[LIST] MTV-K reveals the "Top 5 Breakout K-Pop Stars of 2012-2013"

With the fast-paced nature of K-Pop, it’s hard to keep up with all of the different groups out there, much less learn every member’s name right away. It’s a sad fact that a lot of idol members promote without much individual notice, skating along on the popularity of the more-recognized idols in their group.

Until they catch their big break, that is, and prove that they’re more than just part of the head count.

The last couple years especially brought in an abundance of idols, so we’ve compiled a list of the Top 5 Breakout Stars that seemed to appear out of nowhere (but were there all along). Whether it was through acting skills, variety show skills, or even a solo album, the following stars rightfully gained their current it statuses with a break-out moment in the spotlight.

 5. Girl’s Day’s Hyeri

When her dating scandal with first generation idol Tony An (H.O.T.) hit the media this past April, Girl’s Day‘s Hyeri became quite the hot issue. Now, with every variety show appearance, the unavoidable topic is the pair’s relationship and their 16-year age difference.

Not only did the scandal boost the frequency of Girl’s Day’s name in idol conversations, it has also put Hyeri in demand for MV romantic lead acting gigs. Since April, she’s starred in a string of videos — most recently for rookie artist NC.A‘s debut MV for “My Student Teacher.”

4. Super Junior- M’s Henry

Thanks to his solo debut with “Trap”, Super Junior-M‘s  Henry came on the radar for Korean fans this past June. With his English-speaking charms and bright personality, it’s no wonder he’s been such a hit on variety shows. (Exhibit A: his hilarious Happy Together appearance.)

It doesn’t end there. His solo promotions have continued with “1-4-3″ featuring f(x)’s Amber, and he’ll be starring in the film “Final Recipe” (featuring MADtv comedian Bobby Lee), which will be released later this month.

3. ZE:A’s Hyungsik

From Dongjun (Dream Team) to Kwanghee (various talk shows) to Siwan (The Moon that Embraces the Sun), it seems that ZE:A‘s popularity baton has now been passed to member Hyungsik.

After his appearance and love line with 4Minute‘s Nam JiHyun on the first season of “The Romantic and Idol”, Hyungsik was no longer “that one guy” from ZE:A. But his real rise to fame came through his fixed position on MBC’s Real Men. His variety show skills and genuine approach to the missions on the show caused him to gain popularity with not just K-Pop fangirls, but with male fans and older generations as well.

Now, with ZE:A’s recent “Ghost of the Wind” comeback, all eyes seem to be on Hyungsik’s boyishly good-looking face. How could we have not noticed him before?!

2. A Pink’s Eunji

Eunji sure has come a long way from debuting as a fresh-faced member of A Pink (remember their first single “I Don’t Know“?) to becoming the representative face of A Pink.

After showing off her amazing acting skills and cute Busan satoori (countryside accent) in the drama Reply 1997, Eunji has continuously been garnering attention.

She’s continued acting in the drama That Winter the Wind Blows (alongside veterans Jo In Sung, Song Hye Gyo, and Kim Bum), and has featured in numerous songs with artists like Huh Gak (“Short Hair“), and Reply costar Seo In Guk (“All For You” and “Still Our Love Continue“). Oh, and did we mention that A Pink recently won #1 for “NoNoNo”?

1. Miss A’s Suzy

When talking about breakout stars, it’s impossible not to mention Miss A‘s Suzy. From her first acting gig on Dream High to the movie Introduction to Architecture that earned her the “Nation’s First Love” title, Suzy has officially been recognized as a triple threat.

She’s continued to act in dramas like Big (with Gong Yoo and Lee Min Jung) and Gu Family Book (opposite Lee Seung Gi), and has continued to sing through her dramas’ OSTs.

Often joked to be the breadwinner of JYP Entertainment, Suzy was also crowned the CF Queen in 2012, and it seems that she still reigns, as she rakes in 10 billion won (approximately 9 million USD) in commercials all by herself!

Source: mtvk

[LIST] MTV-K reveals the "Best Comeback of August 2013"

Source: mtvk

[LIST] 5 Idol Unit Groups that Found Success in New Styles

What better way is there for a idol group really change things up than matching up members and forming a unit? It’s become a standard for any idol group worth their salt feature a few of their members in a separate group to either show another side to their style, or showcase something entirely new. Versatility is the name of the game!

If executed properly, unit groups can take on a life of their own with specialized songs, choreography, and concepts. Here are five idol unit groups that are so jaw-droppingly good, we almost forget that they’re just a piece of a whole. (Almost.)

After School -> Orange Caramel

Lizzy, Nana, and Raina make up the ultra sweet side of the super sexy After School. Their concept is called “Candy Culture” because of its colorful style and signature cuteness. With songs like “A-ing♡” and “Shanghai Romance” the trio pull off concepts that After School could never do as a group. Huge bow-ties and lollipops REALLY don’t really mix with pole dancing. The thought just gave us goosebumps.

Big Bang -> GD&TOP

Honestly, if you’re familiar with any of G-dragon and T.O.P’s collaboration songs, this needs no explanation. The two rappers of Big Bang have been dropping hits together since the group’s debut, starting with the classic “We Belong Together” featuring 2NE1′s Park Bom. The duo’s music has a greater hip-hop influence than Big Bang’s more electronic sound, but does also experiment with R&B and acoustic sounds as well.

Infinite -> Infinite H

Along the same lines as GD&TOP, Infinite rappers Dongwoo and Hoya make our list for putting out one of our favorite albums of the year so far. Produced completely by hip-hop genius Primary, and featuring many of Amoeba Culture’s top acts, the Fly High album was met with huge success. But that doesn’t mean that the duo can’t make their own music: they recently wrote the lyrics to their label-mate Tasty’s new title track. “MaMaMa.”

SISTAR -> SISTAR19

When a unit group claims two of the most iconic tracks on their group’s discography, you know that unit has that special something. Leaving SISTAR’s electro-dance-pop behind for a moment, Hyorin and Bora’s two R&B releases “Ma Boy” and “Gone Not Around Any Longer” were huge hits, netting multiple wins on music shows during their promotion cycles. “Ma Boy” had so much success that Starship Entertainment decided to release a version with the other two members of SISTAR as well.

Girls’ Generation -> TaeTiSeo

What happens when you take three vocalists from the nation’s biggest girl group and put them together? Well, success for one, but more specifically, TaeTiSeo. As the name suggests, members Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Seohyun made up Girls’ Generation’s first unit group, releasing a seven track mini-album Twinkle, that ranged in genre from electro-funk to pop-soul to R&B to ballads. Trying out this, that, and everything, the album was received well on the charts and quickly became the highest charting K-pop album on the US iTunes Album Chart at number four.

Source: mtvk

[LIST] 10 MVs That Will Make K-Pop Fans Out of Your Friends

Worried that your friends won’t be ready for K-pop’s inevitable world takeover? Or, more importantly, do you need more people to listen to/talk about/cry over your favorite K-pop artists with, but don’t want to scare potential fans away with the wrong song? Worry no more! MTV K’s got your back.

Here are ten 2013 releases that not only have “Gangnam Style”-esque universal appeal, but also have the hallyu wave undertow to drag the listener kicking and scream—er… dancing and singing into the world of Korean pop music. Who knows? Soon they could be sleep-deprived from chain-watching music videos with you all night. What a good friend you are.

Jay Park — “I Like to Party”
Seattle-born rapper and singer Jay Park has a knack for cranking out hot tracks and matching them up to sick footwork. Know someone who loves music and partying and music about wild partying? This one’s for them.

4Minute — “What’s Your Name”
4Minute’s catchy dance track is perfect for that friend who loves songs with earworm hooks. They’ll being singing “what’s your name, wh-whats your name” in no time — make sure you’re prepared for that.

XIA — “Incredible”



XIA, a solo act who is also part of the epic vocal group JYJ, could perform circles around so many other recording artists out there. What’s not to love: he’s got a great voice, high energy dance moves, and this wonderfully diverse music video that speaks to his international fans. (Yes, that’s P.Diddy’s step-son Quincy Brown doing the rap.)

Sistar 19 — “Gone Not Around Any Longer”
Open the curtains to the sultry and sexy side of K-pop with SISTAR19, a sub-group of one of the hottest girl groups in K-Pop today. Light R&B with a memorable hook with will grab their attention almost as fast as the leggy duo’s mesmerizing choreography.

Ailee — “U&I”
Grab your friend who loves diva-type singers and dangle this MV in front of them. Rookie artist Ailee isn’t known as “the Korean Beyonce”  for nothing—this Jersey girl has a voice to be reckoned with and a stage presence to match.

SHINee — “Dream Girl”



Send your frind on a wild MV ride with this high-energy SHINee single. The pop/funk  genre is a running trend in K-pop right now, so if they latch on to “Dream Girl,” it’ll be smooth sailing from here.

2NE1 — “Falling in Love”
Is your friend in a warm-weather mood? Hit them with 2NE1′s hip-pop/reggae hit! This radio-friendly track is just as easy to latch on to as the group’s fierce club banger “I Am the Best.”

EXO — “Growl”



Don’t let the sheer number of members in EXO scare your potential K-pop fan away! Just get them to sit still long enough to hear the group’s latest hit: a track with an easy-listening, throwback vibe reminiscent of early ’90s hip-hop in the States.

Jaejoong — “Mine”


Got a friend who’s only into J-rock? We got you. Kim Jaejoong (another member of JYJ) drew from Japan’s popular visual kei style, gothing it up for his first solo project. Leather, chains, and heavy eye-liner ahead!

Girls’ Generation — “I Got a Boy”



Remember when YouTubers reacted to K-Pop last month? There was only one video that the panelists unanimously loved: Girls’ Generation’s electro-pop jam “I Got A Boy.” According to statistics and science, your potential K-Pop comrade will probably love it, too.

Source: MTVK

[LIST] MTV-K reveals the "Top 24 Best Comebacks of July 2013"

Source: mtvk.com