Thursday, December 30, 2010
2.YG Entertainment donates large amounts of money for charity
Since last year, YG entertainment has been maintaining a charity called the ‘With’ campaign and last year, YG donated 162000000 won. This year they have followed on from that and donated 184000000won.
100won from each album that YG sells, 1% from YG goods and digital music sales, 1000 won from each concert ticket sold were put together to make up this total amount. YG said that this year from the activities of Gummy, Se7en, 2ne1, Taeyang, Goo hye sun, Yoo In Na, Jung Hye Young etc, they were able to raise 20 million won more than last year.
About 5 million won was used for the ‘Sharing coals of love’ event and Big Bang, 2ne1, Se7en, Gummy, Sean and the family from YG delivered coal to 500 or so homes in Seoul’s No won gu area on the 27th.
3.YG Entertainment to release detailed news for 2011 on their blog...
Loosely translated as, “Tomorrow morning at 9AM, YG Entertainment will release information for 2011 that fans have been curious about.” – Yang Hyun Suk (YG Entertainment CEO)
The message itself is also a bit vague, but fans should be excited as they’ll learn more about YG Entertainment’s 2011 plans.
4.G-Dragon Interview on 10 ASIA...
Big Bang member GD [Chae Ki-won, Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]
10: You seem to have some dark bags under your eyes. (laugh)GD: Yes, I performed all night yesterday as well. (laugh)
10: You have returned to living a busy life. I know that you enjoyed some free time after your solo activities.
GD: I partied hard for about a month or two after receiving permission from the CEO of YG Entertainment [Yang Hyun-suk] as soon as I finished my solo activities. (laugh)
10: Was it the first time having free time since making your debut? What kind of effect did that time have on you?GD: It was tiring and difficult when we [Big Bang] had a busy schedule but it all disappeared when we were done. (laugh) I think it was a similar feeling to that. Everthing from the past seems like nothing. That is why I had plenty of time to prepare myself for my future activities after figuring things out. That one year, after finishing my solo activities was the first time since making my debut that I got to prepare something. Whether it was to rest or think, I was able to work on something in a leisurely manner during the past year instead of rushing through everything. That is why my confidence for the next album and meeting people grew.
10: I can’t find the appropriate word but I guess I should say your attitude has changed?GD: Yes, my attitude has changed a lot. I became more placid and I feel that I try to understand things more. The CEO told me that I shouldn’t always think of myself and that I should try to put myself in the other person’s position as well. I began to understand most of everything much better after he said that. Before, whenever we had a busy schedule, I’d say ‘Why do we have so much on our schedule’ and get irritated about it but I know now that even the smallest things are important. One could say that I am like someone who just recovered from a serious illness. That is why I’m in such great condition and am looking forward to what I’ll get to do in the future.
10: It seems like you’ve achieved a sense of liberation. (laugh)GD: My mind has become a lot more at ease because I feel that this is what I am supposed to do rather than call it liberation. Others might say that I have achieved huge success but to me it became my stimulus and the process of how I developed. And now, instead of being burdened about how others see me, I want to present them with what I can give them.
10: So does that mean you had cared what the people thought about you?GD: In the past, I changed many things including the tone of my voice because I was conscious about my job when I was in front of others. Also, I had a different image in front of others versus my friends but now I feel they’re becoming similar. That’s why I’m more afaid of doing interviews now. I think that breaking that line between myself and as an entertainer and the real me is good but it can become a dangerous thing when doing interviews in Korea. (laugh) Other than that, I don’t feel that there is anything to worry about how others see me. It is who I am and I think that the people like me for it and I will continue with it in the future.
10: I think that is why the lyric “Even though I’m short, my girlfriend is tall” in the “Intro” track of the new album is quite memorable. It seems like you didn’t want to drag on about what happened in the past and just cleared everything up by saying “Ah, I’m just like that.”
GD: It cleared up many things. When I made my debut I was younger and I don’t think I thought about what kind of image I was portraying to others. And I began assessing who I was after I released my solo album. I experienced a lot of pain and it was even scary to wake up every morning. When I wake up something happened and another thing would happen. I think that’s why I was quite broken then.
10: How did you overcome that?GD: It takes time. As time went by I realized that I’m a pop singer so whatever my intention was, what the public perceives of it is my doing so it’s my fault if I give off the wrong intention. And I thought that it’s no use to talk about every little thing that has happened. I wanted to show it coolly through the next album or through words and I just remained quiet because the way I wanted to express my feelings, such as through writing or talking about it, wasn’t acceptable. That is why during that time I did my best in what I was doing and put in all my efforts to give a good impression. I now see more people who support me. I think that is how I should go about things from now on.
10: Have those inner changes had influence on your music? The track “Baby good night” from the new album is unlike the other style of songs from your previous work.
GD: Of course. It’s because when you break away from the mold the possibilities are endless. While, the artist will produce the same music over and over again if they decide on the style of music. You can say that is the problem of all idol stars and it will continue to become a problem if it’s not broken and worsen if they release album after album without resting.
10: That’s true. The artist will just coast along if they don’t have the time to think.
GD: Yes. I think that the right kind of music is not made once the artist feels that music is work. On the contrary, I will be able to enjoy making music if I am given a year or three months time. I feel that when one is working on music, performing or just having fun that it directly influences the music.
10: So it will be harder from now. You were busy making track after track since your debut.GD: I lost my confidence during that time. I thought to myself that I can always do my best and I was in a slump once I locked myself into trying to form my own style of music. I heard that rocker Seotaiji and other singers said that they go through torment thinking about their next album. I haven’t gone through that phase yet and it may seem pretty cocky to say this at a young age but there was a time where I thought to myself, thinking that there is no guarantee for the next five to ten years if I thought I have come with everything that I can.
10: That was why I felt bad about “Heartbreaker.” While you did a thorough job on perfecting a single idea with “Lies,” that same process was missing in “Heartbreaker” giving a likely reason to doubt even if it wasn’t a plagery. I wonder if things could’ve turned out different if you had more time.GD: That’s when I realized that I will always need much time for preparation. I used to compose songs on the spot, as if pulling things out of a vending machine but now I can’t bear to stand before my fans with music made in such a way, and it also affects my attitude on stage as well.
10: That’s what I thought as I listened to “Heartbreaker Part II” participated by Flo Rida. Part II was created with more understanding toward music than the earlier version, analyzed and re-combined to give a new flow and rhyme. It would have been awesome if the earlier version had come out like Part II.
GD: Most people turns the conversation to Flo Rida whenever that song is mentioned together with the issue of plagiarism but that wasn’t my intention to begin with. What I had in mind was to show local musicians can stand equal to musicians from abroad just like I was doing rap alongside with Flor Rida in the same track. It’s like what I wrote in the lyrics “I shall not kneel anywhere.” But because of what happened beforehand, the reviews I received at the time, both good or bad, weren’t properly focused solely on music which is quite a pity.
10: The rap at Part II was very interesting, the way you divided its flow in short units and confronted each sound with rap. You created a perfect beginning to end flow within your given part.
GD: I did the rap as fast as I could (Laugh) When I did solo album I took my time deciding on arrangements that fit the role of title track. But this second time, where my part came before the Flo Rida’s part, I decided that I got to show everything within the short time frame so I filled it with strong, diverse elements.
“I wish lyrics alone can sound like a good writing”
10: I believe all those thinking to compose that single piece have helped to widen your horizon for both understanding and composing music.
GD: I gained more freedom in some aspect. But each feeling is different: the times I work as a member of Big Bang and the times I do my solo album. But the more I work, the more I feel like I’m learning and maturing at the same time. I wouldn’t know the consequences of album I produce now but the feelings I gained from this present experience will be reflected on future albums of Big Bang. Because both other Big Bang members and I will notice the way the music matures, this will again be a great help down the road.
10: Your lyrics seem to have changed in part, too. In the recent album I got the impression that you went deeper into yourself rather than expressing yourself aloud to the public.
GD: Just like movies that contain various stories in genres of comedy, thriller, horror and more, I concentrated on the aspect of story-telling for lyrics. I wanted them to sound like an actual story with or without music. I wanted a clear plot for them. I guess it’s the influence of all the foreign raps with stories that I grew up listening to.
10: The track “Nightmare” in the latest album seems to best reflect your point. Just by closing my eyes I can actually visualize a person who runs and then flies during the early part of the song. It has that flow of rise from beginning to end.
GD: That’s right. That’s the kind of impression I was hoping to give to those who listen to “Nightmare” with their eyes closed. I wish to compose a kind of music like shown in the film “Inception (2010)” in which the final part turns out to be either a horror or fantasy depending on the individual. I put particular effort there so the ending could be anybody’s guess.
10: I’m not sure if it’s because this is solo track but “Nightmare” seems to be the piece that makes the most obvious display of your characteristics, the sharp changes between parts. I could detect almost four different levels of changes. The style is similar to that found in “Lies” and “Heartbreaker” whose music both has beginning and end marked by sudden of sound in between. Is there a reason you prefer this style?
GD: It’s one way of showing what my music is like, wholesomely, to the public. These days people can make ring tones out of certain parts of the song they like. Melodies of such ring tones are usually chosen among the song parts that have the strongest impact, which usually happens to be chorus part of the song. And because people these days decide on music just with few listening, the chorus part with strong impact became even more important. Of course, you could say a song is already a hit if many people remember it by its ending chorus alone. But I want all parts of my song to be remembered. This is my way of composing a song that can be remembered wholly, by giving twist and turn at every corner and evoking different story.
“Now is the real beginning.”
10: It seems like you have just gotten over a certain stage in your life.
GD: Entertainers should come forth to address the public. In my case I had to both create and sing the song on the stage. I came this far thinking this is probably the only thing I can do but I guess I was burdened by the fact that everything went public.
10: Last year in particular, no doubt, as everything linked to GD became an issue.
GD: Yes. Under such circumstances I became more wary and lonelier. But after going through all that, doing my music and waking up to new things I believe I can now take things with more ease. I think I can show 100-percent real me through this latest album.
10: It seems like this is the real start.
GD: It is. It also seems like I have been building up on my experience all along and this feels like my true beginning. It is same for Big Bang.
10: So what would you like to do at this point? From the track “High High” you wrote that life is about one lucky shot but in reality it was your consistent effort in music industry that got you this far.
GD: Wait, I don’t think I’ve come across my lucky shot yet (Laugh)
10: Really? (Laugh)
GD: This may sound a bit snobbish but I don’t think I’ve achieved anything yet. It’s still a long way ahead and I don’t think I’ve shown anything of a lasting impact – still in the process of building it up step by step. I’m sure this is what all the other members of Big Bang are dreaming of, too, the opportunity to strike something really big someday. (Laugh).
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
TOP and G-Dragon of BIGBANG have also formed a Duet earlier. Debuted in 2004 and 2006 respectively, both DBSK and BIGBANG have risen to top positions in the showbiz but they have never competed with each other until now. That's why such a 2 to 2 encounter sparks interest among people.
(information about DBSK skipped)
G-dragon and Top released their 1st Duet Album on 24th, December and 'High, High'. 'Knock out' and 'Oh yeah' will be their triple title songs. The staff of YGE said ,' Both of them are rappers and they are also the producers of their album this time. It is hoped that the potential of both of them can be witnessed in this album.'
The Duets comeback of DBSK in early next year after resting a long time will definitely arouse rivalry between the two groups. The Korean showbiz said the encounter of these two groups as ' the huge effects brought by the comeback of these two groups will definitely worth paying attention in 2011' . They said they will not only exert influence on Korean music industry but also that of the whole Asia market.
Let's see what the results will be with both groups whose colours are different yet distinct and whose fan bases are both large.
5.G-Dragon and T.O.P talking over music charts ...
Big Bang’s G-Dragon and T.O.P. have formed a unit and have kept their place in the music industry as male idols.
On the 24th, they released their first full-length album as a special unit as GD&TOP and they have brought some fresh music to the table.
With G-Dragon and T.O.P.’s sick rapping skills and 2NE1′s Park Bom’s cute voice, “Oh Yeah” is a song that anyone can get addicted to, especially in the chorus. This song has been placed 2nd on Soribada for 2 weeks.
Also, the song, “High High” has an electronica hip-hop mix, and it’s a song that both male and female can enjoy. The song has taken its place in 4th and they have once again proved themselves as trend-setters. Also on the full-length album, the songs, “Don’t Go Home” and “Knock Out” have been the songs that many people have been downloading and are earning some good reviews for the songs.
G-Dragon and T.O.P’s unit is just like YG Entertainment’s 2NE1 with 3 titles in one album and they’re not only getting love for only those songs but all the other songs on their album as well. One can see their names on the charts with 5 of their songs on the top 10 list of popular songs. Rather than showing their musical talents, they have showed their synergy with each other and the outcome of it and through this unit album, fans can see how talented and how diverse Big Bang can be.
On the 28th, on Melon’s music chart, G-Dragon and T.O.P.’s name were on the list with “Oh Yeah” and “High High” at 3rd and 5th place.
At Dosirak, “Knock Out,” “Don’t Go Home,” “Oh Yeah,” “High High” have been placed 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th place. Although “Don’t Go Home” isn’t one of the title songs, it’s earning a lot of love from the fans and is getting well-known amongst the fans.
On Mnet.com, “Oh Yeah,” “Knock Out,” “Don’t Go Home,” “High High” have been placed at 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 7th place. On Bugs, “Knock Out,” “Don’t Go Home,” “Oh Yeah,” “High High” have been placed at 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 7th place and “Baby Good Night,” have been placed at 9th place. A total of 5 songs have taken over the music charts.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Jung Eun's dad posted another entry today on DCInside saying that all the members of BIGBANG came to visit his daughter yesterday, the 24th. Read on:It's the night before Christmas. The news warned of a Christmas cold wave and the weather was very cold, but for Jung Eun it was a very warm day.
On the day before yesterday at 8PM, Jung Eun had to receive chemotherapy because her white blood count was too high. Her liver and spleen was swollen and a cyst had popped, so it was very hard on her to go through chemo in her condition.
Jung Eun had a nightmare.
Jung Eun: Mom~ I had a dream again
Mom: What sort of dream?
Jung Eun: Someone in black clothes on a boat was staring at me
Mom: Was he just staring at you?
Jung Eun: Yeah
Mom: So what did you do?
Jung Eun: I told him to go away
Mom: You did well. You don't need to go
She had another dreamJung Eun: Mom I had a dream
Mom: What sort of dream?
Jung Eun: It was a funeral. Dad, Mom, Oppa and the whole family was there.
Mom: Weren't you there?
Jung Eun: No
Mom: What were Dad, Mom, and the family doing?
Jung Eun: They were just crying
Mom: You should have looked closer. It's because you're so tired, you need to be strong.
Jung Eun: Yeah
Jung Eun had trouble even speaking. Watching her like this broke my heart.
But it seems like Jung Eun is still a happy child. Yesterday an angel who is a BIGBANG fan visited the hospital to support Jung Eun. They weren't able to meet Jung Eun but they left a fan with a picture of Daesung on it and a lot of other cute presents for her.
Jung Eun wasn't able to hide her happiness and she wanted to leave a post here with pictures of the presents but while she was writing the post she had to lie down because of how tired she was.
My wife asked "Should I get Dad to write it for you?" and Jung Eun said in a weak breathy voice "No, I'll write it myself later".
Jinusean's Sean played the role of Santa and came again. Yesterday Sean phoned the hospital to tell us that ALL of BIGBANG would come on the 24th to cheer for Jung Eun. For a heavy and gloomy heart this was like a beam of light coming through the dark clouds. This was because BIGBANG's visit gave Jung Eun a hundred to a thousand times more strength than we could give alone.
Jung Eun received a huge present. I wasn't able to meet them because I had to go down to the country early in the morning, but today at around 3PM, Sean, Daesung and Taeyang visited Jung Eun's hospital room.
According to Jung Eun's mother they encouraged a lot of sick children and took photos with them, and the children were very happy. They played with Jung Eun for an hour and Taeyang especially joked with Jung Eun a lot and she had a lot of fun.
6 hours later Seungri, TOP and G-Dragon visited Jung Eun and played with her for 30 minutes, and after hearing Jung Eun was a fan of Seungri, he had a lot of sympathy for her. [Hard to translate this exactly.] Seungri told her a lot of funny stories and promised to invite her on stage at BIGBANG's concert in February.
In the short phone call with Jung Eun I had she said "This was the best present in my life", but she must have been tired today because our phone call wasn't very long.
Thank you. Thank you. Without the wings of the many angels who are BIGBANG fans, Jung Eun wouldn't have been able to receive the huge presents she received last time and today. With the collected love of everyone here, the sick Jung Eun who was unable to fly was able to flap her wings. Jung Eun promised that she would watch BIGBANG's concert in February no matter what.
To Jinusean's Sean: I heard that you do many good deeds with your wife. If you would give me and my wife a chance we'd also like to help with doing good deeds. Since we received so much we wanted to pay it forward to someone.
To BIGBANG: For coming to see Jung Eun so cheerfully to support her, you don't know how much comfort and strength you gave Jung Eun. Jung Eun has gained the strength of a thousand armies. Your visit has given her more strength than you could imagine.
To my lovely Jung Eun: Don't forget that your dad, mom and your family is doing their best to do everything in their power for you. Beating your illness is the best way you can repay all the many faceless people who are cheering for you and praying for you. Let's beat your illness together so that you can fulfill your promise with BIGBANG and repay all the love you've received from the many people out there to someone else.
Today at a resting stop on the motorway, there was a man playing a guitar and singing despite the freezing weather to help people suffering from Leukemia. When I saw this, I gave him a warm coffee and a small donation. As he thanked me, I thought to myself that it was nothing. There are a lot of kind people in the world...
Thank you. Thank you. Without the wings of the many angels who are BIGBANG fans, Jung Eun wouldn't have been able to receive the huge presents she received last time and today. With the collected love of everyone here, the sick Jung Eun who was unable to fly was able to flap her wings. Jung Eun promised that she would watch BIGBANG's concert in February no matter what.
To Jinusean's Sean: I heard that you do many good deeds with your wife. If you would give me and my wife a chance we'd also like to help with doing good deeds. Since we received so much we wanted to pay it forward to someone.
To BIGBANG: For coming to see Jung Eun so cheerfully to support her, you don't know how much comfort and strength you gave Jung Eun. Jung Eun has gained the strength of a thousand armies. Your visit has given her more strength than you could imagine.
To my lovely Jung Eun: Don't forget that your dad, mom and your family is doing their best to do everything in their power for you. Beating your illness is the best way you can repay all the many faceless people who are cheering for you and praying for you. Let's beat your illness together so that you can fulfill your promise with BIGBANG and repay all the love you've received from the many people out there to someone else.
Today at a resting stop on the motorway, there was a man playing a guitar and singing despite the freezing weather to help people suffering from Leukemia. When I saw this, I gave him a warm coffee and a small donation. As he thanked me, I thought to myself that it was nothing. There are a lot of kind people in the world...
Excerpts from 2NE1's Interview on KStar Lovers Magazine about BIGBANG:
Q: Among the Big Bang members, who are you close with?
Dara: No one. (Laugh) I’m still awkward with them even though I've known them for 5 to 6 years. I receive messages from them like on my birthday or encouragement when I go on TV and I meet with them whenever I have the chance.
Q: Among the Big Bang members, who are you close with?
Dara: No one. (Laugh) I’m still awkward with them even though I've known them for 5 to 6 years. I receive messages from them like on my birthday or encouragement when I go on TV and I meet with them whenever I have the chance.
Minzy: I’m close with each of them. GD oppa helps us with accessories and choosing with us and gives us advice when we shoot a music video or photoshoot. TOP oppa checks the TV shows 2NE1's going to be on, and he calls us after the show to tell us 'Today's show was great." And I always meet SOL oppa at the company when he’s exercising or practicing, and he also gives us some advice. (Note: 2 words can not be seen clearly from the scan)
Q: I think you and Big Bang were together from trainee time. What is Big Bang like?Bom: They’re still the same. We always play with Big Bang. We just went skiing together yesterdayl. During our training time, we’re always together, and I’m close with GD and SOL. We not only talk about work, but also personal issues.
Universal Records Philippines just updated their Twitter account that they will be releasing GD&TOP's HIGH HIGH album in the Philippines. No details on the release date yet though.
A tweet from the writer of Night after Night (show where Daesung MCs) last December 22:
In a moment, I'll be interviewing G-Dragon! Since I've always treated stars as just business, I don't really feel anything. I'm wondering what sorts of questions I should ask that could best summarize the short life of YG's brain. I'm looking forward to what sorts of feelings he'll give me and I think I might have pig's skin for dinner. Like Gil Raim zz
In a moment, I'll be interviewing G-Dragon! Since I've always treated stars as just business, I don't really feel anything. I'm wondering what sorts of questions I should ask that could best summarize the short life of YG's brain. I'm looking forward to what sorts of feelings he'll give me and I think I might have pig's skin for dinner. Like Gil Raim zz
Hi~ This is Chow Chow
Seungri hyung says Merry Christmas
He'll be back on January 3
Rudolph will be giving out gifts now
VIP, Merry Christmas! ♡
As posted before, YG and Universal Japan will be releasing a special Japanese edition DVD (with photo book) of Taeyang's 1st and 2nd live concerts. This 3-disc edition (Disc 1: HOT, Disc 2: SOLAR, Disc 3: The Making) will be released on January 26. Here's an update on the cover as posted on Amazon Japan:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)