Wonder Girls start over in the U.S

Aug 9, 2009 by breezy    2 Comments    Posted under: Wonder Girls  ■  50 views

Wonder Girls Start Over in the U.S.

The Wonder Girls, one of the most popular girl bands in Korea, were totally obscure rookies in the United States, but that did not discourage them. On Saturday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, they sang their signature song “Nobody” at the ever popular Jonas Brothers’ concert. Since the end of June, they have been opening shows for the Jonas Brothers’ nationwide 45-city tour.

Most of the audience, of course, come to watch Jonas Brothers, but they find themselves cheering for the girl band, giving the Wonder Girls a reception unusual for unknowns from Korea.

Sun-ye of the Wonder Girls says, “We expected to start from scratch when we came to the United States, and after each concert, we get to take a fresh look at ourselves. Now we’re happy that more and more Americans are recognizing us.” So-hee says at first during meetings with audiences, “we had to ask people who were not interested in us to take pictures with us. But now we don’t need to ask, since unbelievably, 300 to 400 people are coming to take pictures with us.”

The girls think their future is bright. “I think the fact that there is no girl band of our age in the U.S., the fact that we five girls show perfectly choreographed moves in perfect order, and that we feature retro style from the 60s and the 70s is attracting attention,” says Yu-bin.

But staying abroad without knowing when it will end has been a difficult experience for the young girls. “I cry often because life here is so different from Korea, where we get treated as top stars,” Ye-eun admits. And So-hee says, “I miss Korea every time I have a meal.”

To compensate, the Wonder Girls sang “Nobody” in front of over 100,000 spectators from Friday to Sunday alone in LA. Once the tour is over, they will have played in front of over 1.5 million spectators. The girls are now looking forward to the release of their first U.S. album in October. The challenge has just begun.

cr:english cholsun