Hello from Gdansk!

Just a quick log to say hi to all my ardent readers from Gdansk, Poland! Have been in this beautiful country since Tuesday (September 15) and am flying back to Indonesia today at 02:35 PM local time. As you probably have guessed, I'm here for a conference which was held by the University of Gdansk on September 17-18 2015, namely "The Fourth International Inter-Disciplinary Memory Conference." I presented a paper called "Indonesian Music Industry: The Road Back to The Golden Age and The Future." Other than Gdansk, I have also visited Warsaw to interview His Excellency Ambassador of Indonesia for Poland Mr Peter Gontha for my paper and Poznan. The latter takes the cake for being an addition to my list of favourite cities in the world.

Anyhoo, on to what I really wanna talk about. Woollim stans must be overjoyed about the comeback of Lovelyz with the single "Shooting Star". Lovelyz, who debuted in November 2014, is said by many to be set to dethrone A-Pink as the new queens of K-pop girl group basic. And apart from the sweet and innocent concept (which, of course, includes the ever-compulsory school concept) that they've hung on to since their debut, there's something else that cements their signature level of basic-ness (if there's such a word.) Take a look.









Ever noticed that all four videos were shot indoors? And that the last three videos might have been shot in the exact same location? That gives the impression that the girls are domesticated...and it's not a good thing on many levels.

What I foresaw and foresee

Kim Doyeon, who shook the K-pop realm in late 2013 after her relationship with Infinite's Kim Myungsoo was revealed, will soon debut as an actress under NCP Company.

I was right all along (if you're impatient, click here for a shorter version.)

If you're a Woollim stan just like me, I'm sure you're aware by now that the singer Joo (real name Jung Minjoo) has just moved to Woollim from JYP. I'm looking forward to her re-debut under Woollim...and any possible 'scandal' that will follow.

I always thought that Infinite's debut in June 2010 was free of any scandal, but boy was I wrong. Around the same that Infinite debuted, rapper Tablo (real name Daniel Armand Lee) from Epik High was entangled in a high-profile scandal that raised serious doubts about whether or not Tablo was a Stanford University graduate (later the Stanford Alumni website issued an article that defended him.) It's important to note that in 2009, before Infinite's debut and said Stanford scandal broke, Tablo was a regular on "You Are My Oppa", a reality show about Infinite's journey leading to their debut. Tablo appeared on the show alongside bandmate Mithra Jin (real name Choi Jin) as mentors to the Infinite boys. It goes without saying that Epik High was under Woollim from 2008 to 2010.

The latest scandal that surrounds Woollim right now is one regarding Seo Jisoo, a member of the label's girl group Lovelyz. Long story short, Jisoo has been accused of sexually and mentally abusing her ex girlfriends (yes she's an alleged lesbian - which brings this scandal to a whole new level especially in South Korea!) The scandal broke as soon as Lovelyz debuted in November 2014 (and faced some serious competition with Red Velvet from SM who debuted a month earlier.) So far, it's said that some possible suspects have been interrogated and Jisoo herself was reportedly severely depressed because of this scandal and had to be hospitalised, and as a result she had to miss out on Lovelyz's comeback earlier this year. There have been rumours that Jisoo has actually been kicked out, but I say this is merely part of the game to keep the hype around Lovelyz afloat...

Someone's got what he wanted...

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?