HALLYU Magazine No. 78

HALLYU

Convenience Store Must-Eats!

MOST ANTICIPATED 2023 KDRAMAS

Jay B

TAPE: PRESS PAUSE in Paris

STAYC Fanmeeting

Be You 2: Manila

The World Will Care

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

The End of a Dream Tour EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

STAYC Fanmeeting in Manila

BE YOU 2: Manila

Jay B TAPE: Press Pause in Paris

Most Anticipated Dramas

Black Knight

Song of the Bandits

When the Stars Gossip

Convenience Store

MUST-EATS!

We Bridge Music Festival and Expo

The End of a Dream 2022/2023 World Tour

Written

by Linda Yang | Photographed by June Saladino

It was chilly evening walking towards the entrance of a church venue in Las Vegas, NV. This combination seems like it was fitting due to it being Sin City. As the entrance of the building came into view, you can see the hustle and bustle right inside the doors. It did not seem very likely, but this was for a Kim Hyun Joong concert. This concert stop is a part of Kim’s first solo world tour, and this was one of its stops in the United States. You can see the excitement in people gathering at a table getting wristbanded before going into the concert hall. Making his debut in 2005 in idol group SS501, Kim Hyun Joong released his first solo album, Break Down, in 2011. He has also played roles in several dramas such as Boys Over Flowers and Playful Kiss, that continued to thrust him into global stardom in the early 2010’s.

Inside the concert hall, the diverse audience of different demographics stirred in excitement anticipating the show to come. Kim took to the stage with a guitar in hand to loud cheers. The second song began right after the first with Kim showing a soft smile that drove the crowd into a frenzy. He coupled that with his flawless vocals. When Kim stopped to interact with the crowd, he stated that he was more attached to the show in Las Vegas because the concert hall was in a church which aided in the meaning behind the tour. The sentiment was much more. Kim continued the show with more songs in both English and Korean. The uplifting lyrics in each song held a lot of meaning as this was Kim’s outlet and he was able to create the kind of music he had wanted and not stick to cookie cutter boundaries.

Before we were healed with Kim’s angelic voice and soothed with the glides on the guitar, Hallyu Magazine had the opportunity to sit down with Kim to catch up with the artist. Let’s see how the chat went.

HM: Who are your musical influences/role models?

KHJ: I have a lot of role models, but Oasis has provided me with a lot of inspiration.

HM: What is the biggest difference performing in a group and as a solo artist?

KHJ: When I was performing as a group, it was more about the performance aspect of it. The showiness and portraying a cool image. As a solo artist, I get to express myself whether it’s sad or exciting emotions, so it’s more on a personal level.

HM: What is your most memorable moment while performing?

KHJ: Every moment has been very touching for me. This whole journey itself has been very memorable, but I’d say it’s every time I walk onto the stage for the first time with my band members at the beginning of each show.

HM: What song on the album would you say best sums you up?

KHJ: That’s such a hard question for me because each song has different emotions from different days and times of day each song was created.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

HM: What attracted you to your role on Indian Pink because it is so much different from what you have done in the past.

KHJ: I just feel that the character itself was different. I wanted to get back into acting but more into movies versus dramas which I have done before. The story and character of the role was different, so I wanted to try to portray it.

HM: What were come of the challenges you had with the role?

KHJ: I don’t have that darkness inside of me, so it was a new experience and shocking to try and bring it out. If I were to get another role that is different from who I am, I would have to work hard on developing that character. I would have to work on the control of it as well.

HM: What is your must have everyday item, excluding your phone?

KHJ: If I was to think of it as being on a deserted island than it would have to be a guitar.

HM: What are you looking forward to the most in the future, in life and career.

KHJ: There’s a lot. I want to be able to put out more albums and play different roles. I’d also like to get into producing.

We thank Kim Hyun Joong and his team for allowing us to share this moment with him and his fans. We all look forward to his future endeavors and can’t wait to see him again in his next project.

1st Fanmeeting in Manila 1st Fanmeeting in Manila

Written & Photographed by Lilian Calulot

STAYC is a six-member girl group from High Up Entertainment consisting of Sumin, Sieun, ISA, Seeun, Yoon, and J. They held their first fan meeting in the Philippines - which is also the first stop of their Asian tour - at the EVM Convention Center in Quezon City last December 3. The event was presented by Neuwave Events & Productions.

The group greeted the members of the media with their bubbly personas for a short press conference right before the

fanmeet. They expressed how touched they were to see lots of PH SWITHs gathered at the airport to greet them.

STAYC also shared about the challenges they encountered debuting in the middle of pandemic and how thrilled they are to finally be meeting fans offline. They described their music and artistry as something that conveys a positive and healthy energy. When asked what their advice is to those who want to follow their footsteps, J, the youngest member of the group, gave an inspiring answer:

Anything can be done as long as you put your mind into it and work hard for it. Don’t lose hope, just run for it until the end. Aim for it.

meeting the fans

PH SWITHs welcomed STAYC on stage with explosive cheers as the group started their set with ‘So Bad’, the lead single of their debut album ‘Star to a Young Culture’. Keeping up with the intense energy of the crowd, the girls proceeded with ‘Beautiful Monster’ from their third single album ‘We Need Love’.

STAYC then sat down for introductions as well as a Q&A portion where the girls chose from the post-its on the board that were submitted by fans.

The girls incorporated some Filipino words they learned for their introductions which definitely endeared the fans. They also mentioned about wanting to visit Cebu for a vacation. Concluding this portion, they talked about the first impressions they had with the other members as well as the changes the members had undergone since debut.

Before the second portion of the fanmeet, they performed two songs‘RUN2U’ and ‘So What’.

The girls teamed up into two groups for the game “Secret Box” where they need to guess

what is inside the box without looking. It certainly ensued a series of funny and chaotic interactions between the members which the fans truly enjoyed.

The next game “Guess My Pose,” as the name suggests, a member has to guess the pose of the opposing team with their eyes closed and purely by touching. Which again lead to hilarious attempts of trying to outwit the other team that the fans surely found entertaining.

With the last set of performances, they gifted Filipino fans with their rendition of local singer Nadine Lustre’s “Paligoy-ligoy.”

The girls became emotional as the fan project of PH SWITHs flashed on screen showing a compilation of the fans celebrating the member’s birthdays and anniversaries. They expressed their gratitude for the immense love and support they have been continuously receiving.

They capped off the fanmeet with performances of ‘I’ll Be There’, ‘ASAP’, and ‘Young Luv’. It was definitely an unforgettable night both for STAYC and PH SWITHs.

Be ManilaYou2 The World Will Care

The World Will Care

Written & Photographed by Lilian Calulot

held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last December 9, ‘Be You 2: The World Will Care’, featuring a starstudded lineup consisting of BoA, TVXQ, EXO Xiumin and Chen were flocked by thousands of excited fans. The event marks the first time for both BoA and TVXQ to perform in the Philippines.

A day before the show in Manila, the KPOP acts also headlined the Cebu leg of the event. Organized by Neuwave Events & Productions, it is described as a concert that aims to pay tribute to the elderly.

Be You 2: Manila The World Will Care The World Will Care

Before the KPOP artists appeared on stage, local Filipino performers, including Pilita Corales, Ian Veneracion, G22, and Lady Pipay first graced the stage.

Welcomed by the roaring crowd, EXO Xiumin performed four songs from his debut EP - ‘Brand New’, ‘Serenity’, ‘Love Letter’, and ‘Feedback’. During his talk segment, he expressed how happy he was and that he missed the fans. He also promised to return with the other EXO members which earned thunderous cheers from the audience.

Chen opened his set with ‘Last Scene’ followed by ‘I Don’t Even Mind’ and ‘Shall We?’ He was delighted by the loud cheers of the fans and acknowledged how they kept their promise in wearing purple. He requested the crowd to sing along on his final song which is ‘Everytime’ - OST of the popular drama Descendants of the Sun.

Clad in red suits, the iconic duo TVXQ commanded the stage with their impressive choreography and stable vocals. They got everyone hyped and on their feet during the performances of ‘Maximum’ and ‘Keep

Your Head Down.’ During ‘Dream’ they asked the crowd to participate by doing some hand gestures and chants. Changmin shared how he felt regretful to only be visiting Manila now.

Wild cheers flooded the venue as soon as the intro for ‘Mirotic’ played. Cassiopeia or not, the whole crowd was undeniably familiar and was doing the fan chant.

Closing the night was the queen of KPOP herself, BoA. She performed her hits ‘Better’ and ‘Only One’. She continued with ‘Starry Night’ while going around the stage to interact with fans. During her talk segment, she was amused how the crowd could understand and speak a bit of Korean. She shared how she hopes to have more opportunities in the future to perform again here in the Philippines. She capped her set with ‘Forgive Me,’ her most recent single.

BoA, TVXQ, EXO Xiumin and Chen returned on stage as the concert came to an end. They bid their final goodbyes and thanked their Filipino fans for their continuous support and undying love.

Jay B

TAPE: PRESS PAUSE in PARIS

Written by Matt Desticourt

Photographed by Soizic Cistac

GOT7 singer JAY B performed on December 15 at the Bataclan, Paris – like fellow member Yugyeom did in May – as part of his first ever solo tour 2022 WORLD TOUR

JAY B TAPE: PRESS PAUSE, alongside his rapper friend Jomalxne.

Organized by Onion Production, Paris was the second step of the European leg, a day after London. As this is written, he has yet to perform in Germany and in the Netherlands.

It was back in May 2012, when still called JB, that the singer made his debut as one half of JJ Project. Early 2014, his career took a turn when he became the leader of GOT7. Since 2016, JAY B has shown interest in a solo career and it’s under the name Def soul that he released his five mixtapes 1/? until 2019. Meanwhile, he debuted again as one half of Jus2 – a GOT7 sub-unit. At the end of 2020, Def soul changed for Def. and on this occasion, he unveiled his solo art exhibition ALONE. Early 2021, JB left long-time partner JYP Entertainment and changed his name to JAY B. He released his first solo EP SOMO:FUME under H1GHR MUSIC. Lately, the singer opened his own agency CDNZA Records and released two EPs Be Yourself (JAY B) and abandoned loved. (Def.).

At 7:30 p.m, Bataclan lights were turned off. JAY B entered on the stage with his solo single “Switch it Up”, supported by two dancers. During sokodomo rap part, he showcased his dance skills. “AM PM” performance was quite alike. Both dancers left the stage for “In To You”. The artist reaches his audience with his mic during the chorus starting with “I just wanna talk to you / Baby I’m so into you”. JAY B teases us with his sensuality to please the fans, which made him smile.

JAY B expressed a “wow” of surprise as the public cheered and chanted his name. After saying “Bonjour !” in French, the singer confessed us in Korean his excitement to perform tonight. Exaggerating his breathlessness, he drank water under laughter of the audience. Before going on, he pronounced his famous sentence “I’m not cute, I’m sexy”.

“Dive into you”, a theme song from the drama Crazy Love, was performed in a very dignified way. Fans swayed their hands at the same slow tempo as the song. In the midst of “Count On Me” chorus, JAY B reached again the audience with his mic. In particular, he knelt down towards the front row. During “Sunrise”, a solo track from GOT7’s third studio album released in 2018, the singer thrilled the venue with his falsetto! Fans took the opportunity to raise their banners given by the fanbase JAY B France, which read “You’re the sunshine of our lives”.

With a round of thunderous applause, JAY B started a new talk and asked us to make some noise. As a consequence, the crowd stomped its feet. He thanked us for the ambience while having some high-touch with fans. Since the venue wasn’t that big, JAY B said he was able to see everyone.

It’s now time for the SOMO:FUME double title tracks with the return of the dancers. After “B.T.W” performance, fans were on fire for the “FAME” one! JAY B caught its breath back as the fans were screaming “polopolopopo”, he eventually jumped all over the stage. He asked us if foot stomping was a French tradition before saying it revitalized him. Someone shouted “Je t’aime” so loudly that it even confused the singer!

As someone gave JAY B a mic stand, he said he was going to give us everything so we could see his best side – including his voice. Therefore, he sang “Hush”, a track produced by Primary in 2017. After a somewhat stoic performance, he took the mic back in hand for “Fade Away” – an absolute fan favorite from Verse 2 (JJ Project, 2017). It was both a very complex and emotional performance. To end this first part, JAY B highlighted his beautiful voice with “Rainy”, another fan favorite from Hyena On the Keyboard TV series.

JAY B introduced us his friend and rapper Jomalxne. The latter came on stage brandishing his Paris Saint-Germain soccer club T-Shirt. He started his set with “Blue Dream” and interacted with the audience throughout the song. Under the applause, he removed his jacket so that he can wear his soccer shirt.

Jomalxne continued with “Go” and “Te!!mewhatyoulike” from his latest EP Sky Walker. During a talk, the rapper showcased his French skills. Before pursuing, he talked

about his creative process. According to him, “Blue Dream” reflects the rapper’s face on the Han River at night and “Go” was written in his hometown.

For his next song “GRHGH” (lit. “Tell them to get out of here”), Jomalxne invited us to raise our middle finger during the chorus. JAY B came back on stage during his verse. To conclude the rapper’s set, both artists shared a duet on the unreleased track “2000”. We could definitely feel their pleasure to perform it as they jumped around the stage.

JAY B thanked Jomalxne and noticed his friend’s shirt which read “JAY B 94”. After he retired, JAY B said it’s time to move and have fun after the first part which he called “sexy”.

Early September, JAY B made his comeback with his second EP Be Yourself and its funky title track “go UP”. As the intro line “This is how we getting’ funky in Seoul, South Korea” rang out, the crowd was irresistibly excited! “The Way We Are” was just as explosive.

Judging by his facial expression, you can feel JAY B’s gratitude towards his fans. Once again, he interacted with the front row and even shared his water bottle. Before performing “Livin’”, he trained us to sing “We live in this life” every time he says “We live in” in the chorus. Dealing with setting independent goals and expectations for the future, this was an opportunity for both artist and fans to strengthen bonds.

The following all-English track “Fountain of Youth” spoke about the value of friendship. While removing his jacket, he outlined the approaching end of the show. “Break It Down” totally unleashed the Bataclan! From JAY B to his dancers to the audience, everyone had a profoundly good time. Unfortunately, a fan fainted during “Holyday” performance. The singer stopped the show so the fan could be evacuated.

After this incident, JAY B started “Holyday” again and delivered some outstanding high notes. In a short talk, he begged everyone to prioritize their own safety. It was also the time to take a picture with the fans to immortalize this night.

Time for “Rocking Chair”. Released at the end of this summer, this is the last song of the show, JAY B hopes its meaning will stay with us throughout our lives. Sadly, another fan fainted and the singer decided to take a new short break.

After the show resumed, the artist sat down to perform “Rocking Chair”. With seemingly endless cheers, we could see the emotion on JAY B’s face, even from the back of the venue… There should have been an encore, but due to unforeseen circumstances, JAY B decided not to leave the stage. He sang “right”

from his EP abandoned loved.. Fans decided to throw green balloons in the air which did not fail to surprise the singer. This project was first initiated during GOT7’s 2018 world tour in France.

“It’s over!”, he exclaimed. Still, fans were intensely shouting “Encore!”. After looking at the crowd, he gave up and sang “PRAY” –another track released under his name Def.. He thanked everyone one last time, bowed and finally retired…

Honestly, JAY B deserved better stages! There was nothing but him, his 2 dancers and some light scenery. What a shame! The first part of the show struggled to take off. Jomalxne really kicked-off the evening, followed by all-excellent tracks from Be Yourself. Still, Jomalxne’s set didn’t convince us but the fans were at least!

We appreciate the artist’s desire to present a varied setlist. Not only he sang his post-JYP Entertainment solo tracks, but he even picks his solo songs from GOT7 and JJ Project albums, drama theme songs and his mixtapes… That was a real pleasure to hear all these tracks from different eras.

Lastly, we hope that the fans who left the venue recovered quickly.

DRAMAS anticipated 2023 most

BLACK KNIGHT

Written and directed by Cho Ui-seok, starring Kim Woo-bin, Esom and Kang Yoo-seok, “Black Knight” is based on Lee Yoon-gyun’s webtoon “Delivery Knight” which depicts a dystopian future where air pollution has become serious and tells the story of delivery drivers who play a major role in the society. It is slated to release on Netflix in the second quarter of 2023.

SONG OF THE BANDITS

Set in 1920s, during turbulent period of Japanese occupation, the people of Joseon have been deprived of their place of living and expelled to Japan. Those who headed to Gando, a land of lawlessness with different stories, unite as one to protect the homeland of Koreans.

Directed by Hwang Jun Hyeok, written by Han Jeong Hoon, and starring Kim Nam Gil, Seohyun, Yoo Jae Myung, Lee Hyun Wook, and Lee Ho-jung, “Song of the Bandits” (Bandit: The Sound of the Knife) is scheduled to be released on Netflix in the third quarter of 2023.

WHEN THE STARS GOSSIP

Written by Seo Sook Hyang and directed by Park Shin Woo, “When The Stars Gossip” stars Lee Min Ho and Gong Hyo Jin.

The series follows the fateful encounter of a space-tourist and an astronaut on a space station.

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