What’s in a NOM?

By Maryo B. Labad

Contributor

The invasion of Korean pop culture  in the Philippines is  unstoppable.  Aside from the popular Korean telenovela we see on local television everyday, their music have also taken center- stage. It has dominated not only the airwaves but also the music  channels  and the social media.  Every year, we see K-Pop bands visiting the country either to promote an album, or to do a concert.  And Filipino music enthusiasts, especially the young generation,  are always there to support  their idols.

The Boys of NOM.

One of the most recent K-Pop boy bands that visited Manila is NOM (No Other Men), a four-male group from the southern part of Korea. The boys were here a few days ago to meet and greet their Manila fans and supporters, and had a series of shows in some SM mall branches in the metropolis and nearby cities.

Formed in 2010 by mentor-producer Mr. JeongMin Lee (head of JMStar Entertainment), he auditioned at least 5,000 male  applicants but  only accepted 50 . And after more than a year of trainings and hard work, only four finally left to be part of  the group NOM. They started performing in Japan, China and other key cities in nearby  Asia before they were launched in their homeland.

And in September 2013, South Korea  witnessed the maiden live performance of the new sing and dance sensation  named NOM  that  took place at KBS Music Bank. Since then, the lives of these young individuals were never the same again. That same year, NOM was awarded as the “Best New Artist” by the Korea Culture Entertainment music industry. So far, they have released three albums (Noona Is Pretty, You It You!, and Wootgijima!), all produced by JMStar Entertainment, and all were sold-out.

According to their manager Mr. Lee, the word NOM is actually an abbreviated form of “not normal”. “What we really meant is that these young boys are extraordinary and musically  talented. And as they grow up, they will be recognized with their talent and their music. And the people will truly love them as long as they continue to perform,” he explains.

Let’s know the boys closer. The first member and the leader-choreographer  of the group is Ain ( A In Kim), 20, is a certified dancer. He won a grand prize winner in a national dance contest. He is a Street Dance student at the Seoul Arts College, and he loves to play basketball.

K (Hyeong In Kim), 23, is the main vocalist in the group and he enjoys archery.  He goes to Sejong University taking up Vocal Music. Yohan (Jeong Hwan Kim), 22, is the lead vocalist and he plays drums and piano. He studies at Kookje University. And the fourth member is Youngki (Chung Seok Bae), 24, and loves to play soccer. He’s also a good dancer. He’s a Dance major at Sejong University.

Aside from singing and dancing, the quartet is also honing their skills in acting. For the past two years, they have been undergoing personal acting lessons. And sometime next year, the boys will be seen in a TV drama series. Helping the group conquer the local music scene is Mr. Young Cho (youngm386@gmail.com), a Korean but has been in the Philippines for more than 20 years.

 

After that successful series of SM mall shows last week, NOM will be back next month to release and promote their album in the country. And they promised to conquer the hearts of the Filipino music lovers. (MBL)

NOM groupfie on stage with their fans.