Super Junior-M and their "Perfection"

Even though it's been a couple of weeks since Super Junior-M released their "Perfection" album, I felt like making a post on them cause I absolutely LOVE their current promotion song >-<
First of all, the "M" in Suju-M (Super Junior-M) stands for Mandarin. And yes, Suju-M is not a group that sings Korean songs but Mandarin songs. However, most of it's members are part of the ever so popular Korean boy group, Super Junior. Only two of Suju-M's member are Chinese and one of them comes from.....Canada!!!

So, the picture above is their cover picture for their album, Perfection. I find this picture really awkward since each member wears a funky hat, which btw, totally do not match them. Except for Ryeowook who has one of those nutcracker soldier hats, and Zhoumi who has a top hat, everyone else has furry hats.
Okay, so the members are Siwon, Ryeowook, Donghae, Kyuhyun, Eunhyuk, Sungmin, Zhoumi and Henry. Although Suju-M's Korean accent can clearly be heard, they are still greatly loved by both Chinese and Korean fans. The leader of Suju-M was also part of Super Junior but due to some lawsuits and contract issues, he is currently in China doing his solo promotions and he has currently left Super Junior. This person is Hangeng, he is the only Chinese member of Super Junior and he was part of Suju-M. Since Hangeng left Suju-M, their company added two additional members from Super Junior into Suju-M for their 2011 promotions. These two members are Sungmin and Eunhyuk. In addtion, Zhoumi comes from China and Henry comes from Toronto, Canada. Henry has been known as one of the best violinists because his talent is playing the violin while dancing hip hop.

Left to right: Zhoumi, Henry, Donghae, Hangeng, Siwon, Kyuhyun, Ryeowook

Now, some background info on Suju-M. This group made their debut in 2008 with some controversies surrounding the members. Since Super Junior is a 13-member boy group, fans were enraged when they heard that two non-Super Junior members were going to be added into the sub group, Suju-M. As a result, some of the fans created a petition to kick the two new members out of Suju-M. Fortunately, the situation calmed down and nothing happened. This group made a successful come back with "Super Girl" back in 2009 and they swept the nation with their addictive "motorcycle" dance move. With their song Super Girl, they tried to portray a gentleman concept while Perfection displays their fierce side when it comes to chasing girls. I must give them credit for being able to come back so strongly after losing their member Hangeng. To the original Super Junior members, they have been performing with him since their debut in 2005 and to have one member leave so suddenly must have been hard on them.

Suju-M in the Perfection MV

When I first listened to Perfection, I totally got hooked on listening to it. The auto tune combined with the beats made an upbeat and addicting, rhythm. As soon as SM Entertainment released the full MV for Perfection, I swear, I watched the MV like 15 times before I stopped. The choreography is so unique and complicated and the rap totally blows you away. The rap is sung by Eunhyuk and Henry completely in English and since Henry comes from Canada, there's no hint of an Asian accent in his rap. My favourite part of the whole song occurs during the rap and after it. The chorus is also one of my favourites since the melody just sticks in your head and the dance.... I must say, the choreographer is truly a genius for coming up with the dance. Perfection talks about how these guys view this woman. Basically, the woman is perfect in every way and the boys are all flustered over her. The lyrics are nothing special but the dance is just.... AMAZING <3!!!
The choreography is detailed and the boys manage to perform it perfectly and in sync every time. The dance does not tell the story of the song but it makes the song all the more interesting. I must admit, if there was not choreography to the song, I would not have like it as much as I currently do. Even though the auto tune kinda of hides their true voices, it doesn't really matter to me since the dance balances it out. My favourite song besides Perfection off of their album is "Off My Mind" since Henry composed it by himself.
According to their company, SM Entertainment, Suju-M will be in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong for around two months to promote their song. So far, their comeback has been really successful as they were invited to the annual Hong Kong Pop-Music Festival in late March. Since their promotions started, they have been on music shows, radio stations, and they have performed for special events.

Check out the awsome music video below:

Credits to:
sment's Youtube channel for Super Junior M's Perfection MV
kpop7.com (first suju-m picture)
 asianpopcorn.com (picture of suju-m with hangeng)
fuckyeahkoreanguys.tumblr.com (Perfection MV picture)

U-kiss with 2 new members and "0330"

Picture from their Bran New Kiss album

The boys of U-kiss are back again but this time, they have switched up a few things. First, two members have left the group and they added two new additions to the group. Second, U-kiss have finally chosen a leader of their team. And last, they are back with a new mini album and a new concept. Their new mini album is titled, "Bran New Kiss" and the song that they are promoting is called, "0330".

U-kiss w/ 2 former members

Now, for a little background of U-kiss. This 7-member boy group made their debut back in 2008 with "Not Young" and they have been known for singles like, "Round and Round", "Manmanhani", "What" and "Shut Up!". The members of U-kiss consists of Soohyun, Kiseop, Eli, AJ, Hoon, Kevin, and Dongho. U-kiss used to be a 6 member boy group but in 2009, they welcomed Kiseop into their U-kiss family. Starting from late February, the two former members of U-kiss are Alexander and Kibum. The two new additions are AJ and Hoon. Some of the members, like Eli, Alexander and Kevin come from foreign countries so they speak fluent English. Eli and Keven came from the US while ex-member Alexander came from Macao.

The song, "0330" comes off of their "Bran New Kiss" mini album which was released on March 30, 2011. On the next day, the boys made a comeback on Mnet's Countdown stage.
"0330" is a sad, R&B/hip hop song. This song goes from a guy's point of view and it talks about how he misses his ex-girlfriend. This guy misses her to the extremes where he can't sleep and his heart's aching. He also expresses how he wants to hold her in his arms again and how regretful he is in letting her go. Poor guy~ >-<

What I love about this song is how the piano and the beats make a soothing melody. Also, there's no hint of auto tune in the whole song, which shows off the singers' vocals. At the very end, the members end the song in harmony, which makes it a perfect ending for a breakup song. I would love to see this song go together with lyrics to a confession song. I think the tune will fit well with lyrics to a confession and it would sound sweet. If you can understand the lyrics that the boys are singing, it's actually really heartbreaking since the guy is almost begging the girl to come back to him.

Left to right; top: Eli, AJ, Hoon, Kevin; bottom: Dongho, Soohyun, Kiseop

Unlike some R&B songs, "0330" has some choreography going along with the song. Even though the dance is not flashy and complicated, it matches well with the song since it's slow and compliments the melody. In addition, the boys are not out of breath while dancing because it's suppose to go well with the song, not destroy the rhythm.
If I had to rate this song, I would give it a 10/10 since i absolutely LOVE this song!
Check out the MV below:

Credits to:
kpop7.com (bran new kiss picture)
daequest.com (u-kiss's second picture)
asianpopcorn.com (third u-kiss picture)
ukiss2008's Youtube channel for the MV

4Minute sings out "Heart to Heart"

It has almost been a year since 4Minute released their last song, "Huh". Now, these ladies are back with a new full album titled, "4Minutes Left". At first, these ladies were supposed to come out with a mini album titled, "Heart to Heart" but one of their songs from the full album was leaked online and their company said that a full album will be released. 4Minute's company, Cube Entertainment told fans that their new album will be dropping in stores on April 5. Even though the album has not been released yet, Cube Entertainment kept the fans anticipating by showing the full MV of their song, "Heart to Heart". According to 4Minute's company, "Heart to Heart"'s promotions will start on April 8 with Music Bank being their first comeback stage.

From Left to Right: Hyuna, Gayoon, Jiyoon, Jihyun, Sohyun

Now for the introduction of the group: 4Minute consists of five Korean girls aged 17 to 21 with each of them having previous experiences with performing. The leader and vocalist, Jihyun had acted in the drama, "It's Okay, Daddy's Girl" and she also auditioned for JYP Entertainment once. The main vocalist, Gayoon had sang OST's for dramas and she was featured in MV's. Jiyoon is the lead vocalist and rapper of the group; she was also featured in other singer's MVs. The lead rapper and lead dancer of 4Minute, Hyuna has been known for being a previous member of the Wonder Girls, an international girl group. Hyuna also had her own solo debut with, "Change" last year during April. "Change" featured label mate Junhyung of BEAST as the rapper for the song. The final member of 4Minute is named Sohyun and she is the youngest being born in 1994. Sohyun is the rapper and vocalist of the group. Before she was part of 4Minute, she was a child actress in dramas.

At first, I did not really like this group when they debuted because their vocals were not impressive and they relied a lot on auto tune. Another reason would be that 4Minute debuted right after 2NE1 and although their music styles were different, there were still some similarities with each other. So far, all of 4Minute's promotion singles were all auto tune and catchy choruses. Yes, I acknowledge that 4Minute has pretty members and most guys that I know call them "hot" but when they first debuted, they did not have anything that distinguished them from the other girl groups that debuted. For example, SNSD has all-round members that can host, act, dance and sing. 2NE1 is a powerful group that has great stage presence and Kara has been known for their vocals and songs. However, after I heard, "Heart to Heart", my opinion of 4Minute changed.

Their latest song, "Heart to Heart", shows off the girls' smooth vocals and they do not use auto tune in this song. In the past, the music was used to create a fast and catchy beat so the song could stay in people's minds. For this song, the music compliments the singers' vocals and they did not rely on synths to create a catchy chorus.
What I find funny about the MV is how they make the girl look so mean when she finds out her boyfriend is ignoring her. The MV features CN Blue's Jungshin as the boyfriend and it starts out with the boyfriend ignoring Hyuna. The scene then switches to a club with 4Minute dancing and the members see Hyuna's boyfriend hitting on another girl. The members then get the idea of sneaking into the boyfriend's house and ruining his food, replacing his toothpaste, shaving cream and sofas. The girls keep pulling embarrassing pranks on the poor boyfriend which makes him miserable. The MV ends with the boyfriend getting arrested because the girls framed him with a picture of the guy robbing a building.

Even though in real life, situations like these rarely appear, I find it humorous how the MV shows the girls going to extreme measures to bully the cheating boyfriend. Over all, I am impressed with 4Minute's vocals and I can't wait to listen to the rest of their full album.

Check out the MV below:

Credits to:
kpoplive.com (first 4Minute picture)
latestvideolyrics.blogspot.com (Heart to Heart picture)
4minuteofficial's Youtube channel for the MV

C.N Blue makes an "Intuition" comeback

Photo from First Step album

Unlike other K-pop groups that I have written on, CN Blue is an indie rock band. Instead of dancing to the music, they play instruments like the guitar and drums. CN Blue, a.k.a Code Name Blue is part of FNC Music Company which also houses other rock bands like FT Island. CN Blue debuted back in January 2010 but they had been performing on streets in Japan in 2009. They are known as the second FT Island since they come from the same company and their music styles are kind of simular. On March 21, CN Blue dropped their "First Step" album and it sold quite well. This year, they were slated to make a comeback sometime in February but it was pushed back until March. The song that they will be promoting is titled, "Intuition" and it is quite different from their past couple of songs. Around a week after it's release, it reached number 1 on some music charts.

For those of you who are thinking, "Who are these people?" CN Blue consists of four talented members. They are Yonghwa (leader, main vocalist, rapper), Jonghyun (lead guitarist, vocalist), Jungshin (bassist, rapper), and Minhyuk (drummer, backing vocalist). The eldest member, Yonghwa is 21 while the youngest member, Jungshin is 19. If any of you have watched the Korean drama, "You're Beautiful", you may have noticed that the actor who plays Shinwoo is actually CN Blue's Yonghwa. Yonghwa acted alongside labelmate Hongki of FT Island who played Jeremy. Other than Yonghwa, members Jonghyun and Minhyuk stared in a movie titled, "Acoustic". Leader Yonghwa  is also staring in a reality show along side SNSD's Seohyun called, "We Got Married" which is basically a show that pairs up Korean celebrities in a virtual marriage. Even though his role in We Got Married is going to end soon, I enjoyed watching him interact with his virtual wife and it was quite interesting.

Left to Right: Jungshin, Jonghyun, Yonghwa, Minhyuk

Last year, CN Blue debuted with a song called, "I'm a Loner" and it reached number 2 on music charts within weeks. Then, after some rest, the group released a single titled, "Love" in May and it was as successful as their first song.

For their single, "Intuition" it talks about how a guy feels that his girlfriend is going to leave him. At the beginning of the song, there is a short DJ break before the bass and drums come in. This song features a unique and addicting chorus that stays in people's heads. The guitars create an interesting rhythm with Yonghwa's powerful vocals. The verses talk about how the guy does not want his girlfriend to leave and how everything she does is signaling a breakup.

The first few times that I started listening to this song, it did not really make me go, "Wow" but as I kept listening to it, the chorus got stuck in my head and the more I listened to it, the better it sounded. If I had to rate this song, I would give it a 7/10 since I did not really like it at the beginning and this song did not blow me off of my feet. Even though this may not be one that I would label as a favourite, I still listen to it and I think it's OK. I've listened to other songs off of their First Step album and I really liked some of the other songs.

Credits to:
gokpop.com (first CN Blue picture)
cnbluestorm.com (second CN Blue picture)
soeulmateskoreanaddicts.wordpress.com (third CN Blue picture)

Infinite says "Nothing's Over" for their comeback

In March, rookie group Infinite released their single, "Nothing's Over". This song is a follow up to their Evolution mini album. Back in mid January, these boys released their second mini album titled: Evolution and they promoted a song called "Before the Dawn". It has almost been two weeks since they wrapped up their BTD (Before the Dawn) performances and on March 17th, they dropped a new single. Compared to BTD, this song is more relaxed and happy and the colours of their concept are light. One thing that amazes me is how the group manages to dance perfectly and together without any mistakes.

From left to right; top: L, SungKyu, SungYeol; bottom: Hoya, WooHyun, Dongwoo, SungJong

Okay, so now an intro to Infinite. This 7-member k-pop group debuted last year in June with their first mini album and they promoted a song named "Come Back to Me". Infinite works under Woorim Entertainment, the same company as hip hop group Epik High. The 7 members of infinite are: SungKyu (Leader and main vocalist), WooHyun (main vocalist), L (vocalist and group's pretty boy), Dongwoo (main rapper and lead dancer), Hoya (lead rapper and main dancer), SungYeol (vocalist), and SungJong (vocalist and youngest).

The song that they are currently promoting is Nothing's Over and it is one of my favourite songs from this group. Unlike some of their other songs, this song does not use auto tune and they rely purely on their own vocals. Nothing's Over gives off a calm, relaxed and happy feeling while producing a catchy chorus. For Nothing's Over, Infinite's concept shows off a more natural side compared to BTD where they dressed in dark clothing and heavy makeup. While listening to this song, it makes people feel like spring has finally come and it makes people want to go outside and play.What I like about this single is how the producers spread out the parts evenly and each singer gets an equal part in the song. For their previous songs like, "Come Back to Me", the leader SungKyu mostly sang all the parts while others just danced.

Left to Right: Sungyeol, Dongwoo, Woohyun, Sungjong, Hoya, L, Sungkyu

The story behind this song talks about how one of the members, SungYeol, gets dumped by his girlfriend. In the MV, the scene starts off with SungYeol DJing in a club and then a ring gets thrown at him. The music then comes in and each member sings out how this one guy feels. This one member describes how he cannot say goodbye to her yet since he still loves her and how she is still embedded into his mind. He then goes on remembering the first time they met and how nervous he was. At the end, he still cannot believe that she broke up with him. The MV ends with Sungyeol driving away in an old van with Sungjong inside. The dance for this song is quite cute; it's simple but it highlights the song very well.
Once again, I am always amazed at how Infinite manages to sing and dance perfectly and in sync during their live performances.
Check out their awesome live performance below:

Credits to:
ksodanews.com (Infinite's group picture)
bulanlanmoon.blogspot.com (Infinite's second picture)
4everkpopgirL5's Youtube channel for Infinite's live performance

Song Ji Eun is "Going Crazy" with her debut

Known for being the main vocalist of Korean group Secret, Song Ji Eun debuted with her single "Going Crazy" in March. Song Ji Eun is the first member of Secret to debut with a solo album and so far, it has been really successful. Within weeks of Going Crazy's release, it has topped some of the music portal sites.

Secret during their "Madonna" promotions

Jieun is part of a k-pop group named Secret; they are a 4-member girl group that works under TS Entertainment and they debuted back in September of 2009. Secret has been known for songs like: Madonna, Magic and Shy boy. The members consist of Hyosung (Leader and vocalist), Zinger (vocalist ad main rapper), Jieun (a.k.a Song Ji Eun and main vocalist), and Sunhwa (Youngest and vocalist). The ages of these members range from 20-21 years old and they have been previously part of different group projects. For songs like Madonna and Magic, Secret displayed a mature and feminine concept. When Secret made a comeback with Shy boy back in January, their style focused on a cute, retro concept.

Jieun's song, Going Crazy, has been known to be the Korean version of Rihanna's "Love the Way You Lie". The reason for this is not due to the similarity of chords and notes, but the use of the piano to create a gentle, soothing tune. The genre of this song is R&B and hip hop. In addition, both Rihanna and Jieun's songs talk about how difficult their relationships are and they both feature a rapper that talks about their point of view. Along with the piano, this song features a rapper that goes by the name of Bang Young Guk. Young Guk is a trainee that also works in the same company as Secret. Previously, Young Guk was an underground rapper that performs in clubs and on streets.

Live performance of Going Crazy

The storyline of this song talks about how this woman feels insecure because she knows that a man is stalking her and she is trying to get out of his reach. She tells the man that she feels scared and that this isn't love. At the beginning of the song, Jieun sings, "It's not love, this isn't love, it's just your obsession." While she sings, the only accompaniment is the piano and the mood starts out being mellow. The rap in this songs comes from the guy's point of view and he describes how she cannot get away from him. He knows what love is and how he is obsessed with her. As soon as the rapper joins in, more instruments and beats are played to create a violent and upbeat theme. For the chorus, Jieun asks the guy why he is like this and she expresses how the sight of seeing him is suffocating her so she requests him to disappear. The rest of the song goes in the form of an argument that travels back and forth between the two people.

One interesting fact about the rapper, Young Guk is that he wrote all the rap parts for this song. Since the rapper is suppose to become the creepy boyfriend, he spent around one month putting himself in the shoes of a stalker. In a recent interview, the rapper told how he watched videos and read books on stalkers in order to perfect his role for this song.
As for Jieun, she had to change from a cute retro style concept to a dark, mature concept for her debut within one week. Previously, for her "Shy Boy" promotions, she wore her brown curly hair in a ponytail and now, she has dyed her hair dark blue and straightened it.

Secret during their "Shy Boy" promotions

To me, I prefer Going Crazy rather than Love the Way You Lie since I like the mellow tune and the high note held at the end. It would be more entertaining if some dance moves were added instead of just standing there and singing throughout the whole song. Since Jieun goes on music stations to promote her song for almost four times a week, each performance needs to be different and sometimes, she plays the piano at the very beginning. Also, I'm surprised at how well she sings since it's her first time going solo. She hits all the right notes and there's no mistake each time. Her concept of having blue hair was.... surprising at first but I got used to seeing it as she performed live. Currently, she is going against Big Bang's Tonight on music stations for first place. Even though Big Bang has a huge fan base and they are also my favourite group, I hope Jieun gets to win a trophy during her promotion period.

Credits to:
mihyunkpopaddiction.blogspot.com (Secret's picture)
linearseat.org (Jieun's picture)
musicnewsonline.org (Picture of the live performance)
soompi.com (Secret's Shy Boy picture)

Big Bang impresses with "Tonight" after 2 years

From left to right: Seungri, TOP, Daesung, G-Dragon, and Taeyang

The wait is finally over as Big Bang is finally making a comeback after their 2 years and 37 day hiatus. Even though 2011 has just begun, news of this 5-member group performing together as one has been the most anticipated event of the whole year. Over the past 2 years, Big Bang had been focusing on their breakthrough into the Japanese music market and side projects of each member but now, they are back as one performing on the Korean stage.

GD&TOP

For those of you who aren't familiar with Big Bang, they are a 5-member South Korean hip hop/pop group that debuted back in 2006 with YG Entertainment. The members consist of TOP (oldest and main rapper), G-Dragon (leader and rapper), Taeyang (lead vocalist and main dancer), Daesung (vocalist), and Seungri (youngest, vocalist and dancer). In their previous years, Big Bang had famous hits like "Lies", "Day by Day", and "Sunset Glow". Starting from around 2008, some of the members started with solo albums that were really successful. In 2010, Taeyang released his Solar album with hits like "I'll Be There" and "I Need A Girl". Leader G-Dragon released his Heartbreaker album in 2009 and earlier this year, he teamed up with member TOP to release their "High High" album. In addition, youngest member Seungri impressed his fans with "VVIP" near the end of January 2011. Not only do they sing but a few of the members have started their careers as actors in movies and dramas. Rapper TOP stared in the hit drama "IRIS" and the Korean war movie "71: Into the Fire" while Seungri and Daesung stared in dramas with minor roles. The members of Big Bang each excel in different areas like dancing, composing, acting, beat-boxing, rapping and singing.

From left to right: TOP, Daesung, Seungri, Taeyang, G-Dragon

This time Big Bang is coming back with a new mini album titled "Tonight" with six new songs. The song that they will mainly be promoting is called "Tonight". The music video of this song was filmed in Las Vegas near the end of January and the filming took a couple of days before they flew back to Korea. Although Big Bang is a hip hop group, they managed to combine techno with hip hop in their songs. Unlike the current trend in Korea, which is coming up with an addicting tune or beat right from the beginning, "Tonight" does not have the addicting tune at the start. Instead, the opening builds up right before a verse of rap comes in and then the chorus is introduced. The chorus is melodious with small amounts of techno. Throughout the whole song, clapping and cheering can be heard in the background. Near the end of the song, there is a short, quiet guitar solo to prepare the audience for the ending climax. In the live performances of the song, a guitar is smashed and broken after the guitar solo and the song ends with a kiss. In "Tonight", the dance moves are really interesting as it includes mike stands as part of the choreography. Even though the choreography is not really difficult, it is enough to keep the balance of the song and the dance.

Picture of Big Bang's live performance of Tonight

Big Bang aren't the only ones working hard. Their fan club, "V.I.P's" have been supporting them full on by buying their albums and photo books. Within a few days of Big Bang's album release, they reached #3 on the Billboard World Music Chart and #1 on all of the Korean music portal sites. It's truly amazing how a fan base can get their favourite artists on such high positions in music charts.
Below is the music video for Big Bang's Tonight:

Credits to:
BIGBANG's channel on youtube for the video
men-photo.blogbus.com (first picture)
dkpopnews.net (picture of GD&TOP)
effpoo4our.blogspot.com (picture of Taeyang)
aazncamgurl.glogster.com (second Big Bang picture)
asianuniverse.net (picture of live performance of Big Bang)