Continuing the grand tradition of over-the-top, supertragic kpop music videos is this latest one starring actors Lee Min-jung (Boys Before Flowers) and Kim Seung-woo (How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor), for new male pop group December.

The MV was shot on the afternoon of August 17 in Yangju, Kyunggi province.

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Post tags: Kim Seung-woo, kpop, Lee Min-jung, music videos

Boys Before Flowers star Kim Joon (or Kim Jun), also known as the rapper of three-member pop group T-Max, is about to launch his first solo song. On July 7, he released the teaser video for his upcoming single, “준비 OK” — the title literally translates to “Ready OK” but is also a play on his own name, reading “Jun Be OK.”

The video shows Kim Joon putting on a tougher face than he showed as his gentle, friendly Woo-bin character in Boys Before Flowers, and also features BBF buddy Kim Hyun-joon.

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Post tags: Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Joon, kpop, music videos

One thing you can say for sure about Lee Junki: He sure does like a spectacle.

After styling himself in ultra-powder-puff-white for his solo album artwork, the actor took on a darker look at his recent fanmeeting-concert, which was called “Episode 2: The Mask.”

If you could call his album photos albino-New-Wave-glam-pop in style, I suppose this look could be described as barbarian meets V for Vendetta meets Darth Vader, with a dash of Michael Jackson thrown in for good measure?

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Post tags: fanmeetings, kpop, Lee Junki

 
Discuss.

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Read the rest of Lee Junki’s album cover (190 words)

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Post tags: fashion, kpop, Lee Junki, singers

It’s not really a new image — recall that kpop singer Younha had also unveiled a more feminine look for her second album last summer. And Younha (aka the “Oricon comet” given her success on Japan’s pop charts before debuting in Korea) has always been very pretty. But she’s gone a little softer than her usual tomboyish look for this “lovely girl” concept for her new album release.

Her third full-length album is titled “Peace Love & Ice Cream” (something I can get behind!) and goes on sale on April 16. From descriptors, we can expect more of the same (modern rock, ballads, and acoustic pop) from the pop-rock vocalist — which, in Younha’s case, is a very good thing.

Meanwhile, her Japanese movie Next Sunday, in which she takes on the role of a Korean woman studying in Japan, will be released on the 11th in Japan; she’ll head to Osaka for promotional events on the 11th and 12th.

Via Asia Economy

SONG OF THE DAY

Younha – “Delete,” a repost. This one’s from her first album. [ Download ]

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• See ya Next Sunday
• A new album, a new image
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Post tags: kpop, singers, Younha

By now, I’m sure y’all have heard about Epik High’s newest album — and their new, independent business model by which they’re distributing it.

Namely, they’re opting out of the major-label system and putting out their record themselves, via their spankin’-new website mapthesoul.com and iTunes. The site’s got everything written in Korean and English, is taking overseas orders, and they’ve even got a Twitter account (mapthesoul).

This isn’t the first time a band has done something of the kind — recall Radiohead’s 2007 “In Rainbows” album, which they released online (for free! — they accepted donations but didn’t charge a set fee) — but for a Korean artist or group, it’s a bold step. I don’t think they’ll be changing the kpop landscape single-handedly, because if anything, bands like Radiohead and Epik High have something important that struggling indie newbs don’t, and that is a huge and loyal fanbase from which to draw. Naturally, this makes their jump out of the “system” into self-production easier than, say, had they attempted this as unknowns.

But the buzz and the likely success of their endeavor is promising for the future, and — as the band proclaims on their website — revolution begins with one step.

Below is a new interview from Chosun.com, which talks to Tablo about the album, the business behind the decision, his personal philosophies, and all that other good stuff.

 
Instead of a “Song of the Day,” here’s Epik High’s newly released “Map the Soul” MV:

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Post tags: Epik High, interviews, kpop, Tablo

Seo Taiji’s back!

The k-rock icon released the first part of his 8th “Atomos” album last year (”Part Moai”), and now he’s released the second (”Part Secret”), which went on sale this week. And to kick off the round of promo work for this disc, he’s holding a White Day concert — two, actually, on the 14th and 15th at Seoul’s Olympic Garden.

Speaking of which, Happy (early) White Day! As you may know, White Day falls on March 14, a month after Valentine’s Day — while girls give chocolate on Valentine’s, White Day is the guys’ turn to reciprocate. But don’t worry, if you’ve got no cause to celebrate either day, you can always wait another month for April 14’s Black Day, when singles gorge on jajangmyun (black bean sauce noodles). Unless you take the anti-consumerist approach and eschew fake holidays altogether. (Psst, I say let’s choose that last one.)

Anyway. Seo Taiji’s March 14 concert bears the rather unwieldy title “2009 Seo Taiji Single 2 Release Celebration Concert Wormhole.” (Yeah, wormhole. There’s a really easy black-hole-suckage joke in there, but this is Seo Taiji so it doesn’t really apply.)

It will also be his first performance of the album’s single, “Juliet,” for which a music video teaser will be released on the 16th.

Via My Daily

SONG OF THE DAY

Seo Taiji – “Juliet” [ Download ]

RELATED POSTS

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Post tags: kpop, musicians, Seo Taiji