Intro to KNK

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KNK

Five was once the magic number of K-pop boy bands, but it’s been quite some time since quintets were a thing in K-pop. Bigbang, B1A4, FTISLAND, and, after the departure Hyunseung, BEAST are some of the few popular active acts to have only five members nowadays. And now we have KNK, a new boy band from YNB Entertainment that is garnering a lot of attention.

KNK, or “Keunakeun” the word for great or might in Korean, come from a relatively small agency with a lot of exceptional talent. (If you haven’t heard Noel, Almeng, or Bestie, go listen to some of their songs right now.) After debuting in February as the first male idol group under YNB, KNK caught the attention of several KultScene staff members with their debut single “Knock,” which features a deceivingly ballad-like intro before quickly morphing into an aggressive, pounding dance-track. The b-side track of their first single album, “Angel Heart,” in contrast, is a ballad that has a J-pop soft vibe. Multifaceted musically and able to captivate with their dances, KNK is a must watch rookie of 2016.

Also on Kultscene: Artist Spotlight: Almeng

But maybe more so than their own songs, KNK caught my eye when I heard their version of TVXQ’s “Love in the Ice.” (The below video is their performance from their debut showcase. KNK has performed the song on multiple occasions.)

To understand why this was so exciting to discover that a rookie boy band could hold their own while performing “Love in the Ice” live, it must be understood that the song is legendary. KNK performing it, and managing to do it justice, shows that not only are these five rookies extremely skilled they’re also determined.

There’s no sticking to simple when it comes to KNK; they could have picked a much less strenuous song to perform at their debut showcase but instead they performed a song that every audience member, perhaps every person in South Korea, would recognize and would know if they missed up. That takes guts for rookies, but KNK managed to pull it off. Primary vocalists Yujin and Inseong carry the majority of the song, but that in itself is impressive considering the song was meant for five of K-pop’s most iconic vocalists.

KNK has also gained quite a following thanks to their frequent videos uploaded to YouTube or Naver’s V App. They’re about to release their first EP “Awake,” so here’s a perfect time to get introduced to KNK.


 

Jihun

Kim Jihun’s only 21 years old and the second youngest of the group, but he’s actually the leader of KNK. He’s the group’s main dancer and, like everyone but Heejun, Jihun performed as a backup dancer for Bestie prior to debuting. Before going to YNB Entertainment, Jihun was a trainee under Nega Network. (And he’s kind of a dork.)

Also on Kultscene: Intro to Lovelyz

Youjin

KNK’s lead vocalist and oldest member (he’s 23), Kim Youjin has some of the most powerful vocals around. Before joining his current agency, Youjin trained with B.A.P’s members at TS Entertainment.

Seungjun

The group’s rapper and visual (that means they think he’s the best looking but the below video argues that), Park Seungjun trained with BTS and Got7 before moving to YNB. The tallest of the group, Seungjun was also voted the least stylish of the group and has a goofy side.

Inseong

The middle member when it comes to age, Jeong Inseong is one of the group’s main vocalists. He formerly trained at Big Hit Entertainment with the trainees who would end up being BTS and also trained at FNC Entertainment.

Heejun

The youngest member, or maknae, Oh Heejun was formerly an FNC Entertainment trainee who appeared on the company’s reality show “Cheongdam-dong 111” with Inseong. He was featured as a vocalist and guitarist in FNC’s Kokoma Band but now is one of KNK’s rappers.

What do you think of KNK? Are you excited to see where they take their career? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Intro to G.Soul

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JYP Entertainment’s newest artist, G.Soul, is about to show Korean music lovers what he’s made of. He has been a trainee at JYP for fifteen years and he will finally debut on January 19th with his first mini album Coming Home. G.Soul is JYPE’s first R&B solo artist, which is very exciting not only for JYP, but for K-pop fans in general. It’s nice to see artists who specialize in other genres than pop have a chance to promote their music at the larger entertainment companies.

G.Soul was sent to NYC for training when he was a young boy after JYP discovered him and was impressed with his talents. He was supposed to debut in America as part of JYPE USA until things fell through and it closed down. While he was training in NYC all of these years, G.Soul did perform at gigs and in competitions where some of his fellow JYPE labelmates supported him, such as the Wonder Girls, Min, Jo Kwon, J-Liim, and others. Past Christmas videos on Min’s and Jo Kwon’s Instagram accounts show off G.Soul’s soulful vocals and the closeness of the JYP artists.

Also on KultScene: YG Entertainment And Authenticity In K-Pop

He was based in Brooklyn while in the States and will undoubtedly pull from his experiences and training while there. The first teaser for his first single Coming Home shows G.Soul in multiple settings in black and white and with only the beat and music of the song. The final few seconds listeners hear his unexpected vocals. His teaser for You is very similar in style with the black and white, the music and quick shots of a certain scene. Then at the end, we hear G.Soul’s voice.

Although there is only a small snippet of G.Soul’s vocals in both teasers, it’s enough to entice listeners to pay attention to his debut. His vocal quality has similar elements to Zion.T and to Bumkey, but then there is something within in that makes it his own. From the snippets it seems that he has a great voice and that his long awaited debut will not be in vain.

In the first teaser for Coming Home there is a shot of a record cover from an R.Kelly record, which is a good indication that he is a musical inspiration to G.Soul. G.Soul’s vocals do share similar qualities to R.Kelly’s vocals and it will be interesting to hear to a full length song to really be able pinpoint his sound. After listening to G.Soul’s covers on his Soundcloud, it’s clear he is heavily inspired by R&B vocalists and soulful artists, from Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, Pharrell, and more.

G.Soul wrote and co-wrote every song on his mini album, which shows that he is more than a musician, he is an artist who takes pride in creating to share with fans. Whenever an artist has a significant hand in creating their musical work it gives them a bit more credibility because it shows they feel a deeper connection to the music and the lyrics and they are proud to deliver their creations to the fans.

From his teasers, G.Soul will have a decent debut. G.Soul’s fluency in Korean and English will only aid him as he embarks on his debut. His songs will utilize both languages and could possibly attract more followers and fans because of it. Since he is not an idol and not strictly pop music, G.Soul will present a fresh sound with his cultivated vocals and Western-influenced style.

Also on KultScene: Artist Spotlight: DaeNamHyup

Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Intro To Lovelyz

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Woollim Entertainment’s upcoming girl group Lovelyz is the long-awaited little sister group to popular act INFINITE, and the company’s first girl group. Because of these two factor and the fact that Woollim is also the company that created popular hip-hop trio Epik High and one of Korea’s most popular indie rock band’s Nell, Lovelyz is highly anticipated.

Fans have been waiting for the so-called “Woollim Girls” for a long time; one fan reserved the Twitter handle @WoollimGirls in August 2011. Because of their popularity, some people are wondering who these eight girls are, and we know about them.

Lovelyz also released a teaser video for the group’s debut song, Good Night Like Yesterday. Yoon Sang, who has written songs that IU and Ga-In have sung, wrote the song. The album will be called Girls’ Invasion. 

[UPDATED TO MUSIC VIDEO]

Image credit: Woollim Entertainment

Image credit: Woollim Entertainment

Baby Soul

The leader and vocalist, Baby Soul, was born in 1992. Her legal name is Lee Soo Jung, and she’s one of the most popular members in Lovelyz. Fans of INFINITE’s subgroup, INFINITE-H, will recognize her rapping on the songs Fly High and Crying.

Also on KultScene: Intro To WINNER

However, Baby Soul’s done more than just feature on songs. She released a solo song, Stranger featuring Wheesung, in 2011. She also released a duet, She’s A Flirt with former Woollim trainee Yoo Ji Ah in 2012. Along with several other members of Lovelyz, Baby Soul has appeared in several of INFINITE’s dance performances.

JIN

The main vocalist gained attention for her solo song Gone due to the music video featuring popular actress Kim Yoo Jung and EXO’s Xiumin. She also featured on INFINITE-H’s Life Goes On. JIN’s legal legal name is Park Myung Eun.

Lee Mi Joo

Lee Mi Joo appeared in INFINITE’s music video for Last Romeo as the love interest. She will be Lovelyz’s rapper/dancer.

Also on KultScene: Intro To Red Velvet

Yoo Ji Ae

Lovelyz’s visual and vocalist released a solo song, Delight, in 2013. She is best known to long-time INFINITE fans who watched the group’s pre-debut show, You’re My Oppa, where she acted as the group’s little sister. Yoo Ji Ae also appeared on a 2013 episode of Running Man with other trainees.

Seo Jisoo

Born in 1994, Jisoo appeared as a contestant on Korea’s Got Talent in 2011. Her special talent? Imitating animals, specifically puppies!

Kei & Ryu Soojung

The two members only appeared publicly as Woollim trainees during a year-end KBS show, where seven members of Lovelyz danced with INFINITE.

Jung Yein

The maknae joined Woollim Entertainment in July 2014 and was born in 1998.

Lovelyz also released two other videos, a teaser image video and a pre-debut video. The image teaser is Girls’ Invasion:

And their pre-debut video:

What do you think of Lovelyz’ members? Are you excited for their debut? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Intro To WINNER

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YG’s highly anticipated boy band WINNER is finally debuting. Although the group has already a large fan base around the world, there might be a few folks that may not know anything about the members.

WINNER consists of five members: Kang Seung Yoon, Kim Jinwoo, Lee Seung Hoon, Song Minho, and Nam Tae Hyun. They opened for BIGBANG in their Japan tour and starred in various CF prior to their debut. They successfully concluded their ten episode run of WINNER TV , where we all got to meet them without the stress of competing, went on to open senior label mates 2NE1 on their All Or Nothing tour, and appeared on Taeyang’s Ringa Linga video as backup dancers.

WINNER members

The group has already released various photos and teaser videos that demonstrate how their image has changed from their trainee days. They have matured their cool boys style into fashionista men. The launching show will be on August 8, 2014, followed by the online-release on August 12, 2014, and offline-release on the 14th.


[WINNER’s 1st Teaser, The Visitor]


[WINNER’S Debut Album Teaser]

The Name:

They were formerly Team A in the show WIN: Who Is Next? where they competed against Team B. They won the show and got crowned as WINNER, which became the name of their group.

The Members:

 

The leader Kang Seung Yoon might seem familiar: he was a former contestant of Superstar K2 and appeared on High Kick 3. He debuted as a solo artist on YG Entertainment with three successful singles: Wild & Young, It Rains, and Stealer. He was born in 1994.


Kang Seung Yoon

Kim Jin Woo is the oldest member of WINNER. He is the main vocal of the band and started training in YG since 2010. Throughout the run of WIN: Who Is Next?, he showed that he was a hard worker. He worries a lot about his members, and, as their hyung, he takes good care of them. He was born in 1991.
Kim Jin Woo

Lee Seung Hoon is one of the rappers and main dancer of the band. He was a former KPOP Star 1 contestant when Yang Hyun-suk saw his potential and signed him as a trainee for YG Entertainment.  He was born in 1992.
Lee Seung Hoon

Song Minho started as an underground rapper, who then went to train as an intended member for BLOCK B and later on dropped the project. He debuted as a rapper on the group B.o.M, but the band disbanded after not having popularity. His rapping skills were recognized by his seniors, T.O.P. and Tablo. He got recruited for YG in 2013. He was born in 1993.
Song Minho

Nam Tae Hyun is the maknae of WINNER. His droopy eyebrows gave him recognition throughout WIN: Who Is Next? He is one of the vocals of the band and one of the most popular members. Beside having a beautiful voice, he helps the members with producing and composing the songs. He was born in 1994.
Nam Tae Hyun

Everything seems to point out to the right direction for WINNER. They will have a very successful debut as the newest boy band from YG, since BIGBANG. They debut has been highly expected by many and the time has come for WINNER to show what they have.

What do you think of WINNER? Do you think they’ll have a successful debut? Don’t forget to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Bloglovin’ so you can keep up with all our posts.