MUSIC

K-pop Chart Report: Nine Muses And Davichi Land Hits, 4minute And INFINITE Debut

Davichi remain unstoppable on this week's Gaon digital chart as their latest single Cry Again climbs to No. 1.

This gives the vocal duo their eighth No. 1 single since the Gaon chart started in 2009. It's also their first chart-topper since 2013's The Letter; none of their singles in 2014 reached the top, which may have factored into their decision to leave longtime record label Core Contents Media last year.

INFINITE H, the hip-hop subunit of boy band INFINITE, narrowly miss the top spot this week: Their new single, Pretty, arrives at No. 2.

Further down, Nine Muses' new single Drama soars to No. 13, giving the group their highest-charting single to date. The sassy Drama beats the group's previous peak of No. 16 for Gun, and No. 17 for Dolls.

A few spots lower, 4minute's pre-release ballad Cold Rain debuts at No. 15. It's not a great position by 4minute's standards, but their official single Crazy drops next week so you can expect that to chart much higher.

Last and sadly least, Lizzy jumps 50 spots to No. 38 with her first solo single Not An Easy Girl. While it's good to see her enter the top forty, the song is essentially a flop compared to the high chart positions her two girl groups After School and Orange Caramel usually reach.

Check out this week's key K-pop hits below.

No. 1. Davichi - Cry Again

No. 2. INFINITE H - Pretty

No. 13. Nine Muses - Drama

No. 15. 4minute - Cold Rain

No. 38. Lizzy - Not An Easy Girl
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Which K-pop Girl Groups Do Men In The Military Like The Most?

Military service is mandatory in South Korea, with all men in the country ages between 18-35 required to spend roughly two years serving in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Air Force. Not only does this help keep the country safe, it also provides a tonne of military bases for girl groups to perform at! Korean girl groups are hugely popular in the military, and new survey has found out just which ones are the most-loved among men serving their country.

1.  A Pink

2.  Girl's Day

3.  Nine Muses

4.  SISTAR

5.  miss A

6.  KARA

7.  SECRET

8.  Ladies' Code

9.  4Minute

10.  f(x)

11.  Girls' Generation

12.  Dal Shabet

13.  2NE1

14.  After School

15.  EXID

16.  Wa$$up

A Pink, who are known for their pure, virginal image, have a huge male fanbase, so seeing them top this list isn't a shock. Girl's Day have also become a favourite among Korea's male population since making a sexy transformation last year, and Nine Muses have always been big on the military circuit -- they even once said they like performing for the army the best because they get bigger cheers than on regular music programs.

We should mention that this survey only included the sixteen groups listed, which explains why a group like Rainbow didn't make the cut. Also, the reason for a superstar act like Girls' Generation --easily the biggest star in K-pop today-- being so low would be because they're so popular that they don't need to perform for the military as often as newer groups, who are always looking for ways to promote themselves.

Anyway, check out some hot K-pop military performances below!

[Via One Hallyu]

Former Nine Muses Member Says She Quit K-pop Group Because She Can't Sing

Have you ever wondered what happened to the ladies that left the Nine Muses after the group's infamously bad "No Playboy" debut? No? Well, we're still gonna tell you what happened to at least one of them.

The now 30-year-old Kim Rana, who briefly served as Nine Muses' leader during the "No Playboy" era, reappeared this week on an episode of Korean karaoke TV show, 1000 Song Challenge. While on the show, another contestant revealed that Rana had admitted backstage that she'd quit being a singer simply because she "can't sing." The host then teased her about it a bit, before having her come up and sing for the show.

Rana's now working as a model, which is what she was doing before she joined Nine Muses. You can check out some modelling photos of the K-pop beauty over on her official Facebook page, which also contains some snaps of her hanging out with former Muses, Bini and Jaekyung.

Do you think Rana should've stayed put and practised her vocals, especially now since Nine Muses has gained more popularity over the years, or did she make the right decision?

Nine Muses Debut (2010)

Nine Muses Now (2013)

[via Soompi]

K-pop Chart Report: New Singles From EXO, T-ara, and Nine Muses Make Their Debuts

EXO came this close to scoring their first No. 1 single this week with "Miracles In December," but were pipped at the post by Seo In Guk and Zia's new duet, "Loved You," which takes the top spot. EXO settle for second place, matching the peak position of their hit single, "Growl."

Wheesung & Gummy's "Special Love" reaches No. 3 this week, followed by Lim Kim's Reply 1994 OST cut, "Happy Me," at No. 4. Last week's chart-topper, Hyorin's "One Way Love," rounds out the top five at No. 5.

2NE1 continue to show a lot of longevity with their new single, "I Miss You," which slips a few spots to No. 6 this week. The sparse ballad has done so well that it's definitely put a stop to the group's declining popularity. We can only hope that YG Entertainment keeps the momentum going with an album early next year, instead of letting it all go to waste like they did after "I Love You."

Further down, T-ara's "What Should I Do?" debuts at a disappointing No. 19. Unless it rises next week, it'll be the lowest-charting lead single of the group's career -- including T-ara N4's "Countryside Life," which managed to reach No. 11.

A few spots down, Crayon Pop's "Lonely Christmas" rises to No. 23, while Nine Muses' "Glue" enters at a so-so "No. 24."

There seems to be a trend in K-pop this December, with ballads and darker-themed music ruling the charts, while happy and upbeat concepts are flopping. That would explain some of the latest chart positions, like T-ara's "What Should I Do?" tanking right after the success of "No. 9," Crayon Pop and Nine Muses' latest singles failing to match the success of their predecessors, and the current poor digital performance of SECRET's "I Do I Do" (expect that track to make a mediocre debut next week). On the other hand, stuff like miss A's "Hush," 2NE1's "I Miss You," EXO's "Miracles In December," VIXX's "Voodoo Doll," and Hyorin's solo music are all doing very well, not to mention all the random acoustic ballads that are out.

Bad timing can be such a bitch.

Anyway, check out this week's key K-pop hits, below!

No. 1. Seo In Guk & Zia - Loved you

No. 2. EXO - Miracles In December

No. 19. T-ara - What Should I Do?

No. 23. Crayon Pop - Lonely Christmas

No. 24. Nine Muses - Glue

Nine Muses Heat Up The Holiday Season With Photos From New Adults-Only Single

Nine Muses --otherwise known as K-pop's most grown 'n' sexy girl group-- will be back in a couple of days with a new single called "Glue" -- and it's rated 25+!

Generally, 19+ is the highest-rating for adult-oriented material in South Korea, but Nine Muses have gone up six years by giving "Glue" a 25+ rating. What will this mean, exactly? It's hard to say. It's most likely just a publicity stunt and won't contain anything too shocking, but if the official "Glue" teaser photos are anything to go by, it's still gonna be one helluva sexy comeback.

The first batch of photos, which were released earlier today, show Leesem, Sungah, Sera, and Kyungri posing seductively and looking hotter than they ever have before -- including their "Wild" era.

Bring on December 4!

K-pop Chart Report: K.Will And Park Ji Yoon Reach The Top, T-ara and Ladies' Code Hold On

After debuting at No. 4, K.Will's new autumn single, "You Don't Know Love," climbs three places to No. 1 on this week's Gaon chart. It's the third No. 1 single of his career, and first since last year's "I Need You."

Right behind K.Will is K-diva, Park Ji Yoon, who arrives at an impressive No. 2 with her comeback single, "Mr. Lee." The Primary-produced track has been doing extremely well for the songstress, and is in contention to top next week's chart.

IU's "The Red Shoes" follows at No. 3, while last week's No. 1, SHINee's "Everybody," is at No. 4. We initially expected a bigger drop for "Everybody," but the dubstep stomper has actually managed to hold steady on the digital charts since SHINee's multiple music program wins.

T-ara's "No. 9" is at No. 7 this week, down two spots from last week. It's a solid showing for the troubled girl group, who have defied their critics with the success and longevity of the dance-pop smash.

Ladies' Code's "Pretty Pretty" makes an unexpected jump this week, rising 7 spots to No. 26. Between this and "Bad Girl," Ladies' Code has had an incredible run on the charts for a rookie group.

As we predicted, Nine Muses' "Gun" has plummeted, falling 18 spots to No. 34. Speaking of sliding down the charts, Kahi's "It's Me" is down to No. 79 in its third week -- by next week, it could be out of the top 100 all together.

In better news, SPICA's Kim Bo Hyung rises 33 spots to No. 81 with her solo ballad, "Crazy Girl."

Check out this week's key K-pop hits, below!

No. 1. K.Will - You Don't Know Love

No. 2. Park Ji Yoon - Mr. Lee feat. San E

No. 7. T-ara - No. 9

No. 26. Ladies' Code - Pretty Pretty

No. 81. Kim Bo Hyung - Crazy Girl