The Korea Herald

지나쌤

K-pop heat moves to London, Jakarta

By 김윤미

Published : June 20, 2011 - 18:30

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It has been only 10 days since Korean pop stars attracted 14,000 European fans in two K-pop concerts in Paris.

On Sunday, more than 800 European fans gathered in front of Abbey Road Studios in London to catch a glimpse of Korean boyband SHINee.

The five-member group performed at Abbey Road Studios in a closed reception where local media and European music industry experts were invited, SM Entertainment said.
Fans of SHINee cheer in front of Abbey Road Studios in London on Sunday. (SM Entertainment) Fans of SHINee cheer in front of Abbey Road Studios in London on Sunday. (SM Entertainment)

The fans started to gather around 9 a.m. on Sunday outside the studio, repeatedly shouting “We Want SHINee,” the agency said. Some of them were carrying banners with each member’s name written in Korean and the Korean flag.

In response to the enthusiastic fans, SHINee picked 44 fans by lottery and let them into the studio to watch their performance.

The studio, which gained fame after the Beatles used the photo of the street outside as the cover of their 1969 album “Abbey Road,” was built in 1931 by the Gramophone Company, predecessor of U.K. label EMI. SHINee signed up with EMI Japan in March.

The agency said SHINee were the first Asian artists to perform at Abbey Road Studios. The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Stevie Wonder have performed at the studio.

SHINee is to launch its first Japanese single “Replay,” a Japanese version of their Korean debut song, on June 22. The group attracted 24,000 Japanese fans in a concert in Japan last December.

Meanwhile, JYP Entertainment’s Korean groups excited fans in Jakarta, Indonesia at the “Jakarta Fantasti K-pop Festival 2011” on Saturday.

Participating groups included ballad band 2AM, girl group Miss A, rapper San E and singer JOO.

About 3,000 fans attended the concert, the agency said.

By Kim Yoon-mi (yoonmi@heraldcorp.com)