Get Ready? Showtime!

The new was announced, as WINNER and iKON’s V-live teaser spot “WINNER’S SUMMER VACATION TEASER SPOT LIVE” and “iKON’S SUMMER VACATION TEASER SPOT LIVE” were unveiled on the 19 in the afternoon on NAVER V-APP.

Those two teaser spots are catching the eyes of fans by showing WINNER and iKON members’ unique characters and appeals, even though they are short videos that last only about two and a half minutes.

iKON appears in the video with a high energy, exclaiming “Long time no see!”. The seven members of the team aroused fans expectations by giving a hint about their live-broadcasting, saying, “We have brought you good news. On this Friday, August 21, you can see iKON and WINNER on V-live channel, under the theme of ‘SUMMER VACATION’”.

WINNER members appeared in a “V”-shape, making the viewers burst into laughter. KANG SEUNG YOON asked fans to watch the live-broadcasting, saying, “Under the theme of ‘SUMMER VACATION’, we will show you a variety of activities, food shows, and other contents in total five live-broadcast shows for the day”.

WINNER and iKON live-broadcasted “WIN-WIN GAME” on NAVER V-APP on the 1 of this month. Fans are paying keen attention to what new appeals WINNER and iKON will show, in the broadcasting on the 21.

Meanwhile, WINNER and iKON’s V-live with the theme of “SUMMER VACATION” will be aired five times during the whole day of August 21, on each of WINNER and iKON channel.

Source: YG-Life

According to YG Entertainment insiders on the 20 this month, iKON will make their official debut on September 15, as planned.

iKON selected September 15 for their debut, to avoid overlap in the period of performance with YG senior BIGBANG who were to release new songs again on September 1. However, as BIGBANG have decided to postpone their new release which had originally been scheduled for September 1 to have some time for recharging, fans speculated that the date of iKON’s debut may also change.

However, since they will debut on the planned schedule, iKON will be able to prepare for their long-wished debut step by step, with enough time.

YG’s head YANG HYUN SUK expressed his special affection for iKON in an interview with OSEN last month, saying, “Because iKON is an idol boy group who focuses on hip-hop, their debut after BIGBANG’s comeback means a lot to YG. I’ll do my best for the team’s launching”.

Meanwhile, iKON selected its final members in September last year, in “MIX & MATCH” show. The members are: B.I, KIM JIN HWAN, BOBBY, SONG YUN HYEONG, KOO JUN HOE, KIM DONG HYUK, and JUNG CHAN WOO. Notably, B.I and BOBBY boasted their outstanding talent in Mnet’s rapper survival “Show Me the Money 3” even before their official debut.

Source: YG-Life

At 3PM on August 17, YG released a promotional video for its global audition titled “2015 YG AUDITION NEXT GENERATION” through Naver V app.

The phrase “次世代(차세대), NEXT GENERATION” fills the screen in the opening scene of the video. The video features WINNER and iKON members working out, playing instruments, making music, and practicing dancing at the YG Building or the Global Training Center.

The audition schedule was also announced. The audition will begin at Dongju University in Busan on August 29. It will also take place at the YG Global Training Center on September 5, in LA on September 12, and in New York on September 19. The dates for the auditions in Tokyo and Osaka will be announced when determined.

Only boys from the age of 11 to 23(born after 1992 and before 2006) are qualified to apply for this audition. Applicants can choose and apply for a maximum of two sections out of vocal, rap, and dance section and can submit applications online or onsite.

For details, refer to the official website for the audition.

Source:YG-Life

V App is a mobile application kick started by Naver. On July 31 and August 1 they are unveiling iKON’s spot live video clips.

5,000 users swarmed in to watch the 2-minute clip and the video attracted 12,000 hearts, which meant that that many users liked it.

So V App Live is already arousing much attention. iKON is gearing up for their debut on Sept 15, and it is their chance to meet their international fans on V App through Naver. iKON secured a solid fan base through two programs “WIN” and “MIX & MATCH” even before their debut. The latest Naver service will help them upsize their fan base.

The fact that they are appearing live with WINNER, the so-called “brother” group, is also meaningful. The two groups are both hugely popular, and the fact that they are appearing together is making the fans very excited. WINNER and iKON appeared at the same time on “WIN.” WINNER made a debut first, but iKON has been considered WINNER’s “brothers.” And the fact that they belong to YG Entertainment already adds credibility. WINNER and iKON’s V App live will be broadcasted on August 1 at 10pm.

V App is a mobile application service that streams artist’s individual broadcast live. Naver has been garnering popularity with Star Cast, and it moved on to V App to provide something more. Stars who appeared on Star Cast attracted much attention by hinting that they will appear on V App live.

People can see their favorite artists real-time on V App and also can have a peek at their daily lives. Until now, WINNER, iKON and the Bangtan Boys on August 1 have been announced as the line-up. On August 3 Girl’s Day, KARA, CnBlue, on 4th BIGBANG, on 5th AOA and Eric Nam, on 6th B1A4 and Got7, on 8 Beast, on 9 Monsta X, on 13 Sistar, on 18 FT Island will be making an appearance.

Source: YG-Life

In September, YG is expected to arouse much attention by showcasing an incredible line-up of artists. BIGBANG’s “MADE” will be completed and iKON will make a debut on 15th. The now world-star PSY will come back with a new track. All of them will be showcased every 2 weeks.

But their special September will be following a very different August. On August 5, BIGBANG’s new two tracks will be unveiled. The two music videos with the tracks are expected to heat up the music world once again. The final album “E” will feature “FANTASTIC” by GD & T.O.P, and one another is yet to be unveiled. Rappers GD & T.O.P are going to show some incredible chemistry.

BIGBANG has been moving on with flying colors since May, sweeping across all charts with their new songs every month. “LOSER,” “BAE BAE,” “BANG BANG BANG,” “WE LIKE 2 PARTY”, “IF YOU” and “SOBER” have been huge hits, so it is only natural that expectations for the last two are growing.

August is made special because of the artists carrying out their careers in different fields. The soundtracks from MBC’s “Infinite Challenge” will be unveiled in mid-August.

BIGBANG’s GD and TAEYANG will be teamed up with Gwang Hee. GD and TAEYANG will showcase something very different on the program, and considering the enormous popularity the program garners, the tracks will become huge hits.

And there’s another one, “Show Me the Money 4.” WINNER’s SONG MIN HO is involved in the program, and the tracks from it will also be unveiled in August. “Infinite Challenge” and “Show Me the Money” will have a huge influence on the music world. August will be filled with YG artists’ impact.

And then comes iKON and PSY. PSY’s song is a summery one, and he thought of making a comeback in August, but he decided to come after all the other artists. BIGBANG-iKON-PSY line-up is already exciting the fans in the music world.

Source: YG-Life

What is the reason behind the rush of formidable YG artists’ (BIGBANG, iKON, and PSY) comeback in September? It is interpreted that the timing of BIGBANG’s last album, PSY’s comeback, and iKON’s debut is overlapping subtly and coincidentally. YG’s head producer YANG HYUN SUK already has an experience of dispatching all rookies at the same time in early days of YG. That had built the foundation for YG’s growth into the mega-scale entertainment agency as it is now. YANG is not the kind of man who hesitates when he has to make a bold betting.

Then, how will the September’s lineup of YG artists be like? First, the completion of BIGBANG’s full-length album is drawing a big attention. As the series of BIGBANG’s single albums released so far in this year has recorded a great success, music fans have high expectations for the last new song of the series to be released by the team.

BIGBANG’s “MADE” album project that began in May this year has been progressing very successfully. In May, album “M” with “LOSER” and “BAE BAE” was released to sweep the No.1 on on-line music charts and music shows. Then, in June, second single “A” with “BANG BANG BANG” and “WE LIKE 2 PARTY” also showed BIGBANG’s formidable potential by dominating a variety of music charts.

In July, third single “D” with “IF YOU” and “SOBER” was released, to make this summer season filled with sentimental mood as well as cool feeling. Then, in August, fourth single “E” will be released, to present BIGBANG’s new appeal. Notably, the harmony to be created by BIGBANG’s rapper G-DRAGON and T.O.P is arousing fans’ high expectations even before the release of the new song.

iKON will debut with songs they wrote on their own. YG Entertainment’s head producer YANG HYUN SUK said in an interview with OSEN, “Because iKON is an idol group that is focused on hip-hop, they have a tremendous meaning for YG, to follow BIGBANG to make debut in this September. I really wanna do my best to best-launch the team. My biggest focus in nurturing YG so far is the training of artists to have the ability to create their own songs to sing. iKON must be differentiated in that aspect, too.”

The comeback of “world star” PSY who will come back with his original style is also drawing a keen attention, too. He has confirmed the schedule for his comeback for this September and now is working on new songs. Insiders say that he is completely committed to the preparation for his comeback, fully armed with his initial passion and energy.

So, the key-word for PSY’s comeback is “original resolution”. One of YG insiders said, “PSY is insisting on beginning performance for his new song in Korea first. After such a decision, the preparation for the new song that had not been going on well started progressing very quickly and smoothly.”

Head producer YANG HYUN SUK of PSY’s label YG Entertainment has the same intention. YANG is known to have said, “PSY has been confused for the past two year, not being sure about whether he is a Korean singer or an American singer. I was the same. “Gentleman” and “Hangover” were created in consideration of both Korea and the States, and that is maybe why PSY’s flagship appeal and wit were not that well expressed in those two songs. So, his next album is expected to be much more original. His outstanding Kitsch feel, quality music, and flagship passion and energy are expected to created another round of sensation.

YG has now come to have a formidable lineup for this fall, which includes BIGBANG, iKON, and PSY. Thus, YG is expected to continue to show its limitless potential once again for this year.

Source: YG-Life

It was a coincidence to confirm the news about iKON. At the beginning of this week, I sent a series of text messages to YANG HYUN SUK, YG’s main producer, after hearing about Hyukoh joining HIGHGRND. And I managed to have an interview with him on the phone, and was confirmed that iKON will make their debut. At the time of the interview, Mr. Yang was on a business trip to New York, and I asked him whether iKON or WINNER will be the next YG artist to release new songs.

“I have been very busy recently because BIGBANG is scheduled to release new songs every month until Sep. 1st,” said Mr. Yang. “It is very, very challenging to film two music videos every month. So I had to make sure that there will be no schedule conflicts between iKON and BIGBANG. And iKON will make their debut on Sep. 15th.”

“iKON is a hip hop boy group that we are producing after BIGBANG, so I want to do everything I can in launching them,” he said. “Actually, iKON and WINNER each presented me with 50 songs they wrote. Now, BIGBANG can produce songs that can be released to the public right away, now that it has been 9 years since they made their debut. And even they said on TV that I often rejected their new songs until only a few years ago.”

“WINNER and iKON still have a long way to go. I have rejected 100 of their songs in total, and they are working on several of them. I think this kind of process will help these two groups continue their careers as musicians for a long time, like BIGBANG is doing. So far, I have placed the greatest emphasis on training the artists to be able to write and produce the songs they’re going to sing. This is what iKON and WINNER should differentiate themselves from other boy groups. I think it is beautiful if a designer can tailor and design the clothes he’s going to wear.”

Mr. Yang also talked about HIGHGRND, an independent hip hop label established by a YG artist TABLO, saying, “The role of YG is providing necessary support for HIGHGRND. We should not, and do not have any intention to interfere with business operation or music of the label.”

In fact, YG, which was established by Mr. Yang in 1997, is Korea’s first hip hop label. “These days, it occurs to me that I could have created a lot better music back in 1997-98, when I was producing JINUSEAN and One Time, if I had had the kind of infrastructure and conditions that YG now has,” he said. “And this is why I have decided to provide full support for TABLO’s HIGHGRND.”

“This may not be confined to entertainment business, but for the first 6-7 years, YG had many difficulties because of a lack of experience and capital. I managed to successfully produce JINUSEAN, ONE TIME and SE7EN, but I was always worried about paying salaries to the employees. So I want to provide support for YG artists who are interested and competent in entertainment business, so that they won’t face difficulties like I did when I established YG. It is my dream and my goal to help them focus solely on music and grow their labels on their own.”

And his first task at hand in this regard is HIGHGRND. It has drawn a lot of attention when it was made public on July 21stthat Hyukoh, an indie group that has become largely popular after appearing in MBC’s “Infinite Challenge,” signed with the label.

The members of Hyukoh include Oh Hyuk (vocalist), Lim Dong-gun (bass player), Lim Hyun-je (guitarist) and Lee In-woo (drummer). The band has their distinctive style of music and fashion, as shown in their songs “Wi Ing Wi Ing” and “Warigari.” They have been famous among many celebrities and indie music fans, and now they have become popular across the country.

One of the biggest reasons why Hyukoh decided to join HIGHGRND is said to be that Hyukoh and TABLO like each other’s music very much. TABLO has been introducing Hyukoh’s music on his radio program, and recently, they worked together for a concert. Hyukoh decided to join HIGHGRND after realizing that TABLO and they share some common musical grounds.

TABLO is expected to become a good partner for Hyukoh who respects the band’s creativity and independence. Starting as an underground artist, he has been leading EPIK HIGH for 12 years and has been working with singer songwriters such as Naul, Lee Sora and a rock band called Nell.

Mr. Yang said that he was very happy to hear that Hyukoh joined HIGHGRND. “As I said earlier, the role of YG is providing necessary support for the label,” he said. “What kind of music its artists will create and how to run the company is all up to HIGHGRND. It has taken 18 years for me to establish and grow YG. And I’m sure that independent labels will grow at a much faster pace. HIGHGRND marks the beginning of that trend, and I hope that YG will be able to help other artists establish their own labels, thereby contributing to improving the conditions of underground and indie music.”

2015. 7. 22

Source: YG-Life

Outdoor brand NEPA (President Park Chang-Geun) announced on the 16 that it has selected YG Entertainment’s new idol boy group iKON with a free and stylish image as the model for the brand.

iKON (B.I, BOBBY, KIM JINHWANN, KOO JUNHOE, SONG YUNHYEONG, JUNG CHANWOO, and KIM DONGHYUK) is a rookie idol group who has built a strong fandom by showing powerful and dynamic performances in survival audition shows such as “MIX & MATCH”, and “Show Me the Money”. Notably, as they are a hip-hop group, they are loved by young generations for a free and stylish appeal.

NEPA will further strengthen its free and dynamic image and show trendy and sensuous styling that can appeal to young customers, in a variety of marketing activities to be carried out with iKON. It is expected that iKON’s dynamic and energetic image and NEPA’s trendy outdoor products with both functionality and fashion will create a great synergy effect.

Director Jung Dong-Hyuk of NEPA’s marketing office said, “We’ve selected iKON as the model for our brand even though they have yet to make their official debut, because the team’s dynamic and free image shown in a variety of survival audition shows goes perfectly with NEPA’s brand slogan that goes ‘NEPA is Freedom’. We’ll suggest NEPA’s unique free and trendy feel to different generations including the young, in cooperation with iKON.”

Source: YG-Life