Big Bang, 2NE1, CNBLUE, & Block B big winners in Europe’s 3rd Annual ‘So-Loved Awards’

On December 8th, ‘K-Colors of Korea‘ a German magazine devoted to K-pop and Korean culture, revealed the winners of its third annual ‘So-Loved Awards‘. The ‘So-Loved Awards’ were created as Europe’s first K-pop awards, to reflect the tastes of European K-pop fans.

Although voting was open to everyone, only votes from European voters were tallied to determine the winner of each category. With over 307,086 total votes (110,984 European votes), this year’s awards were bigger than ever.

2012 saw Big Bang win the most awards taking home one solo, G-Dragon won for ‘Best Male Solo‘, and four group awards; ‘Best Male Band‘, ‘Best Mini Album‘ and ‘Best Song‘ . Block B won four awards, ‘Best Album‘, ‘Best OST‘, ‘Best Music Video‘, and ‘Best Hip Hop Group‘,  showing their popularity in Europe.

2NE1 was one of the few female winners this year.  The quartet won the ‘Best Female Band‘ and ‘Best Japanese Release‘ categories. Other female winners included G.NA for ‘Best Female Solo‘ andAilee for ‘Best Female Newcomer‘.

Rookie group, B.A.P won not only ‘Best Newcomer‘, but also ‘Best Choreography‘ further cementing their super rookie status.  In addition, CNBLUE absolutely dominated the ‘Best Rock/Alternative Group‘ category winning with nearly 70% of the votes.

There were three special awards that were not included in the voting. Dalmatian won the ‘K Special Award‘, MYNAME won the ‘so-loved Special Award‘ and non-idol Judy Suh won the K Culture Award.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Check out the complete winners list below:

Best Band (female)
1. 2NE1 (45.2%)
2. f(x) (12.5%)
3. Secret (7.7%)

Best Band (male)
1. Big Bang (30.4%)
2. Super Junior (22.6%)
3. SHINee (10.9%)

Solo Artist (female)
1. G.NA (30.8%)
2. Ga In (29.4%)
3. Ali (16.7%)

Solo Artist (male)
1. G-Dragon (52.9%)
2. Xia (22.2%)
3. Tablo (10.7%)

Newcomer (female)
1. Ailee (42.2%)
2. EvoL (15.2%)
3. AoA (9.8%)

Newcomer (male)
1. B.A.P (42.5%)
2. EXO (22.6%)
3. NU’EST (15.3%)

Album
1. Block B – Blockbuster (41.0%)
2. Xia – Tarantallegra (15.6%)
3. Epik High – 99 (13.6%)

EP (Mini Album)
1. Big Bang – Still Alive (23.8%)
2. B.A.P – Crash (17.2%)
3. Infinite – Infinitize (15.4%)

Song
1. Big Bang – Fantastic Baby (26.7%)
2. B.A.P – No Mercy (18.6%)
3. Block B – Nanlina (17.2%)

Japan Release
1. 2NE1 – Scream (40.7%)
2. CN Blue – Come On (28.3%)
3. Park Jungmin/Romeo – Give Me Your Heart (12.9%)

Music Video
1. Block B – Nillili Mambo (30.0%)
2. Big Bang – Monster (29.5%)
3. B.A.P – Power (19.9%)

Choreography
1. B.A.P – Warrior (47.2%)
2. Infinite – The Chaser (30.0%)
3. Teen Top – To You (13.9%)

Drama
1. Rooftop Prince (28.1%)
2. Shut Up! Flower Boy Band (27.9%)
3. Reply 1997 (21.5%)

OST Song
1. Block B – Burn Out (Ghost OST) (28.1%)
2. Daesung – Lunatic (What’s Up OST) (27.7%)
3. J-Min – Stand Up (To The Beautiful You OST) (26.6%)

Rock/Alternative
1. CNBLUE (68.1%)
2. LED Apple (18.5%)
3. Busker Busker (7.6%)

Hip Hop
1. Block B (59.1%)
2. Epik High (28.2%)
3. Phantom (5.7%)

Special Awards:

K Culture Award: Judy Suh – ExamiNation
so-loved Special Award: MyName
K Special Award: Dalmatian

Read more at Omona They Didnt:http://omonatheydidnt.livejournal.com/10238815.html#ixzz2EWzATXQj

Dara gives 2NE1′s MAMA trophy a kiss

On November 29th, Mnet hosted its 2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards, where 2NE1 walked away with the Daesang Award for ‘Song of the Year‘ for “I Am The Best” and the Best Group Vocal Performance Award for “Lonely“.

With the happy news 2NE1′s Sandara went to her me2day, and revealed the photo above with the words, “Aigoo..^^;;; I was dead tired! Ha, I did things here and there all day, and I’m embarrassed to take a picture of my face ㅠ But I wanted to thank everyone! Today the four of us came to the festival excited! Had a lot of fun! We were happy to see Will.I.Am Oppa +.+ and felt the happiness while performing on stage again! 2NE1 Let’s Play! ^0^”.

Netizens commented, “Unnie~Congratulations 2NE1♥BLACKJACK FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”, “2NE1 congratulation! For me you are the BEST! The performance was SO COOL! Goodnight Dara onnie!”, “good night and have a safe trip back!!! ^^ 2NE1 jjang!!!”.

You can check out 2NE1 on stage at our Mnet Asian Music Awards performances page.

Congratulations again to 2NE1!

Source + Image: me2day

2NE1′s Sandara reveals picture taken with Dr. Dre

Girl group 2NE1 recently met up with legendary rapper Dr. Dre.

Member Sandara Park revealed the picture through her me2day, saying, “We met Dr. Dre oppa for the first time in Singapore~! +.+ He recognized us first and greeted us!”

She continued, “His stage was after our stage, so Snoop Dog oppa watched us and told us we were awesome! ^o^ After we finished our performance~ He asked to take a picture with us~ so click! It made me feel so good!!! Kkyah~!”

In the picture, Dr. Dre and the members of 2NE1 pose friendlily together, with Dara even throwing up the ‘Westside’ sign in Dre’s honor.

Netizens commented, “Looks like Dr. Dre recognized the next world stars. Haha”, “Wow~ I want to meet Dr. Dre, too. I’m jealous”, and “Ah~ I’m both envious and proud!”

In related news, 2NE1 left a strong impression at the ‘2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards‘, which took place in Singapore. Leader CL performed a powerful stage with will.i.am and apl.de.ap of “Where Is The Love“, and 2NE1 received an award for the ‘Song of the Year’ with their hit track, ‘I’m the Best‘.

Source: Star News

Se7en congratulates 2NE1 on their ’2011 MAMA’ win

Singer Se7en recently congratulated fellow labelmates 2NE1 for nabbing the ‘Song of the Year‘ award at the 2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA).

On November 30th, 2NE1′s Minzy tweeted, “Thank you to everyone who loves our music!“, to which Se7en replied, “Congratulations 2NE1! Get a good rest and come back safely!!,” showing his support for the group.

Se7en also tweeted to Park Bom, “Congrats Bom!! Have a good night and come back safely,”

Netizens commented, “Of course, YG Family! It’s good to see that you guys are close“, “Congratulations 2NE1!“, and “Oppa, you have to start activities again so you can sweep some awards too!“.

In related news, Se7en will perform at the upcoming ‘15th Anniversary YG Family Concert‘ in December.

Source + Photo: Star News via Nate

2NE1′s Park Bom wishes Big Bang had attended 2011 MAMA

2NE1‘s Park Bom has shown that in YG Entertainment, it really is all about “Family, Family, Family“, as she expressed her regret in Big Bang‘s absence at the 2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

On November 30th, she tweeted, “Did you see? We did our best. And also, did I do well despite my sick throat? It would have been nice if Big Bang had come. When Big Bang had risen as a candidate, I screamed loudly.”

Big Bang had won the ‘Best Music Video’ award for “Love Song“. However, due to unavoidable circumstances, Big Bang was not able to attend, causing 2NE1 to represent YG Entertainment alone.

Source: Star News via Nate

will.i.am reveals project album with 2NE1 is almost finished

On November 29th, Black Eyed Peas‘ will.i.am and apl.de.ap walked the red carpet at the 2011 MAMA (Mnet Asian Music Awards).

They revealed, “We feel great participating in such a large event like this. I’ve worked with 2NE1 before and we would like have collaborations with other Asian artists as well. We are planning to have a special performance with 2NE1 today. Please anticipate it.”

They also revealed that they are almost finished with their project album with 2NE1.

will.i.am’s frequent compliments of 2NE1 have already caused quite a stir in Korea, and it was a well-known secret amongst fans that the two artists have been working on a special project.

Later that night, will.i.am and apl.de.ap each put on a solo performance as well as a collaboration stage with 2NE1′s CL of “Where is the Love“.

Source: Newsen

J-POP star Koda Kumi has a close relationship with 2NE1 & TVXQ

Top J-POP star Koda Kumidisplayed her close relationship with 2NE1 member Minzy.

At a 2011 MAMA press conference that took place at the Singapore Sands Expo and Convention Center on the 29th, Koda Kumi remarked, “I worked with TVXQ in the past and continue to maintain a close relationship. I have also spent a lot of time with 2NE1′s Minzy, and I plan on going to their next performance in Japan“.

“Today at the MAMA, I will put on a performance that fits in with Korean culture“, she continued.

170 reporters from Japan as well as Hong Kong, Malaysia and Cambodia were at this particular press conference, as well as Reuters and the Korean press to gather as much news as possible.

In related news, the biggest K-POP stars such as Super Junior, SNSD, 2NE1, B2ST, Brown Eyed Girls and Ooh La La Session were in attendance at the 2011 MAMA as well as world-famous celebrities like will.i.am and Snoop Dogg.

Source & Image : OSEN

Super Junior, 2NE1, and HyunA receive awards at ’2011 YouTube Kpop Awards’

Super Junior, 2NE1, and HyunA have been making headlines all year with their YouTube view counts. On November 22nd, these three teams received awards at the ’2011 YouTube Kpop Awards’ at Google Korea in Seoul.

HyunA stated, “I was surprised at the large amount of YouTube viewcounts. I saw a lot of people upload videos with my song, and there were many who were better than me; I gained strength [from seeing all the videos].”

2NE1, who had three videos in the Top 10, commented, “We will continue to upload a lot of cool videos in the future. Please show them lots of love. We put a lot of effort into showing you a lot of things in ‘I Am The Best’ music video, so I think that is probably why a lot of people watched the video.”

Super Junior’s Leeteuk stated, “This award is especially more valuable because fans all over the world were the ones who made this award possible. We will continue to spread the Korea’s culture throughout the world… I also clicked on our music video 10 times. Whenever we’d go perform overseas, the clip would be uploaded onto YouTube right away. Seeing this, I felt how strong media’s power had become.”

Super Junior received 1st place with 26.9 million views for “Mr. Simple”, followed by 2NE1 with 22 million views for ‘I Am The Best’, while 3rd place went to Hyuna with 21.6 million views for “Bubble Pop”.

2NE1′s Minzy shows off a dance mix on Minzy’s TV #3

2NE1‘s youngest member Minzy isn’t shy when it comes to revealing her dancing talents to all of her fans. Now, she’s back with a new dance mix.

Earlier today Minzy uploaded a video via twitter with the caption, “DANCE DANCE DANCE !! MINZY’s TV #3“. The dances are broken down into 4 parts:

1- OMG (Usher)

2- Imma Be (Black Eyed Peas) along with YG Entertainment dancer Park Jung Heon

3- Sexy Ladies (SHIT KINGZ) along with with YG Entertainment dancer Yong Deuk

4- Get me Bodied (Beyonce) by Minzy

Check out the video below!

Source: Minzy’s twitter

2NE1 crowned ‘Best New Band In The World’

On November 10th, 2NE1 was selected as ‘Best New Band In The World 2011‘ by MTV Iggy!

The article stated,

“Any band releasing a song titled “I Am the Best” rarely gets the chance to prove it. But for K-Pop sensation 2NE1, it only took a few short months. CL, Dara, Bom, and Minzy — the four fiercest ladies of K-pop — went head-to-head against nine powerhouse musical acts. But like superheroes from a distant galaxy, like their own “Sudden Attack” video game avatars, they bested all before them.

2NE1′s instantly addictive hard-edged, synthesized, amalgamated pop sound pushes the group light years away from the girlie/sexy/cute female K-pop stereotype, winning the group legions of devoted fans far outside their hometown borders. They promised, “I’ll bring you all the way to the end, follow, follow, me.” And borne upon the shoulders of these Blackjacks, they’re leading the way forward in the 2NE1st century.”

The site also posted an article detailing 2NE1′s achievements and background info, explaining in detail how the girls became major superstars.

Additionally, it was revealed that the girls will be headlining a concert in New York City on December 12th.

Congratulations to 2NE1 for the amazing achievement, all the Blackjacks are celebrating with you!

2NE1 releases Japanese previews of “Go Away” + “It Hurts”

A few days ago, we reported that 2NE1 was working on their first Japanese single called “Go Away“. As the title suggests, the single will hold a Japanese version of “Go Away”, with “It Hurts” acting as its B-side.

Some short audio clips have made their way onto the net, and it’s amping up anticipation for the single’s November release.

Check out their preview below!

—

“Go Away”
.
–
“It Hurts”

2NE1 reveals PV preview of “Go Away” + tracklist details

2NE1 is preparing to rock Japan with their first Japanese single, “Go Away“, and we’ve got the preview for their PV!
(Instead of using the term ‘music video’, or ‘MV’, the Japanese music industry uses ‘promotional video’ or ‘PV’).
Scheduled to hit shelves on November 16th, “Go Away” will come in three versions: two CD+DVDS (‘Type A’ and ‘Type B’) as well as ‘CD-Only’. ‘Type A’ will hold the music video for “Go Away” as well as its making-of clip, while ‘Type B’ will include an episode of ’2NE1 TV’ as well as highlights from the YGEX press conference.
As for the music video, the girls filmed brand new footage that sees a ton of bright colors, in addition to choreography shots.
Check out the PV preview as well as track list below!
–

-
–

Tracklist

“Go Away” CD+DVD – Type A

CD:
1.GO AWAY
2.IT HURTS
3.GO AWAY (INSTRUMENTAL)
4.IT HURTS (INSTRUMENTAL)

DVD:
・GO AWAY ＜MUSIC CLIP＞
・GO AWAY ＜MAKING MOVIE＞

-

“Go Away” CD+DVD – Type B

CD:
1.GO AWAY
2.IT HURTS
3.GO AWAY (INSTRUMENTAL)
4.IT HURTS (INSTRUMENTAL)

DVD:
・2NE1 TV SEASON3 EPISODE1 HIGHLIGHT
・2NE1 TV JP -YGEX PRESS CONFERENCE-

-

“Go Away” CD-Only

1.GO AWAY
2.IT HURTS
3.GO AWAY (INSTRUMENTAL)
4.IT HURTS (INSTRUMENTAL)

==

Source + Image: CD Japan

2NE1 to hold concerts in Thailand and Vietnam

Girl group 2NE1 is continuing their dominance in Asia as they will be advancing to further promote their music in Thailand and Vietnam.

According to their agency, 2NE1 put on a successful debut concert in Japan in September for over 70,000 fans, and they have plans to make their debut in Thailand and Vietnam as well in order to enlarge their sphere of activities.

The girls who are currently promoting in Japan will hold their very first ‘NOLZA‘ concert in Thailand on the 29th at the Impact Hall in Bangkok, despite being busy working as models for Yamaha Thailand.

And in addition to Thailand, They will also be greeting their fans in Vietnam at a collective concert to take place in Hanoi on November 19th. 2NE1 will be the only Korean artists to take place in the particular show.

The concert is a public service event put on by the KOTRA in Vietnam as well as Silk Road CNT, and it is an effort to offer assistance to Vietnamese teenagers and will serve as an opportunity for Korea and Vietnam to share and exchange pop cultures.

A representative from Silk Road CNT stated, “We have heard that 2NE1 is the most popular Korean artist among Vietnamese teens and therefore we decided to invite them to represent Korean artists at the concert… The event is being held with good intentions, so not only is the Vietnamese government particularly interested in the event, but all of the major Korean enterprises in the area are also showing their interest and support.”

The ladies of 2NE1 will be releasing their single in Japan on November 16th, and will greet their Korean fans once again at the YG Family Concert in December.

Source & Image : StarNews

Big Bang’s Daesung to make a comeback in December!

YG Entertainment is scheduled to hold large-scale concerts in both Korea and Japan for approximately 200,000 fans in December of this year and early 2012. What will be most exciting for the fans, however, is that Big Bang‘s Daesung will be making his comeback, performing on stage at these concerts.

YG Entertainment stated on the 19th, “We will be performing a YG Family Concert in celebration of our 15th anniversary. We will hold three concerts for about 40,000 guests per show at the Olympic Hall in Seoul on December 3rd & 4th, then on January 7th and 8th, perform two shows for about 80,000 guests per concert at the Osaka Colosseum, and finally 2 shows at the Saitama Super Arena on January 21st & 22nd for about 80,000 guests each show.”

‘YG Family Concert’ is an event that has taken place regularly since YG Entertainment was established in 1997. Each of the label’s artists put on individual performance to express their unique talents and skills, and also collaborate to put on a colorful show for their fans. The concert is one in which both the audience and the artists can truly enjoy themselves.

This year is a an especially noteworthy milestone for YG, as they celebrate their 15th anniversary and thus, this year’s YG Family Concert should be that much more phenomenal, filled with new and exciting performances for their fans.

YG Entertainment has also established a new company ‘YGEX‘ in collaboration with Japanese agency AVEX, and this is the first time since their ten-year anniversary in 2006 that they are performing a YG Family Concert overseas.

Artists that will be performing at the Family Concert include YG’s eldest hyung Se7en, the talented Gummy, the unique and charismatic 2NE1, and Hallyu idol icons Big Bang who made their debut performance at the 10th anniversary YG Family Concert in 2006. G-Dragon’s concert attendance, however, is still TBD.

There will be some new faces at the concert this year as well. Singer Psy who was a guest at the annual concert last year has now become an official YG Entertainment artist and will be performing on stage as a YG family member along with Epik High‘s Tablo, who has also recently signed a record deal with YG Entertainment and released his first solo album.

Big Bang’s Daesung who has been taking a long break since his unexpected car accident in May will be making his comeback performance at the concert, and it will be a joyous one for fans who have been awaiting this very moment.

Ticket sales for the concert begin on October 27th.

Source & Image : OSEN via Nate

HEY! HEY! HEY! Music Champ announces K-Pop special for October 10th

HEY! HEY! HEY! Music Champ announced that they are going to air a two-hour-long special on October 10th in order to celebrate the 18th year anniversary of the show.

They also revealed the line-up for the special on their blog and made it clear that it’s going to be full-fledged K-Pop special, but the biggest highlight is going to be the appearance of Tohoshinki, who haven’t been on the show for two years.

The rest of the line-up includes T-ARA, RAINBOW, and AFTERSCHOOL, who are each going to perform medleys of their most popular songs, as well as performances from 2NE1 and FTISLAND.

Child actor Suzuki Fuku is going to be one of the panelists again and he already announced that he is going to dance to “Maru-Maru-Mori-Mori!” together with the girls from AFTERSCHOOL.

However, the show won’t be limited to just K-POP. The long-standing pop & dance group TRF, who have frequently been in the TOP 20 when HEY! HEY! HEY! Music Champ started 18 years ago, are going to perform a special medley that shouldn’t be missed.

Furthermore, it was announced that there is going to be a special collaboration by ‘ONE PIECE‘ and AMEMIYA dedicated to Tohoshinki.

Sources: Fuji TV, mu-mo

TVXQ and 2NE1 also top the Oricon charts

K-Pop groups are sweeping the Oricon charts this week!  In addition to T-ara‘s “Bo Peep Bo Peep” topping the Oricon daily singles chart, TVXQ‘s “Tone” has also come out on top for the daily album sales chart!

TVXQ has sold a total of 105,484 copies of their “Tone” album thus far, ranking them at the top of the albums category.  Right next to them this week are T-ara and 2NE1, who’s topped the weekly albums chart with ‘NOLZA‘, recording 26,334 in sales.

September 28th will surely be a memorable day for most K-Pop fans as stars continue their streak of success in Japan.

Source + Photos: X Sports News via Naver

2NE1 reveals PV preview for “Lonely”

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Korean girl group 2NE1 unleashed their gorgeous ballad “Lonely” back in May, and they decided to bring it over to Japan as part of their debut album.

Two weeks ago, the girls shared a preview of the song’s Japanese version along with a photo teaser for the PV, and now they’ve revealed a PV preview for the Japanese MV.

Check it out below!

2NE1 announces news at their debut live at Yokohama Arena!

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Korean group 2NE1 just started their Japanese debut tour on the evening of September 19 at Yokohama Arena. The girls will perform six shows in three cities and it’s predicted that they will bring about 70,000 attendees.

At the concert when the current raised, leader CL announced that they want to perform at this year’s Kohaku Utagassen and that they aim to take on the world.

Then green lazers shot out with the words “NOLZA” and, “Let’s play” in Korean appeared. Through it all, the ace of spades and queen of hearts appeared showing the blackjack hand “21″ and all four members broke through it. After performing two powerful and rhythmical songs DARA exclaiemd to the crowd, “Everybody let’s play! Are you ready? Let’s go!” and grabbed the hearts of 12,000 fans.

2NE1’s Japan debut event is considered to be a ‘historical’ one for a Korean group entering the Japanese market. SHINee entered and toured three cities and performed five shows but only pulled in about 30,000 fans.

Before the event even started, 13,000 fans lined up at noon for five hours on this opening day. One of fashion highpoints was CL’s outfit. She noted that she went to a vintage shop in Harajuku and bought a stylish punk jacket that has seven patterns that “change”. Also appearing at the opening event were groups BIG BANG and sub-unit GD & TOP as guests.

Earlier in the event when CL announced that they wish to be on Kohaku, she also said that Kohaku is a famous program in Korea so of course they love to be on it. She also added that the girls are aiming for the world. “We hear all our fans in Brazil and want to go London. I want to perform our music on every piece of land.”

2NE1 performed 22 songs and announced that they will release their first single “GO AWAY” on November 16th.

Source + Images: Sanspo

2NE1′s Sandara Park reveals her epic ‘Vegeta’ hairstyle!

2NE1‘s Sandara Park reveals her epic Vegeta hairstyle!

On September 6th, Dara updated her me2day with the above photo, and a message, “It’s been 5 days since we got to Japan! Since the day of arrival, I’ve been eating curry every day! It’s really delicious~ However, the other members and staff are already growing sick of it. I’m by myself today, so I can finally eat curry again! It’s so delicious! Nyam nyam nyam.”
As seen in the photo above, Dara is eating curry with what seems to be sasuages. Dara’s hairstyle, however, was the main focus of attention for netizens.
Fans that viewed the photo commented, “That’s funny, everytime I see your hair I laugh,” “I love curry, let’s eat some together!” and “Ah, so adorable.”
Fellow member Minzy also filmed a short 8 second clip of Dara being silly with her Vegeta hair.

2NE1′s Dara loves her ramen noodles!

2NE1 member Sandara Park‘s love for ramen noodles is becoming a hot topic.

On September 6th, Dara posted a photo on her me2day with the caption, “Delicious ramen that I get to eat after I’m finished with my schedules. Kyah. Oishi.” In the revealed photo, Sandara is seen eating ramen with her mouth opened wide.

Dara’s love for ramen is a popularly known fact amongst her fans. In the past, through her me2day, she posted, “While I was carelessly cooking ramen in my dorm, I suffered from second degree burns.” After these words were posted, fans gifted her cup ramen for her birthday which resulted in a very happy Dara, as seen in the second photo above. Also, on Mnet‘s “2NE1 TV“, a program that follows the girls during their every day lives, scenes of Dara happily eating ramen have been frequently broadcast.

Netizens commented, “She must really like ramen“, “Even if she eats a lot, Sandara doesn’t gain weight“, and “Fighting on your Japanese activities!”

Meanwhile, 2NE1 has departed for Japan to promote their first Japanese mini-album, which will be released on September 21st.

Source + Photo: Daily Economy via Nate