[Today’s K-pop] Solo album of BTS’ RM named ‘Indigo’

The title of BTS leader RM’s solo album will be “Indigo,” according to label Big Hit Music on Friday. The album will evoke a diary that conveys the artist’s concerns and thoughts, and will demonstrate his musical spectrum with collaborations with a range of musicians. RM has put out two mixtapes on his own -- “RM” from March 2015 and “mono.” From October 2018. The former was listed as “The 50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015” by Spin, an Am

Nov. 11, 2022

[Herald Interview] A log of five songs that became life

A song often becomes the background music to a particular part of our life, and replaying it reminds us of that moment. The piece of life we experience with the song becomes edged into the musical notes, making the song itself a log of the moment. Singer Jung Eun-ji's new album "log" is a small collection of such pieces from her life and the five songs that had once played endlessly in the background. According to Jung, she is dropping the remake package to keep a promise to her f

Nov. 11, 2022

‘American Song Contest’ winner AleXa returns as concept queen with new EP ‘Girls Gone Vogue’

About six months after becoming the winner of NBC’s “American Song Contest" singer AleXa has returned to the K-pop scene with a new EP, “Girls Gone Vogue,” aiming to show her multi-faceted sides to a global audience. The K-pop singer held a press showcase to talk about the new release and its production at Ilchi Art Hall in Seoul, Friday, ahead of the EP's release at noon, the same day. She made a comeback with more seasoned music and diverse tones. “I wan

Nov. 11, 2022

11 maestros to fill Seoul Philharmonic's 2023 season before new artistic director joins in 2024

In 2023, a year without an artistic director, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will offer a season with a series of programs with 11 guest conductors including outgoing and incoming artistic directors. Osmo Vanska, whose term is ending this year, will continue the ‘Sibelius Cycle,’ a project to perform all of the Finish composer’s symphonies,’ until March next year, as a guest conductor. He began the project in April this year and will open SPO's next season with Sibeliu

Nov. 11, 2022

NCSOFT Q3 net profit up 83 pct on stellar sales of 'Lineage' franchise

NCSOFT Corp., a major South Korean online and mobile game developer, said Friday its third-quarter net income soared more than 80 percent from a year earlier, led by strong sales from the latest entry of its popular "Lineage" franchise. It logged a net profit of 182.1 billion won ($132.2 million) on a consolidated basis in the three months ending in September, compared with 99.5 billion won a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing. For the quarter, NCSOFT posted an opera

Nov. 11, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Confession (Korea) Opened Oct. 26 Thriller Directed by Yoon Jong-seok Tech company CEO Yoo Min-ho (So Ji-sub) is a suspect in the murder of Kim Se-hee (Nana). To prove his innocence, he meets up with Yang Sin-ae (Kim Yun-jin), a talented lawyer, at a remote hut. There, the lawyer insists that she will only represent him if he trusts her and tells her everything that happened in the hotel room where Se-hee died. Yang says that only then can she construct a credible alibi for him to win the case i

Nov. 11, 2022

Yong Jun-hyung apologizes over past scandal, returns with new music after 4 years

Singer and producer Yong Jun-hyung, formerly a member of the group Highlight, on Thursday shared regrets about his inappropriate actions in relation to the spycam scandal in 2019 and promised only to bring good music to fans. After a hiatus of almost four years, the 32-year-old musician dropped a new EP, “Loner,” on Thursday evening. Yong conducted an online press conference ahead of the release and shared his thoughts on his comeback and the new album. His return had already been po

Nov. 10, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] TXT to return in January with 5th EP

Tomorrow X Together will return in January next year with a fifth EP, Hybe said Thursday during a corporate briefing. The album comes about nine months after its previous EP, “Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child,” debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 4. The album stayed on the chart for 14 weeks, a record streak for the boy band. It will be the first group or artist under the Hybe label to release an album next year. Separately, TXT earned the group's first nominations at the MTV Euro

Nov. 10, 2022

Upon foundation made by BTS, Hybe's artists set to go global in 2023

Hybe, the multi-label K-pop powerhouse behind BTS, on Thursday introduced its plans for 2023, which includes the launch of four new groups and a string of new releases from its roster of big-name acts. The plans were unveiled during the company's corporate briefing, which was streamed online via YouTube on Thursday morning. Hybe's CEO Park Ji-won and Chairman Bang Si-hyuk appeared in the video and introduced the company's blueprints and visions. Hybe is a multi-label entertainment

Nov. 10, 2022

[Herald Interview] Director shares hopes, dreams with 'Food Chronicle'

As a documentary director in South Korea, a country where many people believe documentary series are not popular content, Lee Wook-jung had many questions to ask himself. Recognizing the changes in the way the public enjoys and accepts creative content, Lee tried to blend his experience as a veteran director and fresh attempt in presenting his latest project "Food Chronicle," which targets young viewers. "Ninety percent of local content are either drama series or unscripted show

Nov. 10, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jin hits Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 51

The first solo single from Jin of BTS made Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 51, according to the chart published Wednesday. Single “The Astronaut,” a collaboration with Brit band Coldplay, landed atop its digital song sales chart dated Nov. 12 and ranked No. 10 and No. 6 on its Global 200 and Global excl. US. It headed straight to the top of Oricon’s daily single ranking as well after sweeping all charts at home. It was No. 61 on UK’s Official Single Chart Top 100. Meanw

Nov. 9, 2022

[Feature] Called out for cultural insensitivity: Can Korean entertainment finally reform?

When Korean dramas first became popular outside of Korea in the early 2000s -- “Winter Sonata” (2002) and MBC’s “Jewel in the Palace” (2003) are prime examples -- the viewership was mostly Asian. It was at this time that the term hallyu, or Korean Wave, began to be used to describe the popularity of Korean entertainment overseas. While Korean films, such as “Oldboy” (2003), “Train to Busan” (2016) and “Parasite” (2019), have recei

Nov. 9, 2022

Russian pianist Elisso Virsaladze to perform Mozart and Chopin in Seoul

Elisso Virsaladze, an 80-year-old Russian pianist, is set to bring her favorite Mozart and Chopin pieces to Seoul later this month, according to Kumho Art Hall on Wednesday. On Nov. 24, she will perform Mozart’s Fantasia for Piano in C minor, K. 396, 9 Variations on “Lison dormait” for Piano in C Major, K. 264 and Rondo for Piano No. 3 in A minor, K.511 as well as Chopin’s Waltz for Piano in A minor, B. 150, Op.posth. After the intermission, she will return with Mozart&rs

Nov. 9, 2022

[Herald Review] Grammy-winning Jack White’s 1st concert in Korea, rock-fueled blast of music

While the sky in Korea was graced by a mesmerizing total lunar eclipse, the 12-time Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter and guitarist Jack White flooded a Seoul concert hall on Tuesday night with a light haze and shades of blue with rock ‘n’ roll energy. The concert, held at Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul, was part of the American rock musician’s global "Supply Chain Issues Tour” and his first show in the country. Although the event was scheduled late on a weekd

Nov. 9, 2022

Pianist Sohn Min-soo to join New England Conservatory

Sohn Min-soo, a professor and pianist, will join his alma mater, the New England Conservatory, as part of its piano faculty starting in fall 2023, the Boston-based music school announced last week. That means he will leave his current post at Korea National University of Arts, known as K-Arts, where the 45-year-old has been teaching pupils since March 2015. One of his students, Lim Yun-chan, at K-Arts became the youngest winner in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition’s history i

Nov. 9, 2022

NCT Dream wins big at Genie Music Awards 2022

Boy band NCT Dream left this year's Genie Music Awards in a celebratory mood after taking home two main prizes at the annual music awards. The seven-member group won two grand prizes at the 2022 GMA ceremony on Tuesday night -- top artist and top album -- winning the latter for the act's second full-length album "Glitch Mode." "Although we're thankful to receive the top album award, NCT Dream is only just beginning," member Haechan said while accepting the awar

Nov. 9, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Treasure loses 2 members

Two members of Treasure decided to quit and the band will reorganize into a 10-piece act, YG Entertainment announced Tuesday. Bang Yedam and Mashiho terminated their contracts with the company after a long discussion, the label said via a fan community platform, asking for understanding and continued support for the two. Mashiho reportedly needs more time for health reasons, while Bang wants to focus on his capabilities as a producer. The two have put on hold all group activities since late May

Nov. 8, 2022

No stunt double for Kim Rae-won in ‘Decibel’

Korean actor Kim Rae-won said he performed all the action scenes in the action thriller film “Decibel” directed by Hwang In-ho, during a press conference held at CGV Yongsan on Monday. “I knew from reading the script that there was going to be diverse action scenes. I talked with the director and we agreed that action scenes including car chases would be performed by a stunt double. But we had the discussion again on the set and I decided to perform the scenes myself to create

Nov. 8, 2022

Label CEO resigns over abuse allegations against bandmates

The CEO of Spire Entertainment has resigned, days after allegations of her verbal and physical abuse against the agency's boy band Omega X made headlines. Spire Entertainment on Monday evening announced the CEO had resigned from her post as the agency chief through an official statement posted on Omega X's official fan website. "We feel a heavy responsibility over the incident. The CEO behind the disgraceful event during the tour has voluntarily resigned (from her post)," the statement

Nov. 8, 2022

Ryan Reynolds recalls ‘horrible’ memories of ‘Masked Singer’ appearance in Korea

Actor Ryan Reynolds described his experience of appearing in the Korean TV show “The King of Masked Singer” back in 2018 as “being in actual hell,” during a recent interview. Reynolds appeared on NBC's Today show on Monday to promote his upcoming movie “Spirited” with Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer, during which he talked about why he appeared on the Korean show. "Masked Singer," which is still airing on South Korea's MBC TV, has masked c

Nov. 8, 2022