KARA reaches #1 on Recochoku’s daily digital chart

Earlier, we reported that KARA had reached #1 on Japan’s Recochoku mobile weekly chart for the most ringtone downloads with their Korean song, “Step”.

KARA received some additional good news on September 29th, as “Step” secured 1st place on Recochoku’s ‘Daily Digital Download Chart’ as well – a difficult feat to accomplish with a non-Japanese song. In addition, DSP Media announced that KARA’s 5th Japanese single, “Winter Magic”, also secured the #1 spot for ‘Ringtone Downloads Chart’ on the same day.

With these achievements, KARA has become of the few Korean artists who were able to dominate both the Korean and Japanese charts simultaneously!

4minute reveals audio clip of new Japanese song, “Ready, Go”

Earlier, we reported that girl group 4minute contributed a new song called “Ready, Go” for an upcoming Japanese drama. An audio clip recently hit the web, and as promised, it’s a driving track with a powerful rock influence.

A representative from TV Tokyo remarked, “4minute sets themselves apart from the other girl groups with their fiercely charismatic concept, and by being able to take on even the most challenging genres of music.”

The single is scheduled to drop sometime in December, but for those of you who can’t wait, you can sample their new song below!

KARA Nicole’s Sweater: Where Can I Get That?

Earlier this month, KARA returned to the spotlight with their 3rd album, “Step“, and have been blitzing through numerous variety show and music program appearances. They recently guested on the “Guerilla Date” segment of KBS‘s “Entertainment Weekly“, where member Nicole was seen wearing a loose gray top with red pants and black boots.

The look is both chic and comfortable, perfect for those who want to be fashionable, yet not overly done-up. It’d be great for class, study sessions in the library, or for casual dates.

The key piece in the outfit lies with the sweater. The oversized font immediately marks it as trendy, but the baggy effect ensures its versatility. The boatneck shape around the collar gives the option to either pair the sweater with a tank top underneath, or wear it alone to show off one’s nape. The top can be worn with shorts, pants, or leggings.

So, where can we get this sweater?

The top was made by Korean fashion brand, Em Polham. It comes in gray and red, and retails for approximately $76 USD.

Idol stars dominating the advertisement industry

In the past, actors and actresses were the most sought-after celebrities to endorse advertisements but now the pendulum has shifted to idol stars.

Girl group KARA were recently selected to endorse KIA‘s ‘PRIDE‘ in both online advertisements and outdoor billboards. Although idols are frequently selected to advertise items that appeal to teenagers such as soft drinks, uniforms, and cell phones, idol groups endorsing car companies, electronics brands, as well as outdoor clothing is a new phenomenon.

In the past, car advertisement models were usually professional advertisement models or famous older celebrities, so it’s a bit out of the ordinary for an idol group like KARA to be endorsing KIA. Singer IU is also working as a PR model for Hyundai, and as of late, Big Bang has been endorsing NorthFace to follow after seniors such as Won Bin, Cha Seung Won & Cho Insung who have also modeled for outdoors brands. More and more, the younger generation are beginning to take up outdoor activities and therefore the younger idols are being selected to model these brands to better market to their target demographic.

A KIA advertising representative stated, “KARA is currently at the forefront of the Hallyu wave, their fame reaching to international fans. They were the perfect candidates to market KIA’s ‘PRIDE’, as we are trying to market the new model to an international audience.”

He continued, “These days idol groups are loved by fans of all ages so selecting younger celebrities to model the brand is an effective marketing strategy.”

4minute to sing OST for new Japanese drama

Korean girl group 4minute will be dropping their new Japanese single “Ready, Go” in December and it will also serve as the sound track for the new Japanese drama ‘This is the famous El Paraiso‘, scheduled to air its first episode on October 6th.

This is not the first time they have done an OST for a Japanese drama, and a representative from TV Tokyo remarked, “4minute sets themselves apart from the other girl groups with their fiercely charismatic concept, and by being able to take on even the most challenging genres of music.”

4minute’s “Ready, Go” contains elements of rock and powerful guitar harmonies, and the girls further energize the track with their dynamic vocals.

‘This is the famous El Paraiso’ was originally a comic about female pro-wrestlers, and it was recently made into a drama. Expectations are high for the new series, as the impressive cast consists of a diverse group of Japan’s hottest and most talented celebrities.

4minute has recorded OSTs for two other Japanese dramas in the past, one of which continued to be a steady seller, long after the drama had come to an end.

Gaon Chart releases chart rankings for the 4th week of September!

The Gaon Chart is the national chart of South Korea and is intended to be the equivalent of Oriconin Japan and Billboard in the United States.

Check out the chart rankings for the 4th week of September below!

Gaon Chart National Digital Singles Ranking

1. Huh Gak– “Hello”– 47,062,804 Points

2. Brown Eyed Girls – “Hot Shot” – 32,658,818 Points

3. Sung Shi Kyung – “I Like” – 30,916,701 Points

4. KARA – “STEP” – 27,977,327 Points

5. Davichi – “Don’t Say Goodbye” – 27,676,183 Points

6. UV– “Who Am I” – 24,116,163 Points

7. SG Wannabe– “Love Rules” – 21,487,203 Points

8. Bobby Kim - “Alley” - 19,007,088 points

9. JYJ - “In Heaven” – 18,712,012 Points

10. Brown Eyed Girls – “Sixth Sense” – 18,145,414 Points

Gaon Chart National Physical Albums Ranking

1. Super Junior – ‘Mr. Simple` The 5th Album Repackage’

2. B1A4 – ‘It B1A4′

3. 2NE1 – ‘To Anyone’

4. Huh Gak – ‘First Story’

5. Various Artists – ‘Gem’

6. KARA – ‘STEP’

7. Various Artists– ‘I Am A Singer’

8. Sung Shi Kyung – ‘The First’

9. T-ara – ‘John Travolta Wannabe’

10. 2NE1 – ’2NE1 2nd Mini Album’

T-ara’s Soyeon gets pampered for a magazine shoot

T-ara‘s adorable member Soyeon revealed a new extraordinary selca of herself via Twitter.

On September 29th, Soyeon tweeted the above photo and wrote, “Another day of the magazine shoot.” In the photo, Soyeon continued to show off her cute charms and light brown hair.

Netizens that viewed the photo responded with, “Is she a doll or a human?“, “Soyeon is the prettiest in T-ara“, and “She looks much more stunning since leaving for Japan.”

Meanwhile, T-ara has been doing extremely well on the Oricon Charts in Japan with the release of their album on the 28th.

KARA appears in Japanese anime, Doraemon?

Sung Shi Kyung and KARA who are both making comebacks appeared on the September 29th broadcast of Mnet‘s ‘Beatles Code‘.

Based on Sung Shi Kyung’s history of singing the OST for ‘My Beautiful Girl, Mari‘ and KARA’s OST for ‘Naruto Shippuden‘, parallels were drawn between KARA’s appearance in ‘Doraemon’ and Sung Shi Kyung’s similarity to ‘Aisen Sosuke‘ in the manga ‘Bleach‘.

Park Gyuri, the leader of KARA, explained “Our dance appeared on TV in ‘Doraemon’.” Just like Gyuri explained, the characters in ‘Doraemon’ danced to a parody of KARA’s ‘Mister‘, showing KARA’s popularity in Japan.

When asked the question, “If you even appeared in the comic, then you’re a representative icon. Don’t you think you’re the best Korean girl group in Japan?”

Gyuri responded modestly, “Wouldn’t we probably be among the top 3?”

Sung Shi Kyung also proved the ‘KARA Boom’ in Japan as he explained, “When I went to a performance in Japan, it’s not the Hallyu Wave that we speak of since it’s just KARA. Spending two weeks in Japan and watching the TV, you know it isn’t just a joke.”