ORIENTAL WHIRL: Healer’s dilemma

K-ACTRESS Kim So Yeon is the heroine of SBS’s new historical drama series, The Great Seer a.k.a. Dae Poong Soo, reports dramabeans.com. To be directed by Lee Yong Suk, this series is a fictionalised account of how the historical figure Lee Sung-gye became the founder of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) after overthrowing the Goryeo Dynasty, with the backing of an influential seer.

Kim plays a healer, Hae In, who falls for the seer although her fate is intertwined with the king.

2. Super Junior’s back

K-POP boy band Super Junior is back with a new album 11 months after the release of its award-winning fifth studio album Mr Simple, reports koreaboo.com. Its sixth studio album Sexy, Free & Single comprises 10 tracks of different genres, including rap, dance, R&B and ballad.

One of the tracks, Gulliver, is composed by one of the boys, Eunhyuk, while the mid-tempo R&B track From U is a dedication to fans (E.L.F a.k.a. Everlasting Friends) for their unwavering support.

This album also marks the return of one of its member, Kangin, to the fold. He was only officially discharged from the two-year mandatory military service in April.

Check out the MV for the title track Sexy, Free & Single, a soulful Eurohouse number about single men and their success stories, at www.youtube.com/user/SUPERJUNIOR.

3. Bionic women

K-POP girl group Wonder Girls that has just released its fifth mini album Wonder Party last month, is back with the digital single Like Money, reports soompi.com.

The quintet collaborated with Senegalese-American singer Akon in this English track, which will be included in its upcoming debut American studio album.

Penned by Crystal “Cry$tyle” Nicole (who also wrote Rihanna’s Only Girl and Mariah Carey’s Angel’s Cry), this catchy and fast-tempo electro-pop number was first featured in the group’s Wonder Girls telemovie that was aired earlier this year through US cable TV channel TeenNick.

It is produced by Woo S. Rhee “Rainstone” of JYP Entertainment, the girls’ management agency while the choreography is created by Jonte Moaning, noted for his work on Beyonce’s smash hit Single Ladies.

Check out the MV, with its futuristic concept where “the girls are described as bionic women given the title of Wonder Girls”, at www.youtube.com/user/wondergirls.

4. Younha moves on

WITH her legal woes finally resolved, talented K-singer Younha is back with a fourth album Supersonic, reports dkpopnews.net.

She sued her former agency Lion Media last year, seeking an annulment of her “slave contract”. In February, the court ruled in her favour and the agency was asked to pay her 100 million won (RM281,000) in unpaid wages.

The 24-year-old debuted as a singer in Japan at 16 and earned the nickname Oricon Comet for her string of Japanese hits.

Renowned for her amazingly strong and unique vocals, her last release was the five-track album Lost In Love in December 2010.

This 12-track album features collaborations with Tiger JK (Rock Like Stars), John Park (Would We Have Changed) and Jay Park (Driver).

Check out the MV for the title track Run at www.wealive.co.kr. (Just click on music video).

5. 2NE1 loves you

FOUR-member hip hop girl group 2NE1 recently made its comeback to the K-music industry, a year after the release of its second mini album titled 2nd Mini Album, reports dkpopnews.net.

The group released the single I Love You, which is a fusion of the electronic and trot (an old-fashioned style of K-Pop music) genres. This is a refreshing departure from its 2NE1-esque hip hop music.

For this comeback, its management agency YG Entertainment will employ the same strategy it used to market 2NE1’s second mini album, which is to release a single every three weeks.

Check out the MV for this single, which was written and produced by its long-time collaborator Teddy Park, at www.youtube.com/user/2NE1.

6. Fox family fantasy

PARK Sun-Young, better known by her stage name Hyomin of girl group T-ara, has joined the cast of MBC’s fantasy melodrama One Thousandth Man, reports allkpop.com.

This series revolves around a gumiho (a nine-tailed fox) who has to eat the livers of 1,000 men in order for her to turn into a human. But the catch is that her victims have to be in love with her.

Hyomin, who has a string of acting credits to her name since 2010, won the Best New Actress (mini series) for GyeBaek in the 2011 MBC Drama Awards.

In this series, she takes on the role of the younger sister of the gumiho, who after having eaten 999 livers, is seeking her 1,000th victim.

7. Show of Olympic support

WITH the London 2012 Summer Olympics just around the corner, some of K-Pop’s hottest acts have got together to record the digital single Win The Day (Everyone’s Effort) to cheer on and to show their support for the country’s athletes, reports allkpop.com.

They are girl groups 4Minute, miss A, Sistar, Nine Muses and Dal Shabet while the boy bands include 2PM’s Nichkhun and Junho, MBLAQ, ZE:A and B1A4.

Since this is a collaborative effort with Samsung, they recorded the track under the name Team SIII (Samsung Galaxy S III).

The fun track with a catchy melody is produced by one of K-Pop’s top producers Sweetune, comprising Han Jae Ho and Kim Seung Soo, who have churned out various megahits for Kara, Infinite and f(x), among others.

Check out  The Making Of... and its MV at www.youtube.com/user/SamsungMarcomm. (Just type Team SIII at the search panel and click.) nstent@nst.com.my

 

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 / 7