U-Kiss
Kiss Me!
Why We Love U-Kiss, Let Us Count The Ways

Not many of you may remember this, but U-KISS stepped onto our sunny shores two years ago, during the 2008 K-Pop concert. Back then, the boys had a rather uncool look, which included oversized basketball jerseys and questionable hairstyles. They were a new group, but what I recalled about them was their sincere smiles and friendly attitude.

A year later, U-KISS went through a radical image change. With the addition of the new member, Ki Seop, the basketball jerseys were replaced with sexy black leather outfits and the members were radiating a bad boy vibe on stage. But don't worry, beneath those cool smirks are seven sweet guys who love to have fun.

"Am I That Easy?" was the group's breakthrough hit which catapulted them into the public eye. But things were not always that easy. During an episode of their 2010 variety show U-KISS' Vampire, the guys shared about the tough times they went through. Ki Seop talked about how he was going through a depressive phase when he kept having unsuccessful auditions before he joined U-KISS.

He even entertained thoughts of suicide, and it was only after seeing his mother cry because of him that he realised he needed to snap out of it. The youngest in the group, Dong Ho, spoke about how in the early days, they were not welcomed on variety shows, and no one knew who they were. Thankfully, they saw commercial success with their 2009 mini album, Conti Ukiss, and their first full-length album, Only One, which also earned them more fans in Korea and around the region.

Besides singing and dancing, the members are also active in hosting variety shows and acting as well. Alexander, Eli and Kevin host a weekly music variety show, Arirang TV Pops in Seoul, Dong Ho is in the reality-based variety show, KBS Invincible Baseball Team, while Eli and Kibum are starring in a drama, Autumn Destiny (a Thailand-Korea production).

What makes U-KISS unique is that we have two members brought up in America (Eli and Kevin), and Alexander who was born in Hong Kong and raised in Macau. This fact gives U-KISS an edge when it comes to communicating with non-Korean fans. Singapore U-KISS fans can rejoice as the boys are set to visit our island in the near future (a few days after this magazine hits the newsstands). In the meantime, we give you five reasons on why we love U-KISS.

1) U-KISS SPEAKS MANY DIFFERENT LANGUAGES

Eli, Kevin and Alexander are fluent in English. In fact, they host Pops in Seoul in English. Kibum speaks Japanese while Dong Ho, Eli and Alexander speak Mandarin. Of course, the king of languages goes to Alexander who apparently speaks seven languages. We applaud you, Xander!

2) U-KISS GETS AN A FOR THEIR GOOD ATTITUDE

During the press conference at the 2008 K-Pop concert, most of the artistes were either late or a no-show. U-KISS was the only band who arrived early and was nice enough to take pictures with the reporters present. Their attitude set them apart from the pack and we give them an 'A' for etiquette.

3) U-KISS APPRECIATES THEIR FANS

Maybe it's due to their humble beginnings that U-KISS members really treasure their fans. They love to get up close and personal with their fans. Alexander, Kevin and Eli opened their own Twitter accounts and update in English in order to communicate with their non-Korean fans.

4) U-KISS IS NOT AFRAID TO SHOW THEIR CRAZY SIDE

If you have ever watched these boys on variety shows, you'll know that they are crazy, in a good way. Dressing up as girls or in clown outfits, they are also candidly honest when it comes to weird questions. They are the kinds who look sleek and cool onstage but are wild offstage.

5) U-KISS HAS AN EYE ON ASIA

U-KISS has been active in China as well, and they had their first concert in the Philippines at the end of May. According to Alexander's Twitter on April 24th, he said that U-KISS will be visiting the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and then Singapore. Singapore fans just can't wait!

CREDITS: Raine Koh@teens magazine + ukissme.SG
Photo Credits: 1.bp@blogspot