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Breaking Down KCON ’15 LA’s Red Carpet Looks

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RED CARPET KCON LOOKS
Red Carpet fashion is always fun, but when it comes to a K-pop red carpet, we never know what we are going to expect. With no assigned dress code on KCON’s red carpet, the interpretation of fashion was open to the imagination of the artists’ stylists. Some opted for classic suits, while some looks seemed to come out of fashion editorials and others simply wore their performance outfits for that night of the “M! Countdown” concert. Here is this year’s break down of KCON ‘15 LA Red Carpet looks.

The Classic Suits

The easiest look for men on a red carpet is to go with a classic suit, but there are always some things you can add to make you stand out. Roy Kim kept it simple with a navy suit and paired it with a grey mandarin collar shirt and white sneakers. It was a very safe choice that transitioned perfectly onto his performance in the concert.

Photo Alejandro Abarca for KultScene

Photo Alejandro Abarca for KultScene

Son Ho-Jun, for his part, opted for a classic dark navy suit. The jacket had black detailing under the lapel that offered a modern take on the classic look. He paired it with a white shirt that featured a black collar and kept it crisp with a white skinny tie. The actor looked very happy and confident with his outfit, and made all the fans of “Reply 1994” scream and shout for him.

Photo Alejandro Abarca for KultScene

Photo Alejandro Abarca for KultScene

Also on KultScene: KCON 2015 LA’s M! Countdown Concerts Recap

Eric Nam’s bright and contagious personality really shone through his clothes. He wore a blazer and dress pants, but sported them with a casual shirt and sneakers, making him look fresh and modern but still appropriate for a red carpet. Eric is known for this kind of look, so this was no surprise for his adoring fans. Eric looked sharp and very handsome and created a great atmosphere on the red carpet that made everyone in the audience have fun and enjoy his three minutes in the spotlight.

Photo Alejandro Abarca for KultScene

Photo Alejandro Abarca for KultScene

In SHINHWA’s case, the group’s stylist made bolder choices. From Eric’s red jacket, and pairing black trousers with blue blazers on Jun Jin, the choices were daring but very fun. The member’s perfectly tailored suits looked incredible on them and made all of the Shinhwa Chanjos (SHINHWA’s fans) go crazy after their long wait to see this legendary group.

When Super Junior came out, everybody in the audience went nuts! The boys looked incredibly handsome and chic in their suits. The black suits fit well on each member, and everyone added their touch of their own personality to it. Heechul added his trademark style with a face mask that read SUPER JUNIOR” and paired it with amazing shoes that featured gold metal accents. Eunhyuk and Kyuhyun were the only ones that sported red bowties that made them stand out from the other members. Moreover, Ryeowook was the only one who wore a different jacket with a white trim on the lapel, but it still managed to look cohesive with the rest of the group’s styling. Super Junior was definitely one of the best dressed at KCON’s red carpet.

We all already know that Daniel Henney is a gorgeous man. But with the look he sported on the red carpet, he made everybody in the audience fall in love with him even more. The cream suit paired with a white shirt and black patent leather loafers was a risky choice, but it turned out to be a home run for Henney. He managed to look elegant and casual at the same time by opting out of a classic bow tie or wearing a tie. The look was minimal and clean, and it clearly made a fashion statement in the red carpet.

Photo Alejandro Abarca for KultScene

Photo Alejandro Abarca for KultScene

There’s really not that much to say about Kim Soo Hyun; he is simply perfect! For his very short appearance in the red carpet, his stylist dressed him in a beautiful classic three piece black suit. He looked like a prince out of a fairy tale. His hair was pulled up, letting us see his gorgeous eyebrows and facial structure. Plus, the oversized black bow tie added a little fun to his look.

True To Their Concepts

In comparison to the men who were generally decked out in suits,girl groups usually dressed in costumes or their current concept of the album that they were promoting. SISTAR sparkled in their red carpet outfits. Hyorin, Bora, and Soyou opted for sequin daisy dukes in silver, gold, and emerald green, while Dasom sported a sequined long sleeve crop top, making the girl group look cohesive and performance ready. SISTAR wore these outfits to the concert and, literally and metaphorically, shined on stage.

Following their recent concept for their comeback “Heart Attack”, AOA sported their cheerleading outfits. The orange V-neck crop top with white and black trim was balanced perfectly with the circle wrap skort with orange piping. The outfits flattered each member and the color combination (even if it was a very Halloween palette — made the girls stand out.

The ladies of Red Velvet went a more casual and normcore route in their styling. They all wore tennis skirts in different colors, paired it with school athletic tees. Seulgi and Wendy wore baseball caps that made them look really cool. The pastel color palette looked great on the members and made them look very relatable and down to earth. They managed to look fun and young while still following their “Ice Cream Cake” concept.

The Fashionistas and Avant-Gardists

BLOCK B’s stylist really had fun with each member. Everyone was dressed in a different style that still showed each boys’ personality and fashion sense. Jaehyo wore one of the most coveted fashion items for this season, a Moschino by Jeremy Scott soda sweater. Zico wore a Thrasher jacket full of patches, tank top, and sweatpants, making him effortlessly cool. P.O. looked amazing in his suit and B-Bomb rocked the culottes in a very cool way.

Furthermore, GOT7 graced the red carpet with looks especially created for them by designer Ko Tae Young, who held a mini fashion show with the group during the convention. Bam Bam wore an amazing coordinated bomber jacket and shorts that were styled over ripped jeans a longline T-shirt and amazing Chelsea boots. JB looked very handsome with his hair up, oversized sunglasses, and patched military jacket. Mark stood out in a sleeveless jacket, showing off his arms, and paired with white culottes. While the rest of the members were styled in similar fashion, the group looked cohesive and ready for a fashion editorial.

Also on KultScene: Inside KCON LA 2015 [PHOTOS]

MONSTA X is another case like Block B. Each member had a different styling that showed their personalities really well. They had a more urban and streetwear inspiration for their styling, which made them look edgy and cool. The best look was Hyungwon’s long parka with the amazing Raf Simons for ADIDAS sneakers. Wonho and Minhyuk almost looked like twins, but still managed to bring out their personalities through their styling; Minhyuk looked cute, while Wonho looked sexy. Jooheon looked handsome with his red hair and a pink snapback. Shownu, Kihyun, and I.M.’s styling was a little bit more simple than the rest of the members, but still made them stand out and look cool.

Zion T. & Crush were two of the coolest men to grace the red carpet. And even if Crush’s look was a little bit more casual, the one who stole the show was Zion T. We all are accustomed to the amazing avant-garde looks and silhouettes he presents with his daring fashion choices. He looked simple yet fashion forward with his wide legged black culottes, a simple black T-shirt layered with a printed dress shirt (which had the same print as Crush’s dress shirt), an oversized blazer, Vans sneakers.


Which artist was your favorite in KCON’s ’15 LA Red Carpet? 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.

Inside KCON LA 2015 [PHOTOS]

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Red Velvet KCON 15 LA KultScene Red CarpetIn its fourth year, KCON LA expanded to add an extra day from last year, and headed to a larger venue at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Between July 31 and August 2, fans and purveyors of Korean culture in the United States kept busy with a variety of different activities.

Expo

This year, KCON LA’s booths became a full-on expo. Previously, KCON had featured only a handful of vendors, websites, and fa clubs. But this year, there were many more booths, plus an added business conference on the first day. The expo area was divided into different sections, including CJ Street featuring a variety of CJ E&M booths, the Marketplace where attendees could free up their dollars, the K-ICT Dream Zone featuring technology, and the K-Goods Zone, selling an array of Korean products.

Some of the most prominent booths included Verizon, Asiana, MBC America, Nongshim, and Toyota, sponsors of the event, but Korean beauty and technology brands, like Iope, K3I, The Face Shop, and Kakao, also were spotted throughout the event. People walking around could sing karaoke, try out virtual reality goggles, purchase Korean oriented clothing or ridiculously cute t-shirts, check out booths hosted by Korean channels like Mnet and TvN, buy K-pop posters and albums (and, of course, official KCON souvenirs!), and practically anything Korean wave related. Websites like Soompi and Glow Recipe also hosted their own booths.Glow Recipe KCON 15 LA KultScene

Fanclubs played a big role in this year’s expo, with many K-pop fanclubs organizing fans in a variety of special events planned for artists during the concert. One Super Junior fanclub planned a banner event with the members of the group, while another handed out blue headbands that led to the first night of KCON 2015 appearing like a sapphire blue ocean. Fans of the show “Running Man” set up a Running Fan corner of the expo, where KCON-goers could try to reenact their favorite games of the variety show. Red Velvet fans sold jewelry featuring the members, and even fanclubs of artists who weren’t appearing at the show made themselves known. Fanclubs of groups like EXO and MYNAME were also there, gathering in North American fans.

Also on KultScene: Amoeba Culture Tour 2015 With Dynamic Duo, Zion. T, Crush, Primary, & DJ Friz Turn Up New York City

 

Along with the expo panels themselves, there was a central stage that featured performances throughout the three-day event, including Roy Kim, Buzzfeed’s The Try Guys (!), performance group Double The Fire, and violinist and dancer Jun Sung Ahn. GOT7 even surprised the convention on the second day by putting on a fashion show in collaboration with the Korean fashion brand Beyond Closet. Designer Ko Tae Young also appeared at the event, and GOT7 wore the clothes for multiple events throughout the day.

Panels

With a whole three days to fill, there were a lot more panels at this year’s KCON, and a lot of interest. Many panels were cram-packed with people who wanted to hear what was going on, with multiple lines wrapping around the corner of the convention center as fans tried to get seats close to their favorite panelists.

Irene Kim KCON 15 LA KultScene

Korean drama producers, fashion icons, actors, YouTube stars, writers, and other sort of industry insiders made their rounds, giving their thoughts and opinions on a variety of subjects. Panels addressed the meaning of K-pop, Korean indie music, cultural clashes, behind the scenes of websites and dramas, K-Pop’s LGBT fandom, and a lot lot more.

KCON attendees were also able to learn the dances of their favorite songs, cook food, learn tips about applying Korean beauty products, and a lot more. For more culturally inclined people, KCON-ers could try on traditional Korean clothes, watch a Korean wedding ceremony, and learn about traditional Korean tea.

Adrienne Kdramastars KCON 15 LA KultScene

Several Korean dramas and films also were aired during the convention, including “Twenty,” “Emergency Couple,” and the premiere of “Mr. Baek The Homemade Food Master,” featuring KCON guest So Ho Jun. One event that gained a lot of attention on the Internet post-KCON was an 18+ fan fiction open mic, hosted by KCON’s Hoon Bae.

Fan Engagements

One of the highlights this year for many fans at KCON was the success of the fan engagements. In previous years, there were issues with meet and greets being too limited so that many fans couldn’t attend, poorly timed events, cancelled events, or not enough interaction between fans and their favorite idols. But this time around, KCON LA got everything very right.

Also on KultScene: 10 Things Seen On The 2015 DramaFever Awards Red Carpet

 

Many of acts who would appear at the M! Countdown concerts, including SHINHWA, AOA, Monsta X, Red Velvet, Got7, and Block B, held fan engagements with their fans. All of the meet and greets featured question and answer sessions, and most featured hi-touch events. After initial confusion on the first day, when two fan meets had to swap their times due to scheduling issues, all of the rest ran orderly and the majority of fans possible were able to enjoy. Morover, attendees also got involved in the KCON meet and greet black market, where you could trade tickets and, maybe, make a bit of cash. It was hard to walk through the convention without hearing “Looking for GOT7 hi-touch tickets!” or “Who wants a Roy Kim audience ticket?”

JB GOT7 KCON 15 LA KultScene

Food

Let’s talk about the grub. Along with the standard convention center fare of hot dogs, pizza, and coffee, there were free McDonalds samples being given out throughout the majority of the weekend and Korean cooking lessons from brands like Bibigo, where KCON-ers learned how to make bibimbap, a Korean meal in a bowl. There were also food trucks and stands from several Korean-oriented companies, like Tous les Jours and Shin Ramyun.

Bibigo KCON 15 LA KultScene

Klub KCON

While there were three days of KCON LA 2015, there were only two nights of concerts, so for the first day KCON introduced something brand new. Klub KCON opened up in the convention center after the expo ended for the day on July 31, giving attendees a place to party. SISTAR and Monsta X performed at the event, surprising KCON-ers in the intimate atmosphere with tastes of what they were going to perform the next night at the Staples Center.

Sistar KCON 15 LA KultScene

KCON App

One of the most innovative things at KCON LA 2015 was an app that people could download to their phones, which would alert KCON attendees about events going on and schedule changes. People could look up the location and time of events and even make planned out, personal schedules for themselves.

Red Carpet

The Red Carpet was the highlight for many fans, since artists like Super Junior and Kim Soo Hyun had not held fan engagements, meaning this was the event to get close to them before the actual concert. But let’s not bore you and go straight to the pictures from that day of all of Korea’s top celebrities.

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Did you go to KCON or wish you had gone? Share your experience and 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.

May Music Releases From Korea That You Might Have Overlooked

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History Just Might Die K-pop may releases KultSceneMay has not been lacking in music releases from top K-pop acts. BIGBANG, INFINITE’s Kim Sung Kyu, KARA, Girl’s Day, and SHINee all came out with new music and gained worldwide attention. But there were also a lot of good songs coming out of Korea this past month that you may have missed (pardon the pun). Here are some of KultScene’s favorite, possibly overlooked, releases from Korea in May.

HISTORY’s “Beyond The History” album is one of our favorite things to be released in May, maybe this year. The title track “Might Just Die” and its music video are extremely sexy, but it’s Jang Yi Jeong’s solo rap track “1Century” that’s really worth taking a listen to. Jang wrote both songs, and his composing skills are something we’ll be watching, but it was his excellent rapping that is so shocking considering that he’s actually the group’s lead vocalist.


“Like” by CLC was introduced in May with pretty little fanfare, considering that the girl group debuted under one of Korea’s brightest entertainment agencies, Cube Entertainment. But just because there wasn’t a lot of attention doesn’t mean that we don’t love the bright, colorful song.


Zion.T’s “Eat” is a gentle R&B song about a man and his feelings, a comforting tune to help people find pleasure in the little things in life. It went to the top of many Korean music charts thanks to its melodious, warm nature.

Also on KultScene: Seventeen’s ’17 Carat’ Album Review

Solo singer IU released “Heart” with little warning, but it also became a hit. The song was featured in the drama “The Producers,” which the singer stars in.


Another boy band that made a K-pop comeback in May was UNIQ, with the song “Luv Again.” The R&B song’s a sweet tune for the summer months, with its acoustic instrumentals and harmonies. UNIQ is clearly a rookie group, but one that’s worth taking note of.


Coffee house band Urban Zakapa released a new mini album ”U/Z,” and two of our favorite songs of May are “Get” featuring Beenzino and “Two One Two.” With positive lyrics and inspiring music videos, Urban Zakapa really shone in the month of May.



A powerhouse music couple released songs for the soundtrack of the drama “Who Are You?: School 2015.” You cannot miss out on is Yoon Mi Rae’s “I’ll Listen To What You Have To Say” or Tiger JK’s “Reset” featuring Jinsil.



Clazziquai’s Horan is definitely not just alright with her first solo song “She’s Alright.” The song is about women who say that they are fine even when they’re not, something many women around the world can relate to. The funky song has traditional Korean influences and is a pleasure to listen to.

Also on KultScene: UNIQ ‘Luv Again’ Music Video & Song Review

“Trespass” is the debut title song released by Monsta X in May, but the powerful image is one that we hope the group keeps past their debut. The song is focused highly around rapper Jooheon, and we’re not complaining (although maybe a little bit).


Heejun Han’s “QnA” featured Girls’ Generation member Tiffany, but was a bit unloved. But the cute duet is upbeat and sure to put a smile on every listener’s lips.


Vocal quartet 2AM may have split up to different agencies, but member Lim Seulong released his first solo album in May and “Mood Swings” is definitely something to take a listen to. The song features Black Nut, and we’re obsessed.


Jung Joon Young switched over to the group concept, and JJY Band released its first song in May. “OMG” is a rock party song that we all need.


Seventeen debuted this month with sweet title track “Adore U,” a song that we’re obsessed with. It’s simple, sugary, and has amazing raps.


Two talented K-pop soloists came together in Eddy Kim’s “Coffee & Tea,” featuring Mamamoo’s Solar. The caffeine-focused song is another sweet tune, with bouncy acoustic sounds that we love.

What do you think? Did we miss out on any great May releases from Korea? Let us know what you think 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.

Not Making The Cut On ‘No.Mercy’ Highlights Weakness Of Idol Survival Shows

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Starship Entertainment recently announced the lineup of seven trainees who will debut as Monsta X. However, the interesting thing is that the seven were picked through the competition show No.Mercy, but some favorites were excluded from the final lineup. While the point of any survival show is to dwindle down the competitors, Monsta X includes some picks that the casual viewer may question. The reason? Korean idol survival shows aren’t about the most talented singers or performers. They’re about forming the most perfect idol group a company can put together while showcasing the talent of more trainees than they will allow to debut. So dropping two popular trainees in the last episode makes a lot of sense.

No.Mercy began with twelve competitors, with a 13th added later on, and individuals were gradually removed until there were nine trainees competing for seven spots of the upcoming boy group. Starship Entertainment announced the final line up for Monsta X on February 11th, including rappers Jooheon and IM and vocalists Shownu, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Wonho, and Minhyuk. One of the youngest vocalists, Seokwon, and rapper #GUN (pronounced “sharp gun”) were cut in the final episode –the latter being a true shock considering #GUN was continually ranked high in the show. This writer has seen a lot of fans commenting on social media about how the whole thing was fixed, and that may be true to a degree.

#GUN & Jooheon via prince-mino

#GUN & Jooheon via prince-mino

Even though No.Mercy took viewer’s votes and judges’ opinions into account on the show, at the end of the day, it’s Starship Entertainment’s group. So if competitors don’t fit the image for Monsta X, they’re gone. Talent only matters so far when there’s many things that K-pop idols need to accomplish nowadays. And that’s what happened with Seokwon and #GUN and all of the others who were cut, for a variety of reasons.

IM Over #GUN? Idol Mentality Versus Individuality

Adding IM halfway through was ostensibly to lead to more competition from the rappers, but to this writer, it appeared that he looked like an obvious replacement for #GUN in Starship’s new group. Bringing in a new trainee seemed, at the time, to signal that Starship Entertainment had decided that Yoonho and #GUN were still not set as final members; Jooheon was ranked number one throughout the show, and as such there was never a doubt that he would debut. Although Yoonho had trained for a long time, his rap never really could compare to #GUN or Jooheon’s, which meant that he would probably be cut, which he was in episode nine.

Also on KultScene: 4 Amazing Talents To Watch For From ‘K-Pop Star 4’

This means that IM was really brought in to either force #GUN to rap better or to be included in the final lineup. #GUN is a rapper who has his own colors and strengths, but throughout the show, judges picked #GUN’s theatrical, occasionally improvised rap as a potential weakness for an idol, and his dance skills were ranked low by other trainees.

via no-yoonho

#GUN via no-yoonho

Even though viewers and the judges were wowed by #GUN’s dance skills, particularly in the seventh episode, his individuality is ostensibly a liability for idol groups, which are based on teamwork more than actual skill. IM only appeared in a few episodes, but his rap skill quickly became obvious and his personality appeared less dynamic than #GUN, who is a human firecracker.

#GUN is extremely talented, but stylistically he doesn’t really fit into an idol group. A solo debut could potentially be in his future, or, as fans request, a debut with the other trainees who lost on No.Mercy, akin to members from Team B on YG Entertainment’s own survival show, WIN: WHO IS NEXT debuting with iKON.

Hyungwon, Minhyuk Over Seokwon? Visual, Moodmaker, Maknae.

Why pick two of the three over the other vocalist? Because there are roles in an idol group. Monsta X has rappers, vocalists, and dancers, and needed the visual and moodmaker position filled.

In addition, No.Mercy did a relatively poor job highlighting the uniqueness of the vocalists’ styles. The four rap trainees (and the later addition of IM) each had their own memorable style and sound, but only a few vocalists stood out for sounding unique (Kihyun, Minkyun, and Yoosu) throughout the show. That’s not to say that the rest of the vocalists aren’t talented, but No.Mercy was weak when it came to showcasing individual vocalists.

via starshipboys

Seokwon via starshipboys

Seokwon wasn’t included despite being a strong candidate because he neither stood out nor fulfilled anything that Monsta X would be lacking if either Hyungwon or Minhyuk were cut instead of him. Minhyuk and Seokwon were competitors, and often collaborators, during No.Mercy, which meant the final cut really had to come down to the two of them.

Throughout the show, the two varied in rank, but in the final few episodes, it seemed more likely that Minhyuk would be cut before Seokwon. However, from the start, Minhyuk was shown not only as a talented singer but also as the moodmaker. Every time he was in a scene, Minhyuk set the tone and it was really noticeable. Idol groups aren’t only about singing but performing, and Minhyuk’s personality is generally warmer than Seokwon. Moodmaker tops young member any day, and it also means that Seokwon has a few more years before he has to worry about not debuting.

Also on KultScene: What To Expect From ‘Mix & Match’

As for Hyungwon, idol groups need visual members, and Starship Entertainment has continually touted Hyungwon as the most visually pleasing member. Hyungwon really didn’t shine except during a handful of moments of No.Mercy, but he was shown to have a lot of fans during scenes the show filmed in the streets of Seoul and with live studio audiences. Hyungwon can sing, but his voice is not particularly memorable; his model-like features were his highlight. He beat his opponent in the second round, but he never stands out throughout the remainder of the show. But neither did Seokwon, and in music video for the song Interstellar in the last episode, Hyungwon really showed off his skills.

So, when it comes to a survival show like No.Mercy, or even ones like YG Entertainment’s WIN: Who Is Next?, where Starship Entertainment is showing off talent but prioritizing an idol group, the picks make sense. Why leave #GUN and Seokwon hoping until the end? Because it’s still a competition and they both were in the running the entire time. But, at the end of the day, #GUN and Seokwon didn’t fit. It really was a show with no mercy, as much as some of us are saddened by the last minute upsets.

Monsta X will feature:

Jooheon- Rapper

via Taehyunggiehyung

via Taehyunggiehyung

I.M – Rapper

via jiwwon

via jiwwon

Kihyun – Main Vocalist

via shinwonseok

via shinwonseok

Shownu – Vocalist, Dancer

via bemineinseoul

via bemineinseoul

Wonho – Vocalist, Dancer

via Jiwwon

via Jiwwon

Minhyuk – Vocalist, Moodmaker

via minhyeoks

via minhyeoks

Hyungwon – Vocalist, Visual

via chubjibunny

via chubjibunny

Are you excited about Monsta X’s debut? How do you feel about the final member line-up? Leave your thoughts on 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.