Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer- Kid-Friendly Cuteness

On September 25, 2015, Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer was released for the Nintendo 3DS console in the United States. In Japan, the game has been out since July 2015. For fans of the Animal Crossing series, Happy Home Designer is an adorable addition to the franchise that provides another reason to waste a mind-numbing amount of time catering to the needs of your character’s animal friends. Happy Home Designer still has charming appeal of previous versions, but this version is more kid-friendly (meaning there are no dream codes to towns with complex, dark storylines like Aika Village from Animal Crossing: New Leaf) and repetitive.

The game is straightforward: You are an interior designer tasked with creating the perfect homes and gardens for the animal folk. You can meet the animals by talking to them in the town square or by using Amiibo cards that are currently not widely available in stores, but available for purchase online on Amazon. According to my local GameStop, the Amiibo cards won’t be widely available in the US until October 15, 2015. To use them, you may need to purchase an Amiibo reader unless you have the new Nintendo 3DS system.

Unlike past Animal Crossing games, floor plans and furniture placement are a little more customizable, but the game still follows the “blocking” system to where items can’t be right next to each other or turn diagonally. However, now there are rugs and more items you can use on your walls, and you can design rooves. Additionally, animals now have yards you can decorate!

After spending a week and half playing, the game has some nice pros but some cons as well.

Pros

You Have Control

As mentioned, players get to design every aspect of an animal’s home. The animal residents have specific requirements that need met, but players can choose to go with this or go on their own just as long as the animal’s special items are incorporated.

Unlockable Content

As players design different houses, more furniture and designs become available.

Players Can Redo Homes and Shops

When players visit characters and as items become more available, they can go back and redesign homes or add rooms. Players are not stuck with permanent designs.

You Can Create Your Own Shops

Isabelle has different projects available for players including building a hospital, school, and various shops. Whatever a player wants to include or build, it’s possible.

Assign Roommates

Two animals can live in a house at one time, which is different than past Animal Crossing games. Of course, creating mental storylines regarding how the characters could interact is a must, but nothing really changes, and there’s no complicated drama since it’s a kid’s game. Don’t look for any Big Brother antics here.

View Other Players’ Homes

There is a computer in the office that allows the player to see what others across the globe have designed, so there’s some design envy and competition going on. This is especially evident since players can rate different houses. It’s interesting to see what others have done, but it’s demoralizing too when someone halfway around the world has better design skills. I’ve tried to up my game several times only to be showed up by another player. The struggle is real here.

Cons

Poor Menu Design

The items menu is far from user-friendly. It is difficult to locate furniture and items. Every day home objects like chairs, tables, and beds are easy to locate, but it gets iffy with yard items and other various objects. For some players, this may be frustrating.

You Don’t Get a House

Players don’t have homes, so they can’t design their own unique space.

You Can’t Walk Around Town

Sadly, players are confined to visiting animals by clicking the client book. Players have a town map that suggests there is an actual town, but they’re not allowed to explore it.

You Can’t Visit Friends

Part of the fun of other Animal Crossing games is how players had the ability—through local Wi-Fi or friend codes—to visit friends and other towns. This isn’t possible with this game. The theory was so kids didn’t run into trouble through online play, which apparently was some sort of an issue with previous games. The creators could have had an option that was like Trading Spaces: Animal Crossing Edition where friends got to design each other’s homes. This was a missed opportunity.

No Fishing, Bells, Bug-Hunting, or Shopping

Players just design houses. That’s it. You don’t get paid to do it either. Players just slave at Nook’s Homes and have zero opportunity to fish, bug hunt, shop, visit the island, or any other easy-going activity that made Animal Crossing a simple, relaxing game. With previous games, it’s easy to stay engaged every day of the year or more because of all that was available to do.

Too Much Repetition

As mentioned, players just design houses. It’s fun to see what characters need homes and what they want; but when all a player can do is design houses, it’s gets old quick. Then again, it’s a clever ploy to teach kids that all adults do is work all day for little pay, collapse in bed, and get up to do it all again. I’ll go with that. Happy Home Designer is a true-to-life job simulator.

 

Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer could have been the best game in the franchise if the work aspect along with the charms of the original games were included. The game isn’t a disappointment, but it is flawed. It earns a 2.75/5.

 

—-Joelle Halon

After the hugely successful BTS concert series, “The Red Bullet Tour: Episode 2”, made its way across the US this summer, many fans were left wanting more of the 7 member boy group. So naturally, when the Highlight tour featuring BTS was announced, fans rejoiced at the chance to see the group again.

TGM Productions announced the Highlight tour would be a fan meeting instead of a concert and would be a combination of music and fashion, in collaboration with Community54. For only 70 dollars, fans would get to see BTS perform a short set and meet them after the show, while VIP upgrades for photos and autographs with them were made available to fans as well.

The first night of tour was in San Francisco and was filled with problems. Fans complained of disorganization with the check in and that their seating assignments were not being honored. Many fans also did not get the shirts that acted as a ticket to the event and VIPs were made to wait outside for the high touch while those with lower ticket tiers, including some who did not purchase high touch, had their turn first.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwZO_Vq6n_Q

The photo opportunity was messily organized as well, with BTS themselves sitting on the ground in each photo.

I personally went to the Houston date of the tour with a VIP pass and was dissatisfied with the treatment by the staff. Instead of the 10-15 people per photo as stated before, there were at least 25 people in each photo. During the show there were not major issues, however, waiting for the high touch was disorganized. The autograph session (that was supposed to take place before the show) was a rushed event, with some of the staff physically grabbing me and trying to move me from the table before I even received my poster and scolding some of the members for taking too long.

The posters were much loser quality and some of those with autograph passes instead were given pieces of paper to have signed.

 

The Atlanta date of the show was the most disorganized so far, with fans saying they were told to line up incorrectly, and 100+ fans being denied entry into the oversold show. These fans were promised to be refunded and that they would receive high touch and photos with BTS after the concert portion of the event ended. After waiting in the rain, these fans were brought inside only to be told they would receive nothing as the group had already left the venue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFf6AE0U6iM&feature=youtu.be

Though TGM appeared to not anticipate the show being oversold, one of the staff tweeted in July that the Atlanta show was oversold. However, a week before the show, more shirts were made available for all dates.

The last date of the tour in Toronto started off badly, with TGM staff showing up to the venue 4 hours after check-in was set to begin. Many fans claim that it was not TGM’s staff directing them but the venue staff, BigHit staff and the opening act ConSio as well.

Judging from tweets from the fans, it seems Toronto ran much smoother because of a lack of involvement on TGM’s part. Fans were apparently lined up and brought into the venue by the venue’s staff.

According to some fans who have tried to file disputes with Paypal, TGM’s account has been frozen and will not be able to refund anyone currently. One of main people involved with this tour has since deleted their twitter profile and none of the others have answered any questions in regards to refunds. Many fans have joined a movement fueled by TGM’s previous inability to refund their Eric Nam and Kim Taewoo concert in the hopes TGM will have to answer to these major issues.

I sincerely hope everyone who was affected negatively by this tour find some sort of peace and enjoyed what they did get to experience! BTS did their best, despite poor treatment during a time they should have spent with their families.

—–Ke’Anna Ballard

Mountain climbing or hiking is one of my oldest hobbies and probably the most relaxing way to spend my free time.

For this article, I will be inserting some of what I’ve personally experienced as a frequent hiker. I don’t recall exactly when it was the first time I went mountain climbing; but since 70 percent of the Korean land is mountainous, you get to see mountains practically everywhere.

People hike to spend time on the mountains for leisure, to lose weight, in order to be healed from physical and mental stress and for various other reasons.

I have two pet dogs (A mixed Schnauzer and a Pomeranian) that absolutely love to climb mountains, hills and obviously going out for walks in general like most dogs. In Korea, it is a common sight to see people enjoy the environment you can get exclusively from up in the mountains, with their pets to keep them company.

For many years, I’ve moved around in various regions in Gangnam, Jamsil to Chungmuro and other towns in Seoul and the Gyeonggi province.

One of the characteristics of the mountains in Korea is that they are more or less connected to one another, so if you keep hiking on for hours you will reach a whole different region to where you started out from.

I’ve learned that wherever you are in Korea, a good mountain should never too far away.

It’s safe to assume that mountain climbing is one of the top favorite past-times Koreans, especially for people who care about their health and enjoy outdoor activities.

In order to hike, it is crucial to wear a good pair of footwear that enables you to have a good grip to prevent you from slipping. Also, having a ton of patience and good stamina would surely be a plus when hiking.

When the weather is so humid and hot, it would be efficient to dress lightly but since there are a lot of flies and pests, it’s better to wear thin long sleeved clothing. And having a good pair of shades and a hat would also be recommended.

Because the hiking routes for mountains in Korea are usually furnished well; the steps and the ropes available in certain areas make the trip easier and prevent climbers from having difficulties climbing up or down the mountain, to reduce casualties. When you are up in the mountains, you need be cautious of every step you take, in particularly when you are making your way down the mountain.

If you are a novice mountain climber, please keep in mind that you should never force yourself to make it to the peak, especially if it is your first trip. If it requires too much energy or for other reasons, do take a good rest and make your way down from the mountain safely. Even the most experienced climbers get out of breath when climbing challenging heights.

The reality is that the majority of the climbers don’t get to make it to the top. It’s also better to have someone hiking with you who knows the mountain well, since there is always a possibility that you might lose your way, even with all the signs and directions shown on the route.

Unlike most sports, the great thing about hiking in Korea is that there are no strict rules for climbing; you can climb up and down the mountain at your own pace.

I’d like to introduce the three main mountains which are the most visited and well known in Korea. The three mountains are called Seorak, Jiri and Halla.

 

Seorak Mountain (Seoraksan)

Mount. Seorak’s highest peak is at 1,708 meters. (‘San’ refers to a mountain in Korea) The trip to the peak of the Seorak can be done in approximately three hours or less, if you are relatively a fast climber.

The mountain has a reputation for being very colorful and beautiful during the fall season. The Seorak Mountain also has a famous valley with the name, Cheonbuldong. On top of that, you can also expect to get a spectacular view of the Eastern Sea.

The first time I visited the Seoraksan was at the age of 11, when our family was visiting Korea for the summer vacation. It was definitely one of the highlights of that summer vacation. It was not the most convenient or the most relaxing trip due to the vast number of active mosquitoes.

It certainly didn’t help that the temperature was record-breaking hot that year. However, even the intense heat did not ruin the trip in Gangwondo.

The whole trip was incredibly fun. The Seorak Mountain was extremely memorable because it was very beautiful and its height seemed ever so high. We had taken my aunt’s car and drove for hours and stayed in a hut that was near the mountain.

I have not been back since, but it is my plan to revisit soon during the Fall season. I expect the hiking course and the surroundings will be more furnished and modernized since the last time I was there.

 

Jirisan

As one of the highest mainland mountains in Korea, Jirisan is gigantic in size. The highest peak named, ‘Cheonwangbong’ is at 1,915 meters, known to be the second highest peak in Korea.

The Jirisan‘s National Park is the biggest national park that exists in Korea, which borders between Jeollanam-do, Jeollabuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do and other regions.

In the year of 1967, Jirisan was the first to be designated as a national park in Korea. The largest part of the national park is in the Gyeongsang province.

The highest peak of the mountain, Cheonhwangbong is also located in this province. Every year more than 280,000 people visit the Jiri Mountain.

The seasons of Summer and Autumn are the most popular for the visitors.

 

Hallasan

Mount. Halla is Jeju Island’s most treasured trademark. Halla Mountain is a shield volcanic mountain that makes up most of Jeju Island, as well as being South Korea’s highest peak at 1,950 meters.

The mountain itself is spectacular with traces of the lava that decorate its landscape. There are in total five hiking trails on the mountain.

The Gwaneumsa and Seongpanak are the only trails leading to the peak of the Halla Mountain. The other trails leading to the peak have been closed since 1994, for purposes to restore and protect the vegetation.

The Halla Mountain has been honored to be designated as Korea’s Natural Monument no. 182.

—–J. Chung

On July 2, 2015, Hyeonseo Lee’s book, The Girl with Seven Names, hit bookshelves and quickly captivated readers. The memoir focuses on Lee’s journey from North Korea’s Ryanggang Province to coping with life as a defector in China and beyond. As her story unfolds, readers get a chance to experience her escape, why she made her choices, as well as how she became the person she is today.

Lee’s book is well written and wrought with simplicity which makes it easy for readers to get absorbed in her tale. From the get-go, it’s made clear that Lee and her mother and brother were privileged in North Korea, but these privileges did not serve as a shield from the terrors of the Kim regime. As Lee tells her tale about her decision to leave her country and the method she chose to do so, a reader’s heart could break as she struggled with the decision to leave her family behind and her ultimate decision to help them escape also.

There are many poignant scenes in The Girl with Seven Names, but the one that sticks is when she made her initial escape by lying to her mother about visiting a friend. Lee was definitely brazen, and this is one of the dominant themes of the story.

Lee’s writing is definitely more candid than emotional, which is one of the many pluses of The Girl with Seven Names. This page-turner didn’t paint a rosy image of life outside of North Korea; instead, it also embraced some of the challenges defectors face to help paint an image that’s well-rounded and multi-faceted. The contrasts between her life in the North as well as her realizations that life isn’t as great as the regime made it seem can click with readers well.

Besides her play-by-play of her actions and decisions, The Girl with Seven Names is, at its heart, a coming-of-age tale. Readers get an opportunity to see how, when someone is thrown—by choice—into difficult circumstances, one’s intelligence and drive can kick in to help a person survive. Through identity changes and life changes, readers see the true potential of the human spirit and what people are capable of if they are willing to fight.

One issue with the story is that it does rely too much on play-by-play. It would have been nice to experience more of Lee’s inner thoughts. There are glimpses of these thoughts and commentary throughout the book, but having more would have really given readers a more in-depth look into Lee’s soul.

The Girl with Seven Names is definitely a must-read story because it delves deeper than the usual “I escaped the regime, now everything is grand!” stories some defectors tell. Lee’s authentic voice is a bright spoke among defector stories that shift often with details and are sometimes sensationalized for what seems like attention-seeking purposes. The simplicity of Lee’s words lends a quiet quality to the book, but the images she shares are loud and clear.

The Girl with Seven Names earns a 4/5.

 

—Joelle Halon

EXP (left to right): Frankie, Sime, Koki, Hunter, David, and Tarion /Cr. EXP, Facebook

In early 2015, the K-Pop world was turned upside down when news spread that a group of Americans would be working toward entering the Asian music scene with their own brand of music. Social media was flooded with confusion and anger due to the foreigners daring to penetrate the sacred circle of K-Pop, and this was later followed up by messages of hate toward the group. EXP is that group, and they began as a Columbia University thesis experiment by student Bora Kim.

Since the initial explosion of disdain ranging from K-Pop fans claiming that K-Pop would be forever be ruined to some EXO fans claiming EXP stole their name and concept (we kid you not!), Tarion, Frankie, Šime, Koki, David, and Hunter have survived and are about to release a new single. Kcrush America caught up with the sextet to see how their journey is progressing and to get their thoughts on online comments, their debut, future plans, as well as their thoughts on books, movies, and fan-fiction. If you haven’t gotten to know EXP yet, now’s your chance!

 

KC: You’ve been together for a while now, and telling by your interactions on EXP TV, you all get along great. Was it easy for everyone to get along at first, or were there any obstacles you had to overcome before you came together as a cohesive group?

Frankie: From the beginning we all clicked. Although we work hard we’re always having fun and good laughs. Learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses was more of an obstacle because we all have different backgrounds and understanding your team always takes time. We’re a silly group and are still growing as one solid unit!

Šime: It was an adventure for all of us since day one. Although we were not really sure what we were getting ourselves into exactly, we were all ready to dive in head first. It really didn’t take long for all of us to become close friends. We are all musicians and performers, living in NYC, sharing the same hopes and dreams. That was really corny… But it’s true ! And the fact that We were spending hours upon hours…upon hours rehearsing together helped too.

David: I had to learn to think of them less like business/co-workers and more as a bunch of friends. Once I did that, it made everything else flow easier between I and the rest of the group.

Hunter: I’d say we all came together pretty quickly. We spend a lot of time together, especially on shooting days, and we annoy each other a lot, which some people call “bonding.” Generally, I eat everyone’s food, Koki snapchats us making the ugliest faces we can, Šime tolerates me making fun of him, Tarion sings, Frankie mediates, and David naps. He can literally nap in places I’ve never thought were nap-able. That kid makes it happen.

Tarion: I can honestly say that from day one we have all meshed really well together. Of course, getting to know each other better and learning how each other works has taken some time, but we have always gotten along well. We may not agree on everything, but that’s how family is.

Koki: I think it was easy for everyone to get along together, even in the beginning. We are all open-minded, especially when it came to discussing the group, so there was always a constructive conversation flowing.  We all have our quirks, but it makes us a big, weird family.

 

“LUV/WRONG”- Debut Single

 

KC: You debuted earlier in 2015 with the song “LUV/WRONG.” What was that experience like, what did you learn from your debut, and is there anything you would have done differently to enhance the experience?

Frankie: That day was a roller coaster! Last minute changes to our performance space and technical things can always make a performance stressful. We were finally being shown to an audience on stage and in a live setting. Since it was showcased at the Columbia MFA Thesis Show, our exhibit (in the gallery) was set up as our “backstage.” Everyone who attended the show witnessed our “getting ready” process with makeup, hair and wardrobe while footage of our documentary and trailer were playing on multiple screens around us. Being on that stage performing for the first time live with the guys was an amazing feeling! The audience was super excited and showed us a lot of love! I definitely would’ve changed the shaking stage, haha, but when last minute changes happen you just gotta roll with it and we definitely did that!

Šime: Releasing “Luv/Wrong” was such a fun experience. We didn’t really know what to expect and how the public would react to the single so it was pretty scary too. We definitely received a good amount of criticism, which was to be expected, but we also received a lot of encouragement and positivity from people. We have learned to strive for more and to keep improving ourselves and our performances.

Koki: It was both exhilarating and exhausting. It was the first time I had been in a group that released a “single” and we were met with a lot of press, which was exciting, but balancing the stress of everything at the time took its toll.

David:  I would have definitely worked harder to promote the song and on getting more people to notice us in a positive light. If we could do it all over again, I would have liked “Luv/Wrong” to have had a lot more Korean within it.

Tarion: Releasing “Luv/Wrong” was an emotional roller coaster! (Oh, I just noticed Frankie said the exact same thing…Sometimes we are the SAME person.) We were dealing with so much as a team and still adjusting to this new attention that none of us expected to get (the social media explosion was a week before our debut).  We found ourselves juggling 100 jobs between the nine of us, which made us all a little loopy and coffee crazy but also a lot closer. It was definitely an experience of mixed emotions and a huge learning curve for us all.

KC: A lot of people in the K-Pop community didn’t take kindly to the idea of a bunch of Americans working toward becoming K-Pop idols. Social media, especially, was filled with a lot of angst toward you. How did these comments make you feel, and did they encourage you to want to work harder?

Koki: Initially, it was slightly jarring; then I started laughing whenever I saw the comments. There were some pretty good insults, haha. As a whole, I think it was frustrating to see how people making assumptions about the group and posting hateful comments without researching what we are truly attempting to accomplish. As time went on, it was interesting to see how people sort of switched sides and started to support us. They’d get into arguments with other people to defend us, and sometimes even convince the other person to give us a chance. It was pretty cool seeing that happen.

Frankie: When we started getting hate it literally all came within days in such an aggressive form so I became numb to it after a while. It was certainly shocking to read some of the comments, people were so angry and judging us based off of 12 posts on our Instagram page with no music released yet. It certainly was an eye opener and instantly made us want to step up our game.

Šime: To be honest, I personally did not see it coming… at least not in such aggressive way. Of course, people will be mean. But in my head I was a part of something new and exciting and I was creating music for people to listen to and have fun to. The idea that people would hate us instantly just because of where we were from or because of our racial backgrounds never crossed my mind. But, you brush off the negativity and cherish the positivity.  Did I just make that up?! That’s a good quote!

David: Everyone is going to have an opinion about something, so that really did not harm me much. Some of the comments were about things we couldn’t change (i.e. ethnic background), but aside from that the comments most definitely made each one of us want to push harder in perfecting our craft.

Hunter: Honestly, I don’t think we expected the comments and strong opinions to come as soon as they did. We only had 12 Instagram pictures posted, and no music out, and we were getting death threats and a lot of negative comments. We were also kind of surprised at how much attention we were getting with no real music out.

Tarion: I remember going to sleep one night and waking up and my life had completely exploded over social media and I didn’t know what to think or how to feel about it. I knew that I was shocked and surprised at the fact that people who knew very little about me and had never had a chance to meet me were telling me to “kill myself” and that I was “ugly” and “looked burned.” Then when I took the time to really process what was going on I wasn’t really upset for what was directed at us, I was more upset about the fact that there were people dealing with this type of hate through social media every day and they aren’t able to speak out about it or have the support of a strong team behind them, I think that realization hit all of us and encouraged us to get stronger as an EXP family, and stronger as artists and creators. We started to reach out to people, to spread as much love to our family, friends, supporters and even non-supporters as we could, which has made us better artists and actually turned a lot of the negativity around.

 

KC: Out of those comments, were there any that stood out as particularly encouraging or cruel that you remember? Why did these stand out, and how do they impact you as performers and creators?

Frankie: The death threat comments were pretty intense people saying if we go to Korea they would kill us. Most of the hate was coming from younger KPOP fans, mainly EXO fans. There were some comments at an early stage from one of our fans who started sticking up for us in the comment feed and just really trying to make people understand us. It was nice to start having people on our side and support this.

David: The comments that said “Keep Fighting” were the most encouraging to me. The simple fact that we have a fan base growing and through the clouds of negativity these small rays of sunshine keep pushing through makes me smile. We also get direct messages on Instagram from our “first” fans that remind us to keep going, that they were our first fans, they love us, and to ignore the hate. It is always nice to be reminded that people have your back.

Šime: Not even 2 weeks ago someone said I looked like a “38 yr old single dad”.  I’m cool with it. Ha!

 

KC: By now, many who’ve come across you know you formed because of a project. What was it like preparing the concept, auditioning, and ultimately being where you are right now with one single under your belts and another one that came out in August?

David:  Preparing the concept was completely in the hands of Bora, Karin and Sam (the bosses), with some input from us. The auditioning process was by far my favorite, I remember the day I auditioned, the song I sang, what I wore, and how I rapped for them and completely forgot the words, and Karin swooped like a lyricist angel and helped me out. For me, everything else when we first began was a struggle. Yet, where we are right now is very exciting because we each (including “the bosses”) have learned so much within this span of time that we are thinking of bigger ways to get more people to pay see the art we are creating.

Šime: Actually, I was just thinking about this the other day. The amount of work and things we have accomplished in such a short amount of time is something that pushes us every day. Learning about K-Pop and Korean culture have been so interesting and rewarding. Within the last four months the game has changed and now we’re on a business platform. Now it’s not just about the experiment and the project, we’re a real group with goals and plans to make this succeed. So excited for you guys to hear the second single!

 

“Nolja Let’s Party”- The Second Single

 

KC: Earlier this summer, you held a fundraiser to help you on your road to Korea. Why did you choose a fundraiser, and how did people respond?

David: We needed help. We do not have this huge corporation behind us: Just three very intelligent, passionate, and strong headed women with distinct resources.

 

KC: How did it feel to achieve your fundraising goal?

Šime: It felt so awesome! Just to know that we have people who believe in EXP and want to see it succeed meant so much to all of us! I will actually take this opportunity to thank them all for donating to our Kickstarter! You guys rock!

David: It was great!! It was like a weight had been lifted off us.

Tarion: Hahaha, so, we were working hard and stressing out and really pushing the Kickstarter campaign down until the very last second. When we reached the goal, I think I remember that Karin or Sam mentioned it in our text thread and we all acknowledged it for about two seconds and had to move on to the next thing on the list that needed to be accomplished that day. It wasn’t until about three days later when we were all together that we realized that we didn’t take the time to celebrate reaching our goal then we all quickly remembered that we still didn’t have time…..we still haven’t to this day!

 

KC: With the funds you raised, what are your plans?

David: Give the fans their EXP merch (fangoods!), produce our mini album, work on all of our music videos and a whole bunch of other things that will be focused entirely on making this “project” big.

 

KC: With a new single on the horizon, I’m sure you’re excited to get out there to perform. How were preparations for new song, and what can listeners expect?

Koki: It’s a more upbeat, party, windows-down, sort of song.

David:  I will simply say “More.” Whatever they felt was missing in our first song has definitely been included in this second second single. I hope everyone is ready!

Tarion: We are extremely excited about our new single!!!! We worked really hard on everything from the concept to the writing to our Korean pronunciation. We’ve put a lot of hours into this song, and we want everyone to feel the passion and the energy we put into it when they listen to the song. It’s a song that makes you want to get up and dance, so we definitely hope we make you want to move!

Frankie: The writing session and collaboration on this single was very productive. We decided early on that we wanted to create a song that would unite people and what better way to do that, than a party/dance song. In this single you’ll hear each of the guys sing in Korean and possibly a rap (wink wink). With one month left of summer we wanted to go out with a bang, so a summer party song it was! #NoljaLetsParty!!!

 

KC: How are preparations for the album coming? Have you decided on songs, an image, and where you plan to debut it? What can we expect?

David: You have to watch and find out. BUT, you can expect amazing music, with amazing imagery, and just an overall higher quality than what is expected from an “American K-Pop Idol Group.”

Frankie: Songs are what we’ve been working on the most, as well as, training our bodies. The mini album will have lots of fun content, new singles, music videos, remixes, and footage from the documentary. Image wise, I think people will be surprised! It’s definitely exciting and distribution plans are still in the works.

 

KC: How far away are you from debuting in Korea? Furthermore, how have preparations gone as far as learning Korean and how to adapt to the Korean audience and market?

Koki: I cross my fingers to get there as soon as possible, but we all need to get better at our Korean speaking skills. We’re all hard at work to learn the language, but have a ways to go. Bora, Karin, and Sam make us do “cuteness workshops” in order to help us understand how Korean idols act.

David: We are all studying the language. We have study books, we also have an amazing teacher named Bora Kim. We study up on some of the variety shows and try to get our “cuteness” down pat! #aegyo~!

 

KC: Besides Korea, do you plan on branching out to other markets, or does this rely on the success of your Korean debut?

Frankie: There are several conversations and opportunities that are being discussed among our team. With everything happening so fast the past couple of months who knows what the next six months will look like, I’m certainly excited for the ride!

Tarion: I think that our goal is to touch as many people around the world as we possibly can. We get messages and comments on our social media, from people from all over the world that tell us we inspire them to go for their dreams, and I think we could all agree that that’s what really makes everything we do worth it. That humbles us and really makes us realize that if by doing what we love it makes people realize that they can do what they love why not take it as far as we can go. We still have a lot of growing and learning to do, but we’re up to the challenge.

 

KC: If you weren’t members of EXP, what would you be doing?

Frankie: I would be acting more and still trying to make my Broadway debut a reality! I love the stage and live performance really fulfills my soul. The energy between the performers and an audience is a magical thing.

David:  I would most likely be acting or singing somewhere in New York City or maybe I would be a burger boy at McDonalds (minimum wage is going up now…)

Hunter: I’m answering this for David. He’d be one of those fancy people that people pay to watch them sleep in a super luxurious museum. I’d watch.

 

KC: How would you describe your individual personalities?

Frankie: Hunter-He’s so funny! Even in serious moments he finds a way to make it funny. Šime- the realist, when we get caught up in the future, Šime brings us back to reality. Tarion- they joke and say he’s the diva of the group haha! He’s the charmer. Koki- is the baby of the group, the quirky weird one but you can’t help but to love him. David- the shy one, David loves a good nap. All together we are one silly crew of guys who are all very passionate about being in EXP and although we have fun, we work really hard!

 

 

David: I am quiet, in a group of six (plus three-IMMABB team) someone has to be quiet lol. Frankie holds it together, like a champ for us. Koki is the one with the guitar skills. He keeps us in the loop with ALL the new music. Hunter is the comedian. It doesn’t matter what time of day; you can always count on Hunter for a joke. Šime is like the Dad/Big brother; he rallies us all together when we start dreaming a bit too far in the clouds…Tarion, is the one that dreams really, really far in the clouds.

Tarion: We really do function like a family, and much like a family, we all have different personalities that complement each other and also drive each other crazy. We all love to joke and play around, but we also know how to be serious and get to business when we need to. Each of us are like six brothers and Bora, Karin, and Sam often have to play the older sister roles and keep us from going too overboard with our games and big personalities. (They just love it!) The guys tend to call me the “divo”/ male Beyoncé of the group.

 

KC: If you’re successful, you know fans will want to stan different members. Looking at yourselves, what individual traits do you possess that will make fans look at you and think “THIS is the reason I stan this member!”?

Frankie: This is an interesting one. I’m a very positive person and am always trying to look at the good side. I’ve worked really hard since I was a child to make my dreams a reality. Hearing no in this business is second nature, I would definitely want to inspire fans to not give up on whatever it is they believe in and to follow their heart.

David: My eyebrows? Maybe? I haven’t really thought that hard about it. Whatever reason they choose to “Stan” for me, will be a surprise.

Koki: I’m the Asian one.

 

KC: One thing the K-Pop fandom likes to do is write fan-fiction. Could you imagine yourselves as characters in a fan fiction? How would you hope fans would portray you, and what scenarios would you want to be in in a fan novel?

Šime: That would be so amazing! Hopefully they would NOT portray me as a 38 year old single dad. Well I always wanted to be Superman…. So maybe I could be some kind of a superhero?   That would be sweet. Can someone get on that? 😉

David: I hope they treat me within their fiction as a cross between Harry Potter, Edward Cullen and Jacob Black from Twilight. That would be AWESOMEEEEE!!!

Tarion:  I WOULD LOOOOOOOOOOVE to be a character in a fan fiction! I haven’t given much thought to this until now, but I guarantee you this is all I’ll be thinking about for the next few days! By the way, I am completely open to suggestions.

Hunter: I’m excited for this… One thing I’ve seen with K-Pop fandoms is that they’re extremely creative. I’d hope fans would portray me as a bangin’, crime-stopping elf with dope hair that flies around on a dragon (named Bob). He’s all magical and stuff during the day, rescuing people from dungeons and crooked wizards with mommy issues, and then he goes home to his pet squirrel( Elvis) and eats cheese and potato chips with him. Elvis always eats my cheese before I get home, which annoys me. Oh, Elvis… Then, one day Koki’s dragon (Tesla) has the flu, and Tesla has to stay home, have tea, and watch Sesame Street to feel better. So Koki has to ride on my dragon (Bob) with me to fight crime that day. But instead of doing that, we give Bob the dragon a magic potion that makes him fly higher than he ever has before, and we spend the day flying to the moon and doing tricks and flips with good ol’ Bob. Too much?

 

KC: Definitely not too much. Your wild imagination matches mine!

What are your favorite books, movies, or TV shows?

Frankie: I love Wolf of Wall Street, Slumdog Millionaire, The Notebook (haha!), TV shows: Empire, Orange is the New Black, Scandal and Amy Schumer.

Šime:  I’m really into scary movies. Not so much into gore as into paranormal.  Definitely a fan of American Horror Story.

 

KC: In your free time, what are some of your favorite activities?

Tarion: A: In my free time I love to FaceTime with my nephew (he is 1 year old now!), hang out with friends, take a walk through New York City and clear my mind and draw on new inspiration. I also really enjoy cooking for people and having friends over to my apartment to hang out and decompress from work for a while. (If you’re ever in NYC let me know, I might cook for you.)

Koki: Reading, working on motorcycles, drinking milk tea, and guitar.

Šime: Netflix. Netflix, Netflix, Netflix.

Frankie:  I love to spend quality time with close friends and family. I’m into extreme sports, and activities that are thrilling! Love to travel and go to the beach.

David: Free time.. Ha ha ha… There is no time for free time. We have to get to Korea.

 

KC: Finally, any final words for family, friends, or fans?

Tarion: THANK YOU! It would be impossible to express how deep our gratitude runs for your continued love and support. We are so humbled and thankful for everything. We love you and we feel so loved.

Frankie: I really want to thank everyone who has supported us since day one. When you see something getting a lot of hate it’s easy to jump on the bandwagon, but to the people who have our backs and try to spread love, we see you and appreciate you and promise to make you proud!

David: Family and friends: I love you! VERY VERY VERY MUCH! Thanks for always believing in me! Fans: I wanna see your best party moves when this 2nd single drops! NOLJA LET’S PARTY!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU!

Koki: I love you all!

We thank EXP so much for their time to do this interview. We wish them the best of luck! Show your support along with us by checking them out on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram!

 

—- Joelle Halon

Five Indonesian Gems

Indonesia is one of Asia’s most magnificent countries full of natural wonder and adventure for backpackers, honeymooners, surfers, or anyone looking for new experiences. Part of the excitement lies in the country’s many nooks and crannies. While some just visit Jakarta, Bali, or Surabaya, there is so much more to see and do. Check out some of these spots if you ever visit Indonesia!

Kawah Ijen Volcano

In 2015, the Kawah Ijen volcano received plenty of attention from the Internet community due to French photographer Olivier Grunewald’s photos depicting the volcano with blue lava. However, the “blue lava” isn’t lava at all! Instead, it’s sulfuric gas combusting when it comes in contact with air that’s over 680°F. The lava itself isn’t a different color as seen in the daylight; but at night, the flames from the sulfuric gas are visible, giving the lava its blue hue. If you want your chance to experience Kawah Ijen, which is located in the Banyuwangi regency in East Java, Indonesia, sign up for one of the tours which can last one day and night to several days depending on the package you select.

Prambanan Temples

Located 11 miles Northeast of Yogyakarta, Prambanan is a 9^th Century Hindu temple compound. The temples are dedicated to Trimurti— Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva (the creator, preserver, and destroyer, respectively)—and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visiting the temples offer a peaceful yet awe-inspiring look at the architecture and important elements of Hinduism. You can hire guides to take you throughout the temples, which is useful in experiencing everything they have to offer. For example, a tour through Candi Siva will take you throughout the chambers to see the statues of Shiva, Ganesh, Agastya, and Durga. In order to experience the temples and the garden, you should set aside a full day for the tour. Between May and October, visitors can experience the Ramayana Ballet a little west of Prambanan in an open-air theatre.

Bali Theatre

Experiencing the Bali Theatre is like experiencing some of the best Indonesia has to offer as past, tradition, and present combine in many art forms for a truly unforgettable experience. Currently running is Bali Agung, a sweeping spectacular that tells the story of Bali’s emergence. The show involves puppetry, song, dance, live animals, and fantastic costuming to tell Bali’s story and should not be missed!

Mount Kawi

Located in East Java, Mount Kawi is a volcano that holds significance in folklore and Indonesian history. Javanese folklore suggests Mount Kawi is home of the sacred Dewa Daru tree, which is believe to bestow riches upon a person who catches a falling leaf. Nearby, sacred shrines and tombs of spiritual leaders Mbah Jugo (Kanjeng Kyai Zakaria II) and Mbah Sujo (Raden Mas Iman Soedjono) rest. It is a place to absorb peace and learn about Javanese culture and folklore, especially since it’s easy to get swept away in Mount Kawi’s beautiful landscape. However, be prepared to walk a lot as you enjoy the shrines and caves. Touring the location brings a small fee that won’t break the bank.

Tulamben

If you enjoy diving and underwater photography, visit Tulamben to get your kicks. Tulamben has plenty of sea life to keep scuba enthusiasts thrilled. Besides sea turtles, crustaceans, and bountiful tropical fish, check out the coral reefs and other treasures that await you. For example, if you enjoy shipwrecks, the USS Liberty is 98 feet from the beach. For underwater photographers, the Tulamben Wall is home to sharks, moray eels, tropical fish, and coral. If you enjoy exploring coral reefs, visit Paradise Reef and Matahari Reef.

Of course, Indonesia has much more to offer. What are some of your favorite places? Share with us on Facebook! Until then, where will your adventure lead while visiting Indonesia?

—Joelle Halon 

KCrush interview with a Foxtrot and Latin musician/singer, Luis Kim

Luis Kim is a Korean foxtrot and latin pop singer who released his debut album, ‘Platonic Love’ in 2007.

Other than being a singer and performer, for the past years Luis has been involved and responsible for various kinds of businesses including managing a club, planning and holding events, festivals and etc.

In 2008, he received an award from Korea Singers Association for his humanitarian work.

Luis grew up in a very musical environment since he was very young, because his mother was a singer well-known in the 70’s era.

I sat down with Luis for a short interview to ask him about his life and the work he’s covered in the past. This will be an interesting read for many who are interested to read about the life of an independent singer or artist living in Korea, who is also active in the business world.

He advises that music should not be considered and regarded as a form of work or profession, but a way of life.

A special ‘thank you’ goes out to Luis Kim and we wish him all the best in all his endeavors.

 

 

*Hello Luis, thank you for taking the time for a KCrush interview. Please let us know what made you decide to be a singer?

My mother used to be a foxtrot musician and singer who was quite well known back in the 70s and I grew up listening to her songs. I was able to get myself into music from an early age.

In 1998, I moved to Chile when I was in high school. I got together with my friends and got started singing and playing the bass guitar in a band. That’s how I started doing Latin music.

It was not done professionally at the time, but I guess from then onwards, I started to get more into music.

 

*How would you describe your music and could tell us more about your career as a singer?

I consider music is a way to express yourself and who you are, rather than classifying music and songs into categories or genres.

Musically, I am capable of covering Flamingo, Latin, R&B and Soul.

I had to go to the military right after I released my debut album a few years ago and was not able to do any promotion for it.

When I got discharged from the military, I got the chance to experience a lot of diverse work, businesses and promotion that included running a club.

 

*Could you name any musical artists who influenced you musically?

I think I am most influenced by singers like Na Hoo-na(???) and Namjin(??) in Korea.

The legendary Japanese singer, Hibari Misora, who is known to be the queen of Enka (the name of the fox trot genre in Japan) until this day. Her father was Korean.

I think I am also very influenced by the singer, Luis Miguel in the Latin music world and last but definitely not least, Marvin Gaye.

 

*What do you think is the most difficult and challenging for an independent singer in Korea?

I have been doing a lot of businesses in various areas for quite a long time, so I was fortunate to have not gone through the hardships as much as some of the other artists do.

If I was to say the most challenging thing for singers these days would be that the opportunities for talented amateur singers to showcase their potential and to launch a career are pretty scarce.

When a well-known celebrity releases a song, people will still pay attention even if the songs are not up to the standard or even considered good quality music.

There are so many audition programs existing these days than in the past, it is still extremely difficult for new amateur singers to launch their career in the music business.

 

*Are there any interesting episodes you experienced you can share with us?

I have a song with the title, ‘?? ??’ (which can be roughly interpreted into English as ’Mind your own business’ or ‘Just do what you have to do’)

I was to visit a retirement home to sing as a volunteer work for a large group of elderly people and I had to perform that particular song to the audience. At the time, I didn’t know whether I should sing it with the same title or change the title into more of a formal term, prior to the visit.

I was quite perplexed on how I should sing the song, but I ended up singing it as I would have anywhere else and to my relief the audience loved the performance.

 

*As a singer, how do you look after your voice and health in general?

When it comes to food, I know that consuming broad bellflowers, fruits of schisandra are known to be good for the throat and the vocal cords.

I practice on my vocals and abdominal breathing which I find is a crucial process for singers. I also train myself to sing without damaging the vocal cords.

 

*What is the best thing about doing music as a profession, in your opinion?

For the future, I am in plans to use my musical gift as a kind of therapy to help and heal other people. I believe that using my music and sharing it with others is what I am supposed to be doing. When you get to share your talent with others around you, it is the best feeling.

 

*What do you like to do in your free time?

I don’t usually have much free time because I am always out there giving other people a hand and I invest a lot of time doing all sorts of miscellaneous businesses and such.

I got to spend some free time for myself recently and I played online games for a short while. I also used to spend time in the gym to work out, but due to the hot weather recently I’ve quit going to the gym for the time being.

 

*What is your favorite Korean cuisine that you would recommend to our readers?

Well, I should state something that I want to eat right now. I would say, the black noodles (???) in Korean style. There are several places where they make great black noodles.

 

*Can you recommend a song for our readers that you particularly like or sing often?

‘My girl‘ by the Temptations.

 

*What does it take to be a great singer/entertainer? Could you give any word of advice to the people who want to get into the music business?

If you are going to become a singer or entertainer, I think it is important not to consider the art of singing or entertainment as a form of labor or profession.

Since music should be a way to live a life, not like a business and industry. Music and any form of art should never be a burden if you enjoy doing what you do.

If you start regarding it as work or just a source to earn money, it would be very difficult not to fall into temptations like drug addiction and depressions and etc.

 

*What are your goals for the future?

I have a few songs that I am working on right now for my album that is to be released around next year, so I intend to complete the work.

I am planning to write an autobiography of myself. I want to write a book so I can reflect on my life.

 

— J. Chung

Let’s Cook: Tapa (The Philippines)

Tapa is a Filipino dish made from cured meat like venison, mutton, and beef. Tapa is part of the dish tapsilog which is made of tapa (the meat), Sinangag(fried rice), and itlog (eggs). Tapa is a dried meat that can be cured or uncured, grilled or fried. The dish is easy to make and doesn’t have a lot of prep work involved, making it a dish anyone can prepare from the absolute beginner to the seasoned pro!

Ingredients

• Lean Beef (round or flank steak works best)
• ½ Cup of Lemon Juice
• ¼ Cup of Soy Sauce
• 2 ½ Tablespoons of Sugar
• ¼ Tablespoon Black Pepper (fresh ground pepper is best)
• 2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
• Olive Oil

Prep

The Afternoon Before

Defrost the meat and massage a tablespoon of olive oil into it to provide some moisture. Place the meat in a Ziploc bag and let it rest in the fridge. Many tapa recipes do not call for this, so you can skip this step. However, if you prefer meat that isn’t dry, I recommend this step.

The Night Before

• Blend lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar, black pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl until it forms a paste-like consistency.
• Coat the meat in the marinade. Make sure to rub the meat well so it is coated and the rub is well-integrated into the grain.
• Place in Ziploc bag and let it sit overnight.

Cooking

• Remove meat from the fridge and cut the meat into thin strips along the bias. The strips will help it fry faster.
• Place meat on paper towels to wick away excess liquid. Too much liquid will cause the meat to broil instead of fry. However, the prep work the day before will help meat stay juicy and tender.
• Pour olive or Canola oil into a pan and heat using medium heat. Using too high a flame will burn your oil or cause it to catch fire.
• When oil is heated, place the meat into the pan to begin frying.
• Once meat is browned (it may look reddish thanks to the soy sauce), remove from oil.
• Place on a cooling rack with a paper towel or pan underneath to drain excess cooking oil.
• Serve with rice and eggs.

 –Joelle Halon

In a summer full of comebacks and debuts, GOT7’s 4^th Korean release has stood out the most for many. After waiting 7 long months and spending time on Japanese releases, GOT7 returned with “? ??(Just Right)”. The music video was released on July 12^th and the album charted well on Melon, Bugs and several other streaming services. The music video features miniature versions of the group singing and assuring a young girl that she is “Just Right”. The rest of the album is just as good, if not better than, the title track, with the song “Mine” most popular behind “? ??(Just Right).

The song’s lyrics include “Do you know how pretty you are in my eyes? I want you just as you are, you’re the only one” and seem to be promoting a message of self-love.

Fans have taken this message and turned it into a way of supporting each other with the “Just Right Selfie Project”.

All around the world people posted photos of themselves, commenting a feature they don’t like and finishing with “but I know I’m just right”, leading to the boys being called ‘healing-dols’ by several different Korean media reporters.

The same fan organization responsible for spreading the challenge, GOT7&co, has been working with other fan groups towards GOT7 achieving their first music show win. The group recently came in second behind Infinite’s “Bad” on The Show, showing the power of raising funding for support. By organizing the fan’s efforts in streaming the music video and song in the correct manner, a real result is very possible in the near future.

GOT7 have steadily risen up the ranks of idol groups and have developed a huge following, made up of many international fans. This is said to be in part because of the multinational members Mark, Bambam, and Jackson. The group is very well rounded talent wise as well, with several members MC-ing various shows, JB and Junior making appearing in dramas and Jackson making the variety show circuit.

GOT7 were also one of the most anticipated artist of this year’s KCON LA convention, where their fan meeting reached a huge attendance numbers, despite having just toured the US in May.

The group have also recently announce their 3^rd Japanese release, Laugh, Laugh, Laugh and have scheduled concert dates in Japan for next year.

GOT7 may not yet be a household name but with the demand for them worldwide steadily rising, they are well on their way to super stardom.

 

—-Ke’Anna Bullard

One of the most interesting shows from the Korean entertainment industry of late is The Genius. It is a game of strategies, alliance, double-cross, and more, which runs every week eliminating one contestant each week through a regular match and then a death match to decide who goes home in the end until there is no one left but only the champion. The games that are created are so genius and brain wrecking that a U.S. entertainment media licensed its right to replicate the same kind of game show. It ought to be a welcoming change for the U.S. audience who are so used to seeing the kinds such as Wheel of Fortune (a luck oriented game) or Jeopardy (a simple showcase of knowledge). Of course there are plenty of shows that feature muscles such as World’s Strongest Man, but there is nothing like The Genius.

Unlike Kpop music, however, there is a serious obstacle for this type of shows to thrive outside of the Korean speaking world. The show heavily depends upon the conversation of participants in order for the audience to truly appreciate the depth of the show in that the current level of subtitles generated for the Korean broadcastings simply do not live up to the expectation of the non-Korean speaking audience nor does it even try. There is a dichotomy in play here. As good as the content may be, there is no point of being good if it were not presented with a good communication—in this case, a good subtitle.

Traditionally, the importance of subtitles has been overlooked in the media industry because it was not to be perceived as a tool to reach your main audience. As such, having impressive subtitles was neither required nor expected. Such is not the case with Kpop. As important as the actual content is, it is all the more important to supplement that great content with an equally great subtitle in order to maintain the expectation of the non-Korean speaking audience that can get much bigger than its counterpart on the other side of the language barrier. After all, it is its appeal and the aspiration to reach the non-Korean audience that makes Kpop so special. So why is it any less important to equip Kpop with stunning subtitles that reach the minds and hearts of the non-Korean audience at its inner core?

Granted that there are little resources available to produce the dashing subtitles that can communicate even the surface implications let alone between the lines. The problem is most often hiring the trained professional translators. The translators are usually too mechanical in their understanding between the languages. They may be good at transferring the surface meaning, but they seldom delve into the deeper meaning underneath such as subtlety, between-the-line, cultural implication, and/or social perceptivity.

The subtitle industry in Korea has been operating under such an assumption that only the minimal efforts are needed for the transference of the story line to some foreign nationals that might happened to watch. The number was small and unimportant. By and large, it was for the sake of their Korean audience who might otherwise feel uncomfortable watching together with their non-Korean friend/spouse. The level of expectation on subtitle was very low indeed. However, such is no longer the case. The success of Kpop hinges on the success of generating a meaningful subtitle. Or else, it will only become the success of a Korean pop—nothing more and nothing less.

The Korean entertainment industry must embrace the reality that the vast non-Korean audience does not appreciate being left out of understanding the full context of what they are watching. If they invest so much in creating the Kpop content, why are they so skimpy on investing equally to make their Kpop creation whole? It is time now to open up their eyes to perfecting Kpop.

—-Jonathan You

Anda, who was formerly known as Andamiro, is a Korean singer, model and actress who made her debut as a Korean pop singer in April of 2012. Anda dreamt of being a performer since her early teens so she experienced countless auditions until she finally got a deal with a record label.

As soon as Anda released her debut single “Hypnotize,” which was an upbeat and European style of electronic dance music, she shocked the audience with her unique sound, highlighted visuals and diverse dance and performance. Even the outfits she and her dancers wore on stage drew a lot of interest and aroused controversy since male backup dancers wore similar skimpy, elaborate attire.

The “Hypnotize” single was not recorded in just Korean; English and Spanish versions are available. The addictive sound and interesting theme of the video garnered a lot of interest from the European fans. Anda visited Spain to perform in front of a large audience and also made an appearance on national TV.

Anda’s former management company had setbacks and had to discontinue their business. As a result, Anda had to take two years hiatus until she made a comeback in early 2015. She auditioned for her current company, the Emperor Entertainment Korea, which is a new branch in Korea owned by one of the largest entertainment companies in Hong Kong. Anda is the first artist signed to the company. The Korean CEO is the composer Jun-myoung Choi who is known for creating hits for various artists including Junghyun Lee, Cool, Wax and Fin.K.L. Anda has known him since she was in her former label, when he used to be the vice president for that company.

In this interview, Anda talks about how she fell in love with the music and performing, what she likes to do in her free time and her goals for the future as she has in plans to expand her work with modeling and acting in the near future. Anda is currently wrapping up the promotion and work for her latest single, “Touch” and we anticipate her to make a return with brand new music very soon.

We would like to thank Anda and also her management team for providing us her precious time to do this interview; we hope the readers and especially her fans found it an interesting read.

 

 

*Hello, Anda! Thank you very much for taking the time for a Kcrush interview. Could you tell us how you decided to become a singer?

When I was age 14, I was watching the movie ‘Mean Girls’ and there was a memorable scene where a gay student called Damien sang the song, ‘Beautiful’ by Christina Aguilera. I later searched the song on the Internet and really loved it. That’s when I started singing and inventing my own dance moves by myself at home. I guess the Christina Aguilera’s song inspired me to start singing and later to pursue a singing career.

 

*Why did you change your stage, ‘Andamiro’ to ‘Anda?’ (The meaning for ‘Andamiro’ indicates that the plate/bowl is bountiful to the point of overflowing. The word is pure Korean that was used in the past.)

The meaning for the name was great but because it was too long and wasn’t really efficient to pronounce at times. There were also too many businesses using and connected to the name. So we made a decision to shorten the name, ‘Andamiro’ to ‘Anda.‘

 

*How many hours do you spend on training each day approximately?

I train as many hours as possible at the studio by singing, dancing, and playing instruments from the moment I get up in the morning until I get home to bed. I try to do my best to train hard because I know how important hard work is; it really pays off later.

 

*If you could choose to do a concert anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I definitely would love to perform in New York. I’ve always had a certain fascination for the city since I was very young, and I still do. Last year, I took a trip to New York by myself and the whole process of the journey really motivated me. The vacation got me back on track in terms of decision making on a personal level.

It occurred to me back then that if I did not go on that trip, I would never have much chance to travel abroad alone later. I was going through a very difficult stage at the time, since I was not sure if I should continue to be a singer, so the trip to the States ended up being a special one for me.

I would really love to do a concert in America.

 

*What do you like to do when you have free time?

I play games on the mobile when I’m bored. I absolutely love watching movies; it’s what I enjoy a lot when I have time. There are so many movies that I enjoyed watching. There are a lot of movies that I can think of right now. One movie that particularly inspired me and would recommend is Blue Jasmine featuring Kate Blanchett.

 

*What kind of food do you enjoy consuming and do you have a special diet or work out to stay slim as you are?

I love eating all kinds of bread and cakes. I really have the craving for sweet delicacies. I work out and while training, do a lot of dance routines. I am not restricted on what I eat, but I take care to keep in shape for myself.

 

*Do you like to travel? Would you recommend a great place to visit in Korea for our readers?

There is a county in Kangwon province in Korea called Yang Yang that I would really like to recommend to travellers. Kangwondo is where you can also find the Seorak Mountain and the Jukdo beach.

People generally tend to just assume those kind of regions are agricultural, less developed, expect the majority of the population there are mostly all elderly people and generally just mundane. But Yang Yang is such an amazing place, and it’s a whole different world. I’ve visited a few times and there is just so much to see and enjoy there: The beach filled with young people enjoying themselves, surfing the waves and the whole atmosphere is definitely worth visiting.

 

*Regarding your latest single “Touch” – Could you explain the theme and the concept behind the music video?

We wanted try a concept that was less common and different because the truth is that you see a female singer with male actors and dancers all the time in music videos.

At first, arrangements were made to feature only male models for the music video, but they were switched to all female models at the very last minute. The change happened just a day before the shoot of the video.

Undeniably, the concept for “Touch” does contain a slight homosexuality code, but when you pay attention to listen to the lyrics, I would not say the music video is excessively sexual or intended to draw focus on homosexuality.

 

*What has changed the most for you after becoming a celebrity?

A lot has changed regarding my mind set and how I handle situations.

There are so many fans showing support for my music and what I do, which I am so very grateful for. On the other hand, there are at times I see comments by certain people who like to post nasty remarks or make untrue accusations online about my appearance and whatever, which can be hurtful.

At first, I didn’t understand why I should be judged by my looks. I made up my mind not to read the negative comments from now on. It’s not worth my time and I can’t get upset over spiteful comments made by strangers who don’t know the real me.

But most importantly, I must mention again that I am truly very thankful for the people who show support and like my songs, both domestic and from abroad.

 

*Could you describe what kind of person is your ideal?

My ideal would have to be someone I can trust and admire and get inspired by. I’m not the type who is picky about someone’s appearance; I don’t really judge people just by their looks. Although being good-looking would be a plus in most cases.

 

*Do you have any memorable episodes you’ve encountered while you were on stage performing?

Once, I was on stage doing a live performance in Hong Kong and the performance was supposed to be for contest, so I couldn’t afford to mess it up.

I was performing my song “Hypnotize,” and I never expected one of my heels would break off at the start of the song. The choreography and whole the performance for the song requires a lot of charisma, so the only thing I could do at the time was to keep dancing, pretending nothing was wrong. I couldn’t bring focus on the missing heel so I tried to get the camera to focus on my facial expression and tried to keep performing as nothing happened. Other than the issue with the heel, the performance went quite well.

 

*Based on your experience, what kind of advice would you give to anyone who wants to pursue a singing career?

There are so many people who are gifted and talented these days, so that’s why I think the most important thing to be able to do initially is to discover your unique point and figure out what it is that makes you stand out as an individual. You also need to be prepared to work extremely hard on what you have that defines you unique from others.

 

We would like to thank Anda for providing us her precious time to do this interview; we hope the readers and especially her fans found it an interesting read.

 

 

— J.Chung.

The Big Bang concert is hitting Los Angeles area again in just over a month from now. The Kpop popularity is soaring with splashes from both boy bands and girl groups left and right. In their dashing movements are some of the amazing skills that we don’t often see from other parts of the entertainment industries. The not-so-well known secrets of their success is probably the power of choreography along with other visual enhancements. Not too long ago, the new music video released by 2NE1, Come Back Home, was so reminiscent to the graphic illusion of the famous movie The Matrix that some would even challenge it with the accusation of plagiarism—please give me a break—to the idea of the virtual reality. A virtual reality?

Actually, the real essence of their so-called virtual reality draws its strength from the choreography underneath all the idea and graphics. If you look at closely, it’s all predesigned movements and steps that make the video all worthwhile. The latest example is the revival of the 1977 smash hit 나 어떡해 (Do you Know Me) by T-ARA. Their official music video is dressed up with very attractive colorful, yet original, customs on the stage. However, what makes the whole engine pouncing is the choreography of each and every movement by all the participating members in the music video (whether they are the girl group members themselves or otherwise).

One that comes up in mind is Rino Nakasone, a Japanese dancer/choreographer who just won the Huading Awards in 2015 for the category of Global Best Dancer-Actor. She choreographed for the big names such as Shinee, Girl’s Generation as well as TVXQ and BoA in her early days. Rino’s success is no surprise seeing that she earned her stage reputation while touring with icons such as Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani as a backup dancer. She also joined the prominent Beat Freaks to compete in America’s Best Dance Crew and was a runner-up in 2009. Her brilliance transpired directly into the success of boy bands and girl groups in the wave of this Kpop era. Yet she is not the only name to remember.

Another new name we should be paying attention to carefully is a young choreographer Parris Goebel and her choreographed Big Bang’s new video Bang, Bang, Bang, just released at the onset of this summer. It will blow your mind away and all those wonderfully choreographed videos of the past by various Kpop stars. It is filled with dazzling graphic and movement. There are so many components to work with from steps to fire and automobile in the background along with all other moving parts. Choreographing dances is only half the story. Goebel’s ingenuity shines in carefully fitting all the moving parts in unison with dance and music. It makes the whole video to come alive as though the entire screen is dancing right in front of your very eyes.

Perris Goebel just turned 23, but she is already living the dancer’s dream of every aspiring professional whose wannabe’s will idolize her like all those wannabe’s of the ice queen Yuna Kim. Having worked with Jennifer Lopez, Goebel is no stranger to the stars like Rino was, and she is the three time winner of the prestigious World Hip Hop Dace Championship. Her relentless strength as a dancer is that hip hop is a way to follow her “dream from dancing for fun to dancing on the world stage.”

Goebel doesn’t see any real difference between hip hop and Kpop dances. The biggest challenge is the cultural understanding. In that she succeeded in bridging the cultural aspiration with the dynamic yet very artistic movements of hip hop dances along the tune of Kpop music. Without her choreography, Big Bang’s Bang, Bang, Bang may very well have been lots of bang with no real Bang in it.

Jeju Island’s largest resort, ‘Jungmun Resort’ has created an entertainment and media tech museum called, ‘PLAY K-POP’ for K-pop lovers and enthusiasts.

The museum was launched on June 25th of this year and this kind of concept of ‘entertainment meets the latest technology’ has never been introduced to the public before.

The museum has a live hologram concert hall, where K-pop stars emerge and greet the visitors with the latest digital tech; the ‘PLAY K-POP’ audience can get a close-up experience of being at an actual performance of K-pop artists in a ‘Live hologram concert.’ You can also meet the Hallyu stars in 3D and virtually ‘in person’ and perform with the celebrities on stage, if you choose to.

The special exhibition hall features numerous activities like, ‘Meet the Star’ where visitors can experience a date with a Korean celebrity of your choice, the participants can experience being a star themselves in ‘I am a Star.’
Because the museum is very large in scale, the building with its three floors packed full of entertainment, it would take hours to look around and enjoy the fun.

You can travel back in time to learn about the history of Korean popular contemporary music and dance during the 70s to the 90s via the ‘Sound tunnel,’ ‘Music library,’ ‘Hall of Fame’ and enjoy so much more.
As the museum’s slogan says, ‘PLAY K-POP’ is where dreams become reality.
The PLAY K-POP is open all year around, from 9am until 7pm.

The admission Fees: Adults 15,000 KRW (Which is approx. 15 U.S dollars) and teenagers can get access with 13,000 KRW (13 U.S dollars)

The Special Hologram Concert will charge an additional price of 10,000 KRW. (10 U. S dollars)

Photo credits: PLAY KPOP

J. Chung.

KARA’s Gu Hara made her solo debut July 13 with “Choco Chip Cookies.” The song is about a couple who enjoy making and sharing cookies with each other. Given the sweetness of Hara’s vocals and the track’s soft music, the song—on the surface—is sweet and innocent and a cute love song. As the song unfolds, the chocolate chip cookie treat shifts to become a metaphor for romantic relations, especially when Giriboy’s rap is introduced.

The video has plenty of cute summer romance between Hara and her partner. The soft filters help provide the romantic, nostalgic feelings that may cause a viewer to reflect on a summer fling of his or her own. It was a cute stylistic choice to incorporate grainy, glitch film footage of the couple at play. Doing so helped make the pairing feel more realistic.

Overall, the video is very pretty, especially the beach scenes where Hara and her love are highlighted by the setting sun. The MV’s filming provides a sense of timelessness.

However, while there is this timeless film, the video is plain and basic and falls under the category of “MVs that are designed to show off how cute and pretty this female idol is.” There are plenty of sexy poses and rear, breast, and leg shots. Yes, Hara is a pretty, sexy individual, but this makes the summery romance MV feel cheap and shallow.

Of course, sexiness and sexual relations are the sub-themes for “Choco chip Cookies.” This is indicated by the bath bomb penetrating the pool at the beginning and turning it red (loss of virginity; red is the symbol of romance and passion). Then, throughout the MV, viewers are treated to symbolic scenes of Hara sucking on a lollipop (fellatio), dancing with her mate (intercourse), and fireworks (orgasm).

Pair the imagery with the lyrics, and the theme of baking cookies turns from wholesome to fiery. Cookies involve mixing ingredients (the couple’s chemistry), waiting for the cookies to bake (foreplay), and eating the cookies (intercourse). If this wasn’t the obvious metaphor at first, Giriboy cements the song’s meaning by rapping:

I’m so tired today but if I eat it all without leftovers

I know you’ll praise me

I don’t doubt it, I don’t want to unwrap the box

I just want to keep it, freeze it (yeah)

I think this is the best thing I’ve tasted

Can you make these for me tomorrow (and the day after?)

I don’t wanna give these to anyone, I wanna be the only one eating

If others eat this, their teeth might fall out

 

Of course, the song isn’t a bad song and is a solid solo debut for Hara. Coming into the debut, she had a lot of naysayers that felt she wasn’t a strong enough vocalist to carry solo material. Her voice is thin, but it is sweet, innocent, and refreshing. While the MV isn’t the best, it’s cute; so is the song… double meaning excluded (although cleverly crafted). Hara did well with the material and earns a 3.5/5.

 

Do you have an MV, album, or single you want us to review? Let us know on Facebook! New or old, suggestions may appear during the week or on Flashback Friday!

 

—-Joelle Halon

 

 

KCON 2015 is quickly approaching and having experienced the beast last year first hand, I can tell you, you WILL need to prepare ahead of time. Here are a few details and tips for those unfamiliar with the convention.

1. Familiarize yourself with the lineup.

Red Velvet, GOT7, Monsta X and Sistar are only part of the amazing line up this year. For the younger generation attending, Shinhwa’s 1996 debut may have occurred before you were born but that doesn’t mean you should ignore them. They recently had a comeback with “Sniper” and it was a great song. Another older group is Super Junior, and while not all their members will be in attendance, they definitely will put on a great show.

Alongside the performers, you have actors and other guests attending as well! So far Daniel Henney, Ki Hong Lee, Son Ho Jun, and Kim Soo Hyun have been announced. Kim Soo Hyun is known for his role in My Love From The Star and definitely would be a treat to meet, which brings me to my next point.

2. Fan Interactions.

Arguably one of the best parts of the convention. With each ticket level you have a chance for at least one fan interaction pass. There were three levels last year: audience interaction, hi-touch and signing. All of them are completely random scratch off cards you receive when you check in at the convention.

An audience pass, which all ticket tiers have a chance to have this year, allows you to watch the artists during their interaction, which is pretty exciting. There is also a red carpet version of this where you get to watch the stars walk the red carpet before the concert.

A hi-touch pass allows you to hi-five or shake the hand of the group during the interactions and a signing pass will allow you to get something signed by the artists. All of these are great opportunities to see your favorite groups up close. I was able to watch Teen Top during their interaction, meet BTS and B1A4 and get an item signed by VIXX.

One IMPORTANT fact about how the interaction passes work is that you may get passes for groups attending on different days than the one you are attending. For example, you may only be attending day one of the concert, but you could receive a pass for someone attending day two.

Many people will be willing to trade for certain groups so keep an eye out for that if you do not originally get the group you want to interact with.

I included a few of my own photos from fan interactions for visual reference.

3. Enjoy the rest of the convention

The convention during the day is another fun part of KCON. There were dozens of venders selling all sorts of food and merchandise for really good prices. Bring cash with you beforehand because you’re bound to see something you want and not all venders will take cards.

There will also be workshops that you can attend. There hasn’t been a full program released yet, but the ones last year were very entertaining and filled up the time before the concert. They have invited several YouTubers, cosplayers and writers this year, so who knows what all is in store for KCON attendees.

This year the convention part of the festival is indoors but still be sure to drink plenty of water and eat so you’re able to experience all that KCON has to offer!

4. Dress Wisely

This is something many people do not think about because of the excitement for the upcoming event. If you’re in a seat for the concert this year this section may not apply to you (but if you plan on standing, a few things might). Those with GA (General Admission) tickets should remember to dress accordingly for being in a standing crowd. During G-Dragon’s performance last year people got pretty close together in the standing area so it got really hot, really fast. Wear shoes that you will be able to stand for a few hours in to minimize any discomfort.

If the crowd ever gets too rough or scary, make sure you are safe and leave if you need to.

Most importantly, remember to respect yourself and others. Don’t ruin your, and potentially others, KCON experience. Hopefully these tips will help you get the most out of this fun convention!

—-Ke’Anna Bullard

 

In what was one of the most highly anticipated KPOP concerts to ever take place in Dallas, BTS brought the house down with a 24 song long set and left a sold out crowd in awe.

 

 

The show started with a VCR showing what looked to be a scene from their Boy in Luv era, featuring an aggressive teacher yelling at the boys. The boys then left from the creepy classroom only to return in bulletproof vests to destroy it.

 

This is when the screams got really loud, and BTS came on to the stage to perform N.O, We Are Bulletproof pt 2. and We On before introducing themselves individually in English to a chorus of screams.

 

 

One of the best parts of the night was when BTS slowed it down and performed Let Me Know, showing their more sensitive side. They performed all of their slower songs in a block, attacking all of the feels in the room at once.
Personally, I really enjoyed the rap heavy songs especially Cypher pt 3: Killer, the rap line’s solo song from their Dark & Wild album. Everyone was on their feet jumping and you could feel the floor shaking a little bit.

Music aside, another really impressive part of this concert were the stage graphics and production. The different screens and set pieces really made this show a well-rounded experience.

 

 

BTS is known for their intense choreography, yet somehow they managed to hit all of the dances accurately and still have extra energy to run around the stage during songs with no choreography. I was very impressed with their live performances especially the vocalists hitting the high notes present in several of their songs.

The entire encore portion was very emotional, starting with a VCR of their audition videos showing exactly how far they have all come. They finished the show performing ??(Dope), ?????(Boyz With Fun) and ??? ??(Rise of Bangtan), ending the show with a bang.

It was nice to see BTS perform a full solo concert. Each of the boys gave it their all and interacted with the audience more than I anticipated. Rap Monster is the most fluent in English but all of the others gave their best attempts to communicate with fans. The charm found in these boys combined with their talents show exactly why BTS are a worldwide idol group.

 

 

Thanks to BigHit Entertainment for allowing BTS to come stateside again and SubKulture Entertainment for organizing these events!

 

 

—Ke’Anna Bullard

 

#BTS #2015DallasConcert #Bangtan #TheRiseOfBangtan #BigHitEntertainment #DarkandWildBTSalbum #Cypherpt3Killer #WeAreBulletProof #NO #BoyInLuv #Rap #kpop #kcrushconcertcontent #kcrushamerica #kcrushtopasianamericanentertainmentmagazine #kpop #rnb #BTSontour2015 kpop2015concert #2015BangtanConcert

‘Berry Good’ is a five-member K-pop girl group who announced their debut on May 22th of 2014 by releasing their first single, ‘Love Letter.’ The group is signed under their management company, Asia Bridge Contents.

(For anyone who is curious about the meaning of the group’s name, ‘Berry Good’ simply indicates that the group is formed to fulfill good fruition.)

The five ‘Berry Good’ members go by the names, Taeha, SeoYul, DaYe, SeHyung and GoWoon.

The multi-talented member is ‘Taeha’ who is the leader, main vocalist as well as the lead dancer of Berry Good. This musically talented member set her mind to become a singer at a young age, spent long years of training prior to becoming the band member.

SeoYul is the lead vocalist of Berry Good, whose singing voice is considered very strong. She garnered a lot of interest when the group debuted because her older sister Yuna is a member of the Korean girl group, ‘AOA’ and SeoYul states that she was influenced by her sister in becoming a singer.

DaYe is Berry Good’s vocalist, rapper and well-known for being an animal lover. Plus, according to her own words; she is the naughtiest member of the group.

SeHyung is also the vocalist of Berry Good and known to be the most popular member of the group. Her initial dream was to become an actress, but her goals are now set on being a member of Berry Good.

GoWoon is the youngest member, a. k. a as the ‘Maknae’ of Berry Good.

She is currently co-hosting an English learning program called, ‘Real fun English’ on EBS.

Over the past year since the group debuted, there has been a change of the members. SeoYul, DaYe and GoWoon joined the group as the three previous members decided to leave to go their separate ways.

Berry Good released their second single, ‘Because of you’ with the new three members on February 9^th of 2015.

This girl group has so far only released two singles, but this interview will convince the readers that the members are very determined to make it big in the K-pop scene. The Korean music/entertainment industry is currently full of boy and girl bands and there is undeniably a lot of rivalry and competition involved to reach the top. Therefore, producing a massive hit would require more than just lot of hard work and dedication.

The ‘Berry Good’ members all seem to have a definite love for music, not only love but some of the members are extremely talented musically and born entertainers. That is the reason why I believe the hard work the group invested in becoming a better group will soon pay off and be revealed to their fans and to the public.

A big ‘Thank you’ goes out to the Berry Good members for providing a great interview. The Kcrush America team wishes them the very best in everything they do.

 

 

*Hello, Berry Good members! Thank you for taking an interview with Kcrush America. Would you introduce yourselves and the roles you have in the group?

Taeha: Hello everyone! My name is Taeha, the main vocal and the leader of Berry Good.

SeoYul: Hello, I’m SeoYul, the vocalist and responsible for being the one with the most ‘Aegyo’ in the group.

DaYe: Hi, I am an 18-year old called, DaYe who is in charge of being the mood maker of the group.

SeHyung: Hello, I’m SeHyung, a member of Berry Good who has a reverse charm.  

GoWoon: Hi~I am called GoWoon and I’m known for having a ‘Clear voice’ of Berry Good. Ha ha.

 

*What do you think has changed the most after your debuting as Berry Good?

Taeha: Everyone around me used to be curious and would frequently ask when we were going to debut. Now that we have, you can search us by typing our group’s name on Naver. Another thing that has changed after the debut and also the happiest thing for me is that we can search and listen to our album on a music site or the social network.

SeoYul: There are some restrictions to what kind of food we are allowed to eat and the lifestyle overall has changed the most, I think.

DaYe: Well…the time I can spend with friends and at my home with my family has reduced considerably than before.

SeHyung: For one thing, I find it still pleasantly surprising that my profile, photos, videos and articles can be found when I search my name on the internet portal sites.

Because this means that we have made a debut finally! I also love the fact and very grateful that I have fans that come to see me.

GoWoon: Most of all, now we have our songs that we can boast to others about our songs and play our tracks to other people!

-Taeha

 

*Have you always wanted to become singers when you were growing up? How did you become members of Berry Good?

Taeha: My dream was always to become a singer. I am told when I was very young, whenever any music was played, I would get up and sing along to the beat even when I was eating were sleeping. The people who saw me back then would say that I will surely become an entertainer one day. So since I was young, I put an effort to learn how to play the piano and I was featured in musicals during the earlier years of elementary school.

In high school, I was the vocal singer in the band that consisted of many well-known session members. As a band, we would perform in massive events or festival in the city and the money that we raised were donated to the underprivileged neighbors.

I wanted to explore more on music and experience the diversity, so I got myself interested in fox trot music and traditional Korean method of singing (which is called, ‘Chang’ –?) and I gradually got to expand my horizon on music. I really wanted to become a singer, but my parents were initially against the idea when I asked to take vocal lesson but eventually they became more supportive than anyone.

I took the audition to get admission to a vocal academy and that was when I met our current CEO and my extended family; I was able to debut in a band after five to six years of hard training.

SeoYul: It was always my constant dream to become a singer since was young. Because I knew how ecstatic it feels to be on stage, so I decided to pursue a singing career. My biggest influence was my older sister.

DaYe: My childhood dream was to become an animal communicator, but when I got into music I naturally wanted to be a singer. I loved to be on stage to sing and dance so I always took part and never missed out when festivals and competitions were held.

SeHyung: I wanted to be an actress at first but as I became more interested in singing and dancing, that’s how I made up my mind to do singing as a career. I feel that I have fulfilled a dream, so I am very content.

GoWoon: When I was younger, I wanted to work as a writer or a CEO for a hotel. However, as I got to experience what it feels like to be on stage after participating in festivals and school exhibition and etc. Then I realized that this is what I wanted to do!

 

-SeoYul

 

*Who would you say is your favorite artist that you admire?

Taeha: James Blunt. He is not only a great singer but his ability in delivering the lyrics is incredible and when you watch his performances, he connects with his audience ever so well. I’m very inspired by him.

SeoYul: I like and admire ‘Ailee’ sunbaenim (‘Sunbaenim’ is a respectable term for senior in Korean) the most.

DaYe: Well… this might indicate that I would have to select just one artist and truthfully it is very difficult to state one artist, because there are so many artists that I admire. If I was to mention just three artists, they would have to be Urban Zakapa, Jeong-hee Lim and Bruno Mars.

SeHyung: I admire BoA sunbaenim. I think her ability to sing and dance is great despite the fact that she is very small in figure. Her perfect performances and intricate dance moves are so admirable.

GoWoon: Because I am a vocalist, so of course I like and admire Haeri Lee ‘sunbaenim’ from the duo ‘Davichi’ and their songs. I always tune into watch ‘Immortal songs’ whenever she is on it.

 

*What kind of songs do you sing the most these days? Is there a song or an album you’d like to recommend?

Taeha: First of all, I’d like to recommend the two songs, ‘Love letter’ and ‘Because of you’ by us – Berry Good. Since we are still newcomers and not very well-known to the public, I assume not many of you would have not heard our songs.

Our songs are quite lyrical compared to other songs that are out currently and the melody of the songs is beautiful and attractive enough to give you a sense of comfort and happiness to the listeners. Please, listen to our songs and hope you love them!

SeoYul: Nowadays, I frequently sing ‘Sad love song’ by Davichi.

I would like to recommend the song, ‘Love letter’ from Berry Good’s first album. There are few different versions of the song, so I really want to recommend it.

DaYe: I like to sing R&B and ballads, the song I am presently practicing to sing it Nayoung Kim sunbaenim’s ‘Sometimes you’ (The original title in Korean is ‘?? ??’) and there is an exciting and rhythmical song I really like to recommend, ‘A night to remember’ by Mary J. Blige! Wish the readers will listen to it if you don’t know it already. It’s a song that gets you in a very good mood.

SeHyung: I generally like listening to songs by male singers. The song I enjoy listening to a lot is called ‘8 am’ by ‘My Q’ sunbaenim. You can also hear the actress Hyoju Han’s voice in the song. Hope the readers will check out this song.

GoWoon: I am frequently listening to ‘Eat’ by Zion T which has a very predictable tune. I listen to it often because the lyrics are very natural and it seems like the song understands my feelings. 🙂

 

*How many hours do you train a day? How do you deal with the stress and what do you do to maintain your state of health?

Taeha: We are training for at least nine to ten hours per day. I release stress by chatting and laughing with the other members and the best solution to reduce stress for me is to get a good night’s sleep. My father helps me out a lot when it comes to my health.

When I don’t have a set schedule, I go to bed before 1 am and get up at 8 am to work out, drink water and have fruit and vegetable for breakfast.  

SeoYul: Basically, we cover eight to ten hours of training daily. Hanging out with the members gets rid of stress for me. We have a beach ball in the dance practice room and we play with it and to exercise to maintain health and relieve stress.

DaYe: We train for about seven to ten hours. We each have our own method of dealing with stress. At times, we consume huge amounts food; cry our eyes out by watching a really sad movie or sing upbeat songs at the ‘Noraebang’ in order to release stress.

I am managing to keep in good health daily by working hard and sweating while practicing our choreography diligently after taking a healthy meal.

SeHyung: We normally arrive at work at one in the afternoon; take training until ten in the evening. But if there is more work to be done, then we train until twelve or one in the morning.

Regarding the stress, that can be solved when I chat with the members and when we go to the convenient store share tasty food together. For my health, I take vitamins and traditional Korean medicine my parents provide for me.

GoWoon: We usually train for approximately ten hours each day. When we get fatigued, the members dance to an exciting tune and we just dance in any way we like, watch a movie together and because we all love to eat so we release stress by eating well. ^^

 

 

-DaYe

 

*Is there a word or an expression that describes your character or image adequately?

Taeha: A tree. A tree grows when the sun shines on it and when it is watered.

In a sense, I want to become like a tree that reduces carbon dioxide and produces oxygen by growing and improving by receiving interest and love from the fans.

SeoYul: I think the word ‘Tomato’ goes well to describe myself. Tomatoes can be widely used, for ketchup as well as juice; likewise I think I also have a unlimited and diverse attractiveness.

DaYe: I’m just like a Beagle! My personality is so very active and I tend to be act as the naughtiest member of this group. Sometimes, I get so loud that the other members have to put up with the pain. I love messing around and love to freak people out by jumping out suddenly after hiding somewhere. The other members would probably all agree that I’m like a Beagle.

SeHyung: If I was to pick an animal that describes myself; then I think it would be a chipmunk. The group members and as well as my friends say that I look like Chip and Dale; the twin chipmunks from the Disney animation.

I think I resemble them as well, I guess it’s because of my chubby cheeks and big eyes. Ha ha.

GoWoon: ‘Laughter’ or ‘Happiness?’ J

 

*Do you all have a color you like the most?

Taeha: White and black.

SeoYul: I personally like any colors that are bright.

DaYe: Black, white, pink, blue and etc. I don’t have a set color I like but I like seeing two colors that contradict to each other. I like cool, bright colors.

SeHyung: I don’t have a particular color that I like in particular. But if I had to state one color then it would have to be red! I like all colors as long it’s not in fluorescent light.

I don’t usually wear such girly girl colored outfits so I tend to wear white, navy, grey and black in general. Dark colors mostly.

GoWoon: I like white the best; so very much that all my clothes are in white.

 

*Could you recommend a film, TV drama or book?

Taeha: I like to read books and love to watch movies immensely. If there is a movie to recommend, it would have to be, ‘Soul surfer’ which is something our CEO recently recommended and this reminded me learning and how precious it is.

SeoYul: I like to make time to watch the films and TV dramas that I like. I would also like to recommend people to watch the ‘Soul Surfer’ movie.

DaYe: I tend to watch movies often and I was very inspired by the movie called, ‘Like Stars on Earth’ and I’d really like to recommend the movie. I learned so many morals and was very inspired by it. For me personally, this movie is such a beautiful, pure and precious movie.

SeHyung: The genre of movies that I like is romantic comedy, this one is not a comedy but the first movie that comes into mind is ‘The Notebook’ and this is probably my favorite movie. I think I watched about three times.

GoWoon: I am a fan of the ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ movie. The atmosphere and the storyline is something that I really enjoyed watching.

 

*What do you like to do for in your free time?

Taeha: I like doing sports so I enjoy riding the bicycle, playing badminton and I like to do any other sports that I can do physically. Also, watching movies and bowling is what I do for leisure as well.

SeoYul: I play the piano for a past time and I also like catching up on the TV dramas I haven’t yet watched.

DaYe: I am interested in communicating with animals so I visit the pet store located near our company and try conversing with the dogs and cats they have there.

At home, I have a hobby of drawing miscellaneous pictures.

SeHyung: I like to lie on the bed, all by myself in the bed room and listen to the music that I like. I monitor my own videos, as well as video of other artists. I watch a lot of movies and TV dramas. I think what I like the best is doing various activities all day in my room.

GoWoon: I usually enjoy singing or writing my own lyrics.

 

_SeHyung

 

*Could you tell us about what you’d like to do the most this year and what your goals are for the future?

Taeha: The goal is to gain ten thousand people for our fan club. The thing I would like to do the most is get on a vacation for about two weeks just to eat and enjoy myself abroad.

SeoYul: This year, I really want to go to the swimming pool with our group members and record our own reality show.

DaYe: The goal for me this year is to have a perfect diet! I have a special love and craving for food so I have always failed in my previous attempts to lose weight, but this year I will succeed. Another thing I would love to do is to go on vacation with the Berry Good members and get out and enjoy myself freely. Because it’s currently summer, it would be great to visit the outdoor swimming pool or the beach.

SeHyung: For this year’s goal, I’d like to get Berry Good more known to the public.

I hope that our skills and everything about us would become more mature and also I have plans to make lasting memories with the group members.

GoWoon: I hope is this is the year that we get the name ‘Berry Good’ out there.

In the long run, we wish to contribute to writing and producing our own songs.

 

-GoWoon

 

*Thank you for the great interview and we wish the very best to the ‘Berry Good’ members. Can you something nice to your fans from abroad as we end this interview?

Taeha: Hello, everyone. This is Taeha from Berry Good. If anyone is out there reading our interview and acknowledging us then thank you so much. We are still new to the scene but we will do our utmost to be an inspiration. We’ll do our best in all the activities we cover in Korea, so we can later do the same abroad. We ask of you to show Berry Good much interest, love and support. We love you! ^^

SeoYul: We will be coming back much more enhanced and improved, so we ask you to keep an eye on us. Please show our group some love and support.

And for me, SeoYul as well…I love you all. ?

DaYe: For our fans abroad, we may be far apart in terms of distance but you do know our hearts are very close, right? We’re learning foreign languages to because we wanted to be able to communicate with you better. We still have a long way to go but we will put in our best effort. There are some of our fans who are learning Korean to communicate with us, so thank you so much for that; I have so much respect for you all – I have the same interest as all of you in my heart.

Another thing, staying fit and healthy is so important! Please take care to stay healthy, don’t skip meals, hope you all sleep well and wish all of you would always stay happy! We’re going to try our best to evolve and enhance as a group so we ask for your interest and love. Again, we thank and love you all!

SeHyung: Hello, Very Berries! Please anticipate our comeback soon and show us support and love please! We will be showing many sides to our charm.

GoWoon: Thank you very much for reading this interview until the end. We will be visiting abroad very soon so please wait for us!! Berry Good are gonna to work hard to become better and more lovable ~~chu <3

 

– Sehung

 

—- J. Chung

2PM made their return June 5 with No. 5, an album that focuses on their more mature sound. 2PM’s vocals did improve as there are stronger harmonies. While 2PM sound more mature, No. 5 isn’t among their stronger albums. The 12-track album is ballad and mid-tempo track-heavy which may delight fans of, say, 2AM, but the typical upbeat, fun tracks we usually get from 2PM are just a blip on the radar here. Sadly, subject matter comes across as repetitive and contrite despite vocal improvements, especially since it feels like they’re trying too hard to come across as manly and grown-up with many songs focusing on cheating and sex.

Opening the album is “My House,” a song about a potential one-night stand. “My House” is a solid track and a choice for promotions (even though promotions were extremely short) since it highlights Teacyeon’s rapping and the rest of the members’ improved singing abilities. There’s a good amount of high and low notes that make the song enjoyable. The lyrics are not among 2PM’s best as they are simplistic and repetitive, but the way they’re sung helps the track immensely. Around the 2-minute mark with the echoing lines sounds cool and enjoyable.

“Nobody Else” is a sensual song about being attracted to a woman, but it’s shallow and more lust-filled than romance-filled. The rap is the highlight in “Nobody Else” since it somehow makes the song feel more sensual. For this song, overall vocals weren’t as sharp as they could have been. There are moments when some of the vocals fade out awkwardly, and this could be due to audio quality or just a weak performance. With this, the chorus can be somewhat grating. However, the song has unique instrumentals that help it stand out a little.

Next up is “Hallucination,” a poetic breakup song that sports some of 2PM’s best lyrics. While it sounds like a possible Backstreet Boys throwback song, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. The R&B beat sounds nice with some of the upbeat tones, making the song interesting. The vocals work well as they are softer than vocals for other songs.

“You’re Not the Only One” is easily one of the best songs on No. 5. While the lyrics suggest both parties in the relationship are cheaters, the song is easy to get wrapped up in due to its execution. This one highlights 2PM’s growth best due to the well thought-out melodies and amazing high notes.

Track five is “Hotter Than July” and is about lust and sexual relations. The song has a sleazy lounge feel, which indicates further what the song is about. Taecyeon’s low rap breathes life into the song, but he’s the only one that barely saves it. “Hotter Than July” is a forgettable track that is lifeless, so there’s a reason why it’s buried in the middle of the album.

“About to Go Insane” brings the synth and sound of some 2PM hits of yore. The song is necessary since it assures the audience they didn’t die in a sea of ballads. The 80s-sound and tease-filled lyrics play well into the album’s theming.

“RED” comes in as the seventh track and brings a return to the balladesque, R&B sound. “RED” has a generic feel to it as it’s more of a standard R&B track and falls under the category of “standard K-Pop album track.” The lyrics are romantic and sexy, and Taecyeon is just awesome. However, the song isn’t anything special since it sounds similar to many other K-Pop songs by different groups. It proves 2PM can be sexy, but it doesn’t prove they can stand out.

“Wanna Love You Again” is another baby-making track. The falsetto works for the track, but that’s about it. “Wanna Love You Again” is a snooze-fest that has a Boyz II Men feel. Songs like these are designed to make fans feel like the band could be potential love interests. While it’s an effective tactic, it doesn’t make for interesting music if the song is paired with a monotonous, sleepy beat. “Wanna Love You Again” needed a different beat to remain interesting because the singing is good. The harps are an interesting inclusion to help make the track a little less mundane, but the tempo needs to change.

Track nine is “Know Your Mind,” a song about falling in love. The song has a more upbeat vibe, which is plus. It is another R&B track, but it doesn’t feel as standard as other tracks on the album. The main issue with “Know Your Mind” is that the sound quality isn’t the best. The chorus fades from quiet to slightly loud, and instrumentals drown 2PM out. Sometimes it felt like they were singing in a distant tunnel and trying to project their voices. Some of the vocal distortions assisted with making the song feel this way too. It’s hard to tell if this was intentional or just poor production quality… unless 2PM were in the girl’s mind literally getting to know her mind and we’re just hearing the echoing of their voices inside the girl’s cranium.

“Magic” and “Jump” contain the sound many love from 2PM. The dance tracks save the album from being completely lifeless as they’re playful, flirty, and fresh. With “Magic,” there’s a good amount of swing in the beat; whereas “Jump” is synth and EDM heavy. “Jump” definitely feels like a night of clubbing, so it’s refreshing for that reason because it feels like a remix track. “Magic” and “Jump” definitely recapture the fun element that is 2PM.

Finally, “Good Man” brings back the seductive vibe from “Wanna Love You Again” and “RED.” The track has hints of Motown, making the song feel old-but-new again. There is a lot of saxophone involved in it, so it feels like 2PM hired Kenny G. to join them to try to add romance. The sax addition makes the song different, so that’s okay. However, it’s just another slow song, so the album closes with a fizzle than a bang.

Maturity is definitely the theme for No. 5. Apparently for 2PM, mature means slowing down the content and sexing it up. The album needed a better balance between “mature” and the usual 2PM sound we hear in title tracks to help with the transition. No.5 wasn’t their best album, but it’s enough to keep fans happy. No. 5 earns a 2/5.

—-Joelle Halon

If you are in Korea from June to August and know which festivals or events to attend, the summer season can provide immense fun and entertainment you can share with your family members and friends. Some of these summer activities include the West Coast’s Boryeong Mud Festival, the Busan Sea Festival and the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival performed by international rock musicians, the Gangjin Celadon Festival which showcases ancient ceramics and there are more events on the list. There is a long list of festivals you can enjoy.

Buyeo Seodong Lotus Festival                  July 10th (Thu) – July 19th (Sun), 2015

The Buyeo Seodong Lotus Festival is held at the first man-made pond in Korea called, Gungnamji, which is located near the palace built by the King Muwang of the Baekje Kingdom.

There are several activities like lotus face-painting, making lotus soap and lotus tea, you can also take part in an art contest.

Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival      July 16th (Thu) – July 26th (Sun), 2015

The film festival is held in various locations; at the Bucheon City Hall, the Korea Manhwa Content Agency, CGV Bucheon, Bucheon Gym, Bucheon Grass Square, Sosa and Ojeonggu outdoor theaters.

The films that are shown during the 11 days of the entire festival and the audiences can also get involved in having discussions with film directors. This unique film festival screens films from all over the world of variety of genres, including horror, mystery and many more.

Boryeong Mud Festival                             July 17th (Sat) – July 26th (Sun) 2015

Boryeong Mud Festival is known for its high quality of its facilities and overall for providing great service for its visitors. This festival is located right in front of the beach and the event is popular because it offers different themes like the mud massage pack, mud body painting and soap-making.

You can also head over to the mud massage zone to get some rest or receive massage treatment.

Pohang International Fireworks Festival           July 30th (Thu) – August 2nd (Sun) 2015

At the Pohang International Fireworks Festival, you can take a view of the beautiful night skyline as it is lit up by many fireworks set off by different representatives from various nations.

The coastal city of Pohang is famous for its spectacular view of the sunrise. The festival includes the parade, live concerts at the beach, light art contests and etc.

Hamyang Wild Ginseng Festival               July 30th (Thu) – August 3rd (Mon) 2015

Hamyang is a city where the Korea’s well-known mountains, Jirisan and Deogyusan are located. The city is also famous for producing high quality ginseng and wild herbs.

The Hamyang Wild Ginseng Festival is held in order to promote the natural products that grow locally.

During the festival, the visitors can directly participate in programs like harvesting, pottery making, take part in baking ginseng rice cakes and other local activities in Hamyang.

Jeongnamjin Jangheung Water Festival         August 7th (Fri) – August 9th (Sun) 2015

Jangheung is a small county in the region of Jeollanam-do, located near the sea of Boseongman Bay, and nearby lies the big lake created by Jangheung Dam and Tamjingang River.

The Janheung Jeongnamjin Water Festival is held every year during the summer. The Jeongnamjin Water Festival aims to offer water-themed events where its visitors can enjoy themselves and get actively involved in summer games and activities. Additional events from the festival include, Atopy healing health camp, Woodland woodcraft experience, Woodcraft exhibition and etc.

Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival                  August 7th (Fri) – August 9th (Sun) 2015

More than sixty bands will be playing at this rock festival this year, including famous international groups, including Seotaiji, the Prodigy, YB and several international groups will be playing at this major outdoor rock festival.Hot summer nights and rocking beats make a perfect atmosphere for a great rock festival.

The festival is held in Incheon City; meaning there are a variety of cultural activity programs and city tours readily available.

The 20^th Busan Sea Festival                        August 1st (Sat) – August 8th (Thu) 2015

The Busan Sea Festival is a massive event that consists of many types of events and festivals.
The rock music festival, a beach dance festival and a several water sports.

The most favorite option for many would be just to lie on the sandy beach or taking a swim in Busan’s Haeundae Beach, Gwangalli Beach, Songdo Beach, Dadaepo Beach, Songjeong Beach and etc.

Jecheon International Music and Film Festival   August 13th (Thu) – August 18th (Tue) 2015

Launched in 2005, the Jecheon International Music and Film Festival celebrates films set in the beautiful landscapes of Jecheon plus music that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Music, cinema and musical performances will be staged outdoors on the shores of Cheongpung Lake.

The closing movie that is shown is a film produced by the winner of the World Music Film category. Several recently released films and musicians will be performing on stage.

—-J.Chung

On Thursday July 16, 2015, BTS held their first US concert for their 2015 Red Bullet tour at Best Buy Theater in New York City. According to fan accounts on Twitter, the show was going well and provided plenty of fun and excitement. At one point, BTS walked off the stage.

Many fans felt this was a part of the show until organizers took the stage to tell fans the show was over and the Hi-Touch would be canceled due to a safety concern.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PPL THINK ITS FUNNY TO THREATEN NAMJOON, HI TOUCH CANCELLED #TRBinNYC pic.twitter.com/jL2rvCOJfY

— Natasha ?TRB TODAY? (@TaeWithMe) July 17, 2015

When the announcement was made, it was unclear what the concern was about other than it was serious due to the cancellation; police were also called to the venue. At first, fans felt the cancellation was due to people taking videos and photos. As news spread on social media, fans discovered the cancellation was due to someone making a threat against Rap Monster on Twitter. The account holder posted a photo of a gun and the caption “Just brought my gun it’s about to go down RIP namjoon #TRBinNYC” (sic).

When reports of the threat started to emerge, some felt it may have been due to recent comments Rap Monster made in Australia regarding how he couldn’t see two fellow members because of their “blackness.” So far, the connection is unconfirmed and this threat is the result of a sick, unfunny joke.

As fans dug further into the threats, they discovered the person who made the threat—this person will not be named as he or she does not deserve such notoriety—was not in attendance at the show and may not even be located in the United States. When other fans pressed the alleged threat-maker, the person admitted to living in Canada, then tried to claim his/her Twitter account was hacked before disappearing.

It is unclear at the time of this writing if police questioned or plan to question the individual.

Even though the Hi-Touch event and part of the show were canceled, BTS did take to Twitter to express their gratitude for fans and thanked them for attending the show. The boys’ spirit and seemingly good nature lifted fans moods.

For several hours following the threat, #TRBinNYC trended on Twitter. Fans shared their accounts of the show and expressed frustration over how one person ruined the fun of what many considered a great show.

BTS fanclubs and individual ARMY members mobilized to trend tweets of apologies to the boys to reassure them that not all fans are bad fans and that they are grateful for their visit to New York and the US. In Dallas, Chicago, and LA, fans have appreciation events and activities planned as an apology for BTS for the sad end to the New York City show.

SubKulture and Big Hit are supposedly discussing whether to cancel Hi-Touch events in the remaining stops of the US tour. At the time of this writing, Hi-Touch events are still expected to go on despite misinformation floating around social media suggesting the events have been canceled. At this time, it is wise to await word from Big Hit or SubKulture.

Sadly, this isn’t the first threat to hit a K-Pop concert this year. In June, a fan threatened to set off a bomb at a BIGBANG concert following a music show voting controversy between the long-time group and EXO.

Threatening harm or to kill anyone is not a joke. In some locations, threatening a location with a bomb is considered a terrorist threat and can land someone in serious trouble not only with the police, but with the feds as well. Anyone who thinks this is humorous needs to mature quickly.

In this instance with BTS, one person ruined an event for everyone in attendance while a possibility that it could be ruined for other cities looms as well. It may be possible that other companies and artists may see this occurrence and feel the US isn’t a safe place to perform, therefore potentially ending the K-Pop experience here.

None of us wants that, do we?

—-Joelle Halon

For foreigners, 2009 was one of the better K-Pop years. With debuts by After School, 2NE1, 4Minute, T-ara, f(x), BEAST, Secret, MBLAQ, and Rainbow, it was a year to remember for these fandoms. Unfortunately, there were groups that didn’t survive the debut wave even though they had potential.

Lee Yeon Entertainment debuted Heart and Mind (HAM) September 23, 2009 with the song “T.T. Dance.” The then four-member group was made up of leader Miyu, Gayeon, Hyoni, and Sujin. Prior to “T.T Dance’s” release, the girls were introduced and their training documented on the Mnet show Hello, We Are New Group HAM.

HAM’s “T.T. Dance,” which is powerful and catchy, served as a nice introduction to the group; listening to it now perfectly captured the sound of the year with strong, impressive vocals and dance-heavy beats. HAM promoted “T.T. Dance” for two months with moderate success, but not enough to propel them into the spotlight. Shortly after “T.T. Dance,” the group promoted “Dugeun Dugeun,” which was cutesy song, but didn’t capture the power of their first song.

Part of HAM’s issue was when they debuted: Groups like T-ara, 2ne1, and 4Minute caught more attention domestically and internationally due to stronger promotions and debut songs. Furthermore, HAM came from a smaller company. Another issue lied in how 2009 was saturated in female group debuts. Naturally, some groups would get lost.

HAM did have a Korean single for the World Cup in 2010 called “We Are One,” and they also had an opportunity to do a promotional song titled “Alpensia” for a Korean ski resort, so some did recognize their talent.

Another issue that hampered HAM was how their company opted to promote in Japan. For larger groups with established fanbases, promoting in Japan isn’t a problem. But when a group hasn’t had enough time to gain ground in one market, then it’s a bad idea.

While in Japan, HAM had a TV show, a single, and a few concerts, but they didn’t earn enough status.Throw in a long hiatus in Korea and not enough promotions, and a recipe for disaster ensues.

 

 HAM returned to the Korean market in October 2010 sans leader Miyu, who left the group. The now-trio released “So Sexy,” which was a strong single but lacked the vocal depth of “T.T. Dance,” “Dugeun Dugeun,” and “We Are One.” Besides the awkward high notes affecting the song, broadcasting stations took issue with the song’s dance and content, limiting “So Sexy’s” airplay. With little promotion and an already diminished fanbase, HAM’s days in Korea were numbered.

Lee Yeon Entertainment sent HAM back to Japan for more promotions prior to trying to break into the Chinese market. Both attempts did not yield success.

In February 2011, HAM made one more attempt at the Korean market with “Lower Your Sight.” The song earned praise and moderate success, but it was the last time they were heard from again. While there wasn’t an official announcement, HAM disbanded in 2012. Sujin later redebuted as a member of BBde Girl; they haven’t been active since 2013 and are rumored to have also disbanded.

HAM may have been successful if it wasn’t for poor promotions and missteps by their company. Then again, there were many strong groups that debuted in 2009 that are still around today. HAM had the vocals, but sometimes that isn’t enough to stand out. It was nice knowing you, HAM. We’re sad to see you disappear into K-Pop history.

—-Joelle Halon