HALLYU Magazine No.9 by Hallyu Magazine

HALLYU L.A. KOLLABORATION | B.A.P IN SINGAPORE| WA$$UP INTERVIEW

TA H I T I

> FIND OUT WHAT’S ON THEIR PLAYLIST! > WHO THEY WANT TO COLLABORATE WITH! > AND WHAT’S THEIR IDEAL DATE!

HALLYU

Korean Entertainment and Culture Magazine

EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief/ Head Director Korea Manager Publicist Translator

ART

Chief-Art-Editor Art Editors Senior Artist Artists

Photographers

WRITING DEPT. Head Writing Editor Deputy Writing Editor Editors Writers

SPECIAL THANKS &ASSOCIATION 24/7KPOP COAST2COAST Entertainment BlendedEvents AMN Radio USA KoreanCandy KPOP DREAMS Asia POP Radio Australia DreamStar Entertainment Mafia Records HS Entertainment Music Factory FEGGY MIN &ALL Our Affiliated Friends

PR&MEDIA PR Director KOREA Staff

SouthEast Asia Staff

USA staff

Learn More About Us www.hallyumagazine.com Send Us A Tip info@hallyumagazine.com

PHOTOSHOOT Director Creative Coordinator Stylist Assistant Video Operator

Nadezhda Hope KyoungJun Woo Ly Nguyen Kh HyeongJin Kim/Kyung Min Boo Nadezhda Hope Asel Sadekova Phoungpaulica Lay Dena H Nguyen Kirsy Marlin Crystal Srock Cheryl Mui Hon Liang Yi Asher Yeo Xin-Yi KJ. Woo(limephoto lab SEOUL) Henry Kutniawan June Saladino Korapun Sritongsuk (ASIA) Stefanie Johnson Darla Cornett Algie Lesia Stephens Josephine Chew Amy Saiauski Gabrielle Luu Ryann Ellis Jâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;mescia Price (JP) Maria Smith Theng Hui Tay Tamar Herman Nadezhda Hope Yuzu Lida HyukJoon Lim Yubin Jeon Grace Kang Korapun Sritongsuk (TH) Pharttana Anantawana (TH) Kay Lee (MY) Muhammad Faiz Bin Azman (MY) Wilson Chee Chan Weng (MY) Darren Kwok (SG Team Leader) Stephanie Chee (SG) Cheryl Tan (SG) Emily Heng (SG) Joan Heng (SG) Son Ju Eun (SG) Janice Quek (SG) Amy Saiauski(FB/twitter/me2day) Dena H Nguyen (Tumblr) Josephine Chew Cassie Clifford Emilie Heilman Asel Sadekova Lida Yuzu (KOREA) Valentina Labuz (KOREA) Tamar Herman (KOREA) Phoungpaulica Lay

Contents

TAHITI Cover Interview M-TIFUL Cover Interview

I.C.E Interview SAY YES Interview WUSSUP Interview Behind A Star: Song Yuni Interview

Kollaboration LA Contestant Interviews AMN RADIO’s KPOP STOP Hosts Interview

Korea Day with SNSD The Blondie And The Dreadlocks HAHA &SKULL SUPER JUNIOR Super Show 5 Thailand INFINITE World Tour

XIA JUNSU: Interview Asia Tour In Bangkok SHU-I Showcase In Thailand SKARF In Singapore KWANGSOO Fanmeeting In Singapore

B.A.P World Tour in Singapore Rookies With Veteran Stage Presence F(X) Oh, You And Your Electric Shock Getting Intimate With JYJ NO MINWOO Revamps His Image

Idol Friends That Garner Idol-Like Recognition Idols For A Cause Idols With Ink Are Idols Debuting At Younger Age? Member Changes, The Way To Make It Big? KPOP to KROCK Crisis Management: You Are Doing it.. Top 5 Underrated Drama OSTs International Endorsements From Your Favorite Stars Who is NEXT? Celebrity Idol Siblings

Odd Habits Of Celebs On Twitter What Future Holds For KPOP? COMEBACK: BLOCK B Top 5 RUNNING MAN Moments KCON13 DramaFever Closes Its Site 5 Dramas That Should’ve Been Extended Welcome Rain To My Life The Master Sun’s Birth Of A Family OUR HOMELAND AAIFF13 Review Holidays In South Korea: Halloween Hanbok Thanksgiving, Turkey and Pecan Pie Right? Fall Fashion Showdown! Dance Like NUEST

Autumn 2013 Issue No.9

HALLYU Korean Entertainment and Culture Magazine

Written by: Darren Kwok | Edited by: Hon Liang Yi | Translations: Hyukjoon Lim | Special thanks to TAHITI as well as Dreamstar Entertainment

knowing

TA H I T I

TAHITI SHARE THEIR FIVE FAVORITE SONGS FROM THEIR PLAYLIST!

JUNGBIN

MINJAE

MISO

ARI

JISOO

‘Endure’ by Sung Si Kyung

‘잘지내’ by Jung Yup

‘Western Sky’ by Lee Seung Chul

‘Talk’ by 10cm

‘Just the Two of Us’ by Kim Greem

‘아니야’ by Brown Eyed Soul

‘Turtle’ by Davichi

‘Say You Love Me’ by M.Y.M.P

‘Amateur’ by Lee Seung Chul

‘Pretty Face’ by TAHITI

‘I Miss You’ ‘보고싶다’ by Kim Bum Soo

‘Missing You Today’ by Davichi

‘Fallin’ Out’ by Keyshia Cole

‘Breaking Up’ by DIA

‘Crying’ by ‘Crying SISTAR

‘Good Morning’ Morning by Verbal Jint (ft. Kwon Jung Yeol)

‘Romantically’ by Block B

‘Let’s Break Up’ ‘Let by Seo In Young

‘앤’ by Lena Park

‘Last Love’ by Kim Bum Soo

‘Love Takes Time’ by Mariah Carey

‘My Girlfriend is a Superstar’ by Kim Jin-Pyo ‘Still Alive’ by Big Bang Boy’ by ‘Bad Boy SISTAR ‘Raise Your Glass’ by P!nk

HALLYU

K-POP STAR CONCERT

26 OCTOBER 2013 | 5:00 PM | V-HALL | HONGDAE, SEOUL TICKETS: 35,000 WON ($35)

M-tiful

raewon

HALLYU: What does M-tiful stand for? M-tiful: Man + beautiful = M-tiful HALLYU: Are you guys original members of M-tiful? Raewon: No, I am not. There was one person who had been M-tiful and I joined later. HALLYU: How long have you been together? M-tiful: It has been one year. HALLYU: I think your concepts are sexy and cute. Are you satisfied with your concepts? M-tiful: Oh, are we sexy? (Laughs) At a radio show, there was a MC who told to us that we have sexy eyes. HALLYU: Do you have any secrets behind your handsome faces? Raewon: I like to work out. I do climbing mountains, swimming, inline skate, and weight training. Wonjoon: I like sleeping (he ends with a chuckle.) Oh, I am also good at cooking. When we have leftover food, I can make it into a new dish and it tastes really good. HALLYU: Raewon, you have experience in acting, do you have plans to act again? Raewon: In the last several years, I was too busy to act. I just have been concentrated on music, but I am still interested in acting. HALLYU: Wonjoon, do you have experience in acting? Wonjoon: Sorry, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any, but Raewon has experience in it, so if we get an audition proposal, he helps me. I do dream of acting, but I am weak at it right now. HALLYU: Are both of you are discharged from military? What were your positions? Raewon: I was a public service worker. Wonjoon: I worked at Blue House. First, I was a soldier at capital defense command and then recruited to Blue House. HALLYU: What do you think about entertainment soldiers? M-tiful: It is hard to say. I think they should be disbanded.

HALLYU: How are your Vietnam promotions going? M-tiful: We started preparations two weeks ago. We are so welcomed that we are expecting to have great market share. Currently, we are recording our music into Vietnamese, and we already got 20% of market share. And our agency is in contact with seven advertisers. HALLYU: What is the reason you use Raewon as your stage name and what is the meaning? Raewon: My real name is Kim Laesung. I know my name is little weirdâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;I have never met another person with the same name as mine. One time, I met a producer, and he couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t distinguish between my name and a guy whose name is Raewon, so he kept calling me Raewon. One day, he asked me to if I have interested in changing my name to it and I decided to change it. Of course, there is a famous actor whose name is Raewon too. I want to be famous like him. HALLYU: Do you have any plans for a next album yet? M-tiful: Yes, we do. We will release two mini-albums in the first half of next year. HAYLLU: How long have you been training together? M-tiful: We have only been training together for 2-3 months. We already debuted separately before gathering. HALLYU: Fans think that your MV is similar with CN Blue. What are your thoughts? Wonjoon: I think the reason is that we played band music at that time. Raewon: I think we are totally different from them. Of course we are more handsome than them. And we are ballad team. To be compared, we could be compared with Davichi. HALLYU: Do you have plans to show up in a drama next year? M-tiful: Yes, we are considering it and are already discussing about that with a broadcast company. HALLYU: What character would you want to play? Raewon: I want to play the bad guy in a drama. HALLYU: Have you ever experienced a romantic date?

Raewon: No comment. Wonjoon: My acting teacher told me that if I were in a relationship, it would help with understanding a character who is in love.

Wonjoon: No, My family wants me to act instead of being a singer. Raewon: At first my parents didn’t like it, but now my father supports me.

Wonjoon: I got angry at a restaurant and messed up the whole table.

HALLYU: Have you composed anything before?

Raewon: I once went on a blind date with another girl (I had a girlfriend at that time), and I found out that at the same café, my girlfriend was also having a date with others. I got angry when I found out and tried to bring her out, but those three guys who were with her punched me, so I ended up fighting against them.

M-tiful: No, I haven’t, but I do write lyrics. If I ever have the chance to take part in composing, I would like to.

HALLYU: Are you two living together?

HALLYU: What is you fan club’s name? M-tiful: Prism. HALLYU: What inspired you to become a singer?

Wonjoon: No, we don’t have fans who do that.

Raewon: When I was young, I was good at mathematics. I never dreamed of becoming a singer, but I loved singing. Then during my third year of middle school, we went on a class trip. When we were there, my friend sang a song that I thought I could try too. After I sang it, I became famous in my area.

Raewon: When I was an idol before there would be a bunch of fans in front of my home.

HALLYU: Are there any artists who you really like?

HALLYU: Do your families support your career choice?

M-tiful: Lim Jaebum, Kim Hyunwoo, and Kim Kunmo.

M-tiful: No, we live separately. HALLYU: Are there many fans that wait in front of your house?

“

PLEASE CONTINUE

to love

M-TIFUL’S MUSIC

HALLYU: What are your three favorite songs?

Wonjoon: 그대 내게 행복을 주는 사람, 여행을 떠나요, and some electro music. Raewon: I like club music. I also like 이노래 by 2AM, and 서울의 달 by Kim Kunmo. HALLYU: Do you have any habits? Raewon: Everything has to be organized, so I clean and arrange things in my home. Wonjoon: It’s true; I have slept at his home several times. When I visited his home, his home is really clean. However, I don’t care about things being messy up. HALLYU: What would you say is the best way to beat the heat?

”

AND US

Raewon: Clean my home and take a rest.

Wonjoon: Take a shower with cool water and get 팥빙수 (Patbingsu – a shaved ice dessert).

HALLYU: What do you want to say to your fans? Wonjoon: Please continue to love M-tiful’s music and us. Raewon: I am worried that foreigners have a hard time understanding our songs’ emotion, but I will do my best to deliver my heart. I love you all.

i.c.e >>EXCLUSIVE interview

Interview and Translation by HyukJoon Lim Photography by K.J Woo

News / Entertainment

Hallyu::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Dahye:

Eunmi: Soyoung: Eunmi: Jihee: Dahye:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Dahye:

Minjoo:: :: ::: ::: :::::: ::::: :::: ::::::::: :::: ::: :::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::

Jihee:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::: :::: ::::: ::: ::::: :: :::::: ::::::: :::: ::: :::::: ::::::::::

Hallyu::::::: ::: ::::: :::::::: ::::::: ::: ::: :::::::::: Hallyu: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Jihee:

Soyoung:

Hallyu:

:: ::: ::: :: :: :: :: ::: :: :: : ::::: : ::: ::: ::: :: :: : : : : :: ::: : ::::: ::::: :::: :::: ::: : :: :::: : ::::: ::::::: ::: : :::: : :::::: ::::::: : : :::: ::: :::: :: : : ::: ::: : :: :::::::: :: ::: :::::: :: : ::: ::: ::: :: :: ::: ::: : : :: :: :: :: ::::: : :: :::: ::: : :: ::: ::::: :: ::::: : :: :::::: ::: Hallyu:

Minjoo:: :: ::::::: ::::::: ::::::::: :: :::::::: ::::: :::: Minjoo: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::: ::: :::::::: ::::: :: :::: ::: :::::::: ::: ::::: ::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Hallyu:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Hallyu: Jihee: Hallyu::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Hallyu:

Hallyu:

: : :: : :::: :: ::::::: :: : ::: ::: :: :::: :: :: :: :: : :: :::

Jihee: I like cycling at the gym.

Jihee: I like making bracelets. I usually get materials from ‘동대문 종합상가’ and interneet shopping.

Jihee: Eunmi with make-up on!

Hallyu:

Halyu::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Jihee: Dahye:

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Minjoo:

Hallyu:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hallyu:

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Minjoo:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Minjoo: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::

Hallyu:

Dahye: Hallyu: Soyoung:

Eunmi::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::: :::: ::::::::::::: :::: ::: :::: :::::::: :::: ::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::

Jihee:

Soyoung::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::: Eunmi:: :: ::::: ::: ::::: ::::::::: :::::: :::::: :::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

“tHERE ARE MANY GIRL GROUPS, BUT WE HAVE A SPECIAL SOMETHING” Dahye:

Hallyu:

Jihee:

Minjoo: Jihee::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Soyoung: Dahye::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Minjoo:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::: Soyoung: Eunmi:

Eunmi:

Hallyu:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hallyu::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hallyu:

’

Hallyu:::::::::::::::::::::::

Jihee:

Eunmi:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

INTERVIEW

SAY YES Interviewed/Translated by Yubin Jeon Photographer KJ. Woo Asst. Yuzu Lida

Hallyu: What were your first thoughts when you found out you were going to debut?

Ji Sungkyu: I got into this company 10 years ago. I was starred on TV in the program called 'Shin-dong Cheon-ha' which is like 'Star king' years ago. I played yo-yo there and somehow I had contact with the boss.

Song Hokyung: when I first heard about the debut date from the manager, I was really nervous and throbbed because that was what I expected for a long time, but I also practiced a lot so it was actually placid.

Song Hokyung: I was in an indie band when the boss came and saw me performing in Hong-dae. I was trained for 3 years.

Kim Junhyeong: I was nervous thinking if I can perform well in front of an audience but it went well than I thought. It was fun.

Kim Subin: I got in thirdly as a trainee. I used to write songs before but I always wanted to become a singer.

Park Sion: I was the last member to join Say Yes, so I was scared a bit because I wasn't sure if I was qualified.

Kim Junhyeong: I got in through a recommendation of my acquaintance. I was trained for 2 and a half years.

Kim Subin: I was more excited than nervous. I looked forward to the debut.

Park Sion: Like Hokyeong, I used to play drums in Hong-dae when I auditioned. I was trained for 2 years.

Ji Sungkyu: I thought it was all going to be dynamic and scary but because I practiced steadily in a daily basis, it went just like the ordinary day. Hallyu: How long has each member been a trainee for and how did you get into your company?

Hallyu: What is the meaning behind your name Say Yes? Song Hokyung: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Say Yesâ&#x20AC;? means "saying positivity". Our band has very positive energy including when we're playing music. We liked this name from the first

Hallyu: Who or what inspired you to go into music? Park Sion: My parents both studied classic music, so I grew up in a music-friendly environment. My parents are the ones who inspired me a lot.

Hallyu: How would you describe your relationship with the instrument you play? How long do you practice every day?

Kim Junhyeong: I started to play drums in the 5th grade to release stress. I played drums as a hobby until middle school and I finally decided to major it eventually from high school.

Kim Junhyeong: My drum teacher brought this weird-looking instrument and he told me that this is called 'jembe'. I thought it was fascinating so I asked him to teach me.“Say Yes” official practice time is from 1pm to 10pm, but if any time I feel I'm not good enough, I stay longer practicing.

Hallyu: How did you get into the instrument you play now? Are there any instruments vocalist Subin can play?

Hallyu: It is still very early, but soon you will need to give Hal your fans a name. Have you thought about this before?

Kim Subin: I played piano since I was 4. I started it classical first. When I write songs, you can change its sound into different instruments so I can play any instrument as long as I can play it on the piano. I play a little bit of drums too.

Say Love, Only Say... we're still working on the name.

Song Hokyung: my father majored in drums and my older sister majored in violin. My father suggested me to learn how to play guitar because all of my family was really into music. So I started to play guitar in 5th grade and I majored in university. Ji Sungkyu: I started to play piano at the age of 6. I majored in composing in university and since then I started to play guitar. Hallyu: Give member to your left a one sentence description, compare them to a food/drink item and tell us one secret that you know about them! (Ex. He is very handsome and kind, cares for every member, he is like cotton candy sweet and soft, and one secret is that he knows how to make origami) Ji Sungkyu to Kim Subin: he's like a snapping shrimp. I've tried it once and its shell is really thick, but once you peel it, it's easy. When I first encountered him, it was hard to get close, but that was only the first time we met. He's really friendly. Kim Subin to Park Sion: he's like naengmyeon (cold noodles). When he plays drums, it's really powerful and cool that watching him gives you chills. Hallyu: Do the members ever feel a generation gap, especially between the oldest and youngest members? Song Hokyung: Junhyeong is 9 years younger than me, so I do feel a generation gap of course. But all the members are really willing to follow me so I'm always grateful, especially when he doesn't know the singers I know or the cartoons I know.

Hallyu: Main vocal Subin is also the composer for the album. Are there any interesting stories behind any of the songs? Do you have favorite song? Kim Subin: Most of the songs are based on my imagination, like when I read books or watch movies it gives me inspiration to write a song. The title song “Feel Goo”' actually came up from the shower. I came up with the 'Durururu-' part and usually I forget the notes and everything after 10 seconds and I really didn't want it to slip out of my head so I came out from the shower, naked, and recorded. I like all songs in this album but if I have to choose one, the title song is my favorite. Hallyu: Who inspires you as a person? Park Sion: personally it would be Noh Hongcheol. He's always full of positive energy and laughter. Kim Junhyeong: Psy; he's so passionate and in every single performance, I can feel that he's doing his best all the time. Hallyu: Does each member have a particular personality role in the group (i.e. mood maker, mom/dad, joker/prankster, etc.)? Song Hokyung: Dad. He takes care of every member really well. Kim Subin: Mom. He likes to cook and often brings it to the company. Especially when we're on diet, he cooks something really delicious and not greasy. Ji Sungkyu: Mood Maker. He says silly jokes a lot randomly. Park Sion: Mr. Positive. He smiles so bright and innocent.

a$$up

Written By: Darren Kwok Translation & Interview By: Hyukjoon Lim Special thanks to Mafia Records & WA$$UP

HALLYU Magazine got to get an exclusive interview with the girl group WA$$UP and the energetic girls from WA$$UP answered some of our questions. HALLYU: What’s your signature dance move? WA$$UP: Twerking HALLYU: What are some of your hobbies outside of your busy schedule? NADA: I am collecting caps and shoes. My major (in uni-

versity) is Oriental painting. So, I am used to drawing it. JINJOO: I like cleaning. I even tidy up Tupper wares in our refrigerator. JIAE: I like writing my diary. I usually write about foods because I am on a diet so there are so many foods I want to eat. OOJOO: I like listening classic music and new age music. I am collecting socks, and I especially like wearing net socks. SOOJIN: I am not good at watching horror movies. But I watch them when I get stressed. DAIN: I like cooking and listening to loud music at a club. NARI: I used to work out before my debut. Nowadays I am interested in shopping. I am good at finding cheap and good stuffs. HALLYU: What’s your position in the group? NADA: My name is Nada, 22 years old. Rapper in the

group.

JINJOO: My name is Jinjoo, 23 years old. Leader of the

group

JIAE: My name is Jiae, 17 years old. Main vocalist in the

group.

difficult for you? WA$$UP: Actually, none of us knew how to twerk. So,

we made use of Youtube. Nari learned it very well and she mastered it first among us.

HALLYU: WA$$UP is about being fierce with your best physical assets. What do you think is your best and worst physical asset, and why? NARI: I am good at dancing among the group. NADA, DAIN, OOJOO, JIAE, & JINJOO: Of

course our voice and body, we are always maintaining or losing our weight and we are training our voices.

HALLYU: What were your first impressions of the other girls? WA$$UP: Dain was the last member to join the group.

Nada was trying to be familiar with her but she didn’t have to do that. Dain is a very sociable person, so all the members became good friends in just in a day. Oojoo’s charming point is chic. She can be compared with cats because cats are very chic. Jiae seems to be infallible at first. But she is unexpectedly sloppy. But she is really good at sing ing.

HALLYU: Why did you decide to pick twerking as the main dance move in your first MV? NARI: I dance a lot and watched many dancing videos.

Many American dancers twerk and it seems fun.

HALLYU: Any future dance styles we’ll be seeing from WA$$UP? WA$$UP: It is a secret, hahaha, you can get hints on

WA$$UP’s facebook.

OOJOO: My name is Oojoo, 17 years old. Sub vocalist in

the group.

SOOJIN: My name is Soojin, 17 years old. Sub vocalist

in the group. DAIN: My name is Dain, 23 years old. Main vocalist in the group. NARI: My name is Nari, 21 years old. Dancing queen in the group. HALLYU: What was your experience like, performing on M!Countdown for the first time? WA$$UP: Our first performance was at Boryung Mud

festival. There were no cameras and we were too excited to calm down. We enjoyed the show. Those lights and shouts of large audiences made us high. We cannot forget that day.

HALLYU: How did you prepare for the debut? WA$$UP: Averagely, we have been preparing for 3

years. In the case of Dain, she has been preparing for 8 years.

HALLYU: Was learning how to twerk for the MV

WA$$UP

HALLYU: Why did you decide to name the group WA$$UP? WA$$UP: We have put a lot of thought into our group

name. There were several candidates like Mafia Girls or Boostar. The reason why we chose WA$$UP as group name is because the term ‘Wassup’ is used frequently in everyday life and it is also easy to memorize.

HALLYU: What kind of group do you want to be known as by fans? WA$$UP: We do not want to follow other groups. We

want WA$$UP to be known as WA$$UP.

HALLYU: Twerking is something K-pop has never seen before. What other new stuff will you be bringing into the K-pop scene? WA$$UP: We are preparing for next one - of course it is

a secret. Keep watching us haha.

HALLYU: Where will you want WA$$UP to be in five years? WA$$UP: We want to do many things. Artistic field,

acting and so forth.

HALLYU: What will your next single be like?

WA$$UP: It’s a secret! HALLYU: How was it like working with Red Roc on this MV? WA$$UP: Our first impression about him made us little

scared. There was an awkward atmosphere among us. After we got familiar with each other, he joked around with all of us. And he taught us many things. He is a really nice teacher.

HALLYU: What would you like to say to Hallyu Magazine readers? WA$$UP: We will be friends to readers. And we hope

that WA$$UP will be your favourite group to hang out together with. We will show you our true colours soon. I love you, readers! HALLYU Magazine's staff could feel the energy of the girls as well as their charisma while interviewing them.

The girls from WA$$UP will definitely go a long way and HALLYU Magazine advises you to keep them on your watch list as they are only going to get better!

behind

a star BY HON LIANG YI

News / Entertainment

32 F :

: : z

: :

–

: : :

: : :: : ::

: : : : ::

: :

: : :::::

: L:

: : : : : :

: :

: LL:U : :

:: :

: ::

: : : G :

: : :

(: ):

: :

HALLYU::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Song Yuni:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: : : ::

HALLYU: Song Yuni:

HALLYU: Song Yuni:: :: :::::::: ::: ::::::::: ::: :: ::::: :::::::: :::: ::: :::: ::::::::: :::::::: :::::: ::::::::::::: ::::::::: ::: ::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::

HALLYU: Song Yuni:

HALLYU:

:: :

z :

HALLYU::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Song Yuni:

HALLYU:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Song Yuni:

: :

Song Yuni:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

HALLYU::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Song Yuni:

HALLYU: HAL

: : :

:: :

: :

: :!

TRAINING TIME “Foundation is very important. Without foundation, you cannot sing beautifully,” she told us at the very beginning of the vocal training workshop, organised by Dream Station. And with a serene smile on her face, she formally began what would be an intense training session. We kicked things off with some vocal stretching. First, she made us inhale deeply, without moving the shoulders or the chest. The second step was to hold it for a few seconds before we let it all go in a single note – or “pushing it out” as she put it. While trying to sing a note well, Yuni also made sure that we were focused. “Look straight, don’t close your eyes,” she told us. To keep students on their toes, Yuni would pace the room to hear us sing. She’d bend towards us to listen to the note we were making, or tell us where to position our arms or legs to facilitate vocal training. When we were reaching the end of this practice – which took up more than half of the lesson’s time – she made us the whole class sing notes together. At the very end, she said, “Do you hear it? That sound – it’s so beautiful.” Our final vocal practice was to sing IU’s You Are Always Like That, which horrified me. IU sings like an angel – but I sing like a frog with a sore throat. “There is no way I am going to sing this song without destroying it,” I thought. But strangely enough, as Yuni patiently taught us the pronunciation of Korean words as well as the notes we should be hitting, I slowly regained my confidence. At the end of the workshop, I was singing with ease – and no, it wasn’t because everyone else was singing and drowning out my voice.

Yuni began to sing the whole song herself, and it was then that I noticed all the little effort and detail she put into singing. Aside from holding up her posture, she was enunciating words, expressing emotions, dragging notes or halting them in a certain way, making her voice flow seamlessly from word to word, building up crescendos and more. It was quite a lot to consider, and all these had to be mixed to create the perfect concoction of singing just ju one song. A sudden thought occurred to me - if Yuni was putting so much effort into singing for 20 students, how much effort would idols put in to sing for thousands? Days of training and flexing vocals – and let’s not forget choreography, synchronization in groups and so much more to consider in one performance. Soon, I was done with the workshop and I was amazed at myself – I actually sang and enjoyed myself! I left the workshop with a newfound respect for K-pop idols as well as a grudging respect for my vocal ability. If I can sing an IU song in two hours, anyone can sing as well – it just takes a strong foundation, as Yuni said to us. Song Yuni will be the in-house vocal instructor at Dream Station Academy and in line with her focus on fundamentals, she will also be part of their vocals team that will be teaching Dream Station Academy’s Vocals Foundation Module. So for aspiring idols out there, if you would like to partake in their vocal lessons and you are Singaporean, contact them here – info@mydreamstation.com Note: Hallyu Magazine would like to thank Dreamstation for allowing us to take part in this workshop as well as Song Yuni for granting an interview with us.

News / Entertainment

HANA KIM INTERVIEWED BY J JOSEPHINE CHEW PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANINA PARAGELE TRANSCRIBED BY AMY SAIAUSKI

HALLYU: How long have you been into music? Hana Hana: I’ve been playing since I was young. My mom was an actress so she kind of pushed me and my grandpa was a screen writer and a director and so they kind of pushed me to do theater a lot but acting is not my thing. I started getting into music and my aunt is a classical singer so I had a lot of musical background. I was writing songs in college and since middle school I was always playing the piano. That’s how I got into it, after UCI I got to meet good people who helped me get into the industry. I met a lot of good musicians who have played with bigger artists and they helped me along. HALLYU: How long have you been playing the piano? Hana: It’s kind of on and off again. I started playing when I was like 6 or 7 and did a lot of classical stuff until middle school and then I kind of took a break and worked on the saxophone, I was in a band, and then I picked it back up again when I was in high school. So more than 15 years probably. HALLYU: Beside guitar, piano, and saxophone are there HAL any other instruments you play? Hana: Just little things here and there, like I will play random harmonicas here and there or little percussion things. My main instrument is just piano. HALLYU: Is there any particular instrument you would want to learn to play? Hana: I wish I was better at the guitar; it’s just a lighter Hana instrument to play. I wish I played a string instrument like cello or upright bass. That would be really cool. HALLYU: You got into music through your parents and family, is there any particular person that influenced you to turn to music besides your aunt? Hana: I think mainly my aunt because she taught me how Hana to song write. I had a really close band instructor but she was really like my mentor and stuff growing up. She always pushed me to get better and she let me write a flute quartet or just a fun little ditty here and there. She also let me conduct a couples times. But I think everyone in my life just because they have all always been so supportive of my music. Also other artists; when you hear them making these amazing tracks you just want to do it too.

HALLYU: When did you write your first full song? Hana Hana: My first song was in 7th grade, I still remember the name of it, but I don’t remember the song because it was so long ago, but I wrote it for a recital. It was called “Carnival Waltz” it was a piano song, a piano waltz. I was always writing bits and pieces but I wrote my first full that I actually recorded and shared when I was in college, it was called “Venice Dream” it was a piano and vocal song. HALLYU: Are there any stories from UCI that you integrated into your music? Hana: I graduated a year early so it just went by really fast. I felt like I was there and then I was gone. But while I was there, I’m very active in my church and I found a church that was very mission based and I got to go to Thailand to do certain missions, I got to go to North Korea for two weeks and that was the craziest trip of my life. I have a lot more stories outside; I write a lot about my mission trips. HALLYU: When was your last mission trip? Hana: I went to Paraguay last year, I’m very active there, a Hana lot of people who know me know how much I love that country. I’ve been there three times and my second time I went for six months by myself. It was really just teaching kids music and also helping out local churches and getting them stabilized, training leaders, things like that. A lot of my songs were written in Paraguay, I just wrote a lot because when you’re so inspired and because when you're in a place with lots of people and just a lot of new experiences, you’re just constantly writing. It’s like the best canvas to have. HALLYU: Have you visited South Korea very often? Hana: Oh yeah, I went to Korea almost every year when I was in college. I haven’t been there in a while, but I used to go a lot. I don’t have any close family there, more just distant cousins. HALLYU: Have you ever thought about venturing into the South Korean market? Hana: When I was younger and in high school I had my Hana K-Pop phase, but definitely not now, it’s not my market. I think my market is a lot older of an audience where South Korea is a younger audience, a more pop, dance phase. I know K-Pop is its own market and it’s booming right now through YouTube and things like that, but I definitely don’t think it is my market. HALLYU: What about K-Indie? HAL Hana: It’s hard when you look at the industry, it’s hard to Hana survive. I mean it’s hard to survive too as an indie artist, but there is a market for it. You can find your niche. South Korea is a lot harder because the market is so tight and usually you are under a label to even survive. I’m sure there are some people who would appreciate my kind of music but it’s a lot

are under a label to even survive. I’m sure there are some people who would appreciate my kind of music, but it’s a lot smaller then if I was to do it here. It’s just hard to survive and you can’t find the resources like you do here and I’m not talking about Korea, but about L.A just in general. San Francisco has a huge music scene but it’s not like L.A where you just have so many musicians that you can call on demand. I do recognize that it’s booming but it’s just not my thing. HALLYU: What has kept you going in music? Hana: It’s just a nice thing to have. I know a lot of people say “I have to do this or I’ll die” or “this is what I’m made to do”. I don’t think I go that extreme. I know there was a period of time where I fell into that, but it’s just that if you do that it’s hard because there are a lot of things in the music industry that are completely out of your control, regardless of your talent, regardless of your niche, like sometimes you just have to be at the right place in the right time, meeting the right people. But at the same time because it’s not the ultimate thing in my life it’s a good thing, I’ll always have it. I can go to it and if I’m going through my own struggles I can write a song about it or if I really want to express something, but I can’t do it verbally, then I can do it through a song and it’s cool to have that. It’s a great form of expres sion. I know a lot of people struggle to find how to express themselves and the fact that I have music to do that, I’m very grateful for. HALLYU: Since you are from UCI when was the last time you visited? Hana: It’s been about a year. I did a gig there, a little mini concert, it was an acoustic show. I think that was last year. HALLYU: Do you plan to come back again? Hana: Oh I’d love to yeah if I’m invited. My thing is, you can’t forget your roots and UCI is a big part of my life, it’s my college life. You have to appreciate those opportunities, so if they call me I’ll go. HALLYU: You’re coming out with something in September, are there any particular things planned? Hana: I think my record is the biggest one I’m releasing at Hotel Café, in September which is an amazing venue and I’m just so stoked to play there. I’m working on the music video next month, my new track “Mexico” and we are going to Mexico, so it’s exciting. HALLYU: Being Asian American are there any struggles you face as a musician? Hana: This question gets asked a lot and I think yeah, it’s a Hana struggle, it’s a little bit harder than if you were maybe not Asian American, but right now the music industry is opening up so much that I think if you were from like Kenya and you upload a good video people will find it. It’s a small

struggle in terms of the bigger scope. If you are a musician or artist who works on their craft and you can find your niche, then I think being Asian American isn’t going to affect that because people ultimately will follow the music. You have artists these days where it’s not about the image; I think Adele has broken through that a lot. I think the biggest thing is that you have to appreciate that you can live here and can do music. I’ve traveled a lot and seen people who just love art and music, like in North Korea and want to be an artist, but their sole purpose in life is to be a farmer and bring rice for their leader. If you put it in that scope of things, then no, it’s not really a struggle. The fact that you get that opportunity to do it, you have to appreciate it. HALLYU: If you had to choose one artist you want to collaborate with who would it be? Hana: Norah Jones, without a doubt. She has been my favorite since I was young, I still adore her, and all her records, I have every single one. She uses different sounds and I love every sound she brings out. HALLYU: If someone is having a bad day what song would you recommend for them? Hana: I love Black Keys “Lonely Boy”. It’s just a great song; if you watch it, it makes you feel good.

VERSATILLE MIKE CHUN INTERVIEWED BY JOSEPHINE CHEW | TRANSCRIBED BY AMY SAIAUSKI | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANINA PARAGELE

HALLYU: Can you introduce yourself to our readers? Versatile: My real name is Mike Chun I go by the artist name Versatile. I am a hip hop artist and a song writer. I’m originally from Chicago. I moved out to L.A. in 2007 to pursue music.

Versatile: Well in general I think self-awareness is very important, so know your strengths and know the areas you need to work on and if it is something that isn’t up to par then work your strengths, utilize them. I think that will help you shine more than the art or craft that you do.

HALLYU: How did you get into music? Versatile: I’ve been doing music for a very long time. I started doing singing as a child, joined the choir, school chorus and stuff and then I got into hip hop in the beginning of college. I used to compete in rap battles and MC competitions and from there on I met with producers and then transitioned into song writing. So I’ve been doing music somewhat professionally for about ten years.

HALLYU: Do you listen to K-Pop? Versatile: It’s actually my guilty pleasure. Especially 90’s K-Pop, old school.

HALLYU: What’s the shortest amount of time it took you to write a song and what is the longest? Versatile: The shortest was maybe an hour and a half for a full song, obviously those are rare occasions but when they do happen I just kind of zone out and I have this impatience of wanting to get it done. The longest…I’ve worked on a single song for months, where I would write something and then later go back to it and I didn’t like it and I would make revisions after revisions, that was the worst case of writers block. HALLYU: Who influences you? Versatile: Musically? Overall I love Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, just as song writers and musicians. With hip hop specifically I’m a big fan of Nas, Eminem, Royce da 5’9” is my favorite rapper of all time actually HALLYU: What keeps you going? Versatile: To be honest, obviously music is something that I love doing and I can never get sick of music. I crave it, I want more of it, but as far as my personal music, why I continue it is because I feel fortunate that I’ve been able to use the platform of music to really share a story that is beyond myself. I feel like with that type of responsibility some what I need to keep it up. HALLYU: When did you audition for Superstar K? HAL Versatile: Back in 2010 HALLYU: What is the biggest difference between the two auditions? Versatile: Well this is completely Asian American and so that’s different. I think Kollaboration is a lot more organized. Overall the staff of Kollaboration have been so supportive and have been very on top of things as far as organization is concerned, for the artists and the talents. It’s been a very good experience. HALLYU: What would you recommend to people who audition for shows?

HALLYU: Who would you say is your number one favorite K-Pop Idol? Versatile: There’s a lot. A current artist that I really respect and enjoy listening to is Verbal Jint. I think his style is somewhat similar to mine, where he kind of does both singing and rapping. He keeps it very lyrical and he has a strong message. HALLYU: Have you ever thought about going back to Korean and going into the music scene there? Versatile: Honestly I think I’m more fit for the States. However if the terms were right, if I had creative freedom then it’s possible. HALLYU: Do you have anything else planned for the future? Versatile: I just released my new album. It is my first full length feature, titled “Good Mourning”. That album will officially be released on August 5th and I’ll be having an album released party. HALLYU: If you could collaborate with any artist who would it be? Versatile: I would say Eminem. HALLYU: Since K-Pop is your guilty pleasure, is there HAL an artist you would like to collaborate with? Versatile: I would want to collaborate with Hyorin from Sistar, just because I want to be in a music video with her. She’s got some great vocals, or Ailee , she’s got pipes so I would love to work with her. HALLYU: If someone was having a bad day what song HAL would you recommend? Versatile: Honestly I would play them a Christian song. I’m very adamant about my faith, even in my own music. There is a Christian song called “Love Came Down” by Bethel Music. It’s a very uplifting song, it’s an encouraging one. HALLYU: What about one of your own? Versatile: I’d say “The Rebound” because it’s very chill, laid back with a summery type of feel to it. So it’s just a happy vibe.

JOHN AND DANIEL RHEE INTERVIEWED BY JOSEPHINE CHEW | TRANSCRIBED BY AMY SAIAUSKI | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANINA PARAGELE

HALLYU: Can you introduce yourselves to our readers? John: I’m the younger one and I’m John. Daniel: I’m Daniel and we are the Rhee Brothers.

started learning, got lessons for the violin and one thing led to another and we started singing and here we are.

HALLYU: Besides guitar is there any other instruments that you play? Daniel: Today I’ll be playing the trumpet. I also play the piano. John: Guitar, piano, and violin.

HALLYU: What keeps you going with music? Daniel: Two things keep me going; one is the music that is Daniel most loved today. The ears could be treated better. And the other, everyone is so separated I want to make people come together with music. Those are the two things that keep me going with music. John: For me because I’m more of a selfish guy, I always think about the future and see how far I can go. How far I can go with music and production and that really gets me going. If I stop music right now, then I’ll never know. This guy thinks about other people, I just think about myself. Daniel: So it’s a good balance.

HALLYU: What got you into music? HAL John: Our parents are musicians; they are professional singers in the Korean Christian community so throughout life we just grew up with music. I picked up the guitar and

HALLYU: Being Korean American have there been any HAL struggles you face as a musician? John: I saw a lot of benefits, because YouTube and a lot of Asians use YouTube. I think the generation right now I

HALLYU: What do you guys do? John: We sing Daniel: Play guitar here and there John: We produce, we write… John Daniel: Entertain

think it doesn’t really matter. Although Asians would attract more Asian audiences and that's the limit I think. I don't want to do that. I want to attract everyone. HALLYU: What is your style of music? Daniel: I like old rock, like rock and roll. John: I go for like folk and indie, sad, depressing music. HALLYU: What is the shortest amount of time you have written a song and what is the longest? John: I think for me the shortest is like five minutes. John The song was about four minutes, it was a jazzy song. It’s called “Should I” and it’s on YouTube. The longest I’ve worked on a song was for like two weeks and both went on YouTube and people applauded the five minute song more than the two week one and it kind of hurts my pride Daniel: Daniel The longest I could go is five years. Cause I’ll just leave it there and let it sit and then I’ll come back to it and see what it’s like and what I can do with it again. HALLYU: Is there anyone else besides your parents that influenced your music? John: It started from the Beatles. Daniel: Oasis’s (John agrees) Daniel John: People I listen to such as The Whitest Boy Alive, and Mumford Sons Daniel: I go for Sex Pistols, Queen, The Animals John: John McCartney (Daniel agrees also) HALLYU: Do you listen to K-Pop? Daniel: I do listen to one artists the band is called the Daniel Black Skirts. They are indie. John: I don’t listen to K-Pop. Daniel: They get stuck in your head; a few days ago he was like… (John talks over him) John: There is this song by 4Minute. I was like Hyung I hate it but I just can’t stop singing it HALLYU: If you had to choose one artist, who HAL would you want to collaborate with? John: For me it’s Erlend Øye, he’s a Norwegian singer? He’s in The Whitest Boy Alive Daniel: I would love to work with Paul McCartney HALLYU: If someone was having a bad day what song would you recommend? Daniel: Daniel Ben Fold, Still Fighting It John: If you are sad listen to sad songs, its reverse psychology.

HALLYU: Can you introduce yourself to our readers? Justin: My name is Justin Klunk and I am a saxophonist and a song writer. HALLYU: Is there anyone that influences you? Justin: Back when I was starting, I was really into Pop Jazz, so I was really into Dave Koz, Jerry Albright, Richard Elliot. HALLYU: How did you get into the saxophone? Justin: It’s funny because I started with the piano back when I was seven and I absolutely hated it. I feel so bad for my piano teacher at the time. He put up with so much laziness, but right before middle school the middle school band came by and said they were trying to recruit. I wanted to play the guitar, but they didn’t have that option because it was more a marching band, so they told me to pick something else. My mom and dad told me to pick the saxophone, which I had no idea what it was. After I started playing it, I started listening to music that I liked and I actually started practicing on my own.

JUSTIN KLUNK

INTERVIEWED BY JOSEPHINE CHEW | TRANSCRIBED BY AMY SAIAUSKI PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANINA PARAGELE

HALLYU: What keeps you going, with your music? Justin Justin: The reason why I got into doing this professionally is because…music is a never-ending path, you’re always learning something every day, but the thing that I like even more than the music is the entertainment aspect of it all. I really like performing, the thing that keeps me going is doing things like this and getting good crowd response, and even if there isn’t good crowd response, just playing to the people that are there. HALLYU: Was there another dream that you had when you were little? Justin: I wanted to play baseball, but I was not the most in shape little kid. HALLYU: Being Asian American are there any struggles or advantages that you see? Justin: Aside from a competition like this that is geared to Asian Americans, no I’ve never come across any struggles or advantages or anything like that. There has never been a race card pulled on me, it’s always been: Can he play the saxophone? If so, when can you play with us? Are you good on stage? Are you good with a band? Are you just a nice person? To me, when I'm looking at my band, there is not an Asian American in my band, but it's not because I'm trying to deselect out of them, it's because I’m trying to deselect out of them . It’s because these are the guys, regardless of race or anything like that, they are just good people and know how to play their instrument. I get along with them and I can be with them on the road for days at a time and just not get sick of them. HALLYU: Do you have anything planned for the future? Justin: This just happened, the whole month of August I’m going to be out on the road with Ariana Grande. I just got signed to her band two days ago. It’s going to be a blast and we are starting rehearsals this week. HALLYU: Besides the saxophone have you ever tried to sing? Justin: Justin Actually yeah, while I was at USC I was taking singing lessons and song writing; I’ve been trying to get more into song writing, but as a singer…I’m horrible. I can sing something super simple. I’ve dabbled in it, but it’s more for fun to get some songs written. HALLYU: Do you listen to K-Pop? Justin: I listen to it, but to be honest I have no idea who Justin I’m listening to but I rock out to that. There was this one song from a group that I really liked but I can’t think of the name… (With some help from our staff it was discovered the song was by Big Bang) They’re great, they tour all over the place, and their songs are really thumping.

HALLYU: If you could pick one artist, who would you want to collaborate with? Justin: Bruno Mars (Justin can barely contain his excitement as he reiterates) Bruno Mars, I would love to work with him, or open for him, or do anything remotely related to him, or Justin Timberlake. HALLYU: If someone was having a bad day what song HAL would you recommend? Justin: It depends on the type of bad day, like is it a break up bad day or lousy day at work bad day? For a lousy day at work I would recommend the new Justin Timberlake song “Take Back The Night”.

RUSSELL INTERVIEWED BY JOSEPHINE CHEW PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANINA PARAGELE

HALLYU: Can you introduce yourself? Russell: My name is Russell Curry, I’m a hip hop performer, MC , and rapper. I might hone done on an actual label one day. HALLYU: Are you more nervous or excited? Russell: I’m excited definitely; I’ve been performing for most of my life. I’ve been making music for more than half of my life. I don’t really get nervous until it’s about to happen and then once I’m on stage it goes away. It turns into my performance energy. HALLYU: You started music when you were about 12, but what got you started? Russell: My older brother. He wrote raps for fun when he Russell was in high school and I was like, I’m going to try that too. Everything he did, I wanted to do. When I was eight he started playing drums, so I started taking lessons too and everything he did I kind of stuck with when he didn’t. HALLYU: Have you ever written anything with your brother? Russell: Russell No, I’ve asked him on numerous occasions. We did do one song together but it was kind of like a joke. It was fun. It was just like a quick little freestyle thing. HALLYU: What has kept you going in music? Russell: Hating everything else I do that isn’t music? It’s Russell taking a long time to figure out what it is that I’m meant to do and what I like doing and don’t like doing. What’s kept me going is the passion for what I love. HALLYU: You told us you are a Bio major, how did you decide on that when you are so into music? Russell: Well my dad is a doctor and my mom was a nurse Russell and that’s how they met. So growing up in that household, you can imagine all the medical terminology and biological stuff, it just kind of came naturally to me. That is how I was able to get through three and a half years of Bio. After that I realized that this is not what I want to do with my life. During that entire time though Bio was my safety back up happy. plan, it was my safe route and to keep my dad happ HALLYU: What happened when you told your dad you wanted to pursue music? Russell: It was not a big deal; it was something I had

CURRY TRANSCRIBED BY AMY SAIAUSKI

formed in my own head that it was to keep my dad happy, when it was really only what I thought would keep him happy. The only thing my father ever asked of me was to go to school. He just wanted me to graduate; he didn’t really care what it was in. He’s incredibly supportive. I talked to him the other day and said “You don’t worry about me do you dad?” and he told me he doesn’t worry because I have a plan and I have a backup plan. HALLYU: You said you had played the drums but then gave them up. Why is that? Russell: It was actually the dumbest decision; it was because I didn’t want to be a band nerd in high school. But if you play drums you’re almost exempt from that. It was stupid; if I still played I would have a lot more opportunities as a musician, meeting people and stuff like that. HALLYU: Besides the drums are there any other instruments you can play? Russell: No, except I can pretty much do anything percussion related… like tambourine, bongos, whatever, I can play them just because of the sense of rhythm. I wouldn’t say that I actually play instruments anymore though. HALLYU: After Kollaboration do you have anything else planned? Russell: The next thing I’m going to do is get my brand together, my personal brand. It’s always a process of rediscovering yourself. Just peeling back those layers of what I’m not and really getting to the core of what I am and bringing that into the music that I make and making the most authentic music possible. The next thing I’m going to do is make an album, maybe a few singles here and there, music videos here and there also. I want to do a tour sometime soon too, so those are a few things that are in the works. HALLYU: If you could pick one artist you would want to collaborate with, who would it be? Russell: Mos Def, hands down. He’s the biggest influence in my life, so I would really love to make a song with him. HALLYU: If someone was having a bad day, what song would you recommend? Russell: The song I’m going to perform tonight, “War of Art” It’s an uplifting, you-can-do-it type of song.

AMN RADIO:

INTERVIEW WITH

KPOP STOP [ AIMEE LEE LUCAS ] Hallyu: Use 1 word to describe yourself. One is too hard! Ambitious

I'm NEVER satisfied; especially since I'm new to the entire concept. I was always a dancer before a choreographer or a student before a teacher. Hallyu: What are some of the problems that you faced while working with the Korean idols?

Honestly, this is my first time as a radio DJ and I LOVE Honest everything about it, especially working side-by-side with Riley Tollett and Walter Hong. It wouldn't be Kpop Stop without the two.

The language. Luckily, dance is a universal language. The biggest obstacle I faced was trying to work around their culture in dance rehearsal which meant respecting the 'oppas' and 'unnis'. In America, age isn't relevant, which is what I had always been use to. After explaining that to everyone in Korea they, thankfully, cooperated and we continued to progress together.

Hallyu: Describe your most memorable performance?

Hallyu: Name a Korean idol that you have not, but would wish to work with

I have to go with performing on stage for Tae Yang's debut! It was the first time performing in front of a large crowd as the female lead! Never in my wildest dreams did I think it was possible.

Anyone who is interested in working with meâ&#x20AC;ŚI am currently working on a new project.

Hallyu: What do you love most about being a DJ for AMN Radio?

Hallyu: Pick one of your own choreography that you are most satisfied with.

Hallyu: What was your inspiration behind starting up MVP? KPOP FANS! Riley and Allyson Tollett to be exact. They

attended the MNET "Gangnam Style" flashmob I directed a few months ago. After hours of rehearsing that dance the two sisters approached me and asked, "Do you teach classes? If you do we'd love to attend!” At this point I taught a few beginner hip hop classes that I wasn't too confident about but the Tollett's made me think that Kpop could be my calling. The rest is history. I fell in love with the people, the music, and the culture…The entire "Kpop World." Hallyu: Was there ever a time when you felt like giving up on dancing? Oh, definitely. Dance is bittersweet, especially when you make a career out of it and your family is hoping you'll change your mind and study medicine. Dance is something indescribable. The adrenaline you feel before performing on stage to the passion of expressing yourself through movement. But dance isn't something you can do your whole life and it also isn't stable. I auditioned for the Britney Spears' Circus World Tour which was a 3-day long process and at least a dozen cuts. In the end, I was auditioning in front of Britney Spears herself ! I didn't make it. In Hollywood, you must have thick skin but at this point I was beaten down and disappointed with myself. I'm thankful Kpop gave me my passion to love dance again! Hallyu: You mentioned in another interview that you were once a very bad Hip-hop dancer. What spurred you to practice and improve on your dancing skills? It's true! It didn't take long for me to realize that all the men were being placed front and center. I was tired of dancing in the back, back center, and back corner. So…I trained every night until morning while in college. Even during finals week. Even when I have a 10 page essay due. Even when I had no friends. I made front and center because I friend earned it. Hallyu: What would you say to people who would love to dance but do not dare to step out of their comfort zone? GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE! Try something new, be different; go against the crowd.

[ WALTER HONG ] Hallyu: According to Aimee Lee Lucas, you are known as the ‘funniest man in the land’ and Comedy Zen has also labeled you as the ‘most bleeped comic’. As such, have you ever felt the pressure to live up to this image even when you are not hosting or performing? (eg. In your daily life or during your interactions with your friends?) Not really - I'm the same throughout. What you see is what you get, I think. Hallyu: What is your secret to achieving such comedic success in your radio segments and performances? First off, thank you! Secondly, I don't know, natural born talent? Talent is starting to become highly underrated with all of these prognosticators touting hard work as the only necessary means for achievement. Talent brought me here and I'll ride her all the way 'till she can't go anymore and then maybe I'll go to a bar and hit on hard work. Hallyu: Aside from hosting “Kpop stop”, you are also co-hosting a Hal show called ‘The Walter & PK Show’. Are there any major differences in terms of your hosting style for the two radio shows? Not really. I try to keep both shows light and fun. Hallyu: Through hosting events such as Seoul Sonic 2K13, you got to meet Korean artistes such as No Brain and Lowdown 30. In your opinion, who was the most memorable Korean artiste or group that you have met? Honestly, Honest none of them so far because they've all been dudes. Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against dudes - I mean they do important things like drive me around in taxis, fix my plumbing and mow my lawn, but I feel like girls are just awesomer (yes, awesomer is not a word, but clearly appropriate in this context). Hallyu: As a radio show host, what was the biggest challenge that you have ever encountered? Boring guests that have one word responses to everything; I won't mention anyone's names, but I’ll give you their initials: Steve Bae & Allen Hua.

Hallyu: Lately, there have been many kpop artistes that Hallyu: You work with two co-hosts Aimee and Walter on are collaborating with American superstars; one example K-pop Stop. What is it like working alongside them? being Missy Elliott and G-dragon. What do you think of It’s so much fun! Aimee brings a lot of energy to the recordthis development? ings and Walter is knowledgeable about literally everything I think it's great. Music is the one beauty that's universal. G (except K-Pop) so I’m always learning something new. ood music is good music. Good music can be appreciated cross culturally and across borders. It's an underutilized Hallyu: K-pop has spawned many trends such as Gangnam Style and Gwiyomi. What would you say is your favourite bonding tool. K-Pop trend? Hallyu: So, as Kpop Stop has been known to share fun Hal facts and gossip about Kpop. Do you have any interesting My favorite trend is the fashion style called SHINee Style. It’s gossip or facts to share about our favourite kpop celebri- basically wearing a neutral colored t-shirt with brightly colored pants, with colored accessories to match the pants. I think ties? K-Pop brings a lot to the fashion world. I wish I could, but I promised her over breakfast I wouldn't. Hallyu: In your opinion, what do you think makes K-pop so successful? Hallyu: Who is your favorite Kpop TV host? Lee Hyori. Wait, she's not a TV host? Well, she should be! The artists are young and talented and become role models to the fans, and I think that’s what makes it so successful. I firmly She would be my favorite. believe the K-Pop trend is more about the artists themselves Hallyu: Out of all the songs released in 2013 so far, which than it is the music. Kpop song is your favorite? Hallyu: What do you feel are the qualities needed in a good Hal Anything from Lee Hyori. host? Hallyu: Lastly, do you have any words of advice or tips for I think the most important quality for a radio host is interactpeople who aspire to have a job like yours? No, I have no advice for them because i don't need/want the ing well with your co-hosts. Also, listening to and responding to listener feedback is a good quality and helps the show to imcompetition. prove.

[ RILEY TOLLETT ]

Hallyu: Who do you feel is the most breakthrough artist of the year?

Hallyu: As a K-Pop enthusiast, you must have many fa- BAP had their debut in January of 2012 under TS Entertainment, which is not one of the ‘Big Three’ labels. In May of vourite groups. Could you name a few of them? 2013, they had four concerts in America on their Verizon Hands down, my favorite group is Clazziquai Project. I also APAHM Tour. To have a tour in a country on the other side of really like f(x), Boyfriend, EXO, and VIXX. Recently I’ve planet (that doesn’t even speak your language) barely more than a year after debut is really amazing. I hope to see more been listening to a lot of Yoo Seungwoo and Lim Kim too. great things from BAP in the future. Hallyu: How did you get to know about K-pop? Hallyu: So, being an avid lover of all things K-pop, are you I actually heard about it through my little sister! Her friends influenced by Korean culture and lifestyle as well? at school had shown her a Big Bang’s Haru Haru music video and she wanted me to watch it. At first I wasn’t really into it, If by Korean lifestyle you mean staying out at karaoke till the but the song got stuck in my head and it was all over from sun rises, then yes. Haha! No, but I do think I’ve been influenced by Korean culture, especially since I travel there a couple there. of times a year. Hallyu: Recently you met some of the EXO members in Hal Hallyu: Lastly, what do you think is the most rewarding person. What was it like meeting them? aspect of your job? It was so exciting! I felt like I won the lottery. They’re all so much taller than I was expecting; it was a little intimidating. The most rewarding part is listening to the podcasts and hearChanyeol was told that he is my favorite member, so he shook ing the K-Pop songs we picked play, because then I know we’re my hand and offered a hug but I was too nervous so I said no! helping to spread the Hallyu wave.

KOREA DAY Photography by Janina Paragele On July 28, 2013, the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated Korea Day at the Dodger Stadium, where the Los Angeles Dodgers took on the Cincinnati Reds. Taeyeon and Tiffany of Girls’ Generation were invited to perform the National Anthem of South Korea and the United States, while Sunny threw the first ceremonial pitch. “American Idol” contestant, Han Heejun, also performed at the event.

THE BLONDIE AND THE

DREADLOCKS Written by Janice Quek | Photography by Son Ju Eun One of the Infamous Running Man betrayers, HaHa entered the stage with his music partner Skull for their very first showcase and fan meet in Singapore on July 20, 2013. With blonde hair for the new father and dreadlocks for the underground music singer, nothing about this new duo is conventional. The pair tests boundaries as they partnered to challenge the norm with their new album, Ya Man! The album features Reggae music, a genre first started in Jamaica. Since it is a less popular music genre, promoting Reggae music might prove to be a challenge, to which Skull shared, â&#x20AC;&#x153;so many people are getting into Reggae, our music, so we feel very proud.â&#x20AC;? The two showed friendly camaraderie as HaHa teased Skull for

being a “Casanova” and that he “needs to find a nice girl here”. The showcase received a good turnout as fans from all over Asia, such as, Hong Kong, Thailand and Taiwan, gathered in Singapore’s Zouk. Though new, hits like “Ragga Muffin” and “Busan Vacance” are perfect songs to hype up any party and were well received as the audience jumped and swayed to the fast beat. Kicking off with a bang, award winning special guest, DJ IT did a cameo performance in the opening, with his own mix of spins and scratching, filling the air with buzz before the two made their appearance on stage. “Don’t waste your money, you’ve come here to party, so party hard!” Indeed, HaHa and Skull delivered a performance that earned the cheers of all who were present, despite HaHa being “a little sick, this morning”, said Skull. Generous with hugs and handshakes, the pair earned brownie points as they adopted an open and friendly attitude, teasing the audience with water from bottles they drank from. A sneak peek to the concert due to happen in South Korea, fans were told to come bikini-clad as there would be several displays using water cannons to look forward to.

Laughing, HaHa promised a “passionate concert” in which “everyone will get wet”. For the first showcase outside of South Korea, the duo was generous with collaterals. Wristbands, towels, fan cards, T-shirts and posters sailed through the air, starting a race in its own form: to be the fastest arm up and snatching anything that formerly belongs to their idols. While HaHa seemed to have a larger fan base in Singapore compared to Skull, it is without a doubt that if Reggae music grows in popularity, the latter’s fan base would increase. Much to his fans’ delight, Skull continually expressed his excitement to meet “the chio bus (pretty girls) in Singapore” throughout the press conference and fan meet, eliciting enthusiastic screams from the audience. The duo’s fresh twist on K-pop is all in all, well received, judging by the crowds’ response. This new partnership holds potential that may develop into something more in the future.

SUPER SHOW 5: SUPER JUNIOR’S WORLD TOUR Bangkok, Thailand August 4, 2013: SM True just

recently held their concert SUPER JUNIOR WORLD TOUR ‘SUPER SHOW 5’ IN BANGKOK. This concert was a huge success, with a new record of holding the most fans to attend a Korean concert in Thailand. For 5 consecutive years, the audience ranged up to about 20,000 fans that all have a strong passion and support for Super Junior since their debut 8 years ago.

Surrounding the IMPACT Arena in Muang Thongthani, fans actively gathered since the early morning of August 4, 2013 to ensure their place in line. Fans wore blue clothing to represent Super Junior and waited eagerly to cheer the handsome men. Some fans even camped outside of the Arena to get stage area spots in order to see Super Junior up close. clos In a sense, this concert was more than just a regular concert because the event is only held once a year for Super Junior and their fans in Thailand. Besides being praised for their big show fully filled with fun and excitement, Super Junior wants to strengthen their relationship with their Thai fans even if the concert is only held annually. For their next concert, Super Junior hopes for their Thai fans to continue supporting them and wait for their return once again.

IN BANGKOK

PHOTOGRAPHER: KORAPUN SRITONGSUK TRANSLATOR: JOSIE CHEW

“

XIAH JUNSU: INTERVIEW

”

XIA 2ND ASIA TOUR CONCERT

INCREDIBLE IN BANGKOK

Bangkok, Thailand Friday July 19 - XIA Junsu held a press conference for the first stop of his "XIA 2nd Asia Tour Concert Incredible in Bangkok." During the press conference Junsu answered several questions. Read the interview below: Q: How do you feel for the 2nd album? A: This album was released one after my 1st album, and the difference from the 1st is that the songs in the 2nd album are varied, more colorful and stylish. For example, INCREDIBLE, the title song, makes you want enjoy the summer and feel good and contented with the song. wi

Q: Thailand is the 1st country for your Asia tour, how do you feel about it? A: In regards to my 1st Asia tour last year, Thailand is also the 1st country this year, and I'm happy about this. The reason I choose Thailand as the 1st country is because I feel lucky. It seems when I start working in Thailand, everything is better and I have a good mood, thus I chose Thailand. Q: What is the performance we will see tomorrow? A: You will see the performance in various styles, according to the songs from new album. In addition, I will sing the favorite songs from the 1st album Q: Please introduce the title song "INCREDIBLE." A: This song is composed by ‘Automatic’, Sony Music’s composer. We worked together last year. The first time I listened to this song, it felt suitable for a summer season. The melody is joyful and has a hip hop style which is different from the past. In addition Quincy is featured in this song and he also joins in the MV. The music video shows a joyful party and I hope that everyone will be happy this summer. er Q: You look grown up in this album. A: I can't tell I grow up or not but when I compare it with the 1st album, I can see that I have improved which gives me a good feeling. Q: You performed in the musical “Elizabeth” last year and this year as well. How do you feel? A: I'm happy to perform in this musical again because musicals have an influence in my songs. The inspiration is also from musicals and I feel bound with it. I got an award from this musical. I feel pressured because I play the new role which makes me pay attention and put more effort into it. Q: What is the attractiveness of musical? How does it differ from JYJ activities or solo album? A: When I play in the musical, I must remember my role and songs within 2-3 hours. For example, when I was on “MOZART” I carefully studied every role in the musical because we had a huge cast, including musicians in orchestra and everyone worked together. I have very good memories from that experience.

Q: What are JYJ’s activities after this? A: This time is solo activity for each but JYJ will have schedules together around the end of this year. Q: You performed world tour concert last year, how do you feel for the 2nd? A: This tour concert starts in Thailand but I'm not sure which the other countries are. One important thing to know is that I'll do my best show to impress Thai fans as much as I can. Q: What is your impression of Thai fans or what are your special memories of Thai fans? A: Actually I remember many. As you know I like coconut juice; yesterday Thai fans drew a coconut tree as a welcome sign. Thai fans always support me and love me. When I perform for them and look them in the eye, I feel I get more powerful and lucky. Q: You have been in Thailand many times, how do you feel? A: I like Thai people because they are kind and can't hurt anyone. I like coconut juice but South Korea only has a few coconut trees. Thailand has many coconut trees even at the central of city. I have been in Bangkok but I haven't gone for sightseeing. If I have any chances, I would like travel there. Q: Besides coconut juice, what is your favorite treat of Thailand? A: I like watermelon smoothies, I have drunk it in many countries such as Korea and Brazil, but watermelon smoothies from Thailand are the most delicious. Q: Can you speak Thai? A: “Hi,” “Thank you,” “Thank you very much,” “Coconut,” “Prawn spicy soup,” “Lovely so much” (He said all in Thai). Q: Please say something to Thai fans. A: Every time I go to Thailand, Thai fans and the media always give me a warm welcome. I am very grateful for your support and I will return with my great performance tomorrow. Please come and join. Thank you very much.

SHU-I FANMEETING IN BANGKOK

WELCOME HOME

SKarf’s first showcase couldn’t have been held in a better place –Singapore, where leader Tasha and lead rapper Ferlyn first achieved their dreams of being a K-pop star in a competition. Read on for more about the first girl group of its kind. Photography by Hon Liang Yi and Cheryl Mui Written by Hon Liang Yi

Ferlyn is the only 20-year-old Singapor-

ean who can say that she’s a rising K-pop star – after all, SKarf is the first girl group to include Singaporeans in it. But she still seems a little dumbfounded by the whole affair. “How could three years just pass like that?” she said, in disbelief during the press conference. In 2010, Ferlyn and Tasha beat out more than 3,000 hopefuls in a competition held

in Singapore to scout out talents to form a girl group. They began training in Korea, and soon, SKarf was formed. Three years later, Sol has left SKarf, while Japan-born Hana and Korean JooA joined the group. With a new SKarf came new things, especially with their first anniversary on August 14th. To give you a glimpse of this new SKarf, here are some highlights of each member from both the press conference and the showcase.

Tasha The leader is self-assured and confident just like a rising K-pop star should. Throughout the press conference, she was eloquent and didn’t miss a beat at all when she was answering questions. Speaking about the showcase, Tasha said, “For me, it’s a dream come true. I never thought I’d do my first showcase in ne my hometown, Singapore, and this time is really meaningful for me.” Ferlyn The charismatic Ferlyn provided the most insightful answers. “It’s like I’ve prepared 200% of what I can do but I can only show you 2% on stage, so it’s quite depressing and stressful at the same time,” she said of her challenges in performing. On stage, her honesty and effort exuded – even when she wasn’t the best vocalist or dancer on stage, she was the girl putting in her best foot forward, with a smile on her face. JooA She is one of the two new additions to SKarf, but JooA proved to be indispensable in the showcase with her singing prowess. During her solo, JooA sang ‘On My Own’ from the musical Les Miserables, and she blew us all away with her beautiful voice. JooA mentioned that she wanted to do a Broadway musical during the press conference, and from the voice we heard, she’d be perfect for one.

Hana Hana is adorable – every bone in her body is cute. During the press conference, she gamely performed ‘Gwiyomi’ for the press, leading to a lot of squeals of how adorable she is. During the showcase, we even caught her popping bubbles while singing on stage! Her kawaii level peaked while dancing to ‘Barbie Girl’ with Jenny…until they both ripped off their polJen ka-dot dresses, revealing monochrome suits to dance to Psy’s ‘Gentleman’. Jenny Despite Jenny’s quiet demeanor during the press conference, she was definitely one rocking singer. While JooA was the vocalist who hit the big notes, Jenny was the understated singer of the night, carrying the bulk of the song. The singer said that she’d love to try out every single drama role offered to her, so we hope she can carry her adventurous spirit into singing soon!

LEE KWANG SOO FANMEET IN SINGAPORE WRITTEN BY HON LIANG YI

In Singapore for his first fanmeet, Lee Kwang Soo charmed the socks off

both the press and his fans with his witty responses and endearing actions in both the press conference and the fanmeet. Here’s the lowdown on what he’s been up to in Singapore! “Girin-Eye” (a wordplay on the Avengers character, Hawkeye and his nickname, Giraffe, or Girin in Korean) has come to rescue Singapore from Running Man mania –and he has certainly hit the mark with his easygoing charms and humour. A press member asked him if he wanted to change his character on Running Man, and to that, he replied frankly, “If I want to win, the only way for me to survive is to betray others. So…I’m not too sure what kind of character I would want to change myself into.” He then mentioned he would like to work out and “have a cool body like Jong Kook”. “Maybe we’ll see some meat at the fanmeet then,” the host quipped. Kwang Soo shyly smiled and remarked, “I’m sorry, I’m not ready yet!” Someone else then asked him how he would rate himself in terms of looks. He paused, assuming a look of deep concentration, then said, “Just give me a moment to think…maybe a 7 or 8?” And after hearing his fans present scream that he was an 11 out of 10, Kwang Soo added, “I will take better care of my appearance next time, thank you!” So while we await the day Kwang Soo decides to take off his shirt to show off his lanky frame, we will simply be happy with the hilarious fanmeet, where the 1.9 meter-tall actor played games and sang to fans. Right from the get-go, the Prince of Asia won everyone over with his allure and sincerity. Singing TVXQ’s ‘Hug’ from a rising platform, the screams and chants of fans did not die down, even when Kwang Soo sounded off-key at the beginning. He made it up to us by spontaneously doing his famous ‘Robo Dance’ midway through the song and laughing while singing – which made for a funny scene. His awkwardness was quickly overcome by his wit, which made him more adorable. In one game, he called four lucky female fans on their phones and got them on stage. One brave soul asked him to kiss her on the forehead. “This is getting too intense!” Kwang Soo exclaimed, but he gave it to her anyway. When it was about to end, Kwang Soo addressed the audience, “I am not so sure how to express my gratefulness but I am very thankful. I’m not so sure when I am going to have another fan meet but I will do my best when I get back to Korea.” If doing his best means more hilarious betrayals in Running Man, we’re looking forward to that!

BEST ABSOLUTE PERFECT LIVING UP TO THEIR NAME

Explosive cheers are heard as six men walk into City Square mall. Dressed in form fitting blazers and vests, they turn to greet the crowd who has gathered for their open press conference. “We are B.A.P, yes sir~” they chant, inducing a round of screams.

After a year and a half, B.A.P are back in Singapore for their ‘Live on Earth’ concert tour. As this is their second visit, we asked them about their impression of Singapore, to which Yongguk replied, “First of all, Singapore is very clean and the people are all very nice and also, the Babyz are so pretty.” To the delight of fans, he then went on to add, “We really appreciate how loyal, how faithful and how much you love us. We will give it back to you twice fold tomorrow at the concert.” To say that the tour has been a success would be an understatement. Over the past six months, B.A.P has toured many countries such as America and Japan and performed sold out concerts there. With so many concerts under their belt, we wonder what the most memorable incident was for B.A.P during the concert tour. “Fans from each country have their own different ways of supporting us and responding to our songs. That’s what we remember most about the tour.” Daehyun said. Evidently, fans are an important existence to B.A.P, which brings us to this question: what can Babyz expect to see in the concert tomorrow? “We have lots of special performances lined up and we

will be performing new songs as well. Please look forward to our concert.” Youngjae stated. Indeed, as promised, the concert was filled with many special performances. Fans were treated to a heartfelt rendition of ‘I believe I can fly’ by Daehyun and Youngjae as well as a lively performance of ‘Never Give Up’ by Zelo and Jongup. Aside from that, Yongguk and Himchan also showcased a dynamic performance of ‘Sexy Clap’. But of course, it was the title tracks such as ‘Warrior’ and ‘Power’ that got the crowd screaming while the boys executed their slick choreographies and powerful moves. In addition, B.A.P also showed off another side to them during the member introduction segment whereby Zelo, Daehyun and Yongguk enacted the famous, ‘Gwiyomi’ player, thus eliciting several screams from the fans present. On top of that, the members also made numerous attempts to bridge the language barrier by speaking in English whenever they could. In short, through the 110 minutes of the concert, B.A.P demonstrated professionalism not only in their live performance skills, but also as entertainers, thus living up to their name of ‘Best Absolute Perfect’.

ROOKIE GROUPS WITH

VETERAN STAGE PRESENCE BY RYANN ELLIS

hen B.A.P debuted, both fans and rival groups alike were surprised at their sheer charisma upon their first stage. If you weren't a complete KPOP fan or didn't follow the debut list, they could have been easily mistaken as a veteran group with years of experience. Now as the new generation of rookies follows, we can see an even more intense competition for the top spot making it even harder to reach. When rookie group VIXX debuted last year in May with Super Hero, their cuteness shown through their variety show MyDOL was also showcased in their performance. Now, only a year later, the group has returned with Hyde, and a whole different side of them was revealed. It's definitely easy to say that the level of professionalism is high among newly debuted groups. Needless to say, any company that decides that the time is right for a group to debut would want them to have the same stage presence as those who have been performing for years, but recently it is noticeable that some groups could easily start out performing like veterans. Two outstandingly strong groups that have recently debuted are Pure and Boys Republic. Although not yet well know since both groups only debuted about a month ago, they have already stolen the hearts of many fans in Asia. Both groups have also already traveled around Korea and it might only be a short time before international fans start to take notice.

f(x)

oh, you and your

electrick shock By Darren Kwok

fter a long wait, the ladies of f(x) have inally made a comeback, after label mates, EXO had theirs. From the teaser photos, you would perhaps be expecting a song with the style of T-ARA's Sexy Love or (this is a disturbing thought), an "Oppa-oppa Saranghae" concept. However, when they had their comeback in the form of Rum Pum Pum Pum, I was genuinely surprised. Not because it was a shocking, revolutionary concept, but because it’s the same exact electronic genre that f(x) has been doing for awhile –Hot Summer and Electric Shock, just to name a few.

I understand that the industry has had a demand for electronic music for a while, yet, to have a few songs in a row in the same genre is surprising. Even known ballad groups like Davichi change their concept once in awhile, for example, their song “My Man” which was more upbeat. However, there is a magic about f(x) songs, and it’s that if you listen to their songs, it grows on you with its catchy beat. All in all, it is not a bad song. However, perhaps it is time for f(x) to have a new concept and try another genre.

News / Entertainment

getting intimate

jyj

WITH

by stephanie chee

ver the last four days of June, approximately 17,000 lucky fans of boy band JYJ got to spend some intimate time with their idols. This is the second consecutive year that JYJ and their managing company, C-JeS Entertainment, have organized such a large scaled, yet free-of-charge fan service event for members of the C-JeS Membership. Yes, you read it right. It was absolutely free-of-charge for fans to walk around the three exhibition halls viewing JYJ’s art pieces, watching a one and a half hour video screening of highlights from ‘The Return of JYJ’ Concert at Tokyo Dome last April, and interacting with the boys through a variety of JYJ-integrated IT contents. On top of that, there was also an exclusive, yet again, free-of-charge fan meet for the luckier than lucky fans who had won tickets to it. In the span of the four days, promotional goods were not sold. According to C-JeS Entertainment, they have also kindly declined all sponsorship offers from corporations and public institutions. C-Jes Entertainment said, “With the growth of Hallyu comes the need for new contents. By providing events such as free fanmeets, we have created a space for JYJ to spend time with their fans without a commercialized aspect, creating a stronger loyalty from fans and increasing JYJ’s value.” They also added that they want the event to be purely a time for JYJ and their fans to make precious memories and for the boys to relay thanks for their fans’ love. Currently, it seems like JYJ is the first and the only Hallyu idol group who have adopted this new Cu concept to explore the world of connecting with fans beyond the usual fanmeets, concerts and handshake events. Who knows? In time, your favorite Hallyu idol groups might just be inspired to jump on the bandwagon too.

NO MIN WOO REVAMPS HIS IMAGE

Three strikes and you’re in luck? No Min Woo has made a lot of interesting career changes. Originally starting out as a member of SM Entertainment’s The TRAX using the stage name Rose, he left after two years of being with the band and became an actor. While he’s gained some success by having memorable roles in both My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho and Midas, and then starring in Full House 2, No Min Woo seems to be going back to music again, this time- under the name ICON. Technically, ICON is the name of the band that has No Min Woo as the front man, with drummer Monster and DJ Disco adding their sound. However, No Min Woo’s the vocalist of the trio and he’s the face of the act. In fact, he even started a new entertainment company, MJ Dreamsys, so that he could be in charge of the entire production and creative process. But that may not have been the best decision, since only No Min Woo’s old fans seem really interested in his new image as an eccentric rocker. The album Rockstar has four songs, with just as many different forms of presentation. The title track Rockstar is an electronic-rock song that is reminiscent of 80’s music while Alive is an electronic song that’s a little bit slower paced. If Rockstar is ICON’s anthem depicting No Min Woo’s desire to be a super star, Alive is his message to fans that he’ll be all right no matter what. The other two songs on the album Baby and Hello have less of rock or electronic influence, and honestly seem more like No Min Woo’s solo songs pre-ICON since they emphasize his vocal talent rather than the electronic sound that the other two songs do. Since most people know No Min Woo as an actor, it seems a bit of an odd move to change over to such a completely different image. But since there seems to be a growing desire in Korea for more diverse music, perhaps No Min Woo will finally hit it big as ICON.

IDOL FRIENDS

THAT ALMOST GARNER

IDOL-LIKE ATTENTION

BY DARREN KWOK

3. Kim Eana [Job: Lyricist] ] Kim Eana is the mastermind behind several hit songs, such as Brown Eyed Girls’ Sign, L.O.V.E and even IU’s Good Day and more recently, Ga In’s hit song, Bloom. She first rose to fame when she made a cameo appearance on We Got Married, to be more specific, for the Adam Couple, as she helps the petite couple write the hit song, We Fell In Love. Kim Eana is also noted for playing her cat instead on Twitter, having her Twitter id be the name of her cat and also conversing with others in “cat language”, the most notable being IU, who had to suffer through an entire sentence of “meows” when she tweeted the lyricist a question. 2. Kwon Ryeol [Job: Cameraman] ] This man is the lovable PD in charge of Yoo Jaesuk on Running Man. He has even garnered a following sizeable enough that his name was among the placards that cheered the Running Man team as they entered Thailand. Known for being physically unfit and a lacking in courage, he has brought many laughs to the Running Man team, for example, by filming a pretty guest instead of Yoo Jaesuk which he is in charge of. Kwon Ryeol’s lack of courage is also displayed when he and Yoo Jaesuk climbs up a hill and hears a mysterious rustle of a bush and he cries out, asking Jaesuk if it was a wild boar. 1. Go Dong Wan n The maknae FD of the Running Man production team, his appearance has been associated with hilarity as well as trolling of the Running Man cast. His appearance has also been noted with the sound of the cartoon character, Road Runner. Ranging from appearing as an Emperor to the ailing head of a rich family, Go Dong Wan’s appearance serves to introduce laughter into the already ridiculous scenario. Dong Wan’s appearance as a troll started sometime back, for example, when two carriages appeared, the Running Man cast was told that one of them contained a beautiful female guest.Dong Wan appeared in one of them with his trademark smile and gave the Running Man members who picked his side a cheeky smile before leaving. The other guest was actress Han Ga In. I feel the members’ pain. You too, right?

News / Entertainment

IDOLS

FOR A byCAUSE ryann ellis Artists appreciate when fans donate pretty much

anything to them or any cause they may be supporting, but what about when it is the other way around? Recently a few articles have surfaced about artists having donated wreaths and money to foundations and families in need. Of course other than for publicity, fans and the people receiving these gifts love it. G-Dragon donated a money wreath last year while he was in the States to help support his concert. Groups such as MBLAQ and BIg Bang, have also often been known to donate many things including food and gifts to both their fans and support causes. However, donations aren’t saved just for organizations or to help another artist with a concert. When Ulala Session’s Lim Yoontaek passed away, a number of artists sent money wreaths to his family to help with the final preparations. With this being said, fans also come to the aid of their idols by donating either directly to the person or to the entertainment company. At the end of March V.I.Ps in America donated a 500kg rice wreath specifically for G-Dragon’s world tour. With this kind of publicity we can see how much these individuals care not only for themselves, but for the people around them as well.

News / Entertainment

By Ryann Ellis

CELEBRITIES

Ink

WITH

here are many artists in the world that have tattoos and piercings all over their bodies. Even in Korea we can see artists with tattoos. Unfortunately, due to broadcasting limitations in Korea and the major fact that parlors are illegal to have, artists don't generally have or get tattoos that are as big as some of the ones seen in the States. This being said, however, there are several artists such as Jay Park, G-Dragon, and most recently Taeyang, who have proudly showed off the ink on their skin. Jay Park has a full sleeve up to his chest and two on his upper body near his ear and neck. G-Dragon has many tattoos all over his body including a dragon ball, and two on his arms. Taeyang has a giant cross on his rib cage and a recent edition of a tattoo across his upper back. It isn't weird to see an artist with ink or piercings, but it can definitely be said that you won't everyone sporting this type of look. see e

ARE

IDOLS DEBUTING AT A YOUNGER AGE By Amy Saiauski

News / Entertainment

n this day and age, who doesn’t turn to the internet to find out facts and statistics about people they are interested in? Imagine you just saw a music video that blew you away and you find one member that really catches your attention, so you go to the search engine and find their bio. Height, weight, blood type, they all look good, but then you reach the deciding factor…date of birth October 15th...1996?! Wait...hold it. A 96 liner? That was a common reaction that erupted when B.A.P debuted and fans flocked to find out about the adorable rapper named Zelo. Older K-Pop fans may remember having the same reaction when SHINee’s maknae Taemin’s age was revealed, or let’s go further back and recall TVXQ’s Changmin who was also that age around the time of their debut. For older fans of K-Pop who were around for the first generation such as H.O.T, it certainly seems like idols nowadays are getting younger because we are getting older. But that’s not the whole story. There are some groups coming out that in fact debute much younger children, yes children. Maru from C-Clown was still 14 when they debuted, shocking fans with his age. Until the maknae in Pledis’ upcoming boy group Seventeen, Samuel, was found to be 11. Due to the promotion from their company this news spread throughout the K-Pop fandoms, but he is not the youngest. G.Story was a group of four little girls who debuted back in 2010 with the average age of 9.75. The youngest known as “Cutie” was around 9 when they debuted, the leader of the group was 11. An 11 year old was expected to lead a group and do all the things that leaders much older than her struggle to do. Years ago, it was common to train for a minimum of 4-5 years if not longer. Now 1-2 years seems to be normal. So with that thought, the maknae was only 7 or 8 and then went under training and preparation for debut? K-Pop fans know and understand the suffering and heartache idols go through in training and debuting. So, to even consider this burden being placed on one so young is a discomforting thought, yet as long as the demand is there, idols that young will continue to debut.

Member Changes:

While many people find it hard to think about many idol groups with different member line-ups, it’s not so rare to find groups who have member changes. Groups like After School and T-ARA plan for this, but certain groups like U-KISS change their line-up in order to appeal to more fans. Now the newest trend in idol changes seems to be altering the member line up if there’s not the desired response a year from their debut.

The Way To Make it Big?

Double A debuted last year and released their first album earlier this year. However, right before their latest comeback, they announced that their visual member Joowon would leave the group to pursue his acting career and they would add two new members after the latest comeback of Midnight Taxi. Even groups from bigger companies aren’t safe from this. It may be weird to think about it, but EXO technically added new members. The members debuted as two entirely separate groups but because fans wanted to see them together, SM Entertainment decided to combine EXO-K and EXO-M to make the fans happy. But, fans still point to the fact that EXO-K’s members still get more air time on Korean music shows, and many fans still consider the group to still be divided. Many W’s (Double A’s fanclub) think it’s a real shame that Joowon left, and are worried that other members of Double A may leave to pursue different career paths if their latest activities don’t do well. Line-up changes are not rare in K-Pop, but they don’t always leave with the desired effects on the fans and are often a sign of instability in groups. Hopefully both of these groups will do well in the future, but it still is a bit discomforting to many fans to see alterations to the group that they already are familiar with.

kpop KROCK

By Ryann Ellis

KPOP has to be one of the most prominent forms

of music listened to by both Korean and non-Korean fans, but recently a shift has started taking place involving more guitars, drums, and basses. This shift is from KPOP to KROCK. A lot of people wouldn't believe you if you said that KROCK is going to take over the world, but this is exactly what is happen ing. Groups such as TVXQ, CNBLUE, B.A.P, and soloist Kim Jaejoong of JYJ, have taken on this new genre in some of their more recent albums. It isn't in every single one of their songs on the album, but songs like B.A.P's “No Mercy” and Kim Jaejoong's “Mine”, have now been heard around the world and are classified as rock. What is the reason for the sudden change some may ask? Well, the answer to that is the growing need to keep fans satisfied. As one trend leaves, another enters, and to keep up with these growing trends artist must be able to adapt to what is being asked of them. While KPOP will definitely not completely fade away from the picture, it can be predicted that a general increase of Korean rock will make its way to the scene until another trend pushes it out. However, there are groups that will continue to stick to their roots, only changing up a look or slightly altering their music, in which the fans have come to love this about them. Still, for everyone else, a drastic new look is in the near future.

CRISIS MANAGEMENT

YOU ARE DOING IT...

This is just an article of personal opinion. This does not reflect the magazine's stand on these issues.

BY DARREN KWOK

What companies often forget is that idols themselves do have access to the internet too. When Lee Joon suddenly made an ambiguous post on his fan café, with the sentence, "...I’m human so I can’t act out lies that are obvious." Fans automatically assumed that this was related to the Oh Yeon Seo and Lee Jangwoo scandal. J.Tunes Camp confirmed that Lee Joon had made the post, and instead of conveniently shifting the blame to the OYS camp, J.Tunes instead took the blame, apologising for the company's failure in looking after Lee Joon's health due to his busy schedule and promise to improve on it. This action not only gained the company praise for its care for their talents, but also helped Lee Joon avoid an unnecessary fan war between OYS's and LJW's fans.

RIGHT

The following example is NOT what to do exactly. Firstly, companies need to have a clear idea of Firstl group dynamics. Secondly, companies need to know that idols can still tweet and comment about things online. Lastly, tough worded statements are only meant to confirm or deny if it is purely a misunderstanding, not to threaten. However, this only works with a company where the CEO is clear with what he is doing. CCM's Kim Kwangsoo has been known for his bulldozer leadership, which is often at the expense of any talents under him. So when the bullying rumours surfaced, Kim Kwangsoo should have just kept quiet and apologise nicely instead of going out on their way to sue people. Also, it is a not a nice thing to do by refusing to apologise, regardless whether the company is at right or wrong, when netizens have discovered "evidence" that certain members of T-ARA has bullied Hwayoung. Also, the position where Hyoyoung (Hwayoung's twin sister) is in the company, makes it appear that Hwayoung's apology on Twitter, true or not, seem to be as a result of trying to protect her sister. Therefore, Kim Kwangsoo and CCM should have used a softer approach and attempted to reconcile with Hwayoung from the very beginning, instead of taking the tough-guy approach.

wrong

Remember what happens to the tough guys in movies?

News / Entertainment

5. It’s Me – Sunny & Luna

In this song, the two sunshine pills of both Girls Generation and f(x) respectively share a bubbly tone song. The song is about thanking the special man they had met and also that they were dedicating this song to that special someone. This song is definitely one that can lift your spirit on a sad, depressing day.

4. Forever and One More Day – Navi The song has a Café atmosphere, and Navi’s voice definitely suits the song. In the song, Navi confesses her never-ending feelings for her significant other. This OST for We Got Married: Global Edition is a remarkable, soothing soundtrack, perfect for when you are enjoying a cup of coffee.

3. Can You Hear Me? – Haeri of Davichi This soundtrack by a member of the amazingly talented duo, Davichi, Haeri lends her voice to the drama, Tears of Heaven. “Can You Hear Me” fully utilizes Haeri’s talent for extremely sad songs, a song wondering whether the person she loves actually returns her feelings hoping that he will listen to her.

2. Because of You – JeA Vocal powerhouse, Brown Eyed Girls’ leader JeA uses her powerful voice to convey a song full of feelings of blame and anger for the drama Cho Han Ji, or the History of a Salaryman.Her powerful voice enables her to effectively convey these emotions that are harder to be expressed. JeA indeed lives up to her reputation of being a long time member of the community that sings drama soundtracks.

1. Back in Time – Lyn Who am I talking about? Who is this Lyn? Forget about the other girl groups. When you hear her voice in this soundtrack, you’ll realize how much you have missed out. Although the song does not require power vocals, her voice is effectively able to convey strong emotions without using the full power and ability of her voice.

TOP 5 underrated

DRAMA OSTS BY DARREN KWOK

International Endorsements From Your Favourite Stars

Written by: Emily Heng

It is no secret that K-pop stars are taking the world

endorsing furniture. Just look at solo artist from Cube

by storm. But what distinguishes the best from the

Entertainment, G.NA. She endorsed Singapore’s Courts

mediocre? Simple. You see them plastered on billboards

Megastore last December, with her coming down to

all over the world, lighting up huge TV screens as

perform on Court’s opening day.

they advertise the latest skin care product or fashion accessory: The best K-pop stars are the ones with

Food and beverage endorsements are also rather popular

international endorsements.

among K-pop celebrities. For example, G-Dragon, Lee Hi and Tablo are the latest ambassadors of Vitamin Water,

Take Girls Generation as an example. Just last year, they

a drink often raved about by Hollywood starlets and

endorsed the Casio Baby G watches in Asia. There are

common folk alike, with G-Dragon having shot several

nine different designs for the watches, with each one

commercials promoting the drink.

having a set of kiss prints from the members of Girls Generation. All members donned their respective watches

Popular boy band SHINee are also the endorsers for

in the opening scene of their ‘I Got A Boy’ MV.

MStar Garena, a 3D online music and dance game that was created by Garena, a Singaporean company. When

And let’s not forget Lee Min Ho, joining the likes of Taylor

users log into MStar, they will be rewarded with an in

Lautner, Lucy Hale and Liam Hemsworth to become

game SHINee T-shirt. Advanced players can even compete

an endorser of Bench, a clothing brand based in the

for and win exclusive SHINee member cushions.

Philippines. Nichkhun from 2PM has also recently joined Bench as well, becoming a global benchsetter for the

Let’s face it; nothing sells a product more than a K-pop

brand.

celebrity endorsing it. It won’t be long before even more international brands will be clamouring for K-Pop idols to

K-Pop stars aren’t just endorsing fashion accessories and clothing brands; some of them are even

be the face of their campaign. Only time will tell.

Who is Written By Yeo Xin-Yi

riding themselves as the purveyors of quality in the Korean Pop music scene, YG Entertainment has elected a novel way to prepare two teams of trainees for debut; through its newest 10 episode Survivaltype variety show; WIN: Who is next.

The catch though, is that only one of these teams will earn their break into the industry.

While this method of selecting their next act has been widely debated, YG entertainment’s CEO Yang Hyun Suk has explained the rationale behind this move. “YG entertainment strives to live by the motto ‘we like what the public likes’, [I [ERX XS PIEZI XLI ½REP HIGMWMSR YT XS XLI public.” Says Yang Hyun Suk.

Little has previously been known about these participating trainees except that Team A contains Superstar K4’s Kang Seung Yoon, and team B contains M.C. Mong’s “Indian Boy”, the now 16 year-old rapper B.I.

He also explicitly states that judges will be given ‘0%’ of say, something that is relatively unheard of in a program like this. Instead, an audience poll system has been put in place and has FIIR QEHI EZEMPEFPI XS XLI TYFPMG WMRGI XLI ½VWX ITWSHI [EW aired.

YG entertainment has stated that the 10-part show will focus on the reality of the Korean Pop Music Industry and will throw trainees into situations that are unavoidable as a professional in the K-pop circle.

While WIN: Who is next has hit the airwaves of MNET on 23 August 2013, foreign fans need not worry about not being able to get in on the action as the show will be airing in 12 other countries aside from Korea.

Audiences are free to cast a vote for the team that they hope will step up as YG Entertainment’s newest rookie group, WINNER XLI IRXIVXEMRQIRX GSQTER]´W ½VWX FS] KVSYT MR seven years.

Starting September 17, the show will air on STAR TV’s cable channel V and FOX TV’s cable channel M. The show will also be made available to Chinese viewers exclusively via the video streaming site Youku.

Yang Hyun Suk himself has stated that the losing team may face member replacement and even disabandment.

YG entertainment is also currently in the midst of negotiations with English broadcaster Arirang, to air the show in another 188 countries, subtitles included.

The unveiling of the survival TV show and its contestants comes with mounting tensions and excitement, with labelmate PSY describing it as “cold and harsh.” and G-dragon dubbing it ±% VIEP FEXXPI½IPH ²

Are you ready exercise your say in YG’s next act? We take a closer look at the 11 contestants duking it out for the title of WINNER.

!"#$%& Song Minho

Kim Jin Woo

Lee Seung Hoon

Kang Seung Yoon

Nam Tae Hyun

5-'"6(78(*++7 Leader(-./(rapper 01$$/(234& A Aries

9&4#&:%&'()+(*++* Oldest 01$$/(234&(A Libra

;-.<-'3(**(*++) 01$$/(234&(A Capricon

;-.<-'3()*(*++= 01$$/(234&(B Aquarius

5-3(*8(*++= >$"-1?@#(-./(A$<.B&@# 01$$/(234&(A Taurus

H$'/@(I'$:(AJK

LKM4&'?&."&/(-./( 2-1&.#&/('-44&'N

L26&(K4?#$:&($I( /?1?B&."&N

L2&-:(OP@(:-?.@#-3(I$'( 4&'I$':-."&QN

L2&-:(OP@(-11U'$<./&'QN

L26&($R.&'($I(-( :&@:&'?S?.B(T$?"&QN

!"#$ B.I.

Song Yoon Hyung

Bobby

Kim Dong Hyuk Kim Jin Hwan

!"#$%&'())(*++, 5-'"6(7*(*++F Leader(-./ Rapper 01$$/(234& A 01$$/(234&(O Aries Libra

C&%'<-'3(D(*++E >$"-1?@# 01$$/(234&(A Aquarius

G&"&:%&'()*(*++E 01$$/(234& O Saggitarius

;-.<-'3(7(*++F 01$$/(234&(O Capricon

C&%'<-'3(F(*++= Vocalist -./ Oldest 01$$/(234&(A Aquarius

H$'/@(I'$:(AJK

L26&(-11U'$<./&'(R?#6( L26&(B<3(R?#6( -(@R&&#(-./("6-':?.B( @R-BB&'N T$?"&N

L26&(%'-?.3( T-1&/?"#$'?-.N

LX-@(-(4$R&'I<1(-./( @&.#?:&.#-1(T$?"&N

Go Jun Hoe

H$'/@(I'$:(AJK

LY&'@?@#&.#(?.( LV./?-.(%$3P@( '&-1?@?.B(6?@( %$3U'-44&'(0QVQ( W$R(-11(B'$R.(<4QN /'&-:N

!"#$%'

News / Entertainment

CELEBRITY IDOL SIBLINGS By Amy Saiauski

Being an idol is not easy; they spend years away from their homes and families, train for long hours and their bodies become run down. They are constantly trying to be the best to gain recognition and then to top it off, most deal with sasaeng fans at one point or another. But what about an idol whose siblings are also celebrities? Can a regular person even imagine the kaleidoscope of feelings and emotions they must go through if they are musician idols and in two separate groups, or two different companies? How stressful it must be for both of them wanting to win awards and have their group become number one, while at the same time wanting the same for their oppa/noona or dongsaeng. On the other hand, it can also bring two closer than ever because in them they find a confidant who knows and understands everything they are going through and they can support each other. Check out the celebrity siblings below.

News / Entertainment

Siblings in the same company and group: Jo Twins: Youngmin and Kwangmin are twins who are both in the group Boyfriend from Starship Entertainment.

Huh Brothers: Huh Gak is a solo singer under A Cube Entertainment while his older twin brother is solo artist Huh Gong.

Jung Twins: Daeryong and Soryong are twins who make up the duo Tasty under Woollim Entertainment. Heo Twins: Minjin and Minseong a.k.a Cho A and Way are twins from the group Crayon Pop under Chrome Entertainment.

Ryu Twins: Hyoyoung is a member of Coed School and its subunit 5dolls under Core Contents Media. Her younger twin sister Hwayoung is a former member of T-ara which is also under Core Contents Media. Since leaving the company, Hwayoung has not announced a new label.

Siblings in the same company: Jung Sisters: Jessica from Girls Generation and Krystal from f(x) are both under SM Entertainment.

Siblings in different entertainment branches: Park Brothers: Yoochun is member of JYJ and an actor while his younger brother Yoohwan is also an actor.

Siblings in different companies: Kim Brothers: Junsu is a member of JYJ under C-Jes Entertainment, while his older twin brother, Junho a.k.a Juno, is under Avex Trax (Japan) and BIAS Entertainment (China).

Bang Siblings (brother and sister): Cheolyong better known as Mir from MBLAQ and his older sister, actress Hyojin, better known by her stage name Go Eunah.

Park Siblings (brother and sister): Sanghyun a.k.a Cheondung/Thunder from MBLAQ is under J. Tune Camp and his older sister Sandara is a member of 2NE1 from YG Entertainment. Jung Siblings (brother and sister): Ilhoon from BTOB is under Cube Entertainment and his older sister Minjoo, aka solo singer JOO, is under JYP Entertainment. Kim Brothers: Kibum former U-Kiss member and now solo singer from Professional Entertainment and his older brother Hyungjoon from SS501 (not disbanded) and currently pursuing his solo career is signed under S-Plus Entertainment.

Dong Brothers: Youngbae, a.k.a Taeyang, from Big Bang and his older brother, actor Hyunbae. Horvejkul Brothers: Nichkhun from 2PM and his older Ho brother, actor Nichan. Choi Sisters: Sooyoung is a member of Girls Generation while her older sister is voice actress Soojin. Lee Siblings (brother and sister): Jaejin is a member of pop/rock band F.T. Island and his older sister, actress Jaegyung, is better known as her stage name Chaewon. Kim Siblings (brother and sister): Actress Taehee and her younger brother, actor Hyungsoo stage name Lee Wan. Jeon Siblings (brother and sister): Actress Haerim, stage name Ha Jiwon, and younger brother Taesu.

Woo Brothers: Jiho, a.k.a Zico, is the leader of Block B which is at the moment trying to end their contract with Stardom Entertainment, and his brother Jiseok a.k.a Taewoon of Speed and Coed School is signed under Core Contents Media.

Lee Siblings (brother and sister): Actor Byunghun and his younger sister actress Eunhee.

Park Siblings (brother and sister): Jeongsu a.k.a Leeteuk, is the leader of Super Junior from SM Entertainment and his older sister Inyoung is signed to Universal Music Group.

Celebrity siblings: Other Cel Kim Brothers: Sangwoo is a singer in the group N-Train while his older brother, Sangsu, is a professional baseball player for the Samsung Lions of Korea.

Odd Habits of Celebrities on Twitter

Written by: Joan Heng

Doesn’t your heart skip a beat every time you scroll down

unconventional way. For instance, 2AM’s Seulong often

your twitter timeline and see your favourite celebrity’s

uploads pictures of himself in an irregular and slanted

name on it? You click on the tweet, expecting to see an

manner, hence leading viewers to question if he simply

update about the celebrity’s whereabouts or actions.

forgot to rotate the picture or intentionally chose to do so.

Instead, you come across a picture of a dancing cat.

Rainbow’s Jisook, on the other hand, never fails to include pictures in every tweet, almost as if she were vivaciously

Yes, welcome to the era in which celebrities post just

living up to the notion of ‘a picture is worth a thousand

about anything on Twitter. Nowadays, celebrities are all

words’.

about spontaneity and kpop idols are no exception. Take SHINee’s Jonghyun as an example. In his recent tweets, he not only dedicated a poem to his dog but also proposed a theory that consuming chicken and beer together will result in almost zero calories due to the ‘dieting effect’. In short, his tweets are as random as the chances of one striking the lottery. Aside from that, he even organized a contest whereby he asked fans to send in photoshopped

Besides pictures, some stars also have interesting ways

pictures of his fellow band mate, thus generating laughter

of composing their tweets. For example, Ukiss’s Kevin is

among the online community. Similarly, another celebrity

known to include three languages in a tweet and 2NE1’s

that is fond of posting fan edited pictures on her Twitter

Park Bom has a tendency to make use of several net speak

would be Miss A’s Min. A particularly memorable incident

terms such as ‘kekeke’ in her tweets. Last but not least,

would be when she tweeted a manipulated picture of

SHINee’s Onew often mentions his own username in his

herself “eating” a potato chip with a hilarious expression.

tweets, thus giving off the impression that he is having a conversation with himself. All in all, despite the seemingly

But of course, that is not to say that all idols have the

odd habits of these celebrities on Twitter, we can all

habit of posting tweets in such an erratic fashion.

certainly agree that there will be never a boring moment

Many celebrities still tweet about their daily activities

with them around.

and post self-taken pictures, though in a slightly more

A LOOK INTO ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY MERGERS: What the Future Holds for K-pop BY THENGHUI TAY

SM C&C (SM Culture and Contents), a subsidiary of SM Entertainment, made waves in

the K-pop community earlier this month by announcing the creation of ‘Woollim Label’. The label is a product of a merger with Woollim Entertainment, representative agency of artistes INFINITE, Nell and Tasty. This has subsequently prompted speculation that other companies such as J. Tune Camp (home to MBLAQ), and Starship Entertainment (Sistar, Boyfriend), could find themselves targets for similar takeovers. There is no doubt that SM has made such a calculated move with a host of benefits in mind. In the long run, SM would be able to increase overall income by taking smaller companies under their wing. Considering SM’s position as a major power player in the entertainment industry, artistes would benefit from a boost in domestic and international recognition. Furthermore, rapidly expanding their roster of talented K-pop artistes sets SM on the path of becoming a universally renowned music company and Asia’s largest music corporation. Despite the pros associated with the merge, concerns have also arisen regarding the flipside of this issue. Although SM stated that Woollim Label would retain independent control of music production, considerable fan backlash followed shortly after the announcement. Many were worried that SM would alter the music styles unique to Woollim artistes, or that they would limit artistes’ input in the creative process. Losing fans’ support would be detrimental as a large part of K-pop artistes’ success can be attributed to the fans. Moreover, such mergers would allow SM to remove existing or potential rivals by simply acquiring them. Without competition, there would be no incentive for companies to try to outdo each other and bring something fresh or new to the table. Of course, this is merely addressing the issue from two opposite ends of the spectrum. The actual results that this ‘merger project’ would yield are still yet to be seen. Will the pros outweigh the cons, break new ground and create exciting new opportunities for artistes and fans alike? Or will the drawbacks hinder the advancement and development of the K-pop industry? Only time will tell.

BLOCK B TO MAKE A COMEBACK

article by Tamar Herman, Art by fEggy Min

After

a long contract dispute that began at the beginning of this year, it looks like Block B will finally be making a comeback. On August 29, the hip hop group announced that they and Stardom Entertainment came to an agreement that will allow both parties to breathe freely. freel Block B will now be managed by the newly created company Seven Seasons and it seems like they will release a new album in October. Even though the album will be coming out in October, Block B has already started to film a new music video only days after the news broke of their new arrangement. Block B has a powerful image that sets them apart from most other Korean idol groups, so fans must be curious about what's going on. The new music video began filming in a club, so it'll be interesting to see what sort of image Block B comes back with. However they come back, they will meet with the anticipation of their BBC fans who have waited anxiously for the day that Block B returns to the Korean music scene.

5. Sherlock Holmes Special

No, really. Ji Sukjin’s reputation as a “race-starter”, due to his constant position of being eliminated first, the PDs gave him a chance to clinch his first ever victory in the entire Running Man series.He even came up with an elaborate plan on how to eliminate the members one by one, which worked almost flawlessly, until he had to deal head to head with Ace Song Jihyo and The Commander, Kim Jong Kook. This entire, mysterious episode serves as one of the most puzzling, intense Running Man episode, where Ji Sukjin manages to even eliminate survivors such as Yoo Jaesuk.

4. Yooruce Willis

We have to admit, the name sounds rather fitting, though pretty serious in a weird way when you see him posing with the water gun with a completely serious expression. However, Yoo Jaesuk has succeeded in all Yoomes Bond episode so far, despite repeated attempts to thwart him, with the most recent being Jihyo's role as a spy in the Angry Virus episode.

3. Bad Luck Giraffe I'll keep this short and sweet. Whose luck is so bad that you get hit by a raw egg twice in a row? With the latter being the very first egg you picked. Lee Kwangsoo is indeed blessed by the God of Entertainment.

2. Monday Couple

TOP 5 MOMENTS RUNNING MAN BY DARREN KWOK

Let's admit it, these two are indeed interesting for an on-screen couple. Also, their constant Love and War relationship on Running Man serves as a hilarious comic relief to the otherwise deadly serious competitive atmosphere on the show. We all need a little love in our lives right?

1. Grasshopper Hunting Can you imagine The Commander, Kim Jong Kook surrendering without a fight? Yes, you read that right. The muscular, Sparta Kook surrendered to the self-proclaimed Running Man Hunter without a fight in Choi Minsoo's first appearance on the show. Being betrayed by Yoo Jaesuk on his first appearance, he then returned for another, having requested to be invited back to the show to carry out a "Grasshopper Hunting" (with reference to Yoo Jaesuk's nickname). He succeeded, completely terrifying the Running Man cast and Jaesuk himself attempted to surrender instead of trying to complete the mission. Choi Minsoo makes another return to break the tie that Jaesuk had proclaimed, and left after having defeated Yoo Jaesuk and tying him to a tree. However, in one of his appearances, he has indicated interest in even hunting the PDs of Running Man, as well as the VJs. That would make for an interesting episode, wouldn't it?

KCON 2013 KCON Team: Ryann Ellis (author), June Saladino, Evelyn Luu and Josie Chew.

any people around the U.S marked their calendars for the 24th and 25th of August as the news of KCON 2013 made it’s way around social media sites. With news of artists such as 2AM, f(x), Teen Top, EXO, G-Dragon, and Missy Elliott attending the two day convention fans ﬂocked to ticket sites co to secure themselves a ticket.

menced. Fan booths, food, games, and much more were offered to the attendees as well as special guest panels where the fans could interact with the panelists. On day two the concert commenced at thousands of fans swarmed the arena to get to their seat. The concert started off slow, but as the night continued the excitement continued to grow. The final performance concluded with Missy Elliott and G-Dragon doing a collaboration song and bringing down the house. Fans were overwhelmed with the concert and the artists that performed and were seen around the convention, and some made sure to get ready to mark their calendars for next years convention.

KCON announced they would be bigger and better this year and with that word they set out to make it a big convention. Moving to L.A, KCON planned to host the convention at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena and made the event longer by making it a two day convention. On the day of KCON, thousands of fans lined up and waited for hours to get in. Lines stretched around corners but fans managed to keep a good mood about Special Thanks to KCON13 and our it. Once the gates opened the conven- friends at KPOP Dreams and American tion began and the fun and games com- KPOP Events.

DRAMACRAZY.NET closes its site By Amy Saiauski

On July 2nd fans of the drama site dramacrazy.net and its sister site

animecrazy.net were shocked to learn the sites were shutting down. Fans accessing DC were greeted with the following message: To Our Loyal Fans: After a great run, we have decided to shut down DramaCrazy and move on. The drama streaming landscape is ever so changing and it was a fun ride while it lasted. Rather than just shut down without a note, we'll leave the site up for a few hours while we allow you guys to gather what you need. Much Love, -The Staff. A similar message now shows when you attempt to access AC: AnimeCrazy has Shutdown and won't Reboot To Our Loyal Fans: After a great run, we have decided to shut down AnimeCrazy and move on. We'd like to thank our wonderful users for supporting us throughout this journey. Without you guys, AnimeCrazy wouldn't have been so special. We wish you the best in life, -The Staff Note: If you see any sites with similar designs or domain names to ours, they are not us. These copycat sites are virus/spyware infected. Avoid them at all costs. While fans are saddened over the loss of DC, it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as much the loss of the site itself, as there are other drama sites fans can turn to, but more the loss of the forums and all the countless friends made on the site. Many were upset over the fact that there were only a couple hours of notice given before the site was gone and felt that it did not give them adequate time to contact everyone so they could stay in touch. For fans that are distraught over where they can find dramas and are not sure where to look now, check out the list below:

http://www.hulu.com http://www.dramafans.org http://www.dramaload.com http://www.viki.com http://www.dailymotion.com http://www.epdrama.com http://www.gooddrama.net http://www.dramafever.com http://www.drama.net/

5KOREAN DRAMAS BY STEPHANIE CHEE

that should have been extended

2. THE MOON THAT EMBRACES THE SUN (2012)

1. SECRET GARDEN (2010) [GOOD STORYLINE] Gil Ra Im (Ha Ji Won) and Kim Joo Won (Hyun Bin) finds themself slowly falling in love for each other but both characters are just too egoistic to admit it to each other. Watch the hilariously interesting story sto unfold as the main characters swap bodies due to a twisted intervention of fate!

3. BOYS OVER FLOWERS (2009) Four absolutely handsome men with four absolutely different personalities, what’s not to like? Choose between the narcissistic but extremely sweet Goo Jun Pyo (Lee Min Ho), the talented and protective Yoon Ji Hoo (Kim Hyun Joong), the artistic and adorable So Yi Jung (Kim Bum), and the linguistic and charismatic playboy, Song Woo Bin (Kim Joon). Definitely one of the most attractive casts you can ever find! [GOOD-LOOKING

ACTORS/ ACTRESSES]

5. MY GIRLFRIEND IS A GUMIHO (2010) [GOOD STRESS RELIEVER]

[GOOD ACTORS/ ACTRESSES]

I am not saying that the actors and actresses of other Korean dramas are not good, but this is one drama that definitely takes the cake in casting, especially with the children actors and actresses! Especially loved Kim Yoo Jung’s performance as Heo Yeon Woo cause I thought she played the role extremely well! Many tears were shed while watching this bittersweet sageuk (historical drama), but hey, watch it and judge it for yourself !

4. YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL (2009) Join boy band A.N.Jell, consisting of Hwang Tae Kyung (Jang Geun Suk), Kang Shin Woo (Jung Yong Hwa), Jeremy (Lee Hong Ki) and Go Mi Nam (Park Shin Hye) in their musical journey! Watch the band members unravel secrets and fall in love as they work together towards greater heights in the music industry. Starred by actual singing talents, one can only expect awesome music from this drama!

[GOOD MUSIC]

This light-hearted romantic comedy is bound to cheer you up on your bad days as the quirky main characters Dae Woong (Lee Seung Gi) and Mi Ho (Shin Min Ah) interact with each other. Watch closely as love blossoms between the human male, and the not-so-human female. Certainly one of the best stress reliever out there for when you are not in the mood to do much thinking!

WELCOME

RAIN TO

MY LIFE

SERIES OVERVIEW: Welcome Rain To My Life revolves around the life of Han Danbi (Lee Da Hee), a spoilt and headstrong daughter of a former famous celebrity. Danbi’s carefree life took a drastic turn when her father suffered from cerebral haemorrhage due to an accident. At the same time, the sudden appearance of her birth mother and the disclosure of Danbi’s real identity complicate her predicament.

CHARACTERS Lee Da Hee as Han Dan Bi Shim Hyung Tak as Lee Seung Joo Ryu Sang Wook as Choi Kyu Won Shin Joo Ah as Han Won Mi Kim Hae In as Joo Sun Hee

MOVIE REVIEW Written and directed by Yang Yonghi Released in Japan August 4, 2012

2013 marks the 36th Asian American International Film Festival, presented by Asian CineVision. Showcasing over 70 films, features and shorts, by, for, and about Asians and Asian Americans, AAIFF is a celebration of the power of film to investigate, engage and challenge the plurality of the Asian and Asian-American experience. Hallyu Magazine was in attendance at the Closing Night presentation, held at the prestigious Asia Society in Manhattan. Closing Night featured the Japanese film, Our Homeland, directed by Yang Yonghi, followed by a Q&A with the director. After the presentation of this year’s AAIFF awards, attendees were treated to a gala in the atrium, where refreshments were on hand, provided by local sponsors. Hallyu Magazine offers ACV and AAIFF many congratulations on another successful festival.

WRITTEN BY ESTAR PARK

During Japan’s colonial rule of Korea during 1910-1945, many South Koreans were relocated to Japan. Known as Zainichi Kankokujin, these ethnic Koreans were often subject to discrimination from native-born Japanese. From the late 1950s through 70s, thousands of these zainichi took part in a North Korean repatriation program. Yang, a second generation zainichi, based the script for Our Homeland on events from her own life. Promised a land of paradise and opportunities, a zainichi family sends their three teenage sons to North Korea, while Rie, the youngest daughter, remains behind with her parents. 25 years go by and one of her brothers, Sung-ho, is allowed to return to Japan on a three-month medical excursion to seek treatment for the growing tumor in his brain. Tensions surface as his father’s patriotism cannot disguise the fact that the promised paradise was a lie, and Sung-ho will never be allowed to remain in Japan. As a reminder, Sung-ho is under constant surveillance by Comrade Yang, the North Korean soldier in charge of Sung-ho and the other medical patients. His interminable presence in the face of her family’s suffering drives Rie to question and finally

rebel against the North Korean ideology Yang represents and her father unwaveringly believes in. Like her previous films, documentaries Dear Pyongyang and Sona, the Other Myself, Yang’s films shine a spotlight on the plight of North Koreans and those under its regime. Her first fiction film, Our Homeland was rejected by all the production companies in Japan on the grounds of being too political, until Star Sands, a fledgling entity, chose it as its first production. It went on to become Japan’s entry to the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 85th Academy Awards. Simply shot and brilliantly acted, Our Homeland is a heart-wrenching portrait of a family under pressure from within and without, an auspicious beginning and emotional triumph for Yang.

4.5 STARS OUT OF 5

News / Entertainment

HOLIDAYS

IN SOUTH KOREA

by ryann ellis

alloween is not one of the most widely celebrated holidays in Korea, but that does not mean that there are not any Korean songs that can help put you in the mood for this holiday! Check out some of these Korean music videos that would fit right at home at a Halloween party! • Big Bang Taeyang’s “I’ll Be There” is one of the spookiest music videos in the past few years. It looks a bit reminiscent of old Frankenstein films, beginning with a black and white set, thunder and lightening, a graveyard, and spooky birds. The dance involves zombie-like movements, so this is a must for Halloween!

HALLOWEEN

• No list of spooky music videos would be complete without a mention of Sunny Hill. Ever since the release of their song “Midnight Circus”, Sunny Hill’s music videos have had an edgy feel to them and while” Midnight Circus” is definitely Halloween-esque, it’s actually “Pray” that is more suitable for Halloween. It is a monster movie in all its finest, with mad scientists, a kind-hearted monster, and a cold-blooded seductress. • Staying with the monster route, VIXX’s “Hyde” is one of the most obvious options as a Korean Halloween-themed music video. The song itself is based on the famous story of Jekyll and Hyde, where a normal man turns himself into a monster. The music video shows the handsome members of VIXX turning into monsters and trying to keep themselves from hurting the girl that they love. • And, since Halloween needs its witches, there’s of course NS Yoon-G’s “The Reason I Became A Witch”. She’s not exactly the black-hat wearing kind of witch, but if you’re looking for a sexy Halloween costume you cannot get much sexier than this love-scorned witch. • Since sexy animal ears and tails are essential parts of so many Halloween costumes, it is impossible not to add T-ARA’s “Bo Peep Bo Peep”as a slightly less edgy option to your list. • Honorable mentions: Jaejoong’s “Mine”, Junsu’s “Tarantallegra”, IU’s “Cruel Fairy Tale”, and Lee Hyori’s “Swingg”

FALL FASHION Showdown Which style would you prefer to welcome fall with? JESSICA

SUZY

SNSD

Miss A

Earth colours? Bright colours?

Brand: ROEM

Brand: SOUP

uttee C Cu

Elegant

BATTLE OF THE WINKS Do you like a cute or sexy wink? Pick your favorite!

Bomi (A Pink)

Hyunyoung (Rainbow)

from "Hush"

from "Sunshine"

Jessica (SNSD)

Lime (Hello Venus)

from "I Got a Boy"

from "Venus"

Suzy (Miss A)

Tasha (Skarf)

from "I Don't Need A Man"

from "Oh! Dance"

T S E ' U N E K I DANCE L

in their new song ‘Sleep Talking! ‘NAME THAT DANCE’ MOVE

INT!

Step

PULL UP

Come up with your own original NAME for this dance move!

‘CONFESSION’ DANCE Step

Step Step

Step

‘DOZE OFF’ DANCE

Step Step

Step

Wake up!

Watch the whole tutorial at youtube.com/user/LOENENT

ULTIMATE SNACKING

Korean snacks are everywhere. If you’re lucky enough you have a Korea town where you live, or have Korean friends who can get you some, or perhaps, you are lucky enough to find some in a grocery store.

Korean snacks are a staple for everyday life. Here are a few Korean snacks that put the um~ in Yum~. First we have Pepero! Pepero is another brand of Pocky and comes in 10 different flavors, and it also has its own day- 11/11. Everyone celebrates this day by buying Pepero snacks and giving them to friends and family. Now if you were to ask me what I thought the best Pepero flavor was, I’d have to say Almond flavor. Next we have Pepero's rival Pocky. Pocky is actually from Japan but it’s still really popular. Pocky has over 20 different flavors. Some of the flavors are seasonal, such as honey and kiwifruit mango. I’ve been lucky enough to acquire some peanut butter Pocky. Like Pepero, Pocky is a great snack for studying or watching dramas. Ddeokbokki (spicy rice cakes) is also a really popular snack in Korea. It’s usually sold as a street food, but I learned you can also pick it up in chip form, if you’re like me and aren’t lucky enough to live in Korea. The snack comes in a bag and looks like dried Ddeokbokki. Maybe I’ll go pick some up. Even though I only went over 3 snacks there are many more snacks out there. Unfortunately there are way too many for me to review, but it does not hurt trying.

For 4 pancakes. Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups water 2 eggs 1 bunch scallions Vegetable oil 3 cups mixed seafood of your choice (fresh!) - such as oysters, shrimp, clams, octopus, squid ... Preparation: Mix the ingredients for the dipping sauce and set it aside. In a large bowl, mix the flour and water together, then beat in the eggs. The batter should have the same consistency as the pancake batter. Add the scallions and seafood. Heat a griddle, skillet, or frying pan over medium high heat and add a thin layer of oil to the bottom. I prefer to use a spray can. Pour about ¾ of a cup batter into the skillet in a circle. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until the top stops bubbling and the bottom is browned. Flip over and cook another 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate.

Well you’re not alone, we’ve all been there. So here are 3 recipes that can help combat the hunger; they are quick and easy to make if you are like me and burn things. The first one is Chicken Katsu: Dip thin pieces of chicken breast in some milk, coat with panko bread crumbs, and pan-fry. Drizzle Worcestershire sauce on top. Serve with wedges of iceberg lettuce drizzled with thousand island dressing. The second one is Sort-of-Kimchi Soup: Boil about 8 cups of water. Meanwhile, soak Korean vermicelli noodles (Dang Myun) in hot water. When water is boiling hard, add finely chopped Napa cabbage, some chopped bacon, and a couple tablespoons of Kochujang. Boil hard and add drained vermicelli noodles after 5 minutes. Add Kochujang and Kochukaru to taste. Serve with rice.

! t r e l a n o i s Mis

e h t o t y a w r u o y d n i F ! r a t S Hallyu

I'll be waiting!

The roles have been reversed! This time the mystery for you to solve is Running Man star Lee Kwang Sooâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s whereabouts!

! t r Sta