B2ST, 2NE1, INFINITE, miss A, Jang Geun Suk, and SISTAR welcome YouTube Malaysia

Earlier today, YouTube officially launched their 42nd country official local site in Malaysia at http://www.youtube.com.my/

YouTube’s official blog wrote,

“While YouTube has already been available in Malaysia’s most widely spoken languages — Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese, and English — having a Malaysia-specific homepage can now deliver the most relevant videos for Malaysians as well as make it easier to highlight great content from our local partners such as KRU Studios… In the last few years, Malaysians have shown a gift for creating video hits. You may have seen the guy who proposed to his girlfriend using Internet memes. Then there’s singer and ukelele player Zee Avi, who posted a few videos on YouTube in 2007 and ended up signing to Jack Johnson’s Brushfire label. Meanwhile school teacher Cikgu Shida has mimed her way across tons of popular songs to become a sudden Internet star in her homeland.

With YouTube now open in Malaysia, we are excited to see more and more Malaysians join the YouTube community. And hopefully this will also mean the world can more easily discover the amazing culture and talent that exists in Malaysia today.”

To commemorate this opening, a special video was created and features some of Malaysia’s top artists including Yuna, Mizz Nina, Joe Flizzow, and Tenderfist. Additionally, after looking at the analytics and seeing the popularity of K-pop in the country, some of the Top K-pop / K-drama stars including B2ST, 2NE1, INFINITE, miss A, Jang Geun Suk, and SISTAR welcomed Malaysians to YouTube Malaysia.

Check out the video below!

cr: allkpop

NYDailyNews discusses the Hallyu Wave, SNSD, Wonder Girls, 2NE1 & more

With fans streaming into the Tri-Delta area from places as far as Canada and Florida to attend the KBS – New York Festival earlier this month and SMTOWN New York which takes place at Madison Square Garden tonight, New York City has been the latest to directly experience the effects of the Hallyu Wave! New York Daily News recently published a feature article on this worldwide phenomenon, highlighting the excitement that’s invigorating fans in the city this week.

When B2ST and 4minute recently performed at the MTV TRL Studios, a crowd gathered outside for hopeful glimpses of the idols. After seeing the frenzy outdoors, MTV’s executive vice president Peter Griffin commented, “I haven’t seen this in years … It reminds me of when ‘N Sync was here and the fans lined up around the studio.”

Cedarbough Saeji, a Ph.D. candidate at UCLA in culture and performance with a focus on Korean culture, commented, “[K-pop music videos are] just slick, extremely well produced, always have different themes that really capture audiences’ attentions … The production value is very sophisticated. Every k-pop video is as high quality as any top American act like Lady Gaga or Britney Spears, but the image is a lot cleaner, less sexualization.”

The feature also highlights the Wonder Girls‘ upcoming official debut in the American tween market with their TeenNick movie as well as their past experiences with the Jonas Brothers and more. Furthermore, 2NE1 has “become designer Jeremy Scott‘s muses”, inspiring the shoe “JS Collage Wings x 2NE1″ which will debut next month. The article continues, “The group’s look — high fashion with a colorful, punky twist — has even inspired some updated costumes in the new production of Broadway’s ‘Rent’.“.

According to NYDailyNews, SNSD member Tiffany auditioned for Kollaboration, the Asian American talent show back when she was fifteen years old. Though Tiffany didn’t make the show, she caught the eyes of SM Entertainment scouts that were present at the event. Later on, Tiffany reflected, “I guess I got the bigger end of the deal.”

While discussing her training regiment, Tiffany explained, “I practiced a minimum of 4-6 hours every day … Being there alone gave me a lot of motivation to keep going on.” She also cited SNSD’s fans as a large motivator after the group’s debut. “Words cannot describe [our fans] … They are our inspiration and the foundation behind our music. Without fans we wouldn’t be here.”

In response to SNSD’s foray into the American market with their first English track, “The Boys”, which has reportedly hit #52 on iTunes’ Main Singles Chart, Tiffany expressed, “We’re definitely ready. … I’m not nervous. We’re looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to it.”

Read the article in its entirety here!

cr: allkpop

[Fancam] 111003 BEAST Yoseob - DANCE FIRE 2NE1 @ 2011 K-POP Cover Dance Festival

Idol groups under fire for excessive performance fees at university festivals

The National Tax Service has begun a tax investigation on idol singers and universities after receiving complaints that idol performance fees for university festivals have skyrocketed as of late.
According to information revealed by CBS and No Cut News on April 5th, the National Tax Service began investigations on March 15th by asking universities to fill out a form detailing, from 2008 to 2010, which celebrities they had invited, how much they were paid and withholding tax, whether a contract was used, how they were invited, and other related information.
One university representative claimed that they speculated tax evasion on the celebrity’s end to be the cause, as festivals are usually paid for in cash without material evidence.
CBS reported that in 2010, the following idol groups received an average payment of:

Big Bang – $45,000 USD
2NE1/SNSD – $25,000 USD++
2PM – $25,000 USD
B2ST – $17,000 USD
KARA/T-ara – $16,000 USD
SECRET – $14,000 USD

The numbers are alarming in that most of the payments were within the thousands, rarely ever exceeding $10,000 USD, a couple years ago.
The topic of overpaying celebrities has been a hot debate for a while now, with many of the belief that the money should instead be invested in facilities for the students. While a guideline is needed, the National Tax Service has no right to block or bring down the worth of a star in the market.

cr: allkpop

Could Lee Seung Gi, B2ST, and 2NE1 be leading the next Hallyu wave?

Over the next few months, a representative contingent of Korea’s top idol singers and stars will be crossing the East Sea towards the land of the rising sun in order to try their hand in the increasingly-competitive Japanese music market.
With all these stars heading over to Japan around the same time, one might begin to wonder, who’s really going to be successful?
The people have spoken, and it looks as if Lee Seung Gi, everyone’s favorite MC/actor/singer, is expected to spearhead this next movement in the Hallyu wave. ‘Monkey3‘, a Korean music site, recently conducted a poll and found that 45% of its respondents (234 votes) believed Lee Seung Gi would make it big in Japan.  Netizens have commented, “The way to succeed in Japan is through singing“, “In Japan, the dramas “Shining Inheritance” and “My Girlfriend is a Gumiho” are already well-known“.  Lee Seung Gi is due to start his promotions this month in Japan, complete with performances and fan meetings.
Coming at second place is 2NE1, who recently released a Japanese version of their single, “Go Away“. They garnered 22% of the votes (115 votes), and  B2st came in 3rd with 18% of the vote (92 votes). Meanwhile, 2PM came in 4th place with 6% (32 votes), and SECRET and After School came in 5th and 6th places, with 6% (29 votes) 4% (20 votes), respectively.
Do you agree with their ranking? Let us know below!

cr: allkpop