seoulbeats

VIXX’s “Hyde” MV is a Foray into the Dark and Dangerous

Lindsay — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:29:57 +0000

Many K-pop groups flounder after their debut, releasing single after single with constantly changing concepts, and VIXX is no different. However, it would seem that VIXX has finally found their niche after their space vampire theme in “On and On” and will be sticking with the darker supernatural concepts. “Hyde” is one of the creepiest MVs to be released in a long time. Although K-pop MVs are often strange or quirky, it is rare that they can be called straight up scary; but, if you are faint-of-heart I do not suggest this particular VIXX release. From maggots, to tarantulas, to screaming, to strangulation, “Hyde” is nothing like the group’s cute hero image from their debut era.

This is the first time that VIXX has released an MV that required a lot of acting from the members. Although they always tailor their facial expressions and mannerism to fit the concept of their promotions, the use of the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde creates a much more specific character, or more accurately characters plural. The shift between the “good” and the “bad” has to be very clear for this concept to work effectively and much to my relief VIXX was able to pull it off acceptably.

(...)
Read the rest of VIXX’s “Hyde” MV is a Foray into the Dark and Dangerous (1,107 words)

© Lindsay for seoulbeats, 2013. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Jellyfish Entertainment, MV Review, VIXX

The post VIXX’s “Hyde” MV is a Foray into the Dark and Dangerous appeared first on seoulbeats.

Conquering B.A.P Live On Earth, Seoulbeats Style

Nabeela — Fri, 24 May 2013 03:55:42 +0000

When the six alien warriors of B.A.P first arrived last year, these rookies transformed the competition with their fresh edge and nonstop promotions, and left fan hearts slayed across the globe. So of course, when TS announced the B.A.P Live On Earth Pacific Tour, we were all over it! From the skinny on “Sexy Clap” to our unashamed noona feels and of course some hardcore critique, Miyoko, Lindsay, and I lay out plain and simple our experiences from B.A.P Live On Earth.

Just to put it into perspective, I (Nabeela) attended the San Francisco tour stop and was seated in the lower balcony. Miyoko (Row AA on the floor aka as close as you can get) and Lindsay (Row D) hit up the show in Washington D.C. and were lucky enough to get up close and personal in the floor section!(...)
Read the rest of Conquering B.A.P Live On Earth, Seoulbeats Style (2,258 words)

The post Conquering B.A.P Live On Earth, Seoulbeats Style appeared first on seoulbeats.

Shinhwa’s Comeback: The Legend and “The Classic”

Shweta — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:00:32 +0000

Production, Conviction, and Cohesion are three traits that I firmly believe to be the only requirements to a well-crafted album. It may not be a superior album per sé, but I guarantee that it will at least be above average. Why? Because fulfilling those three qualities takes effort, despite my ability to easily list them off. It also goes to show that you don’t need extraordinary singers, or rappers to release an extremely successful album, and this holds especially true in a genre as versatile as pop music, where technical singing isn’t given a lot of emphasis.

Shinhwa happens to be a group that really understands and embraces this concept. They don’t necessarily have the biggest voices or “the best” rappers in the world, nor do they release the highest caliber of music. However, they do take full advantage of the talent that they have and devote their energy to the standard of music they put out. And when I say what they end up releasing is quality music, I really mean quality. The Return was enough to prove that to me.(...)
Read the rest of Shinhwa’s Comeback: The Legend and “The Classic” (2,379 words)

The post Shinhwa’s Comeback: The Legend and “The Classic” appeared first on seoulbeats.

CL’s Solo Single Set for May 28 Release

Patricia — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:00:19 +0000

In case you had any doubts about CL being the baddest bitch of all bad bitches, this single is sure to cure you of your disbelief. And I’m not saying that because I’m a secret CL stan or anything. Really, the title of CL’s solo single speaks for itself:

[CL “나쁜기집애” TEASER PIC #1]originally posted by yg-life.com twitter.com/ygent_official…

— YG Family (@ygent_official) May 23, 2013

“나쁜기집애” roughly translates to “Bad Girl” — that is, if you want to be perfectly clean about it. The term “기집애” more accurately translates to the non-profane equivalent of “bitch.” Profane or otherwise, though, I think we all get the point. Oooh, YG. So cool. So edgy. So badass.(...)
Read the rest of CL’s Solo Single Set for May 28 Release (85 words)

The post CL’s Solo Single Set for May 28 Release appeared first on seoulbeats.

Unraveling The Mystery About Son Ho-young’s Girlfriend’s Suicide

Youngji — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:00:24 +0000

It’s been two days since news outlets reported that Son Ho-young’s girlfriend was found dead in his car. What was even more shocking was that she had been decaying for about a week in his car! Apparently Son Ho-young had no idea that his car and former girlfriend was MIA for a week, until he was called in by the police after they found the dead body in his car.

(...)
Read the rest of Unraveling The Mystery About Son Ho-young’s Girlfriend’s Suicide (233 words)

The post Unraveling The Mystery About Son Ho-young’s Girlfriend’s Suicide appeared first on seoulbeats.

Woollim Duo Tasty Reappears

Leslie — Thu, 23 May 2013 03:54:20 +0000

Woollim Entertainment debuted electro-dance duo Tasty last year to much fanfare. They were even hailed as “Asia’s No. 1 Performance Duo.”

Twins Daeryong and Soryong released the repetitive, but somehow still catchy, dance track “You Know Me” last summer along with their also dance heavy mini-album Spectrum — and then proceeded to fall off the face of the planet.

But it seems that the twins have resurfaced. The duo flew to Taipei for the special M!Countdown Nihao-Taiwan performance last month. The event was perfect for them as the two are fluent in Chinese and could interact with the audience and feed off their energy to give a spectacular show.

While they were in Taiwan, Tasty also did an interview with MNet America for episode 38 of JJANG! and got the chance to show off their fluency in English — Daeryong even swore at one point.

At the end of the interview came some exciting news: the duo says that they have been preparing a great album. The question is when will they release it?

Their company Woollim has been focused on Tasty’s other labelmates. Anchor idol act Infinite promoted their single “Man in Love” off their fourth mini-album New Challenge in April, and now indie rock group Nell announced their comeback for this month and released a teaser video yesterday. My guess is that Tasty will be on the backburner until at least midsummer.

What are your thoughts, readers? Are you excited that Tasty has reappeared?

(MNet, YouTube)

© Leslie for seoulbeats, 2013. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: MNet, SB Bite, Tasty, Woollim Entertainment

The post Woollim Duo Tasty Reappears appeared first on seoulbeats.

Roundtable: Noraebang Favorites

Seoulbeats — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:07:08 +0000

Looking at the latest Gaon Karaoke Rankings, there seems to be a diverse selection of songs widely ranging in genre and even release date. While Roy Kim‘s “Spring Spring Spring” is currently Korea’s number one song sung at karaoke, which songs sit atop your personal favorites to bust out at noraebang?(...)
Read the rest of Roundtable: Noraebang Favorites (1,692 words)

© Seoulbeats for seoulbeats, 2013. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: noraebang, Seoulbeats Roundtable

The post Roundtable: Noraebang Favorites appeared first on seoulbeats.

5 Things I LOVED in K-pop: 5/13 – 5/19

Johnelle — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:03:22 +0000

Half way through May and summer is almost here along with its multitide of “Monstar” come backs and debuts.

Speaking of Monstars, the K-drama starring BEAST’s Yong Jun-hyung debuted on the 17th anddd… it’s not half bad. Jun-hyung so far is a decent actor and the story, which in my opinion is kind of a mix of both What’s Up and Heartstrings, is interesting enough to want to watch the second episode. Monstar, which is Mnet’s first foray onto the K-drama scene, airs every Friday night and is scheduled for 12 episodes (the new episodes are available every Saturday with English subs on Hulu).

tVN‘s Nine finished up last week and I can’t wait to catch up to the end–if only there were more hours in the day. I started watching late in the drama, due to the recommendation of a couple friends and SB readers, and can understand their excitement about the show. It’s like a melo-action-romance where the lead character played by Lee Jin-wook (never noticed how hot he was before) is given a way to travel back in time to try and find justice for his family and correct all the wrongs that happened in his past–while also learning that when you mess with time… there are consequences.

The following are the top 5 Things that happened in K-pop last week that I thought were a bit more special than the rest. If you’re not up-to-date with your K-pop and don’t like spoilers turn back now, because spoilers most definitely lie ahead.
(...)
Read the rest of 5 Things I LOVED in K-pop: 5/13 – 5/19 (577 words)

© Johnelle for seoulbeats, 2013. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 2PM, 5 Things, Barefoot Friends, Dad! Where Are We Going?, Gag Concert, Gu Family Book, Kim Hyun-joong, Lee Junsu, Lee Taksu, Monstar, Nine, Shinhwa, Shinhwa Broadcast, Suzy

The post 5 Things I LOVED in K-pop: 5/13 – 5/19 appeared first on seoulbeats.

The Ladies Step Up in “Gu Family Book,” Episodes 7-12

Miyoko — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:05:02 +0000

Last time we left Gu Family Book, the show had set up an epic, heart-wrenching back story that took six episodes to complete. After such intricate plotting, it’s inevitable that the next six would feel meandering by comparison. They tied up loose ends, divided the family unit, and slowed the pace to not give the audience a heart attack. We also learned that Kang-chi has a long way to go before he becomes the badass he’s meant to be, which is good considering the show is 24 episodes and we don’t want it to fall into nonsense-land. Conversely, for a show that likes to take its time, this makes for a hard slog during the middle episodes where most dramas lose us through mid-story ramblings.(...)
Read the rest of The Ladies Step Up in “Gu Family Book,” Episodes 7-12 (1,146 words)

© Miyoko for seoulbeats, 2013. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Gu Family Book, Suzy

The post The Ladies Step Up in “Gu Family Book,” Episodes 7-12 appeared first on seoulbeats.

Spotlight: Lee Hyun-woo, Understated Brilliance Personified

Nicholas — Wed, 22 May 2013 03:57:25 +0000

As the title says, I am a reasonably big fan of the young actor, who has recently been thrust into the spotlight again with a role in the upcoming spy comedy, Covertly, Grandly. Add to that a lead role in K-pop Star season 2 winners Akdong Musicians’ latest single “I Love You” and an upcoming appearance on Running Man, and its safe to say the guy is not exactly been flying under the radar right now.

Despite his latest high profile pushes, in some ways success has eluded Lee Hyun-woo, compared to some of his same age counterparts, and especially his Covertly Grandly co-star Kim Soo-hyun. So what are some of the reasons for this?(...)
Read the rest of Spotlight: Lee Hyun-woo, Understated Brilliance Personified (507 words)

© Nicholas for seoulbeats, 2013. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Lee Hyun Woo, SB Spotlight

The post Spotlight: Lee Hyun-woo, Understated Brilliance Personified appeared first on seoulbeats.