South Korean girl band Kara has released their fifth mini album including its title track, Pandora. The band performed on the Korean music show, KBS Music Bank, on August 23, causing controversy among Korean people regarding their performance and gaudy outfits.

Being one of the most popular girl bands in both South Korea and Japan, Kara is often the center of attention on the Asian music scene. However, this time they are receiving a different type of attention, which may or may not be intentional.

Kara, which debuted in South Korea in 2007, consists of five members: Park Kyu-ri, Han Seung-yeon, Nicole, Koo Ha-ra, and Kang Ji-young. After winning huge popularity in Korea, they flew to Japan and released their first album in 2010. They quickly became popular, introducing Korean pop music to Japanese people. They were the first to do so as a girl band. Now, many popular K-Pop girl bands exist in Japan, such as Girl’s Generation, After School, or T-ara. But the success of Kara in Japan still bears a lot of meaning.

The recent controversy began when Kara released their music video “Pandora” to the public. In the video, all members wear swimsuit-like short jumpsuits under blazers. The nude-tone jumpsuit makes them look as if they were not wearing anything but brassieres under the blazer. The most controversial part of the music video happens when all members turn around, facing the back of the stage, and take off their blazers halfway, showing their almost naked backs.

Given Korea’s conservative and conformist social atmosphere, it was no surprise that Kara’s performance would cause controversy. Even before Kara’s comeback show was held at the KBS Music Bank, an official of the show said, “Since most viewers of the show are teenagers, the show might change Kara’s performance of outfits if it is thought to be too lascivious.”

However, Kara went ahead with the show, without changing their performance or outfits.

After the performance, many Korean social websites were heated by people’s mixed reactions. Some conservative viewers actively disagreed, saying “It just looked like a lingerie show. Was it necessary?” Meanwhile, others defended Kara, saying “What to wear and how to dance are all up to the artist. It is related to a freedom of expression. People should not blame them.”

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The 23^rd Annual Billboard Latin Music Conference Presented by State Farm will gather hundreds of industry leaders and influencers, featuring panel discussions with today’s top artists and executives.

Held April 23 to 26, at the JW Marriott Marquis in Miami, Florida, the conference kicks off with a showcase honoring “El Caballo Mayor” Johnny Ventura on his 55 years of musical career. Information about registration can be found at www.BillboardLatinConference.com.

“When it comes to supporting the best in Latino artists, few things make us more proud than to again be the title sponsor of the Billboard Latin Music Conference and Awards,” said Pam El, State Farm Marketing Vice President.

“Not only does Billboard do a great job in recognizing and promoting the talented pool of Latino artists that are climbing the charts, they also bring together a veritable who’s-who of the music industry and marketing world to discuss the powerful role music plays in the lives of today’s Hispanic audiences. We feel privileged to be able to support such an important occasion that highlights the central role music plays in our customer’s lives.”

Internationally renowned Pitbull will be showcased at the Superstar Q&A discussing his rise to the top and entrepreneurial ventures. Other celebrity panels include: Q&A with Don Omar : Unveiling the Strategy Behind the Hits. The Being Social panel features urban music pioneer, entrepreneur and social media leader, Daddy Yankee.

Q&A with Jenni Rivera : The Diva We Want To Know where Jenni will discuss her career as an artist and entrepreneur. How I Wrote That Song – Presented By BMI featuring Chino & Nacho; Horacio Palencia and Gocho. Gerardo Ortiz , 3BallMTY and the teams behind their success will participate in the Regional Mexican panel.

The Marketing Exchange hosted by Telemundo and Mun2 features panels such as Targeting Music about winning strategies from music mogul Emilio Estefan and Target VP of Entertainment John Butcher; and Reaching The New Latino: How brands and agencies are targeting the “New” US Born Latino via music and music branded events.

The Exchange features guest speakers from PepsiCo, Republica, Globalhue, Verizon Wireless and UMLE; and culminates with the presentation of the Marketing Awards honoring the year’s best advertising, branding and sponsorship campaigns that use Latin artists and their songs.

The conference will also feature sessions with Pandora CEO Joe Kennedy, the SBS Entertainment team, a presentation by LiveNation, and a Q&A with Univision Radio President Jose Valle.

The week culminates with the Billboard Latin Music Awards Presented by State Farm – the most prestigious awards show in the Latin music industry. The awards show, produced and broadcast live by Telemundo on Thursday, April 26 at 7PM (6PM Central), honors the biggest stars based on the Latin Billboard charts, and features performances by top artists across all genres of Latin music.

For more information about the 2012 Billboard Latin Music Conference, visit: http://www.BillboardLatinConference.com. Follow Billboard Latin Music Conference at www.facebook.com/BillboardConferences and Twitter @BillboardEvents.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnrudolph/

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Pandora, the leading personalized radio service, recently announced an online extension of the free, live concert series that the company debuted earlier in the month. The Pandora live concert series hub, currently sponsored by Budweiser, can be accessed at: www.pandora.com/pandorapresents.

The live concert series launched in Portland, Ore. on December 13 with Dawes, an emerging rock band from Southern California. As the official launch sponsor, Budweiser presented the inaugural concert free of charge to more than 230 fans, and is now bringing the experience online via the dedicated hub.

All artists that participate in Pandora’s live concert series will be showcased on the hub. The hub currently consists of behind-the-scenes video content from the Dawes concert, including: interviews with the band and fans, the band as they tour Portland, Pandora Founder Tim Westergren interacting with the band and highlights from the evening.

The hub also features a curated mixtape with up to 100 songs selected by the band and Pandora music analysts. Senior Vice President of Strategic Solutions Heidi Browning said, “We’re very excited to have Budweiser as our official launch partner of Pandora’s personalized, live concert series. Through this partnership we’re able to give fans a great experience both online and offline.

Our collaboration is proof that Pandora is a valuable platform for connecting brands, bands, and fans.” ”Music is a universal passion that unites people, and Budweiser’s ties to music run deep,” said Rob McCarthy, vice president of Budweiser. ”We’re excited to assist Pandora in bringing this unique concert series to life, and to connect their local listeners with bands they love.”

Pandora determines the right mix of artists and locations for the live concert series from a unique collection of spin and thumbs-up data. True to Pandora’s philosophy of personalization, listeners who have created stations and thumbed-up songs for a specific artist or similar artists are invited to attend these exclusive free shows. Pandora listeners can look forward to more of these types of concerts in different cities across the country in 2012.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/wfuv/

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