[identity profile] gator-yoong.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] omonatheydid


Despite Japan’s on-going music market recession, K-POP girl groups SNSD and KARA shined last year.

“Since KARA and SNSD both have success in Korea, when they debuted in Japan, they already had a lot of passionate fans. According to last year’s Oricon Yearly Ranking, the top domestic new comers who had their CD debut were #1 KARA and #2 SNSD. KARA had 2 singles, 5 albums and 1 DVD, 8 total things; earning 1.3 billion yen (~15.7 USD). SNSD had 2 singles, 6 albums and 1 DVD, 9 total things, they earned 880 million yen (~10.6 USD). #3 was the male 3 member band WEAVER who earned 130 million yen (~1.6 million USD).” (Music Magazine Reporter)

About their popularity in Korea, “It feels as if KARA’s season has passed, and SNSD’s popularity among young girls is high. It’s for that reason that KARA has increased their Japanese activities. Starting in January, the members play the lead roles in their TV Tokyo drama “URAKARA”.” (Journalist from Korea)

On December 30, 2010, SNSD was awarded the Best Newcomer Award by the “Japan Record Awards”. It feels as though SNSD are leading KARA by just a bit in Japan and it could be thanks to their valuable weapon, one member who is proficient in Japanese, Sooyoung. In August 2010, she was the representative member at Tokyo’s Ariake Coliseum and greeted the fans, “After this, I think there will be a lot of chances to meet with Japanese fans, so please support us!”. After this, she was proactive and she fluently spoke in Japanese at events and on TV programs. She learned this Japanese from her early years in Japan.

“When she was still 11 years old, she applied for TV Tokyo’s audition program “ASAYAN”’s “Japan-Korea Ultra Idol Duo Audition” that began in December 2001. There were around 15,000 applicants from Japan and Korea and she was selected among them. She was paired with Takahashi Marina, who has already retired, to form the female duo “routeφ”; produced by Kawamura Ryuichi. In April 2002, they released their debut single “START”. At that time, she went by her real name Choi Sooyoung.” (Record Company Officials)

“ASAYAN had already produced Suzuki Ami and Morning Musume. At the time Sooyoung passed her audition, the idol golden age was already in full force and the girls couldn’t keep up with it. “START” (R and C Ltd.) only sold 5,000 copies and entered Oricon at rank #62. By July 2003, they had already released 3 singles and 1 DVD; but still remained unknown. In March of 2003 “ASAYAN” stopped being broadcast and route0 broke up.” (Same Company As Before)

After the breakup Sooyoung returned to Korea. She took thorough singing and dance lessons. In August 2007, she was able to debut as a member of SNSD. They became big last year and she had her “triumphant return” to Japan.

Sooyoung doesn’t try hard to hide from her past. In 2008 a Korean entertainment program touched on her past activities in Japan and she thinks fondly of those times now. I have no doubt she will definitely be successful in her activities.


Translated by: Kanki@Soshified.com
Source: cyzo

Date: 2011-01-21 07:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rexona-woman.livejournal.com
I liked Route 0. I really had no idea that Marina retired though D: but it makes sense since she really didn't do anything after they disbanded. I have so many memories of watching AYASAN with Morning Musume.. ;_______; /nostalgic

Date: 2011-01-21 07:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sjuminuter.livejournal.com
I miss Sooyoung's long hair!
(deleted comment)

Date: 2011-01-21 07:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pitri73.livejournal.com
Same here.

Date: 2011-01-21 09:19 pm (UTC)
ext_222147: (Default)
From: [identity profile] chinchuu.livejournal.com
i miss it too!!!!

Date: 2011-01-22 07:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amethystfeline.livejournal.com
saaaaaame! She and her long hair is what got me into snsd!

and I ADORE YOUR ICON. /swoons
where is it from?

Date: 2011-01-22 11:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sjuminuter.livejournal.com
I have no idea .. i think it's from his shoot from his photobook lol i'm such a bad jae fangirl.

Date: 2011-01-23 01:24 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amethystfeline.livejournal.com
I'm a bad jae fangirl too because I don't remember even seeing this T^T

hahaha thanks anyway! ^--^ I'll try looking for it!

Date: 2011-01-21 07:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mayam-mj90.livejournal.com
Sooyoung looks gorgeous in that pic!!
She's always gorgeous. And awesome.

Date: 2011-01-21 07:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pitri73.livejournal.com
Finally Sooyoung is recognized for being part of the reason SNSD is doing so well in Japan. The girl speaks Japanese!

Date: 2011-01-21 09:18 pm (UTC)
ext_222147: (Default)
From: [identity profile] chinchuu.livejournal.com
sooyoung = snsd's secret weapon in japan ;)
i hope the other members catch up soon!!

Date: 2011-01-21 07:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] umbrella-smile.livejournal.com
Yeah, I thought most people already knew that.

Date: 2011-01-21 11:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jonghyunf.livejournal.com
i don't think anybody bothered to learn about her past besides her fans

Date: 2011-01-21 07:34 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] devilslover422.livejournal.com
thats her at 11?!?!?!? how?!? lol goddamn, good genes!!!

Date: 2011-01-21 07:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] molly-hime.livejournal.com
Old news is old.

Date: 2011-01-21 08:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bumie.livejournal.com
old news or not , I love to see Sooyoung in Omona <3.
I love that picture of her , she is gorgeous

Date: 2011-01-21 08:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] obeytheempress.livejournal.com
Is it just me or did long hair make Sooyoung look so much older, more mature? I've been watching some shows from when SNSD first debuted and she looks about 19 or older when she was only what, 16-17?

She's gorgeous either way though. And for the folks saying "old news" I did not know the full story of her career in Japan. So thanks, OP. Its amazing that she's remained fluent after all these years.

Date: 2011-01-21 08:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dreamerbri.livejournal.com
i didn't know about sooyoung's career in japan either so it was interesting to read this. *goes to look for route songs*

Date: 2011-01-21 10:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_redneckbitchx/
I actually think the opposite. Her short hair makes her look more sophisticated and older, but when she had short hair, she looked her age, and I think if she grew it out again, she'd look a lot younger.

Date: 2011-01-22 11:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_redneckbitchx/
Oops, sorry, the second short should be long.

Date: 2011-01-21 08:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jenna-lovesyou.livejournal.com
did people not know that Sooyoung was in route0...

Date: 2011-01-21 09:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dreamerbri.livejournal.com
i didn't but i don't know a lot about snsd in general.

Date: 2011-01-21 09:16 pm (UTC)
ext_222147: (Default)
From: [identity profile] chinchuu.livejournal.com
i thought many people knew about this already... @___@
i found it really cute when sooyoung was really happy to get to perform on music station with snsd because she said she had always wanted to be on the show. i think it's amazing that she's kept up with her japanese all these years. yeah, all the members are tutored in japanese, but it's hard to keep up with a language that you don't use on a daily basis. she still sounds fluent!

Date: 2011-01-21 09:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jeugd1.livejournal.com
she looks so cute in that picture, well she is cute in general
i don't know why ppl (specially johnnydorama)find her ugly
they need to back the hell up

Date: 2011-01-21 10:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fay-of-sunshine.livejournal.com
gurl gurl, hey u go gurl.

Date: 2011-01-21 10:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] steeele.livejournal.com
Sooyoung looks creepy now, but in that pic she looks pretty cute. Shame.

Date: 2011-01-21 10:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cagallisakura.livejournal.com
Sooyoung is more than just the member with the longest legs.

Date: 2011-01-22 12:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] loveholic198.livejournal.com
Okay... NOW I see what she did to her nose.

Date: 2011-01-22 01:20 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] swallowedkey.livejournal.com
Damn straight! My bb looks GORGEOUS in that photo and she was so young! ^^

Date: 2011-01-22 02:59 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] raviolikenshin.livejournal.com
i don't think SNSD is bigger than kara in japan (maybe now that kara will go on hiatus)

but i love hearing about sooyoung kicking ass in japan.
i straight up cried when she talked about being able to go on msta. it's not often an artist gets a second chance like this, and SNSD has the potential to be one of the greatest girl groups ever.

sooyoung fighting!

Date: 2011-01-22 06:12 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] vvitchbaby.livejournal.com
I didn't know about this because I don't care about SNSD, but it's always cool to see where artists comes from, what they've done before.
reading ASAYAN I got really excited and thought she might have been in H!P for a time or something haha

I've never listened to her Route0 stuff...

Date: 2011-01-22 06:21 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rencode.livejournal.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XboRR3s-4a4

I like it! It sounds nice and it isn't sickeningly cute.

Date: 2011-01-23 12:00 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] omonaki.livejournal.com
Guh, I'm STILL pressed that she got plastic surgery. ;( You were a natural beauty, shikshin....

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