FreakyFlyBri

I'm anticipating it simply because it's a chance for me to hear one of my favorite musical acts in the world perform music in English, with a chance to possibly see them live if they were to ever tour (obviously it's a tad hard for me to make it all the way to SK or Japan to see a showcase or concert haha), but as far as any belief that this will blow up to be a huge hit for them, I'm doubtful. That's okay though, because T-ara N4 will be in good company...plenty of other amazing K-Pop acts have made attempts to break into the U.S. market with less than stellar results. It doesn't mean it's the end of their careers, by a long shot. And there's always the chance that they will succeed. At the end of the day, though, my hope is that the girls enjoy their time in the U.S., have some fun, learn some things along the way, and if that happens then I'll call this venture a success. P.S. If Misunderstood is truly one of the songs that may make it onto their album I'm excited. Sounds like they're aiming for a sound similar to AFA, and I approve wholeheartedly!

This actually makes perfect sense...Qri becoming the leader of this group falls in line with T-ara's leader system, where everyone gets to be a leader at least once, and I think she'll do a good job. She's quiet, mature, professional, and very stylish. If she's in charge of coming up with the costume ideas for QBS, I think it'll be a smashing success as I've always thought her fashion sense was the best of any of the girls in the group. Obviously Soyeon was always going to be the main vocal, and Boram is perfect to be the main visual in Japan...she already kinda, sorta functions in that role in T-ara while promoting in Japan, and I've heard that a lot of Japanese girls fawn over Boram because of her pixie/doll-like features. I'm actually really excited to see what they come up with, for some reason I'm more excited about THIS sub-unit than T-ara N4, maybe because it's just a little more exciting seeing the three lesser-known members (minus Areum) getting their moment to shine. I will be cheering them on, and I honestly think they have a chance to do really well!

First of all, SNSD has had a full-length English album in the works for a couple of years now. There's no telling when or if that album will ever be released, and even if they do release albums in the same year, it's an entirely different ball game in the states...you said so yourself. SNSD and T-ara will more or less be on the same playing field. And I don't care that two SNSD members speak English fluently, it's not going to really help them all THAT much. Secondly, making it in the American music industry is all about who you know and how much faith your contacts have in you...nobody gives a damn how big somebody was back in their home country, it won't do them any good when they're trying to promote in the states. That has absolutely no bearing whatsoever when it comes to making it stateside; YG, JYPE, or SME make chump change compared to what labels such as Island Def Jam, Interscope, Epic Records, or RCA can take home. They can't help their artists when trying to make a U.S. advancement. Very few artists make it on pure talent or charisma alone, they have somebody behind them, pulling strings and opening doors for them. As much as I loathe Chris Brown, it is absolutely undeniable that he is the biggest star to have possibly voiced his interest in a K-Pop act thus far...far more relevant than will.i.am, Snoop Dogg, Akon, or any of the other current stars who have mentioned a Korean idol act (if CCM's stories are to be believed). As far as what Chris Brown did...I admit that I loathe him with a passion, but I'm also discerning enough to know that PLENTY of U.S. artists have collaborated with him recently and been none the worse for it...Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, the list goes on. The U.S. music industry isn't really like Korea in that if you're seen with an unlikeable figure you're automatically blacklisted due to guilt by association; business is, ultimately, business. Furthermore, nobody in the U.S. is going to give two flying ***** about T-ara's bullying scandal. That ridiculous excuse for a hater orgy never would have exploded the way it did, I can guarantee you that. That's what's so bass-ackwards about Korea...they focus on a scandal full of unsubstantiated allegations, yet when it comes to something that probably would be incredibly sensationalized by U.S. media outlets, such as Nichkuhn's drunk driving accident, it almost goes by completely unnoticed...for a bullying controversy? I mean, come on. That xxxx would have been pegged exactly like it was...discord within the group. Nothing more, nothing less. Ultimately, at this point I don't think T-ara have anything to lose by focusing on activities outside of Korea. JWD's poor performance on the Korean charts show that Korea's just not ready to forgive them right now, if ever. I doubt this collaboration will interfere much with their Japanese activities, as so far nothing has even been confirmed. Instead of focusing on a plethora of possible negatives, let's just see how it plays out. Ultimately this could just be more media play on CCM's part, but it's REALLY important to take into consideration the fact that, if something does indeed happen for the group in the U.S., it's not even remotely similar to anything in Korea.

The sub-unit rumors weren't necessarily proven to be false...it could have been that CCM just wasn't ready for the news to be announced yet, and obviously the mention of Double Sidekick being the primary producer was incorrect. The girls are sticking with Shinsadong Tiger for their producer for the track. And yes, Hwayoung was expelled from the group, but of course they aren't going to put that in their official announcement for this sub-unit. Which sounds better, being expelled or withdrawing from the group? Haha. Like someone else in this thread said, "Rural Life" sounds like it could be a very rough translation at this point, so who knows? Or maybe it has to do with their concept. Either way, it sounds intriguing, and with Shinsadong Tiger behind it you know it's going to be a catchy, glittery dance-pop song. As far as the press release stating that it will "mend people's hearts," it's more or less saying that this is CCM's way of slowly reintroducing the group back into the public eye. At one point, EunJiMin were the group's three most popular members, so of course CCM wants to remind people of why they were considered the holy trinity in the first place, and Areum is the new kid in town, so she's in the unit to get more exposure as well. Ultimately, it's like some people were saying...I don't think T-ara really has anything to lose in Korea at this point. People are going to hate regardless of what they do, but people will also still buy their music and support them if their output is good. Just look at Sexy Love, it may have not done as well as their past releases, but they put out arguably one of the best songs of their careers and killed their performances, and the song did pretty damn good. I think this sub-unit is a good way of testing the waters, so to speak, and I'm sure that it doesn't hurt that sub-units are the big thing in K-Pop right now, like you said; if this goes well, we'll get a song from the full group in a month or two, and if it fails, we'll have a bit longer to wait than we thought. I'm inclined to believe that it will do well though.

Bunny Style! is holding up quite well in the Oricon top twenty...not their best performance, but it's doing a great deal better than their last two singles (Sexy Love dropped like a rock in the second week, but its first week sales were pretty decent, and Lovey-Dovey remains their worst-selling single in Japan). I can see this song eventually selling 80 to 90 thousand, putting it right around Bo Peep's sales. At this rate I think it's more encouraging to realize that their fanbase still remains strong enough in Japan to continue selling as well as they do.

I know how you feel, I've been dying to hear T-ara's Effect for months now, but I guess I'm just happy that the project is still a go at this point. I was starting to worry that we would never hear it! Although I do think a name chance for the album is in order, I can see netizens having a field day with their "effect." All in all it will have been nearly eight months since T-ara released any sort of material in Korea, and while I'm excited to hear what they come up with I can also understand why you would think it would be too soon. To be honest I would be happy if they were just able to promote solely in one territory or the other; with them picking up some steam in Japan with Bunny Style! I was kind of hoping that they would stay over there a while, release another single, then an album, then tour, THEN come back to Korea...no more of this sloppy promotional style where T-ara's in Japan a few days and then tries to promote in Korea on weekends, like with Cry Cry and J-Yayaya. That was a mess and it wore the girls slap out. They're obviously still CCM's main money maker, I think they proved that even with the scandal and decreased support from the Korean public they still are popular enough in other territories that taking a break now and then wouldn't affect their popularity all that much. But it is what it is. And yeah, I'm kind of trying to figure out exactly how the YMCA dance is going to be incorporated into their new dance. Haha.

^I think we'll see them all together later on in the year, Miss_Taken. I know many fans are still anticipating T-ara's Effect, and knowing CCM they won't simply shelve the project, haha. Although I am wondering if the rumors of the album going the dubstep route are true...

I think this is great news for the four mentioned...CCM is sort of having to "reintroduce" T-ara slowly back to the Korean public, so this gives them a chance to show their stuff and remind people why they were considered the most popular members of the group in the first place. As for Areum, it gives her some much needed exposure. I think they'll do well. I just think we need to remember that at this point it's probably a pipe dream to hope for Lovey-Dovey/Roly-Poly sized numbers, if their song can break 2 million in Korea I'll call it a success. I do think that something similar needs to be done in the near future for Boram, Qri, and Soyeon though. I know Boram and Soyeon got a lot of the hate post-controversy (and, in Soyeon's case, she even became involved with a second scandal with the whole Kakao Talk mess). Then again that might be why CCM's letting them sit this one out. Hopefully they get a chance to show their stuff in the near future as well. At any rate, it looks like their schedule's picking back up again! They're going to be extremely busy, I'd imagine that around the time they head back to Japan in preparation for their tour they'll also be readying a new single and album to be released to tie in with the concert. I just wonder where Dani fits into all of this, haha.

I will say that while T-ara suffered a pretty big blow to their popularity domestically, they seem to have gained a lot of new fans the world over! 2013 looks like it will be a great year for them, hands down...Areum is getting all sorts of love, their performances at the year-end awards shows were fantastic, and given a bit of time I think that T-ara's Effect will be the comeback album that helps them put all the controversies they suffered from in 2012 completely behind them, especially if CCM allows them to release the album later on in the year instead of pitting them against the likes of SNSD and other highly anticipated comebacks. This was definitely a year of growing pains for our girls but the light is finally at the end of the tunnel, and I think next year we'll see T-ara's star power return to its former glory if not grow even brighter!

I think this controversy is going to mark a significant transition in T-ara's career...namely, spending considerably less time promoting in Korea while focusing primarily on the Japanese market for the time being. This controversy has been much less damaging abroad than it has been domestically for the girls as evidenced by sales for Sexy Love in Japan (not a runaway hit but still comparable to their other singles in terms of sales) and the less chilly reception they have received from both the press and the general public. Netizens are obviously not ready to let this issue go yet, and I doubt that KKS or CCM is willing to give the girls any sort of hiatus, so it wouldn't surprise me if instead of releasing new Korean material at the beginning of next year we get a Japanese single first. Next year I predict T-ara will spend most of the year in Japan with maybe one comeback in Korea later in the year to test the waters to see how things go, and honestly, I think that would be their best course of action...they've outgrown Korea and have pretty much peaked in terms of the success they could hope to achieve in their homeland at this point, while in Japan they have much more opportunity for growth and continued success if they are committed to making it happen. Long story short, I hope that this controversy serves as the catalyst that allows the girls to simply break away from Korea for a while to focus on truly breaking in to the Japanese market. In doing so perhaps they can find even greater success in that market while salvaging and repairing their tarnished reputation in Korea.

I was really disappointed in the vid, but at the same time I guess I understand why they ultimately decided to recycle so much of the Korean version as well. Time constraints and the fact that they probably didn't have as big a budget as they usually do due to the controversy (and the uncertainty that they were going to land a decent hit afterward) probably played a big role in the resulting end product. Hopefully after T-ara recovers a bit more we'll get back to seeing more variety in their videos since that's one of my favorite things about them.

I remember seeing fancams for this event a few weeks back! Boram killed Hyomin's part, she's done really well this era.

This article is obviously a jab at the netizens who are questioning Soyeon's "determination" after the accident. To be honest I hope she does just take this time to rest and relax, car accidents are no joke, especially one as serious as the one she was in, but I can't help but feel like the article is CCM's subtle way of trolling the netizens, especially after their extremely foolish behavior over the last two days.

Whatever the case is, I just don't want to start a mudslinging match with them or anyone else. This whole mess is FINALLY starting to die down and I don't want anything flaming it back up. I just hope Queen's will give them T-Jinyo benefit of the doubt, as pointing fingers at others is hardly the last thing we need to be doing right now. Even if everybody jumped to conclusions regarding T-ara's innocence/guilt I'd much rather us all be bigger than that and just walk away from the mess (and protect your computers in case whoever IS spreading the Malware knows how to hack lol).

Are they REALLY spreading Malware, or is it just that Queen's are assuming it's them? I'd hate to start a blame game with them if it's not even confirmed that they're really doing it.

This is a bright move on CCM/EMI's part. This accomplishes two things: it simultaneously introduces Davichi to the Japanese music-buying public while also helping reveal a softer, sweeter image of T-ara, something they're in need of right now since everyone's painting them out to be evil bullies. Plus it can be used as a way to feel out exactly how much damage has been done to their Japanese careers after the controversy...if the single performs similarly to their previous releases then it's safe to say they probably haven't lost much ground, but if it tanks it'll show that EMI has some serious work to do on image repair before they start trying to make a proper comeback.

Lol that Tumblr was actually translated into Korean and was originally written in English...it was originally put together by an international fan. You can read it here: http://hyotheleader.tumblr.com/

I know, it's amazing how many people are so accepting of his apology! I dunno...from a business standpoint it was definitely a good idea to go ahead and apologize, but I want there to be some truth behind his words as well...I REALLY want him to apologize to T-ara, Hwayoung, their families, everybody, because he's made such a huge blunder of everything. And yeah, I briefly thought of the possibility that CJ Group probably got involved and weren't too happy that they had to do so in the first place. The fact that he's changing his tune and isn't being so brash and arrogant in his decisions and actions definitely points to that being a possibility. KKS's future with CCM has probably been jeopardized much more than T-ara's, at this point. At least that's what I'm hoping.

Haha I don't think anyone looks at the apology and thinks it's sincere. It's KKS covering his ass, as usual. I dunno, I'd love to think that this whole case of deja vu has KKS really re-thinking his stance on managing idols...he's messed up so badly with SeeYa, Lee Hyori, SG Wannabe, Co-Ed School/5dolls, and now T-ara...T-ara's pretty much the last thing he will ever do that will be considered relevant, so even if it's just from a business standpoint, maybe he's realizing that unless he wants that to go bye-bye, he probably needs to swallow his pride and admit that he was the one in the wrong. But I doubt it. I'd love it if he got down on his hands and knees and begged at T-ara's feet for forgiveness. It'd be so good for a laugh!

Enough with this "We want the truth!" nonsense. Quite frankly I'm sick of hearing people say this. If we're meant to hear what truly happened, it's not going to be because a bunch of fans, ex-fans, antis, or T-Jinyo pressured T-ara into speaking publicly about it, it will be because T-ara as a group feels comfortable enough to do so. The girls are probably in a fragile state of mind right now, hence why we haven't seen them once since this whole scandal erupted. They're probably in no condition to be making public appearances, and God only knows what's going on behind the scenes of this whole scandal. Stop focusing on something that doesn't involve you directly, it was never an issue involving fans to begin with. The biggest concern is that T-ara as a group resolves this, not whether or not you as a fan hear the truth. Anyways, the hidden subtext is that you want to hear them admit that they bullied someone, which may or may not have been the case; if they say anything else besides that you'll probably continue to call them liars. And if you truly are a Christian, your primary concern will be that the girls are okay, not whether or not they speak out about this matter any time soon. You should be praying that Jiyeon, Eunjung, Soyeon, Hyomin, Boram, Qri, Areum, and Hwayoung are all okay and are being watched over by whatever higher power they choose to believe in.

Well, I'm not expecting them to do anything like the ads any time soon, I just feel it would be nice if they used this opportunity to start planning out what they had in mind as opposed to screaming "We want the truth from T-ara!!!" The latter option is likely not going to happen because of T-Jinyo, if anything KKS will now keep even more mum on what really happened just to spite them. As far as the interviews go, I really, REALLY hope they choose their representatives-and their words-wisely. And that's if this stays a major issue much longer, from the articles I've been reading I think people are starting to get bored with the issue and are moving on. Not saying it still isn't an issue, I just think we're getting to that point where people are probably going to start rolling their eyes when they read or hear anything about it, as news that becomes oversaturated quickly grows old. Admittedly my knowledge of South Korean politics is rather limited, so I'm probably not the best person to be commenting on that subject, and more than likely the official's remarks were a quick bid to get some voters lined up behind him since, like you said, election time is in 4 months. If your elected officials are anything like ours they usually make a lot of promises and talk big but rarely back it up with actions. Lol. Yeah, T-Jinyo focusing all of their attention on T-ara is going to end up being a big error for them in the long run. Tajinyo was able to get so much leverage because Tablo was pretty much one man fighting the entirety of the mob...he had no label backing him up to help get this settled out, nothing. T-ara, on the other hand, has CCM, which while incompetent as fuq, has at least STARTED to make an effort at getting this under control. They made HUGE mistakes at the beginning of this scandal but over the last few days there has definitely been a change in the tides...whether that's actually CCM's doing or the public calming down and stepping back to analyze the situation is an entirely different question. But anyways, if they focused more on KKS in the long run, they'd probably get the majority of the Queen's fandom on their side, both internationally and domestically as pretty much everyone agrees that the major reason this whole thing has been blown out of proportion (and caused in the first place) was due to KKS's antics. Had he been a competent manager to the girls in the first place we probably wouldn't have had any internal issues to begin with, and even if it DID go that far had he known how to handle the situation better this wouldn't have become the huge massacre that it currently is. THAT'S the true culprit, and if they changed their focus to him, I'd be all in. And I fully expected there to be a backlash in Japan from the mess, so that doesn't surprise me...I just wonder if it has been as far-reaching and damaging to their careers in Japan as it has been in Korea. From the looks of the articles on JDP it still seems like most of Japan's interest is still squarely on the Olympics, lol. Ultimately I guess we'll have to wait until they make a comeback to judge just how far back this has set them. Since this isn't a domestic issue I wonder just how much flack the girls will receive in Japan, and from what I understand bullying and ostracism rumors actually date back to earlier this year with the group, so this is already something they've expected for a while, meaning that the news isn't as "fresh" to them as it is to Koreans.

Well, if they can do something like anti-bullying ads then at least they'd have done something productive. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Korean government officials chime in on the whole controversy a few days ago? I'm just saying that that would probably be T-Jinyo's cue to focus on the government side of things as well. If a government official has time to stop and give a statement regarding the mess, they certainly have time to do something about it, especially if this has the whole nation up in arms and is gathering more publicity than the Olympics. But that's neither here nor there. I agree that we should just wait and see what they do from here on out, and you're right that all organizations usually get off to a pretty bumpy start, but I just can't help but feel like they've made some pretty big tactical errors fairly early on in their campaign. I really want to see them take a more positive and productive stance in the coming months, and to be honest, when or if the truth comes out I don't want it to be because T-Jinyo wouldn't shut the hell up about it, I want it to be because T-ara as a group were granted the freedom to tell their story and are comfortable doing so. I'm still of the opinion that even if T-ara were to tell the truth 100% right now, it wouldn't matter if it wasn't in line with what they perceived to be the truth. In the meantime, though, I agree, might as well take the wait-and-see approach, although they'd probably have a lot more support if they changed the focus from wanting the truth from T-ara to removing KKS from his position at CCM.

To be honest I'm not at all impressed with T-Jinyo. As a group with such a large number they have the power to do so much in light of all the bullying accusations. They could lobby for T-ara to do anti-bullying ad campaigns, or pressure the Korean government into putting anti-bullying statutes in place while simultaneously pushing for better work conditions for idols. Instead, what do they do? They continue on this silly crusade to get the "truth" from T-ara. No offense, I love my girls, but if I were the head of such a large organization I'd probably not waste my (or anyone else's) time trying to find out the truth behind this whole controversy, especially since it seems like they'll probably never hear it at this rate. They're a group of idols, and the issue at large is much bigger than just T-ara. Anyways, I've doubted T-Jinyo's motives for a while now...as an organization I highly doubt they have T-ara's best interests at heart, especially if they're comprised of antis of any sort. Plus I don't really trust them when they say they want to meet T-ara personally. Who knows what kind of nastiness they'll spew? Let's face it, it's NOT going to happen, especially if the whole thing is run by a 15 year-old kid. No offense to the kids reading this, but at that age most people aren't of the most sound mind and judgement. As far as the protest being cancelled goes, only 30 may have been allowed to protest at CCM's building but originally there were only a hundred or so that had confirmed that they would show. That's 100 people out of 340,000. That shows that this is more or less something for people to do on their downtime than any real crusade they may believe they're on, as if it were a matter that was truly important to them they'd get their lazy asses up and go to that protest. Let's face it, T-Jinyo is losing steam right now. First the refusal to meet with KKS, then the cancelled protest, now the backlash from celebrities and the media. They were given an opportunity to do SOMETHING and they completely blew it. And by something I'm not necessarily talking about meeting up with KKS; they squandered an invaluable opportunity to change things for the better. And for that I really couldn't give a flying flip about them as an organization. By the way, this rant wasn't directed at you, Scatter! I re-read it and it kind of sounds mean, it's just me more or less venting my frustrations with the whole mess right now.

I agree, but in the process of turning down his offer they inadvertently lost some of their credibility, imo. They may want to try and hold out to speak to T-ara, but they could've used this to their advantage, considering how idiotic KKS has been with trying to calm this all down. Instead they turn him down, in the process probably losing the only chance they'll ever get to get anywhere near T-ara. But yeah, KKS was never going to tell them the truth behind the controversy, more than likely he was going to spin the crap out of it and try to calm them down. Still, it looks bad on their part that they didn't accept...not his.

T-Jinyo turned down his offer! Seriously, that was a dumb move on their part, I doubt they'll get another opportunity like this and they're quickly losing all of their credibility as gossip and rumors start to turn up online about THEM. Karma=biyatch.