Kpop Behind | All the Stories Behind Kpop Stars

As you know, 94 liner female idols have been leading kpop industry. The talented and pretty idols who were born in 1994 such as Miss A's Suzy, f(x)'s Sulli and Krystal have gained huge popularity and became representative kpop stars. And as I posted before, the new 94 liners such as Girl's Day's Hyeri, Kara's Youngji, and Red Velvet's Seulgi also performed a brilliant job and succeeded in catching eyes of people. By the way, 91 liner female idols, who are 3 years older than 94 liners are now attracting attention for their good performance in the world of kpop. The 91 liner idols, Mamamoo's Solar, Apink's Chorong, Red Velvet's Irene, and AOA's Jimin turned 25 in 2015, and it's true that they're older than most of young idol stars who are active in the Korean music scene. However, as the eldest members and the leaders of their groups, they're leading their teams. "Even though Solar, Chorong, Irene, and Jimin are baby-faced...

On October 20, rookie girl group Twice made a debut by releasing its debut mini album 'The Story Begins' and holding a showcase event. The 9-member girl group is receiving attention from people as JYP Entertainment's first girl group in 5 years since Miss A debuted in 2010. Well, which girl group do you think is the most successful among the rookie kpop girl groups who debuted in 2014 and 2015? Without a doubt, it's Red Velvet. The girl group, produced by SM Entertainment, has achieved a big success with its songs 'Ice Cream Cake' and 'Dumb Dumb', topping various music chart shows. Red Velvet is the only rookie girl group who ranked first on music chart shows in 2014 and 2015. For now, it's true that Red Velvet, who debuted in August 2014, is way ahead of Twice. However, n o one can tell the future. JYP Entertainment is still one of the biggest kpop agencies which can give strong support to its artists, while the Twice members already have ...

On October 18, IU made a guest appearance in SHINee Jonghyun's solo concert held SMTOWN COEX ARTIUM. The two talented young artists showed an impressive performance by singing a duet, while IU opened her letter to Jonghyun. They have been maintaining a close relationship since they debuted, sharing their views on music. So, let's see what IU talked about Jonghyun. It was "Immortal Songs," right? We became acquainted with each other at the program. As we debuted around the same time, we had similar worries, similar desires, and similar dreams. Both of us are 8th-year idols in our mid-20s who have many things we want to prove. And we are workaholics who constantly write and sing to  search for the real existence of ourselves, while we always have been extremely overrated or underrated. W e have so much in common, don't we? That's why I understand you and I'm rooting for you even though I think you need to slow down sometimes. However, it seems that ...

Who's your favorite Korean actress? Well, here are 3 representative hallyu actresses, Jun Jihyun, Park Shinhye, and Min Hyorin. Yeah, Jun Jihyun and Park Shinhye are recognized hallyu stars, while some of you might disagree with including Min Hyorin in the 3 representative hallyu actresses. But, as you know, she is Big Bang Taeyang's girl and I think many people are interested in her. Anyway, I've interviewed all of them and I'd like to talk about the 3 actresses' real personality. Jun Jihyun is beautiful. Everyone who sees her in person says she's a goddess. She has small face and long legs. And she has an elegant atmosphere. I don't know if it was intended, but she was absolutely different from ordinary people when she talked and acted. Yeah, she talks and acts like a real celebrity. As she shows her pride and elegance when she is interviewed, some say they feel distance from her. However, it doesn't mean she is pretentious. When she is with the ...

On October 15, JYJ's Kim Junsu(XIA) held a press conference for his upcoming new solo mini album. At the event, he talked about his new tracks, while it was notable that he  obliquely referred to SM Entertainment's disturbance of his activities as a singer. You know,  JYJ's Kim Junsu, Park Yoochun and Kim Jaejoong filed a suit against SM entertainment in 2009 and they're still having strained relations. Junsu  assumed a disinterested attitude about the fact that he has not been able to appear in any TV music chart shows. Q. Tell me about the title track to be released on October 19. Junsu: The title track 'Yesterday' is a lyrical ballad piece. It's the first time for me to select a ballad song as my title track. It's a kind of challenge. I hope that lots of people will enjoy the fall season listening to the song. And the song is quite different from my former songs. Famous underground singer songwriter Lucia wrote the song and I heard that it's...

1. Is the most popular kpop idol group EXO held its exclusive concert in Gocheok Sky Dome on October 10. Well, it is  a monumental event because EXO became the first ever idol group who held a concert in the dome. Gocheok Sky Dome, which was opened on September 15, 2015, is the first dome stadium in Korea, while Seoul City, which led the construction of the baseball dome, needed to show that the dome also can be used as a cultural facility.(There has been a public criticism surrounding the construction of the dome for various reasons) Then, what do you think is the reason for Seoul City's choosing EXO as the first ever performer of Gocheok Sky Dome? Yeah, the group is now the most popular kpop idol group and it is one of the few idol groups who can fill the dome which accommodates more than 20,000 people. 2. Is competent to hold an exclusive concert for 2 hours EXO has been on a roll since the group debuted in 2012. However, some raised a question. "Is EXO really a com...

In October 2015, IU’ her agency accepted that the female star is dating musician Jang Kiha. It was a surprising news because they seemed to have nothing in common. And some of you might think it was unbelievable because Jang Ki Ha is 11 years older than IU and he doesn't looks  handsome at all. However, things really do happen for a reason. Let's see how and why the nation’s little sister fell in love with Jang Kiha The two met each other for the first time in October 2013. IU made a guest appearance in Jang Kiha's radio program, and they took a commemorative photograph after the broadcast. Well, it was a fateful meeting because both of them fell in love at first sight. IU's cheerful and lively, but at the same time very polite and has an old head on young shoulders. She has maturity beyond her years. Most of young women who are about the same age as IU like handsome guys. However, IU is different. She is the one who thinks what’s inside is more important than...

On October 7, a press conference for Block B Jaehyo's web drama 'What's happening' was held in Seoul. It is notable that the 5th-year idol appears in a drama for the first time since his debut, while he will play a thoughtful young man in the drama. By the way, Jaehyo filmed a kiss scene for the drama, and his partner was actress Go Eun Mi, who is 15 years(!!) older than him. Well, the drama is about a romance between a young man(Jaehyo) and 40-year-old lady(Go Eun Mi). And in the drama, the lady suddenly becomes a 10-year-old girl, and Jaehyo's character, Joo Ilwoo, becomes confused. Jaehyo looked uncomfortable at the press conference because of his leg injury, but he said it's OK. The web drama is aired on Daum TV and Kakao TV from October 8. Jaehyo As it is my first ever drama, I was very nervous before filming the drama. I was nervous even before the script reading. I read the script many times and did my best. It was hard to fall in love with 40...

On October 5, a press conference for SHINee Minho's new drama 'My First Time' was held in Seoul, while Minho will play a liberal 20-year-old man in the drama. At the press conference, Minho tried to liven up the mood by cutting a joke and taking care of actresses. The cast all said in chorus, "Minho is the life of our drama." Yeah, just like I said before, Minho is an idol who is much loved by people in the Korean entertainment world. So, check out what Minho talked about his new drama at the press conference. About his drama & character The drama is about  a story of young love. It will arouse sympathy from people. In the drama, I tried to act the way how I normally do with my friends. The drama features first love too. My first love is not exactly the same, but similar. And Girls' Generation's Yoona, who made a cameo appearance in the drama, gave me some advise. It was fun to act with her. About the filming of the drama and his ...

On October 3, YG Entertainment's new boy group iKON held its debut concert 'SHOWTIME'  at the Gymnastics Stadium in Olympic Park in Seoul. As the concert was aired through Naver V app, some of you might have watched the show. It is very exceptional that a rookie idol group like iKON holds its "debut concert" at the Gymnastics Stadium which is the biggest indoor concert hall in Korea. I went to the concert, and it was good. iKON electrified 13,000 audience by showing high quality performance. The rookie group showed as great performance as top class idol groups such as Big Bang. Of course, it's hard to say iKON can rank with Big Bang, but the iKON members' singing and rapping ability was great. They were better than ordinary kpop idols. After the concert, I could have a conversation with the iKON members and Yang Hyun Suk, who has been giving full support to his new boy group. As it was first time for iKON to hold a concert and talk with journali...

On October 2, a press conference for Apink Jung Eunji's upcoming new drama 'Cheer Up' was held in Seoul. In the drama, Eunji will play high school student Kang Yeon Du, who loves to dance. Let's see what she talked about her drama and character at the press conference. Q. You take the leading role of your drama again. How do you feel? Eunji: I think I'm still lacking in many things. When I took the leading role of 'Trot Lovers', I was really frightened. I'm not sure I can lead the whole drama. I have many worries. Fortunately, 'Cheer Up' is a drama about high school students and it hasn't been long since I graduated high school. Q. How is your character different from other high school student characters in dramas such as Dream High's Go Hyemi played by Miss A Suzy? Eunji: After being cast in 'Cheer Up', I looked into high school student characters in various dramas. Some of them were unyielding, while others were so posi...

The Sajaegi issue has been brought up in the k-pop world again and again. Well, before talking about Sajaegi, which means “panic buying,” we need to see how k-pop agencies and singers earn money because it tells us why the agencies and singers cannot help doing Sajaegi. K-pop singers have 3 main sources of income. First, concert tour & goods. Second, appearance on drama, movie, and CF. And third, performing at various events. Among these, concert tour & goods is the biggest source of income for k-pop agencies and singers, but there are few agencies and singers who can hold exclusive concerts or sell their goods. Only big agencies and very popular idol stars can do it. The same applies to the second one because only popular idols can have a chance to appear on drama, movie, and CF. Then, what's left? Yeah, a majority of k-pop idols should make money by performing at various events such as college festival, music festival, corporate events, etc. By the way, the hosts o...

Girls' Generation Taeyeon will released her first ever solo album. I think many of kpop fans are really looking forward to it. Then, do you think Taeyeon will be able to achieve a big success as a solo singer? Your answer may be "Yes," and I think so too because she is the leader of the most popular kpop girl group. But, there are some actual signs of her success as a solo singer too. Check it out. Complete Transformation Taeyeon will show a complete transformation through her first ever solo album. When SM Entertainment announced that the female idol star's solo album will be released on September 7, the agency stated, "The music to be included in Taeyeon's album will be totally different from that of Girls' Generation." It has been 8 years since Taeyeon debuted, and she performed on the stage thousands of times, which means the public became so accustomed to her performance and character. If she doesn't show any change through her firs...

GFriend and Lovelyz are the two who stand out among numerous kpop rookie girl groups. The interesting thing is that both of them appeal to their fans with their pure and innocent image, and that's why the two girl groups are considered as the arch rivals in the world of kpop. Well, the way how GFriend differentiates itself from the other pure and innocent girl groups is to show powerful and energetic performance on the stage. The slender girls catch eyes of people by showing tough and challenging dance performance, while their songs are very easy to sing along to. GFriend made two consecutive hits with their songs 'Glass Bead' and 'Me Gustas Tu' in 2015, and the group is now the strongest candidate for Rookie of the Year Award. What Lovelyz is different from the other pure and innocent girl groups is that the group's music is unique and experimental. As you may know, famous Korean musician Yoon Sang produced the girl group's album, and the experi...