YG 2015 Plans: iKON Debut, Winner, Big Bang, Psy Comeback

YG Entertainment will mobilize all boy groups of the company for comeback in the first half of 2015. The sensation created by the comeback of YG artists in 2014 will continue next year, too.

A senior insider of YG explained, “President YANG HYUN SUK himself is leading the preparations for iKON’s debut, so I think their debut will take place quite soon. iKON is highly likely to be the first YG artist to come back next year.” He went on to say, “WINNER is also now accelerating their work for a comeback album. The two boy groups are now very busy working on new albums.”

YG’s president YANG HYUN SUK just gives some words of advice to YG’s star artists such as PSY, BIGBANG, and 2NE1 who have long-time experiences, and he makes the artists themselves work on their own. On contrary, he trains and teaches rookie artists strictly.

Plus, BIGBANG whose comeback has been delayed in 2014, as well as PSY, are waiting for their comeback next year. BIGBANG and PSY were known to have already begun working on their comeback, but they could not meet fans in 2014, because of busy individual performances and change in their new albums. It is highly likely that they will also join the lineup of YG artists’ comeback in the first half of 2015.

YANG HYUN SUK has suggested that iKON will make official debut early next year, which heightened fans’ expectations. According to YG insiders, “President YANG has recently committed himself to leading the work for iKON’s debut album and WINNER’s comeback, other than shooting for SBS ‘K-POP STAR’”.

YG has a system of leaving everything to artists themselves, for star artists with strong presence in the music scene, such as PSY, BIGBANG, 2NE1, and EPIK HIGH. Since PSY and BIGBANG create their albums in their own way, the schedule of their comeback has yet to be confirmed. However, iKON and WINNER for whom president YANG himself is working, will be able to meet their fans soon.

YG has constantly created sensation during the whole year of 2014, with comeback and success of 2NE1, AKMU, TAEYANG, WINNER, and EPIK HIGH. As those teams swept music charts with their new songs and took No.1 in music-ranking shows in 2014, music fans are paying keen attention to YG artists to come back in 2015. YG’s lineup of both rookies and veteran artists looks worth looking forward to.

Source: Osen, YG Life

Yang Hongseok and Jung Jinhyung to Stay in YG

The recent ending of “Mix & Match” had everyone abuzz especially with the inclusion of the original Team B members in YG Entertainment‘s newest boy group iKON with the addition of Jung Chan Woo. However, the question of what will happen to the remaining members, Yang Hong Seok and Jung Jin Hyung, remain afloat for the show’s loyal viewers and fans.

YG Entertainment put all the rumors to rest as the two trainees decided to stay with the company. A YG representative said, “Yang Hong Seok and Jung Jin Hyung had a one-on-one meeting with CEO Yang Hyun Suk and decided to stay. It’s not that the two members lack anything and that’s why they got eliminated from ‘Mix & Match,’ but the main reason is that compared to the other members they had the least time to grasp the training life. However with this, they expressed their firm stance that they want to remain in the company.”

The representative further added their intent to support the trainees and said: “We will be providing Yang Hong Seok and Jung Jin Hyung with the proper facilities in training through the access to training rooms in the YG (building) and hopefully they will grow from this. If they have shown great improvement with all the training they will receive, hopefully they will be able to debut through YG.”

Source: Soompi

Final lineup revealed for YG’s iKON

The votes have been tallied and the fans have spoken. All of the original members of Team B will officially be debuting as YG Entertainment’s newest boy band, iKON.

After six months of filming, with intense song and dance battles that tested the limits of a handful of K-pop idol hopefuls, YG’s “Mix & Match” weekly boy band survival program has concluded.

Former “WIN: Who Is Next?” Team B contestants Gu Jun-hoe, Song Yun-hyeong and Kim Dong-hyuk, as well as newcomer Jung Chan-woo, received the most fan votes, earning themselves a spot in YG’s new boy band.

Earlier this year, the agency ― home to Psy, Big Bang, 2NE1 and Epik High ― launched yet another reality program to create a seven-member boy band.

The show was a spin-off of last year’s popular “WIN: Who Is Next?” TV series, which created Winner ― YG’s first boy group since it debuted Big Bang nine years ago.

“Mix & Match” featured all the members of last year’s losing Team B. However, in a twist, YG head Yang Hyun-suk revealed prior to the show’s broadcast that long-time YG trainees B.I., Bobby and Jin-hwan had already been preselected to debut as members of iKON, but that the agency would be adding three new faces to the mix ― trainees Chan-woo, Jung Jin-hyeong and Yang Hong-seok ― for a total of nine contenders.

The six competing participants performed mission after mission in hopes of securing one of the four remaining spots in iKON. As the title of the show suggests, the members were mixed and matched into various teams to see which members best complimented the already confirmed members of the group.

The nine-episode survival program aired its first show in September and has garnered attention across Asia, leading to the trainees visiting Japan and China to give overseas fans the opportunity to vote for the member they wish to see debut. With fan voting, both global and local, counting for 70 percent of the weighted total and the 30 percent representing the votes from artists and members of the YG family, the fate of the six contestants was finally sealed Thursday in the show’s final episode.

In ranking order, the global fans chose Gu, Song, Kim and Chan-woo. The YG family votes had Gu coming out on top, with Song tied in second place with Donghyuk ― whose final performances landed him votes from G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung of Big Bang as well members from 2NE1 ― and Jung coming in the final fourth spot.

Although the final results may not have come as such a shock to avid viewers of the show, the overall tally showed newcomer Chan-woo being voted in before original Team B member Donghyuk, which may have come unexpected to some.

Whether Jin-hyeong and Hong-seok, who failed make it as members of iKON, will succeed elsewhere in the K-pop industry remains to be seen. YG representative Yang stated in the past that it would be, “difficult for (whichever two members lost out) to make their debut at YG.”

Source: Korea Herald
http://khnews.kheraldm.com/view.php?ud=20141107000858&md=20141107204803_BK

Donghyuk Announced as iKON's Last Member

Donghyuk has just been announced as the last member of iKON.

YG Adds Chanwoo to iKON Lineup

Jung Chanwoo has been confirmed as the 6th member of iKON.

The last member will be revealed tomorrow on Mix & Match.

Song Yunhyeong Confirmed as 5th Member of YG's iKON

Song Yunhyeong has just been confirmed as the 5th member of YG Entertainment's new boy group iKON via the agency's official blog YG Life.

Bobby to Feature in New YG Unit

YG Entertainment has just announced through YG Life that iKON's Bobby will feature in the debut of the agency's new unit composed of Lee Hi and another female artist set to be revealed tomorrow.

The single from this new in-house collab project will be released on November 11, 2014.

Junhoe Confirmed as iKON's 4th Member

YG Entertainment has announced the 4th confirmed member of its new boy group iKON– Koo Junhoe!

IKON to Debut in January, Will Be Promoting All Year Round in 2015

Star News (스타뉴스) - YG Entertainment's new boy group IKON confirmed to debut next year in January.

On the 22nd, YG Entertainment's Yang Hyunsuk revealed through Star News, “IKON will release their debut single in January next year after working for a bit as soon as MIX & MATCH ends.”

He continued, “Unlike Winner who took 10 months to debut since they had to prepare a debut album, IKON's debut preparations will be shorter since they will only release a single just like when 2NE1 debuted. Confirmed IKON member BI has also been working on a lot of songs making it possible for the group to debut right away when MIX & MATCH ends. IKON will be be releasing as many singles as they can next year and will be active in Korea all throughout 2015.”

Mix & Match's Final Match Set on October 22

YG Entertainment has announced on its official blog that the final match for Mix & Match, the survival show for the agency's new boy group iKON, will be on October 22 (8PM) at Korea University's HwaJung Gym.

At the final match, the members who will join BI, Bobby in the final lineup of iKON will be announced. YG artists like Big Bang, 2NE1, and more will also be attending.

The show will be aired live on Mnet and Naver’s TV Cast.

Mix & Match IKON Holds Successful Fan Meeting in China

The nine members of MIX & MATCH, YG Entertainment's survival show on Mnet for the agency's new boy group successfully held a fan meeting in Beijing, China on October 11.

The event was attended by 1,400 local fans who also participated in the "global vote" to select which members will be part of the final lineup of IKON, the name of YG Entertainment's upcoming boy group. It was reported that at least 60,000 fans applied to get tickets to the event.

1,400 local fans attended the fan meeting that was held on Oct. 11 at the Poly Theater in Beijing, China. At least 60,000 fans reportedly applied for tickets to the event.

Following their success in China, the member of MIX & MATCH will have their final fan meeting and voting event in Seoul on October 17.

Tablo's Daughter Haru Picks Bobby over GD

In Mix & Match's Episode 5, the members were shown moving into their new apartment.

The future IKON members seemed to like their new home a lot. During the episode, they visited Tablo's house which is part of the same building of their new apartment. Tablo's wife Kang Hye Jung and their daughter Haru (popular from Superman is Back) welcomed the members to their house and ate rice cakes together.

Haru also invited Bobby to her playroom and when asked by Bobby who she likes between him and BI, Haru picked Bobby. Bobby then followed up his question with “Bobby or GD?” and Haru, who is known to be a big fan of G-Dragon, surprisingly picked Bobby again making him very happy.

YG Trainees from ‘Mix & Match’ Hold Successful Fan Meeting in Japan

OSEN - YG Entertainment trainees from Mnet's Mix & Match successfully held a fan meeting in Japan.

The event held on the 5th at Dojima River Forum was attended by 2,000 local fans proving the popularity of the group. Even moreso, almost 40,000 fans applied for the fan meeting, but only 2,000 lucky fans were able to score tickets to the event.

The fan meeting started with the appearance of IKON's 3 confirmed members BI, Bobby and Kim Jinhwan. They were then followed by the other 6 trainees competing for spots in YG Entertainments upcoming boy group IKON.

The members performed TEAM B's Just Another Boy, Wait for Me, and had a Q&A session with the fans.

During the event, fans also had the opportunity to vote for the members they want to be part of the group. The results of voting will be announced during the finals.

After Japan, Mix & Match members will have 2 more fan meets, one in Beijing, China on October and another one in Seoul, South Korea on October 17.

BI's Sudden Disappearance on Mix & Match Episode 3, Why?

OSEN - The leader of iKON, a new boy group produced by YG ENTERTAINMENT (YG), disappeared while shooting ‘MIX & MATCH,’ a survival program to select the members of iKON.

The 3rd episode of ‘MIX & MATCH,’ which will be aired at 11 p.m. on Sep. 25th, features the sudden disappearance of B.I and the other members worrying about him.

B.I just did not show up in the studio the other day, which was very unusual for him, who appeared in channel Mnet’s ‘SHOW ME THE MONEY 3’ and has been managing to juggle the roles of the team leader, composer and choreographer. His sudden disappearance came as a shock to the other members, as he has been very responsible and charismatic as a leader despite his young age.

Fortunately, B.I shortly came back, but his disappearance served as an opportunity to come to know about the burdens B.I had to bear alone and what the other members think about B.I.

The 3rd episode of ‘MIX & MATCH’ also features the first pre-match, which decides on who will be eliminated from the show. The competition between ‘TEAM BOBBY,’ ‘TEAM JIN HWAN’ and TEAM B.I’ will unfold and a contestant is to be eliminated. But this will not be reflected in the final result, and is more like a mock test. The members will perform what they have prepared for a month in front of the judges, namely YG’s main producer YANG HYUN SUK and other YG composers.

Who Will Be Eliminated from Mix & Match's First Competition?

OSEN - The first competition of YG Entertainment (YG)’s new survival audition program “MIX & MATCH,” a show designed to select members of YG’s new boy band, iKON, will be aired.

In the preview of the show’s third episode on Sept. 22, B.I. says, “Frankly speaking, I wasn’t impressed” when a new member YANG HONG SEOK joins the team, arousing everyone’s curiosity.

It also revealed that a pre-match among the nine members is expected to take place for the first time. Nobody will be eliminated from the pre-match, but it will be an evaluation test to decide who will be eliminated through the showdown of the three teams, Team B.I., Team JIN HWAN, and Team BOBBY.

The members will have a month to prepare to show what they can do in front of the judges including YG’s main producer YANG HYUN SUK and songwriters. Fans are anxiously waiting to find out who will be on the verge of getting eliminated from the show as YANG HYUN SUK intimidates the members by saying, “I don’t know who will be eliminated today, but no one is safe.”

Meanwhile, in the second episode of “MIX & MATCH,” new-face trainees JUNG JIN HYEONG and JUNG CHAN WOO received mixed reviews from YANG HYUN SUK. JUNG JIN HYEONG was criticized for not being able to get mixed well in the team whereas JUNG CHAN WOO was praised for his ability to harmonize with others.

The show’s third episode, scheduled to air at 11 p.m. on Sept. 25, is drawing immense attention as fans are eager to see whether JUNG JIN HYEONG will receive more favorable evaluation than last time, what YANG HONG SEOK has in store for the viewers, and how much the existing members have improved.

“MIX & MATCH” airs every Thursday at 11 p.m via Mnet and NAVER TV CAST while YG’s official blog and NAVER TV CAST offers replay services.

NAVER TV CAST also provides undisclosed “multi-track” images as a bonus to show various images of each member taken from different angles.

Mix & Match IKON Fan Meetings in Korea, China, Japan

Fan meetings for YG Entertainment trainees and future IKON group members announced. The fan meetings will be held in 3 countries— South Korea, China, and Japan. Fans who attend will be able to vote which members they want to be part of YG's new boy group IKON.



MIX & MATCH IKON FAN MEETING SCHEDULE:
• October 5 in Osaka Japan @ Dojima River Forum
• October 11 in Beijing, China @ Poly Theater
• October 16 in Seoul, Korea @ D-Cube City, D-Cube Park

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Performances by 9 Members: Wait for Me, Just Another Boy, and more.
• Global Vote: Fan votes will be counted for the finals.
• Q&A Session.
• Interaction with fans.



• Watch Episode 3 on Thursday (11PM KST) »
• Watch Past Episodes (With English Subtitles) »
• Watch Unaired Clips »

Bobby Confirmed as Member of IKON, but Not Happy

Bobby is confirmed to be a member of iKON, but he said he was not that happy.

In episode 2 of Mnet’s “MIX & MATCH” aired on the 18th, Yang Hyun Suk revealed the 3 confirmed members of YG Entertainment's new boy group iKON. The three members revealed were BI, Bobby, and Kim Jinhwan.

To complete the group, four members will be selected among Team B's Song Yoonhyung, Kim Donghyuk, and Koo Junhoe, and new trainees Jung Chanwoo, Yang Hongseok, and Jung Jinhyung.

After hearing the new rules, Bobby confessed, “It wasn't good at all. What about the other three? That's the only thing I thought. I'm so sad. I really want to cheer them up, but as a confirmed member, the only thing I can do is be there for them.”

Yang Hyun Suk: Mix & Match Will Be Harsher than Big Bang's Documentary

YG Entertainment president Yang Hyun Suk said he feels like he's selecting a national team.

In episode 2 of Mnet's MIX & MATCH aired on the September 18, the press conference for “MIX & MATCH” was shown.

On that day, Yang Hyun Suk introduced “MIX & MATCH” saying, “Out of nine including six Team B members and three new trainees, two will be eliminated from the competition in this survival program. I think it will be hard for the two make debut through YG.”

YG to mix and match to create boy band iKON

YG Entertainment, home to some of the biggest names in K-pop, will be launching yet another all-out, fight-for-survival boy band reality program with the goal of creating the agency’s newest seven-member boy band ― iKON.

The upcoming show, “Mix & Match,” comes a year after YG aired its hugely popular “WIN: Who Is Next?” TV series ― on which two teams made up of the agency’s top trainees competed against one another to make their debut as the boy band Winner, the first boy group from YG since it debuted Big Bang nine years ago.

The agency’s new reality show will feature all the members of last year’s losing team, Team B, as well three new YG trainees, for a total of nine battlers this time around.

However, it was announced at a press conference that previous Team B contestants B.I., Bobby and Kim Jin-hwan were already confirmed members of the upcoming boy group iKON, meaning the fate of the rest of the show’s six trainee contestants lies mostly in the hands of the public.

“As I promised before, the winners (of ‘WIN’) will make their debut, and the losers will disband or undergo changes,” Yang told reporters at the Conrad Seoul hotel on Tuesday.

YG to Unveil New Boy Group with ‘Mix & Match’

For the debut of B.I, Bobby, and the members of WIN Team B, YG Entertainment will be unveiling its new survival program, Mix & Match.

A year after super rookie Winner was born through Who is Next: WIN, YG Entertainment will unveil a new group through the survival program Mix & Match, which will be broadcasted through Mnet and Naver.

Mix & Match will consist of Team B′s B.I, Bobby, Kim Jin Hwan, Song Yoon Hyung, Goo Joon Hee, Kim Dong Hyuk, as well as three new trainees, who powered through audition competitions. The nine trainees will use their talents, charms, and uniqueness to showcase a fierce battle to become a member of YG′s new boy group.