I recently reported on Chinese newcomer Zhang Li Yin’s upcoming music debut, and was pleasantly surprised to see her first release do so well. The single “Timeless”, was downloaded an incredible 500,000 times in just a few hours, and it looks like all the hard work SM Entertainment has put into the young pop star, is starting to pay off. Don’t think that the SM execs will be taking anything for granted, however, they continue to aggressively promote her throughout Asia, and you can bet that the next several releases will probably do even better.
Tag Archive for 'c-pop' Page 2 of 3
Just when you thought that Jerry Yan’s star couldn’t shine any brighter, he had to go and prove us all wrong. A massive fan meeting organized in Tokyo recently, was so overwhelmingly successful, that the 2 day event may just well earn him a staggering NT $50 million–or more. The event was said to be a truly electric evening, with no security issues reported–surprising considering the enthusiasm of the fans assembled. One participant claimed that they haven’t seen so many smiling faces leaving the arena in a long time, and that several hundred hastily rushed off to local stores, all clamoring for anything Jerry Yan..
Jerry Yan officially launches his own private website this month, offering fans some quite interesting perks. Hoping to be more accessible to his audience, Jerry will be giving out such things as free concert tickets, special passes to meet him personally, and other exclusive gifts yet to be announced. There’s a hefty fee attached, but those of his most diehard fans may find the perks might justify the expense involved.
Of course it wouldn’t be appropriate to end this months column without mentioning the controversy around the unauthorized nude photos taken of Twins member Gillian Chung. It’s been all over the Asian press, with both the public, and her fellow celebrities, coming together in protest. Gillian was obviously quite shaken over the incident, and it looks like pictures such as these may become harder to print in the coming years. The intense public scrutiny over the affair, has forced the Hong Kong government to review the privacy laws on their books, and to reevaluate whether these kinds of photographs should be made illegal going into the future.
Interest in the Korean group ‘Super Junior’ has rocketed through China of late, and that was readily apparent during an online fan meeting, organized for fans in the country recently. With only Choi Si Won making the cyber appearance, an estimated 210,000 fans logged in to the event in hopes of getting a question into the Korean singer, and quite possibly into the band itself. There were claims of some 50,000 questions being submitted, which is incredible considering only one of the band’s members was in attendance. It looks like a few local concerts might be in order to appease the seemingly unquenchable thirst the Chinese currently have for all things Super Junior..
It has been said that both members of the Hong Kong pop duo Twins are some of the nicest stars in the business. That coming after reports that the groups sudden success and hectic schedule is starting to catch up with them–with claims that there are many days in which the singers are quite literally on the verge of complete exhaustion. In spite of this, many around them have been pleasantly surprised to find out how kind and engaging the two can become when approached by their many fans. Known for going out of their way to chat and spend extra time while signing autographs, it’s nice to know that these pop stars haven’t forgotten the very fans that put them on top.
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.
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.
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.
