[article] 14.09.2010 a heart for compassion

original article was posted here

thanks to www.nationmultimedia.com and the writer, Kitchana Lersakvanitchakul

i wish hwangbo more good jobs and offers so she can do more deeds. thanks to hindsight at soompi for the heads up.

Former Chakra member Hwangbo spends her time between concerts and TV with a Korean charity that cares for kids

Sexy Korean star Hwangbo Hyejeong recently jetted to Bangkok to meet and greet fans and to sing a few numbers off her new solo release at Curve Pub on trendy Soi Ekamai. The singer was all smiles at being back in Thailand" she was here 10 years ago when she bowled over fans as part of the all girl group Chakra.

“Thailand was the first foreign country I visited. We shot a music video here of one of Chakra’s songs,” recalls Hwangbo. “This time, it was even more fun as my Thai fans helped me celebrate my thirtieth birthday.”

“And we selected Thailand as the first country to promote Hwangbo’s“R2 Song” because of the number of Thai fans who follow her on twitter,” says Shim Tae Yoon, producer of her albums and founder of Shimty label. The six single mini single album “R2 Song”, which was released in Korea at the end of last year, features “Insincere Words”, “Mature”, “Becoming Hot” her previous digital single release and the title track, along with an oriental mix version of “R2 Song” by Postino and a remix version of “Becoming Hot” by DJ Koo.

The title track, which was penned by singer and producer Shim Tae Yoon, was first released in the UK and ranked No 1 on Juno Download’s singles charts. “My younger brother and I remixed my song for Hwangbo and sent it over to Postino, who’s been based in London since 2007 and is doing really well,” says the young producer. “DJ Koo introduced his techtonik dancing style to Hwangbo.

“This new mini album is Kpop with a medium tempo that’s suitable for people in the 20 to 30 age group, so it offers something different from today’s music market that’s largely focused on teens. The lyrics too are aimed at women aged between 20 and 30 years, as they talk about the heartbreak of separation after a longterm relationship

“In Korea, most music labels release single album before going head with mini albums or fulllength albums. These days, Korean people don’t pay for CDs but opt for digital files or download from the Internet,” he says. Thailand’s music companies like GMM Grammy and RS are adopting much the same policy as the Korean labels, as their profit margins have been badly affected by CD piracy, downloading and filesharing.

“That all happened in Korea too but things are improving now as the laws are stricter and the penalties heavier. The websites, which previously allowed free downloads, are now adjusted for download with copyright payment,” says Shim Tae Yoon.

Why did Shimty’s founder decide to pay more attention to real musician than boy bands?

“These days, Korea’s music circle is all about boy bands but I think in the near future there will be more demand for a wider variety of music. That doesn’t mean though that that the popularity of boy band will decrease. “No matter who the artist is" an allround musician or a boy band he can be in the music circle if he has an obvious talent for music. If he doesn’t, he will disappear.”

The 34-years old producer has not only worked with Hwangbo on her albums but also joined her in her charity works, especially with Compassion. Compassion began providing Korean War orphans with food, shelter, education and health care, as well as Christian training. Today, the organisation helps more than 1 million children in 26 countries.

“Many Korean singers and artists undergo cosmetic surgery but Hwangbo sees no need. She has an attractive character and she is open and honest. We have been associated a very long time, we enjoy helping the underprivileged and of course there have been rumours that we’re together,” says Shim Tae Yoon, who is a leader with Compassion, while Hwangbo acts as a spokeswoman for the charity.

“Korea Compassion supports children from around the world but I like to help Korean children wherever I can. I visit several homes for orphans and elders every month. I also pay about 45,000 won [Bt4500] to sponsor a child, which covers food, clothes and travelling to school. We can write letters and we find out about their lives so they become rather like our own children,” says Hwangbo, who took time out during this trip to visit Rajvithi Home.

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