How Some Fans Handle No Live Concerts During Quarantine

Quarantine… We have officially stepped into another month of social distancing and all-around move-and-work limitations. For some, it feels like we have been this way forever while for others the thought of living like this since March or even earlier seems unimaginable. The news and the media have been flooded with all kinds of information regarding politics, health organizations, economy… the list goes on and on. The tension grows by the day so we’re here to tell you to take a deep breath and just relax. Even if it is just for a moment. We can talk about something that almost always brings joy – “what is happening inside of our K-Pop world?” More precisely, today we will not be focusing on persons on the big screen, today we will talk about how are those feeling who are watching everything. Today it is all about our loving people inside the K-Pop community!

BTS online concert

In the spirit of all that, we have made a little survey and short interviews with K-Pop lovers all around the world. We gathered 7 quick questions and asked our friends to share their thoughts. Even though the questions are quick, we told them not to limit themselves and answer in a way they find most suiting. Not to keep our readers waiting any longer, here is the list of our questions:

1. What do you miss the most in the K-Pop world since the lockdown?

2. Online concerts vs Live concerts: in your opinion, what are the biggest pros and cons?

3. Since there are no meet and greets, promotions etc… how did you stay connected with the idols?

4. How do you think the agencies are handling the world pandemic?

5. What do you think, how are the artists feeling now that they cannot perform?

6. What did you learn during the pandemic? (Doesn’t have to be K-Pop related)

7. And for the end, what’s your message to the other fellow K-Pop lovers?

At the end of this article, you will find two interviews – one from Milica (Serbia) and one from Tina (Greece). They both send their greetings and wish for everyone to stay safe during these trying times. But until we reach the ending, we will use this spare moment to discuss the survey results.

Most of the K-Pop lovers feel really worried about how everything is affecting their biases. As performing and promoting live is a big part of their career, this must have been a big shock to them all. Luckily the companies made a way to meet everyone in the middle – the solution being online concerts, events, promotions and so on. Of course, the charm of actually seeing the idol is gone. That is one of the biggest flaws of online communication. Especially when it comes to idols. The magic of being in their presence is what every fan looks forward to the most. The stage, the minutes before the show, the actual show, the idol-fan interaction, the costumes, the performance. Everything about it has its own magical charm. In those moments people get so overwhelmed with happiness and that is the moment when happy tears fall down. In that moment we all forget about our worries and just live and savor the moment. It is something that no online concert can bring to life. We all miss it. But hopefully, things will go back to normal soon.

BTS online concert

To light up this article, not all is dim and covered in grey shades. A lot of stans stated that they are happy that our idols now have time to properly rest – as that is something they rarely do.

“Comebacks are happening on the weekly basis so they must be feeling extremely exhausted, now they can take time and enjoy their own life without feeling the pressure to preform so frequently”, said Alice (United Kingdom).

Other cheerful news – BLACKPINK’s new album dropped and since it is their first full album, fans all around the globe are thrilled and excited. In my humble opinion, it was just the right medicine. The new music video is phenomenal as the stans say and the songs are straight fire.

Cover for BLACKPINK’s new music video “Lovesick Girls”

The one – maybe most surprising – is “Bet You Wanna” which is featuring Cardi B. Cardi B and BLACKPINK, huh? Who would have said that those would cross paths? But the collaboration is here and it’s worth every compliment it gets!

“THE ALBUM” by BLACKPINK

Not to make you wait any longer, meet Milica and Tina! They are two wonderful girls who were very excited to respond to our interview. Enjoy!

Interview with Milica (Serbia):

1. What do you miss the most in the K-Pop world since the lockdown?

Their music and dances are all I need to survive and that is what I got, soooo nothing really.

2. Online concerts vs Live concerts: in your opinion, what are the biggest pros and cons?

In my opinion live concerts are so much better, because when you are actually there you can really see them and feel their energy and that’s something that online concerts can’t replace. On the other hand, online concerts made it possible for anyone in the world to join the concerts. So now people who live in smaller countries don’t have to travel and spend lots of money just so they could see their favorite group.

3. Since there are no meet and greets, promotions etc… how did you stay connected with the idols?

Through their music of course. I, honestly, didn’t really go to meet and greets, so pandemic in that way didn’t affect me.

4. How do you think the agencies are handling the world pandemic?

I think they are handling it fine. I know for BlackPink it’s definitely great – we didn’t get this much comebacks from them since their debut.

5. What do you think, how are the artists feeling now that they cannot perform?

I think it’s good rest for them, but for now only. I think we all need that idol-fan interaction and live connection.

6. What did you learn during the pandemic? (Doesn’t have to be K-Pop related)

I learned new dancesssssss 😆

7. And for the end, what’s your message to the other fellow K-Pop lovers?

I love yaalllll 😍😍🥰🥰

Interview with Tina (Greece)

1. What do you miss the most in the K-Pop world since the lockdown?

I feel like the one thing that kpop fans and me included miss the most is probably the live concerts and interactions between the fans and their fav groups. And because of the lockdown we aren’t able to experience that like we used to.

2. Online concerts vs Live concerts: in your opinion, what are the biggest pros and cons?

The biggest pros of live concert is getting to hear your fav artists sing and dance live in front of you of course but also, I feel like fans can meet other people in concert who enjoy the same artist/group as them, and become friends. Now for the cons of live concert, to be honest I don’t think there is any? Maybe waiting in line for a lot of hours if the venue is big or maybe getting hurt if the fans try to get through so they can be closer to the stage but besides that I can’t think of something else. Now for the pros for the online concert, I think that it’s a great alternative for now, since we are all in quarantine with not a lot of things to do and locked up in the house, getting to watch an online concert is very exciting and fun experience for the fans since they can’t see them live. The cons are probably that the fans can’t get closer to each other through an experience like that and the idols probably feel bad for not being able to see their fans as well.

3. Since there are no meet and greets, promotions etc.. how did you stay connected with the idols?

As far as the promotion goes, we did get to see idols perform their songs although the fans couldn’t attend, we at least got to support them and see them through social media. I stayed connected with them by watching the content they put out such as vlogs or other videos of them playing games or stuff like that. Of course, I got to listen to their new songs and watch the mv’s they put out. A lot of them are doing lives so they can talk to us which is nice. We can also stay close to them through social media and such.

4. How do you think the agencies are handling the world pandemic?

I think agencies are trying their best to keep the idols safe but also finding ways to let their artist stay connected to fans by making online concerts possible. So I think they are handling it okay.

5. What do you think, how are the artists feeling now that they cannot perform?

A lot of them have expressed through social media they feel very sad and heartbroken since they can’t visit their fans all over the world and perform for them their new music. But at the same time they are aware of the situation and that they cant do anything to fix it so they try their best to stay positive and cheer their fans as well.

6. What did you learn during the pandemic? (Doesn’t have to be K-Pop related)

To appreciate live contact so much more, I think that is something we have all learned during these times.

7. And for the end, what’s your message to the other fellow K-Pop lovers?

I hope all the kpop fans can stay patient until this pandemic is over so then we can go and see our idols live. Until then I hope everyone is doing okay and can still cheer up for the idols and enjoy the music.

—-Jasmine Avulovic

On September 15th, police said on that they are investigating two members of a K-pop boy band for their alleged involvement in illegal overseas gambling.

Jung Yoon-hak and Kim Sung-je were booked by police for illegal overseas gambling while in the Philippines between the years 2016 and 2018.

The two made a statement that they did not visit the Philippines to gamble, but “accidentally stumbled upon it” while they were there.

One of them, is said to have also gambled on an illegal website.

SV Entertainment apologized on behalf of them, by saying, “We’re sorry for causing trouble to you fans with the bad news about the careless behaviors of Yunhak and Sungje,” adding the two members deeply regret and are reflecting on their actions.

Yoonhak was tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this year in April, after coming in contact with a hostess who works at a bar. He explained that he came in contact with the hostess, but he did not meet her at a bar.

–J.Chung.

BTS’s new album “BE” will be released on November 20th, as announced by Big Hit Entertainment via the group’s online fan community BTS Weverse. “BE” will be BTS’ second album of 2020 – following MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 – the fourth studio album from the group.

“This album is made more special by direct involvement from BTS in not only the music, but from the concept and composition to design. You will discover throughout the album the thoughts, emotions and deepest reflections of BTS while experiencing an even richer musical spectrum.” The announcement said. “BE” album is stated to be a special record by BTS members, but the announcement did not elaborate on other details.

From this Monday to Friday, the super group will appear on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” for a weeklong special of “BTS Week.”

Pre-orders of “BE” will start at 11 a.m. Monday, according to Big Hit Entertainment.

J.Chung.

#BTS #Newalbum #BE

After successfully captivating audiences all over the world, and faithful to their will of always staying connected to their fans, ATEEZ will be holding their second anniversary concert; ATEEZ 2ND ANNIVERSARY ONLINE CONCERT: Port of Call on October 24 starting 15:00 KST.

This show comes to celebrate ATEEZ’ successful 2 years since debut, in today’s reality of restricted travels and social distancing. This unique online show will allow global fans of the Seoul-based group to experience their music and energetic performances from the comfort of their homes.

ATEEZ’ online show was made possible by a technology forward platform, MyMusicTaste, that not only allows fans to request physical concerts of their favorite artists in their cities, but also provides the newly added feature of online streaming, which allows artists and fans to stay connected in the pandemic age.

Debuting on October 24 2018, ATEEZ kept themselves busy and continually challenged their creative impulse by releasing over 5 mini albums and 1 full album in a span of two years.

After wrapping up their epic Treasure saga early this year, ATEEZ shook the world with the first album of the new era ATEEZ ZERO: FEVER Part.1 on July 29. The album confirmed the group’s musical and visual superiority by breaking its precedents records of physical album sales, and its lead song “INCEPTION” entering the top 10 of multiple local and international music charts.

ATEEZ global power was proven as early as 6 month into their debut, after they sold out their first world tour “THE EXPEDITION TOUR” in a matter of minutes. The performances powerhouse then upgraded from a thousand capacity theater shows to arena shows for their now postponed world tour ATEEZ World Tour The Fellowship: Map The Treasure

The band’s well-crafted performances and producing skills received worldwide attention, both from the fans and the media by being featured on Billboard, MTV, The Grammy, DAZED, and many more outlets around the world.

ATEEZ current line up consists of Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho.

Early bird tickets sale for ATEEZ 2ND ANNIVERSARY ONLINE CONCERT: Port of Call started on September 29 15:00 KST, on MyMusicTaste.com, YES24 Ticket and SKIYAKI. Fans will then enjoy the concert exclusively via MyMusicTaste.com.

Further information regarding ticketing and the show itself can be found throughhttps://mmt.fans/iz79or through other social media channels of MyMusicTaste.

About KQ Entertainment :

KQ entertainment is a global music content company with artists of a wide range of musical genres. The company flexibly responds to the rapidly changing domestic and overseas markets. Based on a label-specific operating system that takes into account the characteristics of musicians, KQ Entertainment continues to discover and support high-potential labels and talented musicians, thereby enabling idol groups and artists to coexist and positively influence each other.

About MyMusicTaste:

MyMusicTaste is a fan initiated live event making service that brings fans, artists and promoters from all over the world together in one place to create a valuable and meaningful concert experience for everyone involved. MyMusicTaste puts the power in the fans’ hands, allowing fans to request their favorite artist’s concert in their city. With the mission to connect and amplify the voices of fans all over the world, MyMusicTaste successfully promoted concerts of artists such as EXO, GOT7, MONSTA X, The xx, Machine Gun Kelly, and more in over 57 different cities. With the simple idea–empowering fans to bring their favorite artist’s concert in the city of their choice based on fandom and–MyMusicTaste is challenging the $27 billion concert market through cutting-edge technology and sophisticated, user-friendly service. Currently, www.mymusictaste.com supports more than 30 countries and offers 15different languages.

About CJ E&M (Division of CJ ENM)

CJ E&M is one of Korea’s largest entertainment and media contents companies. It is also known as Asia’s No.1content and media company and the leader of cultural trends. Along with encompassing diverse platforms like TV and films, it is also Korea’s largest producer, investor, and distributor of music. It has also produced and promoted hundreds of concerts a year. As a global media group, CJ E&M has established itself as a key player in promoting Asian pop culture across the world.

Animal influencers are on the rise in South Korea.

For this article, I picked out 5 youtubers who feature their pets on their Youtube channel. This list is not in a particular order for ranking.

Rupong’s House

Subscribers: 560K

This channel is all about two pomeranian dogs: Rudy and Pongki. Their owner takes super good care of them and the videos show their daily routines, like swimming in the pool, bathing, getting massages and the likes.

Subtitles are available and these dogs have fans all over the world for their cuteness.

CreamHeroes

Subscribers: 3.75M

CreamHeroes is a channel about a butler and her 10 cats. The channel initially started off with 7 cats but a mother cat with her two kittens were also added to the family recently. DD, TT, Momo, Coco, Lala, Chuchu, Lulu, Nana, Dodo and Toto have fans worldwide who love to monitor their every move.

Other than the two CreamHeroes channel, the butler owns two other channels with similar content – Kittisaurus and Claire Luvcat.

SHU AND TREE

Subscribers: 1.52M

This channel is run by a couple who own a pet beauty salon. The main stars are two dogs (Shu and Namu) and a kitten called Ann. The videos often show dogs getting makeovers done and groomed.

Spoonful of Ragdolls

Subscribers: 104K

Spoonful of Ragdolls stars 11 ragdoll cats: mostly related to one another who all live under the same roof. Amber had kittens a few months ago so, the videos show Gucci, Giselle, Google, Gemma and Goofy learn and adjust to life.

SoonMoo Cat

Subscribers: 99.1K

Soonmoo is a Scottish Fold cat that is named that way because of the color of its fur. Soonmoo means “turnip” in Korean. This cat likes to laze about like most cats do, but still doesn’t fail to attract the viewers with its charm.

–J.Chung.

K-pop’s biggest annual music awards show, Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA), will be held virtually – minus any audience in December. CJ ENM revealed that the award show will be held online on December 6 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The year-end music show that stars leading Korean pop artists has usually been held as a multiday event staged across various venues in Asian countries.

“MAMA has grown throughout the years while constantly innovating itself. We believe this year’s contact-less event will also provide a new opportunity to transform the show,” a CJ ENM representative stated.

Mnet Km Music Festival was launched in the year of 1999, and the event was rebranded as MAMA in 2009 as the show expanded itself globally. MAMA has been held outside of South Korea between 2010 and 2017 and airs internationally.

–J.Chung.

“The challenge of building a new future is one that we’re excited to tackle. This has been such a year of change and we, like the entire world, are reshaping our perspective on how we connect. We’re pleased to introduce SXSW Online as part of our program for 2021, and regardless of platform, we will continue to bring together the brightest minds from creative industries worldwide.” – Roland Swenson, CEO and Co-Founder

How do you build the future from scratch? At SXSW we’re known for being the world’s foremost gathering of creative professionals, and although so much is different, that is one thing we intend to stay the same.

Today we’re excited to announce SXSW Online as part of our 2021 offerings. We’re working hard on a digital experience in March that brings you the benefits of sessions, film festival screenings, music showcases, networking, and exhibitions. The dates for SXSW EDU Online are March 9 – March 11, 2021 and SXSW Online will take place March 16 – Saturday, March 20, 2021.

Entries for the 2021 online event will open on Tuesday, October 6 with PanelPicker® proposals for SXSW and SXSW EDU, as well as Film Festival Submissions. In lieu of the standard showcase application process, the Music Festival will be curated by programming staff with priority given to showcase presenters and artists who were scheduled for the 2020 event.

SXSW is working with the City of Austin and public health authorities on plans for a 2021 physical event, and we will provide updates as more information becomes available.

We hope you’ll join us in 2021. Stay tuned for more details!

FIRST SINGLE SUNG ENTIRELY IN ENGLISH PRODUCED BY BRUNO MARS

VIDEO FEATURES STUNNING VIEWS OF TOKYO

Legendary J-pop band ARASHI are debuting their new single “Whenever You Call,” a sleek, groovy pop ballad produced by Bruno Mars. The track marks the band’s first single sung entirely in English; listen/share HERE and watch/share the official video HERE, shot with the beautiful Tokyo skyline in the background.

“Personally, I have been a huge fan ever since his mainstream debut, and have attended his live shows multiple times,” Jun says of working with Bruno. “We originally intended to go to Los Angeles and work under his vocal direction in recording, but alas with the current COVID-19 situation that was not to be…Through many discussions and his advice on how best to handle the nuance of the vocals, we were able to finish it anyway. It was a fantastic experience to be able to learn from his unique and incredibly talented singing style.”

Sho remarks, “When we first heard the song, it was in the recording studio and the five of us listened to it together…it felt clearly that this was a song created through really digging deep and getting to know who ARASHI really is…It is a message of love, but one that imparts bravery too.”

“It is a love song that uplifts with the sense of beauty and emotion that only the melody and lyrics of Bruno can impart, straight from the heart,” Aiba says, while Nino describes, “I was surprised. I couldn’t believe that [Bruno] would write this song for us…I was totally moved.” Ohno praises Bruno, “It is an honor that he would produce this song for us…He put so much of what we’re going through now and his own thoughts into the creation of this incredible song.”

“Whenever You Call” follows the release of previous single, “IN THE SUMMER,” produced by Rami (Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga), which saw widespread success in both the U.S. and global markets.

ARASHI continue to see extensive critical acclaim as they make their U.S. debut. Beyond the streaming success of “IN THE SUMMER,” the band also participated in their first ever Twitter Q&A, hosted by @TwitterMusic, around the release. The event saw over 4.9M views, 490K likes, 129K retweets, and 45M impressions.

Pop sensation ARASHI are Japan’s biggest J-pop band, dominating the scene for over two decades and breaking records across the board. In 2019 the iconic group’s 5×20 All the Best!! 1999-2019 became the best-selling album of the year globally, putting them in the top spot over BTS and Taylor Swift. The career-spanning compilation album, which celebrated the quintet’s 20th anniversary, sold a record-breaking 3.3 million copies globally, earning the band a Guinness World Record.

Their 5×20 anniversary tour broke records as the largest scale tour in Japanese history, seeing over 2,375,000 attendees and spanning 50 shows in 5 dome venues. The historic J-Pop group is now taking on the U.S. audience, actively working their singles in America for the first time in their two-decade long career. ARASHI is Masaki Aiba, Jun Matsumoto, Kazunari Ninomiya, Satoshi Ohno and Sho Sakurai.

The group has seen unparalleled success, having sold over 41 million records and performed for 14 million people during the duration of their career. ARASHI, whose name means “force of a storm,” formed in September 1999 in Honolulu and released their debut single that November. In 2007, the release of hit single “Love So Sweet” gained the band commercial success by becoming the theme song of popular drama Hana Yori Dango 2 and turning ARASHI into a household name. By their tenth anniversary in 2009, ARASHI had become one

Note: Post may contains spoilers

COVID-19 has given many people a renewed love with K-Drama indulgence, and Netflix has become one of the leading sources for K-Dramas for international audiences. Despite 2020’s wretchedness, Netflix has gifted us with a healthy dose of K-Dramas to keep us occupied during quarantine. One of this year’s new dramas, JTBC’s Mystic Pop-up Bar, is one that has a promising synopsis that may interest viewers, but does it live up to what the story summary promises?

In Mystic Pop-up Bar, audiences are introduced to Weol-ju (Hwang Jung-eum), Han Kang-bae (Yook Sung-jae), and Guibangjang (Choi Won-young) as they operate a pop-up bar that not only serves food and spirits, but serves to help people solve their personal grudges by exploring their dreams. The trio work together to help Weol-ju solve 100,000 grudges or else she gets sent to Hell to pay for her sins from 500 years earlier.

From the first episode, Mystic Pop-up Bar shows great promise. The premise of going inside people’s dreams to solve grudges is a refreshing take on working toward appeasing the gods to avoid a Hell sentence, and it is also nice to see blue-collared workers as main characters. The latter helps Mystic Pop-up Bar feel more relatable to the viewing audience as many may be able to see themselves dealing with the everyday struggles of “Retail Hell” or even dealing with bar patrons who sometimes may overstay their welcome. As the show moves forward and each character’s identities are revealed, the realism tends to fade somewhat, but the drop-off is not extreme enough to where people will lose the sense of relatability.

Mystic Pop-up Bar is a slow burn-type drama where it takes several episodes to build up to what the overall conflict is for the show. While this is a lacking trait, one of the show’s strengths lies in the individual storytelling within each episode, with some of those stories hinging heavy on pathos to connect with an audience on a deeper level. As the story unfolds, emotions also drive Weol-ju’s story as her sin beyond her suicide becomes apparent. The reveal helps the audience connect to her more to understand the whys that drive her need to complete her task.

Unfortunately, Mystic Pop-up Bar almost tries too hard to be emotionally driven, and this is where the story falls flat. Partway through, the story becomes predictable, especially with the character reveals, and there is an unfortunate sense of “I’ve seen this all before” with each episode. In fact, while watching the show, some viewers may see it as a knock-off of Hotel del Luna and may draw comparisons between Weol-ju and IU’s Jang Man-wol since the characters are similar personality-wise. The only difference is IU’s performance is stronger than Hwang Jung-eum’s. Because of the similarities, some viewers may see IU instead of Hwang, and this is one of the main issues with Mystic Pop-up Bar. The show had a chance to create unique and memorable characters, but it didn’t quite achieve that goal.

The story, too, falls flat. As mentioned, the concept of exploring people’s dreams to solve conflicts is unique and one that could have set Mystic Pop-up Bar apart. The concept was a theme, but it did not feel like it was utilized as strongly as it could have. In many ways, it felt like an afterthought instead of the main concept.

Another issue with the show was the conflict regarding a 500-year grudge and the villain introduced sporadically throughout the drama’s run. The villain, Kim Won-young (Na In-woo), initially comes across as a cool and dark spirit while preying on people to gain strength, but his arc isn’t utilized strongly, so his presence is more of an afterthought than a well-rounded, well-developed inclusion. Kim Won-young’s ending was a low-point, too. Overall, the character was not necessary and felt added just for “drama” instead of a real plot-device. The show would have done better to build legitimate conflicts in trying to achieve Weol-ju’s goals instead of those goals being met almost too easily—and sometimes laughably– with each episode.

With resolving grudges, toward the end of the show’s run, the methods of solving issues got lazy and outlandish, so it started to feel like the writers stopped trying. For example, in episode 11, Weol-ju’s solving the Cinnabar’s ills via a karaoke session with Chanhwee was tragically cringy and out of place and one of those moments where the show almost lost credibility. While it is true that dreams often do not make sense (see episode six’s conception scenario), the karaoke session was just too far out of line compared to the rest of the drama’s dealings.

Mystic Pop-up Bar does have some bright moments. Choi Won-young is fantastic as Guibangjang as he is funny, heartwarming, and vulnerable. Lee Jun-hyeok as Chief Yeom also provides some strong and humorous moments to make him a standout co-star in the series. Both actors do well bringing dimension to the overall story, and it is fun watching them in each episode.

Along with some strong performances by Choi and Lee, there are some standout episodes that pack an emotional punch. Particularly, episodes five, six, and eight will make the viewer cry and laugh because the stories are relatable and tragic to some degree while maintaining shreds of humor. These episodes feature solid performances by the secondary characters in each scenario, and they do make the show worthwhile.

Other positives Mystic Pop-up Bar has to offer belong to cinematography and wardrobe. The show boasts some beautiful shots around Korea and does well showing the beauty, darkness, and randomness of dreams. Meanwhile, Weol-ju’s wardrobe and beautiful outfits steal the show and help paint who she is as a character. Her outfits bring about a strong, happy exterior while hiding the inner torment she feels. For Guibangjang, his plain, relaxed attire does a great job painting him as a different person than who he truly is, so clothes being used as a mask is a brilliant device that should be applauded.

Overall, Mystic Pop-up Bar is not the strongest drama right now, but it has many moments that make it worth the watch. It does tend to lack conflict-wise by trying to bring in an antagonist, and this portion of the show could have been left out in favor of dealing with more difficult grudges and more personal, heart-reaching stories. The show earns a 2.5/5 rating.

—-Olivia Murray

After successfully captivating audiences all over the world, MCND will be holding their very first online concert MCND 1ST ON:LIVE [GEM AGE] on September 26 starting 12PM KST.

MCND’s first online concert was made possible by a technology forward platform, MyMusicTaste, that not only allows fans to request physical concerts of their favorite artists in their cities, but also provides the newly added feature of online streaming, which allows artists and fans to stay connected in the pandemic age.

TOP Media’s rising 5-member boy band is already set as one of the main representatives of the new K-pop generation with their well-crafted performances and producing skills.

Freshly debuted in 2020, the band received worldwide attention from the get-go with their pre-debut single “TOP GANG” thanks to their fresh and hip hop inducing concept.

They officially debuted on February 27, 2020, with “into the ICE AGE ” and its explosive lead title song “ICE AGE”. They then followed up, with their 1st Digital Single “Spring” on April 9, 2020.

Keeping themselves busy and continually challenging their creative impulse, MCND just released their first mini album [ EARTH AGE ] and its addictive title song “na na na”.

The current line consists of Castle J, BIC, MINJAE, HUIJUN, and Win.

Tickets sale for MCND 1ST ON:LIVE [GEM AGE] will start on September 14 12:00 PM KST, on MyMusicTaste.com. Further information regarding ticketing and the show itself can be found through https://mmt.fans/i6KS or through other social media channels of MyMusicTaste.

About MyMusicTaste:

MyMusicTaste is a fan initiated live event making service that brings fans, artists and promoters from all over the world together in one place to create a valuable and meaningful concert experience for everyone involved. MyMusicTaste puts the power in the fans’ hands, allowing fans to request their favorite artist’s concert in their city. With the mission to connect and amplify the voices of fans all over the world, MyMusicTaste successfully promoted concerts of artists such as EXO, GOT7, MONSTA X, The xx, Machine Gun Kelly, and more in over 57 different cities. With the simple idea–empowering fans to bring their favorite artist’s concert in the city of their choice based on fan demand–MyMusicTaste is challenging the $27 billion concert market through cutting-edge technology and sophisticated, user-friendly service. Currently, www.mymusictaste.com supports more than 30 countries and offers 15 different languages.

END

###

The astonishing world of the K-Pop industry has many words to describe it. Beautiful, colorful and as some may say even magical. Though as a coin has two sides and a ying never goes without it’s yang, this industry can often be brutal as the price for the beauty represented on the big screens is everything but small. No one knows more about the battles behind the beauty than the persons who create it, the stylists themselves. Even though they are often in the shadows, concealed from the public eye, their work on our favorite idols speak louder than any words. We are all familiar with the value a beauty has in Korea and Asian countries in general. Elegance, grace and a well perfected look is expected to be seen on a daily basis not just from the talented actors and singers, but from every person you see walking by. If we talk about Korea specifically, it can easily be said that they’re a new leading force in the industry of entertainment and the industry of fashion.

As such, a difficult task is set being set on idols. They must not only be the best at what they do, but also look remarkably well too. Many people are employed to just that, maintain the idol’s nearly perfect image that is constantly being represented in the media. One of those people is Park Nae-joo.

He is a stylist that was responsible for some of the most iconic hairstyles the K-pop industry has ever seen. Unlike the western culture, eastern culture puts a lot of value into hair styling. It is constantly being re-invented, so to say. With every comeback comes a new concept. And that concept is being brought to life by the amazing outfits and hairstyles. Everything must fit perfectly together as in the end, that exact synergy is what makes the audience lose their breath after watching a new music video for example or a new episode of their favorite tv show. Park Nae-joo has worked with some of the biggest names in today’s age such as BTS, EXO, Monsta X, NCT, Got7 and many more with EXO being his ever first K-pop band. He has been working with the members ever since they were trainees. Since then they all have achieved so much together and individually. From magazines, albums, advertisements and music videos to red carpets and more, Park Nae-joo worked with the stars closely and tries his best to fulfill their wishes.

While some idols have exact wants and styles in mind, some go with the flow and decide spontaneously. Park Nae-joo said that he always gives his best to support idol’s wishes and in addition to that help them make a best suitable choice for their hair.

We are all familiar with how fast the hair color is being changed in Korea, practically every two or three months you will see your favorite idol rocking a brand-new hairstyle. The public has always had concerns as changing hair color this fast can be really damaging and extremely unhealthy. Park Nae-joo, being the professional hairstylist, had answers to those concerns by explaining his process behind it all.

He stated that his team provides a step-by-step repair service after coloring and that even before dyeing they prepare a long-term plan on the color pick that would less affect the singer’s hair. That way, everyone is happy and healthy, which is what’s most important.

Park Nae-Joo’s great success is worth all the praise it gets, as his styles are always finding its spotlight among the media and fans all around the globe. The secret behind it all is years and years of hard work for magazines, from which he had gained much treasured experience. He even added, that much inspiration comes from those work days and that the main source is every day ordinary life. He observes and implements that observation into his work. Pursuing uniqueness is what makes him and keeps him among the best hairstylists the entertainment industry has ever seen.

Although, even he must pay the price for such lifestyle. Being a CEO of his own make-up and hair salon Bit and Boot (Translated “Comb and brush”) and being a hairstylist for today’s biggest names is not an easy task. Usually he is booked around 6 months in advance and as he says, the quality of his life is really low.

—- Jasmin Avulovic

Working with A list celebrities is a dream come true for his career but a nightmare for his private life. Hopefully he gets his well-deserved and hard-earned rest this year. As the time proceeds to flow, trends and styles will change, and this hair designer will probably be responsible for a lot of them. What has he in store next? That is a mystery we are all eager to reveal but for now let’s patiently wait and support his upcoming projects.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control (KCDC) and Prevention, South Korea reported 155 new COVID-19 cases – 141 locally transmitted and 14 from overseas.

It has been 8 days that the daily count of new coronavirus cases stayed under 200. The daily count has lessened with heightened social distancing restrictions. For the past two plus weeks, 30 to 40 percent of the patients testing positive had no symptoms at the time of diagnosis.

The majority locally transitted cases from Thursday registered in the Seoul metropolitan area were 46 in Seoul, 5 in Incheon and 47 in Gyeonggi-do.

Of the 14 imported cases, 10 were identified while the individuals were under mandatory self-quarantine in Korea, with the other 4 detected during the quarantine screening process at the border. 9 came from Asia, 2 from the United States, 1 from Ecuador, and 1 each from Kenya and Australia. 7 of these imported cases were in foreign nationals.

21,743 people in South Korea are currently confirmed to be infected of the new coronavirus – 17,360 have been released from quarantine after making full recoveries. Around 4,073 people are presently receiving treatment under quarantine.

Whether to end or extend the current level of social distancing is expected to be decided by the government, at the end of the week. “Level 2.5” social distancing regulations are to be held until Sunday in the Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province and Level 2 social distancing rules are in place nationwide until September 20th.

J.Chung.

Disney’s latest live-action release “Mulan” is facing boycott in some Asian countries due to complicated political reasons.

Mulan’s leading actress, Liu Yifei, had outraged many with a comment in favor of Hong Kong’s police action of violence towards pro-democracy demonstrators last year.

The protestors were fighting against a law that would allow extradition from Hong Kong to China. Extradition is an act where one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction.

Liu shared a post from the government-run Beijing newspaper People’s Daily on Weibo. “I support the Hong Kong police. You can all attack me now. What a shame for Hong Kong,” she commented.

#BoycottMulan soon began trending on Twitter. Thai and Taiwanese activists have also joined in with the movie boycott – and are also telling people to ban Mulan.

Mulan had been scheduled to be released back in March but was postponed several times due to the coronavirus – the film will now go straight to Disney’s streaming service. This means it is skipping majority of the cinemas, while getting a lot of back lash due to the comments by Mulan’s leading actress.

Things are still tense between Hong Kong and China. The extradition law behind initial protests was dropped, but in April this year many pro-democracy activists were arrested.

In June, China passed a new law and the details were kept secret until it was passed that could pose a threat to China’s authority in Hong Kong, making it punishable by life in prison.

When Hong Kong’s activist Agnes Chow was arrested in August, she was described as the real Mulan by the netizens.

–J.Chung.

Congee is a type of thick soup or stew porridge made from rice or legumes, heated and stirred until thick, and typically eaten for breakfast. Bubur Ayam or chicken congee is a type of congee that is consumed by Indonesian. Besides the traditional chicken congee, the instant congee is now common. Bubur Ayam is the most favorite breakfast food in Indonesia. The traveling vendors, small local shops, fast food establishments, and five-star hotel restaurants serve it every morning.

The origin of Bubur Ayam was derived from Chinese chicken congee because it consists of Chinese cuisine cakwe (youtiao) and soy sauce. According to Murdijati Gardjito, a professor of food technology at Gadjah Mada University, during the colonial period, the congee was consumed during the harvest failure, the postponement of the harvest period, and during the rice crisis. Bubur Ayam consisted of several condiments, such as shredded chicken, fried soybeans, crackers, cakwe (fried donuts/bread), and boiled eggs. Sometimes, it is often eaten with satay of chicken liver and intestine.

Each region in Indonesia has different characteristics of chicken congee, for example, Bandung chicken congee has yellow sauce and thick congee, Betawi chicken congee uses shredded fried chicken and fried soybean toppings. Cirebon chicken congee, Sukabumi, and Cianjur chicken congee have different concoctions.

The ingredients (for 4 people).

Rice congee

200 gr rice
2 liter of water
½ teaspoon salt
2 bay leaves

Fried chicken and chicken broth
1/2 chicken
1 liter of water
1 lemongrass, bruised
1 fresh kaffir lime leaves

1 bay leaves

Accompaniments :
Fried soybean
Thinly sliced spring onion
Fried shallots
Chili sauce
Sweet soy sauce
Prawn crackers

Youtiao (known as cakwe in Indonesia)

Preparation details

Chicken Broth: heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pot with medium-high heat. Saute lemongrass, fresh kaffir lime leaves, and bay leaves until fragrant. Add chicken and add 1 liter of water. Bring to boil and reduce heat to maintain a simmer until the chicken fully cooked about 20 minutes
Remove the chicken and set aside to cool down a bit. Heat a bit of oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry until both sides are golden brown. Shred the fried chicken into thin pieces and set aside.
Cooking the congee: Cook the rice, 2 liter of water, chicken broth, salt, and bay leaves until it boils. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for 35-40 minutes until the rice breaks down into porridge with a texture resembling slightly soupy oatmeal
Serve the congee with the shredded fried chicken and the assorted accompaniments.

Tips

Use low heat to cook the congee and don’t forget to stir it, so it doesn’t burn.
You can add coconut milk to boil the chicken to make it more tasteful
You can use the advanced rice cooker to make porridge, it shortens the time to cook.
If you don’t find sweet soy sauce, you can make a substitute by whisking equal parts molasses and reduced-sodium soy sauce.

Nutrition Facts

The nutrient content in the congee is the same as the nutrient content in rice, but the amount is different for each portion because the congee contains more water. In each serving (240 grams), chicken congee contains 372 calories, 36 grams carbohydrates, 12 grams fat, 27 grams protein, 584 miligrams sodium and 406 miligrams potassium.

The protein content in chicken congee is quite high because it has animal and plant-based protein sources, such as soybeans, shredded chicken, boiled eggs, and chicken liver. Soybean is the main source of lysine, which is essential amino acids that cannot be made by the body. As a result, they must come from food. Some investigations have involved the phytochemicals contained in soybean as functional in the reduction of cholesterol and prevention of: cardiovascular diseases, diabetic symptoms, bone lose straight and cancer.

When compared to rice, congee is processed more quickly into sugar in our body. Apart from its soft texture, its absorption is also relatively easy so it is very suitable for consumption by people who are sick but it is not recommended for diabetics. This is also due to the high glycemic index (the ability of food to increase blood glucose levels), which is 90.

—-Ykn Isak

We interviewed the amazing Choi Sisters who are Youtubers who cover contents regarding Korean culture. We would like to send out a a massive thanks to the ladies for this great interview and hope our readers will enjoy reading!

*Introduce yourselves to our readers please.

“Hi, Hi, Hi! Hello, everybody! This is JINAH CHOI, Minah CHOI from CHOI SISTERS, ‘The Korean Girls’ Talk Show’”. This is what we always say in the beginning of our videos with the brightest energy we can make. We are Korean girls, hoping to become Korea’s representative entertainer via our Youtube channel, CHOI SISTERS, where we share about every different aspect of Korea. Thus, those who are interested in Korean culture, language, K-pop, and Korean food must check out our videos as we love to share about the beauty of Korea in the most entertaining way. We know that there are a lot of learning materials people can read about and of course, there are many private tutors you can do to learn about Korea. However, we believe that nothing can beat learning by having fun; Korea is much more attractive than mathematics and science. Thus, we want to make our channel FUN to watch so the viewers can learn about Korean language and culture easily by finding it interesting.

As we also used to live in the States, we know how it is like to feel foreign. Thus, we know how to help anyone who is interested in Korea to approach Korea easily with us. Also, we hope people can consider us to be their best Korean friend so they can think of us whenever they think of Korea. To reach that goal, we will definitely work harder to make precious memories with everyone who loves Korea by filming more informative and fun videos.

*How are you so fluent in English?

To start off, thanks a lot for the compliment; but we still feel that we need to be more fluent so we can deliver our message in English clear enough to the world. When we were young, we had an opportunity to study abroad in the States. When Jinah was in her 6th grade and Minah in her 5th grade, our family moved to California, the Unites States. We both only knew about English alphabets, and thus, it was difficult to communicate with our new friends, who also did not know about Korea then as they asked us which part of Korea we are from, the North or South.

-Environment: As we were the only Korean students in our school, English was the only way to communicate with others, and therefore learning English was our number one mission. Even though we obviously had hard time as we could not even pronounce ‘a cheese burger’ in the proper intonation for our lunch, it definitely helped us learn English as fast as we can.

-Effort: Also, we tried very hard to get along with new friends by trying to approach them first. Although we were young, we quickly accepted that the culture is different in every country. Koreans love sharing food, and that is why we share our soups such as Kimchi jjige and Doenjang jjige with people on the same table with us. Thus, we first thought the pizza sauce can be also shared too, which we quickly realized that it was totally wrong as our friends firmly asked us not to double dip with an awed face. Through these similar experiences, we learned how to understand and accept new culture. That is why we did not have to feel foreign anymore. On the other hand, we also talked about Korean culture so they can understand us better. By doing so, we were able to make a lot of new friends and by talking with them more often in real life, our English got better.

*Tell us about your YouTube channel. When and how did you get started? Who does the editing?

-About the channel: CHOI SISTERS, the Korean girl’s talk show deals with everything about Korea. We teach Korean language in high vibe so that you won’t find it boring, and we show how it is like to live in Korea through our v-logs. We also cook with ‘Choi Mommy’ who always helps us make delicious Korean foods with the simplest recipes! Also, we sometimes film videos about K-pop as we are big fans of them and want to share their songs and recent updates with our subscribers about Korean singers.

-How we started & about editing: As Koreans who had some difficulties learning a whole new language and culture and who know how it feels like to be a foreigner based on our experiences in the States, we wanted to become a Korean friend who can help anyone who is interested in Korea. As we heard many people complaining about how Korean language is so difficult to learn, we made a mission for ourselves to change that stereotype. We were sure that we can make every single aspect of Korea to be as entertaining and attractive as possible. So, we begin to take a film together to record ourselves casually talking and teaching about Korea in the most fun and funny way. We didn’t want our videos to be boring like tedious Korean learning textbooks. As we found ourselves enjoying the filming and loving our channel so much, we started to focus on developing our channel in earnest. Now that it has been about six months since we started; not only do we enjoy filming and editing together, but also feel proud of spreading the beauty of Korea. We are not going to stop this as long as there is one person who loves Korea.

*Tell us about your favorite YouTube video you’ve done so far.

It is actually very difficult to choose only one video from our channel as we have different precious memories in each of them. But, if we have to choose one only, it would be the video about ‘HANKBOK(한복)’, the Korean traditional clothing. As Black Pink members wore Hanbok in their ‘How you like that’ music video, there were a lot of people wondering about how Hankbok looks like. However, as Hanbok was not too famous before the release of the music video, some people thought Black Pink wore Kimono, the traditional Japanese clothes. As we always tried our best to teach our friends about Korean language and culture since the day we went to school in America, we also wanted to let the world know more about Hanbok in the easiest way. So, we decided to wear Hanbok ourselves and filmed a video about it. Although there are some people who have seen Hanbok once, there are not many who know how to wear Hanbok and what Hanbok used to mean in old days in Korea. To explain all that, we showed how many pieces there are for the full, formal Hanbok dress, and made an entertaining conversation about Korean history as well. After the video was uploaded, we felt very proud as, through the comments, we could see that people who first clicked our video in the beginning just because of their interest in Black Pink, later got to know about Hanbok very well after watching our video. Even though there are more favorite videos on our channel, since we know that you will check out them soon, we will not mention them in detail (laughing out loud). Some of our videos we recommend are the followings: ‘Korean girls’ reaction video to BTS M/V’, ‘Bulgogi recipe video with CHOI mommy’, ‘Want a Korean Name? We will make one for you’, ‘Gomsemari: three bear song in Korean & English.’

*What kind of contents do you want to cover in the future?

We would love to keep going with our content which is about spreading and sharing the beauty of Korea mainly in the following categories: Korean language, culture, food, K-pop, Children songs, Daily v-logs.

Korean language: We don’t want people to find Korean boring at all. We will do role plays to make the viewers easily learn what to say in different situations. Also, we will film about words that sound similar but mean totally opposite. We are thinking of filming about Korean slangs you must know to speak Korean like a native as well.

Culture: ‘How to eat in front of elderly (Korean table manner)’, ‘how to act in front of your Korean girl/boyfriend’s parents’, ‘how to do 애교 /aegyo/ (acting cute in Korea) in Korea’ are all the topics that we are going to film soon. Anything our subscribers want to know will be mostly uploaded.

Food: No one can stop eating Korean food if s/he ever had a chance to taste it. In other words, Korean food is becoming popular than ever in all different countries. CHOI SISTESRS’ mom, a.k.a CHOI MOMMY, is known for one of the best home chefs. As CHOI MOMMY helps us cook Korean food with the easiest recipes, anyone who wants to see CHOI SISTERS’ FOOD SHOW, please check out our upcoming videos .

K-pop: Korean girls’ or CHOI SISTERS’ reaction to music videos of all different KPOP singers’ new albums will be uploaded in this category. Not only that, as Hanryu, the Korean wave, is growing bigger due to K-pop, we will introduce some must-know Korean songs in order to communicate with Koreans like a native.

Children songs: Even though it is a category for children song, it is not only for children, but also for all the adults who want to learn Korean easily through a cute Korean kids’ song. In fact, according to our analysis, those who subscribed our channel after watching our children song videos are mostly adults who are eager to learn Korean. We believe in the power of Korean children song in terms of teaching Korean, so we will keep on filming a video about children songs, such as ‘the baby shark’ (doo doo doo doo).

Daily vlogs: Looking into how Koreans live is the best way to learn about Korea. So, for everyone who is interested in Korean language & culture and anyone who wants to visit Korea can watch our v-logs, as not only do we film about famous cities in Korea, such as Myeong-dong and Gangnam, but we also introduce popular restaurants and how it is like to spend our daily time in Seoul.

We will be keep filming videos with our current contents, and as our channel grows bigger, we are planning to do collaboration with other Youtubers who have a similar purpose and interest with us.

*You two seem to get on extremely well. Do you ever get into an argument? If so, how do you normally make up?

Some people cannot believe that we are sisters as we get on so well like best friends. Thus, one of the frequently asked questions we get is ‘do we ever get into an argument’. We can confidently answer to this: of course, we sometimes do, but it never lasts more than five minutes. As we have lived our whole lives like best friends, we know about each other so much. Therefore, we know that we don’t have any intention to harm each other’s feelings. So, we are so used to communicating a lot even when we have an opposite opinion about a certain topic, and that is why we can understand each other’s thoughts more deeply. Sometimes, even during an argument, if one of us says, “do you want to eat tteokbokki?”, the other says “of course, let’s go for it”, and we become the best friends forever again. Just like this, we totally admit that we are unusual sisters who have a high trust in each other; and we are very proud of it

*How has the year 2020 been like for you? What are your goals for the future?

About 2020: For us, year 2020 was all about our You tube contents. Seriously, it was all about thinking of the contents and filming/editing the videos. Since we started our channel in the beginning of the year, we were so eager about every single video we filmed about. And, we will definitely do our best to develop our channel in the rest of this year as well, so more people can get to know about us to see the warmth of Korea.

Goal for the future: Our goal is to become the world’s Korean friend. The goal is actually related to when we studied abroad in the states. After three years of studying abroad, we each became the school president of our school which consisted of 1,800 students. As not many Asians were in our school, a few publishing companies contacted us and wanted to interview us; they asked us how we could learn English and gain support from our foreign friends in such a short period of time. There, we said that it is all because of our friends who were there to cheer for and teach us the language and culture. We did not know how to pronounce McDonald’s in the proper pronunciation as we thought the accent is on ‘Mc’. Our friends repeatedly asked us what we were trying to say. Gratefully, they were kind and patient enough to teach us that the accent is on ‘Do’. As you see, we could accomplish everything because we were lucky to have good friends. After moving back to Korea, we realized that we can also become someone’s good friends who can help them see the attractive aspects of Korea much easily by helping them adapt to Korea faster. This goal might seem very simple, but we are sure that it isn’t an easy one; thus, we will make more efforts to be the world’s number one Korean friends and sisters.

–J.Chung.

In case you have been living under a rock, K-Pop sensation BTS are probably the biggest boy band right now. They have simply become a worldwide phenomenon and for good reason too! Last month, they debuted their first all-English single, Dynamite, and in just 24 hours after its release it broke a YouTube record. The video for Dynamite hit 98.3 million views and is now well over 100 million views. The boys have beaten their peers K-pop band, BLACKPINK, and their previous record for YouTube’s most-viewed video in 24 hours. This is the first time they’ve broke world records though, let’s take a look at the seven-member group’s other impressive achievements.

Billboard Music Awards

Back in 2017, BTS was nominated for Top Social Artists at the Billboard Music Awards. They were the first to break Justin Bieber’s six-year winning streak and the first K-Pop group ever to be nominated for a Billboard Award. This success at this particular awards ceremony continued in 2019 where they were nominated and won an ever bigger award (Top Duo/Artist), breaking yet another record.

American Music Awards

BTS performed at the 2017 American Music Awards making it the first time a K-Pop group ever took the stage at a huge U.S. award show. It was also their U.S. television debut.

Most-Streamed K-Pop Song

“Boy With Luv” featuring none other than Halsey is arguably one of the group’s biggest and most mainstream hits. It did incredibly well on the music streaming app Spotify and currently hosts the impressive accolade of most-streamed K-pop song on the service.

Gold Album Certification

If all this wasn’t impressive enough, BTS are also the first Korean group to receive a gold album certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. Their album Love Yourself: Answer became the first Korean album to ever go gold.

KCON:TACT 2020 – the virtual K-pop festival will return in fall of this year, after garnering almost 5 million viewers from 153 global regions in its previous summer fest. KCON is undeniably one of the largest K-pop events in the world since its creation in 2012.

KCON:TACT 2020 Fall will begin from October 16th until 25th – for 10 days in total – airing from Mnet and its studio in Seoul, South Korea – and the online concert will be streaming on Mnet K-pop’s YouTube channel.

This will make it convenient for everyone who is a K-pop fan to tune in easily, especially during the season of COVID-19 pandemic. KCON’s annual In-person concert was cancelled this year, and may be discontinued to be held in the future.

“This year has been an amazing opportunity for us to accelerate our experimentation with the latest technology,” CJ ENM stated. “We can’t be together at our in-person events, but we are proud that we have created a virtual world where fans can get that amazing artist interaction they can expect from KCON. KCON has served as a vanguard for promoting Korean culture to the world so far, so it will provide new experiences of K-culture contents to Hallyu fans around the world even in the era of the Untouch. Since it is a difficult time to perform overseas, I hope it will be time for artists and fans to get closer through ‘KCON:TACT 2020 Fall’.”

CJ ENM will be using new technology to enhance viewers’ experiences through upgraded AR devices like holograms, multi-view feeds, and sound technology which will increase fan interaction with artists through audience participation events.

J.Chung.

See the trailer here: https://youtu.be/hz9_jkrrptU

In cinemas today in over 60 countries through Trafalgar Releasing

Screening across the U.S., Canada and over 45 additional countries beginning September 24

London, UK – September 10, 2020 – Big Hit Entertainment and Trafalgar Releasing are pleased to announce that tickets are now on sale beginning today across the U.S. and Canada for BREAK THE SILENCE: THE MOVIE.

In addition, audiences in over 60 countries will be able to see the fourth BTS feature film today. The latest film finds the band at the end of the BTS WORLD TOUR “LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF,” with the seven members telling their personal stories never voiced before.

Audiences for BREAK THE SILENCE: THE MOVIE will be able to view their record-breaking single “Dynamite” music video on the big screen before the film.

Also, with the global screenings, ten types of official products including postcards and posters of movie scenes are available for presale on Weverse Shop starting September 10, 11AM KST / 3AM BST. More information can be found on Weverse Shop.

The film will be in theaters for a limited time with more screenings in additional territories, including the U.S. and Canada beginning September 24.

To find a full list of dates and to purchase tickets, visit www.BREAKTHESILENCETHEMOVIE.com. Event and ticket on-sale dates vary per territory and subject to change based on the status of local cinema re-openings.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About BREAK THE SILENCE: THE MOVIE

Title: BREAK THE SILENCE: THE MOVIE

Director: Park Jun-soo

Cast: RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, Jung Kook

Provided by: Big Hit Entertainment

Production: Big Hit Three Sixty

Distributed by: Trafalgar Releasing

Release date: September 10

About BTS

BTS, an acronym of Bangtan Sonyeondan or “Beyond the Scene,” is a South Korean boyband that has been capturing the hearts of millions of fans globally since their debut in June 2013. The members of BTS are RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook. Gaining recognition for their authentic and self-produced music, top-notch performances, and the way they interact with their fans, the band has established themselves as global superstars breaking countless world records. While imparting a positive influence through activities such as the LOVE MYSELF campaign and the UN ‘Speak Yourself’ speech, BTS has mobilized millions of fans across the world (named ARMY), topped prominent music charts, performed multiple sold-out stadium shows across the world and has been named as one of TIME 100: The Most Influential People of 2019. The band has also been recognized with numerous prestigious awards like the Billboard Music Awards and American Music Awards.

About Trafalgar Releasing

Trafalgar Releasing is the global leader in event cinema distribution. A subsidiary of Trafalgar Entertainment, Trafalgar Releasing’s global operations include production, acquisition, marketing and distribution of specialised content to over 8,000 cinemas in more than 120 countries worldwide.

A full spectrum of releases includes high arts (The Metropolitan Opera, Bolshoi Ballet, Royal Opera House), award winning theatre (The King and I: from the London Palladium, An American In Paris, Les Misérables: The Staged Concert), iconic moments (Monty Python’s Life of Brian 40^th Anniversary, David Bowie is happening now, They Shall Not Grow Old), heritage music acts (Roger Waters The Wall, David Gilmour Live in Pompeii, Metallica & San Francisco Symphony: S&M2, Depeche Mode: SPIRITS in the Forest) and contemporary music sensations (BTS’ BRING THE SOUL: THE MOVIE, Gorillaz: REJECT FALSE ICONS, Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams).

Headquartered in London, the company also has offices in New York, Los Angeles and Denver. More information about Trafalgar Releasing can be found at www.Trafalgar-Releasing.com.

Could you introduce yourself to K-hiphop international fans, with some behind stories on your rap name, ‘V1NO’?

Hello, my name is V1NO. A 2nd generation Korean-American K-hiphop artist. As an artist I struggled with a lot of doubt and found myself constantly anxious to get things done instead of focusing on myself as an artist first. I’ve learned that I shouldn’t rush the process (music) but that I should trust it instead. On saying that, “V1NO” means wine in Italian, and just like wine my music will only get better with time. The “1” in V1NO represents my mindset to do my best in all things, my acknowledgment that there is 1 God, and the fact that no matter what, you should always try 1 more time.

As ‘Paul Shin’ living in New York, people find you in a unique background as the second generation of U.S. immigrants. Could you introduce your lifetime events with the most powerful impact, that made your music special, absorbed in your songs.

As a 2nd generation immigrant, I think a lot of us try our best to bear the burden and struggles of our 1st generation immigrant parents. As an immigrant residing in NY, as diverse as it may be, it is still full of the struggles of stereotypes and racism. But the experiences that come with being an immigrant has given me a rollercoaster of emotions (pain, joy, pride, sorrow, etc) and with these experiences it has definitely led me to embody and convey all of this into a Korean-American outlet which is K-HipHop. This exact artform represents who I truly am a Korean-American that shares his experiences of joy, sadness, pain, pride, and more with the world.

Lyrics of your new song “Me, Myself, & I” shows your strong will to stay on your own, as yourself. Looking into your previous songs, they also contain lyrics to stay intact regardless of agonies in life. How do you define your identity in music, as a self-portrait?

I define my identity in my art by embracing my emotions. These emotions can range anywhere from happiness to extreme sadness. Emotions are what fuel me to create genuine music. Every emotion I face, whether it be good or bad, it only inspires me to share that specific experience with the listener.

What was your previous job before being a rapper? What made you decide to become a K-rapper?

My last job was actually at an insurance company, but before that I was in school, and I actually didn’t fully start pursuing music until the start of 2019. Back in July of 2016, I received a call from one of my good Hyoung’s by the name of Albert Oh. He was the one to push me to pursue music. He himself, was also someone who experienced a similar crossroad. Albert was someone who gave up a successful position at Goldman Sachs to pursue his dreams of being a filmmaker. He encouraged me to do the same that summer night of 2016.

What was the happiest and most rewarding moment in your life with music, after starting Hiphop?

One of the most rewarding moments in my music career was when listeners and fans from all over the world began to direct message me via instagram telling me about how much they loved my songs as well as memorizing the lyrics. That’s when I knew I was doing something right.

Could you introduce your routine to work with new songs, or practice normally?

My routine is usually this: I will listen to a background track of an instrumental and if it gives me the right emotion and feeling, only then can I really start to create genuine art.

How was Paul Shin like as a student? Were you a model student in class, or a free spirit by nature?

I think before I began pursuing music my studies were my passion. I am a very goal-oriented person when I have a target to aim for, and so when i was a student my studies were my #1 priority as i studied to excel in my academics, that was until i started pursuing music.

While traveling to other cities in Korea, which city do you like the most?

The last time I visited Korea was at 5 years old. I think the most memorable times I had was when I used to spend time in the countryside of my mother side of town. (Jungmun-1 li, Gaeun-eup, Mun-Kyeong, Gyeongsang-bukdo, South Korea)

Which place do you like to stay the most; a quiet & idyllic countryside, or busy & bustling city?

I am a city person at heart. I love a lot of bright lights and being surrounded by people. It gives me a very cozy feeling.

Could you name any rapper who inspired you the most, regardless of nationality?

The artist that really gives me a lot of inspiration would be between dean and Zion-t. The reason being is that these artists make art into a very unique perspective of how they tell their story as well as talking about deeper issues at hand.

Which Korean artist would you most like to collaborate with?

If I could collaborate with 1 korean artist it would have to be between DEAN or ZION T. I think they’re both very unique in the way they express themselves and the subjects they talk about is very meaningful. To have a chance to even be a part of their songwriting process would be a good opportunity.

What do you pick as the charming point of K-Hiphop for international fans to enjoy? What is your favorite K-Hiphop song of all time?

I think the biggest charm to international fans is to connect the bridge of 2 different cultures through the medium of hiphop. My favorite K-hiphop song would probably be “INSTAGRAM” by DEAN. This would be definitely my favorite because of the honest, vulnerable and relatable subjects he talks about in that song.

Is your everyday life going through any changes in 2020, with COVID 19?

2020 from March onwards has definitely been a little tough to adjust. My day to day schedule for post covid activities are almost all done indoors. I have been even more strict when it comes to quarantining because I am currently living with my parents and I do not want to expose myself or them to the COVID.

As you prepare to launch new songs & albums further, which style or messages you hope to represent in your new work? Please give us a brief sketch of your next step.

I have a lot of new music coming out very soon! I think, again, I am an artist that is inspired by the impact of my emotions, so therefore with each season I tend to convey different emotions. On saying that, I have some projects for each current and upcoming seasons ( current summer, fall, winter and so on)

Could you give any advice for kids dreaming to be a rapper?

My advice to any upcoming/aspiring rappers is to be as authentic and genuine as possible. True followers and listeners will gravitate towards honest artists.

Any unique & special method to endure hard and stressful times?

Yes, I put everything into my music. Music is literally my form of therapy. If I feel bad or sad I put it into music and sooner or later something positive comes out of all my negative situations.

Do you have any special dreams and ambitions along the way of life with music, such as stages to appear, or record to achieve?

I think my biggest dream is for many people to be able to recognize my art and become believers of my music. Everything that comes from that is just a bonus for me.

Last question-please leave any words or messages to your new international fans here.

I would love for them to know that I make music for them. Life is beautiful and sad all at the same time and I would love to share this with my new listeners.

—-Uimn Peng

Jenny J. Zhou was born in Melbourne, Australia, on July 12, 1994. Born and raised in Australia during all her childhood, her first step for film career started from Australian College of Dramatic Arts in the age of 16 – acquiring Cert III in Acting (Film & Television). She then moved to Shanghai in her first year of university to pursue a career in acting.

Jenny graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting (Musical Theatre), which helped the young star to start her TV and movie career. Being an alumni with the most prominent actresses in China such as Fan Bing Bing, Li Bing Bing and Hu Ge, she acted on several Musicals in the same academy including “Big Fish”, “West Side Story” and “Spring Awakening”.

Jenny Zhou’s film and broadcast career

Having lived in Australia for her whole childhood, Jenny is fluent in English, Mandarin Chinese, Shanghai dialect, and basic French – which helped her host bilingual or even trilingual shows and events in China and Australia. She already hosted the trilingual breakfast show MORNING BEAT on Shanghai’s KFM98.1 radio station, and several bilingual events including American Airlines, NBA China, Lancome, YSL, Adidas, Jaguar and Tommy Hilfiger.

Before her Netflix series debut, she already built a successful acting career in Australia. From 2014 Jenny had already proven her ability to take a major role in international productions, making her the perfect choice for the local Australian series “Please Like Me” and “The Time Of Our Lives” by Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Her filming and broadcast career in China is also remarkable. Starring on reality TV Talent Show ICS “Host Off”, “Supergirl” Singing show and featuring covers YOHO! GIRL Magazine and GIRLFRIEND School Magazine, she has become a rising celebrity in not only China, but also in other east Asian countries. Jenny worked on several Chinese dramas of Iqiyi Production from 2017 including “Shanghai Love Map” “Counter Gambling”,

In 2018 she was cast for the mandarin remake of US drama series “Chosen” with Iqiyi production, which let the world find her acting in international stage. Currently in 2020 she is carrying on with her good vibes, acting lead roles in both Australian drama series “Love Songs (presented by TikTok)” and bilingual series “Girl, Interpreted“.

Jenny as a star Influencer and Youtuber

She is known to be versatile in a number of artistic fields, especially singing, dancing and musical instruments; she has received professional education in ballet, pointe, jazz and tap dance on Gay Wightman School of Ballet, while also being good at playing musical instruments such as piano, guitar, flute, clarinet.

Being highly influential on China’s social media ‘Weibo’ (11.7K followers), she is also running her own YouTube channel which covers a range of fashion, beauty and culture topics since 2010. Introducing her daily lifestyle and career lives through vlogs, her channel is growing exponentially with 39,000 Subscribers and 4.9 million views. With her growing career on film industry, her activity on Youtube as a contents creator is also on the rise; recently she was selected to be an awardee of “Skip Ahead Initiative”, which supports YouTube creators Australia with over $900,000 of production funding – hosted by Screen Australia and Google.

Listen to our KCrush Candid Conversations audio interview with Jenny Zhou here.

—-Uinn Peng

#DisneyPlus Giveaway!! Guess What? Lee Michelle’s Birthday is on September 9, 2020. Shush, let’s make it a special one by surprising her!

We are giving away four (4) #DisneyPlus one (1) year subscriptions when you say “#HappyBirthdayLeeMichelleDayByDay” and leave a comment or video clip on our KCrush #Twitter, #Facebook, #Instagram (kcrushsupport) and #leemi_chelle’s Instagram account. You will also need to “tag” two friends and each of you like, follow and share.

[UPDATE] Pick a song from Lee Michelle’s mini-album “Day By Day” and make a short clip of you singing the selected song and wishing her a happy birthday!! ? Send your video clip to events@kcrush.com by the 10^th of September. Still comment, like, share and tag two friends on the previously mentioned social media platforms. Everything counts!

Contest begins on September 9, 2020. All posts must be received by September 10^th and winners will be announced on September 12^th and winners will have until the 14^th to claim their prize.

Have you watched Disney’s “Mulan,” yet?