Big Bang’s G-Dragon and Taeyang to be featured in CL’s music video

It is confirmed that Big Bang members G-Dragon and Taeyang will be featuring in CL’s (2NE1‘s leader) first solo music video that is due to be released on the 28th of May. YG Entertainment artists are known for their great bond and support for one another. This tradition can be seen in G-Dragon and Taeyang’s appearance in JinuSean’s music video for Phone Number back in 2004. Recently Se7en, Teddy and Taeyang also did a cameo in G-Dragon’s music video for MichiGO.

It is reported that the genre for CL’s solo song  is not easily heard within the domestic music industry, which is the ‘Dougie’ genre with a dub step sound and will be of the latest style in the hip-hop genre. For years, the Korean music industry emphasizes girl groups with a cute or sexy concept. However, as a female rapper, CL’s concept is the opposite of what the industry usually promotes and there is a lot of anticipation from her upcoming solo debut.

CL’s solo debut will be concurrently going against strong female solo singers like Lee Hyori, Seo In Young and IVY. Despite the intense competition, CL was given confidence and extra boost from YG’s president, Yang Hyun Seok‘s words of encouragement: “Even if you’re last, enjoy the moment with all your heart.”

This will be CL’s first solo venture since debuting as the leader of 2NE1 back in 2009. It is expected that her debut will amaze and impact the music industry.

Source : News & Photo- OSEN , CLTheBaddestFemale

Win tickets to see CNBLUE live in concert

hellokpop is at it again. We’re giving two lucky readers and their friends a chance to see CNBLUE live in Melbourne, Australia. 

CNBLUE will be dropping by in Melbourne and Australia on May 31 and June 1 as part of their 2013 CNBLUE WORLD TOUR later this month and we’ve secured some tickets for our readers.

We will be giving away two prizes to two winners; 2x VIP Standing tickets and 2x 2 A Standing Tickets to the Melbourne show on May 31. Competition will run from 10 May Friday to 17 Friday, 2013, midnight.

Winning is easy and all you have to do is make sure you head over to Facebook to participate in this competition. Follow the steps below to make sure you don’t miss out.

1. Make sure you are not missing out on any updates from us by  following hellokpop on Facebook and Twitter.
2. LIKE or SHARE the picture on our Facebook. Each action (LIKE or SHARE) will qualify as one entry into the draw to win one of the two prizes.
3. TAG one other friend who you would like to take to the concert. Feel free to write any reasons why you would want to take this special person.
4. Make sure you have followed all the steps above to qualify for this competition.

Terms and conditions

• Entry is open only to residents of the Australian state(s) where the competition is being conducted who comply with any entry restrictions as specified by the Promoter.  Directors, officers, management, employees and other staff (and the immediate families of directors, officers, management, employees and other staff) of the Promoter or of its related bodies corporate, or of the agencies or companies associated with this competition or of any media are ineligible to enter.
• The competition will be conducted during the competition period specified by the Promoter (Competition Period).
• To enter the competition, entrants must, during the Competition Period, follow the entry method specified by the Promoter.
• Entries must be received by the Promoter during the Competition Period.  Entrants may submit up to the maximum number of entries specified by the Promoter.  Multiple entries (where permitted) must be submitted separately.
• The Promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost, incomplete, incorrectly submitted, delayed, illegible, corrupted or misdirected entries, claims or correspondence whether due to error, omission, alteration, tampering, deletion, theft, destruction, transmission interruption, communications failure or otherwise.  The Promoter has no control over communications networks or services, the Internet, or computer or telephone networks or lines and accepts no responsibility for any problems associated with them, whether due to traffic congestion, technical malfunction or otherwise.  The Promoter is not liable for any consequences of user error including (without limitation) costs incurred.  Any form of automated entry using any device or software is invalid.
• The competition will be drawn and/or decided at the time, on the date/s and at the location/s as specified by the Promoter.  The prize/s will be awarded to a valid entrant or entrants (as applicable) who are randomly drawn or are deemed to have submitted the “best” entry, as determined by the judges, in accordance with the details specified by the Promoter regarding how the prize/s will be awarded.

• Where a prize involves the winner: (a) attending an event, if any part of the event is abandoned, called off, varied or postponed for any reason, then at the Promoter’s discretion, the relevant winner (and their companion/s, if applicable) forfeits all rights to attend the relevant event and no cash or alternative tickets will be substituted for that element of the prize; and/or(b) meeting or attending a function with a celebrity or other public figure, the Promoter will not be liable for the failure of the winner (and their companion/s, if applicable) to meet that person or failure of that person to attend the function, for whatever reason.
• The winner(s) are to arrange their own accommodation and travel to the location of the event.

•  If an entrant is unable to or refuses or fails to take part in any element of this competition  or a winning entry is deemed not to comply with these terms, the Promoter reserves the right to discard that entrant’s entry and proceed as if that entrant had not entered the competition.
• If the prize remains unclaimed after two business days (Australian Eastern Standard Time), the Promoter reserves the right to award the prize to the next best entry.

DTMG & PUMASHOCK teams up for ‘mind-blowing’ SHINee cover

The first multicultural American band to professionally cover K-Pop, Dave Tauler Music Group (DTMG), has become a hot topic among US K-Pop fans in the last year due to their awe-inspiring and interesting twists on some of K-Pop greatest hits.

With past remixes of songs such as 2NE1‘s Lonely, Big Bang‘s Blue, and PSY‘s Gangnam Style, they have managed to grab the attention of fans all over the world in record numbers. DTMG has set out to release a remix that not only paid homage to the genre and culture that they truly respect but also to give the fans something to remember.

Their newest remix is sure to have all the SHAWOL‘s out there cheering and dancing along as DTMG officially released their remix of SHINee‘s latest hit Dream Girl today featuring another Star King alumni and YouTube sensation, Pumashock (aka. Natalie White). 

Natalie White has garnered massive amounts of success on her YouTube channel with her remixes and covers of Kpop super hits such as JYJ‘s Ayy Girl, 2PM‘s I’ll Be Back, Kara‘s Step, Super Junior‘s Mr. Simple, TVXQ‘s Mirotic, Wonder Girls‘ No Body, and Girls Generation‘s Gee and has been highly praised for her amazing and emotion-stirring vocals.

DTMG and Pumashock’s dual collaboration music video was shot at Studio 51 in March and was directed by Brad Baerwald and assistant director Christian Oh, the co-founder and executive director at Kollaboration DC. DTMG’s Lead Vocalist David Tauler was joined by his regular band-mates Teo Lee (bassist), Tim Kim (pianist), Paul Eldridge (lead guitar), Kyra Koh (main backing vocals) along with their latest additions to the group, DeJuan McCrimmon (keys), Brian McFarly (drums), Andrew Glaros (rhythm guitar) and Shervonne Brown (backing vocals).

On the eve of the release of their latest cover, DTMG members Dave Tauler and Teo Lee, along with Pumashock, sat down with us to discuss how the collaboration came together and what it was like working together.

What was your first impression of one another when you first met?

Natalie: “The most surprising thing was when we first actually got together on the phone. I understood it was a business call but, honestly, as soon as we got on the phone, I felt like I was just talking to a bunch of old friends – just catching up. There were a lot of laughs. It was a really, really cool conversation. I really like these guys. It was awesome. I was so happy and stoked to work with them. My expectations were very high when meeting DTMG in person and I think my expectations were completely met –if not completely exceeded. It felt very organic. We all hit it off right away. ”

Teo: “She looked exactly like she does on her Facebook page. She was all glamorized and all shiny.”

Dave: “For me it was a surreal experience because I have never gotten to know someone as well as I have gotten to know Natalie (through social media and by phone). Later on we became friends on a personal level. We talked for a long time (ten months), and then all of a sudden, there she was getting off the plane. I said, ‘Oh-my-gosh, that’s her.’ She had a big smile on her face and I could tell she was an artist right away.”

Natalie: “I’m still weird-ed out by about how much we (David & I) share in common, and to think that we’re both here in America, but the thing that brought us together was the Star King stage. I think that’s the coolest thing about our friendship, this creative connection that we made, is that Star King is what brought us together – all the way from Seoul.”

Were you at all worried whether or not your vocals would meld well with one another?

Dave: “Once I started hearing Natalie sing for real in the studio, when we put the mic on her, I was like, ‘Oh My Gosh, I’m going to have to bring my A-Game.’ She is a brilliant vocalist. I had a small idea, but what she brought to the table that day, just blew all of our minds. For me, I knew right then and there I had to step up. I wasn’t too worried about our voices working well together because, the one thing about Natalie I respect so much, is that she is a true musician. She has a lot of soul and strangely enough a rock edge too. (laughs) I was just trying to keep up. Her stage presence blew my mind. The second thing that blew my mind was her vocals, it (the music video), only took two takes and that’s phenomenal. She murdered it.”

Natalie: “The thing I was concerned about, my only fear was, ‘Don’t let me be wasting these people’s time and money. Let me be an asset to this process.’ It was very intimidating for me because I’ve been a one-woman-show for so long. I would love to be in a band and I love playing with other musicians. It’s been a really long time since I’ve had the opportunity to perform with other people and here I’m coming into this situation where the group is just meshed, cohesive, solid and full of first rate musicians. They’ve got a sound and I have to find a way to become a part of that. That was my only concern. I wanted to add to the process and not slow them down in anyway.”

Teo: “We paid careful attention in our (DTMG) rehearsals to try and wrap the sound around what we imagined Natalie’s vocals were going to be like. We had to find something that had that edge, but was still sexy and cool, that would support her vocals. It was so nice to hear it all come together.”

Why did you choose SHINee’s Dream Girl?

Dave: “We loved this song. I loved it for so many reasons it was hard to really say what we could bring to the table to make this even more special. The challenge is that the song is called Dream Girl and ultimately, when you look at SHINee and what there singing, they singing about their dream girl. It can be pretty awkward when you have a song that’s so gender driven. If you listen to the lyrics (with our performance), I’m really singing the guy lyrics and the lyrics that Natalie’s sings works from a girl’s point of view. So it doesn’t get weird in that regard.”

When you were in the studio, what was the atmosphere like?

Dave: “I knew something special was happening. It’s not every day that you’re going to have this many people who otherwise wouldn’t be together if it wasn’t for music and K-Pop.  We have all kinds of different people from different backgrounds. We have Korean speakers, Korean, non-Korean, and non-Korean speaker, yet were all there together – not just in front of the camera but behind the camera as well. We had Brad Baerwald -a Grammy nominated engineer, and who is he working next too, but this distinguished filmmaker and film professor, Christian Oh, who is Korean. We’re all in it together. That, by itself, made this one of the most special experiences for me. They all brought their A game and everyone was having fun. It was just good to be there. It never felt like a job.”

“The reason why we do this is really because of K-Pop fans. K-Pop fans are the coolest fans that we know. They genuinely care deeply about the music and those who support the movement. We love K-Pop fans and K-Pop. We can’t wait to share this (the music video) with the K-Pop world.  We do this for the fans.”

Pumashock, what was it like for you working with a live band?

“Oh, it was incredible. It felt natural to me. That’s what I want to be doing all day, every day. Hearing other musicians who are at the top of their game, feeling the base, hearing the drums kick in, and the guitars rippin’ – that just excites my soul. That’s my element. I absolutely love performing with a live band.”

In three words or less, how would you describe your collaboration and music video to the fans?

Dave: “Absolutely unique, 대박”

Teo: “Way Cool, exciting”

Natalie: “Mind-blowing-ly rad”

Is there anything you’d like to say to the fans before we let you go?

Dave: “팬 여러분! 너무  사랑합니다 (To all the fans! I love you.) I love you. I really do. K-Pop Fans make making music more special than it already is.”

Natalie: “I just want to say thank you! Everyone is so supportive. I’m getting ready to come back and, it’s all because of the fans support, that I’ve gotten this far. I’m going to work really hard to bring them good music and keep spreading the K-Pop wave.”

As we reported earlier, Pumashock has now officially signed with Billboard Entertainment Group LLC under the tutelage of Tyrone “Niddy” Buckner. For both DTMG and Pumashock the news doesn’t just stop here. Pumashock will be guest judging Kollaboration Atlanta‘s talent showcase this weekend, where the winners will be in the running for a $20,000 grand prize at Kollaboration Star later on this year.

DTMG will be performing as the headliner act at this Friday’s Tasa Night Market event at Princeton University with another longstanding friend of hellokpop, SNRG. DTMG will also be headlining Mayor Gray‘s 2013 Asian America and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebration at Washington, DC’s historic Lincoln Theater on May 30.

For more information about DTMG check out their website, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

For more information about Pumashock, hit her YouTube, Facebook, and twitter.

 Source: Video: DTMG, Photos Provided By DTMG/Melting Earth.

U.S. A&R Exec signs African-American K-Pop artist and reveals ‘true’ side of JYJ

Exclusive: U.S. Artist and Repertoire Executive/Producer ‘Niddy’ talks about signing the first African-American K-Pop artist and opens up about working with JYJ.

When you talk to K-Pop fans in the U.S., their biggest complaint is usually centered around the lack of attention the genre gets in the mainstream music scene and how the aforementioned oversight has become a detrimental obstacle to the path of  wide-scale K-Pop tours in the U.S.  While K-Pop is slowly starting to gain a foothold in the country’s market, many labels and producers still have not had the chance to fall in love with the genre.

As we delved deeper into this unfortunate issue, we came across an individual who has not only worked with K-Pop artists in the past, but who also shares an overwhelming passion with K-Pop fans. With his love for the genre driving him, he has set his sights on correcting misconceptions about K-Pop, and is endeavoring to bring K-Pop to the U.S. mainstream music market in a big way.

Tyrone “Niddy” Buckner, head of Billboard Entertainment Group LLC and freelance Co-Producer/A&R for C-JES Entertainment, started out in the business at a young age, as an aspiring artist/rapper in Atlanta, Georgia. After graduating from high school, Niddy studied music and film at Full Sail University and earned a degree in both film-making and the recording arts.

Niddy began his career as a A&R talent scout for Transcontinental Records/Fashion Rock, working with groups like the N’SYNC and the Backstreet Boys.  He has worked with huge names such as Pitbull and Nelly/St. Lunatics on music-based film projects and has now gained the attention of the K-Pop fans worldwide with his work with CJeS Entertainment’s own Xia/Kim Junsu, from JYJ.

Recently, hellokpop sat down with Niddy via satellite, from the Qubeey headquarters in Los Angeles, to discuss how he got into K-Pop, what the genre means to him, what it was like working with Kim Junsu, and his plans and aspirations for the future of K-Pop in not only the U.S., but also around the world.

How were you introduced to K-Pop?

Niddy: “I was working with an artist by the name of Francis Kim. He is a really good friend of mine. When I saw him perform, he was just this amazing K-Pop artist. When I heard his voice, I was like, ‘Man, this kid is just amazing.’ So, he’s the one that kind of introduced me to K-Pop.  Then, as I started learning about the genre, I was even more amazed. I was so surprised when I started to look at the American pop charts and realized that not one K-Pop artist was on there.”

What was it about K-Pop specifically that made you fall in love with the genre?

Niddy: “The performances of K-Pop artists themselves. I had never seen an ethnicity that could perform soulfully and physically on the level of any other mainstream pop artist here in America and have the audience that K-Pop has. It was this that specifically peaked my interest. I looked at it and I realized that the Asian community in the U.S. really didn’t have their own niche in popular music here, and I wondered why. Music transcends race, gender, ethnicity and everything. So, I felt like K-Pop truly deserved a place in the mainstream market, because it’s dope.”

How did you end up working with CJeS Entertainment as a freelance co-producer and A&R Exec?

Niddy: “While working with Francis Kim, I was asked by Dr. Dre to bring in some songwriters for a new record. So, I brought in Francis.  We spent nine hours in the studio with Dr. Dre. After that, he introduced me to CJES.”

With the collaboration between Bruce “Automatic” Vanderveer and Kim Junsu for his solo English album, Uncommitted, you were heavily involved with its creation. Can you tell us a little about how that project came about?

Niddy: “At the time, as A&R for CJeS,  I had about seventy-five track submissions from different producers and songwriters. I was introduced to Automatic through a friend, and he sent me a couple of tracks, one of those being Uncommitted. When I heard it, I was like “Aw man, this is a banger. This is right up their alley.” The funny thing is that track actually was originally submitted for JYJ [as a whole]. It just so happened that CJeS Executive Ray Yeom loved it and wanted to do it for Junsu. It almost happened accidentally.

CJeS hadn’t even announced that they were going to do a solo album for Junsu at the time.  So, I thought they were going to use it for the boys.  But it ended up being for Junsu’s solo project instead, which was a really good thing for myself, Automatic and the company, because it became a very successful English record. I’m so very proud of that record.”

Can you tell us a little about what it was like working with both Automatic and Kim Junsu in the studio?

Niddy: “The actual experience in the studio was amazing, because it was the first time I got to really hang out with Junsu. It was really exciting, because he has this really cool vibe. He’s got great energy and he smiles a lot. The funny thing about Junsu is his smile. You know when he’s in a good mood, in a good place, and when he’s around good energy, because he always smiles. He was totally a really great and fun person to work with. He worked hard and diligently.  He wanted to make sure that record was really good. It was amazing.”

Recently JYJ held their “The Return of JYJ: Tokyo Dome” concerts in Japan. Afterwards, Uncommitted hit number one on Japan’s Amazon K-Pop charts. How did you feel when you found out the news?

Niddy: “I was actually at my son’s track meet when I got the call from Automatic. He was like “Yo Niddy! We’re there son! We made it baby!”, and I was like, “What happened?” He told me that Uncommitted hit number one on Japan’s Amazon K-Pop charts, and I was amazed. I was so excited about it, because it was a great accomplishment, considering what JYJ has been through over the last few years. To see the fight starting to show a winning phase felt really good.”

How did you feel when you found out that Junsu performed the track in front of 210,000 Japanese fans?

Niddy: “The first time I ever saw JYJ perform, I was in Peru. I had the privilege to be sent to Peru by CJeS to see them perform in front of about eighteen thousand fans. When I got there, I got to see just how powerful and amazing JYJ truly is.  I’ll never forget that moment for as long as I live. There were thousands of fans with glow sticks in the air.  It was dark, and they’re screaming and chanting JYJ’s name. My heart was just pounding, because I knew that one day they would be singing a track that I was a part of, that I did.

When I saw the fan-cams of Junsu performing Uncommitted in front of the fans at the Tokyo Dome, it was overwhelming, because it brought me back to that feeling I felt in Peru. It was amazing to see all the effort that we had put into this track was paying off and that the fans were loving it. I was ecstatic.”

At that moment, Mr. Automatic popped into the studio to say hello to Niddy and to check out what he was up to. You could tell that the two were truly great friends by their interaction with one another. We asked Automatic if there was anything he would like to say to our readers about Niddy, and he gladly responded with the following statement:

Automatic: “I’m happy for my boy Niddy and for being a part of this team. InRage Entertainment loves CJeS and JYJ. This whole experience has been phenomenal, and it all got started with my man Niddy. It’s just an incredible camp, and I’m proud to be a part of it! He’s about to do some big things.  So, watch out for it.”

We then steered the interview to the subject of K-Pop fans and discussed how Niddy feels about being a K-Pop fan himself, how he views the other fans of the genre, and how the fans have treated him since the release of Uncommitted.

While K-Pop music itself can boast a wide range of accolades, it’s the genre’s dedicated and loving fans that have become the heart of K-Pop. What is it about this genre’s fans that you like the most?

Niddy: “As professionals, we always try to find a way to get back to the essence of the real fan. When I ran into the K-Pop fans, I saw a rebirth of that essence. I saw the real fan–the fans that cry, that fight for their artists and believe that their artists can do no wrong. They love their artists unconditionally.  They love their music and they are willing to fight for their cause and what the music stands for.  So, that deserves a place in our music industry.

That’s why I love K-Pop fans. They’ve embraced me. They tell me about their dreams, hopes, stories, aspirations, what they love about K-Pop, what they want to see happen in K-Pop, what they’re willing to do to make it happen.  They are active themselves. I haven’t seen a community of fans like that in a very long time. I think that if the ‘big’ people in America could really get an eye on K-Pop fans and really see them, then they would truly see the power of this music and how it really deserves a place here. These fans deserve a place here.”

K-Pop fans always love to share their favorite artists with their friends. As a fan yourself, who are some of the K-Pop artists you enjoy and why?

Niddy: “I’ll have to go with my boys JYJ first, because I’ve worked with them and they are just extremely talented. Aside from them, there’s another group that I really think is dope: Big Bang. I really love Big Bang. They’ve got a track called Bad Boy that I like, and the music video is dope. I also like BoA, Girls Generation, 2NE1, Tablo, Wonder Girls, 2PM, Aziatix, and definitely Jay Park. I want to do something with Jay Park, because he’s amazing. I want to do a couple things with that dude.”

Have you ever wondered if your favorite artist really reads fan letters or appreciates fan gifts? We had been discussing K-Pop fans for a lengthy amount of time, when Niddy was reminded of a very interesting incident that happened while he was on tour with JYJ in Peru.  He decided to share it with us. Listening to his story epitomizes the very essence of why JYJ is so loved the world over.

Niddy: “When I was in Peru, I had the opportunity to witness the gift-giving portion of the fans’ love. The fans, once again, because they are so incredible, take time out to create all kinds of fan gifts–from bag and posters to even buying merchandise–for the group. It was the last day of the tour in Peru, and we all went out to take a tour of the city. When we were leaving the hotel, there were fans everywhere, putting gifts for the group in our hands–asking us to give them to JYJ, and even throwing them through the window of the bus. After the boys stopped to pick up some new Samsung tablet phones and pairs of Beats By Dre,we got back on the bus to finish the tour.

When an artist gets that big, you know fans always wonder if they really keep that personal connection with their fans.

I was sitting on the bus and Junsu was sitting right in front of me. I asked him to check out a record I was listening to.  So, I handed him my phone. While he was checking out the record, he reached over into the seat next to him and starting going through the fans’ gifts and reading the letters. I thought that was kind of cool. because I knew he was still a real person, that he was still down to earth, and that he truly cared about his fans. I just thought that was so cool. That was one of the greatest experiences of my time with them, before I got to know them better, and I wanted to let the fan fans know. The JYJ members are all like that. The really do love their fans.”

After Niddy finished his heartwarming story about Junsu, he introduced us to one of his closest friends and fellow K-Pop fan, super producer Jukebox.

Jukebox has become a highly successful producer in the music business with his work with renowned artist and actor Will Smith.  He’s most well known for producing mega hits like Swizz Beatz Everyday Birthday, featuring Chris Brown, Ludacris and Jukebox, and the pop sensation Whip My Hair, by Willow Smith. We asked Jukebox what he thought about what Niddy was doing for the K-Pop market and he had this to say:

Jukebox: “(laughs) He’s the “Diddy” of K-Pop. I think what Niddy is trying to do is huge for music in general. He has a really innovative mind, and he’s really looking to bring that genuine love back to music. I think that’s one crucial thing that needs to happen, especially in today’s American music.”

As our interview began to wind down, we wanted to get a little more insight into what his company does, what their goals for the future are, and what they plan to accomplish for the K-Pop music market. He also gave us an exclusive on a very exciting, never-before-released announcement about a new artist that Billboard Entertainment Group LLC recently signed.

Could you explain a little about what Billboard Entertainment Group LLC is all about? What is your company’s mission statement?

Niddy: “We’re an across-the-board service company. We provide entertainment and music services such as marketing, A&R, management, and major distribution for artist and labels–especially for those international companies out there who are looking to tap into the U.S. market and global distribution. Our mission is our client’s mission.”

Would Billboard Entertainment Group LLC be interested in signing K-Pop or J-Pop groups in the near future? If so, is there any particular style of artist you are looking for?

Niddy: “Absolutely. We’re definitely going to be looking to sign some K-Pop artists and J-Pop artists. We’re looking for the same style as we would for American pop music. If I found an artist that’s an R&B K-Pop artist, and he or she is really great, then I’m going to want to work with them. If it’s a Soul artist, a Neo-Soul artist, a Pop artist, a Hip-Hop artist,  a Rap artist, or even if there’s a Country K-Pop artist, I want to work with them all. I’m open to it all.”

What is Billboard Entertainment Group LLC’s vision for the future of K-Pop, and what do you want to do for the genre?

Niddy: “The vision of my company, within K-Pop, is to become another support system, another leg for K-Pop stand on, from the business side and the creative side as well. What we want to bring to K-Pop is to help companies and artists that are trying to work with producers and songwriters in the U.S. (or wanting to work on features with American artists), help artists from the U.S. who want to work with K-Pop artists, and kind of facilitate that convergence on both sides. I want to be able to offer the same services that we offered to CJeS (and more) to anyone that wants that opportunity. That’s the part that Billboard Entertainment Group LLC wants to play.”

How does it feel to be considered one of the most successful African American companies in K-Pop?

Niddy: “That’s very flattering statement. I’m proud that I’m an African American in K-Pop. It make me very proud to be recognized, both my company and myself, as a leader from the African American side in K-Pop. My company and I still have a lot to prove to K-Pop and the K-Pop fans. I don’t want to jump.  I want to take my time. I want the fans to let me take my time. I want the K-Pop industry to allow me to take my time to prove myself, so that when those accolades come, they will really be deserved. That’s whats important to me.”

You recently posted on your social media, that you had a big announcement coming up with regard to signing a new artist. Could you tell us about her?

Niddy: “This is probably the most exciting announcement, and I’ve been holding it in for so long. Actually, we weren’t even supposed to be announcing this right now, but some really great things have come up. So, we’ve taken the position and made the decision to release this news to hellokpop first!

DTMG & PUMASHOCK teams up for ‘mind-blowing’ SHINee cover

My company, Billboard Entertainment Group LLC, has signed the first female African American K-Pop artist in the world, commonly known as the Queen of K-Pop Covers. She is Pumashock (aka Natalie White). Pumashock is amazing on every level. She has covered some of the hottest songs in K-Pop. She has millions and millions of views online. She’s the only African American female K-Pop cover artist to appear on the Korean television show Star King and others. I think she going to make a huge impact on K-Pop. So, I’m very happy and proud to announce that we have signed Pumashock. I am looking forward to some great things that you guys are going to get to see in the next couple of days. She’s getting ready to release a huge feature with DTMG, which is another great K-Pop cover group. You’re about to see her star power.”

Before we let you go, is there anyone you’d like to thank? Do you have any special message that you want to leave for the fans?

Niddy: “I’d like to thank C-JES Entertainment Inc., music executive Jerrold Thompson and Qubeey.com.  Also, a special thanks to hellokpop’s Adrian Cheng, for the opportunity to talk about K-Pop with the fans. Thank you to the fans for taking the time to read this interview, and for tapping into all the links that are in this interview, and I want you guys to continue to support me, because I will continue to support K-Pop.”

We would like to graciously thank Niddy for taking time out of his busy schedule to sit down with us and for giving us some insight on what he is doing in and for the K-Pop world. It was an absolute pleasure, and we are looking forward to a very bright future for K-Pop in the U.S. with him and this genre and its fans.

For more information on Billboard Entertaiment Group LLC or Mr. Buckner please check out their official website, Twitter, and Facebook

For more information about Pumashock, hit her YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

[UPDATE] Check out our exclusive coverage of Pumashock’s feature with DTMG right here.

Sources: Video: CJESJYJ, Photos provided by artist and Melting Earth.

*A&R REFERS TO ARTISTS AND REPERTOIRE: A DIVISION OF A RECORD LABEL OR MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TALENT SCOUTING AND OVERSEEING THE ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT OF RECORDING ARTISTS AND/OR SONGWRITERS.

**QUBEEY: QUBEEY IS YOUR SOCIAL AND BUSINESS NETWORKING SOLUTION. IT ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE REAL TIME ACCESS TO MOST OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SOCIAL AND BUSINESS SITES AND ATTRIBUTES ON WEB, ON DESKTOP AND ON MOBILE FROM ONE EASY-TO-USE PLACE. THE QUBEEY PLATFORM IS FLEXIBLE, ROBUST, AND FUN! IT BRINGS ALL YOUR FAVORITE ONLINE PROGRAMS INTO ONE CONVENIENT LOCATION DIRECT FROM YOUR DESKTOP, IPAD OR MOBILE DEVICE. WHETHER YOU ARE CONNECTING WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY OR BUSINESS ASSOCIATES AROUND THE WORLD.

G-Dragon releases “MichiGO” audio

On April 2, BIGBANG member G-Dragon unleashed the audio for his latest track MichiGO through LINE mobile messenger. The track was previously unveiled through his solo showcase in Seoul on March 30 and 31. MichiGO is described to be a hip hop number with catchy electronic beats.

In order to obtain the track, fans must install the LINE phone application, purchase the ‘G-Dragon Special Edition’ sticker, and input the sticker on G-Dragon’s LINE account. MichiGO is currently available in Korea, Japan, and Thailand, but will be available internationally soon.

Sources: News & Photo – BIGBANGWORLDWIDE; Video – PaKoSubs