SJ-M is the most well-received at the Hong Kong Asian-Pop Music Festival

According to reports from the Hong Kong media, this year's 《Hong Kong Asian-Pop Music Festival》 was held on the 23rd of March at the Expo. Countries such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia deployed their best men with the heavenly kings and queens' status, and also young, talented artists to perform and compete against each other. William Chan, who was representing Hong Kong, was unable to win over his overseas rivals, and was eliminated first; he expressed that he was disappointed (with the loss), but would definitely accept the defeat with good grace.


China's representative wins two awards

Hong Kong's William Chan, China's Wu Qiong, Taiwanese group SIGMA, South Korean group The Boss*, Singapore's Tay Kewei and Malaysian band Bunkface chased after the Asian Super New Star Award, Best Stage Performance award, (and) the Best Song Performance award. Although William Chan had the advantage for being in his homeground, but still lost over the raging overseas rivals. He and SIGMA were eliminated from the competition first, and even in the Best Stage Performance Award category in which he had the most confidence in, he also lost by a narrow margin of several points. In the end, Wu Qiong snatched both the Asian Super New Star Award and the Best Song Performance Award, while the Best Stage Performance award fell into the hands of The Boss.


South Korean group wins Best Stage Performance Award

William Chan admitted honestly that he was very disappointed (with the loss), but would definitely accept the defeat with good grace, and said that: "I have always wanted to win the Best Stage Performance Award, and worked really hard for the dance practice this time; I'll just have to continue working harder. Although I've lost, I really accept it. It's really an invaluable experience to be able to watch the performances by artists from different places." He explained that he was very nervous while waiting for the results to be announced on stage, but it was a real pity that he lost to The Boss by a margin of several points. William Chan said that: "I was able to experience the feelings that I felt when I participated in the rookie's competition when I was 17. At that time, I joined the competition for the sake of the Best Stage Performance as well." When asked whether he felt that his loss could be attributed to the fact that he did not activate the lightbulbs on his performance outfits in order to add to the effects of the performance, William Chan laughed and said: "If there were sparks it would be even better; I actually planned to light them up after entering the final round. But it's alright, I can still wear the outfit in the future."


SJM was the most well-received

Hong Kong representative Joey Yung took the lead by singing; other performers included Taiwan's Lollipop F, Singapore's JJ Lin, Korea's Super Junior-M (SJM), Malaysia's Fish Leong, and China's Bibi Zhou. Among them, SJM's appearance during the finale was the most well-received, causing profuse screams from the audience.



* a.k.a. Dae Guk Nam Ah (DGNA)

Source: 明报 (via 565.net)
Translated by eternalsnow @ SJ-WORLD.NET

SJ-M expresses desire to work with Andy Lau

Popular South Korean group Super Junior's subunit SJ-M came to Hong Kong the other day to participate in the Asian-Pop Music Festival; it was the first time that SJ-M came to Hong Kong with a new lineup after ex-group leader Han Geng had left the group, and new member Eunhyuk did not deny that he wanted to take the opportunity to do some sight-seeing around Hong Kong. SJ-M, which has been established for 3 years, showed significant improvement in their command of the Chinese language, and they expressed their wish to work with the Hong Kong artsits, even listing Andy Lau as their first choice! During the interview the other night, SJ-M, which had transformed into an 8-membered group, expressed that they were very delighted to be able to come to Hong Kong this time, as they have not set foot in the country for almost two years, andthat they missed the Hong Kong fans a lot. In addition, Eunhyuk expressed that he came to Hong Kong before for the sake of their concerts and also as the filming location for their photobook, (and said that) "Since I was young, I've heard a lot of stories from others that the night view of Hong Kong is very breathtaking, I hope that I would have the chance to take a look myself." As for Chinese member Zhou Mi, he said that although he "lives" close by, but he also expressed that he would like to try the gourmet food in Hong Kong. Aside from that, Sungmin, whom is also setting foot in Hong Kong under the identity of an SJ-M member for the first time, also said that after joining SJ-M, the most unforgettable moment was when they were filming for the MV of their new song "Perfection", because they had a Korean and a Chinese version each, so it was really taxing to film two MVs on the same day. Kyuhyun feels happy while listening to Jay Chou's song Using Chinese, Kyuhyun said that in their new album 《Perfection》 this time, the song that he loves the most is 《Love Is Sweet》 (《幸福微甜》), which was composed by Jay Chou, "because when I listen to the melody of the song I feel very blessed, so I like it a lot. (However) it's very difficult to sing to, and the lyrics are really fast." Nevertheless, he praised that the emotions in Siwon's interpretation (of the song) was very good. SJ-M also mentioned that, if they had the chance, they would like to work with Andy Lau, and laughed while pointing out that "We want to allow Andy Lau and Henry Lau to work together"*. Zhou Mi also pointed out that he really likes Kay Tse and Joey Yung, and hopes that they are able to have a duet with the Hong Kong female artists in their next album. Donghae invites fans to meet in dreams SJ-M has been established for almost three years, and the members' command of the Chinese language have shown significant improvement, and when asked who was the most fluent (in the language), Siwon revealed that, "Actually each of the members are good in saying different things; for example, Donghae is the best in basic conversational Chinese, while Kyuhyun is more familiar with literature and poetic phrases, and I'm good in business-related words." Ryeowook added that, perhaps it was because he was also involved in composing, so whenever he records an album in Chinese, his pronunciation will automatically become more natural than the previous time. Zhou Mi's Cantonese also showed a vast improvement, and could converse quite fluently (in the dialect). Aside from that, Eunhyuk expressed that there would be times where they would use the wrong language in different places, (saying that) "There was one time when I went to Italy, and I said 'xie xie'**, and while working in the country, I would sometimes accidentally speak in Japanese. There are also times where I would mix several languages together." Ryeowook and Donghae also showed off their abilities in speaking the Chinese language at the scene. Ryeowook turned to the fans and said, "In order to get closer to everyone, we will do our best to participate in more television programmes, fanmeetings, performances and more, hope that everyone will support us, thank you everyone." Donghae, on the other hand, and expressed affectionately that, "Tonight, when everyone is asleep, then come into my dreams. When you want to watch concerts and programmes, you have to purchase the tickets and queue up (for the shows). But if you come into my dreams, you don't have to purchase tickets nor queue up. When you come into my dreams, please give me a call, thank you everyone, good night." It is believed that the fans will definitely go to bed early, and anticipate Donghae's appearance. On the other hand, SJ-M, who hasn't met the fans in Hong Kong through shows in a long while, hopes that they would be able to meet with the fans, and pointed out that if they release their 5th album, they would hold some activities (in Hong Kong). * For those who can't really get the joke, it's because Andy Lau's (Liu De Hua/刘德华) and Henry's (Liu Xian Hua/刘宪华) Chinese names only differ by virtue of the middle character.
** Xie Xie = thank you in Chinese. Source: Singtao News (via ent.gz163.cn)
Translated by eternalsnow @ SJ-WORLD.NET

2pm's Brain Map from Kpop Boys magazine

Click to Enlarge!

Thanks CHUNSAMA2000 for photos :)

Edited by Sana

K-pop Boys 2PM 20 Q&A

Jap-Kor: misty @woogle
Kor-Eng: Egle @2pmalways.com

K-pop Boys 2PM 20 Q&A

1. Let us know what your name means!

[Junsu] "埈" stands for "high", and "秀" means excellent, so put
together my name's hanja means "high excellence".
[Nichkhun] I don't know T_T
[Taecyeon] Taecyeon means "flowing pond". As I was born in the
year of the Dragon, my name also means "to have a mind of a dragon,
with a heart full of water which does not go stale".
[Wooyoung] 張祐榮. It means "forever overflowing with good fortune".
[Junho] Jun "俊" from "Jungeol" (which means person of excellent
talent and wisdom), and Ho "昊" which means "heaven".
[Chansung] Chan "燦" - shine. Sung "盛" - achieve. It means "Making
an accomplishment by realizing your true self in the light".

2. My boom is?
[Junsu] Composing (I like it the most^^)
[Nichkhun] Boby building
[Taecyeon] "Dream High" (Done with the filming!)
[Wooyoung] Jason. In the middle of "Dream High" filming really
fell in love with the role.
[Junho] Composing. I want to sing my own songs!
[Chansung] Listening to old songs. Really want to hear those
masterpieces again.

3. A country you would like to visit?
[Junsu] Switzerland (I saw lots of Switzerland pictures when I
was a kid, so a dream was born to visit that country)
[Nichkhun] USA. It's so big, there are still many places

I haven't seen.
[Taecyeon] Saipan. (Because a friend told me "it is great")
[Wooyoung] Maldives. I want to go to places with beautiful beaches.
[Junho] Hawaii. I'd like to swim around or play with friends in a
villa. (If I had one..!)
[Chansung] Japan's northern island Hokkaido. I like winter, so I would
love to see drifting ice.

4. Which part of a woman draws you the most?
[Junsu] Eyes, face
[Nichkhun] Smiling face
[Taecyeon] Eyes?
[Wooyoung] Eyes ^^
[Junho] Overall atmosphere
[Chansung] Eyes!

5. If you have someone you like, are you the type to dash in first?
Or are you more withdrawn?
[Junsu] It's different everytime
[Nichkhun] I'm the one who waits
[Taecyeon] It depends on that person
[Wooyoung] I tremble. (laughs)
[Junho] If I really like her, I go first.
[Chansung] I'm the type to choose aggressive appeal.

6. What has surprised you the most recently?
[Junsu] When a cat suddenly jumped into the alley...
[Nichkhun] I was really surprised when I uploaded photoshoot photos
on Twitter, and the clock numbers in those photos coincided with
the winning lottery numbers in Thailand!
[Taecyeon] When I heard a gagman say "sober up!" lol (on TV)
[Wooyoung] We moved to the new dorm and it's huge...
[Junho] Nothing
[Chansung] Nothing probably lol

7. In what position do you sleep?
[Junsu] I roll around sideways
[Nichkhun] I lie down on my side and sleep fully stretched out.
[Taecyeon] I sleep lying properly.
[Wooyoung] Free style~ ^^
[Junho] Curled up like a shrimp
[Chansung] It's different every single time, plus I sleep talk...

8. Which part do you wash first when you bathe?
[Junsu] Head
[Nichkhun] Head
[Taecyeon] Head
[Wooyoung] Starting from my upper body
[Junho] Head... The hair
[Chansung] Start from the head.

9. Any club activities in the middle school days?
[Junsu] Self-defence circle
[Nichkhun] Music club
[Taecyeon] Cross Country Team (*Cross Country Racing)
[Wooyoung] Cooking class
[Junho] Cooking class
[Chansung] I don't remember. It wasn't club activities, but I used
to play basketball a lot during lunch time.

10. Which subjects you were good and bad at in your high school days?
[Junsu] Good: there was a subject which taught us how to cook and knit
(like home economics). Bad: math.
[Nichkhun] Good: history. Bad: math.
[Taecyeon] I wasn't studying too hard. Although I wouldn't say
that I wasn't studying at all. (T/N. The hell this guy. Taec, everyone
knows you're a nerd -___-;;)
[Wooyoung] Good: math. Bad: English.
[Junho] Good: History. Bad: Math.
[Chansung] Good: P.E./Vernacular/Ethics. Bad: Math.

11. A food that gives you strength?
[Junsu] Watermelon
[Nichkhun] Samgyeobsal
[Taecyeon] Anything
[Wooyoung] Chicken
[Junho] All food gives strength!
[Chansung] Rice! White rice is the best!

12. I am a XXXXX freak! (freak = otaku)
[Junsu] I'm a black music freak. I have a Black Music collection
gathered and I am listening to everything from underground to
recent records.
[Nichkhun] I'm a RED freak. (T/N. loves the color)
[Taecyeon] I'm a manga freak. Towards the child's world, go go!
[Wooyoung] I'm a football freak. I used to play football for 6
hours straight every weekend in my Middle School days. I used to
relieve stress by shooting goals.
[Junho] I'm a machinery freak. I really enjoy analyzing every single
piece of machinery.
[Chansung] I'm a sports freak. Once I succeeded in body building,
and when my form gets worse I get stressed, so I have to constantly
keep on training.

13. A person you respect?
[Junsu] Kanye West. I'd like to express his own personality as
"culture"...
[Nichkhun] Jinyoung-hyung. He's very serious while at work, but
when we're having fun, he sure knows how to relax.
[Taecyeon] My parents. For raising me up!
[Wooyoung] J.Y.Park. He always tells that we have to be the most
hard-working group in the industry, but in fact, he's the biggest hard-worker ever.
[Junho] Michael Jackson. No need for words!
[Chansung] J.Y.Park. Whether he's singing, acting or making music,
I always think he is controlling himself well

14. Let us know if you have bought anything interesting recently.
[Junsu] Jacket
[Nichkhun] Mobile phone strap
[Taecyeon] I changed my mobile phone!
[Wooyoung] New Era hat
[Junho] I bought an iPad in February!
[Chansung] Yakisoba (T/N - duh, food -__-)

15. The latest worry?
[Junsu] I want to maintain my physical fitness T__T
[Nichkhun] I want to be active in Japan!
[Taecyeon] How should I upgrade my acting?
[Wooyoung] I'd like to be good in Japanese... ^^
[Junho] None.
[Chansung] I want to try acting!

16. Tell us an important deed from your school days.
[Junsu] In primary school days, at a broadcast (I was working
hard opening the videos)
[Nichkhun] I was a representative at a badminton game
[Taecyeon] I spent my school days modestly.
[Wooyoung] I was working hard at studying and dancing
[Junho] I was famous for dancing
[Chansung] I can't think of anything special

17. What can't you forgive a woman?
[Junsu] Unfaithfullness
[Nichkhun] Cheap looking actions (lol)
[Taecyeon] Lying
[Wooyoung] Lies T_T
[Junho] When she speaks about gender equality and then suddenly
goes "because I'm a woman" - that's contradictory!
[Chansung] Someone who's always playing the baby.

18. If you could become invisible for one day, what would you do?
[Junsu] I'd take off my clothes (because no one can see me anyways)
and walk around.
[Nichkhun] I'd go on a trip
[Taecyeon] I want to walk freely around the neighbourhood
[Wooyoung] There's so much I'd like to do T_T
[Junho] I'd walk down a street
[Chansung] I'd walk up and down a street

19. What song would you listen to in order to lift up your spirits?
[Junsu] D'Angelo - Feel Like Makin' Love
[Nichkhun] Bruno Mars - Marry You
[Taecyeon] Dream High OST - My Valentine
[Wooyoung] Modjo - Lady
[Junho] Corinne Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On
[Chansung] Muse - Hysteria

20. If you haven't become a singer, what would you be doing now?
[Junsu] Fiction writer
[Nichkhun] Interior designer
[Taecyeon] University student
[Wooyoung] I think I would be doing something with interior design,
at the same time involved in music production as well.
[Junho] I can't even imagine that. Probably would be composing music.
[Chansung] Sportsman (Kendo, Taekwondo)

WPK magazine interview

Photo : @LOT2PM

Jap-Eng: sakiHa @2pmalways | Edited by Egle @2pmalways

Stirring melody and acrobatic performances---2PM grabs your heart and never lets you go. Their first Japanese single [Take Off] will attract you with pop and refreshing melody, just representing 2PM’s new start. We asked their feelings about Japanese debut single [Take Off]

Enjoy their bright talk, just like the tune of [Take Off].

-----Hello, I hope you are ready this early morning.

Taec: (In Japanese) It’s not morning right now! It’s… 11:40am! It’s noon. Lunch time~.

----- You’re talking funny. As a matter of fact, you must be sleepy, aren’t you?

Taec: I’m Okay! Let’s begin!

-----OK then… the new single [Take Off] sounds so different from the usual 2PM songs, doesn’t it?

Taec: Since I was shooting Dream High, I was the last one to listen to the song. As you said before, it was a totally different style and I got bewildered at first. However, we can sing those kinds of songs only while we are young, so I’m trying to enjoy singing that.

Woo: Honestly, I was also worried about the song at first, but as I listened to it again and again, I became so addicted to it. It has some kind of magical power.

Khun: 10/10 is the most animated song of ours. [Take Off] is even more cheerful than 10/10, so it was very new to me.

Junsu: Lyrics are very positive. And I thought the code is interesting too.

----- It gave me an impression of your inner side.

Taec: It’s not all about us yet!

Junsu: We are livelier!

-----JYP and SuperChangttai made this song together, right? Did they give you a piece of advice about how to sing?

Junsu: JYP sang in Korean for us and we got what he wanted us to do. We have been with him for 3 years, and we know how he feels without a word.

Taec: Super Changttai told us to enjoy and sing this song.

Junsu: He let us do it with our style, not just following the music score.

Woo: In my case, I recorded while I was shooting Dream High. It was hard for me to sing when I was tired.

Junho: I wrote the meaning of lyrics in Hiragana, Hangeul and Latin alphabet. I read it many times before recording.

Khun: We all discussed this song and how we should sing it, each member helped out the others while recording and made it a better song. Taec and Woo couldn’t come to the meeting because of the drama shooting, so I think it was even harder for us to “grab” the song.

----- Which part was hard, in particular?

Chan: For me, [TSU] [CHI] [ZA] those sounds were very difficult. I picked up those parts and recorded them many times. Japanese staff members helped me a lot.

Taec: Rap part consists mostly of the English, I arranged a bit by myself.

----- When I listened to this song for the first time, I thought the song would be perfect to listen in the morning.

Woo: Morning, it would be nice to set it as your alarm.

Taec: For me, the beginning of the song is very slow, I might go back to sleep again. lol

Junsu: The main part would do then.

Khun: I think it’s good to listen on the way to work. Isn’t it refreshing?

----- Which is your favorite line of the lyrics?

Junsu: The parts “I’ll be~” and “with you~”.

----- That’s Chan’s part right?

Junsu: Melody and lyrics are matching well. I do the chorus, and I did some adlibs afterwards.

Taec: I like the phrase “Kore wo Unmei to yobunda (it’s what we call FATE)” because I believe in fate.

Junho: I like that phrase too. I don’t believe in fate though. I’d rather work on my life than rely on fate.

Chan: I like the words “Tsuyoi yuuki ni naru mahou no kotoba (the magical word makes me stronger)”

----- Romantic phrases… by the way, what are your magical words which make you stronger?

Junho: That’s fan’s voice. 2! P! M! Jun! Ho! Jjang! Sa! Rang! Hae!

Chan: Umm, let me see…

Woo: For Chan, it would be “Shall I buy you a dinner?”

Chan: Yeah, it would be perfect!

----- Are there any special dance moves?

Khun: Of course. I think everyone can do it easily.

Woo: It’s just like the airplanes flight with 2 wings.

Junsu: Our choreographer made all of them.

----- Do you like it?

Khun: Yes! And it’s simple!

Junsu: Is that the only reason why you like it? lol

----- But I heard your staff members saying the choreography is not easy at all.

Khun: True, but I believe it’s much easier to dance together with the audience to that song, compared to our Korean songs dances.

Taec: Each move is simple, but when 6 of us do that together, it’s harder.

----- [Take Off] is chosen as the title song of animation, “Ao no exorcist”. It must be exciting news for Anime freak Taecyeon?

Taec: Since we are newcomers in Japan, I feel we’ve got such a big chance.

Khun: When I was a child, I ran to the TV as soon as I heard the Anime’s title song. I’m glad to sing those songs which make kids excited.

Taec: We’re gonna be kids’ heroes~!

Khun: (Sing Doraemon’s song) It’s just like Doraemon. lol

-----Doraemon was aired in Thailand too?

Khun: Doraemon was aired in Japanese, and there were Thai subtitles on it. Detective Conan and Cardcaptor Sakura too.

Taec: We’ll be very happy if kids remember the song when they grow up.

----- Another song is the Japanese version of Heartbeat, right?

Khun: It was just weird for me at first.

Junsu: Yes. Especially, my part, “Uh Uh girl…” sounded so weird.

Taec: In my case, I didn’t even realize that it contained some English words in my part. è“Kanari DEEP na BEATS ga…” I tried hard to fit English words into Japanese pronunciation.

----- Are there any other differences between the Japanese version and the Korean version?

Junsu: Yes, we made the base sound stronger.

Khun: It’s more dynamic now. I’d say Korean version is 2D, and Japanese version is 3D.

Taec: Even though I listen to it on my laptop stereo, I can hear the strong base.

Junho: I guess you just got a nice laptop..? lol

----- What did you think about the recording then?

Junho: Accent was difficult for this song as well. I tend to make the notes longer. I’d sing “Ihimaa~ mooo~ hi~bi~kiii~” instead of “Ima mo hibiki”.

Chan: In my case, my part is “wae ajikdo…” in Korean, but it becomes “when did you kono ai…” in Japanese. It was hard to get the timing right.

----- Don’t you mix up Korean and Japanese?

Junsu: Yes, it is confusing but I will sing Japanese version a lot from now on, I think I’ll get used to it.

----- How did your fans react to the Japanese version of Heartbeat at Mezamashi Super Live a few days ago?

Taec: That stage was very valuable. I heard their cheering voices when the music started. However, when I started to sing it in Japanese, they just stopped screaming.

Junho: It was like “What!? Are they singing in Japanese perhaps?!” I felt their confusion. lol

Woo: But, once they were assured that we were singing in Japanese, they soon watched for us with warm eyes. I was so glad.

----- Did you get nervous since it was the very first time to sing in Japanese on the stage?

Chan: We do not really get nervous before performance, but we were so worried about the Japanese MC part more.

----- Your Okinawa fans seemed so happy to hear you say “Haisa~i 2PM desu!(*Hello, it’s 2PM in Okinawa dialect)”

All: Thank you.

----- They must be expecting your MCing in Zepp tours this May.

Khun: Yes, don’t we? (looking at members)

----- How’s your Japanese study going?

Chan: We study once in a few days between our schedules. By the way, the newest phrase I learned it “Since when are you that pretty?” This phrase is from the drama “Secret Garden”, and I learned it in advance. lol and… 당든(*it should be 당연)… What’s the meaning of this word?

----- Of course?

Chan: No, it sounded different… I can’t remember. lol I’ll study again.

Junho: “Totonoimashita!”(*famous Japanese comedian’s gag) was a good one before… but I want to find another ones.

----- I count on your new single. At last, tell me your highlights of your concert.

Taec: Not only the “IT’S 2PM” stage, I’d love to show different parts of us on the solo stage. … and kids’ hero 2PM too! Lol

Junho: I don’t know if we are heroes, I’d show you that we are not only beasts.

Khun: I am so looking forward to the concerts, of course, and each city’s food too.

Taec: I want some meat! Meat is necessary for us, beastly idols!

Junsu: Anyway! lol We are preparing well so that you can enjoy the stage! We hope to see you all!