Expect a fierce rivalry on the Korean music scene this year, as top boy bands are ready to make a comeback.

Until now, the Korean music channels were mostly dominated by popular girl groups or singers like the Girls Generation, but this year the boys are expected to take the lead.

Even before the release of their albums, the long-waited returns of TVXQ and Big Bang have generated heat among K-Pop fans.

In 2011 boy bands, which usually consists of three to six members, will start performing in pairs.

In Japan, this marketing strategy known as “unit” is already being used to show each member’s talents and individual qualities by performing in smaller numbers than the original group.

During the end of last year, G-Dragon and T.O.P of Big Bang released the album “GD & TOP,” while U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin of TVXQ released “Keep Your Head Down.”

Now that the two major music industries in Korea, SM Entertainment for TVXQ and YG Entertainment for Big Bang have released duet albums, there is a growing interest in the changing music scenes for boy bands in Korea.

Internet sites and YouTube have already recorded a high number of viewers, as music fans are ecstatic over the duet performances.

The special edition of TVXQ, “Keep Your Head Down” was released on Jan 5, and within a day the duo had racked up an impressive sales amount of 15,000 copies. U-Know and Max will perform in Japan on the 26th to promote their new album. 

For Big Bang and TVXQ it has already been over two years since their last album was released.

Their new music shows a major transition from their previous albums. The new album “GD&TOP,” is more of a mixture between electronica and hip-hop, with thumping house beats.

On Dec. 23, the boys of the group BEAST divided into three units of two members for duets for the popular Korean music program, Mnet Countdown.

The hip-hop duet “Thanks To” was performed by Yo-seop and Jun-hyung, the R&B “Let It Snow” by Hyun-seung and Gi-Kwang and the ballad “When the Door Closes” by Du-jun and Dong-woon.

“When six members perform together, what each individual performer can show is limited,” their agency said.

The agency further commented that the benefit of performing in duos is that the members can emphasize on their individuality and further reveal their talents such as their singing voice.

By Moon Ye-bin (yebinm@heraldcorp.com)
Intern reporter

Edited by Rob York