One SNSD Member Costs $3 Million (To Find and Train)

SM Entertainment’s CEO Kim Young Min explained the behind story of SNSD being created.
On November 4, Kim Young Min appeared alongside SM Entertainment Japan’s Shigeo Maruyama on the Japanese FBS TV Show “Tokoro, Sanma’s Who Is Moving the World Discussion.” Kim Young Min spoke about how K-Pop succeeded and the direction it needs to take now.

First, K-Pop chose “Comprehensive Training System” as one of the main reasons for the success of K-Pop. Kim Young Min stated, “If a group concept is chosen, then the members start training their foreign languages, dancing, and singing.” He explained that the average training period for trainees is 3~5 years, DBSK trained for nearly 7 years.
He also explained that finding and training each SNSD member cost around $3 Million dollars per member. There are about 30,000 individuals who take SM auditions and only about 100 end up receiving training. The costs of doing an audition and training reaches nearly $3~5 Million.
Kim Young Min stated, “The most important thing for our company is finding new talent and helping them grow,” the auditions are being held in Korea, Japan, the U.S., and China. He continued, “I think the most important aspect of training is training a celebrity’s personality.” He stated that a lot of times if an experienced individual suddenly becomes a star, their judgment becomes unclear. Therefore, it is always important to ensure that trainees learn about principle through dormitory life and also family.
Kim Young Min also added that marketing research, the internet, and new media were also other aspects of K-Pop that helped make it succeed.

T-ara Unveils First Part of "Cry Cry"

T-ara’s movie-like music video is finally out! The girls have just unveiled the first part of the “Cry Cry” music video.
The music video has been divided into two parts with the first part released today. The second part of the music video will be revealed over the weekend. The video was shot entirely in Busan and stars Cha Seung Won, Ji Chang Wook and Lee Jae Young alongside Eunjung, Hyomin, Jiyeon and Qri.
T-ara’s new album, “Black Eyes,“ will be released on November 18. They are also scheduled to make their comeback stage on the same date. The group will release the music video for “Lovey-Dovey” in December where T-ara will reveal a completely different concept from “Cry Cry.”

More Details on "DBSK! Asia Fan Party 2011 in Singapore"

"DBSK! Asia Fan Party in Singapore" will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on December 4, at 7:00 PM. The event is organized jointly by Korea-based company S2 Entertainment and SM Entertainment. This will be the first time that a K-Pop fan meeting will be held at Singapore Indoor Stadium which has a maximum seating capacity of 10,786!
This will be DBSK's first visit to Singapore and the second stop during their Asia Tour. At the fan party, fans can look forward to watching DBSK perform their hits and latest singles. DBSK will also take questions from fans.
Date: December 4, Sunday
Time: 7:00PM
Venue: Singapore Indoor Stadium
Duration: Approx 2 hours.
Ticket Prices: S$118, S$158, S$188
Ticketing Details
Early bird discount will commence from November 9 – 13.

• All channels (website, agents and hotline) will commence at 10:00AM
• 15% off SGD 188 tickets
• 10% off SGD 118 and SGD 158 tickets

Normal sales will start from November 14.
For the latest updates, please refer to S2 Entertainment's Facebook page.

Will T-ara’s New Strategy Work Against SNSD and Wonder Girls?

T-ara will join what is dubbed the “Great Battle of the Girl Groups” this month as their new album promotions will coincide with those of SNSD and Wonder Girls. To face up against two of the most popular girl groups in the industry, T-ara has come up with a new strategy that has never been tested in the past.
Their first move was to release part one of “Cry Cry’s” music video. On November 9, they unveiled the 15-minute epic video, starring prominent actors Cha Seung Won and Ji Chang Wook, as well as four of the T-ara members. It is reported to have taken more than 96 hours of filming for this 30 minute MV, which will be divided into two parts and includes some unprecedented large-scale footage rarely seen in music videos.
However, the interesting part is “Cry Cry” is not even T-ara’s new title track. It’s in fact “Lovey Dovey” which will be released a month from now. The “Cry Cry” MV is actually part of their larger strategy to raise awareness and gain additional publicity for their new album. Also, they were able to lessen the pressure of promoting at the same time as SNSD and Wonder Girls by shifting some of the attention to their blockbuster MV.
In fact, when they start promoting their title track, “Lovey Dovey,” in December, the hype for SNSD and Wonder Girls are expected to drop a bit. The two groups could be wrapping up their first round of promotions, and in that case, T-ara’s title track can avoid direct competition against the two giant groups. And even if SNSD and Wonder Girls come up with their follow up tracks later, “Lovey Dovey” will be able to be at the center of attention and save some time in the meantime.
The problem, however, is the year-end award shows. T-ara’s promotions for “Lovey Dovey” will coincide with most of the year-end music shows and could hurt their chances of winning any awards. They won’t have enough time to fully promote the new album, but T-ara employed a similar strategy last December with their mini album title track, “Ya Ya Ya,” and still managed to do quite well with the awards.

G-Dragon’s “Heartbreaker” Involved in Another Plagiarism Scandal

Just two years after being accused of plagiarism, G-Dragon’s 2009 hit single “Heartbreaker” has been involved in yet another plagiarism scandal. Only this time it’s on the other side of the story as Japanese pop diva Namie Amuro is accused of copying G-Dragon’s solo debut track.
According to Japanese media, fans in Japan are currently questioning whether Namie Amuro’s upcoming single, “Sit! Stay! Wait! Down!” has copied the beats of “Heartbreaker.” If you compare the two songs, there is a common synthesizer sound in the background, but it’s hard to tell if they follow the same exact beat and notes.
In the past, Namie Amuro’s “Black Diamond” was also accused of plagiarizing Janet Jackson’s “Feeback.” Ironically, “Heartbreaker” was also part of a plagiarism scandal in 2009 for allegedly copying U.S. rapper Flo Rida’s “Right Round” – only to be freed from charge after Flo Rida himself came out and said they’re not plagiarized. Flo Rida later performed the song with G-Dragon on the same stage, completely erasing any doubts that might have remained after the scandal.
Namie Amuro’s representatives have not responded to any of the allegations yet. On November 6, she had to be sent to the hospital after experiencing a sore throat during her nationwide concert.
Here are the two songs for you to compare. Is it a legitimate accusation?

[Preview] MBC "Golden Fishery - Radio Star" - Nov. 9 Episode

Preview Video (The video will play automatically after the advertisement)
Preview Video RecapThis time it's the musical stars. I heard you nearly ended up getting divorced. If you can it manage, don't get married. Do you swear as well? Heard you have physical fights. I nearly got hit. Do you own land in Kimpo? You are a hidden son of an influential person in government or... My nickname is, My nickname is a bit. The multi talented people that can dance, sing and is good on variety shows. The stars that love musicals. Radio Star tomorrow at 11:05PM.
DJ: Yoon Jong Shin, Kim Gura, Kim Kook Jin, Cho Kyuhyun
Guests: Park Hae Mi, Lim Tae Kyung, Jessica, Taeyeon, Tiffany

▶The musical stars that love the stage are out in full force.
The relentless and charismatic Park Hae Mi, the guy with the luxurious voice Lim Tae Kyung, The lovely girls who love the stage, Jessica, Taeyeon and Tiffany. A line up that ranges from the grandmother to the babies of the musical industry!

▶The guests’ wit even amazes the Radio Star MCs
Kim Gura’s chin is in danger, Park Hae Mi’s charisma explodes and she talks about her 2^nd marriage story with SNSD. Lim Tae Kyung, he is actually a rich guy with large tracts of land?

▶The spine tingling top quality karaoke session with the master singers!
They show off a parade of musical songs that are liked by musical stars. Starting with the fresh and charming SNSD’s bouncy performance and moving on to Lim Tae Kyung’s powerful performance. Park Hae Mi then joins in with SNSD and Lim Tae Kyung to produce a top quality performance with explosive singing skills.

Five Rumors and the Truth about Wonder Girls

Did the Wonder Girls really have to go to America?

There is no other way to express hardship. Whatever was thought as suffering could not match what the girls went through in America. In 2009 the Wonder Girls were a nationally treasured girl group in Korea. They were the best of the best, the very tip of the top. However, in less than two years, their high profile status was upset and flipped over. Their rivals have moved into their place and even their juniors have fought their way up to stardom.

People cocked their head to one side, and put a question mark to JYP's strategy of leaving the home turf. Why not just stay at the top in the K-pop world? Even fans were disappointed and didn't understand why the Wonder Girls had no other plans but to start activities in America.

To get to the point of the message here, the Wonder Girls' activities in America were not a waste of time. Instead of being safe at the top, they tackled (and still are tackling) a challenge. Although it was a tiring and relentless two years, the pain from their experiences in America eventually became medicine. The girls' musical foundation has definitely matured and developed and it shows in their new album "Wonder World."

On November 6 the Wonder Girls were interviewed by Dispatch News at Imperial Hotel. The girls were asked to comment and tell their sides of the story in response to five popular rumors.



Rumor # 1: The Wonder Girls Failed in America

From "Tell Me" to "So Hot" to "Nobody," with each song the girls took the nation by storm. Therefore their departure to America in 2009 was a bit of a surprise. Two years of activities away from home just seemed like too long a time, and the reaction to the mini-album last year was at best mediocre. There can't help but be a lot of talk of the Wonder Girls having failed in America.

Sun Ye: We understand why people question why we left Korea. One can say it is because the expectations people had of us were big, but our side of the story was different. Two years ago, we were completely exhausted. We needed time to slowly reenergize and progress in our development. Our time in New York was probably the most important period of my life. In a diverse environment with a lot of cultures and people present, we learned a great deal. If it wasn't for that, there would have been no producing or rap making in the new album. We are truly grateful for our time in America, and it was an important one for us as a group.

Ye Eun: If we went to America now, things would have been a bit easier. The most important thing I learned is that if you want to succeed in foreign activities, the key is learning the language. You have to be understood in order to communicate your intentions. We have no trouble understanding and answering questions now, therefore we have acquired both the language and culture. Our clearly defined goals and visions for America, give us the confidence we need to move on.

It was also a hot issue when famous American producer Teddy Riley (who produced SNSD's "The Boys") posted on his Twitter that the Wonder Girls were "flops in America" and that "no body cares about them." The girls have responded by stating that they "understand his statement" and showed mild indifference by stating "if you get hit on the right cheek, offer them your left."

Sun Ye: There are a lot of people that think our activities in America are a failure, but things just got heated because Teddy Riley is a famous icon. Every single person out there is not going to like us or be our fans. The fact that Teddy Riley even knows who we are is an honor. But the thing is we aren't even thinking about closing promotions and activities in America. It is too early to judge whether or not we have failed or succeeded. On the outside it may seem like we aren't attaining the desired level of achievement, however there are many things we have learned and gained. All we ask is for fans to hear us out until the end and to support us.



Rumor # 2: The Wonder Girls Delayed Their Comeback Because of SNSD

The girls have stated that they had the confidence, but the way their comeback was implemented has fans questioning that confidence. The Wonder Girls decided to delay their comeback by three weeks, although an obvious competition between both girl groups was anticipated. People are saying that the comeback got delayed due to fear of this competition against SNSD.

Sun Ye: There was a lot of debate on how to implement plans for our new album even after the decision was made to make a comeback in Korea. In the end, the album was produced, but there were a lot of different opinions on regularities and irregularities. The decision to even make a comeback was not planned in advance, so the time we had to prepare was a very short one. For our fans in Korea we decided to make a comeback, and it was just a matter of the amount of time it took to have good music made and ready.

Yoo Bin: We have been in the business for four to five years, and this is the first time our comeback coincided with SNSD, so we are fully aware that both groups are going to be compared and pitted against. But that doesn't mean we have to always be conscious of it and plan deliberately according to this competition. In popular media there is a diverse demand for what people want. What we can't produce and supply, SNSD is there to fill that empty spot, and vice versa. We are just happy and grateful that we can take part in such a energetic market called K-Pop.

The girls have also expressed that SNSD were great colleagues and friends that worked towards the same goal of spreading and influencing the K-Pop scene. The girls have monitored SNSD's work with their latest single, "The Boys," and are excited to be working alongside each other this time around.



Rumor # 3: Retro Doesn't Work Anymore

Ye Eun: There was a great deal of dispute over our title track. What people want within mainstream pop culture is very diverse. While some people wanted to see retro Wonder Girls, others wanted to see a different side to us. It was our challenge to come out with a fresh concept without losing the Wonder Girls touch. We found that middle ground with "Be My Baby" - the song falls somewhere in between trend and retro.

Yoo Bin: "Be My Baby" is not our usual retro music, but it is fresh with a retro touch to it. It's a very soulful and uptempo song, but at the same time it has a 60's style retroness to it. The outfits also follow the same concept. We made a change by adding leather, but polka dots kept a retro foundation. We got a lot of help from Beyonce's choreographer and Katy Perry's stylist.

Rumor # 4: Wonder Girls Can't Sing Live

After music, fans demand live performances. It is known that less vocally talented Sohee and Hye Lim are given little singing time, and main vocals Sun Ye and Ye Eun are known for their frequent off note incidents. People say that Wonder Girls are poor live performers.

Sohee: For this album we tried a lot of new things while dividing songs into parts. We decided to change things up and not follow the template we followed before. In "Be My Baby," I sing more than four lines during the introduction, and it is the same for Hye Lim. There was a lot of pressure, and we had a lot of difficulty with some parts of the song, but I developed a sense of responsibility and it was a chance for me to practice a lot more vocally. Fans can be sure to expect a lot of things from our activities.

Sun Ye: We tried hard to produce our own sound. We tried a new soulful and fresh singing method. When you listen you might think the new sound comes from higher notes or the increase in ad-libs, but it is actually from a more relaxed and comfortable style that we adapted.

Rumor # 5: Wonder Girls are Outdated

Although there are great expectations for the girls on one side, there are also those that are more cynical. There is talk that Wonder Girls are out of season. Because of spending time in America, many fans have slowly started to forget about the Wonder Girls.

Hye Lim and Yoo Bin: Waiting two years is a long time. So we wanted to make a comeback that filled in all of the empty spots that fans developed during the wait. We satisfied from the fact that people are happy and excited after hearing our music. We also plan to appease fans and become closer to them by trying our best and participating on music programs and variety shows.

Sohee and Sun Ye: There is a benefit to having been gone for such a long time. We can comeback with an outlook of a new comer. It feels exactly like the days when we got nervous from seeing the red light on the camera go on. We see it as an opportunity to grab people's hearts. Our goal is to give a positive influence under the name "Wonder Girls." Every day has a beginning and an end, and we still have a long ways to go.