30 Day Kpop Challange: Day 4

The question: Your Ultimate K-pop Girl Bias

Lei Lei and I have the same answer for our Ultimate K-pop Girl Bias... young accomplished singer IU!! We both agree that she has one of the best female voices in the Korean idol industry. Her new song "Good Day" has definitely put her on the map with her epic 3 note hit. If you're not very familiar with her as a singer or actress, there are links on this page you should definitely take a look at.

IU will also be opening for Corinne Bailey Ray's first concert in Korea. Here is a link to IU singing 2 covers of Corinne's popular songs. She's done a great job with English pronunciation and her singing is a sweet soulful mix, very pleasant to listen to ^^

Put Your Records On

Like A Star

30 Day Kpop Challange: Day 3

The question: Your Ultimate K-pop Guy Bias

Hi this is Jihyun!

Today is definitely going to be my favorite, I love talking about my kpop biases ^^ Haha. I know we’re supposed to be talking about our one ultimate bias – but I’ve got to give the whole list. I'll save that for the end though.

Back to the task at hand, naming my Ultimate Bias. It actually didn't take me long to name my favorite. Only 2 people on my favs list have been around since the beginning of my kpop fandom: Kyuhyun and HyunJoong.

My ultimate choice came to be Kim Hyun Joong. He was the actor who pulled me into the K-dramas that I love today - with "Boys Over Flowers". It's my favorite k-drama and also the first one I watched. I also love "Playful Kiss" and his song "Thank You", that happened to be the first Korean song I learned all the words to. If I went to Korea he would be the first celebrity I'd want to meet!

Honorable Mentions:

Song JoongKi ^^

Cho KyuHyun :D

Lee Hongki ;)

Nichkhun :P

Lei Lei's part. Hello. Hello.

My Kpop guy bias is definitely a hard call. Originally it was Han Geng a.k.a Hankyung of Super Junior before dirty, rotten, mean SM made him flee back to China (do to inequality and slave contracts). So yea, he was my original bias and for a large part he still is - but people keep telling me that he's not legit cause:

a) he's not a Kpop idol anymore and b) Hankyung is Chinese so he was always toeing the line of cheating as a kpop idol in the first place.

But now he's gone and I feel like a piece of the Kpop world I love so much has been taken with him (again, stupid SM!). I currently have alot of Korean ideal type boyfriends, like if this person asked me out I wouldn't hesitate to say yes. There's Big Bang's T.O.P and G-Dragon (when he's showering us with his cute side), Super Junior's Leeteuk and Eunhyuk (don't tell Hankyung), DBSK's Changmin, and SHINee's Minho (he's kinda young so I waver with him alot, somehow I always let that masculine voice fool me).

Those are all my favrotie Kpop guys, but what about Kpop bias status? Because my affection for Hankyung was (is) so deep I never really bothered permanently replacing him with anybody new. That's why for the last year and change, my number one bias has fluctuated often and this here little Kpop Challenge has come right during the time that Super Junior's magnae Cho Kyuhyun holds reign.

I don't know how long he'll stay there for, but currently he does hold the number one spot. Why? Two words. Three Musketeers. I'm an absolute sucker for theater and great literature and to see Kyuhyun participate in both is like grand happiness coma inducing. Also little magnae is shifting more away from his evil title to a cute little screw up (crediting 'Super Junior Foresight' for that discovery) personality and of course if I have to even mention this he is one of the best vocalists in Super Junior and though I do prefer Yesung's voice more I'm starting to understand and appreciate Kyuhyun's vocal appeal.

Calling All ELFs!!!

Hi, I've got some awesome news for you! Some friends of mine sent me a link that's spreading like wildfire across the globe. All International ELF must be a part of this movement. It's a petition for SM Entertainment to create the FIRST official international fanclub for Super Junior fans.

Here is the link: http://www.gokpop.com/img/news/1/1778-z8rnhknftp.jpg

This list is also to unite all ELFs around the world. We want to show Super Junior how much we love them and support them. Wouldn't it be great if they saw the overwhelming response from American fans! I also heard through the grapevine that SJ is looking to do a world tour for the next album. Yes, it actually includes the world this time - not just Asia. I don't have the information set in stone, but it's possible. Leeteuk hinted at it himself.

So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and sign that petition. Below are some more fan sites to visit. We want all kpop fans to be plugged in and connected to other kpop fans around the globe!

100,000 American Kpop Fans - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=114588175269172

Unofficial "Official" Super Junior ELF forum - http://sj-world.net/forums/index.php?

SM Town Concert on the East Coast - http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/smtownconcert

Jjang!! Asian Entertainment Forum - http://jjang.friendhood.net/ (includes Japanese fandoms*)

30 Day Kpop Challenge: Day 2

Annyeonghaseyo Kpop lovers?
Just like we promised you, here are our answers for day 2 of the 30 Day Kpop Challenge.

The question: Your favorite k-pop girl group

Now I think that Jihyun and I can both agree that this is a really hard question. Really hard, seeing as we don't really pay much attention to the Korean girl groups that are out, but for the sake of the challenge we will answer the question as best we can.

For me, the way I chose was by considering the girl group's who's songs that I actually have on my mp3 player. I listen to songs from others of course, but actually download status is some high class stuff. So basically going that route left me with about three girl groups to choose from. Out of those three I chose After School and f(x) the fight it out for the winning spot. And that winner is....f(x). Why? Because I actually know most of the members (can't say the same about After School) and I like how they stray anyway from the average "cute-girl-gotta-dance-in-a-mini-skirt-and-five-inch-heels" image that most of the girl groups done today, even though it does show itself every now and then.

Jihyun's favorite girl group is Girl's Day cause (directly quoted from her) "they're fun". All too true I can assess from the few videos I've seem of them. Their "Nothing Last Forever" song is really good and very catchy. And on top of that a couple of their members are struttin' some major swag. On the very first episode of "We Are Dating" during the talent portion that was meant to pair them with their respective U-Kiss guy one of the girls busted out the reject and in heels!! So yea, Girl's Day, not a bad choice at all.

And so that wraps it up for our day 2 challenge question. Come back tomorrow to see our day 3 answers to the question - Your Favorite K-pop guy bias. Ooooo! That should be a good one :)

Hi this is Jihyun here for Day #2 Lol. I had no idea Lei was going to write my choice for me. Thanks, but since I didn't know this at the time I had already written a more detailed version which I'll just post too.

As you can see, my pick for favorite girl group is Girl’s Day. They are a fairly new group who debuted in 2010. You might remember the buzz about their flash mob dancing before their official debut. Here are 2 links for those: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEhCnv1JcjM and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPseFA6uYvU

2 of the members left the group very early on and were replaced by Yura and HaeRi. Although I’m not too familiar with this group, I love their song “Nothing Lasts Forever”. Another thing that made me love this group is their humor, especially MinAh. I was so sad that their variety show with Ukiss was cut short. “We Are Dating” was becoming one of my favorites.

Here is one of my favorite clips of MinAh: Hongki and MinAh phone call (from Oh! My School)

Because I’m a new fan of the group, I would appreciate it if any of you Girl’s Day fans out there share some information about the group or your favorite member. Thanks. Can’t wait to read what you guys send me and to see your choices for favorite girl group :D

30 Day KPop Challenge!

Come on guys. Do it with us.

Day 1: Your favorite k-pop guy group
Day 2: Your favorite k-pop girl group
Day 3: Your ultimate k-pop guy bias
Day 4: Your ultimate k-pop girl bias
Day 5: Your favorite k-pop song from your favorite guy group
Day 6: Your favorite k-pop song from your favorite girl group
Day 7: A k-pop song that makes you cry
Day 8: A k-pop song you know all the words to
Day 9: Your favorite k-pop performance
Day 10: A k-pop dance you’d like to learn
Day 11: Your favorite k-pop music video
Day 12: The very first k-pop song you’ve ever heard
Day 13: A k-pop group you dislike and why
Day 14: A k-pop song that makes you smile
Day 15: A k-pop song that reminds you of someone you miss
Day 16: Your favorite k-pop lyric (and a translation)
Day 17: A k-pop idol you wish was your older sibling
Day 18: A k-pop idol you wish was your younger sibling
Day 19: Your favorite interview of a k-pop idol or group
Day 20: Your favorite picture of your guy k-pop bias
Day 21: Your favorite picture of your girl k-pop bias
Day 22: Your favorite picture of your favorite k-pop group
Day 23: A picture of a k-pop idol who you think is underrated
Day 24: A picture of a k-pop idol who you think is overrated
Day 25: Your favorite k-pop music video
Day 26: Your favorite cover of a k-pop song by another k-pop artist
Day 27: Your favorite dance battle
Day 28: Your favorite cover of an American song by a k-pop artist
Day 29: A k-pop song you never get tired of
Day 30: A k-pop idol that has amazing eye smiles

U-Kiss to Debut in America!!

Hi Jihyun here :D

Wow I don't know how I missed epic news like this... school, you are definitely getting in the way of my social kpop life. Lol. U-kiss is confirmed to be debuting in America some time this year. Their US album (complete with choreographed videos) will be finished by February.

This is a total shocker for me and for most of my American kpop friends. First, I got extremely excited. I almost thought I didn't hear it right - so I asked 2 more times just to get it through my head. After it got through the first thing I said was, "Yay Dongho!" Lol. Then it hit me. My friend said she felt the same way until she thought about Kevin and Alexander. As soon as she mentioned their names my heart fell. As much as I love Ukiss, I know that the response from American viewers may be heartbreaking. The "flower boy" or effeminate culture of asian boys is not tolerated here.

As a fan of Ukiss I'm genuinely ecstatic about their debut. I can't wait to see the videos, buy the album, just overall supporting them to the fullest (girls cross your fingers for a concert in the southeast).

On the other side, as a partial-noona fan, I have a protective side that doesn't want Ukiss to face the harshness of American intolerance to differing cultures. I wish they could just stay in Asia and promote well in those countries. Maybe after neutral groups build a strong following of NEW American kpop fans, then bands like Ukiss can also debut. I know that might sound selfish, but that's purely the protective side of me speaking out.

The American entertainment industry is extremely one-sided, not letting many outside industries get a foot in the door. Yes, we have musical "influence" but we don't tolerate much diversity (unless it's the Caribbean or England).

To capture a wide audience and build a strong fanbase for kpop bands like Big Bang - OneWay - 2NE1 - 4minute should debut first. Fashion, dance, technology, sexy, hip-hop... these are the the categories that will draw attention and these groups have it. They also have the vocals, the hype, and the power that's needed to back up the flashy exterior.

This paves the way for groups like Super Junior - MBLAQ - Wonder Girls - T-ara. They are the eye candy with catchy tunes to build bias idol group fans. These fans build quickly and will ultimately force a permanent opening for kpop in America.

Lastly groups like Ukiss - f(x) - Girl's Day are open to flood in with their ageyo to capture the younger audience as well as those oldie/and newbie dedicated kpop fans.

I know the road isn't easy to debut in another country so we all should give Ukiss our full support and our love. I hope only the best for the boys and wish for their domination of the American charts. Lol.

Changes in 2011

Hello everyone this is Song Jihyun, formerly called Khmiya or Kai. Do you like the change? I have a friend named Kai and I really liked her nickname so I used it, but I feel that I need more originality this year. I decided to create a Korean name (since this is a Korean based blog/vlog), and fashion it to reflect my kpop favorites as well as other things I like ^^

Song - This is such a romantic last name. I also love music, singing, as well as Song Joong Ki.

Ji - I like names that start with J, and lets not forget another favorite Kwon Jiyong (GDragon)

Hyun - Two of my absolute favorites have this name *HyunJoong and KyuHyun*

We'd like to start of this year with a fresh and optimistic attitude. A revamp of our website and the vlog is definitely needed. This year we plan to bring you more exciting topics, answer questions, and keep up the website as much as possible.

Here are my plans for the blog/vlog, feel free to comment and send ideas you have.

1) Opening a discussion corner for questions, comments, and ideas to be answered.

2) Creating kpop contests, surveys and challenges.

I'm excited about the changes for SupaECHS this year, don't worry we plan to get started soon so no more waiting. Thank you to all our followers on YouTube, and to all those sending us their support and love! Kamsahamnida :D