The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
- Reaching for the stars
- Little Psy, big dreams
- Stone Temple Pilots fires founder, lead singer Scott Weiland
| Posted: 28 Feb 2013 02:52 AM PST The girls of Spica strives to live up to their group's name. THE colourfully diverse K-pop girl group Spica hasn't been around for a long time, but its members are certainly no strangers to the music scene. Leader Kim Bo-a was a former vocal trainer for the K-pop idol boys of Infinite, and her distinctive deep and husky voice has been featured in songs of numerous idol groups, including popular girl group Kara. Yang Ji-won was a member of the former K-pop girl group Five Girls, which included stars G.Na, Yubin of Wonder Girls, Uee from After School and Hyosung of Secret. Park Na-rae was a contestant on the first season of Superstar K, and together with Kim Bo-hyung and Park Ju-hyun, the five women formed the group Spica, which refers to the name of one of the universe's brightest stars. Spica made its debut about a year ago with the single Potently and then went on to release two mini-albums along with two singles. As opposed to mashing many different genres into one song, which has become a popular trend nowadays, the artistes released single tracks that show off their different colours. "We were each so eager to try new things, so every time we worked on a song, we wanted to show a different side to us," Na-rae said. Spica's title tracks Potently, Russian Roulette, Painkiller, I'll Be There and Lonely are examples of how the members have tried out a variety of genres and sounds from ballad, to pop, to dance and R&B. "When we debuted, we showed a strong, more charismatic image, and then when we came out with the song I'll Be There, we were more bright and upbeat. And then with our latest song, since we are a girl group, we went with a more sexy concept," Na-rae said. Bo-a added: "No matter what we come out with, I think that the most important thing for us to play up is our charisma. Compared to other groups, we really focus more on our vocals than anything else." While most of the members best recall the emotions that overcame them the first time they performed on stage as a group or the first time they held a fan meeting, for Na-rae, it was the reality check she received during the filming of the group's first music video, for Russian Roulette. "I don't necessarily know if this is a good memory, but I will never forget our first music video shoot," said Na-rae as the rest of the members gasped and laughed in unison. "I didn't know that music video shoots were crammed into just two days. We had to act, pose and lip-sync in front of the camera for the first time. My mind was completely scrambled." "It's only been a year, so I can't say my nerves are completely gone, but I would say that before I had, like, 20 different things running through my mind, whereas as now it has been shortened down to, like, five things," she said, laughing. The young ladies of Spica released their latest mini-album Lonely in November and it features songs written and composed by some of the group members. The mid-tempo pop piece With You was written and composed by leader Bo-a, while the 1980s electro-inspired hip-hop track That Night was written, composed and arranged by Bo-hyung. "When people hear our songs, I really want them to feel the lyrics, the messages that we send through them," said Ju-hyun. "To me, that is what true success means." – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network |
| Posted: 28 Feb 2013 01:08 AM PST SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN) -- Hwang Min Woo, who shot to fame on Psy's coattails, wants to make it on his own Millions of YouTube-watchers know him as the adorable boy in Korean superstar Psy's viral-hit music video Gangnam Style. But Hwang Min Woo is so ready to step out of its shadow. At an interview with Life!, the eight-year-old assumes a rather sheepish look when asked about That Song. He says in Korean via a translator: "I have danced to Gangnam Style at least 500 times already. I am really quite tired of dancing to the song." In town this week for an LG promotion, the youngster sounds quite the savvy media veteran when he says: "I hope to slowly step away from Gangnam Style, and start to focus on my own songs. I have a new single coming up called Showtime that I really enjoy singing and dancing to. It's my song. Not Psy's song." This debut single is slated for release next month. Gangnam Style, the massive hit song featuring horse-riding-inspired dance moves, is the most-watched video on YouTube, with more than 1.3 billion views. But so sick is he of Gangnam Style, that Hwang - nicknamed Little Psy for his roly-poly resemblance to the superstar - says that he performs the song only if he is hired to do so. "People recognise me on the streets almost every day in Korea, and many always ask me to show them how to do the Gangnam Style dance. But I don't do it, because I'm tired of it, and actually, I think other people are tired of it too. I'll do it only if I have to, at a proper performance." A proper performance such as the one he did here on a makeshift stage on Orchard Road, alongside six children from arts education facility The Little Arts Academy. In a black tuxedo with a single black and gold earring and slicked-back hair, he looked every bit a pop superstar at the interview. In a slightly embarrassed manner, he even gestured to the photographer to stop taking unflattering photos when he started to yawn. His behaviour could have come across as grating, had he not been packaged in such a tiny frame. Even during the photo shoot, he seemed well ahead of his years and came off as a total media professional, easily offering a wide variety of slick poses for every camera click. The only child of a Korean marriage counsellor father and a Vietnamese housewife mother, Hwang was discovered by Psy following a dance showcase on TV programme Korea's Got Talent. Reportedly, Psy had seen the boy's performance only a day before the shooting of his music video but was so floored by the young talent that he insisted on getting him involved. Asked if he and Psy are still in contact, Hwang says diplomatically with a chuckle: "As you know, Psy is a very busy man. His schedule is very full. And I am also a very busy person. So there isn't much time for contact." Since shooting to fame, Little Psy has travelled to perform in China, Vietnam, Taiwan, the United States and the Philippines. Though he admits to "feeling tired sometimes" on such trips, he is loving every minute of it. "I get to travel and visit so many new places. Now that I'm in Singapore, I want to go shopping and just shop, shop, shop," he says with a laugh, though he could not say what he wanted to buy. There is also the pure joy of getting to just, well, dance. "I really love dancing and performing. Sometimes, when we do recordings for videos, we have to record until 3 or 4am, so I get tired. But I go with it because I love it." The self-taught talent started dancing when he was only three, he says. "When I was two years old, I was crying a lot, so my mum started playing songs on her phone. The minute the songs started, I would move to the music and stop crying. But once the song was over, I would cry again. That's when my mum realised I had an interest in music and let me listen to more music." He started out by imitating moves from music videos by popular K-pop groups including Big Bang, Super Junior and Shinee before also getting in on Western imports Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson. "A career in show business is what I really want. And eventually, I hope to be even more famous than Psy," he says seriously. At the end of the interview, he very politely and solemnly bows to this reporter and says "thank you". But as soon as the voice recorder is switched off, he turns off the pop star persona and becomes a child again, as he whips out his phone and happily starts playing a game. |
| Stone Temple Pilots fires founder, lead singer Scott Weiland Posted: 27 Feb 2013 07:59 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rock band Stone Temple Pilots on Wednesday said they had fired singer Scott Weiland - a decision which appeared to have surprised the band's founding member and the voice behind the its biggest hits of the 1990s. "Stone Temple Pilots have announced they have officially terminated Scott Weiland," the band, which now consists of bassist Robert DeLeo, guitarist Dean DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz, said in a statement. The band declined to give a reason for firing Weiland. "I learned of my supposed 'termination' from Stone Temple Pilots this morning by reading about it in the press," Weiland said in a statement. "Not sure how I can be 'terminated' from a band that I founded, fronted and co-wrote many of its biggest hits, but that's something for the lawyers to figure out," he added. Weiland, 45, whose growling vocals and dyed bright red hair became a symbol of the grunge era in the early 1990s, helped the Stone Temple Pilots score hits with guitar-heavy songs like Plush in 1993 and Interstate Love Song the following year. The band broke up in 2003 and reformed in 2008. During that interval Weiland was in the rock group Velvet Revolver with former members of Guns N' Roses among others. Weiland, who has admitted to struggling with drug abuse in the past, begins a month-long solo U.S. concert tour on Friday in Flint, Michigan. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Star Online: Entertainment: Music To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan