Never in the K-Pop music scene has there been as fierce a competition as now.

April is approaching, and the hottest stars, such as Cho Yong-pil, Psy, Shinhwa, 2PM, Secret, 4Minute, IU, and Lee Hi, are making massive comebacks.

Because of this, there is a bombardment of music broadcasting programs, album circulation, music sites, public relation firms, music video production studios, and so on.  Since everyone's comeback is overlapping with one another's, agencies are frantic about coordinating the different schedules and having to change promotion tactics, such as the 'wait-and-see' policy.

Cho Yong-pil's 18th album 'Over The Rainbow' was originally released in September 18 of 2003, nearly 10 years ago. Since last year,  he has been working tirelessly to prepare a new album and is planning to go on a nationwide concert tour this year in order to promote it.

Psy's solo concert, 'Happening' will open on April 12th, and he plans on following up 'Gangnam Style' by unveiling a new single at this concert. Shinhwa will be having its 15th year debut anniversary, and it will be 5 years now since 2PM debuted.

Yoon Min Soo, whose recognition soared after appearing on MBC's 'Dad! Where Are You Going?", and the other members of Vibe are unsurprisingly commemorating their 10th year anniversary debut by releasing a fifth album.

From Psy to Shinhwa, to G-Dragon....a head-to-head competition of the top male entertainers!

And what about Psy? After 'Gangnam Style,' everyone all over the globe is interested in what his next single will be, and with so much necessity for prudence, he certainly appears to be walking on eggshells. Foreign news media have shown a pressing interest in what he will do next and have been watching his every move in order to be the first ones to cover the song that comes after Gangnam Style. Psy's top songs are big hits because Psy is meticulous, revising his projects at least 30 times, starting with modifying the title.

After making a total revision of the title and other parts of his next single, Psy plans to unveil it for the first time at his solo concert 'Happening,' which will take place April 13th. It will be a large-scale showcase. He announced over Youtube, "My new single will be released simultaneously over the globe." Perhaps due to this promotion, all 50,000 concert tickets for 'Happening' sold out in less than 10 minutes.

Psy isn't the only contender for 'longest-living idol.' Shinhwa's comeback is also causing much anticipation. Although they debuted 15 years ago, their 11th album testifies to their longevity and significance. Their 15th year anniversary concert, '2013: The Legend Continues' will introduce their comeback. Shinhwa also mentioned the participation of fresh new singers and songwriters. 

Big Bang's G-Dragon is certainly also making a comeback. He will be unveiling his next single, 'MichiGO' for the first time in Seoul during a concert for his 2013 World Tour - One of a Kind.

Fitting with the title, the song has an intense sound along with rap lyrics and hip-hop melody. He will reveal a musical transformation almost as extreme a makeover as his curly hair, but there is increasing expectation and doubt as to whether or not he will be able to move beyond the popularity of his prior hit songs, 'That XX' and 'CRAYON.' G-Dragon will be working on his world tour until the end of this coming June and will be contending in a goodwill competition with Psy. 

2PM will be making their comeback with their 3rd album. This will be their 5th year debut anniversary two years after the release of their second album in 2011, but what makes their comeback particularly unique is that fans will be able to see Nickkhun again after his drunk-driving controversy. 2PM's comeback will take place towards the end of April as well as in early May.

Rivalry and attack of the heroines....4Minute vs Secret

Female entertainers such as 4Minute, Secret, IU, and Lee Hi are riding the winds also to make a comeback. A direct confrontation between 4Minute and Secret, who both debuted side by side in 2009, is particularly raising high expectations. These entertainers are planning on making their comeback the third week of April through televised broadcasting. Preparations for their choreography and the finishing touches to their performances are in full swing. 

Public interest is increasing for 4Minute's transformation, a girl group made up of former solo artist HyunA, Heo Ga-yoon, Jeon Ji Yoon, etc. In the middle of this attention is Secret, who after a sudden car accident in December last year was unfortunately forced to suspend their activity. After such an unfortunate incident, their agency's attention is fully focused on their comeback.

Amongst the girlpower groups,  solo artist Lee Hi who had an outstanding start to begin with is also drawing attention. On March 28th, she unveiled her single 'Rose' and in a blink of an eye it has climbed to the tops of the main music charts.In less than 5 months after debuting last October with '1,2,3,4,' her singles 'It's Over' and 'Rose' swept the various music charts, showing off her staying power. Her coming album will also prove to be formidable. Foreign media has certainly taken notice of Lee, dubbing her the most note-worthy 'K-Pop Star.'

Along with these entertainers, IU is aiming to finish recording towards the end of April, and expectations for the new album are high. She seems to have aspirations of becoming a double threat as a singer and actress, as currently, she is playing the title role in the KBS2 weekend drama, 'You're The Best, Lee Soon Shin.'

Although it is important how good the quality of the music is for making a comeback, in this generation it is also important how one makes a comeback as well as when. This is because new artists who come onto the scene together pour forth many new songs, and an album's success is decided by how much attention a song is able to garner.

With Lee Hi's comeback date looming close by, YG has hung a large teddy bear and ad balloon in the company building as promotions for her album. These somewhat extraordinary methods of promotion, whether by teddy bear or via SBS's 'Survival Audition K-Pop Star Season 2' where Lee got her start as a singer, have all enabled the singer to take the stage for a comeback.

Promotion through the official company blogs of YG, SM, JYP, etc aim towards the general public. The blogs gradually reveal teasers such as images for events, and recently they have begun fixing the dates for releasing certain songs. The companies want to make the fans increasingly hungry in anticipation so they can reveal the songs in a new and unconventional way.

With the date for their third album release, 'Collage,' nearby, Shinee will be holding a preview event - 'Shinee's Music Spoiler.' Meanwhile U-Kiss, a band that has just made its comeback, has already chosen to unveil their album through broadcasting.

Differing from previous generations when artists made comebacks through releasing new albums and showcases, these days each artist prefers 'comeback events' and has to have a distinct character and color to their album that separates them from others.  This unconventional change in tactics presents fans with some extra spice and also changes what determines the success of an album.