K-Wave Stateside: K-Pop Stories in American News (Week of November 4 -November 10)

Girls Generation Beats Miley Cyrus at the YouTube Music Awards

Take that Miley, Girls Generation beats you at the YouTube Music Awards for "video of the year." CNN wrote an article about the ladies and how they won for their music video, "I Got a Boy." American people were speechless once they found out that a K-Pop group won over Miley. Congrats Girls' Generation!

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In Touch Explains Who Girls' Generation Are

Girls' Generation are getting numerous attention duo to their win at the YouTube Music Awards for their song, "I Got A Boy" being video of the year. In Touch Weekly explained about five things that the American people should know about them. This is definitely giving the ladies more fame as well as attention here in the United States.

Why Girls' Generation Won at the YouTube Music Awards

So the Wall Street Journal had an article on the reason why Girls' Generation won at the YouTube Music Awards for video of the year by beating Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, and a few others. The reason is because of candy colored scenery and had a electric mashup. Also, it was their devoted fans as well. Looks like South Korean music will keep on dominating in the US if the music does not improve. Great job though ladies and congrats once again!

Amber and Her Boyish Appearance

LAWeekly had an article regarding about f(x) Amber Liu regarding about her boyish appearance compared to Sulli, Luna, Krystal, and Victoria. Amber truly stands out from the other three in her group regarding about how she dresses. Amber does not plan on dressing up feminine and would rather dress the way she does currently.

K-Pop is Still Making its Mark

Morning Journal had an article regarding about how after one year due to Psy's promotion in the United States, K-Pop is still making its mark in the US. The United States had Girls' Generation and Psy last year and it has impacted everyone globally. Everyone is into the K-wave and it looks like it is not going away anytime soon.

K.Will Earns Number One Spot on the Korean Billboard Top 100

Billboard wrote an article regarding about singer K.Will earning the third spot on the Korean Billboard Top 100 with his single “You Don’t Know Love.” K.Will became the fifth act to earn three or more number one spots since the billboard chart was introduced in summer of 2011. The article goes on to further explain how 31 year old female soloists IU and Lee Hi both have three and trails behind the Indie-pop boy band Busker Busker as well as girl group SISTAR with four number one spots. Congratulations K.Will!!

Why it is No Surprise to see Girls' Generation's Win at the YouTube Music Awards

So as you all probably know, this week Girls' Generation was all over the news media both domestically in South Korea as well as hit other countries especially the United States for their win at the YouTube Music Awards for their video "I Got A Boy" winning on the category of "Video of the Year." Based on the reviews as well as the judging criteria, the award that determined the win was based on views as well as fans. Girls' Generation's video was watched all over the world and reached over a whopping number of views.

Though let's be serious here, Girls' Generation win here has placed Korean Pop in the international spotlight just like when Psy made his debut for his song "Gangnam Style" last year in the United States; though the ambience seems like it is a mix of "it's time to proudly admit that the Korean Pop culture has truly a place in the media mainstream" as well as "how did K-Pop get so huge!!!"

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The Ladies' Fan Base is Huge

Girls' Generation fan-based is huge and it is truly not a surprise why the ladies won even though it was here in America. Twitter had numerous tweets regarding about them such as "I voted for Girls' Generation's I Got A Boy to win Video of the Year at the YouTube Music Awards" which flooded the timeline.

Voting Process

Since the voting process is based off of fans voting online as well as can vote numerous times with no restrictions through different kinds of devices; people can keep pressing the replay button on YouTube which increases the view watch. If the song is catchy, great beat, has beautiful artists, and etc., you can expect to reach a high view rate which K-Pop is one that is great on doing this. Round of applause Korea on attracting and getting lots of devoted fans globally!

So Who Voted

So keeping track on Twitter, numerous people from different parts of the world voted on that night; you can really tell that the ladies did a great job promoting their songs globally. Though what was amusing on the tweets was that there were some people such as Mickey Mouse, Zimbabwe that tweeted. Really? Mickey Mouse and people of Zimbabwe knowing Girls' Generation is really interesting; the ladies and with help through media has really done a great job in-terms of promotion. Also, probably the President of the United States threw in a vote for the girls.

I was being sarcastic, Mickey Mouse and Zimbabwe will not know about Girls' Generation; though maybe they can because of media. Despite this, the ladies really do have a huge fan-base and they should really thank their fans for giving them this award! Though it is one to think about on exactly how many videos were actually shared in-terms of viewers on the receiving as well as disseminating the clips? How many unique eyes to the screen views were there amongst the numbers? You might think that the views are huge, though maybe it is a few by the views being done by one person or small minority audience which are truly devoted SNSD fans. Interesting if you think about it since the girls have only been to New York and Los Angeles and no where else in America.

Reactions in America

So when the ladies won, the American people were truly upset and people reacted by being surprised that the girls beat Miley Cyes, Bieber, and Justin Timberlake. Angry people voiced their comments on social media regarding about the group beating these known American music artists and were really fueled by passive aggressive responses.

Though this is common right, there are haters out there and people will post their opinions just to blow off some steam. The people that will be pissed are the ones that have not seen K-Pop or not fans. What the people who got upset should have done is check out the music video and see why it won.

What the people should do is show appreciation for all kinds of music as it brings everyone together; not rant and be pissed off or surprised.

This Girls are No Fluke

The ladies of SNSD are no fluke, they are the real thing and will do everything to win trophies and make themselves known. So with this being said, I am saying congratulations ladies! With all your promotions and all, they have prove themselves by telling everyone that they are great as far as any girl group in South Korea. I mean, sure there are other artists that may have edged them out, though the girls has built a solid base in-terms of their group image as well as longevity when it comes to SM's marketing prowess and strength in their various performance fields.

Here is the video of "I Got A Boy" which won "Video of the Year" with 76,181,514 views!!!

Congratulations once again Girls' Generation!!

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EXO Loses Best Worldwide Act In EMAs To Chinese Pop Singer, Chris Lee

EXO may have lost Best Worldwide Artist, but still sent their best representatives.

In a win that is stunning to K-Pop fans and will most certainly rock SM Entertainment, EXO suffered the loss of the MTV European Music Award (EMA) Best Worldwide Act to a Chinese pop singer. In the category for Best Worldwide Act, teen heart throbs Cody Simpson, Justin Bieber, and One Direction were seen as the biggest opponents to EXO. The interesting aspect about the fact that they were defeated by a Chinese female solo singer, is that her inclusion in the voting process essentially split the Asian contingency vote.

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Whereas Girls Generation had PSY as competition in the Asian market for the YouTube Music Awards, EXO had to face off against a Chinese national in their category. The win by Girls Generation, last week, and Chris Lee in the European Music Awards speaks to the way in which the Western music industry model is currently failing. Although, artists such as Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and One Direction command large ticket prices for their performances, their fan bases are not nearly as fervent as what is witnessed within K-Pop and Asian music as a whole.

EXO lost to Chris Lee, a Chinese pop singer, whose claim to fame was winning the music competition program Super Girl in 2005. Subsequent to her win, she became a pop sensation within China and is also known for her acting skills, as well as her haircut which references rock idol David Bowie. In her final vote for the singing competition Super Girl, Chris Lee received over 3.5 million votes which were established from a strong fan base. Chris Lee has released four albums and has acted in a film, as compared to the two albums released by EXO.

As K-Pop attempts to dominate the world market, there will be wins and losses. It is apparent that SM Entertainment has all but abandoned an American market to target Asia, Europe, and South America. The interesting thing is what happens when SM Entertainment's acts from Korea are forced to face up against their counterparts or challengers from larger countries like China. With the sheer number of Chinese citizens, the voting contingency in China may turn against Korean artists and towards their own artists.

EXO was represented at the EMA 2013 Awards by their members Kris and Suho. They made a great appearance for the group and were fine representatives for SM Entertainment. As K-Pop continues across a global market, what do you think the industry can do to achieve more success outside of Asia?

Music Bank Highlight: Trouble Maker Wins # 1 on the November 8, 2013 Episode + Performance Recap

Music Bank is back this week with fantastic stage performances as well as your favorite stars all in one night! Last night's episode had numerous comebacks which were Miss A by singing "Hush", BTS with "The Rise of Bangtan", Fiestar with "I Don't Know", Yoo Seung Eun made an "Healing" return, Trouble Maker with "Now", Untouchable with "Vain", A - JAX saw a "Snake", and MR.MR made their return by saying "Do You Feel Me."

Nominees for first place last night were Trouble Maker and JYJ's Jaejoong. Though in the end, it was Trouble Maker who won for their song "Now." Congrats!!

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NC.A and Davichi makes their comeback on Music Bank next week!!

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With all these being said, here is the performance recap from last night.

Performance Recaps

Block B had a "Very Good" performance by coming out explosive as well as full of charisma on-stage last night. The crowd screamed as well as fan chanted and truly loved their performance. 

Trouble Maker came out explosive as always due to HyunA being the sexy one and Hyun Seung the serious and aggressive person. These two are always great on-stage and it shows by the crowd screaming when they perform. The duo sang "Now" and the audience loved their performance. 

Miss A are saying "Hush" while they entertain you. The ladies came out beautiful as they made their comeback last night on Music Bank. This is a different side to them and one that fans did not thought they will see. Though it shows that the ladies came perform sexy when they need to.

BTS came out to play baseball as they performed "The Rise of Bangtan." The guys came out with energy as well as charisma which the crowd loved. 

Jung Joon Young had "A Sense of Ending" last night has he brought his great voice on-stage. Jung Joon has great charisma as he shows his emotion by telling the audience that he wants a few seconds with his fans.

Tae 1 sang a really "Sad Song" as he set the ambience last night by having rain imagery in the background. Also, with his orchestra females playing the violin with him, this truly set the mood more depressing. Hopefully no one cried last night due to Tae 1's performance.

N - Sonic are saying "Run & Run" as they brought energy last night. M.Pire said "I'm Better" last night as they came out explosive by having energy as well as charisma last night. A - JAX are saying watch out as there is a "Snake" which is a beautiful one that will poison you as she makes her move through enticement. The guys set the stage last night by having a jungle ambience as well as wore the proper wardrobe.

Yoo Seung Eun had a "Healing" comeback as she brought her great vocals on-stage last night. Great comeback as the audience were entertained by her performance. Great job Yoo Seung Eun! The nine ladies of Nine Muses came out beautiful for their performance for "Gun." 

Topp Dogg told the audience to "Say It" as they brought energy as well as charisma on-stage last night. These guys are young like Teen Top which is why they are great to watch. BESTie came out with a sky blue dress for their wardrobe last night for "Love Options." Ladies, try not to make your options regarding about love to difficult; there is someone out there for you. 

Fiestar says "I Don't Know" as they came out with their cute song for the night. The stage setting was nice and colorful which the crowd loved.

K.Will is saying "You Don't Know Love" as he brought his great voice on-stage last night which the ladies loved. MR.MR made their comeback last night by asking "Do You Feel Me" which the crowd responded by screaming in the end. Looks like the females do feel you guys. Welcome back MR.MR!

Lim Chang Jung said "Open The Door" as he brought entertainment last night with him and his colorful backup dancers for their wardrobe chosen. Crowd truly loved his performance and were entertained. Fun was brought by Lim last night! Also, does the song remind you of Psy with the black shades on? This is truly a catching tune.

Untouchable made their comeback last night by singing "Vain." The guys brought they great rapping skills which the audience watched entertainingly. Great performance overall guys!

Videos

Block B

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Trouble Maker

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Miss A

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BTS

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Jung Joon Young

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Tae 1

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N – Sonic

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M.Pire

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A – JAX

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Yoo Seung Eun

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Nine Muses

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Topp Dogg

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BESTie

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Fiestar

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K. Will

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MR.MR

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Lim Chang Jung

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Untouchable

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Other performances for the night were Boys Republic and Baek Seung Hoon which they performed great by keeping the crowd entertained.

Great job to all the performers last night!!

Suzy and Kim Soo Hyun Chosen As The Best CF Stars Of 2013

Everyone loves Suzy that's why she was voted as one of the most popular female idols and this time another achievement has been added to her list as before the 'Second Korean CF Model Contest' been held November 8, one of the modeling agency in Korea known as Nstar Company and Korean CF Model Agency Association disseminate surveys among 500 culture and entertainment reporters.
It turns out that Suzy won the hearts of the reporters that give her the number 1 rank for both the comprehensive and female category having a percentage of (31.37%) while Kim Soo Hyun ranked number one with a [percentage of (30.77%).

Other female idols considered in female category are Jun Ji Hyun ranked second place (25.53%), Kim Yuna garnered the third place (17.65%), Kim Tae Hee in fourth (15.69%), and lastly, Kim Hye Soo in fifth (5.88%).

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While in the male category, the idols that get their spots are Psy ranked in second (23.08%), Lee Seung Gi in third (17.31%), So Ji Sub in fourth (13.46%), and Hyun Bin in fifth (9.62%).

According to the Korean CF Model Agency Association, Hwang Hye Jung , "I sincerely congratulate Suzy for being the CF Queen and taking overall first place after standing out from the other prominent candidates . . . She has the beauty and the brains; she probably was able to be number one because she has a charm that is not lacking in any way. Kim Soo Hyun, who garnered the most votes in the male portion, is making a meteoric rise these days as an all-around entertainer . . . I think he came out on top in the male section because of his confident and likable devilish charms."

Great job for Suzy and Kim Soo Hyun!

Despite Losing To Eminem At YouTube Music Awards, Psy's 'Gentleman' Is The Most Watched Video Of 2013

If there is anyone left out there who still considers South Korean sensation Psy a one-hit wonder, you need to do your homework. Psy’s

If there is anyone left out there who still considers South Korean sensation Psy a one-hit wonder, you need to do your homework.

Psy's music video for "Gentleman," the follow-up to the King of K-pop's career-making smash "Gangnam Style," currently has over 575 million views on YouTube, making it the site's most popular video of 2013, according to Billboard.

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And despite losing out to rap superstar Eminem for Artist of the Year at Sunday's first annual YouTube Music Awards, it is Psy who has driven the most traffic to the website according to reporter Jessica Oak.

"Although 'Gentleman' wasn't able to snag an award at the YouTube Music Awards last weekend, the video is still the most-watched video on YouTube of 2013 with 577 million views and counting," Oak wrote.

"Currently, the video is ranked at number seven on YouTube's all-time most-viewed videos list. The video is expected hit 600 million views by end of this year, which could bring the video up to number five."

In a cover interview in last month's issue of L'Uomo Vogue, Psy, who is currently putting the finishing touches on a new album featuring collaborations with rock gods Brian May of Queen and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, admitted "Gentleman" allowed him to breathe a sign of relief.

"After 'Gentleman' was out, I was really satisfied with what it had done, because it proved that I was not a one hit wonder, a lucky shot," Psy said.

"Nobody can ever label me that now. 'Gentleman' has [over] 500 million views right now, the song also hit number one in 81 countries, and I am really relieved by that. Now I can really do what I have to do, comfortably. I don't have to make another dancing phenomenon, I am just going back to where I came from and it's really comfortable right now."

"Gentleman" has broken YouTube records in five categories, including the most views in a video clip's first 24 hours, the most views in any 24-hour period and the video to reach 200 million, 300 million and 400 million views the fastest.

"Gangnam Style" remains the most watched video clip in Internet history, with over 1.8 billion views.

After a seven-month hiatus from performing, Psy will return to the stage on Dec. 22 for a three-day stint at Seoul's Olympic Gymnastics Arena that he is calling Moonlight Gymnastics.

"For all of us who tried their best this year, let's do something that fits our 'class' for just one day," Psy wrote last week in a post to his more than 3 million Twitter followers explaining his concept for the December concerts.

"Let's do some Moonlight Gymnastics on the moonlit night of Christmas at the Gymnastics Arena that's known to be the best place to do gymnastics."

'Tis the Season for Concerts - Choose Your Pick

K-pop stars get busy preparing their concerts every December. From big-name superstars to underground indie bands, a countless number of concerts await the fans. A concert adviser commented that some 40% of all concerts held in a year is scheduled for December.

A CJ E&M music business adviser commented, "December has a lot of memorable holidays, including Christmas and New Year's Eve. Not only do stars want to be remembered on those holidays but many of them relish wrapping up the year doing what they love - performing music. The second most amount of concerts is held in May, which celebrates the family and is ripe for event-type concerts."

There is no shortage of concerts prepared this year around. These tickets will sell out soon, so if you're planning on visiting Korea or are in Korea, make sure you get these tickets as soon as they are available.

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The veteran musicians have announced their concert plans much to the delight of their fans. The two biggest names in this category are PSY and Jo Yong Pil.

PSY is heralded as a "world star", but he announced on his twitter that the "world star" lifestyle is not to his liking. He tweeted, "I used to perform over 15 songs on average on any stage, but I've lasted this whole year with just 2 songs! I need to let loose with you guys, so let's go crazy for one night!" Before his explosion onto the international music scene, PSY was referred to as the "master of concerts". Although he forwent his annual New Year's Eve concert last year because of Gangnam Style's fame, he has repeatedly expressed his desire to perform back in his "home field".

Jo Yong Pil, commonly referred to as the "Godfather" of Korean music, released his 19th album "Hello" this year and had unmatched success. He will be having his encore concert to wrap up his 2013 music activity and hopefully return sooner than later with a new album.

Other veteran singers such as Lee Seung Hwan and Park Jin Young will also hold December concerts. Lee Seung Hwan is looking forward to his 25th anniversary of his music career in 2014 and has announced that he will have a retro-concert that will showcase most of his hit songs that spanned nearly three decades. Park Jin Young will hold his trademarked and wildly popular "NC-19" concert in December.

Lee Juk and Brown Eyed Soul are other veteran singers preparing for concerts in December. Rose Motel, who garnered some popularity after their appearance on Infinite Challenge, are also planning for a concert of their own.

Some stars are deciding to take the stage together to provide their fans with a very different experience. Korea's premier band Yoon Do Hyun Band (also known as YB) is performing with starlet diva Park Jung Hyun. This event was put together by an event company who were excited about the prospect of putting a pure R&B singer like Park Jung Hyun with the pop rock sound of YB. One event manager explained, "Their synergy is amazing, and no one is going to regret coming to this one."

Gummy and Wheesung, who are good friends and ex-lovers, will be repeating their 2005 Duet Concert this December.

SM's hottest stars are coming together for an SM concert that will be spread over 9 days. SHINee will perform on the 21st, and Girls' Generation will take the next day, the 22nd. f(x) and EXO will perform together for the the 24th and the 25th, followed by TVXQ who will perform on the 26th and the 27th. Super Junior will wrap it up with back to back concerts for the 28th and the 29th. SM will sell the tickets in two formats - "ALL TICKET", which grants access to all the concerts, and the "Choice Ticket", which grants access to four of the eight concerts.