SS501 reflects on their 6th anniversary with thoughtful tweets

Idol group SS501 will be celebrating their sixth anniversary on June 8th! To commemorate the milestone, the members left thoughtful messages for their fans via Twitter.

Young Saeng wrote, “Today is SS501’s sixth anniversary! Time flies so fast. I remember crying six years ago because I had finally achieved my dream of becoming a singer. I kept saying, ‘This is great’, even while crying. Since we’ve achieved our dreams, let’s strengthen up! SS501! Let no one forget the meaning of our name!”

Meanwhile, Kyu Jong mused, “Time really does fly fast. It feels like just yesterday that we were all so excited and nervous over our debut on June 8th, 2005. It feels like we were crying only yesterday, and now we’re already here. 5-idols, thank you so much! Really, thank you. And to all of the pretties, thank you! SS501 hooray!”

Hyung Jun also tweeted, “June 8th, 2005, and today. I hope that we’re met with good things and continue to love and support each other. SS501, fighting. I love and thank everyone.”

Beaming, fans replied back, “We will always support you”, “Congratulations on your sixth anniversary”, and “We love you!”

Source + Photos: Star News via Naver

cr: allkpop

f(x) to comeback with Hot Summer!

f(x) has announced that they’ll be returning for their follow-up promotions!

On June 8th, representatives of SM Entertainment revealed, “On the 14th, f(x) will be releasing their repackaged album and will be promoting their new track, ‘Hot Summer.’”

The repackaged album will contain all 10 of their first album’s tracks, as well as “Hot Summer”, their OST song from “Paradise Ranch“, and digital singles, “La Cha Ta” and “Chu“, for a total of four new additions.

Representatives continued, “Their follow-up track, ‘Hot Summer’, features the unique color that f(x) is known for. Please look forward to a completely new stage.”

cr: allkpop

Shindong reveals that he's not an only child!

During a recent recording of SBS’s “Strong Heart“, Super Junior’s Shindong revealed that he’s got a younger sibling. The news surprised many fans, as many assumed that Shindong was the only child.

Shindong said, “To be honest, I have a very cute younger sister,” and started to tear up. He then explained, “But this isn’t a sad story.”

His younger sister is 14 years old in Korea, and is a first year student in middle school.

She’ll be visiting the studio of “Strong Heart” to see her brother, so curious fans should definitely check it out this upcoming episode to see the two siblings together!

cr: allkpop

The real reason behind Junhyung's overnight getaways is??

The reason behind Yong Jun Hyung’s frequent absence from the B2ST residence revealed.

B2ST is currently flying sky high, running on top on the various music charts and appearing on shows in Korea with their songs “Rainy Days” and “Fiction” from their 1st official album “Fiction and Fact“. On top of that, Yong Jun Hyung has caught attention by writing, composing, and arranging the song “Freeze” on their brand new album.

B2ST member Yang Yoseob commented, “This album carries a special meaning in many different ways–Jun Hyung especially, for he contributed in writing the songs. He alone simply refused to come back home from the studio.” Yoseob continued saying, “I would wonder sometimes, ‘why is he never sleeping at home?’ but when I gave it some thought, it was him working all night at the studio”.

Yong Jun Hyung replied to this stating, “Since the studio was underground, I would lose all track of time while working on the music. I would focus on working, and then I would realize that it’s already dawn. Sometimes it would be to the point where I didn’t think I could drive home when I was finished, so I would call a driver to take me home“. He added, “I always had interest in writing songs. I studied consistently, and this time, I put it all to work. I would listen to my finished work on that night and think that it’s decent, but I would listen to them again the next day, and I wouldn’t like them at all. I wrote a lot of songs only to later throw them out”.

Yong Jun Hyung continued on, “While I was doing that repeatedly, one day Shinsadong Tiger / Shin Sa Dong Ho Raeng E hyung advised me, ‘hold on to one song and keep editing it’. So after meticulous editing, I finished my first song and took it to my boss, and he said, ‘why would you bring this thing’? I was in a huge shock, and thought that maybe I didn’t have the talent for song-writing. Then Shinsadong Tiger hyung reminded me by saying that ‘I also rarely get approval in one try, too, and that if you didn’t get it at once, why not try again’. So I got back to work, and that’s how ‘Freeze’ was written”.

Yong Jun Hyung stated, “The person I thank the most is Shinsadong Tiger hyung. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have even thought of a self-written song. He always tells me, ‘get whatever you can out of me’ and teaches me about song writing all the time. I’m also thankful for my fellow members. After they listened to my song, they said that we must put it into our official album and heavily pushed for the song. That’s how the song was listed on the album, and this album is very special to me! (Laughter)”

Yong Jun Hyung says that this is just the beginning and he wants to ‘create more songs’.

Source: Sports Chosun
Photo: Cube Entertainment

cr: allkpop

Who's the best idol actor/idol actresses?

Big Bang’s TOP was rated to have the best current acting career as well as the one with the highest potential in his future as an actor amongst idols in the acting scene.

Three major broadcasting company directors (MBC, SBS, and KBS) along with 7 professionals were surveyed to rate the 11 idols that have been featured in dramas or movies in the past2 years. Idols were rated for their ‘acting career up to date’ and ‘potential for growth’; TOP was rated the highest of everyone, averaging 7.6 and 8.0 out of 10, respectively. Professionals praised that “[TOP's] sharp and bold image is appealing” (Ahn Hyuk Mo) and also advised that “it is time for [TOP] to broaden his acting career” (Huh Woong). TOP starred in the movie “‘71: Into the Fire”, winning the Best Male Rookie Actor award at the prestigious 47th Baeksang Arts Awards.

Following TOP, JYJ’s Park Yoochun placed 2nd scoring 7.0 and 7.7, and 2PM’s Ok Taecyeon placed 3rd scoring 6.6 and 7.6. Park Yoochun debuted in the acting scene through “Sungkyunkwan Scandal”  and followed through in MBC’s all-new-series “Miss Ripley“, whereas Ok Taecyeon debuted through “Cinderella’s Sister” and followed that up by starring as a lead role in “Dream High”.

Reviewers commented about Park Yoochun saying that “he needs to keep his dry smoothness” (Yoon Suk Jin) and that “he shows a potential in melodrama” (Lee Daeyoung). Concerning Ok Taecyeon, reviewers stated that he is “serious [about acting] and has that star quality, but because of his busy schedule he lacks the time to put that much effort into acting” (Lee Moon Won).

Amongst female idols, T-Ara’s Ham Eunjung who was also featured in “Dream High” received the highest score. Eunjung received a 6.3 in ‘acting career up to date’, placing 4th, but she placed 5th in ‘potential for growth’ with a score of 6.4. She was criticized, “her strong point is her everyday, next door type appearance, but she needs to gain experience” (Ahn Hyuk Mo).

T-Ara’s Jiyeon placed 7th in ‘acting career up to date’ but tied at 6th with CNBLUE’s Jung Yonghwain ‘potential for growth’. Kara’s Goo Hara who is currently acting in SBS’s “City Hunter” scored the lowest in both categories. Professionals coldly criticized that “she needs to escape the shade of being an idol” (Yoon Suk Jin) and that “she is better fit as a singer” (Ahn Hyuk Mo).

After School’s UEE placed 10th in ‘acting career up to date’ and tied with Goo Hara for 10th in ‘potential for growth’. She received criticisms that “she fits the current trend, but ultimately will fall behind” (Ko Young Tak) and that “she needs serious consideration in what else she could show other than her healthy appeal” (Huh Woong).

Kim Hyun Joong of SS501, who received big spotlights as one of the top upcoming Hallyu Stars through his roles in “Boys Before Flowers” and “Playful Kiss” tied for 5th in ‘acting career up to date’ with Super Junior’s Choi Siwon, but fell to 9th place in ‘potential for growth’. Kim Hyun Joong received harsh criticisms from the reviewers that “he needs more stable acting to receive lead roles” (Ko Young Tak) and “the fact he sells despite his downside was his strength, but even that is becoming blurry now” (Lee Moon Won).

Choi Siwon, who placed 5th in ‘acting career up to date’ and higher as 4th in ‘potential for growth’, received criticism that although his acting is somewhat stable, he is trapped in his roles within his handsome appearance.

There are mainly three routes in which idols enter their acting career.

First, the historical drama route: Fin.K.L’s Sung Yuri in “Thousand Years Love”, JYJ’s Park Yoochun in “Sungkyunkwan Scandal”, and Afterschool’s UEE as young Misil in “Queen Seon Duk”. Historical dramas carry a specific tone for lines, and the recent rise of fusion-historical dramas make it easy for rookie actors and actresses to pull lines off. Historical dramas, rather than trendy dramas, also give the impression that the idol actors/actresses are taking acting more seriously.

Second, the musician role route: Jung Yonghwa of CNBLUE and Lee Hong Ki of FT Island in “You’re Beautiful” along with Miss A Suzy in “Dream High” are typical cases. Idols can showcase their talent and act naturally. In MBC’s “Fall In Love” which will air its first episode on the 29th of June, Jung Yonghwa will play the lead role as a college student who is majoring guitar in music school.

Lastly, debuting outside of Korea using their international popularity. Kara’s Goo Hara debuted as an actress in “UraKara” in Japan and then recently kicked off her acting career in Korea in SBS’s “City Hunter”. Super Junior’s Donghae will debut in acting with a lead role in Taiwan through “Glamorous Challenge”, set to start sometime this year. MBC’s “Playful Kiss” in which Kim Hyun Joong was featured in had very low ratings in Korea, but it went on out to Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and many other countries to gross a total of approximately 4 million dollars.

Source + Photo: DongA via Daum

cr:allkpop

Kim Hyun Joong talks about the pressures of going solo

SS501’s Kim Hyun Joong recently talked about some of the pressures of being a solo artist.

Kim Hyun Joong held a press conference at the Jang Choong Gymnasium on June 7th about the release of his new solo mini-album “Break Down“.

Kim Hyun Joong stated at the press conference, ”I wanted to show my masculine side through this solo album“, and he continued, “I don’t think I’m ‘macho’ yet. I wanted to show as much as I could of my transition from a boy into becoming a grown man”.

He went on, “There were many performance songs with SS501 as well, but I feel that we lacked something in showmanship. Through this solo album, I believe I’ve become much stronger in the aspect of performance. I really wanted to show my maturity as a man”.

Kim Hyun Joong has worked in many areas including acting, but it has been a while since he has come to the public with an album. On top of that, he feels much pressure since it’s his first attempt at a solo album away from SS501.

Kim Hyun Joong revealed, “I had a lot of pressure before going on as a solo artist. I’m the fourth member of the group to come out as a solo artist, but I realized that it’s not easy with just the title of SS501 in my background. I realized I need to try even harder”.

He continued, “I worked harder to make better music to move away from the shadow of SS501″, he added to this by saying, “The jacket design, choreography, and even the puppy in the music video was set by me. The staff I worked with took and shaped my ideas very well”.

Kim Hyun Joong recently moved his contract to KeyEast, an entertainment agency lead by Bae Yong Joon.

“Yong Joon (hyung) showed me many music clips, and he also offered to take pictures for my album jacket as he has a talent in photography but it was canceled due to his trip to Busan”, Kim Hyun Joong stated.

He continued saying, “Yong Joon doesn’t seem to have a dream as a musician, but I think he studies a lot in music production as he is the head of the agency”, and “Yong Joon gave me a lot of detailed advice after watching dance videos”.

The new album kicks off with the intro song “Let Me Go” which captures listeners with a powerful pipe-organ sound and contains a total of 6 songs that all carry different, but powerful attractions.

The title song “Break Down” is a dynamic song with powerful electronic brass and synthesizers in the background, creating the feel of an urban south dance song. “Break Down” is focused on creating the right atmosphere for Kim Hyun Joong’s intense performance.

Kim Hyun Joong’s debut album “Break Down” was released officially in Korea just hours ago, on June 8th.

Source + Photo: StarNews via Nate

cr:allkpop