Hot on the heels of viral sensation Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” fellow South Korean export the Wonder Girls are proving that their music’s global reach is here to stay.
The five-member girl group, which previously toured with the Jonas Brothers back in 2009, kept things mellow in a cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors,” released earlier this week.
“We wanted to make it more rhythmical with a drum, and we also wanted to give it some more energy so that we would put out a new sound,” group member Yeeun told the Daily News of their rendition.
Fellow member Sunye added that the girls were already familiar with the classic prior to their own recorded cover, and especially liked the “Glee” version.
“It was awesome, and we really tried to make it our own,” she said.
Their performance, taped at New York’s Jane Hotel, is just one of four performed by artists recruited from around the globe to take part in MTV Iggy’s international music project, ”Cover the World.”
Australia’s Angus Stone, Jamaica’s Gyptian and the U.S.’s All Time Low also released their own covers of Lauper’s famous song.
“MTV Iggy and Chevy’s collaboration on ‘Cover the World’ created a fun, online music hub that taps into the power of today’s thriving global music scene,” Nusrat Durrani, general manager and senior vice president of MTV World, told the News in a statement.
“Digital technology and social media are exposing young audiences to new genres every day and we are seeing the cross pollination of music from around the world continue to gain popularity and influence.”
And the Wonder Girls, who collaborated with R&B artist Akon earlier this year for futuristic hit “Like Money,” are definitely riding the so-called Hallyu, or Korean pop culture, wave straight into the American conscience.
Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” which has become a cultural marker in the States - everyone from Britney Spears to the celebrities on “Dancing With the Stars” has tried their hands at the “horse dance” - opened the door for a major influx of Korean pop culture, and the Wonder Girls are eager to help lead movement.
“We’re very glad to see K-pop growing in the States and all over the world,” Yeeun said. “We’re a mix of old and new, retro and new, and we’re inspired by a lot of 80s, 60s and 90s artists.
“We’re experimenting and hoping our songs are catchy and easy enough to follow for everybody.”
Wonder Girls′ Sunye has spilled the details on how her fiancée proposed to her.
Sunye opened up about the proposal at her wedding press conference, which was held at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul’s Jung-gu on January 26.She shared, “[My fiancée] asked me ‘Will you marry me?’ as he began to take out a ring. Seeing the meaning behind this ring, I was moved and began shedding tears.”She continued, “After my mother-in-law recieved her proposal, she prepared another exact replica of her ring for her future daughter-in-law, which has come to be me. Hearing this story of how this grateful ring had been there all this time before coming to me made me cry.”
Sunye also expressed her gratitude towards her in-laws saying, “I don’t think I will feel a separation between myself and my in-laws. They are kind to me to the point that I call them mother and father, and they are comfortable with me. Meeting my mother-in-law has been a real blessing. My fiance′s aunts even did the Wonder Girls’ dance in front of me and wished us well.”
Sunye’s wedding will be divided into two parts with 2AM’s Jo Kwon to MC both parts. The congratulatory song will be sung by Park Jin Young and Sunye’s fellow JYP Entertainment artists while Sunye’s pastor at her church will officiate the closed wedding ceremony.
Following her wedding, Sunye will head to the Maldives for her honeymoon while beginning her new married life in Canada.
(source)
