music section
Credit @ KimLoveRaNia
Wonder Girls still wonderful
By RACHAEL BOON
South Korean group Wonder Girls is unfazed by comments that it is a one-hit wonder.
AT the height of Wonder Girls fever, circa 2008, even two-year-olds could mimic the dance moves to the South Korean girl group’s big hitNobody (point, clap clap, point, clap).
Almost four years on, nothing else they have done has quite matched the mainstream, international appeal of that addictive ditty, but the Girls are not bothered if you call them one-hit wonders.
In an e-mail interview, the quintet write, seemingly in one voice: “Many people said we couldn’t succeed in making other hit songs after Tell Me(2007). So now, rather than worrying about not being able to surpass the success of Nobody, we feel thankful, because we will be remembered by Nobody in the future.”
The band will stage a one-night performance on Sept 8 at Resorts World Convention Centre in Singapore.
Since its debut in 2007, the group members have weathered a couple of departures from their ranks. Main rapper Kim Hyun A left a few months after their debut because of health concerns. Better known as HyunA, she later joined another girl group 4Minute. Another member, Lee Sun Mi, left in 2010 to concentrate on her studies.
The current line-up comprises Min Sun Ye (Sun), Kim Yu Bin (also known as Yubin), Park Ye Eun (Yenny), all aged 23; Ahn So Hee (Sohee), 20, and Woo Hye Lim (Lim), 19.
One thing has not changed though: the Girls are still trying to break into the United States market.
In 2009, they became the first Korean act to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, when Nobody entered at No.76. That same year, they were the opening act for the North-American leg of American boyband Jonas Brothers’ world tour. Their own Wonder World Tour of the United States and Canada followed in 2010.
Earlier this year, they put out two English singles: The DJ Is Mine andLike Money. Released last month, Like Money featured Senegalese-American rap star Akon. Working with him, Lim writes, “was a phenomenal experience”.
“We’ve always been his fans,” she gushes, adding that he is “a very chill person” who enjoyed spicy Korean food when they performed together in South Korea.
While it caught a bit of buzz, the single did not chart in the United States. And despite their moderate success initially, the group has yet to make a significant dent in the American pop scene.
All that might change with their upcoming first, full-length English-language album. “We’ve been expecting this album to come out for a long time now,” writes Yubin. Their manager-producer Park Jin Young, founder of JYP Entertainment, announced earlier this year on Twitter that the record was completed.
Its release date has yet to be confirmed, but the album will include The DJ Is Mine and Like Money.
In June this year, they also released an EP titled Wonder Party in South Korea. However, the girls are facing competition from other K-Pop groups. Hip-hop quartet 2NE1, for example, are currently working with Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am for a US debut.
Pressure, much? “We don’t feel it, because we have JYP!,” replies Yenny, referring to the company and maybe also Park, who also goes by his initials. “Our company has been doing the business in the United States for several years. Having that experience, there was no such pressure for us.”
On the flip side, the girls are well aware that setting their sights on global domination has meant that they have neglected their fans at home.
Sun writes: “We really appreciated the love we received from Korean fans. But we always knew that fame and popularity do not last, so there was no worry about losing popularity.”
Adds Yenny: “To get something, I thought, maybe we need to lose something else. We were very willing to face that challenge.”
Living and working in America has its perks. The five young women live together in a Manhattan apartment, which can be seen in their 2010 reality TV show, Made In Wonder Girls, available online.
All of them are single except Sun, the Wonder Girls’ leader, who is the only member to currently have a boyfriend.
While their demanding contracts, like those of many K-Pop stars, used to include a no-dating rule, the Girls have been allowed to date since late last year.
They are relishing the opportunity to absorb the various cultures that converge upon the Big Apple, especially when it comes to sampling food from all parts of the world.
Sun writes: “Also, we are delighted that we can see a lot of great Broadway performances together.” –The Straits Times Singapore/Asia News Network
Credit
thestaronline
