The UrbanWire

While some of Korea’s most popular male idol groups like Dong Bang Shin Gi and Big Bang remain away from the Korean music scene in order to focus on individual pursuits, the influx of new groups taking advantage of the situation (such as B2ST and MBLAQ) seems to be continuing into 2010.

Star Empire Entertainment, which manages the female idol group Jewelry, introduced their latest production, Children of Empire (力惫困酒捞甸) on Jan 7 with the release of Nativity.

Also known as ZE:A, the group faced controversy prior to their debut due to complaints by fans of the ever-popular Brown Eyed Girls that their names sounded far too similar, and could be confused with the girl group’s member, JeA.

Naming controversy aside, the group’s debut was also a long time in the making due to Star Empire Entertainment’s financial difficulties. In an effort to gain fans prior to their official launch, the group performed on the streets.

However, the 9-member group finally held its official debut showcase on Jan 13 at a club in Kangnam, Seoul. In a show of support for their label-mates, Jewelry’s Seo In Young and Park Jung Ah hosted the event.

According to various Korean news portals, the group performed songs such as “Love Coach” and “Mazeltov” from their debut album, Nativity. They also performed “Billie Jean” as a tribute to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

ZE:A reportedly entertained the 150 fans amongst the audience present at the showcase through their “nice choreography and brilliant vocal performances”.

“We finally made or debut,” ZE:A said during the event. “We’re really happy and we’ll do our best to work hard and show our best. We hope to become to best singers in Korea. We will work hard from now on.”

The group does seem slated for success, with their efforts paying off to a strong start for their career. Already, they’ve signed a contract with the mobile phone company, Sky, and filmed a commercial endorsing the Jamband phone, which was released just weeks after their official debut.

Mazeltov, which is an expression of congratulations in Yiddish/Hebrew, is the clear stand-out track in their latest release.

Though the music video for the song was criticised for being unoriginal, with the dark, manliner-ed look being too similar to SS501′s “Love Like This” and 2PM‘s “Heartbeat”, it did the job of establishing a link between these more popular groups and ZE:A as a player in the industry.

The song follows the latest trend of ‘hooks’, making it catchy and easy to remember. This is done through an electronic feel, an addictive bass and repetitive lines such as “Friday Saturday Sunday”. However, MTV Iggy criticised the song for having such heavy autotunes that the boys’ original voices become difficult to hear.

For those with other tastes, the single includes a dance track (Love Coach) and an electronic RnB track (New Star).

Overall, this single receives 2.5 UrbanWire stars.

Title: Nativity
Artist: ZE:A
Language: Korean
Record Label: Mnet Media
Release Date: Jan 12

Tracklist
1. Love Coach
2. New Star
3. Mazeltov

Sources: Sookyeong, SSTV, Osen, S:asiae

9 months after their second album, Bring It Back To The Old School, U-Kiss has released a new single, Man Man Ha Ni, on Nov 6.

The third album has driven their fans crazy, as the boys have come back from the hiatus they took for their international activities, not only with better vocals, but also with a new, more manly and edgy look (think Super Junior during their Don’t Don promotions) and a new member.

18 year-old Lee Ki Sub came as a major surprise for U-Kiss’ fans, whose reactions ranged from excited to pleased, and unfortunately, to unhappy. However, despite some of the fans’ disapproval, his participation in Man Man Ha Ni continued, and has slowly started to warm up to the fans with his boyish appeal.

Man Man Ha Ni Official MV

“Man Man Ha Ni” seems to be the big break that U-Kiss has been waiting for, attracting the attention of the audience with their new, more mature look and their performances’ eye-catching choreography. The song, which features Bravesound, possesses a catchy bridge that hooks the listener in, reminiscent of the intro for the Brown Eyed Girls’ Abracadabra. The beat is addictive, and gets into the listener’s head after just a couple of listens.

On the contrary, the other full-track song on the single, “O.K.“, is brighter with a light, electronic undertone. It seems to contain elements that are uniquely the group’s, as evident from U-Kiss’ previous singles, which featured a lot of cheery, upbeat songs. However, it’s no less satisfying to listen to.

Overall, the single is solid, with a well-used, but effective concept that will excite audiences. It would’ve done well to be longer, and leaves the listener wanting. UrbanWire is looking forward to any new releases from U-Kiss.

Tracklist:

1. Intro

2. 만만하니 (Man Man Ha Ni)

3. 오케이 (O.K.)

4. 만만하니 (MR)

Title: Man Man Ha Ni

Artiste: U-Kiss

Language: Korean

Release Date: Nov 6

Record Label: NH Media

A year and a half after their last release as a group, SS501 is back with their mini-album, Rebirth. Despite plagiarism issues that led to the Korean boys having to find a new song and re-record their track while they were on their first Asian tour, they managed to churn out the album just 2 months after the initial scheduled date.

Rebirth doesn’t really live up to its name since SS501 has stuck with the tried and true, and almost all 5 tracks are reminiscent of previous releases, in terms of both lyrical content and concept.

Contrary to the edgy, man-linered album images in Rebirth, the songs in the album are mostly upbeat, typical boy band fare, with dance-pop beats and romantic ballads that will make their female fans swoon. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as the award-winning Steven Lee, who has written songs for top Japanese idols such as Johnny’s Entertainment’s Arashi, V6 and Do As Infinity, also produced all the songs for Rebirth.

Another name to boast about is Hollywood’s Ken Lewis, famous for working with Usher, Kanye West, and John Legend, who mixed the songs on the album. While the full MV is yet to be released, DSP Entertainment, the SS501’s management company, has said that a former colleague of Michael Jackson, AJ, choreographed SS501′s new dance.

While the buzz created by such big names has been significant, what has excited the fans was the lyricist for the song “Obsess“—none other than SS501’s leader himself, Kim Hyun-joong. According to him, the words in the song are dedicated to SS501’s fans.

“Obsess” is enjoyable, with a mellow beat and electronic undertones. it also allows the listener to appreciate the member’s voices, as it explicitly demonstrates the improvement of the boys’ vocals have undergone since their debut in 2005.

However, the solid favourite will have to be “Wasteland”. It has a heavier beat than the other songs, though nothing like their previous release, “Déjà vu“. It brings across a melancholy, slow-rock feel, though essentially it’s still meant to be a dance track.

Another notable number is “Love Like This”, which is also the first single of the album. So far, only the MV teaser has been released, although it has been performed live by the group on several music shows. As a contemporary-R&B-slash-dance track, it’s not what fans usually expect of SS501.

Although it’s for the sake of trying “different things”, they have proven more adept at heavier songs, and UrbanWire would’ve preferred another song similar to “Déjà Vu” or “UR Man“, both of which have proven to be catchy chart toppers.

Love Like This LIVE

Regardless, Rebirth has done well, hitting 30,000 unit sales on its first day on the market in South Korea.

For those looking forward to listening to the multi-talented idols, (Hyun-joong is most well-known for his role in the Korean version of the drama, Boys Over Flowers, and Jung-min had a role in the Korean version of the musical Grease) they have yet to finish their Asia tour.

Concerts in Shanghai and Hong Kong have been confirmed, and there are plans for stops in Beijing, Thailand, Malaysia and, believe it or not, Singapore.

Tracklist:
01. WASTELAND
02. Love Like This (네게로)
03. 하루만
04. Obsess (중동…)
05. 완.두.콩.

Title: Rebirth

Artiste: SS501

Language: Korean

Release Date: Oct 23 2009

Record Label: MNet Media