Wonder Girls & Claude Kelly’s Cambio video feature revealed!

The Wonder Girls and producer Claude Kelly have been scaling their way up the headlines with their recent recording sessions in the studio this past month. Today, a two minute exclusive on Cambio has been released, giving fans a sneak peek at what Claude and the Girls have been up to!


For those of you that don’t know, Claude Kelly has worked with a large number of huge American artists including Britney Spears (Circus), Miley Cyrus (Permanent December), Bruno Mars (Grenade) and Flo Rida (Who Dat Girl), so his close participation on the Wonder Girls’  upcoming debut album has drawn lots of interest.


Although the video (watch it here!) doesn’t reveal any teasers of the tracks themselves, Claude gives us insight on the process he undergoes to produce a hit track. “The best songs come out of knowing [the members'] personalities and, having met all five of them and worked with them now, I really know the differences between them and how they move, how they talk, how they sing,” Claude explains as the girls dance and cheekily throw snow at each other throughout the video. 


Later on, the Girls teach Claude a bit of Korean. “When we’re done, I’ll be like ‘daebak (대박)!‘” he exclaimed.
Furthermore, the producer talked about the importance of creating a hit that caters to both the American audience and the international fanbase they already have.


“I want [the track] to be edgy and fun and catchy and danceable so that people of all ages and all ethnicities really can sing along to it,” Claude continued. ”That’s my goal. I’m probably not going to rest until I get it done that way.”


With Claude Kelly and other top producers working on this album, which we’ve been told is now scheduled for an April release, we’re going to have a ton of great music to look forward to this spring. First TVXQ, next Big Bang, and in a few months, the Wonder Girls… it’s like 2008 all over again!

4minute praised by US Billboard & CNN, plans possible advancement into America?

Although Cube Entertainment has yet to release any information in regards to 4minute debuting outside Korea and Japan, it seems like there’s already some interest brewing from internationally-based sources.


After 4minute won the “K-Pop New Artist of the Year” award at the Billboard Japan Music Awards 2010 that took place earlier this week, the victory earned attention from CNN’s Asian online newspaperCNNGo as well as Billboard’s B2B website Billboard.biz.


The CNNGo article praised,
“Winners on the night, chosen by Billboard, included one of the leaders of the K-Pop boom, girl group 4Minute, who took home a Korea Billboard Special Award.
The five-piece showed exactly why South Korean acts are stealing a march on their Japanese counterparts with tightly choreographed performances of “First” and “Muzik,” with the hall’s speaker system booming.
Fans screamed out the names of the girls, who did their best to answer questions on stage in Japanese, and the five-piece delighted the press by hanging around for extra shots, before attending a luxury after-party at the Ritz Carlton hotel.”
Billboard.biz also included 4minute in their coverage, posting their Japanese FIRST music video, commenting on the girls’ fashion and choreography. A representative of 4minute revealed today, “On the day of the Billboard Awards, Bill Werde, the American Billboard’s editorial director, asked for an applause from the audience after 4minute’s performance, then said, ‘It’s a pity that a group like this is known only in Asia.’”


Werde continued to praise the quintet on his personal Twitter (@bwerde), tweeting, “K-poppers 4 Minute play @ Billboard Japan awards. Some1 needs to explain why they aren’t stars in US. Catchy songs, great look, high energy … K-pop has really taken over the japanese market, and asia in gen.” Werde also promised to publish an article on Billboard.com soon to focus on the 4minute.


According to the eDaily report, 4minute has finished preparing for their debut in America. No other details or official reports have been released about such a debut, but stay tuned to allkpop as we continue to follow this matter.

Miley Cyrus Opens Up About Salvia Bong Hit

Last December, Miley Cyrus took the bong hit viewed around the world. Now the "Hannah Montana" star has finally responded to her incident with psychedelic herb salvia, footage of which infamously leaked online.

"I'm not perfect," Cyrus recently told Marie Claire regarding her use of salvia, which is a legal drug in most states including California, where she reportedly smoked it. "I made a mistake ... I'm disappointed in myself for disappointing my fans."

But Cyrus revealed a different reaction, after her interviewer pushed back with empathy, asking, "But do you really think it was a mistake? Obviously college kids your age all over America are smoking bongs with a lot more than salvia in them."

The Disney star's response: "But they're not Miley Cyrus. They're not role models. So for me it was a bad decision, because of my fans and because of what I stand for."

Reportedly filmed just five days after her eighteenth birthday, the video of Miley's salvia bong hit features the singer/actress declaring that she was "having a little bit of a bad trip."

Ashlee Simpson Files For Divorce From Pete Wentz

Singer Ashlee Simpson has filed for divorce from Pete Wentz, the former bassist of Fall Out Boy whom she married in 2008. The news was first reported by TMZ and was confirmed in a statement from a spokesperson for the couple.

"After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to file for divorce," reads the statement on behalf of Simpson and Wentz. "We remain friends and deeply committed and loving parents to our son Bronx, whose happiness and well-being remains our number one priority.  We ask that everyone honor our privacy as we navigate this next phase of our lives."

In documents filed to the Los Angeles Superior Court today (Feb. 9), Simpson cites "irreconcilable differences" as the primary motivation behind the dissolution of divorce. Simpson is asking for joint legal custody and primary physical custody of the couple's 2-year-old son, Bronx.

Simpson recorded three albums before announcing her engagement to Wentz in April 2008 and marrying him one month later. Wentz founded Fall Out Boy in 2001 and played with the pop-punk group until the foursome went on an indefinite hiatus in late 2009; his latest musical project, Black Cards, has yet to release its debut album.

Lady Gaga: 'Born This Way' Single Coming Friday

Lady Gaga announced at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve that her next single, "Born This Way," would debut on Feb. 13, but fans might just get to hear it two days earlier than expected. "Can't wait any longer, single coming Friday," the pop star wrote on Twitter this morning (Feb. 7).

Gaga is clearly anxious for the world to experience her latest pop opus: last month, she personally leaked the song's lyrics and credits on Twitter as a thank-you to her fans. DJ White Shadow, who is listed as the single's producer along with Gaga and Fernando Garibay, told Billboard.com last Wednesday (Feb. 2) that the song was recorded "around the world" and that it "sounds like it reads, but not like you think until you hear it."

If "Born This Way" is indeed released on Friday (Feb. 11), it will come out on the same day that another pop star, Justin Bieber, enjoys a big premiere -- the release of his 3D biopic, "Never Say Never." Whether or not the single debuts before the weekend, Lady Gaga is still scheduled to perform the first single from sophomore album "Born This Way," due out May 23, at the Grammy awards ceremony on Sunday (Feb. 13).