BEAST Featured in Asian-Cool Magazine Magazine February 2012

Credits @kanaminari

BEAST & MBLAQ show their concern for their beloved fans via SNS

The stars’ messages via SNS to their fans is a hot topic of conversation amongst netizens.

The 2012 MBC Idol Star Track-and-Field Championships took place at theJamsil Indoor Stadium on the 8th, where the hottest stars such as BEAST,4minute, MBLAQ, SISTAR, miss A, Infinite, After School, Dal Shabet,B1A4, and more gathered to showcase their athletic abilities.

The weather was unbearably cold that day, but the fans came out in full force to see their favorite stars, and some were unfortunately turned away due to limited occupancy. The filming went on for many hours, but the fans continued to stay in order to support the stars. However, the celebrities became worried for their fans who were out in the cold, and boy groups MBLAQ & BEAST who were especially concerned from beginning to end expressed their thoughts and concern via SNS.

BEAST member Yoseob who was concerned for his fans wrote during the middle of the competition, “BEAUTY seems exhausted too T_T. Tired, huh T_T.” And after it was all over he wrote again, “Thank you for coming! And get home safe, by the way T_T.”

Fellow member Dongwoon also wrote, “BEAUTY persevered until the late hours of the night. We worked hard to make you laugh, but I don’t know how we did!!! Thank You ♥”

Lee Kikwang thanked his fans with, “Must’ve been so draining, staying until the late hours of the night.. Go home and get some rest~ It’s dangerous out there so always travel in pairs!”

Yong Junhyung added, “BEAUTY!! You guys worked so hard until the wee hours of the night. I think I found something I’m good at today… No? Okay,” making fans more curious as to how he performed.

And leader Yoon Doojoon wrote, “Woohoo going to sleep now!!! For BEAUTY who came to support us… I know you guys were dying of boredom because of us BEAST members who are athletically challenged. I’m sorry. We are singers, so we will make it up to you in February!! We will show you an exciting time that will make you forget tonight’s boredom.”

Meanwhile, MBLAQ‘s G.O and Mir also consistently communicated with their fans throughout the competition. Towards the end, Mir wrote, “How is A+ getting home tonight? The buses don’t run anymore. Since I have a car, I’ll only charge you about $1,200 per head. And I’m only taking you to the cabs~ keke“, evoking laughter from his exhausted fans.

G.O continued to thank his fans throughout the event. “You guys are the best!“, and “Our long shoot is finally over~!! When I think of our A+ who suffered more than we did, all I can think of is showing you a good time at our comeback stage to make it up to you!! We promise to live up to your expectations ^^ I love you A+.”

In related news, the ’2012 MBC Idol Star Track-and-Field Championships’ is scheduled to air on January 24th at 5:15PM KST.

CREDITS: ALLKPOP

Doojoon discusses popularity, winning, and upcoming world tour

Having risen to the top of idol groups in just two years, BEAST is now looking forward to a 14-country worldwide tour. They’ve been on the fast track to success since their debut, and each new month brings even bigger and better achievements.

To celebrate the year’s end, leader Doojoon sat down for a series of interviews honoring the ‘Hot People Who Made This Year Shine’ by OSEN.

He began, “We still have to work so much harder. Really. I’m not saying this because it’s an interview, but we truly felt disappointed in that we hoped, ‘If only we could release another album…’ Officially, we only had five weeks worth of promotion time in Korea.”

At the mention of their growing popularity, Doojoon immediately shook his hands no. “Honestly speaking, we thought we’d hit it really big with our debut (laughter). We thought that even though we might not reach top star status, we’d still gain quite a bit of recognition. That wasn’t it, though. Thanks to other idol groups, we received some attention, but other than that, it was really hard for us. The members prepared their hearts, with some wondering whether they should get a part time job while others wondered what other career paths to take, really seriously.”

Even though they look like they’re always joking around and having fun, the quality of their work reflects the amount of hard work and thought put into their products.

“It was during ‘Mystery‘ where we noticed that we were suddenly having many fans come to our promotions. We thought that if we worked just a little bit harder, we could receive more attention. For a long time, we thought hard and worried a lot. We were.. what would you call it.. desperate.”

On the completion of a successful solo concert at the Seoul Olympic Stadium earlier this year, he expressed, “Performing at the Stadium was an unbelievable moment for us. Previously, we had attended the concerts for G-Dragon andBoyz II Men and wondered when we would be able to perform there as well. But once it was actually time for us to perform there, I know it sounds pitiful now, but at the time, we were really worried that people would think we were just blowing hot air. It had only been two years into our debut, and time wise, it was a bit early. Fortunately, a lot of people came, and I’ll never forget that concert.”

BEAST has always been “early” in achieving everything, though. From their solo concert to even a Daesang and a world tour, they’ve achieved everything at a faster pace than many of their peers. Instead of getting arrogant, they’ve become more humble.

“We received a lot of hate after receiving the Daesang (laughter). We acknowledged that and told ourselves that we’d promote longer the year after so that we can receive the Daesang more confidently. The world tour is also a lot of pressure, especially since in terms of Hallyu, we’re still babies. I’m nervous in that I feel we’re starting a bit early compared to our seniors, but we’ll work hard to pull it off. I also hope that people will anticipate our Korean album release after our tour. We’re really determined about this. Honestly speaking, the awards don’t really matter. More than anything, we want to become a group that even the elderly will be able to name when surveyed about idol groups.”

Concluding the interview, Doojoon talked about the bond between his members. “We all have a great relationship. I think our relationship right now is the best it has been since debut. Past Christmas, we watched a movie together in our dorm titled ‘Take Off‘. All of us were lying down, crying (laughter).“

credits: allkpop.com

Cube Entertainment CEO believes K-pop will be relevant for another 20 years

Hong Seung Sung, CEO of Cube Entertainment, the agency behind 4minute, BEAST, and G.NA revealed his thoughts on the ever-growing K-pop sensation.

Hong was present at the Cube Entertainment press conference that was held at the Lotte Hotel on December 26th. “K-pop has now become a genre of music that’s relevant all over the world,” he said. ”As long as we develop the current structure we have and continue to supplement it, K-pop can survive another 10-20 years.”

“This is just the beginning for K-POP. How long K-pop lasts depends on how well we establish the current system. K-pop has infinite potential to become explosive,” Hong continued.

The Cube Entertainment artists joined together under the name ‘United Cube’ and traveled the world to put on performances for their fans. They hit major cities such as London, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, and more. BEAST will also be embarking on their world tour in February, putting on their first performance in Seoul.

“60% of the world’s population is Asian,” the CEO continued. “Knowing that, these Asian stars will soon become world stars. There is a lot of hope for K-pop.”

“We will be releasing a new 7-member idol group early next year and release another girl group towards the end of 2012. Noh Jihoon (a Birth Of A Starcontestant) will also be debuting as a soloist,” he concluded.

CREDITS: ALLKPOP

B2ST fans knit hats and jackets for children in Zambia

Fans of B2ST have banded together to personally knit wool hats and ‘jeogiris(traditional Korean jackets)’ for children in Zambia!

On January 9th, a representative of World Vision revealed that the members of a B2ST fanpage had donated 200 jeogoris as well as 245 hats. Back in 2009, Doojoon had visited Zambia and Mumbai with World Vision to volunteer and care for African children. Fans thought to continue his kind efforts by participating in the cause.

The project began in November, and together, the fans made over 400jeogoris, 200 of which were donated to another infant’s home in Seoul. In the letter that accompanied their donation, the fans wrote, “We know that it’s good to donate with money, but we wanted to create a gift that had our warm hearts melted into them, which is how we came up with this project. We hope that more people will take an interest in volunteering and charity after this project.”

CREDITS: allkpop

Some Netizens suspect Troublemaker’s HyunA & Hyunseung to be dating

Troublemaker‘s HyunA & Hyunseung have been reportedly spotted looking like an actual couple backstage.

The above photo was recently posted on an online community site with the caption, ‘HyunA & Hyunseung holding hands together back stage‘.

In the photo, although they were not performing on a music program stage, the unit was captured holding hands and whispering in each others’ ears.

The unit is currently promoting their song also titled “Troublemaker“, putting on provocative performances which includes a sexy wave and even a kiss performance at the recent MAMAs.

As the two are apparently appearing to look like a real couple backstage as well, their potential real life hookup is garnering the interest of some of their fans.

Netizens who saw the photos remarked, “They must’ve grown close after promoting together as a unit, holding hands like that behind the scenes“, “It’s hard to tell whether they are friends or lovers“, and “They would make a cute couple. Dating already?”

Source: MyDaily via @B2STrend

Yoseob’s fan cafe donates $3,000 to non-profit organizations

Yoseob recently celebrated his 22nd birthday on January 5th.

In celebration of his birthday, his independent fan cafe ‘Soulmate‘ decided to donate over $3,000 to ‘Yeouldol‘, a non-profit organization that aids children with rare and incurable diseases.

‘Soulmate’ has been donating to the cause on Yoseob’s birthday on an annual basis ever since his debut, and this time Yoseob also personally signed calendars for the children.

Yoseob along with the other B2ST members were awarded the ‘Artist of the Year‘ award at the year-end ceremonies, as well as the ‘Song of the Year‘ award for their hit song “Fiction“. This February, the boys will begin their world tour, covering 21 cities and 14 countries total, including England, Spain, United States, Canada, Singapore, and Japan.

Source: MyDaily via B2STrend