Yet again, here’s a recap (with photos) of the Kool July, featuring Sundown Festival and 2AM’s showcase!
DO NOT HOTLINK. CREDIT ARTICLE AND PHOTOS TO (x)clusive
★★
After the ferocious series of K-Pop events in June, we see July as the Kool down period, before a new series start. Most notably, July has welcomed 2AM, Sundown Festival (After School, F.cuz and Japanese bands) and Lee Minho (no report though) to our local shores. Click more for photos and event coverage.
2AM Showcase
The 4 boys that make up 2AM landed in Singapore on the 10th of July at night, and in their excitement seeing the amount of fans, Jo Kwon even took a photo of Seulong with the fans outside. The hardworking group then proceeded straight to their showcase location for a rehearsal before finally checking in in their hotel for the night.
It was a pretty decent showcase as expected from ballad group 2AM. Belting out their title tracks “This Song”, “Confessions of A Friend”, “Can’t Let You Go Even If I Die” and “I’m Wrong”, the quartet pleased the crowd with their smooth vocals.
The fans were treated to an acappella version of “This Song”, as lucky Singaporean I AMs got to celebrate 2AM’s second anniversary with them. Upon receiving a cake and singing a birthday song with the fans, 2AM was really touched and Jo Kwon even did his signature “butt-sway” and “butt-shake” specially for the fans, showing off his “Kkab Kwon” side.
Later that night 2AM were given a small tour by the company and local talent Derrick Hoh, who made good relationships with the boys, bringing them to sightsee and also a trip to Singapore’s pride, the Flyer. Was it by chance, because on the very same night there was an NDP preview show and everyone was treated to a magnificent fireworks display.
The boys also appeared on the Sheng Siong Show on Channel U the day after, performing “Can’t Let You Go Even If I Die”, and during the short interview they talked about loving local food like Chilli Crab, and their surprise to find out there were so many fans supporting them in Singapore. As Jo Kwon said, their stay in Singapore was really short so they hope to stay longer the next time they come.
★★
Sundown Festival 2010
When was the last time you rocked to a live J-Rock band performance? How about be blown away by charisma from the powerful song and dance of a K-Pop group? Moreover all these in the fantasy setting of Universal Studios?
Once again, one of the most anticipated music festivals of the year, Sundown Festival was back again this July. Presented by Red Spade Entertainment and 7-UP , it boasted of popular J-Rock and K-Pop acts namely lively SuG, powerful LM.C, energetic F.Cuz and charismatic After School, all of which who did not disappoint the 2000 over fans who turned up to queue as early as 5AM.
On the 29th, J-Rock bands SuG and LM.C touched down in the afternoon, while K-Pop sensation After School and F.Cuz arrived at night. Hundreds of fans turned up at the arrival hall to welcome them:
The After School girls were all smiles and waved to fans; some lucky fans even got to shake their hands. Bekah was doing self-commentary to her personal camera, I wonder if it would be broadcasted?
Following which, the F.Cuz boys came out, receiving a minor shock seeing the sheer amount of fangirls cheering for them (specifically girls, as many boys noticeably left after After School left).
It was a good start.
The next morning, even though it was a wet and dark morning, the artistes appeared bright and fresh at the press conference. All F.Cuz and After School members were really friendly, posing for the media as requested.
“We’re still a new group in Korea, so when we go overseas and meet fans who welcomes us and give us support, we’re very happy about it,” said Leader Jinon, about what makes them happy when travelling overseas for performances. When asked what would each member do if they were not in F.Cuz, it was a 2:2 draw – while the acting duo Jinon dreams to be a movie star and Kan attended drama school previously, LeeU and Yejun stayed loyal to music, one wanting to be a solo ballad singer and another to continue training and growing his singing passion.
So who does F.Cuz look up to? It’s… not surprisingly, multitalented Jay Chou! Jinon commented, “We really like Jay Chou. Kan and I are learning acting, so we wish to work with him in his movies, and if possible we wish to collaborate with him in terms of music, for our album.”
About the craziest thing a fan has ever done for F.Cuz – Jinon described how when they are overseas, many fans take cars to drive alongside their coach on the road, and they could really feel a lot of love from the fans. On a side note, this actually sounds common these days in Singapore, however.
The million-dollar question that day would be about F.Cuz’s collaboration with Taiwan teen sensation Yao Yao, in the Mandarin version of their song “Jiggy”. The question was: How was working with her like, and are the boys attracted to girls like her in real life? (At this point the boys were like, “Real life?” “Life? My life?” creating lots of laughter) LeeU pounced on the question with his pretty fluent English, “She’s really cute, but like, we’re an idol group, so… She’s really perfect for us.” Girls, time to play dress up like Yao Yao!
Following up with have the 8 attractive girls from After School, which stunned the crowd with their number, beauty and politeness. Bekah started the ball rolling by thanking the organisers for inviting them to our shores, and every member introduced themselves in English (seems like Nana was the only one who used Korean).
How do the girls keep fit in their busy schedules? The girls shared that since their dances require lots of practice, they spend a lot of time practicing which keeps them fit. Bekah also let out that the girls try to work out as much as possible and jokingly, she added that following their dance to their songs would hopefully help fans lose some weight.
Another question posed for the girls was about how After School was formed. “Actually, it started with Kahi unnie first, she was here first, and then we started out as 5, and we all auditioned… everyone just slowly came in… and we all saw that everyone has great skills.” Bekah replied, and Kahi followed up, “Now we’re also having auditions to look for a new member.” Indeed, the group is still growing in strength and talent.
And of course scandalous questions were not forgotten. Someone talked about boy group MBLAQ’s leader G.O who chose Jooyeon as his ideal type, expressing his wish to go on Korean reality show “We Got Married” as a couple with her, so the question to Jooyeon was, what does she think of it? For a moment the girls were stunned, with Bekah going, “wow…”
However, Jooyeon was really calm and explained, “G.O and I are good friends. Because we’re friends since trainee days, I think it’ll be interesting to go on the show together…” Bekah tried helping her out of it: “Actually they met when they were practising, long ago at the training room. They just really good friends, they’ll just… show you that they’re friends!” Though why did this comment make things sound more scandalous instead…^^
So do the girls see Girls’ Generation as their biggest rival? Nope, in fact it seems like the girls are showering love on them, with Bekah exclaiming, “They’re such great performers and… Ohh, they just really lovely girls!”
Later that night fans were treated to a fan meeting with the stars of the Festival, including an auction where all funds raised would go to the World Vision Foundation. The following were the auctioned items, which mostly bidded off over $100, the highest bid being Uee’s shoes/autographed Playgirlz photobook at $225:
With all these goodness from pre-event activities, it’s no surprise the actual concert was a blast.
As mentioned, fans queued from 5AM onwards, some maybe even earlier, just to get a good spot to watch their favourite celebrities perform. Fanclubs like FCUZSG and After School Singapore created huge banners and fanboards; the latter went all the way with presents for the girls, that costed over $100 (presents for all members especially Lizzy, whose birthday was on the exact day of concert). Fans for the J-Rock bands were even cooler – all decked in rock-ish suits if not Japanese traditional outfits like kimono, it was clear that the crowd was out to rock the night.
Doors opened at 7PM and the show opened with an exhilarating drum performance by local Japanese Taiko Drum group Tenko. Children were spotted in the talented crew too!
The stage heated up with J-Rock band SuG’s lively colourful appearance, especially with lead singer Takeru jumping about making funny faces. Their songs Gr8 Story, Koakuma Sparkling and 39GalaxyZ boosted the crowd’s energy as fans hopped to the beat. During a short talk in between performances, the boys even showed off their Chinese skills through introducing their names.
Lead singer Takeru
Next up was Korean boy group F.Cuz. The 4 charming boys showed off their energetic dance and even flips that wow-ed the crowd. Whenever there’s a chance, they did not forget to draw hearts to send their love to the fans downstage. They sang 4 songs, namely Jiggy, Because Of You, Boy Meets Girl, No One and for encore, Jiggy (Chinese version).
Anddd.. The FLIP!
Fanboys started screaming for the next group, the only girl group of the night, After School. Donned in their Bang! promotion red drummer outfits, all 8 girls looked good and ready to blow off some minds. As expected, their live performance and dance was indeed powerful and synced – but there was a fault with Raina’s microphone, which Raina did not give up on and continued to perform to her best.
Much to fans’ surprise, After School’s sub-group Orange Caramel did not perform Magic Girl but a cover for the Chinese version of M2M’s hit “The Day You Went Away”, sung by Cyndi Wang (第一次爱的人). The trio’s pronunciation was pretty good! Other than that, After School performed Because Of You, Ah, Bang! and finally Diva.
Between the performances, Lizzy the birthday girl (31st july) was treated to a mini celebration onstage. Fans sang the birthday song in Korean while a cake was brought out by Ah Ken, the MC. After blowing the candle Lizzy thanked the fans profusely in English, showing her sincerity.
The last band really rocked the place down. Be it Japanese or Korean fans, everyone jumped along to J-Rock band LM.C! Jamming to Ghost Heart, OH MY JULIET, Punky Heart, Rock the LM.C and 88, Maya’s got control of the crowd, making it cheer and jump as he pleased. Despite not in their famous grand outfits, the charisma given off onstage was addictive, with winks, pointings and even showering fans with water. They wrapped up with an encore stage of their hit song “Boys & Girls”, bringing a new level of excitement for the audience.
Finally it was time of finale and all artistes were invited back onstage. From the drummers to models to the bands and groups – it was a pretty (interesting) sight. While the J-Rock bands prepared to shower their fans with guitar picks, drum sticks and more, the K-Pop groups waved and posed hearts to their fans. The concert did end with a bang! when the streamers were released unexpectedly in front of the artistes and everyone onstage (other than the MCs) were visually shocked!
The festival has indeed brought together and shared the Asian culture –some fans commented after the concert that they were going to try out new music from other genres, having a crossover of culture through music. Hopefully this sharing of Asian culture will continue to be pursued in festivals to come! Until Sundown Festival in 2011!
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These have been July’s major events, and there’s more to come in August. Do watch out for the numerous acts coming your way, and remember to appreciate and thank all organizers who try their best to bring your favourite artistes down!
Thank you for your participation! The contest is now over~
Leave a comment on this post on “When or Which artist did you spend the most money on?”! (Be it buying merchandise, buying gifts, making fan boards, stalking, etc)Posting Format to follow —
Answer:
Photo request (only 1):
(x)clusive ★ 
This is very nice blog and having the good information related to my searching .
Posted by rapid engineering | August 5, 2010, 2:23 PMAnswer: SNSD(over a span of 1 years probably spent 2k??), After School?($500 during their short stay in Singapore)
Photo request (only 1): After School’s JungAh
Posted by ray | August 5, 2010, 2:24 PMto add on.
i think 2k is wrong. well i’ve bought every single SNSD album, participated OST and merchandises. With extras too. I’ve even made fan-boards for their ITNW concert which i didn’t even go to. I’ve yet to see them in real ife(cept maybe Taeyeon, but that don’t count right?). My freiends and i, we’ve few self-made necklaces to our fav members (mine is Tiffany) , bought health suppliments when Tiffany was not feeling well, bought numbered necklaces for the girls during ‘OH’ promotions.
And well for After School, we’ve bought all their albums, bought their ‘PlayGirlz’ essay book, made fanboards(i made 2, one for JungAh, one pairing, JungAh+Raina) , stalked AS for their 4 days here in Singapore, bought presents, snacks, 2 cakes(one for Lizzy, 31st Jul birthday, another for JungAh, 2nd Aug birthday<-bought it for her cause she's my bias) went to the places where they ate and ate at the same place.
And now that 4min's coming, i'm going to be broke soon. lol
Posted by ray | August 5, 2010, 3:25 PMomggg you coverage is aweeesome. no wonder you didn’t get any sleep xD
and your photos, everyone looks so amazing <333
I'm gonna try my luck here 🙂
Answer: It would have definitely been the month of July where we had UKiss & Beast here as well other than the groups you've just covered here. I followed UKiss from their Malaysia stop all the way to Singapore and after that it was time for Beast. Definitely tiring but worth the fun, though honestly, I got more excited at seeing Beast's Manager Kim than the boys themselves xD F.Cuz is a group I've been following even before debut so they mean so much more that others do and I was really grateful I was able to see them though I think it was too fast.
Photo request (only 1): F.Cuz (YeJun bias)
Posted by ruC | August 5, 2010, 2:29 PMSorry, to add on, lol if you’re talking about long term though, I would have spend the most money on SHINee from albums to merc to stalking/events. They’re a really talented bunch and even when they’re cold to us fans sometimes, I can’t help but love them 🙂
Posted by ruC | August 5, 2010, 2:32 PMAnswer: SHINee..
im still currently buying their stuff..
and when beast came, i was chasing them, was so cool to get to see them ~!
Photo Request: SHINee.
Posted by JASMIN | August 5, 2010, 2:43 PMNice coverage with excellent pictures! Amazing work!! Hwaiting!!
Answer: SNSD, spent about $800 in the past 1 and a half months… July to mid-august
But it’s all worth it! Never ever regretted spending on them!!! SNSD saranghae! 🙂
Photo Request (Only 1): After School, Nana
Posted by whxz | August 5, 2010, 2:44 PMWOW~! Your coverage is sooo amazing~!! 🙂
Hwaiting unnie~^^
Shall try my luck here~^^
Answer: Since Super Junior, U-Kiss,Beast, 2AM and Lee Minho came to Singapore, my sister and i has spent more than $2,5K because we stalk them from airport to hotel and to everywhere they went to.. And also we even buy gifts for everyone.. It is really tiring for us but we felt its more worth seeing our idols in our Sunny island~! 🙂
Photo request (only 1): 2AM^^
Posted by Angelina | August 5, 2010, 3:35 PMAnswer: Jang Keun Suk.
I bought his you’re beautiful director dvd cut for $180 and attend his fan meeting in Singapore that cost $168. That is my maximum spending -_- cannot compare with other k pop fans but please choose me! I definitely want kwonnie’s photo in HIGH Definition!!!!!
Fighting to (x)clusive!
Photo request (only 1): 2AM- Jo kwon! KWONNNNNNIEEEEEEEEEEEEE !
Posted by Xinyi | August 5, 2010, 5:53 PMHi. Is it okay if I took the pictures of LM.C and SuG? J-Rock fan here. Love your coverage of the event. X3
Posted by Haku | August 6, 2010, 2:46 AMYup sure! Just credit it back to (x)clusive 🙂 Thanks!
Posted by xliSh | August 6, 2010, 9:57 AMfirstly, woaaah summary of all the happening kpopin(&jrock) events during july! love the pictures you took!
answer: (if you mean like over the years) DBSK – photobooks dvds posters fanartchibipullover
photo request: (oh daeng only one *dilemma*) 2AM – seulong or After School – Jooyeon/Jungah
[lol kay i cant decide im sorrrrry! so aany one that has the prettiest hq best moment caught on camera shot!] kamsahamnida!
Posted by shya | August 6, 2010, 3:13 AMUnni! know who i am? kekekeke~
firstly, thanks for everything you’ve shared (inside or outide this bloggie), this KOOL contest, and the pretty pics above!
and.. sorry in advance cauz i think i gonna type a super long comment.. cauz i really wanna win the 2AM pic(s)>,_,_________<
Posted by Dreamz | August 7, 2010, 12:16 AMUnni! know who i am? kekekeke~
firstly, thanks for everything you’ve shared (inside or outide this bloggie), this KOOL contest, and the pretty pics above!
and.. sorry in advance cauz i think i gonna type a super long comment.. cauz i really wanna win the 2AM pic(s)..xD
here i go~
Answer: SUPER JUNIOR+2AM!!
Super Junior is definitely the group I’ve spent most $$$ in.. Started as a fan since 08, but I’ve bought (at least ONE version of) every single album (other than the SJ-KRY and SJ-T albums, Korean/Jap, I’ve bought the subgroup albums too).. DVD, I’ve gotten the 1st Asia Concert Super Show DVD, and hehe 2 random China version DVDs with various SJ mvs..xD Photobooks, bought both the Japan and HongKong official ones.. I wanted so much to get the 1st photobook taken in KL, during the ‘U’ days….T_T Couldn’t find cauz I was too late a fan…… I bought like..one whole box of SJ merchandises, official or fanmade ones found at Comics Connection.. Lightsticks! I have 3 SJ lightsticks~ 2 official ones (lol in case one spoils, which it really did, so i think i bought a new one.. i think) and one saturn lightstick, but OMG, it totally broke before it reached my house during delivery…..so i needa buy one when i have money and when there’s anywhere selling it.. Then…there came SuperShow2 at Msia KL, not knowing they’ll be coming Singapore next year, I by hook and by crook went.. Hehe, no matter how broke I was, as always..I insisted on getting the most expensive ticket at around S$200..so, I borrowed the full S$200 from my aunt..xP It’s actually the first concert I was going! So being greedy I wanted the best of it.. Extremely unsatisfied with the camera mum owned (now somewhat owned by me), I totally requested her to buy a new, better one, such that I can TAKE NICER PICS AND VIDEOS OF SJ! (ㅎㅎㅎ you know the black one you held and took those LMH pics? yup that one!) Mum spent..at least S$500 on that camera? Yeah it was totally for SJ.. But now also served for me to take pics and vids or other Kpop idols^^ I wanted to spend another S$200 to follow SG ELFs to KL, end up aunt say she bring me there.. We flew there, literally, and stayed at the same hotel as the SG ELFs.. Not sure how much money that cost, aunt didn’t tell me, but heard from my mum that it ended up costing more than S$200..O___O The concert, heh heh heh, ofcauz must spend money on concert merchandise!! Don’t remember how much I spent, but I rmb i was like broke after buying a Donghae concert tee and some SJ endorsed colonge and some super handsome Donghae pics&badges..xD A little joke here.. The camera was bought for SuperShow@KL.. BUT! Using it for the first time after reaching KL, I thought how cool was it, being able to take much clearer pics and vids, then keep using it. Stupid me didn’t bring charger!!! End up concert that night.. No battery halfway=.=” My fancams all cut short, and the encore performances all couldn’t even take even a pic…T____T Then, May this year…. Bought a GalaxyS, though not exactly for SJ but cauz Dad wants it, it cost S$300+ with Dad’s contract.. Then hehe stalked them on showcase day also~ But haha only saw Hyukkie’s hat+head’s backview! During showcase, cauz didn’t queue early, and too short..totally can’t watch the performances properly! And people kept pushing, so angry!!!!!!! So I made a decision, and action was done for 2AM (hehe upcoming is 2AM’s part)=D Till now….I haven’t bought my Bonamana albumㅠㅠ But I gonna buy Version B+C+D (if there’s any Ver.D, the version with DVD hehe~)^^ SO..Just this year 2010, I believe I (or supposedly my whole family hehe) spent like..S$1500?! Inclusive of camera and GalaxyS lol..xD
-End of SJ part-
I spent alot of money on 2AM too!!!! Even though I AM totally a new fan..xD Actually I was so slow, only became an I AM since I Did Wrong, so I’ve yet to buy any previous albums, then suddenly got the news of them coming to SG.. Waa luckily I had the money when they’re coming! So, got mum to help me buy the album cauz I was at the Beast autograph session that night the sales of album starts, and O__O she bought TWO! Idk why, maybe because of the scatch-and-win thingy, or that she wanted the album herself too hehe! (She happens to like 2AM’s songs especially Can’t Let You Go Even If I Die..xD) Then..hehehe I somewhat started preparing for 2AM’s arrival.. After SJ’s showcase, I knew I needed to buy something for the fact that I’m super short.. Hehe, mum’s always against me in buying those kinda things, but after persuading her for weeks….TAADAA! a pair of killer heels, 13 cm tall..xP Just like the camera for SJ, this pair of heels was totally bought just to see 2AM properly, during showcase=D Also, I joined the ‘official’ 2AM SG Fanclub, bought the entrance membership card and all their merchandises.. Bought some gifts for them also! Together with a friend bought individual gifts to the members, spent like S$40 each (total around S$80), and my twitter DP is the pic of the one given to Jinwoonie! I then bought the exact same ‘paw’ for myself, since can serve as a ‘tool’ to catch idols/Jinwoon’s attention=P I also bought an extra gift personally for Jinwoon, that cost around S$20? But end up din’t get to give…..Next time they come..will give to him! Whee~~the day of their arrival, omona, thanks a million to you unni, that I can stalk ’em~*hugz* So exciting lorh hehehehehe~~ Then showcase (omg the killer heels totally got use! can totally see haha~ but pple kept pushing so i had a hard time balancing>,<), after showcase, wahahaha stalk them at Flyer, saw them coming down from cabin, and when they walking back to bus.. HEHEHE you know the personal encounter I had with Jinwoonie, right right right? SO COOL~~ Then SSS..not so fun=X Then they disappeared into the airport and din't get to see them after SSS…………..*sigh* Ah just hope they'll come back next year, or if I got money I'll go Korea find them!! xD Hmm, spent almost S$200/$300 on 2AM after becoming a fan this year~^^ ㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎ
Photo request (only 1): 2AM please=D Especially Jinwoonie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hehe hope can win~*^-^*
really.. sorry for this extreme loooong comment…..xP
Posted by Dreamz | August 7, 2010, 12:54 AMAnswer:
AFTER SCHOOL.
– Within a month after obsessing about them, I bought ALL their cds
– Bought their book even when I cant read it (because it’s in Korean)
– Bought Sundown tickets on the same day ticket sales were opened
– Bought materials to make fanboards
– Bought bday present for JungA & mini gifts for the girls individually
– Donated to the After School Sg fanclub to get the girl gifts
– Bought an extra album so that my friend can help me get their autographs from the press conference
ETC.
Photo request (only 1):
After School; JungAh ❤
Posted by justsodivine. | August 7, 2010, 1:27 AMThe artistes that I spend the most money on, SHINee.
The first group that attracted me to KPOP, I’ve been following them closely and buying all their merchandises. Including: Albums, Official merchandises released by SM and more. But it was a real pity that I never had the chance to give them presents face2face. Other than that, I have been buying magazines from overseas that has their articles on it. Also, I bought fanmade merchandises that was made by fans in Korea. All those shipping don’t come cheap 😦 But for SHINee it was worth it!
Request: 2AM (preferably with all 4 of them smiling <3)
Thanks!
Posted by Kylene | August 9, 2010, 2:39 AMAnswer: F.CUZ! I stalk them the whole day wherever they go… When they went universal studios i spent all my savings. Universal studios, sundown festival, and the stalking~~~~~ ITS WORTH!
Photo request: F.CUZ
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