Super Junior dominated the physical album sales for 2012.

Even though digital sales have been steadily taking over the physical album sales, this year many idols sold more than 100,000 physical copies of their albums. Even though the digital trend is still growing, more fans bought physical albums in 2012 as compared to recent years.

According to Hanteo, there are 8 groups who sold more than 100,000 physical albums from January 1, 2012, to December 9, 2012. In 2011, only 5 groups had sold more than 100,000 physical copies for the entire year, showing the increase of physical album sales in 2012. In 2009 and 2010, only 2 groups had sold more than 100,000 copies.

Super Junior is the king of album sales as the group has ranked at #1 on the physical album sales for 3 consecutive years. In 2010, they sold more than 130,000 copies of the A version of ‘Bonamana‘, and in 2011 sold more than 200,000 copies of the A version of ‘Mr. Simple‘, ranking #1 for both years. Super Junior came back in the latter half of the year with ‘Sexy, Free & Single‘ on July 4th, but sold 177,718 physical copies so far, ranking at #1 for the entire year. Not only so, but they sold a total of 357,633 physical albums this year, including the versions of all their past albums. Super Junior ranked #1 in the ’2012 Singer Award’ category.

Following in 2nd place was Big Bang with 156,382 copies of their mini album ‘Alive‘. G-Dragon himself sold 113,038 copies of ‘One of a Kind‘, ranking 7th. They ranked #2 in the ’2012 Singer Award’ category as well, selling a total of 271,544 physical albums this year.

TVXQ ranked 3rd overall with 152,112 copies of ‘Catch Me‘, and also ranked 3rd in the ’2012 Singer Award’ by selling 240,862 total albums. SHINee ranked 4th with ‘Sherlock‘, selling 138,810 copies. B2ST ranked 5th with ‘Midnight Sun‘ and sold 118,490 copies. INFINITE ranked 6th with 115,746 copies of ‘Infinitize‘, and Busker Busker ranked 8th with ‘Busker Busker: Spring Wind‘ selling 109,237 copies.

Even though EXO-K and Jay Park have not yet reached over 100,000 physical album sales they are running close in fast with 99,047 and 90,653 copies sold respectively. Four of the top 10 sellers are from SM Entertainment and 2 are from YG Entertainment, proving the power of the big companies. Additionally, the male idols were very popular in 2012 as evidenced by fact that the entire top 10 of physical album sales were by male idol artists.

All the numbers are from just physical album sales (digital album sale figures are not included).

Hanteo TOP 10 as of December 9th
1. Super Junior – ‘Sexy, Free & Single’ – 177,718 copies (SM Entertainment)
2. Big Bang – ‘Alive’ – 156,382 copies (YG Entertainment)
3. TVXQ – ‘Catch Me’ – 152,112 copies (SM Entertainment)
4. SHINee – ‘Sherlock’ – 138,810 copies (SM Entertainment)
5. B2ST – ‘Midnight Sun’ – 118,490 copies (Cube Entertainment)
6. INFINITE – ‘Infinitize’ – 115,746 copies (Woollim Entertainment)
7. G-Dragon – ‘One Of A Kind’ – 113,038 copies (YG Entertainment)
8. Busker Busker – ‘Busker Busker: Spring Wind’ – 109,237 copies (CJ E&M)
9. EXO-K ‘MAMA’ – 99,047 copies (SM Entertainment)
10. Jay Park – ‘New Breed’ – 90,653 copies (SidusHQ)

Super Junior has ranked #1 overall on Japan’s Tower Records ‘2012 K-Pop Top 20‘ chart. While 2PM charted #1 on the singles chart, and Girls’ Generation charted on top of the DVD chart.

Tower Records released a total of 31 charts on December 4th for the year of 2012, including genres such as K-Pop, Japanese music, Western music, and Classical music. The charts were calculated with data collected up to November 30th. Tower Records commented, “In 2012, K-pop advanced not only in Japan and other parts of Asia, but all across the globe. Concerts were held all over America and Europe, and the popularity of the artists’ has increased.”

The ‘K-Pop Top 20‘ lists Super Junior’s ‘Sexy, Free & Single‘ as #1, and then ranks Big Bang‘s ‘Alive‘ at #2, Girls’ Generation’s ‘Girls & Peace‘ at #3, KARA‘s ‘Super Girl‘ at #4, Girl’s Generation’s “The Boys” at #5, EXO-K‘s ‘MAMA‘ at #6, KARA’s ‘Girls Forever‘ at #7, T-ara‘s ‘Jewelry Box‘ at #8, SHINee‘s ‘Sherlock‘ at #9, TaeTiSeo‘s ‘Twinkle‘ at #10, Big Bang’s ‘Still Alive’ (Special Edition) at #11, G-Dragon‘s ‘One of a Kind‘ at #12, B2ST‘s ‘Midnight Sun‘ at #13, F.T. Island‘s ‘20‘ at #14, Super Junior’s ‘Mr. Simple‘ at #15, Girls’ Generation’s ‘Mr. Taxi‘ at #16, f(x)‘s ‘Electric Shock‘ at #17, XIA‘s ‘TARANTALLEGRA‘ at #18, CNBLUE‘s ‘Code Name Blue‘ at #19, and Jang Geun Suk‘s ‘Just Crazy‘ at #20.

On the K-Pop singles chart, 2PM took the top 2 spots with “Masquerade” and “Beautiful“, respectively. SHINee took #3 with “Dazzling Girl“, Kim Hyun Joong took #4 with “HEAT“, and SHINee’s Japanese version of “Sherlock” wrapped up the list at 5th place.

For the K-Pop DVD ranking, Girls’ Generation took #1 with ‘Girls’ Generation Complete Video Collection‘. KARA followed with ‘KARA Best Clips II & Shows‘ at #2, and then SHINee with ‘SHINee The 1st Concert in Japan “SHINee World”‘ at #3. Girls’ Generation had another in the top 5 as ‘Japan First Tour Girls’ Generation‘ ranked 4th, and 2PM finished the top 5 with ‘2PM Arena Tour 2011 “Republic of 2PM”‘.

Although B2ST recently concluded their “Beautiful Night” promotions in Korea, the group will be back very soon to promote their third Japanese single, ‘Midnight Sun‘.

‘Midnight Sun’ will be released on October 17th in three first press limited edition versions and a CD only version.

Earlier today the group revealed the full music video/PV for “Midnight“.  Fans are able to get an idea of the groups new styling, which is completely different from the Korean MV.

(Updated with official HD video)

B2ST will wrap up promotions for their 5th mini-album ‘Midnight Sun‘ on September 2nd KST, and immediately start preparing for their next album.

This week will be the last that the group will perform “Beautiful Night” on music programs, starting with KBS‘ ‘Music Bank‘ on the 31st KST and ending with SBS‘ ‘Inkigayo‘ on the 2nd. Fans won’t have to wait for long however, as B2ST will be releasing a new album at the end of this year.

A representative stated, “There were plans in place for B2ST to make a comeback within this year. After a brief vacation, the members will start working on the next album.” It was also revealed that B2ST is planning to promote overseas as well.

Source+Image: Osen via Nate

On August 7th, idol group B2ST released the limited edition of their fifth mini-album ‘Midnight Sun‘, which was released on the 22nd of last month.

B2ST had placed up to second with the original version of ‘Midnight Sun’ when it came to total number of albums sold, but with the release of their limited edition, the boys rose to the #1 spot in just a single day.

With their upbeat electronic dance track “Beautiful Night“, the B2ST members are receiving praise for their carefree and exciting stage performances, and the refreshing song is one that is perfect for any summer night.

The wedding-concept pictorial released with this new limited edition album is also being widely talked about amongst fans. For the first time since their debut, the members have transformed into six sweet grooms dressed in tuxedos, and each completed a photo shoot that brought out each of their individual charms.

This unique concept not only gave the boys a more approachable ‘boyfriend-idol’ image, it left fans daydreaming of one day walking down the aisle with the members.

B2ST’s limited edition ‘Midnight Sun’ album includes 84 pages of unreleased B2ST photos, along with a wallet, a star card, and more.

With their new album, the boys who have proved that they are one of today’s most powerful boy groups are actively promoting on radio shows, music programs, and variety shows.

While it’s nothing new for women to borrow from the men’s section, the idea of men wearing clothes designed for women is less common. Sure, we see idols in drag all the time, but do we ever see men wearing stuff from the women’s department unironically? This summer, the answer is yes, as these five, fashion-forward men show us that style really is genderless.

In Seungri‘s version of Big Bang‘s Alive Special Edition (released in June), there’s a picture of him wearing a leopard print shirt. As it turns out, this shirt is from one of Roberto Cavalli’s womenswear lines! To personalize the look, Seungri paired the shirt with a red jacket, which disguised the billowy sleeves, and removed the narrow, self-fabric belt.  [Source: UKBigBang]

Also in June, style icon G-Dragon was spotted in Paris wearing a black maxi skirt with a red belt and white t-shirt. During that trip, he did a photo shoot with Harper’s Bazaar, where he wore a black, knee-length skirt with his skateboarding gear.

On June 28th, in order to fit in with the “beach theme” of the Mnet 20′s Choice Awards, the Asian Soul J.Y. Park himself wore a black, wraparound maxi skirt with a slit up the back, paired with black gladiator sandals. He dressed the outfit up with a cap-sleeved, white button-down and red bowtie.

2AM‘s Jo Kwon made good on his promise to perform in Jeffrey Campbell‘s 19.5cm shoes with no heel support on July 1st, giving everyone something to talk about. He completed his dramatic stage costume with tight black pants and a dramatic, feathered collar that extended from his nose to his waist.

B2ST‘s Junhyung had some fun on the set of the ‘Midnight Sun‘ (released July 21) photo shoot, while wearing a jacket and pants from Ashish‘s Spring/Summer 2012 collection. He made the look his own with a fringed scarf and a yellow t-shirt.  [Source: Cube-Style]

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What are your thoughts on genderless fashion? Would you ever give it a try?

Idol group B2ST recently released their new album ‘Midnight Sun‘, and fans are suspecting that tracks “It’s Not Me” and “Your Day Off“, both written by Yong Junhyung, are about his own relationship with KARA‘s Goo Hara.

Junhyung has written a number of songs before, but the lyrics of his past songs have never described a specific situation in such detail, the way they are in his new tracks. In “It’s Not Me”, the lyrics explain, “Ate at a place I frequent visit, not with a girl, but the two of us. Doojoon and I, the two of us,” and “I’ve never even been to a Hongdae club, You were mistaken last night.”

Adding fellow B2ST member Doojoon’s name in the lyrics made it seem all the more personal to Junhyung, and the track included ‘explanations’ that those in their early teens give to their significant others such as “I really don’t have anyone else but you,” and “I left my phone at home,” making it easy for listeners to relate.

In his other track “Your Day Off”, Junhyung wrote, “What are you doing tomorrow, you’re off, I have work, You’re meeting a friend, How about you stay home,” and “Okay, go out but come home early, so that I don’t worry.“ He worries about his girlfriend going out without him, and he it seemed he was trying to express his heart and mind through the lyrics as if he were having a conversation.

Both songs contain lyrics that describe situations which could easily take place in reality, and fans are growing ever more curious to know who the songs are about.

Do you think they are about Hara? Let us know below!

Source & Image: OSEN via Nate

B2ST, who recently made their return with their 5th mini-album titled ‘Midnight Sun‘, has impressed netizens with their flawless live performance of their latest title track, “Beautiful Night“.

The boys made a powerful return on the July 27th broadcast of KBS‘s ‘Music Bank‘ and performed two tracks including “Not Me“. A video of their MR-removed performance was recently uploaded on Youtube and is drawing high praise for their impeccable live skills.

Netizens left comments like, “Indeed, Yang Yoseob‘s live is flawless“, “Their MR-removed is not bad“, “I never knew their live was this good“, and more.

Check out the MR-removed performance below!

Source & Image: TV Daily via Nate

After releasing the dance practice video for B2ST‘s “Beautiful Night”, choreographer Prepix Haw has now released the dance practice video for “Not Me“.

“Not Me” is the 3rd track on their fifth mini-album ‘Midnight Sun‘. Member Junhyung helped write the lyrics on the track.

Do you prefer the choreography for “Beautiful Night” or “Not Me”?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]

It’s a beautiful day for B2uties as B2ST has released the music video for “Beautiful Night“!

“Beautiful Night” is the title track of the group’s new, fifth mini-album, ‘Midnight Sun‘. Another song from the album, “Midnight”, was pre-released a week before the album officially came out today, July 22nd KST.

The music video was shot in New York, and the new single is described as a dramatic dance track from the electro-synth pop genre.

Check out the track list details for ‘Midnight Sun’ here, and the full “Beautiful Night” MV below.

It’s a beautiful day for B2UTIES as B2ST have released their fifth mini-album ‘Midnight Sun‘!

It’s been a long year and two months since B2ST has been active, and fans are excited for their comeback and mini-album, which holds six tracks in all.

As you patiently wait for the music video of “Beautiful Night” check out the samples from the tracks below.

01. Midnight (Composed by Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Kyu Sung; Lyrics by Shinsadong Tiger, Junhyung; Arranged by Shinsadong Tiger)
02. Beautiful Night (Title Track; Composed by goodnight, sleep well; Lyrics by 4realz; Arranged by goodnight, sleep well)
03. It’s Not Me (Composed by Rado; Lyrics by Rado, Junhyung; Arranged by Rado)
04. When I Miss You (Composed by Choi Kyu Sung; Lyrics by Choi Kyu Sung, Junhyung; Arranged by Choi Kyu Sung)
05. The Day You Rest (Composed, Arranged, Lyrics Written by Junhyung, Kim Tae Joo)
06. Dream Girl (Composed, Arranged, Lyrics Written by Junhyung, Kim Tae Joo)

At the press conference for their fifth mini-album ‘Midnight Sun‘ on the 20th, B2ST revealed that they have been enjoying Psy‘s newest tracks from ‘Gangnam Style‘.

Kikwang expressed, “We’ve been enjoying listening to Psy hyung’s songs. They’re really great. However, we are confident in our music as well.”

B2ST went up against Psy on July 15th, the release of Psy’s album and the group’s pre-release track, “Midnight“. ‘Gangnam Style’ came out on top on digital charts while “Midnight” followed closely behind.

Psy commented, “I was surprised myself because I hadn’t expected it. Since it is just a pre-release track, I don’t think it’s fair to call it a full-on battle.”

B2ST’s title track is scheduled for release on the morning of July 22nd, when they’ll be stepping away from their clean image for a more rebellious feel with “Beautiful Night”.

Yoseob stated, “I wanted to put what we learned from our world tour into the album. I learned how to have fun on stage. I feel that there haven’t been many opportunities for us to truly communicate with our fans on stage so far, as our performances have focused more on getting our choreography synchronized or shouting energetically on our own. We lacked communication with the audience, so that’s what [we] wanted to focus on this time. [We] want to show that we, too, are free-spirited men who know what being cool is.”

As of the 21st KST, Psy is leading on major digital charts like Melon and Mnet.

Source + Photos: OSEN via Naver

B2ST is coming back in a year and two months with their 5th mini album, ‘Midnight Sun‘. They have put aside their previous sound and to challenge themselves with an electronic-synth pop genre for the first time.

The change is big especially for the main vocalist Yoseob who has a solo dance segment for the performance of “It’s Not Me“. He shared, “I’m shy about dancing but I think the choreographer gave me a solo dance in order to tell me to have more confidence in dancing.”

When talking about the musical transformation, Yoseob revealed, “After contemplating with the members, we decided on the album’s direction and we think we have produced the best album. I’m also confident about the transformation.”

Meanwhile, B2ST will have their first comeback stage on the 27th with performances of “Beautiful Night” and “It’s Not Me” on KBS‘ ‘Music Bank‘.

Source+Picture: Star Interviews via Chosun

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

After releasing the short audio teaser yesterday, B2ST is back to tease fans further with a music video teaser!

The clip shows scenes shot in New York for their upcoming music video for the new title track, “Beautiful Night”, which is said to be a dramatic dance track from the electro-synth pop genre.

Check out the teaser and stay tuned for the release of their album on the 22nd!

Having unveiled the previous album photos featuring the members as separate units, B2ST is back with two new photos featuring the whole group!

With the revealing of the photos, Cube United Twitter also announced that if their tweets are retweeted 20091016 times, they will be unveiling a new “present” for the fans later today!

In addition to showing the new transformation of the members, the playful poses depicted in the photos also hint at the fresh and playful sound of their upcoming title track, “Beautiful Night“, which is said to be a dramatic dance track from the electro-synth pop genre.

Stay tuned for the release of their album on the 22nd!

Source + Photos: Cube United Twitter

Tip: and_so

After pre-releasing “Midnight” a week before the July 22nd KST release of ‘Midnight Sun‘, B2ST has now revealed the official track list for their fifth mini-album.

It’s been a year and two months since B2ST has been active, and fans are excited for their new concept and mini-album, which holds six tracks in all. Cube Entertainment revealed the official track list and details on the 18th KST. Member Junhyung in particular is receiving attention for being involved in the production of most of the album’s songs.

A representative from Cube Entertainment stated, “You’ll be able to discover new charms of B2ST through this album. They’ve made the effort to show a variety of changes. Please look forward and take interest in their upcoming comeback stage.”

Check out the track list details for B2ST’s ‘Midnight’ below.

‘Midnight’ Track List:

01. Midnight (Composed by Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Kyu Sung; Lyrics by Shinsadong Tiger, Junhyung; Arranged by Shinsadong Tiger)
02. Beautiful Night (Title Track; Composed by goodnight, sleep well; Lyrics by 4realz; Arranged by goodnight, sleep well)
03. It’s Not Me (Composed by Rado; Lyrics by Rado, Junhyung; Arranged by Rado)
04. When I Miss You (Composed by Choi Kyu Sung; Lyrics by Choi Kyu Sung, Junhyung; Arranged by Choi Kyu Sung)
05. The Day You Rest (Composed, Arranged, Lyrics Written by Junhyung, Kim Tae Joo)
06. Dream Girl (Composed, Arranged, Lyrics Written by Junhyung, Kim Tae Joo)

Source: Osen; Cube Entertainment

Having unveiled a variety of teasers and hints along with the pre-release of “Midnight“, B2ST is back with two new photos featuring Hyunseung, Yoseob, and Kikwang!

The revealed photos are photos from their album jacket and once again show the 180 degree transformations of the members much like the previous photos released yesterday featuring Doojoon, Dongwoon, and Junhyung.

The playful poses depicted in the photos also hint at the fresh and playful sound of their upcoming title track, “Beautiful Night“, which is said to be a dramatic dance track from the electro-synth pop genre.

Stay tuned for the release of their album on the 22nd!

Tip: and_so

Having unveiled a variety of teasers and hints along with the pre-release of “Midnight“, B2ST is back with two new photos featuring Dongwoon, Junhyung, and Doojoon!

The revealed photos are photos from their album jacket and once again show the 180 degree transformations of the members.

The playful poses depicted in the photos also hint at the fresh and playful sound of their upcoming title track, “Beautiful Night“, which is said to be a dramatic dance track from the electro-synth pop genre.

Stay tuned for the release of their album on the 22nd!

Photos: Cube United Twitter

Tip: and_so

With the release of “Midnight” right around the corner, B2ST has released a video teaser for their upcoming mini album, ‘Midnight Sun‘!

As announced previously, ahead of the July 22nd release of the new album, the first track on their track list, “Midnight”, will be pre-released on July 15th at midnight KST!

In the video teaser revealed, the boys are seen walking around the streets of New York sporting their new looks. Check it out for yourself below!

Tip: HaiiSuperBang

Ahead of the July 22nd release of B2ST’s new album, ‘Midnight Sun‘, the first track on their track list, “Midnight” will be pre-released a week before on July 15th at midnight KST. To follow up, Cube Entertainment has released individual teasers!

“Midnight” is said to be be a song that will grab attention with its piano and guitar sound and the dramatic vocals of the members of B2ST.

In the meantime check out the individual teaser image for “Midnight”

#Midnight (별헤는 밤) 티저 이미지공개 twitter.com/cubeunited/sta…

— CUBE ENTERTAINMENT (@cubeunited) July 13, 2012