Airports and Asian pop stars don’t seem to mix. At least it looks that way again this month after Se7en passed through Hong Kong’s international airport. It started out as a simple case of missing luggage, but then turned into something just a wee bit more interesting. The bag in question apparently contained a large collection of the singers underwear. It could have been quite a dramatic situation, but the Korean pop star couldn’t haven’t been nicer to both the airline and the airline’s employees. Signing autographs and joking casually as he waited for his lost bag to show up.
Archive for the 'chinese music' Category Page 3 of 4
Korean pop singers Kang Ta & Vanness, have something to celebrate, as they are the first foreign artists allowed to perform at the People’s Assembly Hall in Beijing, China. Tickets for the show, which is scheduled for Sept. 9 & 10, will be pretty hard to come by, as the venue only holds about 5,500 people. The event was made possible by the considerable amount of media coverage the singers have been receiving in China over the last several months. It’s still not apparent whether the Assembly Hall will be available for other shows in the future, as the government normally reserves the venue for important political and high profile events only.
SM Entertainment wants you! At least that’s how it appears, as the Korean entertainment giant is aggressively recruiting fans for several of it’s artist fan clubs. Some of SM’s most popular artists, including BoA, Kang-Ta, and new Korean group Super Junior will be available and ready to join immediately. Membership will include an invitation to each club’s opening ceremony, with each artist scheduled to be in attendance..
The MTV Asia Awards 2006 are over, and this years show was quite a glittery affair– broadcasted live from Bangkok, Thailand, to over 100 million viewers. It was definitely the place to be for anyone connected to the Asian music industry. Notable winners were: Twins (Hong Kong), Se7en (Korea), and Lee-Hom Wang (Taiwan), all winners of the “Favorite Artist” award from their respective countries. Congratulations to Jolin Tsai who won this years “Style Award” for her contribution to Asian fashion in 2006.
Hong Kong pop group Twins caused quite a stir recently, after attending a promotional event in Taiwan’s capital city of Taipei. Crowds were packed in so tightly, that it was quite surprising to learn that no injuries were reported by police. More interesting, was the gift they received from record execs for their dedication and hectic schedule, that has basically forfeited any chance of a holiday anytime soon. Gillian and Charlene accepted the award and joked to reporters that the only holiday they foresee anytime in the near future, were those in their imaginations..
With copyright infringement so rampant throughout China, many western companies have been dragging their feet on moving into the market, with fear of becoming even more vulnerable to piracy being the number one concern. That’s now changing, after Chinese consumers, seeing wages steadily increase over the last several years, are beginning to seek more professional music services than what’s currently available countrywide. Larger selections of CD’s and DVD’s, more comfortable pre-listening/viewing environments, and better return policies, are among the services most desired. These types of perks have been all but non-existent in the small pirate establishments, so prevalent throughout the country. This might be the opportunity many western companies have been waiting for, as music copying seems to be on the downswing, and Chinese consumers can now better afford the higher prices common in the west.
Want to rent a pop star for the night? That’s just the idea behind the latest fad spreading throughout Japanese cities at the moment. The Host club phenomenon has been around for ages, but what’s different about the new surge of interest, has been Host clubs that cater to young Japanese females, and their unbounded enthusiasm for pop idol worship. This new breed of Host clubs are hiring young male staff that have all of the charm and charisma of real-life pop stars, but with the on demand availability that the real life stars can’t offer. All of this comes at a price, of course, but female fans don’t seem to mind paying top Yen for the privileges.
Not long after China’s “Super Girl” Li Yuchun was included among the Top 10 most influential Chinese celebrities, she’s been demonstrating that influence by the public’s overwhelming support for her request to help in raising money for her favorite charity. After becoming ambassador to the Chinese Red Cross Foundation, Li Yuchun set up a special fund within the agency, to help poor and disadvantaged children with Leukemia, cope with the disease. The Chinese pop star has made it her mission to promote the foundation with every chance she gets, and it seems to be paying off. The CRCF has reported several website crashes after Li Yuchun spoke about the charity during recent public appearances. So far, the foundation has received more than 6,000 donations from Li Yuchun fans throughout the Asian region.
Are you a number one fan? Not until you sell your house for a ticket to see your favorite pop star you aren’t. It’s been reported, that a fan of Chinese pop singer Andy Lau, went as far as just that–selling her house so she could afford tickets to see one of his recent shows. She hoped to be able to meet Andy in person, and I hope for Andy’s sake he obliged her request–although extra body guards might be in order for the meeting.
Several news reports out of Beijing clam that Chinese artist Faye Wong, and her actor husband Li Yapeng, plan to spend an incredible HK $400,000 on the upcoming birth of their first child together. Although Li Yapeng’s mother is a pediatrician and sees no reason to go to these lengths, Faye wants the most technologically advanced hospitals, and the very best medical attention money can buy.
