Jordan has also teamed with Nick Carter from Backstreet Boys and whipped out this single. I've never really liked BSB, but this one is worth checking out.
By the way, I found my way to NKOTB in 1990. I don't remember the exact date.
Exactly a year ago, June 2 2013, I discovered Infinite. You only need to check my previous Infinite entries to find out what attracted me to the seven Korean namjas. Infinite marks a new phase in my life that's groundbreaking on many levels. It revived my boyband phase, long dead since 1994. Infinite was also my first ever K-pop concert, and it wasn't like me to attend an artist's concert only about two months about discovering the artist. This June 9 will see the boys' fourth anniversary in the show business.
The spectacular "Last Romeo", the first single out of their latest full-length album "Season Two." This video is first Infinite video to achieve one million hits only within TWO DAYS after being released on May 21.
NKOTB and Infinite, two sets of boybands from different countries and eras - yet both hold a special place in my heart. These seemingly coincidental anniversaries (NKOTB's last concert in Jakarta, my discovery of Infinite and Infinite's debut anniversary) are not coincidences. To keep a long story short, it's God's way to show that He's planned to put them in my life, probably long before I came into existence.
Other NKOTB and Infinite coincidences related to me...
- NKOTB's maknae, Joey McIntyre, is exactly ten years and 4.5 months my senior. Infinite's maknae, Lee Sungjong, is exactly ten years and 3.5 months my junior.
- Both NKOTB and Infinite each has a Taurean member who's the main vocalist (Jordan Knight and Kim Sunggyu.) And I'm a Taurean myself.
- NKOTB's three-day concert in Jakarta ended on February 13 1992, exactly a month before my second favourite in Infinite, Kim Myungsoo, was born.
- The year I became a Blockhead was also the year Infinite's rapper, Jang Dongwoo, was born.
- This is not a coincidence but...no matter how old I am, I'll always be a kiddy Blockhead. Likewise, no matter how old Infinite boys will be, I'll always be a noona Inspirit <3
Yah Yeol-ah, I'm not the cheating type...Ask your NKOTB sunbaes!
Wednesday, 27 November 2013
Infinite and possible publicity stunts
Twitter is currently ablaze with Woollim's confirmation that Infinite's second maknae Kim Myungsoo (also known as L, but I'll refer to him as Myungsoo here) did indeed date an ulzzang (an "ulzzang" is like minor celebrity, a guy or girl who gains popularity online by posting selcas) called Kim Doyeon. The agency even implied that the two might still be together, only estranged due to Infinite's "One Great Step" world tour.
Back in September, Doyeon topped Twitter trending topics for her tweets which insinuated that she was dating Myungsoo and posting pictures allegedly of her and Myungsoo together. Then Woollim released a statement saying that Myungsoo and Doyeon were just friends, triggering Inspirits to accuse the poor girl of being an attention seeker.
Woollim eventually came clean about Myungsoo and Doyeon dating after the girl tweeted that Inspirits (or should I say those who are half Inspirit and half sasaeng) stole petrol from her car, threw garbage at her office and even threw bottles at her. She threatened to bring this to court.
You might want to think well Myungsoo is 21 (22 in Korean age) and Doyeon works and drives, so she's at least Myungsoo's age, why not let them date. And let's applaud Myungsoo for being able to squeeze a bit of personal life into his crazy gruelling schedule.
Except...is that really the case? Was Woollim's confirmation that the Infinite visual was dating really an act of coming clean?
When Inspirits first became aware of Kim Doyeon in late September, Infinite was in the midst of the OGS' Asian leg. Also, on the very same date that Doyeon topped trending topics for the first time (September 26), Infinite released "Request", a single for their Samsung promotion campaigns. And let's look at other things surrounding the revelation of the two Kims' relationship. Last week, Woollim released two teasers of "Day and Night", a comeback single of their duo Tasty. Also last week, Infinite won "Worldwide Performer" and "Best Male Group" (beating Shinee and EXO from K-pop industry titan SM) at the 2013 M-Net Asian Music Awards (MAMA 2013) in Hong Kong, and the boyband has just kickstarted the European part of OGS, with a concert in London being held tonight (yes a Wednesday.)
Aaand let's not forget that sometime in their US tour which has just wrapped, member Jang Dongwoo revealed that Infinite would release a new single just before the end of the year.
You don't have to be a Communications Science expert to have every right to suspect the whole Kim Doyeon brouhaha is nothing but a publicity stunt. What I don't understand is with all the new level of popularity brought by OGS world tour, endorsements (Infinite are brand ambassadors of Samsung and Natuur Pop, and this year they added Pepsi to the list), award wins, comeback albums and singles, why would Woollim create this "Myungsoo dating Doyeon" stunt to bring attention to any new Infinite release - or Tasty for that matter? Sure, Tasty is nowhere near as famous as their labelmate Infinite yet, having debuted just last year, but "Day and Night" is Tasty's second comeback of the year, which means the duo's popularity is rising. Can't they just "rise from the ashes" the way Infinite did when they debuted back in 2010, without the help of any scandal?
Or is it some kind of a warning that we shouldn't be shocked when Doyeon is revealed to be a K-pop trainee of any agency (not necessarily Woollim)?
If it is indeed a publicity stunt, then the biggest blame most likely lies on the cutthroat Korean music industry, in which new girlbands, boybands and solo artists emerge everyday. So much so that when a new singer or group appears, they should consider themselves lucky if they live to see their comeback mini album, which typically consists of four songs and only one of those songs is promoted.
"Keep them talking, that's the game," says PR expert JJ French in "St. Trinian's", but at least in this case with Infinite and Kim Doyeon, perhaps I'm the only one who doesn't get the drift.
Back in September, Doyeon topped Twitter trending topics for her tweets which insinuated that she was dating Myungsoo and posting pictures allegedly of her and Myungsoo together. Then Woollim released a statement saying that Myungsoo and Doyeon were just friends, triggering Inspirits to accuse the poor girl of being an attention seeker.
Woollim eventually came clean about Myungsoo and Doyeon dating after the girl tweeted that Inspirits (or should I say those who are half Inspirit and half sasaeng) stole petrol from her car, threw garbage at her office and even threw bottles at her. She threatened to bring this to court.
You might want to think well Myungsoo is 21 (22 in Korean age) and Doyeon works and drives, so she's at least Myungsoo's age, why not let them date. And let's applaud Myungsoo for being able to squeeze a bit of personal life into his crazy gruelling schedule.
Except...is that really the case? Was Woollim's confirmation that the Infinite visual was dating really an act of coming clean?
When Inspirits first became aware of Kim Doyeon in late September, Infinite was in the midst of the OGS' Asian leg. Also, on the very same date that Doyeon topped trending topics for the first time (September 26), Infinite released "Request", a single for their Samsung promotion campaigns. And let's look at other things surrounding the revelation of the two Kims' relationship. Last week, Woollim released two teasers of "Day and Night", a comeback single of their duo Tasty. Also last week, Infinite won "Worldwide Performer" and "Best Male Group" (beating Shinee and EXO from K-pop industry titan SM) at the 2013 M-Net Asian Music Awards (MAMA 2013) in Hong Kong, and the boyband has just kickstarted the European part of OGS, with a concert in London being held tonight (yes a Wednesday.)
Aaand let's not forget that sometime in their US tour which has just wrapped, member Jang Dongwoo revealed that Infinite would release a new single just before the end of the year.
You don't have to be a Communications Science expert to have every right to suspect the whole Kim Doyeon brouhaha is nothing but a publicity stunt. What I don't understand is with all the new level of popularity brought by OGS world tour, endorsements (Infinite are brand ambassadors of Samsung and Natuur Pop, and this year they added Pepsi to the list), award wins, comeback albums and singles, why would Woollim create this "Myungsoo dating Doyeon" stunt to bring attention to any new Infinite release - or Tasty for that matter? Sure, Tasty is nowhere near as famous as their labelmate Infinite yet, having debuted just last year, but "Day and Night" is Tasty's second comeback of the year, which means the duo's popularity is rising. Can't they just "rise from the ashes" the way Infinite did when they debuted back in 2010, without the help of any scandal?
Or is it some kind of a warning that we shouldn't be shocked when Doyeon is revealed to be a K-pop trainee of any agency (not necessarily Woollim)?
If it is indeed a publicity stunt, then the biggest blame most likely lies on the cutthroat Korean music industry, in which new girlbands, boybands and solo artists emerge everyday. So much so that when a new singer or group appears, they should consider themselves lucky if they live to see their comeback mini album, which typically consists of four songs and only one of those songs is promoted.
"Keep them talking, that's the game," says PR expert JJ French in "St. Trinian's", but at least in this case with Infinite and Kim Doyeon, perhaps I'm the only one who doesn't get the drift.
Friday, 19 July 2013
Infinite - the third instalment
Happy big 2-0 Lee Sohee! I wish we could have time to hang out. I would love to listen to your coming-of-age day story and how you had to spend it overseas. How did it feel?
I'm not Hoya-biased but Sohee is, and to honour the birthday girl treat yourself to an entry about Infinite's resident dancing machine and rapper, Lee Howon a.k.a Hoya a.k.a Hogod ("Hogod" is a nickname given to him by his fangirls.)
For those uninitiated, Hoya is the only member of Infinite who didn't finish high school. He dropped out of high school when he was 17 to pursue his dream of being a singer. His sacrifice was paid off when he debuted with Infinite under Woolim Entertainment in June 2010, aged 19. Thus far he's branched out to acting, playing a gay character called Kang Joonhee in the TV series "Reply 1997" and he earned critical acclaims for the role - not bad for a first-time actor. With fellow Infinite rapper Jang Dongwoo, Hoya also debuted under the sub-unit Infinite H last January. What makes Infinite H distinct from Infinite is its Hip-hop and R & B sound and "more laid back dancing" (as Dongwoo put it) as opposed to the synchronised dancing that Infinite is famous for.
For someone without a high school diploma, Hoya seems to be the most determined out of the seven Infinite guys. Despite his lack of English skills, he wouldn't mind being the band's English announcer (which leaves everyone wonder why Dongwoo won't take the position since he once lived in Vancouver!) Not to mention the fact that his first performance as an actor was critically acclaimed and his position as main dancer proves that his dancing skills are above everyone else's. A slew of interviews also show that he's able to come up with smart banters (which probably come across as harsh to some.) Perhaps this has something to do with his starsign being Aries?
Aries people are known for being determined and impatient (they won't hesitate to tell people off if things don't go their way.) They're eager to win every argument there is and their stubbornness can only be rivalled by Taureans. But whereas Arieses won't hesitate to give people a piece of their mind if things don't go to plan, Taureans tend to harbour their anger until it bursts out of their control five years from now. I know a lot of Taureans who secretly resent their Aries friends to a certain point. Heck, I'm one of said Taureans...while I appreciate my close Aries friends who have taken care of me at certain stages in my life, I still have a hard time dealing with their brashness.
Which makes me wonder...how do Hoya and Sunggyu connect to each other off camera?
My secret wish for Hoya is that he would get a high school diploma, like a Korean GED or something. It's not too late, he's only 22. I mean, didn't Natasha Reid/Tasha/Baby T/Yoon Mirae/whatever moniker she goes by finish high school online in 2006, at age 25? Also, I wouldn't mind teaching him English. I'd be with him every step of the way until he really masters the language. Omo, do I sound like a Hoya die-hard fan now? Sohee, you're partially to blame for this...But I've always liked the seven members anyway, so showing a non-favourite a little more love than usual is not a problem.
I'm not Hoya-biased but Sohee is, and to honour the birthday girl treat yourself to an entry about Infinite's resident dancing machine and rapper, Lee Howon a.k.a Hoya a.k.a Hogod ("Hogod" is a nickname given to him by his fangirls.)
For those uninitiated, Hoya is the only member of Infinite who didn't finish high school. He dropped out of high school when he was 17 to pursue his dream of being a singer. His sacrifice was paid off when he debuted with Infinite under Woolim Entertainment in June 2010, aged 19. Thus far he's branched out to acting, playing a gay character called Kang Joonhee in the TV series "Reply 1997" and he earned critical acclaims for the role - not bad for a first-time actor. With fellow Infinite rapper Jang Dongwoo, Hoya also debuted under the sub-unit Infinite H last January. What makes Infinite H distinct from Infinite is its Hip-hop and R & B sound and "more laid back dancing" (as Dongwoo put it) as opposed to the synchronised dancing that Infinite is famous for.
For someone without a high school diploma, Hoya seems to be the most determined out of the seven Infinite guys. Despite his lack of English skills, he wouldn't mind being the band's English announcer (which leaves everyone wonder why Dongwoo won't take the position since he once lived in Vancouver!) Not to mention the fact that his first performance as an actor was critically acclaimed and his position as main dancer proves that his dancing skills are above everyone else's. A slew of interviews also show that he's able to come up with smart banters (which probably come across as harsh to some.) Perhaps this has something to do with his starsign being Aries?
Aries people are known for being determined and impatient (they won't hesitate to tell people off if things don't go their way.) They're eager to win every argument there is and their stubbornness can only be rivalled by Taureans. But whereas Arieses won't hesitate to give people a piece of their mind if things don't go to plan, Taureans tend to harbour their anger until it bursts out of their control five years from now. I know a lot of Taureans who secretly resent their Aries friends to a certain point. Heck, I'm one of said Taureans...while I appreciate my close Aries friends who have taken care of me at certain stages in my life, I still have a hard time dealing with their brashness.
Which makes me wonder...how do Hoya and Sunggyu connect to each other off camera?
My secret wish for Hoya is that he would get a high school diploma, like a Korean GED or something. It's not too late, he's only 22. I mean, didn't Natasha Reid/Tasha/Baby T/Yoon Mirae/whatever moniker she goes by finish high school online in 2006, at age 25? Also, I wouldn't mind teaching him English. I'd be with him every step of the way until he really masters the language. Omo, do I sound like a Hoya die-hard fan now? Sohee, you're partially to blame for this...But I've always liked the seven members anyway, so showing a non-favourite a little more love than usual is not a problem.
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