Thursday, February 11, 2016

Kpop Star 5 - Casting Audition

[Kpop Star season 5 Ep 10]

The judges were given 6 casting cards.
They were asked to write down their preferred contestants.
All there of them have the same top three candidates.

                                    YG                                   YHY                                  JYP
                       1) Jung Jin Woo                 1) Jung Jin Woo                1) Lee Soo Jung 
                       2) Lee Soo Jung                 2) Yoo Jei                          2) Joo Mi Yeon
                       3) Yoo Jei                          3) Lee Soo Jung                 3) Yoo Jei

Lee Kyu Won
• She sang 'So That You Can't Say Goodbye' by Page.
[Watch here]
• Although she never had a break-up before, she interpreted it as 
not being able to see someone again. 
For instance, not being able to see her late grandfather anymore.
• She was eliminated because of her age. The judges
acknowledged her potential but she can only get better as she grows older.

Lee Si Eun & Kim Young Eun
• They sang 'I Will' by Seven Days.
[Watch here]
• The song is really difficult since it has a lot of high notes.
• However, JYP said it was a meaningless high notes because it was not
from an explosion of emotions.

Lee Si Eun >> Antenna
Kim Young Eun >> JYP

Mazinger S
• It was the same Mazinger group with the addition of Yuyu Liu.
• They sang 'Love On Top' by Beyonce.
[Watch here]
• It was an amazing performance and all the judges praised them.
• They agreed to compete as a group instead of solo.

Mazinger S >> YG

Joo Mi Yeon


• She sang 'More Than Blue' by Kim Bum Soo
[Watch here]
• She has some vocal cord problem so she can't sing that well.
• Her performance this time was not as the judges expected.

Joo Mi Yeon >> YG

Jung Jin Woo



• He performed his own song, 'I Was Well Off'.
[Watch here]
• The song is about being well off but the girl still rejected him.
• All the judges were amazed.
• JYP wanted to recruit him but YG and Antenna stopped him.
In the end, Jin Woo got to pick the agency.

Jung Jin Woo >> Antenna

[Kpop Star season 5 Ep 11]

Sophie Han & Park Ka Kyung


• They sang 'Ma Boy' by SISTAR19
[Watch here]

Sophie Han >> JYP
Park Ka Kyung >> YG

Woo Ye Rin & Ahn Ye Eun


• They performed Yeon Tan (= 2 people playing the piano together)
• They played and sang to IU's 'Pink Shoes'.
[Watch here]

• Ye Eun did not come out on TV much and almost unknown. 
She performed her own song during audition, titled 'HongYeon'.
The song wrote about the story of 'King and The Clown'
but from the King's perspective. YHY gave her a Wild Card.
[If you are interested to watch Ye Eun's previous performances, click here]

Ye Eun's first audition

Ye Eun's ranking audition

Ye Eun's Team Mission

Woo Ye Rin >> Antenna
Ahn Ye Eun >> Antenna

Seo Kyung Deok


• He sang 'I Am' by Park Jin Young
[Watch here]
• He was worried that the judges might have given up on him
since he was not praised after the first audition.

Seo Kyung Deon >> JYP

Park Min Ji & Yoo Yoon Ji


• They sang 'With Me' by Wheesung.
[Watch here]

Park Min Ji >> JYP
Yoo Yoon Ji >> YG

Lee Soo Jung & Yoo Jei


• JYP recommended 'Part Time Lover' by Stevie Wonder.
[Watch here]
He knew it is a difficult song to re-arrange but he wanted to challenge them.
• The performance was mind-blowing!

Lee Soo Jung >> Antenna
Yoo Jei >> JYP

[Kpop Star season 5 Ep 12]

Monica Kim & Kim Chae Ran


Kim Chae Ran >> YG

Chae Ji Hye & Hwang Jung Hyun


• They performed 'Taxi' by Kim Yeon Woo

Chae Ji Hye >> JYP

Extra pic of this handsome oppa!
# Seriously I'm craving for more guys this season! ㅠㅠ

Also, I found his audition performance!


Other contestants: 

Lim Ha Eun >> YG
Ryu Jin >> Antenna

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Kpop Star 5 - Team Mission

[Kpop Star season 5 Ep 8 & 9]

# You can check out the performance by clicking the group name.
Also, I'm too lazy to provide the judges comments so I replaced it with ♥.

5 ♥ = A lot of praises. No critiques
4 ♥ = Praises but with space for improvement
3 ♥ = Just okay. Need more improvement

Bajuka VS Sea Bass


Bajuka                                                                        Sea Bass
Warning by Tashannie                                           Full Moon by Sunmi
                              ♥♥♥♥♥                                                                       ♥♥♥
                                 Win!                                                            Han Ji Hyung eliminated!

Badumb Badumb VS C U Again


                       Badumb Badumb                                                               CU Again
               Miracle by Kim Dong Ryul                                            Sway by Michael Buble
                              ♥♥♥                                                                             ♥♥♥
                              Win!                                                                   Brody eliminated!

Balladang VS Two Yoo


                                 Balladang                                                               Two Yoo
                        One Sided Love by Ann                  I'm Your Baby Tonight by Whitney Houston
                                  ♥♥♥♥♥                                                                ♥♥♥♥♥
                       Lee Si Eun eliminated!                                                          Win!

Mazinger  VS MSG


                              Mazinger                                                                   MSG
                  Who's Your Mama by JYP                               From January to June by O15B
                              ♥♥♥♥♥                                                                    ♥♥♥
                                 Win!                                                            Kim Sa Ra eliminated!

Sprout VS Jun-Ryu


                                      Sprout                                                                   Jun Ryu
                Tears Always Win by Alicia Keys                              Who You by G-Dragon
                                      ♥♥♥♥                                                                    ♥♥♥
                                        Win!                                                              Jun Ji Ae eliminated!

Popcorn VS Jung Loves Jung


                                        Popcorn                                                     Jung loves Jung
           All I Want For Christmas by Mariah Carey                       Sometimes by Crush
                                          ♥♥♥                                                            ♥♥♥♥♥
             Kim Min Ji & Baek Soo Hyun eliminated!                                   Win!


Others eliminated:
- Lee Hyo Rim
- Han Seung Yoon
- Amy Jo

Kpop Star 5 - Showcase

MSG

Kim Sa Ra (22); Choi Eun Ji (14); Park Min Ji (17)

They sang 'Kiss Me' by Park Jin Young

[Watch here]

JYP - Starting from the beginning, I was surprised with the first chord.
YG - I think the viewers also realized that the chord is different.
YHY - I acknowledge your efforts.

Jung loves Jung

Lee Soo Jung (22) & Jung Jin Woo (19)

They sang 'Almost is Never Enough' by Arianna Grande

[Watch here]

YHY - The part when your fingers touched, it was more electrifying than a kiss.
YG - Jin Woo vocalization is comparable to Soo Jung.
JYP - Jin Woo sang fancily while Soo Jung sang uniquely.

Soda

Park Ka Kyung (12) & Im Ha Eun (15)

They sang 'Lips Are Moving' by Meghan Trainor

[Watch here]

YHY - Although your voices are unstable, both of you give off good vibes.
YG - You didn't make utmost use of your singing abilities.
JYP - You have to have steady low and middle pitches.

Young Deok Crab

Kim Young Eun (18) & Seo Kyung Deok (19)

They sang 'Missing, missing, missing' by K. Will

[Watch here]

JYP - You shouldn't do a duet ballad if you're going to sing like that.
YG - Singing is like acting, but both of you look like strangers.
YHY - The good thing is you guys have the perfect voice to create harmony.

Mazinger

Kim Ye Rim (22); Joyce Lee (17); Denise Kim (14)

They sang 'Something' by Girl's Day

[Watch here]

JYP - I loved it. I feel your passion.
YHY - Great job with the song arrangement.

Popcorn

Kim Min Ji (18); Sophie Han (14); Baek Soo Hyun (18)

They sang 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody' by Whitney Houston

[Watch here]

JYP - You influence each other in a good way.
YHY - It was a great performance.
YG - Unintentional meeting is a lot more touching. Your group is the best.

Flutter Girl

Amy Jo (21) & Chae Ji Hye (19)

They sang 'My Style' by Brown Eyed Girls

[Watch here]

# I personally loved this song and their rendition. I think Amy Jo is really pretty. ^_^

JYP - Ji Hye has warm voice but lack of sharpness. Amy has sharpness but lack warmth.
I think you guys complement each other.

JunRyu 

Jun Ji Ae (22) & Ryu Jin (18)

They sang 'Can't Have You' by Bank

[Watch here]

JYP - I was moved to tears.
YHY - It's a hard song to arrange and you did a good job.
YG - You met the right partner.

Two Yoo

Yoo Jei (15) & Yoo Yoon Ji (17)

They sang 'Hello' by Adele

[Watch here]

# I loved this song too! I think it would've sound better if Jei sang solo for this song.

YHY - You guys are at the top for vocalization but at the bottom for confidence level.
YG - You guys look tensed.
JYP - I'm disappointed.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Kpop Star 5 - Ranking Audition (Part 3)

[Kpop Star season 5 Ep 5]

Bibimbap Group

Kim Young Eun (18)


(Into The Memory - Lee Eun Mi)

◆ She got a lot of praises during audition and she felt burdensome.
(JYP said she has a voice that inspired him want to write a song for her)
◆ JYP requested her to sing 'Into the Memory' by Lee Eun Mi
◆ The song was from 1992 and she hasn't heard of it before

YG - I know I didn't praise you much during audition because I believe you haven't showed everything. Today your singing is three times
more powerful than audition.
JYP - I felt tingly listening to you. You made your own interpretation of
the song which is difficult to do for a ballad
YHY - It's amazing to see how you improve from the first round

Monica Kim (18)


(Fallin - Keshia Cole)

◆ She is from Australia

YHY - The chorus part was appealing. But one thing you lack is power.. the explosive sound.
JYP - She didn't change her tongue position to make that 'R&B' sound. That's impressive!

Lee Hyo Rim


(Love Gets Forgotten by Another Love - Ha Reem)

◆ She received enormous pressure from other contestants and her parents,
being Lee Hi's older sister
◆ She thinks her parents would have higher expectations for her
◆ She would accept it if she gets eliminated

YHY - I enjoyed your solid way of singing
JYP - You sings well but the song need to be alive
YG - You sing well but you lack the charm to attract people with your singing

RESULTS!
1 - Joo Mi Yeon and Kim Young Eun
2 - Park Min Ji
3 - Lee Si Eun
4 - Monica Kim
5 - Lee Hyo Rim
#All of them passed!

Unique Vocal Group

Yuyu Liu (17)


(Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson ft Bruno Mars)

◆ She is from Changsha, China
◆ She is working as a commercial and magazine model in China
◆ She likes CL and Tablo from YG Ent
◆ She wants to hear YG comments on her
◆ She wishes to be in the TOP 10


YHY - It seems so surreal. I thought I was watching a professional.
YG - I liked it better when you focus on just singing. So just focus on that next round.
JYP - Your dancing is your weakness. But you have expressive eyes and powerful aura.

#Everyone might thought of the same thing. "She looks a lot like Kiko Mizuhara".  
Very charming indeed~

Lee Soo Jung (22)


(Fallin - Alicia Keys)

◆ She lived in Chicago
◆ Her parents divorced when she was 11. And her dad moves to Korea
◆ She wishes to sing the song with her own color

JYP - That was sexy and awesome. There's not even 1% of Alicia Keys
YG - I can't concentrate because of JYP. You are stylish without even trying too much.
YHY - You have tremendous charisma. Very charming.

RESULTS!
Yuyu Liu and Lee Soo Jung passed!

Keyboard Group

Chae Ji Hye (19)


(Nagging - Kim Gun Moo)

◆ YHY told her that she don't have the Korean sentiments during audition

YHY - I guess I was wrong. You do have Korean sentiments. You sing like it is your song but it sounds kind of still
YG - It's boring because you stretch out every single phrase of the song
JYP - Your vocalization is better. I am impressed

Jung Jin Woo (19)


(Haa.. - Own song)

◆ He was grateful for all the praises he received so he
thought that the past 2 years did not go to waste
◆ However, at the same time, he felt a tremendous amount of pressure
◆ He said he is not perfect so the judges could be disappointed later

YG - It reminded me of an old song
JYP - The lyrics and motif are not interesting. The chord progression is not stylish.
But your voice is still amazing
YHY - You have excellent ability for that 8 measures during the hook part

Woo Ye Rin (20)


(Fishbowl - Own song)

◆ She was trained by Antenna Music but YHY said the song was too difficult to understand
◆ She agonized whether to change the lyrics or not but in the end, decided to stick to the original version

JYP - I think it has an amazing lyric. The progression still have some room for improvement
YG - I hope whatever hardship you're going through, you managed to overcome it
YHY - I didn't realize the deep meaning of the song. I think you have your own world.
I hope from the fishbowl, you will swim to the ocean

[Kpop Star season 5 Ep 6]

Ryu Jin (18)


(Come Back to Me Again - Byeon Jin Seob)

◆ During pre-screening training, she said YHY was so kind and detailed.
◆ She used to sing for textbook and commercial songs but during audition
JYP said even when sing, it sounded too much like commercial song.
◆ She thought by singing to textbook and commercial songs, it will bring her
closer to her dream as a singer but was disappointed when it works against her.
◆ For this round, JYP said she choose a very difficult song

YG - I think she got the most beneficial help from Antenna's training.
I was prejudiced at first that you will still sing the same way as you did in audition
but you actually have an amazing power to carry a song.
JYP - You're way too clear-headed when you sing. It still sounded
as if you're trying to pleased someone.

Joyce Lee / Lee Ha Rin (17)

(Can't Take My Eyes of You - Frankie Valli)

◆ She auditioned for season and received a pass from BoA but her
parents didn't allow her to go because she was only 12 at that time.
◆ She showed to her parents how passionate she is with singing and
got permission from them this time.

YHY - Last time I criticized your singing sounded too old-fashioned. This time your
voice sounded more natural and strong.
YG - Your volumes varies too much. If you advances, why don't you
choose a Korean song.
JYP - The important thing for me when people sing Soul or R&B is
spontaneity and ad-lib. I'm glad you have both qualities.

Kim Ji Yoo (19)


(Long Long Time - Wonder Girls)

YHY - This is the first time I heard of the song. I think the song
sounded good because you delivered it well.

Seo Kyung Deok (19)

(Incurable - Hareem)

◆ Recently he took college entrance exam while doing his
part-time job as a cook.
◆ He found it hard to choose a song but goes with a song he
used to listen to time to time.
◆ During training, he was criticized by JYP for not pouring out his emotions

YG - Your natural voice is good and I'm surprised to know that you have
powerful high notes too. But as a producer, your singing is mediocre compared
to the first time.
YHY - It was charming but although your singing it differently
than the original singer, it was not better.
JYP - Since you were praised a lot, you would become very pressured.
It's normal but you have to overcome the pressure and concentrate on the lyrics.
Regardless, you have an amazing voice.

Lim Ha Eun (15)

(Bang Bang - Jessie J, Arianna Grande, Nicki Minaj)

◆ She was known as a dance prodigy from New York after appearing
on Star King at the age of 10.
◆ Currently she lives in Seoul
◆ She hit a slump during 5th grade since she felt
she's dancing only to meet people's expectations.
◆ She naturally started singing after that to express her feelings
◆ The song choice was suggested by JYP.

YG - It was a fast song so it's an advantage for you since you were a dancer.
It's a perfect song choice since you get to show off you powerful skills within you.
YHY - This song allows you to show off your vocalization skills,
as well as your rhythm and talent.
JYP - You did fix you weird facial expression and
letting go too much air when you sing.

CONCLUSIONS!
41 contestants proceed to Team Mission


Ranking audition Part 1
Ranking audition Part 2

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Kpop Star 5 - Ranking Audition (Part 2)

[Kpop Star season 5 Ep 4]

Lucky Six Group

Park Ka Kyung (12)

(Should I Tell You I Love You - Soyu)

◆ She had not confessed to anyone but someone did confess to her before, so she can sympathize how that person must be feeling

JYP - "Your singing is still unstable but it is not boring"
YHY - "You're a 'rough gemstone' to me"
YG - "Your singing is unstable and rough, but it manages to reach our hearts"

Brody B. (12)

(Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus)

◆ She choose the song to show her potentials
◆ Two of the contestants choose Brody as the possible number one for this group

YHY - "You are getting much better"
JYP - "The reason we're so attracted to her is that her eyes tell many stories. But your pitch are still unstable"
YG - "You did improve after these two years. You've become more solid, confident and mature."

# I'm a bit annoyed that YG and JYP keeps on admiring her face. I mean, she's there to sing! I think Brody's singing this time is just well-staged.  

Lee Kyu Won (11)

(My Everything - Arianna Grande)

◆ During the audition, she said that she figured out the breathing technique herself.
◆ When she introduced herself, she did say she's the 'smarty' one. She got perfect scores for all the subjects before. She's definitely smart!
◆ She took this song as a challenge to express herself well

YHY - "Your singing skills are incredible, I think you can even beat the older contestants"
YG - "If you were my daughter, I would train you right away"
JYP - "It's impressive that you manage to change from head voice to chest voice perfectly"

# I guess I'm really bad at judging people's singing. The feeling did not reach me with this one.

Iris Hwang (13)

(Suitcase - Emeli Sande)

◆ The song is about her boyfriend leaving with a suitcase and she don't know the reason
◆ She has never experienced it so she just imagine if one of her friends would leave her

YHY - "You have mature and deep voice"
JYP - "One thing I would like to point out is that there's no novelty"
YG - "This song needs someone with unique or charming voice to keep them listening till the end and you lack that"

# She has a really nice voice! Looking forward for her next performance.

Kim Shi Yoon (10)

(Come Back Home - 2NE1)

◆ She's from Vancouver, Canada
◆ She sings and dances to 'Come Back Home' - 2NE1

YHY - "Your singing need to be perfected before you can dance too"

Lee Yoon Seo (10)

(You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban)

JYP - "I'm glad that you no longer bend all the notes when you sing"
YG - "If in a drama, you can't take the lead role yet"

RESULTS!

1 - Lee Kyu Won
2 - Brody B.
3 - Park Ka Kyung
4 - Iris Hwang
5 - Kim Shi Yoon [Eliminated]
6 - Lee Yoon Seo [Eliminated]

[Bibimbap group]

Park Min Ji (17)

(I'm in Love - Ailee)

◆ She initially prepared the song 'That I Was Once By Your Side" by YHY
◆ YHY in the end assigned her to find out what she wants to show for the next round and find a song that suits her the most
◆ She chooses a song that she heard a lot of times but never sung to people before

YHY - "You could win 1st place at any show if you sing like that"
JYP - "I wish you could loosen up a bit when singing"
YG - "I could hear every word you sing and it's like you mean it"

Lee Si Eun (21)

(Cactus - Sung Si Kyung)

◆ She felt a lot of pressure since the other contestants are talented too
◆ This round, the song is about sadness after breaking up

JYP - "You sounded like someone's real girlfriend singing but not a singer. It's amateurish"
YHY - "I think you sing really well. Nothing much to criticize about. But find your own style"
YG - "You sing well but you lack uniqueness"

Joo Mi Yeon (24)

(You Bring Tears to My Eyes - M.C. the Max)

◆ She has stage fright problem since she lose her confidence on herself (not getting accepted to any university and the way she look)
◆ She used to enjoy singing in front of people but now she felt she's being judged all the time

YHY - "Every line of the lyrics just pierces my heart. Wow~"
YG - "You're a great singer and your voice is unique"
JYP - "She has some old sentiments but it doesn't sound old"