K-Pop Q&A: Here is a little about us...

1. How and when did you first start listening to K-pop?
シェルビー: I first started listening to K-pop towards the end of 2008. I was actually in to J-pop at the time but my friend introduced me to some K-pop songs and I found it really catchy.
pkimhi: In High School, my best friend started telling me to listen to kpop because I am part korean, and I needed to connected to my culture... apparently kpop was a means for that. 

2. What was the first K-pop MV you ever saw?
シェルビー: Sunset Glow by Big Bang
pkimhi: I think it was Breathe By Miss A.

3. Who do you think is the most talented vocalist and why?
シェルビー: Jonghyun of SHINee because his voice is very powerful and he can hit some pretty high notes.
pkimhi: Ailee, hands down! She has such a wide range, and I haven't heard a song that I don't love from her!

4. Who do you think is the most talented dancer and why?
シェルビー: Kai of EXO because I think he has a background in a variety of dances.
pkimhi: Taemin from SHINee yo~ I mean, as far as group choreography goes, he is always the cleanest looking dance moves.

5. Who do you think is the most talented rapper and why?
シェルビー: Rap Monster of BTS because he writes his rap lyrics and the lyrics he writes are very meaningful.
pkimhi: G-Dragon because he just is. Sorry to keep naming popular artists.

6. Which artists do you think should collaborate?
シェルビー: Taeyang x Ailee
pkimhi:  IU and K.Will

7. Which K-pop artist or group do you respect the most (Not necessarily your favorite)?
シェルビー: Tablo of Epik High
pkimhi: BoA

8. What is your favorite English version of a K-pop song?
シェルビー: Nobody by Wonder Girls
pkimhi: Taeyang's Wedding Dress

9. What is your favorite Japanese version of a K-pop song?
シェルビー: Tic Tock by U-Kiss
pkimhi: Replay by SHINee!!! 

10. What is your favorite OST from a Korean drama?
シェルビー: Kiss Me by G.Na (from the drama Playful Kiss) I actually never saw this drama but I really like the song xD.
pkimhi: From Princess Hours (aka Goong), the song, Two Words by Jung Jae Wook & The One

11. Which K-pop song do you NOT like at all?
シェルビー: Here I am - ZE:A
pkimhi: LOL-ing so hard because my least favorite song is also from ZE:A Five (the sub group of ZE:A) called "Change Up" (its a long story but I have ZE:A Five's Album and thats the song I always skip)

12. Who is your favorite subunit group?
シェルビー: Infinite H
pkimhi: SISTAR19

13. If you were to audition for a Korean Entertainment Company, who would it be and why?
シェルビー: I would audition for JYP Entertainment because I think Jin Young Park is well respected and treats his trainees and artists very well.
pkimhi: Dittos to this one ^^ because I don't really have enough swag for YG, but I also don't want to sell my soul to SM. sorry bout it. 

14. Who do you prefer: JYP, SM, or YG and why?
シェルビー: YG Entertainment because they REALLY train their artists to their best potential and they have really good producers.
pkimhi: Also YG because honestly, you don't ever hear about so many bad things like from SM, and their fashion style is on point.

15. Who is the most underrated artist(s) in your opinion?
シェルビー: SPICA
pkimhi: SPICA.  They just have amazing vocalists and no one really recognizes that.

16. Which K-pop album would you recommend to others?
シェルビー: EXO: XOXO (1st album)
pkimhi: 2NE1's Crush album

17. What is your favorite MV and why?
シェルビー: Butterfly by G-Dragon because I love the fact that it was mostly animated and it was really artistic and pretty.
pkimhi: Oh YAY, so the MV "Beautiful Enough" by Verbal Jint ft. Sanchez is so good! It has a twist in the end that's like WOW!

18. Who is your ultimate bias group/artist and why (PICK ONLY ONE)?
シェルビー: Big Bang because no matter how long you have to wait for their next album or song (as a group), the wait is always worth it. They never disappoint you and their songs/performances just keep getting better.
pkimhi: Okay, so I really still have a love for SHINee.  They were the first boy group that I was into and they've just matured a lot since I started listening to them.  I still like a few of their recent songs and they just really seem to work well as a group.

19. Who is your ultimate bias member and why (PICK ONLY ONE)?
 シェルビー: Rap Monster of BTS because I really admire his personality as a rapper. On twitter he shares some pretty deep thoughts and always tweeting about songs he is listening to. You can tell he is really passionate about his work as a musician. He's not the most perfect artist but he's the perfect "imperfect" idol.
pkimhi: Shocker alert, not really... It's Jung Yonghwa from CNBLUE!  He composes a lot of the songs on their album like Can't Stop, and the song "you've fallen for me" from the Drama 'Heartstrings' and probably a lot more! Gotta love his skills and voice <3

20. Name your top 5 favorite groups or artists:
シェルビー: Big Bang, 2NE1, BTS, U-Kiss, EXO
pkimhi: 2NE1, BIGBANG, CNBLUE, K.Will, Kim Ye Rim

What is "Yonghwaiting Hoodlums"?

Basically, between me and pkimhi, we took two of our favorite K-pop groups to create this name. Her favorite group is CN BLUE (hence, why "Yonghwa" is part of our name lol). And my favorite group is BTS. When I think of BTS, I think about how their concepts have always been like a "bad boy/rebellious" image, kind of like "hoodlums." And lastly, we hope this blog will be relatable for many K-pop fans who come across us. We are always "hwaiting" in support for K-pop artists and K-pop fans like us.

But our blog name doesn't mean that we are ONLY going to be talking about CN BLUE and BTS, it means that we will talking about a variety artists in the K-pop industry. If you think about it, CN BLUE isn't completely K-pop, they have more of a Pop Rock sound and same thing for BTS, they have more of a Hip-Hop sound. So from CN BLUE to BTS and everything in between, welcome to our blog :).

Best Songs to get into K-pop

So you want to be a k-pop fan ehh?

K-pop (Korean pop) has been going mainstream lately *woot woot* I mean, sadly, some people are transitioning from Gangnam style or haven't even skimmed the outer shell of all the glorious-ness of this genre.  This is my personal list of songs that I think are great if you or your friend are trying to get into k-pop.  Get ready to Fangirl or fanboy yo brains out!

1.  Wonder Girls "Be My Baby"
So much nostalgia! Wonder Girls is probably the first girl groups I liked and got me into kpop.  This is and still is one of my favorite songs with its catchy "please be my babyy~" chorus.  It will definitely get stuck in your head!

2.  BIGBANG "Bad Boy"
Probably one of the most popular groups from YG Entertainment, Bigbang is one of the top k-pop artists. G-Dragon, TOP, Taeyang, Daesung, and Seungri, are all individually talented in rapping/singing, but together they form like this Power Ranger Megazord rap group!

3.  Taeyang "Wedding Dress"

Also a member from BigBang, Taeyang has those honey vocals and dance moves that make girl's all over the world thank god for making such a human being exist.  Remember how i said each is individually talented?  Taeyang's voice reminds me of Usher or Chris Brown (strangely though, i don't even really listen to them).

4.  2PM "A.D.T.O.Y"

aka "Beastly idols" 2pm is my kind of group.  They're like the songs you listen to when you be dancing at the club~ or in this case, when you feel sexy AF.  Heyo, black and white MV + chair dancing? it's like the recipe for how to create fangirls.           ヽ(｡･ω･｡)ﾉ

5.  SNSD (aka Girl's Generation) "Genie" 

One of the most internationally popular kpop girl groups, SNSD,  is just AMAZING.  Girls and guys both love them! I mean, I can't even describe them... they're like the Unicorns of the music world,  you can't help but just be mesmerized by their synchronization and singing skills.  

6.  EXO "Growl"

So one thing to know about Kpop groups is that Dancing is just as important as the singing.  So, practically ALL groups you see have awesome dancing skills.  Plus, if you don't know them, EXO is one of the most popular ovary-bursting groups right now (girls be cray-cray for them).  But I don't know for how much longer since 2 of 12 members (Kris and Luhan) have left the group T^T

7.  2NE1 "I Am The Best"

Okay, so I've been thinking of this post since forever, but if you saw that new Microsoft commercial with a sassy laptop tablet thing then you probably heard this song.  I mean, who can't love 2ne1's songs?  This is so perfect for feeling like a boss. 

8.  AKMU (Akdong Musician) "200%" 

The first time I listened to this song, I fell in love with this brother-sister duo.  The song itself is just so happy and upbeat.  I don't even speak korean and yet it's so catchy~

9.  CNBLUE "Can't Stop"

 Of course, I can't exclude my bias group! (a bias is basically your favorite idol/group) And CNBLUE is one of the few popular actual BANDS that i love.  They compose a lot of their own music and most of them are power ballads like this. hehe and chelby will probably be mad that i didnt include her group in here (oops). 

10.  Ailee "U & I" 

If this were a list ranked by order of favorites, Ailee would be like my #1.  She is the Beyonce of Asian singers.  If you like them high notes, she delivers!  You should also look at her debut song Heaven.