credits: news.nate.com
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
G-Dragon was an SM trainee for 5 years
"I was on MBC's Bbobbobbo before. I sat next to Bbomee (?) nuna and I danced really well. I guess I was discovered by Little Lulla then. We even went on a concert tour and put out a carol album."
Little Lulla was very popular then but after awhile, the company decided to terminate it, which became a big shock to the young G-Dragon.
"As an 8-year old, I was shocked. I thought I would continue to become a singer. I even told my mom that I wouldn't do it again. And then I lived a normal life as a student."
But it seems like he was destined to become famous. One time, his family went to a ski resort where SM Entertainment, headed by Lee Sooman, was conducting a dance competition. He joined and then got chosen to be a trainee. He trained for almost 5 years, during the time when S.E.S, H.O.T, BOA and Shinhwa were gaining popularity.
"When I trained under SM, it wasn't a big company yet so instead of practicing every day, I would go once a month or once every 3 months. SM officials don't probably remember me anymore but I danced a lot. I wasn't handsome but I had a mischievous face and followed directions very well. There was even a time when I sat on the laps of Shinhwa members."
As an SM trainee, G-Dragon didn't have a clear vision of what he wanted to do. When he was in 3rd grade, he discovered the Wu-tang Clan through a friend. He then joined People Crew (?) where he learned more about freestyle rapping.
credits: bigbangupdates
Friday, January 22, 2010
Upcoming Big Bang Events
January 24: SBS Family Outing - Daesung
January 27: Aoyama Teruma & Taeyang's 'Fall in Love' Release ~ I think release for sale?
January 29-31: 2010 Bigbang Concert [Big Show]
February 10, 11, 13, 15: Bigbang [Electric Love Tour 2010] (Japan Tour Concert)
February 13: G-Dragon Solo Concert [Shine a Light] broadcasted on TBS
Translated by Beau @ bbvipz
Aimee Lucas speaks about G-Dragon's concert controversy
G-Dragon ‘Dry Humps’ Dancer On Stage?
Dancer Sets Record Straight
by Phillip Chung
If you’re like me, the public outcry that ensued when Janet Jackson flashed her nipple for all of half a second during a performance with Justin Timberlake at the 2004 Super Bowl seemed like much ado over nothing. But if you think Americans are overtly prudish, they have nothing on the Koreans. Last month, Korean pop star G-Dragon (of Big Bang fame) was accused of “dry humping” a dancer on a stand-up bed during the song “Breathe” at his “Shine A Light” concert.
Once pictures like the one above hit the internet, the outrage was almost instantaneous. It’s become such an issue in the country that this month, the South Korean government decided to step in and is investigating the incident. If he loses the case, G-Dragon faces a fine and up to a year in prison. His fans, including those who were at the concert, have started a petition in support of the pop star and the case is still pending. YG Entertainment, G-Dragon’s label, released an apology but otherwise no one involved with the incident has spoken about what happened. Until now.
The dancer being “dry humped” on stage by G-Dragon is Aimee Lee Lucas who happens to be a friend. I admit I know next to nothing about the Korean pop scene, but when I saw the stories and “offensive” photos of Aimee popping up online, well, I had to find out what really happened. Aimee was kind enough to hang out with me at a Starbucks on a rainy afternoon and talk publicly for the first time about the now infamous incident.
Although Aimee works as a dancer/choreographer for YG Entertainment, she’s not Korean. In fact, she’s a Filipina homegirl from the Bay Area, now living in L.A. Aimee studied ballet for 14 years before transitioning to hip-hop. And though she took her dancer training seriously, when she moved to L.A., the plan was to go to school and find a “real” job that had nothing to do with dancing. But when she tagged along with boyfriend Shaun Evaristo (also a dancer/choreographer) to a commercial audition, she ended up booking it herself and was soon dancing in an iPod ad.
Then, two years ago, Shaun was hired by YG to work with their artists in Korea and once the execs saw Aimee’s talent, they hired her too. Since then, she’s appeared in numerous concerts and videos with artists like Tae Yang and Big Bang. Here she is as the lead female dancer in Big Bang’s “Number One” video:
So when Aimee performed the “Breathe” number with G-Dragon and the aforementioned stand-up bed, it was just another normal bit. She flew back to L.A. the morning after the last concert thinking all was normal but by the time she landed, the controversy had broken out all over the internet in Korea.
“I was shocked when I heard what was happening,” Aimee says. “We performed two shows on a Saturday and Sunday. All the VIPs and big people came out on Saturday and no one said anything. During rehearsals, no one told us we were going too far and should hold back. So the reaction was surprising.”
Initially, the internet comments directed at “the dancer in the number” were critical (“what is that girl thinking doing that?”), but once Aimee was identified as the dancer, most of the negative comments stopped. In fact, during the whole controversy, everyone associated with the number from G-Dragon to YG has been targeted and vilified—except Aimee who is not facing any of the charges, fines or jail time. “I think it’s because I’m American,” she says. “I’ve been told from the start that I’ll be treated differently because I’m American and that’s been the case.”
When she first started performing in Korea, Aimee was surprised by the rabid, (very) young and female fan base of the K-Pop acts who would appear in the form of large mobs everywhere she and the musicians went. “When I became the lead dancer opposite Tae Yang, people joked with me that they were surprised I wasn’t dead,” she says, “that the fans didn’t come after me with pitchforks for doing what they all dreamed of doing with him.”
To understand the controversy, one must first understand the K-Pop scene. If Big Bang is like the Korean N’Sync with its more innocent and tween friendly music, G-Dragon is its Justin Timberlake—pursuing a solo career to explore more “adult” subject matter. His first solo album “Heartbreaker” was deemed inappropriate for children because of the lyrical content of several songs like “She’s Gone” (sample offensive lyric: “If I can’t have you, I’ll kill you.”). The songs are pretty tame by our standards; the content of an American pop song like Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” is downright pornographic compared to G-Dragon’s music (and I’m sure G-Dragon won’t be doing the Korean equivalent of this anytime soon). But because of the concert controversy, a new “investigation” has also been launched regarding the appropriateness of his album.
So here’s Aimee’s explanation of what happened:
Before the first creative meeting for the concert, Aimee was already thinking of ideas for the different numbers. Since the imagery of a bed was so strong in “Breathe,” she thought it would make sense to incorporate that into the piece. “At the meeting, G-Dragon had pretty much the same idea to do something around a stand-up bed,” she says. “He likes to let loose and push boundaries. Everyone agreed so that’s what we worked on.”
“There was no humping,” she continues. “If you watch the (footage), the whole bit lasts only a few seconds. He straddles me for a bit, we do some ‘acting’ and then we’re done. I had to lift myself (on the stand-up bed) and hang there and support all my body weight with my arms. I could only do that for a couple of seconds so there wasn’t any time to do any humping.”
Aimee thinks the controversy erupted because the first images to be posted online were photos of her hanging from the bed straddling G-Dragon with her legs wrapped around him which could be misinterpreted when seen out of context. By the time video footage from the concert hit the web a few days later, the damage had already been done. Since she left for America right after the concert, she hasn’t talked to G-Dragon about the incident but has heard from others at YG that he seems to be doing fine.
So is it just me or is this a ridiculous attempt by an artist-unfriendly government led by President Lee Myung-bak (who derogatorily referred to filmmakers as “hippies”) to make an example of a pop star in the name of family values? Aren’t there more pressing issues in the country to be worried about?
Original article
via bigbangvip.net
credits: bigbangupdates
Dancer Sets Record Straight
by Phillip Chung
If you’re like me, the public outcry that ensued when Janet Jackson flashed her nipple for all of half a second during a performance with Justin Timberlake at the 2004 Super Bowl seemed like much ado over nothing. But if you think Americans are overtly prudish, they have nothing on the Koreans. Last month, Korean pop star G-Dragon (of Big Bang fame) was accused of “dry humping” a dancer on a stand-up bed during the song “Breathe” at his “Shine A Light” concert.
Once pictures like the one above hit the internet, the outrage was almost instantaneous. It’s become such an issue in the country that this month, the South Korean government decided to step in and is investigating the incident. If he loses the case, G-Dragon faces a fine and up to a year in prison. His fans, including those who were at the concert, have started a petition in support of the pop star and the case is still pending. YG Entertainment, G-Dragon’s label, released an apology but otherwise no one involved with the incident has spoken about what happened. Until now.
The dancer being “dry humped” on stage by G-Dragon is Aimee Lee Lucas who happens to be a friend. I admit I know next to nothing about the Korean pop scene, but when I saw the stories and “offensive” photos of Aimee popping up online, well, I had to find out what really happened. Aimee was kind enough to hang out with me at a Starbucks on a rainy afternoon and talk publicly for the first time about the now infamous incident.
Although Aimee works as a dancer/choreographer for YG Entertainment, she’s not Korean. In fact, she’s a Filipina homegirl from the Bay Area, now living in L.A. Aimee studied ballet for 14 years before transitioning to hip-hop. And though she took her dancer training seriously, when she moved to L.A., the plan was to go to school and find a “real” job that had nothing to do with dancing. But when she tagged along with boyfriend Shaun Evaristo (also a dancer/choreographer) to a commercial audition, she ended up booking it herself and was soon dancing in an iPod ad.
Then, two years ago, Shaun was hired by YG to work with their artists in Korea and once the execs saw Aimee’s talent, they hired her too. Since then, she’s appeared in numerous concerts and videos with artists like Tae Yang and Big Bang. Here she is as the lead female dancer in Big Bang’s “Number One” video:
So when Aimee performed the “Breathe” number with G-Dragon and the aforementioned stand-up bed, it was just another normal bit. She flew back to L.A. the morning after the last concert thinking all was normal but by the time she landed, the controversy had broken out all over the internet in Korea.
“I was shocked when I heard what was happening,” Aimee says. “We performed two shows on a Saturday and Sunday. All the VIPs and big people came out on Saturday and no one said anything. During rehearsals, no one told us we were going too far and should hold back. So the reaction was surprising.”
Initially, the internet comments directed at “the dancer in the number” were critical (“what is that girl thinking doing that?”), but once Aimee was identified as the dancer, most of the negative comments stopped. In fact, during the whole controversy, everyone associated with the number from G-Dragon to YG has been targeted and vilified—except Aimee who is not facing any of the charges, fines or jail time. “I think it’s because I’m American,” she says. “I’ve been told from the start that I’ll be treated differently because I’m American and that’s been the case.”
When she first started performing in Korea, Aimee was surprised by the rabid, (very) young and female fan base of the K-Pop acts who would appear in the form of large mobs everywhere she and the musicians went. “When I became the lead dancer opposite Tae Yang, people joked with me that they were surprised I wasn’t dead,” she says, “that the fans didn’t come after me with pitchforks for doing what they all dreamed of doing with him.”
To understand the controversy, one must first understand the K-Pop scene. If Big Bang is like the Korean N’Sync with its more innocent and tween friendly music, G-Dragon is its Justin Timberlake—pursuing a solo career to explore more “adult” subject matter. His first solo album “Heartbreaker” was deemed inappropriate for children because of the lyrical content of several songs like “She’s Gone” (sample offensive lyric: “If I can’t have you, I’ll kill you.”). The songs are pretty tame by our standards; the content of an American pop song like Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” is downright pornographic compared to G-Dragon’s music (and I’m sure G-Dragon won’t be doing the Korean equivalent of this anytime soon). But because of the concert controversy, a new “investigation” has also been launched regarding the appropriateness of his album.
So here’s Aimee’s explanation of what happened:
Before the first creative meeting for the concert, Aimee was already thinking of ideas for the different numbers. Since the imagery of a bed was so strong in “Breathe,” she thought it would make sense to incorporate that into the piece. “At the meeting, G-Dragon had pretty much the same idea to do something around a stand-up bed,” she says. “He likes to let loose and push boundaries. Everyone agreed so that’s what we worked on.”
“There was no humping,” she continues. “If you watch the (footage), the whole bit lasts only a few seconds. He straddles me for a bit, we do some ‘acting’ and then we’re done. I had to lift myself (on the stand-up bed) and hang there and support all my body weight with my arms. I could only do that for a couple of seconds so there wasn’t any time to do any humping.”
Aimee thinks the controversy erupted because the first images to be posted online were photos of her hanging from the bed straddling G-Dragon with her legs wrapped around him which could be misinterpreted when seen out of context. By the time video footage from the concert hit the web a few days later, the damage had already been done. Since she left for America right after the concert, she hasn’t talked to G-Dragon about the incident but has heard from others at YG that he seems to be doing fine.
So is it just me or is this a ridiculous attempt by an artist-unfriendly government led by President Lee Myung-bak (who derogatorily referred to filmmakers as “hippies”) to make an example of a pop star in the name of family values? Aren’t there more pressing issues in the country to be worried about?
Original article
via bigbangvip.net
credits: bigbangupdates
Big Bang iPhone Calendar App
Download link: itunes.apple.com/us/app/bigbang
sources :
DCGD, twitter.com/RicKPOPper, twitter.com/oblige
TOP to reveal solo song during Big Bang’s concert
Big Bang TOP will reveal his solo song during Big Bang’s independent concert.
An official revealed on 21st January, “TOP will reveal his new song during Big Bang ‘Big Show’ concert.”
All this time, TOP has participated as featuring for rap in songs like ‘DISCO’ by Um JungHwa and ‘Sorry’ for Gummy, and is known for his rap capabilities. And all these songs have received great popularity, and with TOP’s own solo song coming up, much anticipation is for how it will be received by music fans.
There has been much interests since it was announced a while back that fellow DaeSung will also be releasing a solo album the first half of the year.
Meanwhile, Big Bang concert will take place from 29th till 31st January. And TOP recently wrote on GDragon’s me2day on 19th January, “This is the place we are together” and attached a photo of their performance venue.
Source: StarNews
Translation : sookyeong.wordpress.com
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Big Bang and DBSK awarded as "Cultural Ambassadors"
Both five-member groups Dong Bang Shin Ki and Big Bang received the exceptional recognition of being “Cultural Ambassadors.”
The private organization from the Cultural Tourism Board, the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange (KOFICE) stated, “Due to the contributions they have made in the development of the cultural aspect through popular music, we have decided to appoint/award them as ‘Cultural Ambassadors’ as a form of recognition.”
They have produced the most number of successful album records even in such a difficult period of time in the music industry, and have been energetically involved in both local and overseas activities; these are the main reasons behind this award.
A representative from KOFICE said, “This honor was awarded based on those who have contributed to the cultural industry on a yearly basis. Every year, this award has been given to those working in the cultural field, but this year is an exception as it has been given to idol groups.”
They added, “As both Dong Bang Shin Ki and Big Bang are busy with their schedules, the official announcement will be made later in January.”
original source: kofice.shindy.co.kr/culture/cul.asp
translated by: sshutingg @ OneTVXQ.com
via omonatheydidnt
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