LEDApple covers Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone”

The boys of LEDApple are here to impress once again with their cover of “You Are Not Alone” by Michael Jackson!

They’ve been putting rock spins on their various covers, but this time they stayed true to the original, much like Hanbyul‘s latest cover. The other instrumentalists of the band actually join in to create a beautiful harmony. 

The boys also announced that the profits that are made from the advertisements that appear when playing their ‘Music Note’ videos will be donated to the international organization that protect children’s rights called “Save The Children“.

Credits: allkpop

[Updated] Cube Entertainment and DSP Media confirm break up of Junhyung and Hara couple

The agencies of Hara and Junhyung have now confirmed the news of the couple’s break up after getting in contact with the idols themselves.

Several insiders in the music industry revealed that the two had parted and decided to remain as friends, and fans have been looking to Cube Entertainment and DSP Media to offer comments on the matter.

Having contacted the idols, reps of both agencies have received word that the two stars have indeed decided to go their separate ways.

DSP Media reps commented, “Due to their busy schedules and KARA’s stay in Japan for their promotions, their meetings have become scarce, and eventually they drifted apart… They decided to remain as good friends in the music industry.”

Cube Entertainment also offered similar comments, stating, “Junhyung and Hara have recently ended their relationship… The two will continue to remain good friends.”

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[Update - In addition to their initial statement given over the phone, DSP Media has released their full statement on the matter through a press release.
The press release reads:

"Hara and Junhyung have ended their relationship, which they've maintained since June of 2011, and have decided to remain as good sunbae-hoobae in the music industry, and oppa-dongseng. The two continued their relationship under the interest of many fans and the public as the music industry's 'official couple'. However, with their meetings becoming less and less as they each carried out their own activities and handled many domestic and international promotions, the two naturally drifted apart.

On the 15th, when the news of the two unfollowing each other broke, they were at a state in which they had not yet finished sorting out their relationship matter. After this day, having decided to go their separate ways after much thought, the two even exchanged text messages with one another even after breaking up to ask how each other was doing, and currently have a good sunbae and hoobae relationship. Please give the two your encouragement and words of support."]

Source: Star News, Mydaily, TVdaily, Xsports

Credits: allkpop

Insiders say Hara and Junhyung have broken up

With Hara and Junhyung unfollowing each other on Twitter, and Junhyung posting a gloomy selca, fans and netizens have been speculating that the two idol stars may have gone their separate ways.

Their agencies didn’t offer much insight as they commented that they were not sure either as it is the idols’ private lives. But according to sources in the music industry who are close with the two, “Junhyung and Hara, who acknowledged their relationship to the public in June of 2011, have decided to remain as friends.”

According to one insider, the two had a difficult time seeing each other due to their domestic and international promotions with their respective groups, and decided to part after much thought.

Another source, who knows Junhyung and Hara well, also commented, “The two also faced the risk of breaking up once before due to their busy schedules, but they continued their relationship… Seeing that as they broke up in the end, it seems they felt burdened by the public’s interest in the affairs of idols.”

There have been no comments made by the reps of either side denying or confirming the news as of yet.

Source: Yonhap, Ilgan Sports

Credits: allkpop

After School’s UEE and NU’EST’s Ren grace the runway at ‘Seoul Fashion Week’

UEE and Ren led the runway at the ‘2013 S/S Seoul Fashion Week‘!

The After School member and the NU’EST member got on the catwalk for designer Park Yoon Soo. UEE commanded the runway like she belonged there, and Ren took over the runway with his intense aura and chic expressions. Their label hoobae Hello Venus were also in the audience.

‘Seoul Fashion Week’ is held every March and October and is hosted by the city of Seoul. It will be open until March 30th at the Yeoui-do IFC Seoul and Hannam-dong Blue Square.

Credits: allkpop

BTOB’s Peniel is the new MC of ‘Pops In Seoul’

International fans have more eye candy to look forward to because BTOB‘s Peniel is the new MC of Arirang TV‘s ‘Pops In Seoul‘!

Peniel finished his first filming on the 25th and brightened up the atmosphere with his refreshing comments and smile. Peniel was born in Chicago, Illinois, and he’s quickly becoming a rising star with his solid English speaking and rapping ability.

He shared, “Although there’s a lot riding on my shoulders as I introduce K-pop to the world, I want to do a great job being the K-pop messenger who lets the world know about K-pop.”

Fans can check out Peniel’s first day on the job on the April 1st broadcast of ‘Pops In Seoul’

Credits: allkpop

Infinite’s Leader Sunggyu Gets Kissed on the Cheek

Infinite’s leader Sunggyu was recently ambushed with a kiss to the cheek while filming for a show. 

The ambush occurred while filming JTBC‘s “Lee Soo Geun and Kim Byung Man’s High Society” when the participants of the game walked through door number 3 where Sunggyu and Super Junior‘s Shindong had been waiting with blindfolds. Two of the three participants immediately lunged towards Sunggyu and puckered their red lips for the idol. Sunggyu made an effort to cover his face and tried to shield himself against the attacker by curling up his body, but his efforts were in vain as a kiss mark was successfully planted on his left cheek. 

After the chaos of the kiss ambush had settled, Sunggyu was left panting and exhausted. Shindong who was beside him offered his sympathy saying, “It’s not that bad, the feeling will pass” causing laughter to ensue on the set.  The show aired on March 23. 

Credits: allkpop

Teen Top’s Niel Isn’t Interested in Dating & L.Joe’s Ideal Girl is Yoo In Na

Teen Top‘s Niel made a recent confession regarding his thoughts on dating and female idols, which caught the eyes of the public.

On March 25, Teen Top appeared on Mnet‘s “Beatles Code” as guests and held an extensive discussion about dating.

It all started when MC Jang Dong Min playfully jabbed at Niel and said, “Isn’t your face too inadequate to be an idol?” But then, Shindong and Yoo Sang Moo commented, “Niel is really popular. He was picked as one of the top celebrities that female idols were interested in.” Then they asked, “What did you do when female celebrities would hit on you?”

But Niel gave a surprising answer, “I have no interest in dating yet.” To add onto the proof of Niel’s popularity, singer Solbi confessed, “Out of all the members of Teen Top, I only looked up Niel on the Internet.”

L.Joe also shared his thoughts on dating. He said he promised to himself that his next girlfriend will be the one he will marry. He said, “I realized that there’s no point in meeting a lot of women.” When asked if he didn’t like women who had a lot of experience in dating, L.Joe answered, “That’s fine with me. But I need to be the only man she meets then.”

L.Joe also picked actress Yoo In Na as his ideal type during the broadcast.
Meanwhile, other guests such as Kim Hyun Jung and Solbi appeared and shared their stories as well.

Credits: allkpop

Onew Gets Swept Up in Another Controversy for Smoking Electronic Cigarettes

SHINee‘s Onew is caught up in yet another controversy and this time, it’s regarding him smoking electronic cigarettes.

On March 25, dating rumors of Onew and After School’s Jungah re-sparked after a few photos of the two together were taken at Apgu-jung.

In a couple of the pictures, netizens pointed out that Onew was smoking an electronic cigarette. Opinions have been split over this matter.


Some netizens have been defending Onew by saying, “He’s an adult, who cares,” “This is more shocking than the dating rumor but I understand,” “He’s an adult, he wasn’t on broadcast so who cares,” and more.

But on the contrary, some have been commenting, “I liked Onew’s innocent and clear image so this is really shocking,” “This is the third hit of controversies for Onew,” “He needs to take care of his image,” and more.

Meanwhile, Onew’s agency denied the dating rumors with Jungah and stated, “They are just close colleagues.”

Onew has been caught up in a whirlwind of controversies lately, including the middle finger incident, not too long ago.

Credits: allkpop

‘Nail Salon Paris’ releases still cuts of Thunder

‘Nail Salon Paris‘ has released still cuts of Thunder!

The drama is a romantic comedy dealing with male nail artists that work in a nail salon called ‘Paris’. KARA‘s Gyuri is also cast in the drama as a girl who disguises herself as a guy to work at the nail salon.

Thunder plays Jin, the youngest nail artist in the salon. He’s full of aegyo and is loved by everyone. This is his first major role, and J.Tune Camp said, “Thunder is so passionate about this role that he even took nail art lessons. Since it’s his first drama as a major role, he may be a little lacking, but please watch him with love and interest as he expands his boundaries.”

The drama will be airing on MBC Dramanet starting next month! Will you be watching?

Credits: allkpop

TEEN TOP’s L.Joe once again picks Yoo In Na as his ideal type

TEEN TOP‘s L.Joe once again confirmed Yoo In Na to be his ideal type, leaving fans to wonder if the cute and spunky actress really may be his “Miss Right”!

On the latest broadcast of Mnet‘s ‘Beatles Code 2‘,  TEEN TOP’s L.Joe opened up about his thoughts on dating and marriage, stating, “I don’t think that you need to date a lot of women before you get married.  I do not have a girlfriend right now but when I do, I would want to get married to that person.”

To this, the MCs asked the idol, “Would you by any chance like to date Solbi?” since Solbi also appeared as a guest on the show on this day (she left early because of another live broadcast she had to attend).

L.Joe was thrown off guard by the question and said, “What?  No.“  But the MC’s continued to tease him and he responded, “I’m not all that interested in relationships with older women.”

However, when asked about his ideal type, L.Joe quickly shared, “My ideal type is Yoo In Na,” who happens to be older than him.

Credits: allkpop

U-KISS’ Dongho gives special lecture at his alma mater

U-KISS‘ Dongho was invited to give a special lecture at his alma mater Hanrim High School of Performing Arts. He graduated from the applied music department this year.

On March 26th, Dongho lectured about ‘Living as an Idol in Korea’ to his juniors. NH Media shared, “Dongho felt shy about giving a special lecture to his juniors at first, but accepted it because he thought it would be helpful to tell them stories he learned from his experiences. He’s been preparing for the lecture diligently despite his  busy schedule and is planning to tell his juniors many stories.”

During the hour long lecture, Dongho discussed the idol process and hardships he faced as a trainee and as an idol group member as well as the rewarding moments from the hard work.

Meanwhile, U-KISS is currently promoting their third album’s title song “Standing Still“.

Credits: allkpop

B2ST’s Yoseob to have a solo Japanese debut in May

B2ST‘s Yoseob will debut in Japan as a solo artist in May!

He’ll be releasing ‘The First Collage‘, the same album he released in Korea, on May 15 and have his solo promotions. His label Cube Entertainment said, “His solo activities in Korea had a very good response, and he’s been continuously getting love calls from Japan. He’s working on B2ST’s new album as well as his Japanese activities. We look forward to Yoseob’s unique emotional solo stages appealing in Japan.”

The album will have the songs from the Korean album in Japanese, and Junhyung will also participate as a rapper for the Japanese version of the title song “Caffeine“. Also, he’ll have a limited special edition version which will include a DVD.

Tip: b2utysil

Credits: allkpop

SHINee show off their athletic charms for ‘Sketchers’

SHINee‘s athletic photo shoot for Sketchers has been revealed!

Through the sports brand shoot, the members showed off their stylish and colorful exercise looks. They matched training shorts with simple t-shirts and colorful windbreakers as they posed in various running poses.

Taemin, Minho and Onew donned spring colors in their blue, red, and lime windbreakers, while Jonghyun and Key looked chic and classy in achromatic-colored shirts.

A representative of ‘Sketchers‘ shared, “We revealed SHINee’s photo shoot just in time for spring when it’s nice to jog. For this season, light and active products were released, and we anticipate a big response from people who enjoy jogging or running.”

Credits: allkpop

LUNAFLY unveils Sam’s teaser image for 1st album ‘Fly to Love’

LUNAFLY will be making a comeback with their 1st album ‘Fly To Love‘!


Just like their group image teaser and Teo‘s teaser, Sam’s image follows the colorful theme.

Stay tuned for more teasers as their comeback approaches this April!

Credits: allkpop

TEEN TOP’s L.Joe can eat 10 hamburgers and still not able to gain weight?

TEEN TOP‘s L.Joe revealed that he had a hard time gaining weight!

On the March 25th episode of ‘Beatles Code‘, TEEN TOP were special guests and revealed their ‘physical secrets’. They talked about how they were rated as the shortest male idol group with an average of height of around 5’9″. The boys compared their heights to Shindong and Jang Dong Min, but to make sure they didn’t cheat, they took their shoes off so they wouldn’t have the advantage of insoles.

L.Joe also revealed that he weighed a feather like 49 kg (108 lbs), and stated, “Even if I eat 10 hamburgers, I only really digest 5“, confessing that he couldn’t gain weight no matter how hard he tried.

Tip: angelontop


Credits: allkpop

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SHINee’s Jonghyun competes in a ‘one shot’ soda challenge on ‘Star King’

SHINee‘s Jonghyun competed in a hilarious ‘one shot’ soda challenge on the latest episode of ‘Star King‘.

On the March 23rd broadcast, a female contestant left the guests in shock upon finishing a whole 500cc (0.5 liters) jug of soda in 3 seconds flat, retaining her title as the ’3 second cola one shot woman’.

Jonghyun then confidently entered the ‘one shot’ challenge, claiming that he can finish the jug in five seconds. Although his quick start left viewers hopeful that he could beat the three second mark, Jonghyun suddenly became unable to finish the soda bursting the guests into laughter.

Credits: allkpop

INFINITE take over Hanteo Charts immediately upon release!

INFINITE has taken over the Hanteo charts!

Their digital album was released on March 21, but fans had to wait until the 25th for the release of their physical album. But as soon as their physical albums hit the shelves, the boys quickly rose to first place on the Hanteo charts!

Not just that, but their previous album ‘Infinitize‘ shot up to #2 along with ‘Man In Love‘. Their newest album ‘New Challenge‘ contains fresh tracks you won’t want to miss like Sunggyu‘s “60 sec” remade as a group version, and Woohyun‘s first self-composed track “Beautiful“.

Congratulations to INFINITE!

[Thanks to everyone who sent in this tip!]

Credits: allkpop

What should A-PRINCE fans be called?

The boys of rookie group A-PRINCE want input from their fans in deciding their fanclub name. For that, they have released an announcement introducing the A-PRINCE Official Fanclub Name Contest!

A-PRINCE are asking fans to join their Daum Fan Cafe to participate in naming the fanclub. International fans can send in suggestions through the group’s official Facebook and Tumblr accounts.

What do you think A-PRINCE should name their fanclub?

Credits: allkpop

Doojoon, Lee Joon, and Hyeongkon pose as ‘Iris 2′ NSS agents

The hot agents of ‘Iris 2‘ came together for playful pictures!

A-JAX‘s Hyeongkon snapped two shots with his fellow idols on the drama, Lee Joon and Doojoon. 

All three of these handsome gentleman play NSS agents in the highly rated drama, and are the only members in the main cast that are idols. The three boys posed normally in the first photo, but then round up in a circle for the second photo and tried to go for a serious face, but still made the photo comical with their peace signs. 

Hyeongkon wrote on his Twitter, “The ‘Iris 2′ filming set is always happy!! The flower boy (?) agents of NSS came together on set. With Doojoon and Joon, who are my sunbaes kekeke. Please continue to love ‘Iris 2′ a lot, and also love the good looking trio.. ^^ Heh“.

The drama aired its 12th episode last week, and has 8 more episodes to go until the end. Are you watching the drama?

Tip: KonKon88

Credits: allkpop

Onew caught smoking an electronic cigarette?

Onew, who was recently swept up in a scandal with Jungah, is causing another stir because of photos that surfaced showing him smoking an electronic cigarette.

One of the photos released by a media outlet about the pair’s dating scandal showed Onew puffing on an electronic cigarette. Because of Onew’s usual proper and young innocent image, the photo has been a shock to many netizens.

The photos couldn’t have come at a worse time, as he just last week he was under scrutiny because of his middle finger incident. However, some netizens have spoken up in his defense to say that smoking electronic cigarettes is not a big deal.


Source: eToday via Nate News
Image: Mlbpark Donga

Credits: allkpop

Pledis Entertainment denies dating rumors between SHINee’s Onew and After School’s Jung Ah

After paparazzi captured shots of SHINee‘s Onew and After School‘s Jung Ah sitting inside a car together and exiting a restaurant, rumors have flared that the two idols were in a relationship with each other.

However, in a press release distributed just a few minutes ago, Jung Ah’s agency, Pledis Entertainment, denied all charges of a relationship between the two idols.

“The two of them are merely close friends, not dating,” they said, denying the reports. “As fellow entertainment workers, Jung Ah and Onew have a close relationship where they advise each other. Today, their schedules matched so they were only enjoying a light meal together, and weren’t dating like media agencies have reported.”

Earlier, Korean media agency Kuki News ran an exclusive report along with pictures, quoting a close friend with the two idols that “they have been dating for one year”. 

What do you guys think, dating or ‘just friends’?

Credits: allkpop

B2ST releases ‘Self Camera’ video from their recent trip to Thailand

B2ST released a ‘self camera’ video from their recent trip to Thailand.

The video seems to be mainly filmed by Yoseob, who documented the boys’ visit to Thailand for their recent performance at ’MBC Korean Music Wave in Bangkok 2013‘. 

He also uses the camera as a mirror for most of the time he’s filming himself, providing adorable eye candy for fans.

Credits: allkpop

U-KISS take a photo with the Backstreet Boys in Malaysia

U-KISS snapped a photo with the Backstreet Boys.

The boys were invited to perform at the ‘Twin Towers @ Live 2013‘ concert in Malaysia. They were on the same stage as American artists such as the Backstreet Boys and Demi Lovato. Because they shared the same stage, they had an opportunity to snap a photo with the legendary group.

The official U-KISS Twitter account tweeted the above photo and wrote, “With Backstreet Boys in Malaysia! I remember working hard on ‘As Long As You Love Me‘ before debuting~ It was a great time we got to spend with people we respect! We’ll become a U-KISS that will never forget how it all began!!^^“.

Previously, the Backstreet Boys had also taken photos with Super Junior-M in China as well.

Tip: Wade

Credits: allkpop

Junhyung’s starring drama ‘Monstar’ releases its first teaser

The music drama ‘Monstar‘ has released its first teaser trailer!

The new drama is set to air on the cable channel Mnet starting in April, and is about the recent audition craze sweeping South Korea and the behind-the-scenes stories about the road to becoming a star. It will also be a high school drama, featuring the eponymous school music club and the stories of the students that follow. 

B2ST‘s Junhyung will take on the role of a vocalist in the fictional boy group ‘Men in Black’, with a cynical and rough-and-tumble personality.

Credits: allkpop

BTOB’s Ilhoon covers B.A.P’s “One Shot” dance

BTOB‘s Ilhoon impressed fan girls with his push ups in his dance cover of B.A.P‘s latest single “One Shot“.

Ilhoon showcased his dancing skills by getting down on the floor to effortlessly pull off the difficult choreography for “One Shot” on the latest episode of MBC Music‘s ‘Gangnam Feel Dance School‘. Participating alongside Ilhoon were the talented Tasha (Skarf), and Ari (Tahiti)!

Credits: allkpop

TEEN TOP’s L.Joe goes shirtless with his ‘Micky Mouse’ tattoo

TEEN TOP‘s L.Joe showed a more sexy look than fans are accustomed to for ‘L’Officiel Hommes‘.

L.Joe easily pulled off the ‘sexy guy’ concept by going shirtless and showing off his tattoo of the adorable ‘Micky Mouse’ character.

L.Joe shared, “I’ve always wanted to get a tattoo so I’m happy that I got to get one through this pictorial.”

A representative commented, “To highlight his masculine charms, we not only gave him a tattoo but also switched up his makeup and hairstyle. Through his dewy makeup and naturally wet hairstyle, L.Joe showed his sexy charms.”

Catch TEEN TOP’s full pictorial on ‘L’Officiel Hommes’ April issue! Check out the pre-released photos below.

Credits: allkpop

Candid shots by fans of INFINITE’s L on par with a profession photo shoot?

Candid shots of INFINITE‘s L have been gaining attention.

A recent post on an online community board shared several pictures of L with the caption, “Self camera shots of INFINTE’s L.”

The revealed pictures showed L leaving the studio after having their comeback stage for “Man in Love” on MBC‘s ‘Music Core‘ on the 23rd. L captured his fans’ hearts with his sculpted features and deep signature gaze.

After seeing such perfect candid shots, the netizens commented, “He’s really good looking“, “I’m going to fall into his gaze“, “Crazy visuals“, “I wonder how handsome he must be in real life“, and “I like INFINITE.“

Credits: allkpop

[Review] INFINITE ‘New Challenge’

INFINITE is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in K-Pop right now. Last years’ ‘INFINITIZE‘ album was a massive hit, with “The Chaser” beating out 2011′s “Be Mine” as their third-highest charting single thus far. At the end of last year and beginning of 2013, Sunggyu and INFINITE-H both had successful promotions (Sunggyu has said in interviews that he considers ‘Another Me‘ a failure, but it was the top selling physical album of November, which is no small feat). There’s a lot of pressure when an act is at the top, the higher you get, the harder it is to keep moving up as opposed to falling. 

How did INFINITE handle the pressure? By taking on what they’re calling a ‘New Challenge‘.

In a way, it’s not that new. Three out of the six songs (seven, counting the intro)- “Man in Love“, “As Good as it Gets“, and “60 Seconds” were produced by Sweetune, the team behind most of INFINITE’s hits. It wasn’t clear whether or not INFINITE and Sweetune would be continuing their partnership after Sweetune recently started producing for Starship Entertainment acts, even giving Boyfriend the INFINITE-esque “Janus“, but it seems as if they’re continuing the partnership and just tweaking the sound a little bit.


The title track “Man in Love” and the following track “As Good as it Gets” follow in the synth-heavy, 80′s pop steps of their previous songs, but this time around they’ve dumped the dramatic violins and angst for something brighter. “Man in Love” is lyrically similar to INFINITE-H’s “Special Girl” in that it’s a sunny, happy song about young love, while “As Good as it Gets” talks about learning and growing after ruining a relationship by being immature. 

They both contain that fun and sunny sound, perfect to kick off spring, while staying true to the sound that INFINITE has spent the last few years developing.

As far as their other Sweetune-produced song, a group remake of Sunggyu’s solo single “60 Seconds”, I’m not quite as impressed. The verses sound great- Sungjong and Sungyeol‘s thin vocals especially took me by surprise, as they really fit the feel of the song. However, when the whole group comes together on the chorus, it sounds a little bit like show choir for a pop song, which is only amplified when Woohyun over sings his part. Yes, having everyone sing on the chorus is one of INFINITE’s signature sounds, and it works in their pop songs, but in a rock song like this it’s a little overwhelming. The rap break is awkwardly shoe-horned in and completely unnecessary. If they wanted to remake the song, they should have done a complete reboot, with a new instrumental and everything, or else arranged the vocals so that the chorus wasn’t SO overwhelming.

“Still I Miss You“, “Beautiful” (which was written by Woohyun) and “Inconvenient Truth” (which will probably go down in history as the only K-Pop song named after an Al Gore quote) round out the rest of the synthy, 80′s sound to finish the album. While the songs are all pretty good on their own, it’s a bit much to have so many similar-sounding songs all packaged together right after the other. Adding something a little different, maybe an acoustic solo or sub-unit song in the mix, could have broken things up and made the album a little more listenable. Then again, most people listen to their music libraries on shuffle rather than listening to albums straight through, so perhaps that wasn’t a concern they even took into consideration.

‘New Challenge’ is a nice album and it’s worth a listen. It’s great to see INFINITE leading the pack as K-Pop breaks out its fun music for spring, and while the album didn’t really blow my mind or anything, “A Man In Love” has definitely earned a place on my music-that-makes-housework-more-fun playlist.

Reviewer's Rating: (3.8 / 5)

Community Rating:  (796 votes, average: 4.44 out of 5)

Credits: allkpop