Wonder Girls make their American debut

Korea's idol pop group Wonder Girls made their debut in the United States last Saturday (June 27) at a Jonas Brothers Concert held in the Rose Garden, Portland in the state of Oregon. The group of five girls – Sun, Yenny, Mimi, Sohee and Yubin – performed as the opening act of the concert.

"I'd like to introduce you to the biggest music group in Asia", said Kevin Jonas, the head of the Jonas Brothers, as he introduced the act, complimenting their perfect dance choreography. "Music is worldwide right? Well get up on your feet and follow the amazing dance of Wonder Girls!"

The Wonder Girls came on stage in sparkling purple dresses and sang their two biggest hit songs "Tell Me" and "Nobody". Both songs were number one hits back in Korea and grabbed quite a lot of attention in Asia through their music videos and Youtube tributes. The video was also featured on entertainment tabloid blogger Perez Hilton's blog. The lyrics were translated into English.

Joe Jonas even imitated the Nobody-dance during the rehearsal. After performing, the Wonder Girls had a fan meeting together with Honor Society, who also performed.

"I still can't believe 100 percent that this is real", Sun said. "But I was able to enjoy my first opportunity in the United States with more confidence and joy thanks to all the things I've been through and all the encouragement I've received for the past two years".

"To debut in the United States on Sohee's birthday (Ahn So-hee, June 27) -- we always dreamt of that but never knew it would be realized this fast", said Mimi, filled with excitement.

"I was reminded of the past two years that we performed as Wonder Girls in Korea and I became grateful for everything", Yenny said. Yubin said she could hardly wait to show off their dances on the stage and Sohee with the chubby cheeks said she would reach out to more people with their songs.

Just a day ahead of their debut the Wonder Girls were also covered by the Seattle Times in its June 26 edition, under the headline "Asian superstars Wonder Girls open for Jonas Brothers".

Citing the girls' excitement over their first appearance onstage in America, the article described the group as a "throwback to the 1960s" with "a sugary pop sound and some Motown flavor" and "even rap". Yubin, for her part, explained the Wonder Girls' music is like "retro-funky-pop music, a mix of the old and the new", with songs that are very easy to follow.

Wonder Girls just released their first digital single "Nobody" (English version) in the States on the 27th and in Korea on the 29th. The group is currently on a U.S. tour and the girls are scheduled to perform in 13 cities. The tour ends Aug. 22. Their schedule and other details will be updated at on real time at JYP Entertainment's Twitter.com (Open the link).

To read the Seattle Times article click here : Open the link

By Kim Hee-sung
Korea.net Staff Writer