G-Dragon to make solo comeback stage on September 16th’s ‘Inkigayo’

G-Dragon will be making his much anticipated solo comeback stage on the September 16th’s SBS ‘Inkigayo‘.

He will be performing “One of a Kind” and his title song, “Crayon“.

Already, the music video for ‘One of a Kind’ is attracting hot attention with over 11.6 million views. “Crayon” is the shortened word for “Crazy On”, formed by the combination of “Crazy” and “G-Dragon”. It is known for highlighting G-Dragon’s trendy rap and hip-hop style.

Anticipation is also rising for G-Dragon’s unique fashion style for his comeback style. In addition, G-Dragon’s new album will feature many artists like Jaurim‘s Kim Yoonah, Nell‘s Kim Jungwan, rapper Dok2, Tablo, and a member of YG’s new girl group.

G-Dragon will release his new mini album on the 15th and his album will be officially on sale on the 18th

Source: OSEN via Nate

J-Min to perform “Stand Up” from ‘To the Beautiful You’ OST on ‘Inkigayo’

SM Entertainment‘s female soloist J-Min will be holding a performance on this week’s ‘Inkigayo‘!

Having lent her voice for “Stand Up“, the main title theme song for SM and SBS‘s drama ‘To the Beautiful You‘, J-Min will now take to the stage to perform the track live.

The song has already garnered much attention from the viewers of the drama with its strong guitar and drum sounds, and it should be a treat to see J-Min perform it live, especially since Trax‘ Jungmo is planning on playing the guitar for the performance.

J-Min made her debut in Japan first back in 2007 and has performed during SMTOWN concerts as well as having participated in OSTs for dramas like ‘Moo Shin‘, ‘The King 2 Hearts‘, and more. She is also currently working as a musical actress in ‘Jack the Ripper‘.

Take a listen to “Stand Up” here if you missed it, and stay tuned for her upcoming performance!

Source + Photo: Sports Seoul via Nate

IU to return to her MC position on ‘Inkigayo’

After three months, ‘Nation’s little sister’ IU will be returning to her MC position on SBS ‘Inkigayo‘, replacing KARA‘s Hara and Nicole, who recently announced their leave with upcoming promotional activities for their newest mini album, ‘Pandora‘.

Park Seung Min PD of ‘Inkigayo’ told Newsen on August 22nd, “Starting this week (26th), IU and Lee Jong Suk will be co-emceeing the show. We will continue with only two emcees for now.”

He added, “Lee Jong Suk is showing improvement since two months ago when he first started as an emcee. He is no longer uncomfortable with the idea of being an emcee and I think he will work well with IU.”

As mentioned earlier this year, IU had temporarily left the MC position on the show to concentrate on her first solo concert in Korea. Having concluded her concert series, the singer has decided to make her return.

Source: Newsen via Nate

Hara and Nicole to leave their ‘Inkigayo’ MC posts for KARA’s comeback

On the 19th broadcast of SBS‘s ‘Inkigayo‘, Hara and Nicole announced their leave from the MC positions on the show to focus on their upcoming comeback.

The girls expressed their thoughts on the matter, stating, “Thank you for letting us build special memories each week“.

Hara stated, “We weren’t perfect, but I genuinely thank everyone for their interest and support. Next week we will come back as Kara. Please stay tuned for our title song ‘Pandora’.”

KARA will release their comeback album ‘Pandora’ along with holding a showcase on the 22nd. The girls will then take to the music program stages to hold their comeback performances and return as members of KARA rather than MCs on the 26th’s broadcast of ‘Inkigayo’.

Source + Image: MoneyToday, EToday

Psy reflects on his guerilla performance in Gangnam

Singer Psy reflected on his street performance at Gangnam Station intersection held on August 14th at 7 PM (KST).

After the event, the singer left a post on his me2day on August 14th that read, “The ‘Psy-rilla’ performance in Gangnam has safely ended. I apologize if I had caused discomfort as it had also rained, and I would also like to thank those who came to show support. Thank you to the police and fire department at the Gangnam Station.”

The photo above shows the streets of Gangnam packed with fans and passersby who came to see Psy perform. The large amount of people had even caused a traffic jam, thus leading Psy to leave an apology and express his gratitude on me2day.

The special street guerilla performance will be aired on the August 19th broadcast of SBS‘s ‘Inkigayo‘.

Source: Newsen via Nate, Psy’s me2day

Psy announces special guerilla performance before leaving for the U.S.

Before Psy leaves for the States on August 15th, the singer will be holding a special street guerilla performance on the 14th at 7 PM (KST).

On August 14th, Psy updated his me2day and alerted his fans of the event by posting, “[Urgent Annoucement] Tonight at 7PM~! ‘Gangnam Style‘ at Gangnam Station intersection~!”

The street performance at Gangnam Station intersection will be a special stage in collaboration with SBS‘s ‘Inkigayo‘.

Psy has been receiving lots of love for his viral hit “Gangnam Style”. The music video was featured in famous U.S. media outlets such as CNN, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, and others. The singer has also received a love call from international pop sensatoin Justin Beiber‘s agency and is scheduled to leave for Los Angeles on August 15th to meet with representatives.

Source & Image: Star Today via Nate

B2ST holds a surprise fan meeting with 2,200 B2UTY’s

B2ST concluded their first week of promotions with a surprise fan meeting with 2,200 fans.

On the 27th, B2ST held a guerilla performance at Gwanghwamun Square for 4,000 fans and was widely complimented for their live performance skills and full stage after the recording of the show was aired.

Also, after their comeback stage at SBS‘s Inkigayo was aired on the 29th, the ‘MR Removed Live video’ also became a big topic. Even with restless choreography, their live was strong and firm, proving their skills once again.

On the day of the comeback stage, the fans waited since the early morning and B2ST, upon seeing this, forgot about their preparations for the stage and were worried about the fans in the heat.

After the show at a park near the SBS Hall, the members had a pleasant time meeting with 2,200 of their fans who cheered for their comeback even in the hot weather.

They also showed their gratitude with a aegyo speech to their fans who rooted for them with unwavering support even after a year and 2 month break.

Meanwhile, B2ST has attracted attention after it was revealed that they have a history of holding a fan meeting after their official Inkigayo performance since their first one after the debut in 2009.

Even though they had many fans before their debut, B2ST‘s first mini fan meeting started off with meager attendance of 300. However, with their special love for their fans, the number increased to over 1500 by the time of their “Fiction” comeback. Even in this fan meeting, the picture of B2ST with 2200 B2UTY’s (B2ST‘s fan club) confirmed the reciprocal love between them even in the scorching weather.

B2ST is planning on embroidering the summer night with their song, “It’s a Beautiful Night” and show the essence of B2ST‘s stage.

BoA to hold her “Only One” comeback performance with SHINee’s Taemin on ‘Inkigayo’

BoA will be holding her comeback stage on SBS‘s ‘Inkigayo‘ on the 29th with her title song, “Only One“, with the help of a special guest!

In addition to “Only One”, BoA will be performing “The Shadow“, which will be particularly special as this song serves to represent the singer’s thanks to the fans who have always been watching over her and giving her love.

Although TVXQ member Yunho participated in BoA’s comeback show ‘BoA 4354′, it has been revealed that SHINee‘s Taemin will be filling the role this time as BoA’s dancing partner for her ‘Inkigayo’ performance. Fans are already expressing much interest in the upcoming stage for the two are known for their superior dance skills, and are sure to put on a fantastic performance.

Due to the broadcast of the ’2012 London Olympics’, ‘Inkigayo’ will be broadcast at a different time than usual, at 3:10 PM KST.

Source: TV Report via Naver

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Manipulation of music chart rankings stirs up controversy

A recent report about professional brokers manipulating music chart rankings is stirring up much controversy.

The issue surrounding the method of ‘album hoarding’, used by middlemen to fabricate music charts rankings, was investigated on the most recent episode of SBS‘ ‘One Night of TV Entertainment‘.

One broker revealed, “This has been done many times. There is no risk, and the business is located in China.” He continued, “It can raise an album’s position on music charts. If that is the goal then the cost will begin at around 100,000,000 KRW (~$87,000 USD), which is why only big companies do this. Even reaching the  first place spot is possible. If you want to snatch the #1 spot as soon as the song/album is released, you’re looking to invest an amount that exceeds $87,000. However, it must be done subtly or you will get caught.”

The middlemen create fake IDs to buy the albums in bulk, which in turn raises the albums’ ranks on music charts. In the case of new artists, they slowly increase their rank from 50th, 30th, 20th, and eventually to 1st over a long-term period as it’s a process that is carefully thought out.

Another specialist revealed that he helped an anonymous girl group get to the #1 spot on SBS‘ ‘Inkigayo‘ by using this method. He expressed, “It costs around 150 million Won ($130,000 USD) to get a group to retain a position around 7th through 15th place for a month,” while also revealing that since entertainment agencies can collect funding to pay the brokers through the album sales, they use this approach.

Notably, another professional middleman revealed that even real-time search keyword fabrication was possible. The broker stated, “Raising the position of a real-time keyword is expensive. It’s around [$4,300 USD] per hour. For peak time periods, it is around [$7,000 USD] per hour.”

However, in response to the situation, one music site representative spoke up saying, “This is impossible. The website has a name authorization system, a purchase limit for each ID, and even an expenditure limit. Buyers are also constrained from buying the same album with the same ID. I’m curious as to how this can be possible.”

Source + Image: MyDaily via Naver

C-CLOWN snaps a picture with Psy at ‘Inkigayo’s waiting room

C-CLOWN member Rome recently updated his Twitter with a picture of the rookie group posing with Psy. As they are both promoting new singles at this time, C-CLOWN with their debut song “SOLO” and Psy with “Gangnam Style”, it seems that they have gotten to know each other backstage.

Along with the picture, Rome has posted a message expressing his excitement upon meeting the veteran Gangnam Style Oppa, saying, “While at the ‘Inkigayo’ waiting room, [we] snapped [a picture] with Psy sunbae-nim!!  It is an honor ^^. We will work hard from now on. Watch over us please!! ‘Gangnam Style’~ hwaiting!! ‘SOLO’~ hwaiting!! ^^”

In the picture, the artists are seen wearing their stage attire and waiting to perform. Psy is featured in the middle, as the C-CLOWN members surround him and lean in to pose for the camera.

It’s nice to see the C-CLOWN members humbly respect their senior singer, and to see Psy supporting his new hoobaes on the very day of their ‘Inkigayo’ debut!

Source: Rome’s Twitter

[Thanks to everyone who sent in the tip!]

T-ara’s Hyomin responds to her fall on ‘Inkigayo’

As reported earlier, T-ara member Hyomin had a minor accident on the July 22nd broadcast of SBS‘s ’Inkigayo‘, when she fell down during their performance of ‘Day by Day‘.

After the show, Hyomin responded to her slip via Twitter and wrote, “Sigh. So many things happened today. I fell on the stage like an idiot. That was a very close call considering our concert starts the day after tomorrow. To the worried people who have been asking my if I am okay, my wrists, my ankles, and my knees are all fine. Please don’t worry!“.

Followers who saw Hyomin’s words responded, “It must have hurt and been embarrassing“, “Just consider yourself lucky since you have a concert coming ahead!“, and “It’s touching that she gave a response to her falling on stage“.

 

Source: Hyomin’s Twitter

T-ara’s Hyomin slips and falls on ‘Inkigayo’

T-ara member Hyomin had a small accident on the July 22nd broadcast of SBS‘s ’Inkigayo‘ when she fell down during their ‘Day by Day‘ performance.

Luckily, the fall was after Hyomin had finished singing her part of the song; she fell very suddenly, surprising fellow member Eunjung. Hyomin looked surprised herself as she pulled herself back up and continued the rest of the performance.

T-ara came back recently with their new song ‘Day by Day‘, which features an insightful flute melody in the beginning of the song, as well as a memorable rap segment by Hwayoung.

We hope the girls continue their promotions safely, without any accidents!

Source + Image: TV Daily via Nate

GLAM to collaborate with a hologram of vocaloid SeeU on ‘Inkigayo’

Rookie girl group GLAM has revealed that they will be holding a collaboration stage with Korea’s first ever hologram character on ‘Inkigayo‘!

On July 22nd, the girls will be joined on stage by a hologram of the Korean vocaloid character ‘SeeU‘. Vocaloid is a popular vocal synthesizer application with exceptional popularity in Japan, and GLAM’s connection to SeeU dates back to Dahee providing her voice for the vocaloid’s creation.

Dahee and SeeU will finally be able to stand on the same stage together as creator and model through the use of holographic technology.

Netizens commented, “SeeU and Dahee will finally be on one stage! Daebak, looking forward to it!” and “A stage that combines fantasy and reality!”

Check back for the exciting performance!

Source + Photos: TV Report via Naver

Wooyoung prepares pastries for his fans at ‘Inkigayo’

2PM‘s Jang Wooyoung, who is currently active as a solo artist, shared a proof-shot photo of the presents he will be handing out to a number of lucky fans.

On the morning of July 15th, the singer tweeted the photo above along with a post that read, “Rainy Sunday morning. These are the presents for the fans who came early in the morning to cheer me on. This is daebak. This is Jang bbang. Enjoy ♥.” (‘Bbang’ means ‘bread’ in Korean.)

Wooyoung is seen in the photo standing beside a table pilled with packaged bread, ready to be handed out to a number of his fans who attended the pre-recording at SBS‘s ‘Inkigayo‘.

Fans were touched by his fan service as they left comments such as, “I want to receive one, too!“, “Lucky fans“, “Ah, I should’ve gone today!“, “Excellent fan service“, and more.

Stay tuned to allthatkpops for Wooyoung’s performance of “Sexy Lady” later this evening on ‘Inkigayo’!

Source: Wooyoung’s Twitter

Wooyoung prepares pastries for his fans on ‘Inkigayo’

2PM‘s Jang Wooyoung, who is currently active as a solo artist, shared a proof-shot photo of the presents he will be handing out to a number of lucky fans.

On the morning of July 15th, the singer tweeted the photo above along with a post that read, “Rainy Sunday morning. These are the presents for the fans who came early in the morning to cheer me on. This is daebak. This is Jang bbang. Enjoy ♥.” (‘Bbang’ means ‘bread’ in Korean.)

Wooyoung is seen in the photo standing beside a table pilled with packaged bread, ready to be handed out to a number of his fans who attended the pre-recording at SBS‘s ‘Inkigayo‘.

Fans were touched by his fan service as they left comments such as, “I want to receive one, too!“, “Lucky fans“, “Ah, I should’ve gone today!“, “Excellent fan service“, and more.

Stay tuned to allthatkpops for Wooyoung’s performance of “Sexy Lady” later this evening on ‘Inkigayo’!

Source: Wooyoung’s Twitter

Music industry responds to format change of SBS ‘Inkigayo’

SBS‘s music program ‘Inkigayo‘ recently announced that it would be doing away with weekly ‘Mutizen‘ winners, as well as getting rid of the ‘Take 7‘ segment that announced the top artists for every week.

Explaining the changes,  the ‘Inkigayo’ producers said, “We believe that rather than the ranking system, the most important thing is the genre K-Pop being recognized worldwide. Therefore, we have decided to abolish the system after much discussion. There’s really no meaning behind a ranking system. We have decided to undergo this change in hopes that viewers can just enjoy the music.”

Most music industry professionals supported the change, reasoning that more artists will now have a chance at the spotlight and introduce more diverse content. “It’s a fact that artists from large-scale companies have practically taken over the top rankings.”

Another industry worker echoed his thoughts. “Since fandoms play no small role in determining the rankings, new artists from smaller companies have had a tough time at even getting to be on stage.”

However, some producers remained cautious about the change. “This kind of talk has been going on since the early 2000′s. But every time, the ranking format has remained. This means that there is no system that is nearly as exciting and effective [as the weekly rankings].”

Other producers worried about the artists. “For artists such as male idols who depend on album sales, this could be a problem. Honestly, it is the truth that male idols have been strengthened due to their fandoms, who purchase albums to create an advantage for their idols.”

“If rankings disappear, these kinds of supportive actions will probably vanish,” he concluded.

What are your thoughts on the issue? Would you rather see the ranking and winner system go, or do you want things to remain the way they are?

Source: Sports Seoul via Nate

SBS’s ‘Inkigayo’ revamps its program by removing Take 7 and the Mutizen Song award

SBS‘s ‘Inkigayo‘ has decided to abolish its rank and award system.

Beginning on July 15th, ‘Inkigayo’ will be removing its Take 7, where the seven of the most popular artists from that week are featured, and the Mutizen Song award.

A producer of the show explained to Newsen through a phone call stating, “We believe that rather than the ranking system, the most important thing is the genre K-Pop being recognized worldwide. Therefore, we have decided to abolish the system after much discussion. There’s really no meaning behind a ranking system. We have decided to undergo this change in hopes that viewers can just enjoy the music.”

“There are a lot of K-Pop stars in the music industry that have talent. We wanted to break free from the repetitive system, in which artists release new songs and perform, so we plan on redesiging our system by having the concept of more special stages . For viewers to enjoy the music, we will have more collaboration stages and much more.”

With ‘Inkigayo’ following MBC‘s ‘Music Core‘ of becoming an awardless program, KBS‘s ‘Music Bank‘ remains as the only music program from the three major broadcasting stations with the awarding system.

Source & Image: Star News via Nate

YG Entertainment issues an apology for the use of animals on 2NE1′s comeback stage

2NE1 recently made a fierce comeback with “I Love You” on SBS‘s ‘Inkigayo‘, however, the group has received some controversy for utilizing live animals on their comeback stage.

On the July 8th broadcast of ‘Inkigayo’, 2NE1 surprised viewers by stepping onto their comeback stage with a live parrot on CL‘s shoulder and swans in the background. Although the performance impressed some viewers, their use of animals on stage also sparked an outrage amongst animal lovers.

Even chief editor Kim Hyun Sung of fashion and culture magazine OhBoy! shared his thoughts regarding their comeback stage via Twitter stating, “I see that 2NE1 utilized swans and a parrot as props. They’re a very talented group who makes great music, but I hope they don’t do this again for their next stage.” He explained that the heat of the stage lights as well as an unfamiliar environment can cause animals to become distressed.

YG Entertainment has issued an apology regarding the controversary stating, “The stage was held after receiving consultation from animal experts and trainers who participated in putting together 2NE1′s stage performance. We worked to create a good performance, but if our efforts brought discomfort to viewers, we sincerely apologize. We will be sure to be more cautious in the future.”

Source & Image: StarIn via Nate

2NE1′s Minzy & Yang Hyun Suk make a compromise regarding sexy dances

2NE1′s Minzy revealed that she made a compromise with her agency’s CEO Yang Hyun Suk after he asked her to cut down on the sexy dances.

In an interview held on July 6th at the YG Entertainment building, the interviewer asked, “We heard that Yang Hyun Suk gave you a special command to refrain from doing sexy dances?“  To this Minzy replied, “That is why he has give me space to express my freedom in my solo parts.”

She went on to say, “Overall, the choreography is very sexy but we made a compromise when I went over the choreography with our CEO.”

CL stated, “I don’t think that our CEO likes us to be overtly sexy.  It still needs to have the 2NE1 flavor so the dance needs to be changed accordingly.”

Previously, Yang Hyun Suk said in a different interview, “In the new choreography for 2NE1, there is a sexy dance where they use the lower half of their bodies.  All the members are doing well with the sexy dance so I am satisfied, but when our underage member Minzy does it I just feel a little uncomfortable.”

2NE1 released a new track on July 5th the mixes electronic and trot titled, ‘I Love You‘ and has been atop many music charts.  They will make their their comeback on July 8th through SBS’s ‘Inkigayo.’

On the 28th and 29th, 2NE1 will open a world tour titled ‘NEW EVOLUTION‘ in Seoul and move on to hold concerts in 10 cities in 7 countries.

Source: TV Report via Naver

SBS’s ‘Inkigayo’ to be released in 3D

Television broadcasting network SBS has announced that it will begin distributing some of its more popular programs, including their music show ‘Inkigayo’, in 3D format for the Samsung Smart TV .

“Now, you can watch through SBS ‘Inkigayo’ the latest live stages of the most popular idol groups, instead of just a couple of music videos,” enthused a representative for Samsung Electronics.

Starting with performances in early June, a total of 20 episodes of 3D content are slated to be uploaded to Samsung Smart TV’s 3D Explorer application, where users can download and watch at their leisure.

Samsung expects their relationship with SBS to continue. “Through the Samsung Smart TV, viewers will be able to experience the music and performance of K-Pop stars,” Samsung said. They are also looking into broadcasting the upcoming 2012 Olympics in London in 3D format.

Other SBS programs currently being released in the revolutionary three-dimensional format include one of last year’s most successful dramas, ‘Deep-Rooted Tree‘.

Source: Star News via Nate