Philippine Kpop fans, are you ready for K-pop Cosplay Con 3?

Kpop fans, have you ever thought, “I can totally rock that look or move that way too!” whenever you watch your favorite K-pop idols?

On this year’s Kpop Cosplay Convention 3 organized by KFEST Manila Events Management, you have the chance to step up on stage and shine like an idol in front of almost 5,000 attendees. In the past, it has set numerous benchmarks for its unique character and innovative segments, making it an edifying celebration of cultural exchange and diversity, as well as a fun, exciting event of good music and cool costumes. Featured in Philippines local channels such as  GMA-7, ABS-CBN and ABC-5, it has quickly become a well-known cosplay convention and fan gathering event for all K-Pop fanatics.

Now on its third year, K-Pop Cosplay Con is set to happen on March 10, 2013 at Function Room 4, SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines from 10AM – 9PM. Among the highlights of the event are the following;

• K-pop Cosplay
• K-pop Cover Dance Reverse
• Norebang (Karaoke) Singing contest
• Ramen eating contest
• Special live performances
• Games

This colorful and exciting event will surely make this again as one of KFEST’s event to remember! Make sure to confirm your attendance here and see you there!

Source: News and Images –  Kpop and Culture Fest (1) (2) (3)

Dream Kpop Fantasy Concert: Philippines’ first massive Kpop concert held successfully

As the name of the event suggests, it was indescribably a dream and a fantasy to have 6 Kpop groups gathered for one big event in the Philippines. A first of its kind, the Dream Kpop Fantasy Concert (DKFC) held on January 19, 2013 at the Mall of Asia Grounds was a success. Attended by thousands of Kpop fans from all over the country and even from abroad and participated by Kpop groups namely Girls’ Generation, U-KISS, Infinite, EXO, Tasty and Tahiti, the event became the talk of the town.

Before the event, dance contests were held for Kpop fans. After many rounds of eliminations, 20 fans emerged and came about to be the opening act for the concert. The group danced to a mash-up of songs including those from the DKFC artists and other famous tracks from SHINee, 2PM, Super Junior and so much more.

Infinite starts “the chase”

After a short while, Infinite started the main show with a high level of energy as they performed The Chaser, as if giving the fans a hint on how they will be running after them throughout the concert. They also sang their songs Paradise, Before the Dawn and In the Summer. Although their performance was cut during their performance of Be Mine due to technical difficulties, the group continued on to perform lively. Dongwoo and Hoya who are currently promoting as a sub-unit, Infinite H, sang and danced to some lines of their song Special Girl.

As Myungsoo, Woohyun, Sunggyu, Sungjong, Sungyeol, Hoya and Dongwoo scattered on different areas of the stage, fans started to indeed chase after them with the hopes of interacting with their idols. Their efforts did not come to waste as some were able to hand their gifts to the boys, take pictures, shook hands with them and so much more. Ironic as it may seem toward the end of their stage with Nothing’s Over, Inspirits (Infinite’s fans) were satisfied with the over the top performance of the idol group.

“Together, we are Tasty!”

Earlier in August 2012, Woolim Entertainment introduced a new duo, the twins Daeryong and Seryong. Debuting with an unusual genre gearing to the dubstep and electronic, the duo has managed to gain huge number of fans, reaching to more than 80,000 followers on Twitter in just about 6 months since their debut.

Before their arrival in the Philippines, they tweeted, “to Philippine twingz : sorry y’all we couldn’t make it ..basically we didn’t get on the plane soplease don’t asked me why .canuguysdothat ?”.  Fans were worried on whether they will be able to see them because of the missed flight. Seeing them arrive in the Philippines on the day of the concert brought relief to the fans.

“Together, we are Tasty!”, the duo said as they were asked by the host to introduce themselves. During the interview segment, a lucky fan who handed the boys flowers, was able to receive a hug from the twins. Indeed, the duo lives up to its name when they gave a tasteful and lively performance of You Know Me, Solo and Spectrum.

KISSMes cheer in the name of U-KISS

It was not the first but the fourth time that U-KISS performed to the Filipino crowd but the response never gets old or cold. From the debut song Man Man Ha Ni to Bingeul Bingeul, Shut Up, Someday, Believe and to their latest track Stop Girl, fans did not stop from jamming along to show their love for U-KISS.

The crowd also sang in unison to sing Kiseop a happy birthday for his 23rd birthday. The members of the group showed how close they were when they did a group hug.

Fans were also delighted when Kevin shared that Philippines holds a special place in their hearts as they held their first concert in the country before.

Tahiti owned the dance floor

Like the fresh vibe of Tahiti island to which they derived their group name from, the girl group Tahiti showed a lively performance at the DKFC. Although they are a relatively new group,  the girls showed confidence in performing their songs Tonight, Hasta Luego and Pretty Face. Some fans also took notice of their introduction music, JYJ‘s Mission.

The Dream Kpop Fantasy Concert press conference: Infinite

Woollim Entertainment‘s successful 7-member idol group, Infinite, has finally hit the Philippine shores for their special performances at the Dream Kpop Fantasy Concert.

On January 18, Myungsoo, Woohyun, Sungjong, Sunggyu and Sungyeol presented themselves to the press to talk about their interests, their music and so much more. Dongwoo and Hoya were unable to attend the conference, as they were in Korea busily promoting as the group’s sub-unit, Infinite H. Read on to see how the boys were able to capture the crowd with their wit and charisma.

Press conference:

Host: Welcome to the Philippines! Can you introduce yourselves to everyone?

Myungsoo: Hi everyone. I am L.

Woohyun: Hi everyone. I am Woohyun. Thank you.

Sungjong: Hi everyone. I am Sungjong.

Sunggyu: Hi everyone. I am Sunggyu.

Sungyeol: Hi everyone. I am Sungyeol.

Host: Since it’s your first time in the Philippines, what do you expect on this trip?

Sunggyu: It is our first time in the Philippines and it’s very cold in Korea right now. The weather here is very warm and we love the weather. We really wanted to be here and have a concert as soon as possible to meet our fans.

Host: What do you think of Filipino girls and will you ever date one?

Woohyun: We were really surprised that there were really so many beautiful and cool Filipinas. We will have a date with them on our concert.

Host (to the fans):  Are you guys excited to meet them?

Fans: Yes!

Host: You guys are so popular here. Do you guys know how popular you are here?

Sungyeol: Before we came here, to the Philippines, we were really really surprised how many our fans are. We really really appreciate it.

Press: K-pop has been very influential around the world. How do you feel about the influence of K-pop?

Sunggyu: We’re very proud that the influence of K-pop has been very great. As a K-pop star, I am very proud.

Press: Can you share your future plans with us?

Woohyun: We will give our fans performances. We’re planning to perform all over Asia, so we ask for your love.

Press: Your co-member, Hoya, received good reviews on his acting in Reply 1997? What can you say about Hoya’s acting in a gay role?

Sunggyu: The role that he played in the drama, rather than being gay, it was more like having more affection to the boy friend. We were really surprised that he had a good performance.

Press: Do you have plans of having any activities here, like a solo fan meeting, or a concert here in the Philippines, since fans have been waiting for almost three years already?

Sunggyu: First of all, we will work hard on our album. We plan to work on something for Asia soon.

Infinite: Philippines, saranghaeyo!

Infinite also expressed how grateful they were to perform in an event with Girls’ Generation. When asked what their favorite choreography was, Woohyun showed everyone their famous scorpion dance in Before the Dawn. Before the press conference ended, Myungsoo promised that they would be showing their passion in performing for their Filipino fans.

Stay tuned to hellokpop, as we will soon be bringing you an exclusive update on Tahiti’s press conference and more coverage of the Dream Kpop Fantasy Concert. Meanwhile, read our coverage of U-KISS’ press conference HERE.

Event covered: camille@hellokpop.com, rianna@hellokpop.com, sunlee@hellokpop.com
Photos edited: seckvoon@hellokpop.com

Special thanks to Ms. Happee Sy and PULP Live World

[Exclusive] Dream Kpop Fantasy Concert press conference: TAHITI

In July 2012, DreamStar Entertainment debuted Tahiti, a 6 membered girl group with members Jungbin, Jisoo, Minjae, Ari, Jin and Miso. The girl group showed big potential when they entered the Kpop scene with their title track Tonight. On January 18 2013, Tahiti attended the press conference of the Dream Kpop Fantasy Concert in the Philippines where they were a guest along with Girls’ Generation, INFINITE, U-KISS, EXO and Tasty.

Since it’s their first time in the country, they girls were looking forward to meeting their fans and they hoped to visit places like Cebu in the future. The girls also expressed that simplicity is the best when it comes to fashion. They advised those who look up to them “not to try too hard” and to just be themselves.

When asked on who they look up to among their seniors in Kpop, they shared that they like BoA. Some of the members also showed off their special talents; Jin singing Park Bom‘s line in Can’t Nobody, Ari showing her flexibility when bending and Ji Soo dancing sexily.

Even though they are rookies in the industry, Tahiti was able to capture the attention and the hearts of the crowd with their sweet smiles and talent. Check out our exclusive photos below:

 Event covered: camille@hellokpop.com, rianna@hellokpop.com, sunlee@hellokpop.com
Photos edited by: seckvoon@hellokpop.com 

Dream Kpop Fantasy Concert press conference: U-KISS

The members of U-KISS are back to the Philippines for the fourth time as one of the performers at the Dream Kpop Fantasy Concert happening at the Mall of Asia Grounds on January 19, 2013.

Kevin, Hoon, Soohyun, Eli, Dongho and Kiseop were present during the press conference. AJ was unable to join the group as he was presently busy with his studies. Starting off by greeting “Hello everyone! We are U-KISS!” and introducing themselves one by one, U-KISS heightened the excitement of the fans cheering for them. Afterwards, they enthusiastically answered questions from the host and media.

Press Conference:

Host: As we all know, this isn’t the first time U-KISS visited the Philippines. How many times have you visited the country?

Kevin: I think three or four times?

Host: I think this is your fourth time here.

Kevin: Yeah. We haven’t been here for years, so we miss our Filipino fans a lot.

Host: (To the crowd) Did you guys miss them too?

Fans: Yeah!

Host: What did U-KISS missed the most about the Philippines?

Eli: We missed the weather. The hot weather! It’s really cold in Korea right now.

Host: How about the food? Did you also miss the food?

Kevin: Yes. We’ve just arrived earlier, so we have not been able to try any Filipino food yet, but we will surely try later, or tomorrow. Do you have any recommendations?

Host: (To the crowd) What do you want them to try?

Fans: Adobo. Sinigang. Sisig. Balut.

U-KISS: We will try them out!

Press: How different are the Filipino fans from other fans?

Kevin: Our Filipino KISSMEs are special, because our first concert was held in Manila. It was a very special concert for us. And even though we haven’t been here for years, they still support us. We would like to thank them. Mahal kita (I love you)!

Press: What is your advice to your fans who dream of following your footsteps?

Kevin: It’s been a long way for U-KISS, and we would like to say to always reach for your dreams and always try your hardest.

Media: Will you date a Filipina?

U-KISS: Of course! Anyone who loves U-KISS.

Press: Since you have been together for so many years, can you share with us some funny or weird habits of the other members?

Kevin: Hoon has a weird habit. Whenever we are eating, he kind of moves his hand like this (like playing the piano using one hand). He doesn’t realize doing it until we tell him.

Host: Does Hoon play the piano?

Hoon: Yes.

Host: Now we know why!

Press: If you could describe the person next to you as a dessert, how would you describe him?

Kevin (describing Hoon): Hoon is like a cheesecake.

Hoon (describing Soohyun): Chocolate!

Soohyun (describing Kiseop): Kiseop is like a strawberry.. sweet and sexy!

Kiseop (describing Dongho): Soft ice cream.

Dongho (describing Eli): Coffee! He is very addicting and handsome. You can never forget Eli like coffee.

Eli (describing Kevin): Kevin is like an apple pie. It’s sweet on the inside but it’s very warm too.

Lastly before concluding the press conference, U-KISS asked fans to anticipate their upcoming album, set to be released sometime in March. They also promised to show their best stage as they performed once again for their Filipino fans.

Stay tuned to hellokpop as we bring our exclusive updates on Tahiti and Infinite’s press conferences and our coverage of the Dream Kpop Fantasy Concert.

Event covered by: icesee@hellokpop, rianna@hellokpop, sunlee@hellokpop
Photos edited by: seckvoon@hellokpop 

Special thanks to Ms. Happee Sy and PULP Live World