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.
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| 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)
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| NOM groupfie on stage with their fans. |
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