Red Hot or Cool Blue? After School's got everything for you!

After School (although this picture wasn't taken when their
sub-unit groupings were finalized)
Top Row - Kahi, Uee, Joo Yeon and E-Young
Bottom Row - Raina, Jung Ah, Nana and Lizzie

When Bekah announced her graduation from After School, the group was evened out at 8 members in total --- Kahi, Jung Ah, Joo Yeon, Uee, Raina, Nana, Lizzy and E-Young. Having just released their last full-studio album, "Virgin", a few months ago, I wasn't really expecting After School to make a come back any time soon (if you haven't read my review for "Virgin" yet, click here).

I guess Pledis Entertainment didn't want to have the girls stay away from the limelight too long since After School is definitely back --- and this time as two seperate sub-units, After School Red and Blue.

2NE1 releases an short anime movie for their MV for "Hate You"...

2NE1's cartoon avatars (L to R):
Upper Row - Sandara and Bom, Lower Row - CL and Minzy

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR --- My apologies for not having posted as often as I could. I've been busy reconnecting with family during our reunion here in Toronto. I hope everyone understands that I just had to prioritize that first above everything else. There's a lot of stuff that's been released since last I posted, but I'll catch up as soon as I can.

When 2NE1 released their last single "I'm The Best", I couldn't really see the full connection between the image of the album, the MV with their album cover. The best thing I could really think of that connected the MV with the images on the album cover was the fact that they were firing guns at the end of the video. 

With the release of their new single, "Hate You", YG Entertainment choice in visual now begins to make sense. Apparently, they aregiving us a taste of what's to come with the simultaneous release of the girl's ANIMATED MV for their track. Not only are we treated to great new music, but it's a visual feast as well!

Miss A aims for the top with their new album, "A Class"!

The girls of Miss A (L to R): Fei, Min, Jia and Suzy

If there's one person who's been waiting impatiently for a comeback by Miss A, that would be me. When Miss A stepped into the scene in 2010, they broke the mold for girl idol groups. They projected a strong independent female image, which was very different from many of the girl groups in the industry.

They make a comeback with their first full-length studio album titled "A Class" which was released on July 18. Based on initial figures from digital sales charts in Korea, their album has quickly risen in the charts after the release of their launching single and MV from the album, "Good Bye Baby".

Top of the Charts for July 2011 Week 3 (courtesy of Soompi.com)

Here are the top songs of the week, folks... courtesy of Soompi.com (http://www.soompi.com/) 

NOTE: A vid featuring a sampler of the top 50 songs are at the bottom of the post. The time tracks for where the songs are featured in the vid is indicated in the list below... just in case you want to skip to a song you're interested in listening to. If I have an existing review for any of the songs in the countdown, I'll be posting a link so you can read through my post in case you've missed it! 

True talent reigns in "Immortal Song 2"...

Immortal Song 2 from KBS

There's a reason that I don't really write about each and every Korean album that comes out. For one thing, I don't really think it's nice to say (or write) bad things about artists. Like I said in my other post, artists are meant to be loved.

My other reason --- well, I go for vocal talent and musicality than hype. A lot of the idols that come out of the woodwork are either a product of tweaking (music editing and auto-tuning galore), and lots of hype. Unfortunately, the bad apples tend to spoil the lot, and even the artists who actually have talent are unfairly judged as well.

This is the reason why I love watching the show "Immortal Song 2" from KBS. It showcases live performances from some of the top idol vocalists in the industry. They're there to prove that idols are artists too, and that they got the stuff to make people believe that true talent does exist in the industry.

Some new digital releases I listened to on my way to Canada...

Artists in today's new single feature:
(Row 1) Bekah, Brave Brothers, (Row 2)  GP Basic,
(Row 3) Jang Hye Jin and Yesung,
(Row 4) BGH to, and Goo Ji Sung

I'm currently writing this blog in my Aunt Rodel and Uncle Carl's home in Mississauga, Canada. I took two weeks off from work so that I could attend a family reunion that my dad's side of the family had organized to help everyone reconnect, share and pass on stories (especially for the younger ones). When I received the invite, I took it as a sign for a well-deserved break from work.

The great thing about being on a vacation is that I'm also able to listen to take some time to listen to music --- especially some new singles that have just recently come out.

MBLAQ romances with latin flavor with their new album, "Mona Lisa"...

The boys of MBLAQ (L to R): Cheondoong / Thunder, Joon, G.O., Seungho,  and Mir

MBLAQ's been receiving a lot of attention right now because of the success that they've been receiving in Japan (who hasn't been to Japan in the Kpop world these days, right? hehehe!). After an immensely successful debut in Japan, plus a sold out concert, they're at the top of their game.

And what do people at the top do? Apparently, they don't stop! I mentioned in an earlier blog post for G.O.'s solo debut single, "Even In My Dreams" (if you haven't read my review for G.O.'s single, click here), that MBLAQ's been preparing for their comeback. Teaser after teaser was released to build anticipation for the return of the boys to Seoul. That anticipation ended today with the release of their new mini-album, "Mona Lisa".

Navi returns to serenade us with her new single, "Diary"...

While doing a review of new singles last week, I discovered a single from an artist that I felt I wanted to do a spot on since I liked her music a lot. Her name is Navi (which is the Korean word for "butterfly"), and she's an R&B singer in Korea. she's making a comeback with her new single, "Diary", which was just released last week (to be precise, that was on July 1).

Navi's been making waves in Korea since she debuted in 2008 with her song "I Love You", which she sang together with Tablo of Epik High. I mentioned earlier that she's an R&B singer, although that doesn't necessarily mean that she doesn't have a good amount of versatility. She does dabble in different genres of music, but I noticed in her MVs that her delivery would always have that R&B flavor. 

Rookie group HITT debuts with their album, "Here Is The Top"...

The boys of HITT (L to R): Woo Ram, Ha Rong, Jun Taek, Hyun Jun, Ho Won and Jae Hun

Sony Entertainment Korea just recently debuted a new male idol group named HITT (which stands for "Here Is The Top"). I guess it's the first time I've heard of a major international music label taking an active interest in entering the highly competitive world of idol groups in Korea (or maybe I haven't yet encountered any other group who's been sponsored by similar companies). With Sony being based in Japan, where Korean artists are slowly taking over the charts, I'm sure they've taken notice of how potentially lucrative it can be to venture into the Korean idol making machine.

Nontheless, being a well-established music company, Sony wouldn't be fielding in just anyone into the fray. Listening to the album for the past week, I could honestly say that these guys are worth listening to, and have great potential in making it big.

[POLL RESULT] Who's your favorite funny male idol?

AND THE WINNER IS....


SHINee's own resident diva ---
KEY!

I've been following SHINee for nearly a year, and I've seen a lot of their TV appearances on YouTube (my favorite being their short-lived reality stint "Hello Baby!", where they had to become parents to a toddler). Key has always been the life of the party, and his sense of humor borders between insane and utterly outrageous. The striking (and, I guess, irresistable) quality of his personality lies in the fact that he's very transparent --- he speak his mind out, and is very vocal about his opinions (even to the point that it may seem a little unreasonable... but he always gets his way by sneaking in a smile or two). 

I'm pretty sure Key is slowly raking up more fans from all over, especially in the UK and in Japan, where SHINee has been very active in promoting their re-released singles. I'm looking forward to SHINee's return to Korea, and their comeback (which is apparently slated for the 3rd quarter of the year).

And now... off to our new poll!

The Pinoy Kpop Fan's Updated Pick List (July 2011, Week 1)

My apologies for taking this long to update my Pick List. Apart from having been sick most of last week, I've been encountering some issues with uploading songs to Grooveshark. Although there have been challenges, I'm pretty sure it's worth the wait!

Let's check out the top featured artists of the week in The Pinoy Kpop Fan's blog...

Top of the Charts for July 2011 Week 1 (courtesy of Soompi.com)

Here are the top songs of the week, folks... courtesy of Soompi.com (http://www.soompi.com/) 

NOTE: A vid featuring a sampler of the top 50 songs are at the bottom of the post. The time tracks for where the songs are featured in the vid is indicated in the list below... just in case you want to skip to a song you're interested in listening to. If I have an existing review for any of the songs in the countdown, I'll be posting a link so you can read through my post in case you've missed it! 

Two new guilty pleasures of your K-drama week --- "You've Fallen For Me" and "I Need Romance"

Two great new dramas to watch! ---
"I Need Romance" and "You've Fallen For Me"

You'll have to forgive my lack of updates for the past week or so. I've been nursing a bad cold, that eventually came back to haunt me as a bad case of cough and asthma. I had to rest up at home yesterday since my chest felt like a brick wall.

Last night wasn't entirely a loss since I was able to catch up on a couple of new dramas that just premiered that I've been dying to watch --- "You've Fallen For Me" and "I Need Romance". It's that time of the year again, and new dramas are always something to look forward to!

It's G.O.'s time to shine with the release of his digital single, "Even In My Dreams"...

I love it when an artist in an idol group is given a chance to go solo --- especially if that artist is very talented and deserves the break. It's always a great opportunity to establish a musical identity separate from the group they belong to. In the Philippines, usually that would mean that either the person was moving away from the group, or that the band was going to disband. The experience of going solo seems to be very different in Korea, since it's a regular thing when idol groups go on hiatus.

I was very happy to learn that the lead vocalist of MBLAQ, G.O., was going to debut as a solo artist with the release of his digital single, "Even In My Dreams". G.O.'s a very talented vocalist, and has contributed a lot to the growth of their group under the mentorship of the one and only Rain (yes... the guy from "Full House"... hehehe!).

So many new singles, so little time... (Part II)

Our featured artists for this article (L to R): Navid, In So Yoon, The Name,
Brian Kim and Daniel Lee (Krygen) and Mikey (Turbo)

Like I mentioned last week, I still had a few more artists to feature who have recently released new singles for the past couple of weeks. Their songs are great, and I want to share them with the hope that we all broaden our musical horizons, even when it come to Korean music and Kpop (hehehe!). 

As usual, there isn't much written about these artists in English (with the exception of Mikey of Turbo, since Turbo used to be a wildly popular group in the 90's), so I won't be able to give my usual intros to these folks; but then again, it's all about the music, right?

Shin Hye Sung journeys along the "The Road Not Taken"...

Shin Hye Sung --- Lead Vocalist of the legendary male idol group, Shinhwa

Shinhwa is a name that carries with it a legacy in the Korean music industry. Having debuted in 1998, it's most notable achievement is the fact they're the longest functioning male idol group in the history of the Korean music industry (at 13 years running... wow, right?). In an industry where music groups pretty much come and go, Shinhwa is a picture of continuing growth and loyalty to their fan base. Although the group is currently in extended hiatus because members of the group are either pursuing their solo career or are in the military service, they haven't disbanded and maintain their close ties by supporting each other in their individual activities.

Shin Hye Sung, lead vocalist of Shinhwa, is probably the most musically prolific member of the group considering that he has been a solo artist the longest in the group (since 2005, releasing a total of 9 albums), and, apart from being a vocalist, is also well-known as a song writer. He makes a comeback this year with his 4th full studio album titled "The Road Not Taken".

Top of the Charts for June 2011 Week 4 (courtesy of Soompi.com)

Here are the top songs of the week, folks... courtesy of Soompi.com (http://www.soompi.com/) 

NOTE: A vid featuring a sampler of the top 50 songs are at the bottom of the post. The time tracks for where the songs are featured in the vid is indicated in the list below... just in case you want to skip to a song you're interested in listening to. If I have an existing review for any of the songs in the countdown, I'll be posting a link so you can read through my post in case you've missed it!