This year, two Korean pop superstars, Se7en and BoA, attempted to launch their American careers — and barely made it to lift-off. Can the Wonder Girls avoid their fate of soaring into obscurity?
Today, the five-member girl group's first English-language single, a remake of their immensely popular song "Nobody," is officially released on iTunes. And from the many international fans the girls have acquired, the countless covers of the song found throughout YouTube, and the mere fact that the girls will open for limited shows this summer for America's own wonder boys, the Jonas Brothers, we may finally have a winner!
It doesn't hurt that the song is bubblegum pop at its best, with teenage lyrics of unrequited love meshing sweetly with the electric piano and synthesizers in the background. Will there be a music video in the works?
While the Wonder Girls wonder if they'll make it in the States, I'm gonna go out on a limb and sing, "I want nobody, nobody but you, Wonder Girls."
What are your thoughts, Music Mixers? Do you think the song is addictive, or just whatevs? More importantly, could we finally see a real Asian wave in America, much like the Latin Sensation in the '90s, or will the Wonder Girls, too, fade away?
More from EW's Music Mix:
Michael Jackson's musical legacy: Tell us how you remember him
Prince's Purple Rain: 25th anniversary today
Zooey Deschanel introduces an exclusive, never-before-seen clip from (500) Days of Summer
Mika shines at intimate NYC show, despite having a cold
Comments (1-30) of 33 Add your comment
Please let them fade away! They’re terrible! Anyone interested in a real talented asian artist, check out Charice. She has an amazing voice!
Oh man, what r they saying? Is it english? Boa, Se7en, Rain, get ready for another passenger on that failed US debut plane back to korea!
Charice is asian? I thought she was filipino, doesn’t that make her pacific islander??? LOL
Yay!! I love wonder girls!! I’m so glad EW is covering them! I’m not korean but I love korean music and so does the rest of the world. The US need to catch up!!
are they coming out with an album or something? not bad at all….
I don't see Charice's album here in Canada at all ._.
dude Filipinos are Asians
whooo im so excited for their debut! they are awesome
The song is really catchy. I’m excited to see what they can offer. Yes, we’re ready
Last time I looked, Filipinos were asian. Is this the only decent group in Korea, cause I know they can do better than this! God awful!
Hopefully they’ll make it. I like some of their other songs more. But like I said before there are more talented Korean singers, however these girls can sing live! I would like to see 2ne1 debut here though and Big Bang =D
I think we should give them a chance!!
I’m Australian and I really enjoy their music.
Good Luck Wonder Girls!!~
WONDER GIRLS<3 are amazing.
wonder girls are LOVE LOVE LOVE.
they are some of the most hardworking, humble young girls. i’ve watched them from the start and i know how much determined they are and how much their careers mean to them.
I’m happy to see the Wondergirls getting such exposure and I wish them well. Unfortunately, I don’t think the song quite flows in English. Too bad America can’t just accept the original in Korean. Oh well, good luck Wondergirls! Love ya.
I hope they’ll get enough exposure and justice in their music..!!! Asians Come on!.. WG come on!
OH…i like it! its better then i expected. YES america is ready for the WG’s.
and all you haters, get out of town, at least they are trying. 
yay! the wonder girls are finally trying in america! i wish them the best! i like the korean version better though
I’m glad that EW is diversifying and writing about bands that people (like me) in the mainstream wouldn’t know. Thanks, EW for always being on top of it.
“Sugar Sugar” by the Archies is an example of classic bubblegum pop at it’s best (still popular too), not this crap.
I love the wonder girls (despite the fact that I know no Korean), However the lyrics to this song didn’t translate well and I thinks it JYP’s fault because I saw a fan enlglish lyric version that was ten times better where the lyrics were great. However, I wish them the best and hope they make it state side cause they’re great.
No Asian has made it into the mainstream US market, or international market at all. I believe CHARICE will be the first and probably ONLY one for a while. Who knows how long, but right now, her momentum & resume of guestings/shows are more than credible. So, CHARICE, THAT’S THE FIRST ASIAN THAT WILL MAKE IT INTO THE US/INTERNATIONAL MARKET….note: The Philippines IS an Asian country. Consider Malaysians, Indonesians, Thais, Taiwanese, etc. They’re ALL Asians. Just because they don’t make up mainstream Asia such as China, Japan, Korea, doesn’t mean they’re any less Asian. Well, considering the fact that Filipinos have more Spaniard influence, then it IS sort of difficult to categorize them in the ASIAN category, but nevertheless, FILIPINOS ARE ASIANS! With that being said, CHARICE: THE FIRST ASIAN TO BREAK THROUGH THE MAINSTREAM US/INTERNATIONAL MARKET.
It seems like all these Korean artists are trying to make it in the US, BUT nothing ever happens. NOTHING. Nobody even knows about them too much. They don’t even make it into the Billboard 100. WACK!
The language barrier might be the problem. Most East Asian countries do not speak english well. Other Asian countries like the Philippines and India speak english well or English is part of the national language for them.
Similiarly you will not find many non-english speaking groups in Europe do well in America. Like the Russian or Luxembourg pop groups hitting the top of the charts in the US. Countries like Germany, France, etc who speak english well also have a chance in the US. One of the biggest issues in language
I wonder if they will ever do the RAINSTORM remix anytime soon in English. I loved their performance with the swivel chairs in Korea. I like the English version, but I have been saying nobody since October or November when they made the song/video. I am really looking forward to their other songs in the future.
I’ll admit that the original Korean version of this song is better but I think Wonder Girls deserve a chance. they sure can sing live.
i think there are lots of artists in korea that should attempt to make it here though. younha is amazing. <3
…wait, so BoA and Rain failed in the US, but Wonder Girls are gonna hit it off?
HA!! The only REASON they failed was because the only people that have heard of them are the fans they already had. There was BARELY any other promotion to my knowledge. Sure, Wonder Girls’ll be opening for the Jonas Brothers, but compared to BoA and Rain, “Nobody” really can’t compare.
Guess I’m not even gonna start on how Utada’s fairing, since she’s not even mentioned…
I LOVEE THE WONDER GIRLS!!! they are one of my fav. korean artists to listen to. they are really talented and are a HUGE hit in south korea. i love themm..but i think that their korean version songs are bettr
saw them last night in Los Angeles opening for Jonas. They don’t belong on the same stage as them. I thought it was a joke. My teenage daughters felt the same.
I completely agree with you. My biggest concern is that they’re still not ready for the U.S. I feel that JYP is having these girls being rushed in to make in the U.S. market.
At first I thought the same thing about the Wonder Girls. I thought that they wouldn’t be popular in US but after I went to see them at a Jonas Brothers Concert, I actually think they might have a chance to become a big sensation in America.
Their english are very fluent as far as I can tell and their song Nobody is very catchy. I wasn’t their fan before but now I am one!!!
i love it,/. its awesome,,,,,,,…….,.[]perfect][;’;;./