Kpop Behind | All the Stories Behind Kpop Stars

Actress Park Sin Hye will release her digital single album. According to S.A.L.T entertainment, the actress will release her digital single 'Arm Pillow' on April 1. Park Sin Hye has been showing off her singing skill by participating in OSTs of her dramas such as 'You're beautiful', 'Heartstrings' and 'The Heirs'. 'Arm Pillow' is a lovely song that reminds of a spring day. Hwang Sung Jin, who produced the single, stated, "Through her attractive voice, Park Sin Hye has expressed a woman's feeling about love." Meanwhile, Park Sin Hye is currently filming the historical movie 'Sang Eui Won'. Sang Eui Won is a clothing-related organization that was built in Chosun Dynasty(about 600 years ago), and Park Sin Hye plays a queen who is in sorrow.

Super Junior-M topped Chinese music chart show with its latest song 'Swing'. On CCTV's 'Global Chinese Music Chart'( 全球中文音 乐榜上榜)  aired on March 29, the group took over the No.1 place, proving that they are gaining national wide popularity. The program is the first ever music chart show in China. 'Swing' is a pop dance piece that has attractive R&B and electronic sounds, while the Super Junior-M members show special 'office performance' on stage. Using desks and chairs, Super Junior-M presents a stage performance that reminds of a musical. Meanwhile, Super Junior-M is busy promoting the song 'Swing' traveling back and forth between China and Korea.

Who do you think is the best Kpop girl group? Girls' Generation(SNSD)? Or 2NE1? Well, the two group went head to head in early 2014. Girls' Generation made a comeback with its new song 'Mr. Mr.', while 2NE1 released 'Come Back Home'. It is uncommon to see top idol groups releasing their latest album at the same time. In the majority of cases, idol groups try to avoid a tough opponent. Then, how did the result of the confrontation between Girls' Generation and 2NE1 turn out? It is a matter of each group's pride. Style of Performance Girls' Generation's musical style mixes genres of pop, R&B and dance. The members usually leave song writing to experts because SM Entertainment has a competitive A&R(Artist and Repertoire) team that devises all the proper concepts and songs for each artist. The group's songs have been mostly composed by SM Entertainment's producer Yoo Young Jin since their debut, but they recently began t

Repeated controversy about idol stars' wrong attitude is causing people to raise an eyebrow. After watching Mnet's 'Beatles Code' aired on March 25, people are giving 4minute's Hyuna harsh criticism. She put lipstick on her lips and lay on her face during the broadcast, and it seemed that she didn't have any sincerity. MCs who appeared on the program with Hyuna were obviously flustered too. The video below is the preview for the program. Hyuna's part is from 21 seconds. Actually, this is not the first time for Hyuna to be embroiled in controversy due to her wrong attitude. On KBS' 'Music Bank' aired In 2012, 4minute performed its song 'Volume Up'. However, she didn't even open her mouth and just danced while her voice came out of the broadcast. At that time, her agency explained, "There was a mistake during pre-recording." Actually, most of the Kpop idols take thorough etiquette lessons. Especially, big Kpop ag

Five-member group MBLAQ made a comeback with its new album 'Broken'. The title track 'Be a Man' is a attractive R&B piece of a slow tempo and is the song about a man who is in the sorrow of parting. At the group's comeback showcase held recently, I could have candid talk with the 5 members. They had lots of energy, and their talks were full of wit. Q. You finally made a comeback. How have you been? Seungho: Cheondung has been building up his body enthusiastically. And Mir has lost a lot of weight Mir: Actually, I've lost a lot of weight because of my great hunger to release new album. I think my appearance is in top condition these days. Q. What is the main concept for the new album? G.O: We wanted to fill the album with sentimental songs so that most of the tracks are about parting. We have worked on ways for proper sensibility expressions. Q. Wasn't there any difficulty while preparing for the album? G.O: The fire in our stylist's

DSP Media, home to Kara and Rainbow, will hold global audition. According to the agency, the audition will be held in Beijing(China), Tokyo(Japan), Jakarta(Indonesia) and LA(United States). Application fields for the audition are singing, dancing, acting and modeling, while successful candidates can get the opportunity to have professional training and make debut.   DSP Media is taking applications on its website , and successful applicants will be noticed about detailed information of the audition individually. Meanwhile, DSP Media was established in 1991 and has produced many Kpop stars such as Sechs Kies, Fin.K.L, SS501 and Kara.

2PM has successfully wrapped up its arena tour in Japan. The group kicked off the tour on January 27 by holding a concert in Nagoya and visited another 4 cities, drawing a total of 150,000 audience. 2PM made a grand finale of the tour concert in Tokyo on March 25-26, while GOT7, label mate of 2PM,  performed for the opening stage. 2PM showed fantastic performance through the tour concert, proving that it is one of the most competitive Kpop boy groups. And the 6 members showed off their personal magnetism through polished solo performances. When the group hit the stage for an encore performance, all the fans raised up the placard reading 'Thank you 2PM'.   2PM stated, "It makes us happy to build up good memories with 150,000 fans by holding arena tour concerts for about 2 months. We'll do our best in return for fans' love." Meanwhile, 2PM will release its new album in April.

JYJ's Kim Junsu will hold his solo tour concert in Japan. According to C-Jes Entertainment, the singer will hold '2014 Xia The Best Ballad Spring Tour Concert in Japan' in May. Through concerts to be held in Tokyo(May 13-15) and Osaka(May 22-24), Kim Junsu is expected to draw more than 70,000 audience. C-Jes Entertainment stated, "Including his ballad tracks, drama OST and musical numbers, Kim Junsu will also perform his Japanese ballad songs. The concert will be a special gift to Japanese fans."

After School's Nana showed off her sexy body line. Through the recently revealed photos taken at the photo shooting for sports wear brand Skechers, the singer caught eyes of people by showing off her striking good looks. With skinny leggings and bra top on, she emphasized her glamorous body line. Meanwhile, Orange Caramel, the unit group of After School comprised of Raina, Lizzy and Nana, recently released it new song 'Catallena' and is gaining great popularity.

CNBLUE's leader Jung Yong Hwa will release his solo album. According to FNC Entertainment, Jung Yong Hwa will release his first solo album later in the year, and the album will be produced by the singer himself. Jung Yong Hwa has been acknowledged as a talented singer-song writer through CNBLUE's hits such as 'I'm Sorry' and 'Can't Stop', and it is expected that he will produce a top quality solo album. Meanwhile, CNBLUE will hold its exclusive concert '2014 CNBLUE Live - Can't Stop' in Seoul from April 19-20.

ZE:A's Kim Dong Jun will make an appearance in a musical 'Goong' to be showed in Japan. According to Star Empire, the agency of the singer, Kim Dong Jun will play the main character of the musical. The agency stated, "He has been cast in the role of a crown prince named Lee Shin because he has been showing his competitive performance in the entertainment world as a talented entertainer. Through the musical practice, he proved that he is competent to take the lead role." The musical will be played at the Akasaka ACT Theater in Tokyo, Japan from May 10 to 24. Apart from Kim Dong Jun, SHINee's Taemin, U-Kiss' Soohyun, Kevin, Kiseop and Hoon will be appearing in the musical. Kim Dong Jun said "It's a great honor for me to be able to appear in the musical. I'm hard at practice for my upcoming musical performance."

TVXQ spent a special day with its fans, celebrating 10 year anniversary. On March 24, TVXQ held a special event and went on a train journey with fans to Gokseong, Jeonnam, Korea. 16 fans were chosen from more than 100,000 applicants, and international fans from Japan, China, Thailand and Singapore attended the event, proving that the duo is being loved by many people around the world. During the train service, TVXQ personally made an announcement and check attendance, passing from train to train. At the Gokseong station, The duo held a signing event and had commemorative photographing with fans. TVXQ stated, "It was really pleasant time for us to build up good memories by going on a train journey with our fans. We hope to get continued support from fans." Meanwhile, TVXQ will kick off its live tour in Japan by holding a concert at Yokohama Arena on April 22.

Korean veteran ballad singer Lim Chang Jung released his 12th album 'Ordinary Song, Ordinary Melody' on March 20. The album has a total of 15 songs including double title tracks 'Ordinary Song' and 'Last Handshake', while the male singer produced the album for himself. 'Ordinary Song' consists of ordinary ballad song's structure just like the name of the song. It follows the composition of Intro-Verse-Bridge-Chorus-Bridge-Chorus-Primary Bridge-Chorus. However, the song doesn't sound ordinary at all. At the beginning of the song, in a quiet tone, Lim Chang Jung sings "After folding piled-up laundry and taking a shower to shake off everything, I go out for a drink with my buddy to get rid of useless thoughts in my head." And at the chorus, he shows his emotion explosion with the lyrics "This is the most ordinary song that everyone sings. Please don't cry. Just forget about it as if it is the ordinary lyrics of ordinary so

Super Junior-M has successfully finished its comeback press conference in Beijing, China. The group, comprised of Siwon, Donghae, Ryeowook, Kyuhyun, Eunhyuk, Sungmin, Henry and Zhoumi, held the press conference in Beijing on March 22, commemorating its new mini album release. More than 150 reporters from 70 media outlets gathered at the press conference and competed to cover the event. 400 fans who were especially invited to the press conference also attended the event and gave fervent support to Super Junior-M. At the press conference, the members gave their thoughts on releasing new album, while the music video for the album's title track 'Swing' was unveiled for the first time. The event was broadcasted live through China's online video web site. Meanwhile, Super Junior-M will be busy promoting the song 'Swing' in China, by appearing in a variety of music chart shows. Check out the song's music video below!

YG Entertainment's new boy group Winner. After going through rigorous training programs, they are about to make debut as professional singers. As you may already know, k-pop idols should go through their training period before making a debut. K-pop agencies train the trainees in their own systematic ways, and trainees need to hang in there if they want to become stars. SM Entertainment, home to famous k-pop stars such as TVXQ, Super Junior, BoA and EXO, is regarded as the k-pop agency which formulated the training system for the first time, while Korean music industry has been producing many competitive singers through the meticulous training system. So, let's talk about k-pop idol's trainee life. Super Junior's Eunhyuk and Donghae had been trained hard as SM Entertainment's trainees. Kpop Trainee's Daily Schedule Countless trainees have to go through rigorous training program. From morning till night, trainees take a variety of lessons. Vocal and

TVXQ As a k-pop journalist, I’ve been trying to find a way of deciding k-pop idol groups’ rankings more objectively. So I’ve asked several people in the k-pop industry for the objective standard to decide the rankings, and some of them gave me a hint about it. Well, what they told me was that I should apply different standards to boy groups and girl groups. EXO Popular boy groups usually have their enthusiastic fandom because most of their fans are teenage girls, and what people in the k-pop industry told me was the size of the fan base and the passion of the fans are factors to consider first when I decide k-pop boy groups’ rankings. Then, how can we express the size of the fan base and the passion of the fans numerically? Well, the size of the fan base can be measured by whether a boy group can hold a large-scale concert. The Olympic Gymnastics Stadium, the biggest indoor concert hall in Korea, can accommodate about 10,000 audiences, while just a few k-pop boy groups ca

Wonder Girls' Sun will head to Haiti to carry out missionary work for five years. She announced the plan through her official fan site, saying, "I decided to live a second life devoted to missionary work with my husband. We will leave for Haiti in July, and my activities as a entertainer will be an extension of this goal as well." She surprised many people once already by announcing her marriage with a missionary in January 2013, becoming the only Kpop girl group member who got married during entertainment activities. Well, Sun's choices leave room for questions. During 5 years of Sun's missionary work, what will come of Wonder Girls? And why did JYP Entertainment chose re-signing with Sun who is not likely to be active as a member of Wonder Girls? Wonder Girls' Future As a Team In June 2012, Wonder Girls released the song 'Like This' and gained great popularity, topping various Kpop music charts. And in July, they showed off their undimin

EXO will release its DVD 'EXO's First Box'. According to SM Entertainment, the DVD which includes EXO's images on stage and behind the scenes, will be unveiled on March 27. The DVD covers EXO's fan signing event, Hong Kong Dome Festival and SMTOWN Live World Tour in Beijing. In the DVD, you can also see the members having free time as they cook and play video games. SM Entertainment stated, "Through the DVD, EXO will show fans something different. Music videos for the group's hits 'Wolf', 'Growl' and 'Miracles in December' will be included in the DVD too." Picture below is the cover of EXO's DVD.

Super Junior's Donghae will appear in OCN's drama 'Quiz of God4'. According to SM Entertainment, Donghae will be appearing in the drama to be aired on May 18. The singer will play the character Han Siwoo, who is an elite incoming employee of forensic doctor's office. Han Siwoo has faithful and cheerful personality. CJ E&M's producer Lee Hyeyoung, the one who is in charge of the drama, stated, "As Donghae already has been recognized as a promising actor through various TV dramas, it is expected that he will inject some life into the drama." Besides Donghae, actor Ryu Deok Hwan and actress Yoon Joo hee will appear in 'Quiz of God4'.

Crayon Pop will perform at the opening stage of Lady Gaga's upcoming concert. According to Chrome Entertainment, the Kpop girl group will hit the stage for the opening acts of Lady Gaga's 4th concert tour 'artRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball'. On March 21, Lady Gaga also commented about Crayon Pop, tweeting, "I'm excited to announce June 26 through July 22 of Lady Gaga's artRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball will be opened by CRAYON POP!" The official from Chrome Entertainment stated, "Lady Gaga personally named Crayon Pop as a guest of the concert. The Crayon Pop members are very excited about appearing in Lady Gaga's concert." Meanwhile, Crayon Pop will release its new song 'UH-EE!' on April 1.

Kpop girl group AOA, comprised of Choa, Seolhyun, Jimin, Yuna, Hyejeong, Mina, Chanmi and Youkyung revealed its nudy pictorials. On March 20, member Choa and Seolhyun's photos were unveiled through the group's agency, FNC Entertainment. In the photos, the members showed off sexy charm, wearing hot pants and see-through clothes. The other members' pictorials will be unveiled through Esquire magazine's April issue. Meanwhile, in early 2014, AOA has gained great popularity with its hit 'Miniskirt'.

MBLAQ revealed a teaser video for its upcoming new song 'Be a man'. On March 20, the video was unveiled through the group's official Youtube channel. The song will be the title track of MBLAQ's 6th mini album 'Broken', and in the teaser video, MBLAQ members showed off understated sexy charm. 'Be a man' is the song about a man who is in the sorrow of parting. MBLAQ's new album will be released on March 24, while the group will hold a comeback showcase on the day.

Trot singer Tae Jinah said he wants to collaborate with EXO. At the production presentation of Mnet's 'Trot X' held in Seoul on March 18, the veteran singer said "People have preconceived ideas about trot that the music is just for older people. However, there are trot elements in the young singers' hits such as EXO's 'Growl' and Rain's 'La Song' too. That's why I sang 'La Song' easily." Tae Jinah is a representative trot singer, and has attracted great attention of the public by performing 'La Song' with Rain on stage in early 2013. Check out the video below.   Tae Jinah added, "Last winter, I met EXO at the waiting room and was given the group's CD. I've listened to 'Growl', and it was just like trot. Actually, watching the music video of 'Growl', I'm practicing the song's choreography these days. I want to collaborate with EXO." Trot is a genre of Korean pop

SHINee's Key chose Girls' Generation(SNSD)'s Tiffany as the prettiest female SM artist. On SBS Radio's 'Cultwo Show' aired on March 18, DJ Cultwo asked Key who is the prettiest among SM Entertainment's female artists. Key answered, "I saw Girls' Generation's members too often, but I think Tiffany is the prettiest." Infinite's Woohyun, who has recently formed a Kpop duo Toheart with Key, also appeared on the program and said "We two have completely different ideal types. I think one of my agency's female singer is pretty, but she did not make a debut yet." Woohyun added, "I has been keeping up an acquaintance with Key for about 3 years. He helped me in my hour of need." Meanwhile, Toheart is busy promoting its song 'Delicious' that was released on March 10.

Super Junior-M will make a comeback with its new album. According to SM Entertainment, the group, comprised of Siwon, Donghae, Ryeowook, Kyuhyun, Eunhyuk, Sungmin, Henry and Zhoumi, will released its 5th mini album 'Swing' on March 21. It has been a year and 3 months since Super Junior-M released its past work 'Break Down' in early 2013. With 'Break Down', the group topped Billboard's world album chart, and has won 2013 best group award at China's Baidu Peidien Awards and Best album sales award at IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Awards. Prior to the group's regular promotional activities for the album, Super Junior-M unveiled a teaser video on March 18. Check out the video below.

5-member girl group 4minute made a comeback with its brand new album. The group's album '4minute world' that was released on March 17 includes a total of 5 track including the lead song 'Whatcha Doin' Today'. 'Whatcha Doin' Today' is composed and written by Brave Brothers who made the group's former hit 'What's your name?'. As a hitmaker, Brave Brothers wrote the song which is just perfect for 4minute. The song's cheerful rhythm and trendy melody stimulate listeners' ears. As soon as being released, 'Whatcha Doin' Today' topped a variety of music charts, proving that 4minute made a successful start. However, music fans who have been waiting for 4minute's new album for about 9 months may be disappointed in the album because the album is not that fresh. Through 'Whatcha Doin' Today', the members show off their sexy charm, while Hyuna is holding the central place in the group. As the addictive

Kara's Han Seung Yeon participated in OST for SBS Plus' drama 'Her Lovely Heels'. On March 17, the drama's OST 'Should I love alone', sung by Han Seung Yeon, was released through various music sites. The ballad song has a calm melody, and is the theme song for the drama's main character Shin Ji Hoo, played by Han Seung Yeon. As a lead role of the drama and OST singer, Han Seung Yeon is showing off her personal magnetism. With her clear and innocent tone, Han Seung Yeon expressed a woman's feelings about one-sided love. Meanwhile, 'Her Lovely Heels' is the drama about a woman who is afraid of love. Actor Hong Jong Hyun is currently appearing in the drama as a male main character.

Crayon Pop unveiled the costume concept for its upcoming new album. On March 17, Chrome Entertainment revealed the girl group's photo titled, 'Urban Life Style'. The photo showed Crayon Pop members wearing ramie clothes, white rubber shoes and red do-rags. Last year, Crayon Pop has caused a sensation in Korea with its hit 'Bar Bar Bar', showing off unique charm by wearing helmets and tracksuits on stage. Crayon Pop's upcoming album to be released on March 31 will be the group's first official album since they released 'Bar Bar Bar' in June, 2013. Check out the 'Bar Bar Bar' performance below. Chrome Entertainment stated, "We chose ramie clothes as Crayon Pop's new stage costume because of Korean traditional outfit's comfort, practicality, and particularity." Meanwhile, Crayon Pop will perform its new song for the first time at the press showcase to be held on March 28. On March 29, the group's comeback show

Secret's Song Ji Eun participated in OST for SBS' drama 'God's gift - 14 Days'. According to TS Entertainment, the singer sang the drama's first OST 'If I could go to you'. The doleful song that was released through various music sites on March 17,  is the song about a mother who lost her daughter. 'If I could go to you' was composed and written by famous composer Gong Chan Soo who has participated in a variety of Korean drama OST such as 'Two Weeks' and 'Gu Family Book'. Meanwhile, Secret's another member Han Sun Hwa is currently appearing in 'God's gift - 14 Days' as a professional swindler character.