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Hwang In-Youp to hold fanmeeting in Singapore this July

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

6 Reasons Why Netflix's The Sound of Magic will Dazzle You

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

Ji Chang-wook, Choi Sung-eun & Hwang In-Youp

With a compelling story and the involvement of renowned director Kim Sung-youn from Itaewon Class, Netflix presents a story with fantastic visuals with magical moments and music.

The Sound of Magic is a brand new series based on the well-loved webtoon Annarasumanara by Ha Il-kwon. The story features Yoon Ah-yi, a girl who has lost sight of her dreams in the face of reality, and Na Il-deung, a boy pressured to meet his parents’ demands. An unexpected yet enchanting story unfolds when they encounter the mystical magician, Ri-eul.

Here are 6 reasons why you should check out The Sound of Magic on Netflix today!

1. Meaningful Message Behind the Magic

Director Kim was moved by how the original story depicted characters who wavered between their dreams and reality – and how in the thick of things, their belief in “magic” alleviated their hardships. Beyond the glitz and glitter, The Sound of Magic is a story about rediscovering childhood wonders and what it means to be a “good” grown up.

Viewers will be able to see the different sides of the same coin from Ah-yi and Il-deung’s perspectives as they face financial struggles and the pressure to satisfy parental expectations respectively.

2. A Multi-Talented Cast

Ji Chang-wook with his ever-commanding presence is joined by two exceptional up and coming actors, Choi Sung-eun and Hwang In-youp, in this fantastical series. Ji Chang-wook, who learned and practised magic tricks for three months in preparation for his role, will bring his charm as the mysterious magician Ri-eul who doesn’t want to become a grown-up.

Choi Sung-eun will star as Yoon Ah-yi, a high schooler who must support herself and her younger sister after their father abandons them.

Hwang In-youp on the other hand will play Il-deung, a boy whose name means ‘Number One’ in Korean. He loses track of what he truly wants along the way while trying to live up to his name.

3. Music that will live in your head rent-free!

Director Kim consulted renowned music director Kim Moon-jeong to achieve a perfectly balanced trifecta of story, acting and music. The musical element in the series was used to portray the emotions of the characters more effectively, weaving in words to create the right expressions to convey everything that needed to be said. The project was no small feat as the actors worked closely with the music team for over 18 months to learn, rehearse, and record the songs.

4. Moving to the motion

Choreography director Hong Se-jung is the man behind the movements in The Sound of Magic, determined to create natural, heartfelt movements that can elicit emotions even with the most minute gestures. “Throughout the series, music and lyrics serve as the lines for the actors, as their language in telling the story. I was responsible for the language of the body that accompanies those moments,” he said.

5. Captivating Visuals

The series’ visuals proved to be one of the most important elements in portraying the crisscrossing of reality and fantasy in the world of The Sound of Magic. With the help of art director Kim So-yeong, the team wanted to create a backdrop that “isn’t too far removed from reality but so captivating that you forget about everything else when you’re there”. It took three months to scout locations with a good balance of fantasy and reality, and transitional spaces that allow one location to seamlessly segue into another.

6. Making the Magic Happen

Korean magician and illusionist Lee Eun-gyeol was tasked with putting together a FX team for its special effects, ensuring that they fit the characters and overall tone of the series. The director intended for the magic to come in as an overarching concept within the series rather than a gimmick. Thus, Lee strove to present magic as something far greater than a sleight of hand, allowing it to serve as the key expression that carries the underlying message of the work.

The Sound of Magic is now available, only on Netflix.

Photo Credits: Netflix

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TOMORROW X TOGETHER

Spotify and TOMORROW X TOGETHER to release the Enhanced Album on May 9

Monday, May 09, 2022

SEOUL – May 5, 2022: Spotify, the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service, announced that it will release an Enhanced Album with Gen Z ‘it’ boys TOMORROW X TOGETHER on May 9, 2022. Packed with exclusive content, the album titled ‘TOMORROW X TOGETHER presents minisode 2: Thursday’s Child, the Enhanced Album’ aims to celebrate the release of the group’s new EP ‘minisode 2: Thursday’s Child’.

Created for global listeners everywhere, the Enhanced Album offers various content made exclusively for Spotify to better experience the group’s long-awaited five-track album, delivering a story of the boy who fell in love in the previous ‘The Chaos Chapter’ album series experiencing a breakup with his first love and going through complex emotions.

Watch TOMORROW X TOGETHER "Good Boy Gone Boy" Music Video below:

Spotify’s Enhanced Albums are unique to the Spotify experience, allowing artists to connect with fans and listeners around the world more closely through not-seen-before artist content. Artists can deliver new information about their artwork and express their creativity in different ways, while fans can learn more about artists and several songs through the exclusive content.

The Enhanced Album ultimately aims to allow artists and fans form a deeper connection by sharing their inspiration and special behind-the-scenes stories to global listeners.

TOMORROW X TOGETHER is the fifth Korean artist group following BTS, BLACKPINK, TWICE, and NCT127 to release Spotify’s Enhanced Album.

‘TOMORROW X TOGETHER presents minisode 2: Thursday’s Child, the Enhanced Album' offers a new multimedia playlist experience including clips, vertical videos, audio liners (spoken-word audio content), Canvases (bespoke 8-second video loops on every song), and Storylines (personal written commentary on each track). The Enhanced Album also features videos of the group members individually talking about the fun memories from the creation process of the album. Spotify’s Enhanced Album will enliven the three key concepts (Hate, End, and Mess) of the highly anticipated album presenting a mix of hardcore rock, hip-hop with rock sounds, R&B, and tuneful songs.

“We are thrilled to present this new, immersive content to MOA and all listeners on Spotify in addition to our new EP,” said TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s leader Soobin. “As we put tremendous efforts into making our new album and collaborating with Spotify, we hope you enjoy the special behind-the-scenes experience and feel a deeper connection by taking a journey through our exclusive, personally curated content available only on Spotify.”

“TOMORROW X TOGETHER has been evolving into one of the most globally impactful K-pop groups on Spotify,” said a Spotify spokesperson. “We are happy to release TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Enhanced Album, marking the fifth Enhanced Album with a K-pop group for K-pop fans all over the globe.”

In addition, Spotify will promote TOMORROW X TOGETHER on the billboards in different cities including New York City and Seoul, on top of more promotional activities to celebrate their new release.

On Spotify, over 7.3 million monthly listeners stream TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s tracks with 0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) feat. Seori, CROWN, Blue Hour, Anti-Romantic, 9 and Three Quarters (Run Away) as the top 5 most streamed tracks globally. The U.S., Indonesia, India, the Philippines and Mexico are the countries with the most TOMORROW X TOGETHER listeners in the past 28 days.

"We are grateful to partner with Spotify, which has always been leading the global music industry by supporting various artists worldwide to bring their creative vision to life,” said a HYBE spokesperson. “We will continue to collaborate with Spotify in producing innovative content to help and motivate our artists to reach more music lovers.”

Check out the Enhance Playlist below: