Korean Pop superstars including Sistar, 4Minute, TVXQ and SHINee are descending upon Las Vegas on Nov. 25 and 26 for Billboard Korea’s 2011 KPop Masters concerts at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and not only are we giving away a ton of tickets, the grand prize winner and a guest will get to meet their favorite artist playing the shows, plus accomodations, roundtrip flights, and VIP tickets for two!
Meet The KPop Masters Performers
Meet The KPop Masters Performers
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Meet The KPop Masters Performers
4Minute
Led by Nam Jihyun, 4minute an adorable K-pop quintet rounded out by Heo Gayoon, Jeon Jiyoon, Kim Hyuna and Kwon SoHyun. In June 2009, the girls made a powerful impression in Korean public with the debut of their single, “Hot Issue,” which showcased 4minute’s youthful energy. They soon made it to the top of several Korean music charts with their mini album, “Muzik”. In addition, 4minute was granted the honor of representing Korean vocal artists at the Billboard Japan Music Awards 2010. In January 2011, Hyuna (who was originally a member of the first Wonder Girls) debuted as a solo artist with her first single “Change,” and in July of 2011 she released her first mini-album “Bubble Pop!,” the video for which was deemed “too sexy” for some Korean TV outlets. Hyuna displays a powerful stage presence far beyond her 19 years — and her talent and charisma helped her earn a spot on Billboard.com’s 2011 “21 Under 21” list of the most important young music makers.
“Huh” by 4Minute
TVXQ!
A creation of SM Entertainment; the huge Korean artist management company that has also produced top artists like Girls’ Generation and Super Junior, TVXQ! is arguably the biggest boy band in Asia. The group debuted in 2004 with “Hug” and quickly made it to the top of several Asian charts. Despite running a 2009 rift that saw three of the original members drop out due to conflicts with the management company (they went on to form the popular group JYJ), the remaining two members –Yunho and Changmin– launched their album “Tone” in Japan. Never ones to be shy, the group’s name (pronounced “Dong Bang Shin Ki”) is the acronym for a Korean phrase that translates to “Rising Gods Of The East.” No wonder they made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for having the largest official fan club, (close to two million fans worldwide).
“Before U Go” by TVXQ!
Sistar
Loved in Korea for their cheerleader looks, their polished singing abilities and their cute choreography, the four young women of Sistar hold the special distinction of having the very first No. 1 on Billboard’s K-Pop Hot 100 chart, which launched this year. After creating the name Sistar by combining the words “sister” and “star,” members Hyolyn, Bora, Soyou and Dasom released their first single “Push Push” in 2010 and tasted big success when the title track from first full album “So Cool” became the lucky track that top Billboard’s first K-Pop Hot 100 chart a year later.
“So Cool” by Sistar
SHINee
The boys of SHINee endured long years of strenuous training from a very young age in hopes of reaching the successes of predecessor TXVQ!. Consisting of Jong Hyun, Minho, Onew, Key, and 18-year-old Taemin, the latter of which is the youngest male performer at the 2011 Billboard K-Pop Masters Concert. In 2008, the pretty faced boy band debuted with, “You’re So Pretty,” and added on to its growing popularity with hits such as, “Amigo,” “Juliette,” and “Lucifer.” The boys expanded their fan base to the international market beginning last June by releasing their first mini album, “Replay,” in Japan. And in the group’s three year history, they have also become well known for starting style trends in Korea.
“Lucifer” by SHINee
Brown Eyed Girls
Known for their over-the-top sexy performances and genre-pushing R&B-based sound, the four ladies of Brown Eyed Girls (Jea, Miryo, Narsha, and Ga-in) gravitated together without the guiding hand of an entertainment company masterminding the process. The results have been stellar. Considered to be among the most vocally skilled of Korea’s current crop of girl group singers, BEG’s initial moderate success truly took off with the release of its first mini album, “LOVE.” Soon after, the quartet confirmed its stardom with the title song from second album, “How Come.” The girls transformed their musical style to electronic/pop with their next song, “Abracadabra.” After taking time away from the group for Jea, Miryo, Ga-in, and Narsha, BEGs recently made a vibrant comeback with “Sixth Sense,” the title song from its fourth regular album.
“Sixth Sense” by Brown Eyed Girls
Beast
With a name that’s an acronym for “Boys of East Standing Tall,” this K-Pop boy band sextet (Yoon Doo-joon, Jang Hyun-seung, Yong Jun-hyung, Yang Yo-seob, Lee Gi-kwang and Son Dong-woon) debuted in 2009 and promptly grabbed the spotlight with the release of its second mini album, “Shock of The New Wave.”. The rock/electronic title track, “Shock”, was the first of a string of hit songs that continued with “Easy”, “Breath”, “Beautiful”, “Fiction”, and “Days When It Rains.” Following the footsteps of other K-Pop stars, Beast debuted in Japan with the Japanese version of their song “Shock” and rocketed up to the top of various Japanese music charts.
“Fiction” by Beast
G.NA
It’s no surprise that G.NA started at the top. The singer’s debut, “Things I Want to Do When I Have a Lover,” was a duet with Rain, one of the most successful solo male artists in Korea. G.NA’s first solo track, “I’ll Back off So You Can Live,” soon followed, and that was an instant hit. Since then, the Canadian-born singer wrote her signature single, the dancey “Top Girl,” with the help of talented singer-songwriter Wheesung, and has released a pair of EPs and a full album, “Black & White,” in the last two years.
“Black & White” by G.NA
MBLAQ
Yet another K-Pop group with an name full of eclectic initials, MBLAQ is an acronym that stands for “Music Boys Live in Absolute Quality.” The five-piece boy band produced by top K-Pop sensation Rain, includes members Seung Ho (leader, vocalist), G.O (main vocalist), Joon (vocalist, main dancer), Cheondoong (vocalist, rapper), and Mir (rapper). After initially being overshadowed by its association with Rain, MBLAQ has now come into its own after releasing one full album and a second EP, “Mona Lisa”, this summer. The EP’s title song is a hypnotic dance track that’s become a hit in China and parts of Europe.
“Mona Lisa” by MBLAQ
BILLBOARD KOREA KPOP MASTERS SWEEPSTAKES
OFFICIAL RULES
1. No Purchase Necessary to enter or win. A Purchase will not increase your chances of winning.
To Enter: complete and submit the online registration in this article, anytime between 4:01 PM Eastern Time (ET) on Nov. 2, 2011 and 11:59 PM ET on Nov. 13, 2011. Limit one entry per person during the sweepstakes period. Anyone submitting multiple registrations/entries or invalid personal information may be disqualified from sweepstakes drawing. Registrations/entries must be complete and received by 11:59 PM ET on April 15, 2011 to be eligible.
2. Eligibility: Sweepstakes is open only to legal residents of 50 states in the United States and Washington DC (except Puerto Rico), who are at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time of entry. Employees of Billboard, a division of Prometheus Global Media, LLC (“Sponsor”), and each of their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, respective affiliates, advertising and public relations agencies, and each of their immediate family members as well as individuals living in the same households of such employees are ineligible. Entrants agree to the release of their name, phone number, zip code, birthday and email information to Sponsor for winner notification purposes and for public winner disclosure as required by law. All other aspects of the Billboard.com privacy statement are in effect. Sweepstakes is void where prohibited by law or regulation, and is subject to all applicable Federal, State, and local laws and regulations. By entering, participants agree to be bound by these official rules. Collection and use of personally identifiable information will be conducted in accordance with Sponsor’s Privacy Policy posted on its Website at Billboard.com.
3. Drawing: On or about Nov. 14, 2011, winner will be selected via random drawing from among all eligible entries received. Drawing will be conducted by Sponsor, whose decisions in all matters relating to this sweepstakes are final. Potential winner will be notified by Sponsor,via email or telephone, to the address provided during registration, with follow-up documentation sent via US mail, email or courier after email response is received. Potential winner must respond to the email notification within 2 days, and will be required to complete and have notarized an Affidavit of Eligibility and liability/publicity release that must be returned and received within 7 days of the date mailed to the potential winner, or prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected. Odds of winning are dependent upon the total number of eligible entries received.
4. Prize: One (1) Grand Prize and Fifteen (15) First Prizes. The Grand Prize consists of a travel package (“Travel Package”) and one (1) pass for the Winner and one (1) guest (“Guest”) (both Winner and Guest must be 18 years old on date of promotion entry) to attend the Billboard Korea KPop Masters concert at Las Vegas, Nevada’s MGM Grand Garden Arena on EITHER Nov. 25 OR Nov. 26, 2011 AND meet one of the artists performing at the concert. Travel Package includes: (i) roundtrip coach air transportation to Las Vegas, Nevada from a major airport within the contiguous U.S. nearest the Winner’s residence (as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion) for the Winner and Guest who must travel together on same itinerary; (ii) hotel accommodations which includes one (1) room for Winner and Guest and at a hotel selected by Sponsor in its sole discretion, for a maximum of three (3) nights. Ground transportation from airport to hotel and from hotel to airport is not included. Winner must be able to travel on the dates Events are currently scheduled for as outlined above or dates the Events actually end up being scheduled for as specified by Sponsor prior to booking travel, or Prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner selected. The First Prize consists of one (1) pair of tickets for the Winner and one (1) guest (“Guest”) (both Winner and Guest must be 18 years old on date of promotion entry) to attend the Billboard Korea KPop Masters concert at Las Vegas, Nevada’s MGM Grand Garden Arena on EITHER Nov. 25 OR Nov. 26, 2011 AND commemorative event poster. Approximate retail value of the Grand Prize is three thousand U.S. dollars ($3,000); Approximate retail value of the First Prize is one hundred fifty U.S. dollars ($150). Actual value may vary based on timing of trip, location of departure city, and assessment of prize elements publicly available. Difference between actual value and stated value will not be awarded in cash. Any other costs associated with the trip are the winner’s responsibility, and are not included. Winner is solely responsible for any federal, state, or local taxes on the value of the prize, and will be issued an IRS 1099-MISC tax form for the final value of the prize. Winner and guest are responsible for any other expenses not listed in these Official Rules. Prize or parts thereof may not be transferred or redeemed for cash, except as specified above. Except where otherwise expressly noted in these Official Rules, the selection of all vendors, prizes, products and services is subject to the Sweepstakes Entities’ sole and absolute discretion. Prize (and/or any portion thereof) is nontransferable and non-exchangeable. No substitutions or cash redemption of Prize is permitted except that Sponsor retains the right to substitute a Prize of equal or greater retail value (or at Sponsor’s election, the cash value of the applicable prize). Additional restrictions may apply. All other expenses not specifically mentioned herein, including but not limited to; telephone, food & beverages, in-room services, gratuities, local ground transportation, and taxes are the sole responsibility of the Winner and his or her Guest. All travel must be taken on the dates specified by the Sponsor which will be based on the actual scheduled Event dates; no alternative travel dates available. Winner and Guest must travel on same itinerary. Winner and Guest must both meet eligibility requirements set forth in Eligibility Section of these Official Rules. Winner and Guest are responsible for obtaining visas, passports, and any additional documentation necessary for travel to the destination. Winner and Guest must be able to legally travel to destination. If Winner is not legally eligible for travel to the destination, that Winner will be disqualified and prize will be forfeited in its entirety. Due to the nature of the Prize, Sponsor is not responsible if any of the Events are cancelled. If a Prize element is not available for any reason, the remaining elements of the Prize shall constitute full satisfaction of Sponsor’s Prize obligation to Winner. Winner and Guest will be required to complete a liability/publicity release before trip is booked. In no event will Sponsor be obligated to award more than the number of prizes stated in these Official Rules.
5. Limitation of Liability: Sponsor and its promotion partners, independent judging organization, and their affiliates are not responsible for typographical errors in any sweepstakes-related materials; for lost, late, misdirected, or incomplete registrations/entries or email; for technical, hardware, software, Internet, or telephone failures of any kind; for lost or unavailable network connections; for viruses; or for failed, incomplete, garbled, or delayed computer transmissions that may limit or interfere with a participant’s ability to take part in the promotion. Entries generated by script, macro, or other automated entry devices are not valid and will be disqualified. Sponsor reserves the right to cancel or modify promotion if fraud or technical failure compromises the integrity of the promotion, or corrupts or impairs the administration, security, fairness, or proper play of the sweepstakes, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Sponsor and its promotion partners, related companies, agencies, and their respective employees or officers shall not be liable for injury, losses, damages, or costs of any kind resulting from participation in this promotion, or acceptance of or use or misuse of a prize or parts thereof. Sponsor is solely responsible for the administration and execution of this promotion.
6. Dispute Resolution: THIS SWEEPSTAKES IS GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE STATE OF NEW YORK, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAW DOCTRINES. As a condition of participating in this Sweepstakes, participant agrees that any and all disputes which cannot be resolved between the parties, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Sweepstakes, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, exclusively before a court located in New YorkCounty having jurisdiction. Further, in any such dispute, under no circumstances will participant be permitted to obtain awards for, and hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental, or consequential damages, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, other than participants’ actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e. costs associated with entering this Sweepstakes), and participant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.
7. Winner List: For the name and city/state of residence of Winner, send a self-addressed, stamped, #10 envelope (after 12/1/11 but no later than 1/21/12) to: Billboard KPop Winner Confirmation Request attn. Katie Morse, at Sponsors address below. VT residents may omit return postage. Do not send any other correspondence to this address.
8. Sponsor: Billboard, a division of Prometheus Global Media, LLC, which has its principal place of business at 770 Broadway, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10003.