K-Pop meets J-Pop
The past seven days have proven very exciting for Japanese K-Pop fans, as new music and videos from some of K-Pop's hottest artists, including SHINee, 2NE1, Secret, T-Ara, and 4Minute, have made their way to digital music and video sites all over the Land of the Rising Sun.
Fresh off the #1 chart success of its debut Japanese single "Replay (Everything)," popular idol group SHINee is releasing three single versions of its follow-up, "Juliette," on August 29. The "Juliette" single comes with B-side track "Kiss Kiss Kiss," as well as a DVD with special features. A "Limited Edition A," which comes with a CD, DVD, 'Juliette' badge mp3 player, trading card, and 68-page photo booklet, will do battle with a slightly more economical "Limited Edition B" release, which features all the items in "Limited Edition A," minus the mp3 player. A regular edition comes with a postcard and a 44-page photo booklet. Shawols - as SHINee fans are known - will remember "Juliette" as particularly endearing because member Jonghyun had a hand in writing the song.
Not to be outdone by SHINee, the four girls who make up K-Pop mega-group 2NE1 are set to make up for their delayed yet much-anticipated Japanese debut. As of this writing, three teasers of the now-iconic "Hate You" cartoon video have been released, with Dara, Minzy, and Bom's powerful Japanese vocals sending shivers down the spines of Japanese Blackjacks. We expect the release of CL's teaser any minute now. Yahoo! OMG! has reported that 2NE1's ingenious promotion strategy of releasing tracks once every month has contributed to four out of six tracks from "2NE1 2nd Mini Album" to become #1 on radio and digital sales charts. Will YG Entertainment, the girls' management label, follow a similar strategy in Japan? Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, not one, not two, but four popular K-Pop girl groups in addition to 2NE1 are about to make their debuts in Japan. Leading that pack is Secret, whose Japanese promotions for its debut single began in earnest a few days ago. Hyosung, Ji Eun, Sunhwa and Zinger performed a special showcase at "Mezamashi Live 2011" and held a handshake event for more than 3,500 fans, a tactic that has resulted in its debut single, "Madonna," cracking the Top 10 of the Japanese Oricon Daily Rankings charts. Hot on their heels are T-ara; special collectors' editions of debut Japanese single "Bo Peep Bo Peep" and its B-side, "LOVE ME! ~ Anata No Sei de Kurisou," will feature a CD, DVD, trading cards, and a photo booklet. Also preparing for Japanese releases are 4Minute, that will release "Heart to Heart" on September 7 and Girls' Day, which, according to its management, DreamTea Entertainment, will conclude promotions for `Hug Me Once' this week so they can prepare for their Japanese debut.
It really looks like K-Pop is invading Japan!
