[INTERVIEW] 111124 Mnet U.S M! Countdown interview met Eli, Kevin en Tia.

donderdag 24 november 2011 07:26 ♥


Attention foreign fans who hate waiting for the release of subtitled versions of their favorite K-Pop program: Mnet America has heard your cries. The cable channel has enlisted U-KISS members, and native English speakers, Eli and Kevin as well as ChoColat’s Tia to MC a re-edited, English version of music program M Countdown.

The English version will feature the same comebacks and performances of the week as the original M Countdown, but Eli, Kevin and Tia will grab the mic as the English-speaking MCs for the music program and, hopefully, make the viewing—and listening—experience more enjoyable for K-Pop fans all over the world. Filming for the second broadcast took place at the CJ E&M Center in Seoul on November 16, where the young MCs, dressed casually in striped knits and jeans, were seen going over their lines in preparation for the recording.



While it was obvious that the three MCs had only recently met, the vibe on set was friendly as fourteen-year-old Tia played the kid sister role well on camera, flanked by 20-year-olds Eli and Kevin, bringing a youthful vibe to the program that is sure to appeal to young English-speaking music fans worldwide.

Following the recording, the MCs sat down for an exclusive interview with enews to talk about their new hosting duties and what the music program could mean for foreign K-Pop fans.



“When we do these programs, there are a lot of fans that go, ‘We can’t understand Korean ments (comments)’ for the Korean M Countdown, so they’re really excited that we’re speaking English,” said Kevin.

Eli echoed, “We watch YouTube sometimes, and in the comments, it says, ‘Can I get translations or could someone translate this for us,’ said Eli. “But now that we’re saying everything in English, it’s a lot better and more comfortable.”

Kevin and Eli made their debut with U-KISS in 2008, while Tia arrived on the music scene this year, amid the flurry of girl group debuts, in Korea’s first mixed-race group ChoColat.

On how it feels to be the MCs of a program where singers like themselves are usually the guests, Tia admitted, “I never knew it would be this hard,” drawing laughs from fellow MCs Kevin and Eli. “It was a new experience for me, so it was kind of cool to do it.”

Kevin, who appeared at ease delivering his lines during the recording, was an MC with Eli on another music program previously, and he said he looks forward to the performances each week. “We’re really glad to see how many comebacks there are this week and what kind of artists are performing.”

As more fans overseas show interest in K-Pop music, Mnet America hopes to make its programs more accessible to viewers by breaking down the language barrier. In addition to the English version of M Countdown, Mnet America broadcasts Mnet’s popular entertainment news program Wide Entertainment News in English as well.


The first English M Countdown will air on the Mnet America channel on November 28 at 9 p.m. PST. For those who don′t get that particular channel, Mnet has plans to upload clips online, so hang tight!


[credit: enewsworld.com, ukissholland@BS]

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