The music industry has been striving to overcome the slump in music sales. One of the most conspicuous changes in the music scene is the increased number of solo artists. A countless number of talented solo artists have recently emerged one after another in the music scene in the hopes of stealing the limelight. On Today's "Extra Plus," we'll take a close look at this latest trend and the brilliant exploits of solo artists who are bringing a ray of hope to the music industry. In the early 1990s, the Korean music industry enjoyed an unprecedented boom. Numerous albums of popular singers, such as Shin Seung-hoon, Kim Gun-mo and Cho Sung-mo, sold more than a million copies. This dramatically contrasts with the current situation where hardly any album sells more than 100,000 copies. Yangpa made her singing debut in 1997 as a high school girl with the determination to become a singer always revealing a new side as her stage name suggests! Yangpa means an onion in English.Having returned to the K-Pop scene in May of this year after a six-year hiatus, Yangpa has become a good role model for female solo artists. Following the success of "Love? What's that?," the title song of her new album topped numerous music charts in the first half of the year. Yangpa is expected to continue her activities with the song "Since I Met You," in the latter half of the year. Ivy also made her splendid comeback early this year with her second album. The new album features a variety of tracks ranging from the sentimental ballad "If You," to the exotic dance track "Seductive Sonata." In particular, she has received enthusiastic responses for her charismatic choreography in "Seductive Sonata," whose theme is the fatal attraction of a devil. Contrary to expectations, she has opted to express the sexiness and seductive appeal of an alluring woman without revealing her body. Younha, who has quickly risen to stardom thanks to her outstanding musical talent in place of her management agency's promotion or marketing, began her singing career in Japan prior to releasing her first solo album in Korea. Younha's "Secret Code 486" climbed to the top of the K-pop charts in the first half of 2007, illustrating the musical prowess of Younha, who is now widely known as "Oricon's Shooting Star." Although female singers dominated the music scene in the first half of the year, male singers have started stealing the spotlight of the music scene in the second half of the year. Let's take a look at male singers who have emerged as solo artists. Group Shinhwa's three members - Kim Dong-wan, Lee Min-woo and Shin Hye-sung - have been in the vanguard of the male solo artist boom. Kim Dong-wan made his successful debut as a solo artist in July of this year with the highly addictive sentimental ballad "Handkerchief," M Lee Min-woo, who has already released three solo albums, staged a showcase and concert to promote his new album "Explore M" at the end of July. He is now planning to give concert tours across Asia. Meanwhile, Shin Hye-sung not only released his second solo album in both Korea and Japan simultaneously, but also gave his very first solo concert August this year. Following the success of his concerts in Korea, which continued its sold-out run, he flew to Japan to give a concert tour at the end of August. We'll be looking forward to seeing the three Shinhwa members?continued success in the future. Whee Sung, who stole the hearts of listeners with his poignant ballads, also returned to the music scene with his 5th album last month after a two year hiatus Whee Sung gave a slight change in melody and vocal techniques on several tracks of his new album, including its title track. Moreover, the prince of ballads Sung Si-kyung is also planning to release a new album before he joins the military early next year. Sung Si-kyung, who conquered the music industry with the beautiful ballad "On the Street" last fall, is expected to release his sixth album within this month. We will keep a close eye on the development of his new album. In the meantime, a large number of rookie singers, who possess not only great looks but also impressive singing and dancing skills, have also made their debuts as solo artists. Industry experts point out that new singers prefer to perform as solo artists to working as a group because it reduces the risk of failure. Son Dam-bi, who is often referred to as "female Rain," has also been enjoying sky-rocketing popularity thanks to her outstanding singing and dancing skills she has shown while performing her debut song "Cry Eye." She has been trying to appeal to music fans with her commanding stage manners and energetic dance moves, instead of excessive body exposure that many fellow female singers opt for. Min Hyo-rin, who caught the public eye with her dollish face and mysterious aura through numerous commercials, has rejuvenated the music industry with her refreshing looks and remarkable singing talent since she released her first single in May. In particular, Min Hyo-rin has been enjoying unparalleled popularity among soldiers. As we have examined, the emergence of talented solo artists are changing the landscape of the K-Pop scene. We hope their popularity leads to increase music sales and helps to revitalize the music industry which has long been suffering from depression. That wraps up today's "Extra Plus." Next week, we'll come to you with a more insightful and entertaining story. Until then, bye bye~~.
source: arirang
