Se7en Goes Back to Music

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter


K-pop star Se7en's acting debut has been a disappointment to many fans, as shown by the lackluster ratings for his drama "Kung S" (Palace S - "Prince Hours").

Se7en will try to win back his fans with what he does best: singing and dancing. He will hold a solo concert "747 _ Se7en for 2007" on April 7 at Olympic Park Gymnastics Stadium in southern Seoul.

The concert will be a test of Se7en's popularity, which may have been affected by the poor reviews of his acting and the low ratings of "Kung S" ("Prince Hours"). The drama made its debut in January with ratings of 15.3 percent but since then has averaged less than 10 percent.

Some have even compared Se7en to Lee Hyo-lee, a K-pop star who failed to make the transition to acting. Lee's acting debut in "Three Leafed Clover" also had low ratings.

"Kung S" ("Prince Hours") may have suffered from high expectations, especially since the original "Kung" ("Princess Hours")was such a big hit, boosting the careers of newcomers Yoon Eun-hye and Joo Ji-hoon. Viewers have criticized "Kung S" ("Prince Hours") for its storyline, which they say is too similar to the original drama, and poor acting by the leads.

Se7en is not letting the failure of the drama deter his plans to break in the United States market.

In a message posted on the YG Entertainment Web site on Feb. 15, the management company's CEO, Yang Hyun-suk, said the April 7 concert will be Se7en's last performance in Korea this year. After the concert, he said Se7en would go to the United States to start shooting his first music video.

Se7en has already recorded his first single, featuring rap star Fabulous, which will be released in the United States in the second half of the year. Rick Harrison, who has also worked with American stars such as Beyonce, Janet Jackson and Alicia Keys, produced it.

He also collaborated with Korean-American R&B singer Amerie on a single included in her upcoming album "Because I Love It".

Se7en is also planning to promote a new Japanese single and to hold a concert tour in Japan in June. He has already released a Japanese-language album and several singles.

Last November, Se7en released his album "Se7olution". However, his promotional activities for the album were cut short because of the schedule for his drama.

Tickets for Se7en's concert are priced at 55,000 and 44,000. For more details, check out Open the link (1544-1555) and Open the link (1588-7890)