On June 1st, Lizzy tweeted, “Time flies…”, and in response, UEE replied, “I know… It seems like just yesterday that our Lizzy was walking around in her school uniform, but she’s already 20… goodbye now.”
Lizzy then jokingly teased UEE, “I remember the first time I saw you, unnie (older sister). You were 22-year-old, ‘innocent and sexy’ UEE… Now you are getting closer to mid-20s. Goodbye to unnie too.”
UEE drew laughter from fans when she replied, “Park Soon Duk, let’s fight!! Come to the snack bar!!”
Netizens stated, “You two can joke around like this because you are close, right?”, “Your conversation is like my conversations with my little sister”, and “The statement about you being in your mid-20s is funny.”
30 Mei:
Everyone went wild over After School’s hot tap-dance routine, and now a behind-the-scenes video for “Let’s Step Up” is guaranteed to bring in even more praise for the girls.
Performing confidently and with a little sass, the routine would draw screams from audience members whenever the girls brought it out. That being said, it was understood that the members must’ve thrown in a lot of hard work in order to not only master a new skill, but to deliver it as if they knew it all along.
This behind-the-scenes video was taken from After School’s rehearsal room, and viewers were left feeling even more impressed by the girls’ final product. Check it out below!
Source: allkpop
25 Mei
On May 24th, After School members Nana, Jooyeon, and Jungah uploaded a picture from backstage – drawing the curiosity of netizens.
In the picture, the three ladies are smiling brightly with fun expressions on their faces. Even with their silly poses, netizens can clearly see their ‘barbie doll-like bodies’.It is known that After School, who is currently successfully promoting their song “Shampoo“, have very close relationships with one another, and not too long ago, one of the members even jokingly posted a sleeping picture of Nana, which ended up creating buzz across the internet.
Fans saw the picture and stated, “After School is pretty no matter how they play”, “I wonder if the three will come out as a unit group”, and “They look like bright, innocent children.”
22 MeiBack in 2009, idol group After School marked their official debut into the music industry with their single, “Ah!”, as a five-membered girl group that heavily focused on the image of a Korean “Pussycat Dolls“.
What’s most unique about this group is that they have a admission-graduation system, where members are added or withdrawn in a “natural” manner. After School currently consists of nine members, with original member Yoo So Young being the only member to officially “graduate”, while members Nana, Lizzy, Raina, and more recently E-Young, were “admitted” into the group.
The group recently came together to answer and clarify certain malignant rumors regarding their admission-graduation concept, as well as those about their supposedly “rebellious” pasts.
Check it out below!
===
Endless rumors about member withdrawals: “It’s not a withdrawal, it’s called graduating.”
Ever since leader Kahi underwent promotions for her very first solo mini-album, “Come Back You Bad Person”, rumors regarding her “graduation” from the group have been soaring, as many believed that her solo activities marked her first step towards officially “graduating” from After School.
Kahi explained, “Sometimes it seems like it’s what people want to happen. It’s definitely a plan, but nothing’s been confirmed, but everyone still keeps talking about it. To be honest, these kinds of rumors do make me a little sad.”
She continued, “I always get asked when I’m going to graduate. Honestly speaking, I did have thoughts about what I enjoyed doing more (solo or group work) while doing my solo promotions. I think I like it better when I work with a group of people; I can create a perfect picture, all by working in synergy.”
Members UEE and Jooyeon were also targets of withdrawing rumors due to their roles in dramas “Birdy Buddy” and “Smile, Donghae”, respectively. Jooyeon stated, “I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it, considering we’ve been using the graduation concept right from the beginning. It’s not something that should receive negative attention, but something to be congratulated for. Thinking about it in another light, the fact that we really aren’t graduating means that we still have a lot to go.”
“Do we have to live together to have good friendships?”
Many people seem to believe that it’s definite for a group of nine members to have conflict amongst each other, purely because of the large group size. After it was revealed that all nine members don’t live in one dorm together, rumors about member disputes began to rise. As of current, members Jung Ah, Joo Yeon, UEE, and E-Young are living separately from the rest of the group.
Jung Ah expressed, “Since I get sick frequently, my parents constantly take care of me in order to maintain my health. It’s not a huge problem, but to be honest, my biggest reason to living with my parents is so that they don’t worry about me.”
UEE also added, “My parents moved from Incheon to Seoul last year in October. I’d been living away from my parents for six years ever since my trainee days. When they moved to Seoul, I thought of it as my duty to move back in with them.”
For Jooyeon, her reason to moving out was due to her hectic schedules for “Smile, Donghae”. “I have schedules by myself everyday, so I thought it’d be more conformable if I just go around by myself. For cases like me, I’ve actually been living more at the dorm since I’ve been both filming for the drama and preparing for the album. I’ve been living in two houses. (Laughs)”
In contrast to the other three members, newest member E-Young has a slightly different reason for not living with the rest. She explained, “I’m still living in the trainees’ dorm because there’s no room left in the group’s dorm…” Nevertheless, E-Young is soon to move in with the others at a later date.
“We were rebellious in the past? And where did we get surgery?”
Past personal histories and records of celebrities are what gossipers love talking about best. Recently, Nana’s “rebellious days” garnered great criticism from netizens as past photos of the member were spread across the internet. Moreover, when celebrity past photos get revealed, talk about cosmetic surgery is an absolutely unavoidable topic.
Nana explained, “I never said anything about it because I thought explaining it would be useless.” She felt that saying “I was never a rebel” with her own mouth was ridiculous in itself, and thus never ended up confirming it in public. As a consequence, she became a delicious target for all her antis to enjoy.
For E-Young’s case, she was somewhat bewildered by the comments. “I’m not saying that I’m pretty, (laughs) but there are some pictures on the internet with my name on it, when it’s not even of me. It’s funny seeing those kinds of things.”
Member Bekah added, “I have a lot of hope for E-Young. It was the same for when Lizzy, Nana, and Raina joined us too, but she’s someone who I really felt could add new energy into our group. She’s unique and really cheerful. For people like her, you really want to help them show off their personality and full talent. I think we need to look over her so that she doesn’t get hindered by unnecessary comments.”
“Boyfriends? Even if we did have one, we wouldn’t say it.”
When asked whether they would reveal that they have boyfriends if they ever had one, the nine members answered, “Even if we all get boyfriends, we’d never reveal it publicly.”
Lizzy stated, “Right now, I don’t think I could definitely answer what is more important in my life, the love I receive from my fans, or my personal life. That’s why I’m more careful about the topic, and it’s harder for me to talk about it. Isn’t it definite that I don’t disappoint them?”
Raina added, “I don’t think it’s right to hurt the other members with my own problems. I believe that there is a time for everything – with time, everything can be made to be understood or appreciated. In reality, to be judged objectively takes time.”
16 Mei:
Having made their comeback with their “Virgin” album three weeks ago, After School has today revealed a new MV for another track from their album, titled “Play Ur Love“.
“Play Ur Love” has a bright melody and contrastively tells the story of a sad separation.
It is a sorrowful and unique R&B song sung by After School members Kahi, JungAh, Raina, andNana’s emotional voices. Dressed in simple outfits and more natural makeup, the girls’ beauty radiates as they portray a rather opposing look from their usual powerful and sexy image.
Also check out a BTS video of Nana dancing solo to ‘Shampoo‘.
Source: Daum Music via allkpop
14 Mei:
After School recently ended an autograph signing with their fans early, sending fans into a mix of disorientation and uproar. Their agency, Pledis Entertainment, responded to upset fans by explaining that as safety became an issue, they had to terminate the signing early.
On May 12th, Pledis Entertainment posted a statement on After School’s fan cafe, touching upon why some fans didn’t receive signed CDs at the fan signing.Regarding today’s fan signing, and to those fans who were affected by it, we’ve decided to release a statement on this bulletin to get rid of any misunderstandings… the members arrived at the signing at exactly 4:10 and waited for the event to start… We’re not sure if holding the event early on a weekday was a factor, but by 5 o’clock, there were less than 50 fans gathered for the event… Even the event sponsor informed us that fans were calling in and saying, ‘I think I’ll be a little late’ and ‘Do you think I’ll be able to get an autograph?’ Having been notified of this information, the members started the autograph session at 5:30.
According to Pledis, this fan signing was scheduled to take place at 5 PM at the I-Park in Yongsan, Seoul. However, it was postponed for 30 minutes and only 100 of the original 150 winners attended.
Because After School consists of nine members, we expected the fan signing to take a while. And while we had originally planned for the event to take two hours, external issues – such as renting the venue outside the allotted time slot – left us no choice but to end at 6:45. After the members said their goodbyes, they left at 6:50… For all 135 of you who came to the autograph session by 6:45, we did all we could for you… In fact, there were 15 fans who did not show up even as we were wrapping up, and because we had to follow the safety regulations of the venue, we ended earlier than planned.
However, Pledis assured those fans who did not show up, stating, “If you did not receive a signed CD, please contact our offices and we’ll send one to you.”
10 Mei:It’s not uncommon for an idol group to face sharp criticisms or to be talked about in a condescending way. While it’d be nice if they could overcome everything calmly, it’s difficult to constantly live under the standards of skeptics. Unsurprisingly, criticisms are even harsher towards girl groups.
After School in particular were victims of many misunderstandings and rumors. In a recent interview, the members expressed how they felt heartbroken and wronged.
Kahi confessed, “I felt like it was really unfair when I was labeled as the ‘loser girl’. I said what I said because I myself am tall and I talked about my ideal type… it was disappointing.”
In the past, Kahi guested on MBC’s “Quiz to Change the World“.
When she was asked about her ideal type, she stated, “I prefer above 183cm (6ft) tall”, causing her to be compared to the girl who stated that short guys are ‘losers’ during an episode of “Chat with Beauties“.
Of course, many netizens concluded, “That’s an excessive reaction” and Kahi clarified, “I did not use the term ‘loser’, and I am also against calling someone a loser because of a disadvantage. I am very sorry to the many people who were upset by my simple statement. I am also sorry to the staff members of “Quiz to Change the World” who suffered because of me.”
UEE, who was blamed for the failure of her drama “Birdie Buddy“, stepped up to talk about how the accusations made her feel. “In the past, I would have been very hurt and worried a lot, but I received a lot of help while on SBS ‘Night after Night‘.”
She added, “Kim Jae Dong oppa, in particular, gave me lots of words of wisdom: ‘You are you. Don’t show your weak side to those who like you, don’t let your ego be shaken, and work hard.’ In the past, I would have thought, ‘What did I do wrong?’, but now, rather than falling over the last thought, I think I am moving forward one step at a time.”
Surprisingly, it was Kahi who displayed the most heartbreak over UEE’s situation. “There are many people who say things meanly.”
Raina stated that she was most upset about something that occurred last year during the 2010 KBS Music Festival. She stated, “There was a stage where members of girl groups came out together and danced the point choreography. I’m not very good at dancing, so I was a little embarrassed. That’s why I looked at the other members and laughed, but f(x)’s Luna happened to be diagonally in front of me.”
She continued, “The next day when I looked it up, they made it look like I was laughing at Luna’s dancing. That’s not why I laughed, so I was very sorry and embarrassed. When I saw her during a broadcast later on, I apologized, and she said it was okay.”
Starts from 2:03 (you have to concentrate and focus).
After School gained worldwide recognition with their powerful tap dance performance.
The idol group recently performed a tap dance version of ‘Let’s Step Up‘ for their comeback. The videos of the performance as well as their music video were revealed on YouTube, gaining attention from netizens around the worldallkpop as well as from professional tappers.
World famous tap dancer Joseph Wiggan even commented, “I saw After School’s tap dance performance on YouTube and they seem to have many charms. I think they will do well in the world, not only in Korea.”
Fans commented, “I’m so proud of After School”, “I want to see more tap dance performances”, “You guys even do well worldwide.”
The multi-talented group is actively promoting their title song, ‘Shampoo‘.
Source: Sports Chosun via Nate via
8 Mei:The impressive tap dance choreography from After School’s ‘Let’s Step Up‘ has become a hot issue.
Following their popular marching band performance for “Bang“, the group’s tap dance routine captured much love from fans not only in Korea, but around the world.
After School received millions of YouTube views for both “Bang” and “Let’s Step Up”, and they’ve been receiving lots of praise and encouragement from fans with every release. On foreign fan stated, “This totally pleases me. I’m shocked that they attempted to tap dance. From now on, I will be a fan of After School.” It’s also been confirmed that over 90% of the comments left on the “Let’s Step Up” video were from foreign fans.
After hearing this, Korean netizens stated, “Definitely performance terminators, After School”, “I’m proud that they are receiving popularity overseas”, and “The best Korean girl group has been born.”
4 Mei:
Although it’s a familiar concept in other music markets, After School was the first to debut with a unique admissions and graduation concept in Korea.
It’s a genius system for the agencies themselves, since what better way to test out the potential of their trainees than by adding them as a rookie to an already established group?
Unfortunately, the ones that must directly endure this system are the members themselves. Although there hasn’t been a formal departure yet (aside from Yoo So Young’s leave), one can only imagine the emotional and mental stress this puts on the relationships between the members.
In an interview with Star News, the girls directly addressed the issue as honestly as they could. “At first, we were a bit put off that we had worked so hard to establish After School’s name and that just anyone could join. Why would we think that? Whenever we felt that we were finally getting our teamwork down, someone would leave and another would join.”
Even with their latest “Virgin” release, the members came in tow with E-Young. ”It was difficult to deal with at first, but it just became natural after a while. We all just focused on the stage and accepted our new members with an open heart. It’s all for After School, after all.”
The members are divided into generations, with Kahi, Jung Ah, Jooyeon, and Bekah in the first generation,UEE in the second, Orange Caramel in the third, and E-Young in the fourth.
The girls stated, “Now that we’ve been through all of the ups and downs, there aren’t any obstacles for us in that regard. By experiencing all of this, we’ve gotten a lot stronger as a team. We also grew and matured as we overcame hardships together. Now, our dream is to see the new members of After School promoting dozens of years from now.”
Now that they’ve made their comeback, what are their goals for this promotion cycle? “We want to get an ‘all-kill’ on every music chart. It’s a dream that every singer would want. It’s not a must, but we think it’d make us feel like we’re being rewarded for our hard work.”
They concluded, “There’s still a long way to go. We’re just running straight ahead, not paying attention to first or last place. This album is important to us since we want to firmly establish ourselves through this promotion cycle. We’re going to band together tighter than ever to show everything we can on stage.”
1 Mei:Nine-membered After School finally made their official comeback with a brand new album titled “Virgin“, with their song “Shampoo” as their official title track.
Similar to their previous ‘marching band’ concept back from their “Bang!” promotions last year, this time, the girls have completely taken their fans by surprise by coming out with a fully synchronized, two-minute tap dance MV titled, “Let’s Step Up“.
A practice video of some of the members learning the dance routine recently surfaced, which shows just how much time and effort these girls put in to perfect every second of their dance.
Check it out down below!
===
<Practice Video>
<Let’s Step Up MV>
Source: allkpop
Following the teasing after the end of After School’s “Shampoo” MV yesterday, Pledis Entertainment has finally released the concluding chapter with the MV for “Let’s Step Up“.
This MV doesn’t have much of a story though as it just shows the girls performing their full tap dance routine after rehearsing and preparing for it in the earlier “Shampoo” MV.
Bekah sustained an injury during rehearsals and thus did not participate in the MV filming.
Meanwhile, stay tuned for After School’s first comeback stage on Music Bank tonight!
Source: allkpop
28 April:Earlier today, After School released their first official album “Virgin“. Following the release of their “Shampoo” MV teaser, Pledis Entertainment has released the full version of their music video.Although this song will mark E-Young’s official debut with After School, in the music video, Raina stars as the new trainee in the group that is preparing for her debut. And it looks like After School will be tap-dancing for their comeback track and there will be another music video coming soon.
Check out the music video below!
Source: Pledis Entertainment’s Youtube via allkpop
25 April:On April 29th, After School finally released their much-anticipated first official album, “Virgin“!
Decked out with a lovelier and more feminine concept, the girls have filled the album to the brim with songs that hold motivating themes like confidence and individuality. It’s been a long year since their last “Bang!” release, so the girls have set out to make this comeback particularly special.
“Virgin” aims to showcase the girls’ charms ‘as is’, without any of the glitz and glamor of their previous releases. The album features the work of top names like Daishi Dance, Song Yang Ha, Choi Young Shin, and Park Duk Sang, and houses a variety of genres like dance, ballad, and house.
Check it out below!
–
01. Let’s Step Up
-
02. Shampoo
-
03. Virgin
-
04. 뱅 (Bang)! (2011 New Recordings)
-
05. Play Ur Love+
-
06. Dream (Feat. Pre-School Girl Yoon Jo)
-
07. Because of You (2011 New Recordings)
-
08. Leaning Against Time (Raina Solo)
-
09. Are You Doing Well?
-
10. Funky Man (Nana Vs Lizzy Feat. Pre-School Girl Kyung Min)
-
11. My Bell (Jung-A Solo)
-
12. When I Fall (2011 New Recordings)
-
13. Shampoo (Radio Edit)
–
Source: Pledisartist via allkpop
After School is gearing up to launch their official comeback with their title track, “Shampoo“! They’ve already revealed the tracklist for their comeback album, which was produced by Japan’s own Daishi Dance (who’s racked up a list of A-list Korean idol production credits with groups like Rainbow and Big Bang), and now the group has released a poster with all nine girls!
Donning matching dresses and shiny red tap shoes, the girls are seen posing in what appears to be ballet positions. After School’s comeback concept looks quite promising definitely!
Source: allkpop
After School has been dropping countless pictures for their long-awaited comeback, and now fans can get a more dynamic taste of what’s to come through this just-released MV teaser!
Feminine and graceful, the girls can be seen stretching and posing in an illuminated dance studio. The soft piano melody in the video hints at a ballad track, but we’re guessing that After School will deliver something more upbeat with their characteristic flair.
Check out the teaser below!
Source: allkpop
21 April:
Over the past two days, Pledis Entertainment released three photo teasers featuring After School’s E-Young, Raina, Nana, and Lizzy, followed by UEE earlier today.
The agency has now gone ahead with an early release of another photo teaser for today, which spotlights their first generation members, led by leader Kahi and fellow pioneering members like Jungah, Jooyeon, and Bekah.
After School is preparing for their comeback at the end of the month with their first official album, “Virgin“, and they are building up hype with a photo teaser series.
Since the group holds the unique concept of admissions and graduations, the member teasers were divided into teams. The first generation is Kahi, Jungah, Jooyeon, and Bekah; the second generation is UEE, the third generation is Raina, Nana, and Lizzy; finally, the fourth generation is E-Young.
The girls are gearing up to drop their first official album, “Virgin“, and fans are sure to be treated to not just a photo teaser series, but an MV teaser in the future as well.
“Virgin” is currently scheduled for release on the 29th.
The girls wrote a line from their past hit track, “Bang!”, to accompany the picture, “We are oh After! School up, everyone better move away!”
Although they’re wearing casual gear, the girls still radiate beauty and charm; their confident smiles and poses express that they’re more than ready to dominate with their next release. Netizens commented, “They all look so great together”, “The girl group with the best bodies”, “Where are the other two”, and “So gorgeous!”
The girls will be releasing the music video teaser for their title track, “Shampoo“, on April 22nd.
20 April:
Their title track, “Shampoo“, was co-produced by writer and poet Won Tae Yeon and Japan’s top composer, Daishi Dance. It features an emotional piano melody that harmonizes vocals and raps.
The album features a total of nine new tracks along with tracks from three previous singles for a total of 12 tracks. Check out the tracklist below!
01. Let’s Step Up
02. Shampoo
03. Virgin
04. 뱅(Bang)! (2011 New Recordings)
05. Play Ur Love
06. Dream
07. Because of You (2011 New Recordings)
08. Leaning Against Time
09. Are You Doing Okay?
10. Funky Man
11. My Bell
12. When I Fall (2011 New Recordings)
02. Shampoo
03. Virgin
04. 뱅(Bang)! (2011 New Recordings)
05. Play Ur Love
06. Dream
07. Because of You (2011 New Recordings)
08. Leaning Against Time
09. Are You Doing Okay?
10. Funky Man
11. My Bell
12. When I Fall (2011 New Recordings)
The album is scheduled to drop on April 29th.
13 April:
Their comeback is drawing lots of attention from the industry, thanks to the big names participating in the album. Their new song was composed by Japanese producer Daishi Dance (who also composed Big Bang’s “Haru Haru“) and was written by Won Tae Yeon (who wrote Hyun Bin’s “That Man“).
A representative from Pledis Entertainment said,
“As this album will be a way to get them one step closer to the public, they are ardently preparing with their ‘hidden card’ that will show off After School’s colors. Please anticipate it.“
After School plans to make their comeback in late April.
21 Februari: Via tokyohive:
After delivering a hot PV teaser a few days back, the full version has finally been released!
Pop fans went wild as they saw the return of the queen, and some fresh new faces as well. Amuro Namie collaborated with the K-pop group, After School, to drop a sexy new song that’s sure to skyrocket up the charts.
“Make It Happen” will mark After School’s debut release.
Namie Amuro - Make It Happen feat. After School
Uploaded by FinalHikari. - Explore more music videos.
Source: allkpop
18 Februari:
Via tokyohive:
Amuro Namie unveiled a teaser video for her “Make It Happen” PV, which features Korean girl group, After School.
When asked about choosing the Korean group After School, Amuro stated, “I’ve been keeping my eye on the Korean music scene for a while now.”
To add to the anticipation, just a while ago, a second teaser for the “Make It Happen” PV was shown!
Source: allkpop Credit: snowprinceAS
The website contains the latest news about After School, along with each of the member’s profiles and embedded links of their music videos.
There have also been talks about the group contracting with Japanese agency AVEX, however these rumors have yet to be confirmed. Nevertheless, with After School collaborating with AVEX artist Amuro Namie for their first Japanese project, the chances of these rumors being true seem to be more favorable than not.
You can check out the full website by clicking here!
Source: allkpop
After School has kicked off their Japanese advancement in a big way by guest-featuring on Namie Amuro’s new collaboration album!
Namie Amuro is a famous Japanese artist who’s considered to be the ‘Queen of J-pop’. After School is the only K-pop artist listed in her album, which has generated high interest from both the Korean and Japanese media.
The album also features contributions from AI, CHEMISTRY’s Kanabe, Yamashita Tomohisa and many more.
Representatives of Pledis Entertainment commented, “Namie Amuro’s representatives have taken a high interest in After School for some time now, and offered this collaboration opportunity. After School participated in utter secrecy in Japan, and completed their music video recording. ‘Make It Happen‘ is an addictive pop track that aims to entice listeners into a world of dreams.”
The full collaboration album and music video will be released on March 23rd.
Source: Sports Chosun via Nate via allkpop
28 Januari:
Pledis menyatakan di Money Today, “After School has signed a contract with Japan’s best record label and will start activities in Japan at the end of March. We are planning on creating a new Japanese song or using After School’s current albums. After School will focus on promoting both in Korea and Japan.”
“It is true that because of the Dong Bang Shin Ki and KARA issue, there have been a lot of unpleasant rumors about the Korean Wave. After School will do their best so that overseas fans will get the correct image of the Korean Wave.”
Saat ini member After
After School memenangkan “K-pop New Artist of the Year” award di Billboard Japan Music Awards. Karena slim S-line body dan powerful performances, After School menerima banyak perhatian dari fans Jepang.
Source + Picture: Money Today via Star News
12 Januari:
Mereka menampilkan “Let’s Do It“, “Bang“, dan “Love Love Love“.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar