- wong chee tat :)
Showing posts with label kpop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kpop. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Are you cute enough for “Gwiyomi”?
Are you cute enough for “Gwiyomi”?
By Elizabeth Soh | Singapore Showbiz – Mon, Apr 8, 2013 12:24 PM SGT
BtoB's Ilhoon popularised the "Gwiyomi" song on a variety show (Youtube screengrab)Hot on the heels of the viral phenomenon that was PSY's "Gangnam" style are the new saccharine sweet 귀요미, or "Gwiyomi" videos - the latest infectious K-pop trend to hit Asia.
Those who can't stand anything cutesy or fluffy might want to stop reading now - the "Gwiyomi" singalong song drips with bucketfuls of Korean 애교 /"aegyo" (cuteness) sweet enough to cause a toothache.
But if you're still curious - check out this video of K-pop stars performing the "Gwiyomi" dance:
But what exactly is the Gwiyomi song about?
Its basically a cutesy song about a Korean girl's adorable love for her boyfriend and how she wants him to promise that they will be together forever (via a pinky promise), ending with six kisses - one for each finger and thumb.
The repititive lyrics mimic a child's nursery rhyme and go like this: "One plus one is cute, two plus two is still cute, three plus three is also cute, etc", accompanied by numbered hand signs.
Cutesy hand signs yet unknown to mankind appear as Gwiyomi video makers get creative and add their own spin on it - from pouting and cupping their chins to pretending to be cute bunnies and kittens. The more fluff, the better.
The "Gwiyomi Dance" guide shows you exactly how to get started (Internet screengrab)
The Gwiyomi song first made it's debut early this year as a digital single by singer Hari but did not gain fame (or notoriety) until K-pop boyband BtoB rapper Ilhoon made his own rendition of the song-and-dance on variety show "Diary Many".
His video quickly went viral and soon, virtually every K-pop idol group member - from SNSD, Super Junior, EXO, and Miss A to Big Bang and Sistar had taken part in the craze as a "Gwiyomi Player"
The craze has caught on here in Singapore after sweeping Thailand by storm, with local bloggers making videos of their own versions of the Gwiyomi song.
Watch local "ulzzang" bloggers Yutaki and Miyake's version of the Gwiyomi song below:
Responses from netizens and K-pop fans have been mixed - with some saying that it's nothing new and others calling it a harmless fun fad.
"Maybe it seems a bit too cutesy in the Singapore context, but in South Korea, where it's very common for girl friends to be 'aegyo' and act adorable, its just a fun song that they perform for their boyfriends," said
K-pop fan Lesley Goh, 19, who enjoys watching the videos.
"Of course, you have to be cute - or you'll just be fail."
Wee Xiao Hui, 23, told Yahoo! SG that she felt it wasn't anything new.
"The Taiwanese have been doing cutesy numbered hand signs and expressions for since years ago - so this is nothing new. I'm sure people will get bored of it soon - especially if you're not a teenager," said the marketing manager.
What do you think of the Gwiyomi song? Adorable or Annoying?
- wong chee tat :)
Sunday, December 2, 2012
PSY's job is to "Gangnam Style" all day and every day
PSY's job is to "Gangnam Style" all day and every day
By Francine Lim, channelnewsasia.com | Posted: 02 December 2012 0009 hrs
SINGAPORE: South Korean sensation PSY was nothing but PSYched to perform his first concert in Singapore as part of a whirlwind concert tour.
The YouTube sensation PSY whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, hit the stage for a special Marina Bay Sands (MBS) "Give Back to Singapore" public show, just hours after landing in Singapore on Saturday afternoon.
The crowd at the MBS Event Plaza had to wait a while for the appearance of the "Gangnam Style" star who had a week's worth of activities around Asia.
"I get tired because of all the requests, an average (of) fifty requests per country, but still the dance allows me to come here," said PSY with a wry smile as he faced the eager media.
"I get tired but I gotta do it," he added.
"Sometimes, honestly, yes, I get tired or I get sick of it because I got so many requests to teach them," said the South Korean singer who was clad in a black suit and his trademark sunglasses.
But PSY said that despite the many times he has performed the number, he still "really like the dance."
This week alone, the South Korean sensation was whoop-whooping in Bangkok at the "Gangnam Style Thailand Extra Live" concert to commemorate the Thai King's 85th birthday, before heading up to Hong Kong where he brought the house down at the 2012 MNet Asian Music Awards (MAMA).
The annual award show saw PSY taking home four awards, including the Favourite International Artist, Best Music Video, Best Dance Performance Solo and Song of the Year, so naysayers who believe that "Gangnam Style" is just a one-hit wonder with a chubby man horsing around, need to think again.
"Usually K-Pop is known for their boy bands and girl bands and most of them are really skinny and I'm not skinny. I am proud to get big fame with this body!" said PSY when he met the media before his show at MBS.
"In the last three days, I've traveled three countries, so the schedule is really tight. But I never lost the weight! " he chuckled.
The 34-year-old star, who made YouTube history with his "Gangnam Style" music video clocking over 850 million views to become the most-watched video of all time on the site, still remains pretty grounded, even with his latest honour -- a nomination in the People's Choice category of Time magazine's Person of the Year 2012 contest.
"I'm really honoured to be a candidate...(but) I'm just doing my job," declared PSY while expressing his surprise at the nomination.
With other newsmakers such as US President Barack Obama, China's Communist Party head Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un also nominated for the same award, PSY played down his chances of topping that chart.
"I feel really strange and weird (as to) why I'm there," he said.
"It's not going to happen, I think, and I don't deserve that much. I just did my job," added PSY, who is currently fourth in the online rankings out of 40 candidates.
- CNA/AFP/sf
- wong chee tat :)
By Francine Lim, channelnewsasia.com | Posted: 02 December 2012 0009 hrs
SINGAPORE: South Korean sensation PSY was nothing but PSYched to perform his first concert in Singapore as part of a whirlwind concert tour.
The YouTube sensation PSY whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, hit the stage for a special Marina Bay Sands (MBS) "Give Back to Singapore" public show, just hours after landing in Singapore on Saturday afternoon.
The crowd at the MBS Event Plaza had to wait a while for the appearance of the "Gangnam Style" star who had a week's worth of activities around Asia.
"I get tired because of all the requests, an average (of) fifty requests per country, but still the dance allows me to come here," said PSY with a wry smile as he faced the eager media.
"I get tired but I gotta do it," he added.
"Sometimes, honestly, yes, I get tired or I get sick of it because I got so many requests to teach them," said the South Korean singer who was clad in a black suit and his trademark sunglasses.
But PSY said that despite the many times he has performed the number, he still "really like the dance."
This week alone, the South Korean sensation was whoop-whooping in Bangkok at the "Gangnam Style Thailand Extra Live" concert to commemorate the Thai King's 85th birthday, before heading up to Hong Kong where he brought the house down at the 2012 MNet Asian Music Awards (MAMA).
The annual award show saw PSY taking home four awards, including the Favourite International Artist, Best Music Video, Best Dance Performance Solo and Song of the Year, so naysayers who believe that "Gangnam Style" is just a one-hit wonder with a chubby man horsing around, need to think again.
"Usually K-Pop is known for their boy bands and girl bands and most of them are really skinny and I'm not skinny. I am proud to get big fame with this body!" said PSY when he met the media before his show at MBS.
"In the last three days, I've traveled three countries, so the schedule is really tight. But I never lost the weight! " he chuckled.
The 34-year-old star, who made YouTube history with his "Gangnam Style" music video clocking over 850 million views to become the most-watched video of all time on the site, still remains pretty grounded, even with his latest honour -- a nomination in the People's Choice category of Time magazine's Person of the Year 2012 contest.
"I'm really honoured to be a candidate...(but) I'm just doing my job," declared PSY while expressing his surprise at the nomination.
With other newsmakers such as US President Barack Obama, China's Communist Party head Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un also nominated for the same award, PSY played down his chances of topping that chart.
"I feel really strange and weird (as to) why I'm there," he said.
"It's not going to happen, I think, and I don't deserve that much. I just did my job," added PSY, who is currently fourth in the online rankings out of 40 candidates.
- CNA/AFP/sf
- wong chee tat :)
Monday, November 26, 2012
Wacky Korean singer makes YouTube history
Wacky Korean singer makes YouTube history
Posted: 25 November 2012 1633 hrs
SEOUL: Psy made his quirky debut in South Korea's K-pop industry back in 2001 but it wasn't until July that he began shooting to global fame with "Gangnam Style" -- now the most-watched video of all time on YouTube.
A rare sense of humour and irony distinguished the chubby rapper, now 34, from his peers in the manufactured world of K-pop and made him an unlikely worldwide success.
As of Sunday "Gangnam Style" -- whose wacky music and dance moves mock the hedonistic lifestyle of the upmarket southern Seoul neighbourhood -- had registered almost 814 million views in four months.
The video has inspired thousands of online imitations of Psy's famous horse-ride dance, and flash mobs of tens of thousands in Paris, Rome and Milan.
The song peaked at number two on the US Billboard's pop chart for seven weeks in a row after sweeping the charts in countries including Australia and Britain.
World figures swept up in the fever include UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, British Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama, who either tried out the dance or marvelled at its popularity.
Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, gained the ultimate showbiz accolade by teaming up with Madonna in the pop diva's concert and performing a special version of "Gangnam Style" with MC Hammer in the American Music Awards.
YouTube called the music video -- which Saturday overtook Justin Bieber's "Baby" in number of views -- "a massive hit at a global level unlike anything we've ever seen before".
Billboard.com noted it racked up the YouTube milestone in about four months compared to more than two years for "Baby", calling it "nothing short of a pop culture phenomenon".
Psy's dramatic rise has been viewed with a mixture of pride and surprise in his home country, whose music industry has long been dominated by prettified, highly-manufactured girl and boy bands.
Having taken Asia by storm over the past decade with bubblegum hooks and dance moves staged with military precision, K-pop in recent years has garnered a small but growing fan base among teenagers in parts of Europe and America.
But none has come close to the worldwide popularity of the homely Psy.
"Psy is right at the opposite of our typical K-pop stars who are extremely preened and whose every single move is strictly dictated by their agent," prominent music critic Kang Hun told AFP.
Humour, especially satire, is rare in the mainstream Korean music scene and that, coupled with Psy's embrace of his anti-pop idol looks, has set him apart.
The singer, well known at home for his humorous and explosive stage performances, has long been a somewhat provocative figure in Korea.
He was once convicted in Seoul of smoking marijuana. Several of his earlier songs and music videos were banned for those aged under 18 because of what state censors deemed to be overly sexual lyrics or bad language.
In 2007 Psy was forced to serve a second period of compulsory military service after it was revealed that he had continued with his showbiz interests during his first two-year stint.
"Psy has long had very freewheeling, humorous and even provocative elements in his songs which are utterly lacking in most young K-pop idols," Kang said.
"I think 'Gangnam Style' is a pinnacle of such a humourous, non-serious bad-boy style of his. And apparently people around the world can relate to his self-deprecating sense of humour."
Psy himself says he invites laughter and not ridicule.
"My motto is to be funny, but not stupid," he once said in an interview with Yonhap news agency.
It remains to be seen if "Gangnam Style" will prove anything more than a one-hit wonder. Psy is set to release a new album in English and Korean early next year which will be distributed globally.
But even if it takes off, it will be hard to replicate the success of "Gangnam Style", said Han Koo-Hyun, the head of the Korean Wave Research Institute.
"His next song will be able to rack up at least hundreds of millions of views due to the popularity of 'Gangnam Style' but will never be more popular than 'Gangnam Style', said Han.
"This is too huge a success to accomplish twice."
- AFP/ck
- wong chee tat :)
Posted: 25 November 2012 1633 hrs
SEOUL: Psy made his quirky debut in South Korea's K-pop industry back in 2001 but it wasn't until July that he began shooting to global fame with "Gangnam Style" -- now the most-watched video of all time on YouTube.
A rare sense of humour and irony distinguished the chubby rapper, now 34, from his peers in the manufactured world of K-pop and made him an unlikely worldwide success.
As of Sunday "Gangnam Style" -- whose wacky music and dance moves mock the hedonistic lifestyle of the upmarket southern Seoul neighbourhood -- had registered almost 814 million views in four months.
The video has inspired thousands of online imitations of Psy's famous horse-ride dance, and flash mobs of tens of thousands in Paris, Rome and Milan.
The song peaked at number two on the US Billboard's pop chart for seven weeks in a row after sweeping the charts in countries including Australia and Britain.
World figures swept up in the fever include UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, British Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama, who either tried out the dance or marvelled at its popularity.
Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, gained the ultimate showbiz accolade by teaming up with Madonna in the pop diva's concert and performing a special version of "Gangnam Style" with MC Hammer in the American Music Awards.
YouTube called the music video -- which Saturday overtook Justin Bieber's "Baby" in number of views -- "a massive hit at a global level unlike anything we've ever seen before".
Billboard.com noted it racked up the YouTube milestone in about four months compared to more than two years for "Baby", calling it "nothing short of a pop culture phenomenon".
Psy's dramatic rise has been viewed with a mixture of pride and surprise in his home country, whose music industry has long been dominated by prettified, highly-manufactured girl and boy bands.
Having taken Asia by storm over the past decade with bubblegum hooks and dance moves staged with military precision, K-pop in recent years has garnered a small but growing fan base among teenagers in parts of Europe and America.
But none has come close to the worldwide popularity of the homely Psy.
"Psy is right at the opposite of our typical K-pop stars who are extremely preened and whose every single move is strictly dictated by their agent," prominent music critic Kang Hun told AFP.
Humour, especially satire, is rare in the mainstream Korean music scene and that, coupled with Psy's embrace of his anti-pop idol looks, has set him apart.
The singer, well known at home for his humorous and explosive stage performances, has long been a somewhat provocative figure in Korea.
He was once convicted in Seoul of smoking marijuana. Several of his earlier songs and music videos were banned for those aged under 18 because of what state censors deemed to be overly sexual lyrics or bad language.
In 2007 Psy was forced to serve a second period of compulsory military service after it was revealed that he had continued with his showbiz interests during his first two-year stint.
"Psy has long had very freewheeling, humorous and even provocative elements in his songs which are utterly lacking in most young K-pop idols," Kang said.
"I think 'Gangnam Style' is a pinnacle of such a humourous, non-serious bad-boy style of his. And apparently people around the world can relate to his self-deprecating sense of humour."
Psy himself says he invites laughter and not ridicule.
"My motto is to be funny, but not stupid," he once said in an interview with Yonhap news agency.
It remains to be seen if "Gangnam Style" will prove anything more than a one-hit wonder. Psy is set to release a new album in English and Korean early next year which will be distributed globally.
But even if it takes off, it will be hard to replicate the success of "Gangnam Style", said Han Koo-Hyun, the head of the Korean Wave Research Institute.
"His next song will be able to rack up at least hundreds of millions of views due to the popularity of 'Gangnam Style' but will never be more popular than 'Gangnam Style', said Han.
"This is too huge a success to accomplish twice."
- AFP/ck
- wong chee tat :)
SMTOWN Live World Tour in Singapore electrifies fans
SMTOWN Live World Tour in Singapore electrifies fans
By Karen Ng | Posted: 25 November 2012 2333 hrs
SINGAPORE: It was a sell-out concert for the SMTown Live World Tour III last Friday.
About 25,000 tickets were sold with prices ranging from S$168 to S$268.
The star-studded show, which cost some S$5 million to put together, featured eight iconic Korean pop acts: Kangta, BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, SHINee, f(x) and EXO.
Organised by Korean record label SM Entertainment, the concert was held at the Float@Marina Bay for the first time in Singapore.
The stage took more than 200 people and 96 hours to set up.
For local K-pop fans, SMTOWN might have well been the concert of the year.
There were earlier reports of fans who queued for days to get a good vantage point of the stars at the mosh pits.
"Even though you don't understand the language, you can actually follow the music," said a fan.
"I also love their songs, because it's catchy and fun to listen to and I never get bored listening to them," said 11-year-old Jannah, a fan of the artistes.
Some international fans had also travelled to Singapore to see their idols.
The stars themselves were thrilled to be in Singapore although they were one-and-a-half hours late for their press conference.
"It's been almost 10 years since I was in Singapore in 2003 for MTV Music Awards in Asia," said BoA. "So I'm very happy to be back in Singapore and I can't wait to see all of my fans, of course."
"I think Singapore is such a beautiful place and this is the first time for us here. We want to thank all the fans that came to the airport," said Kris from the boy band EXO.
Stars also shared their memorable experiences backstage, showing that preparations are not always all work and no play.
"Backstage, be it seniors or juniors, we'll always chat, and encourage each other in their performances," said Victoria, the leader of girl group f(x).
"There was once we had a chance to have a drink with our senior, Yunho (from TVXQ), and he got a little bit tipsy after a few drinks," revealed Super Junior member Donghae.
"After that, he did this dance move which was really fantastic, which we'll like to show you one day. It is not a charismatic sort of dance move, it is something you can't imagine him doing."
The mood was electrifying as fans screamed and cheered throughout the four-hour long concert.
The heavy rain towards the end of the concert did little to dampen fans' spirits.
The artistes performed a whopping 50 songs with slick dance moves and ended the concert by performing together and mingling with the fans.
- CNA/xq
- wong chee tat :)
By Karen Ng | Posted: 25 November 2012 2333 hrs
SINGAPORE: It was a sell-out concert for the SMTown Live World Tour III last Friday.
About 25,000 tickets were sold with prices ranging from S$168 to S$268.
The star-studded show, which cost some S$5 million to put together, featured eight iconic Korean pop acts: Kangta, BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, SHINee, f(x) and EXO.
Organised by Korean record label SM Entertainment, the concert was held at the Float@Marina Bay for the first time in Singapore.
The stage took more than 200 people and 96 hours to set up.
For local K-pop fans, SMTOWN might have well been the concert of the year.
There were earlier reports of fans who queued for days to get a good vantage point of the stars at the mosh pits.
"Even though you don't understand the language, you can actually follow the music," said a fan.
"I also love their songs, because it's catchy and fun to listen to and I never get bored listening to them," said 11-year-old Jannah, a fan of the artistes.
Some international fans had also travelled to Singapore to see their idols.
The stars themselves were thrilled to be in Singapore although they were one-and-a-half hours late for their press conference.
"It's been almost 10 years since I was in Singapore in 2003 for MTV Music Awards in Asia," said BoA. "So I'm very happy to be back in Singapore and I can't wait to see all of my fans, of course."
"I think Singapore is such a beautiful place and this is the first time for us here. We want to thank all the fans that came to the airport," said Kris from the boy band EXO.
Stars also shared their memorable experiences backstage, showing that preparations are not always all work and no play.
"Backstage, be it seniors or juniors, we'll always chat, and encourage each other in their performances," said Victoria, the leader of girl group f(x).
"There was once we had a chance to have a drink with our senior, Yunho (from TVXQ), and he got a little bit tipsy after a few drinks," revealed Super Junior member Donghae.
"After that, he did this dance move which was really fantastic, which we'll like to show you one day. It is not a charismatic sort of dance move, it is something you can't imagine him doing."
The mood was electrifying as fans screamed and cheered throughout the four-hour long concert.
The heavy rain towards the end of the concert did little to dampen fans' spirits.
The artistes performed a whopping 50 songs with slick dance moves and ended the concert by performing together and mingling with the fans.
- CNA/xq
- wong chee tat :)
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