Cellist Mischa Maisky and daughter to perform in Korea

Cellist Mischa Maisky is coming back to South Korea for the first time in five years, with three recitals in April and May. The cellist will be accompanied by pianist Lily Maisky, who is also his daughter. Maisky and his daughter will kick off a three-concert series at Gunsan Arts Center in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, on April 29. After performing at the Seoul Arts Center on May 1, the duo will travel to Gwangju for the last recital here at Gwangju Culture & Art Center on May 3. Bo

March 23, 2022

[Herald Interview] Synergy of film and music drives DeVita’s musical soundtrack

DeVita makes a strong first impression as she enters AOMG’s modest studio in Gangnam, southern Seoul, in a pair of sneakers and a green dress. With smoky eye makeup and her hair dyed bright red, her look for the day matched the rich, poignant songs she’s known for. But in person DeVita was down-to-earth and perky, speaking as if she was meeting a high school friend for the first time in a while. She’s confident about her new album, “American Gothic” -- “It

March 23, 2022

BTS wins two prizes at iHeartRadio Music Awards

South Korean boy group BTS has taken home two prizes from the iHeartRadio Music Awards, one of the American music industry's award shows. The septet won best music video for its 2021 megahit single "Butter" and best fan army for its international fandom ARMY during the awards ceremony held in Los Angeles on Tuesday (US time). It marks the third consecutive year for the group to win in the best music video category, following 2020 for "Boy With Luv" and 2021 for "Dynamite

March 23, 2022

Fueled by ‘Adrenaline,’ Cravity hopes for new career-high with comeback

Boy band Cravity dropped its latest album “Liberty: In Our Cosmos” on Tuesday, making a return to the music scene after a seven-month hiatus. Originally scheduled to be released on Feb. 22, the album was delayed after the whole group tested positive for COVID-19 just a few days prior. Ahead of the album’s release at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, the nine-member act conducted an online press conference livestreamed via YouTube. “Everyone is back in good condition, and we all suff

March 22, 2022

‘KCON 2022 Premiere’ to star 13 acts, including ‘Queendom 2’ teams

KCON is back and live for the first time in two years, and the global K-pop festival will be featuring some of the biggest acts to celebrate the return of in-person concerts, including the six teams that will compete on the upcoming survival program “Queendom 2.” CJ ENM, the event’s organizer, on Tuesday announced the full line-up of performers set to hit the stage during the two-day “KCON 2022 Premiere” in Seoul this May. A total of 13 acts will be performing

March 22, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] SHINee’s Onew to drop solo music: report

　 Onew of SHINee is preparing for a second solo album that will be released in April, according to local news reports on Tuesday. 　 Label SM Entertainment confirmed the news following the reports. 　 The veteran idol put out his first solo album “Voice” in 2018. It landed atop the iTunes top albums chart in 23 regions. In January, he hinted during a variety show appearance that he would return as a solo musician. 　 He has been participating in a series of original soundtracks, most r

March 22, 2022

[Herald Interview] Seoul Pops Orchestra violinists Sergiy Salo and Olga Knyazeva seek to deliver message of world peace, harmony

Not having performed in a concert since December, two violinists of Seoul Pops Orchestra revealed their mixed emotions for the 2022 Special Concert for World Peace, which is to be held Wednesday at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall. “Due to the COVID-19 situation and the fast-spreading omicron variant, we did not have a concert for almost three months. I was happy to see my colleagues to prepare for tomorrow’s concert. I am excited, but nervous at the same time,” violinist S

March 22, 2022

‘Squid Game’ creator hints at return of Jung Ho-yeon in season 2

After “Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk said the series will return with a second season due to popular demand, one burning question remains: Who will be starring in the next season? On the red carpet at the Producers Guild Awards ceremony on March 19, Hwang said told the press that he was working on many ideas and hinted that Jung Ho-yeon might play the role of a twin sister to Sae-byeok, Jung’s character who died in the final game of season 1. However, it may be prematu

March 22, 2022

Three leading string quartets come together for spring concert

South Korea’s three leading chamber ensembles are set to join forces for a concert in April, according to classical music management company MOC Production. Titled “Quartet Plus,” the concert on Aprill 20 will feature performances by three award-winning quartets -- Novus Quartet, Abel Quartet and Arete Quartet. Abel Quartet will open the concert with Haydn’s Hob III:70 - String Quartet Op. 71, No. 2 in D major. The youngest ensemble, Arete Quartet, will perform Shum

March 22, 2022

’Can’t Stop This Party’ a new challenge for singer-songwriter Seori

Singer-songwriter Seori returned to the stage with her fifth digital single “Can’t Stop This Party” Tuesday, after a seven-month hiatus. “The newly launched single was a new experience and a challenge,” the artist said at a press showcase event held in western Seoul ahead of the single’s release at 1 p.m. online. “Can’t Stop This Party” is an all-English language single and a follow-up to “Dive with You,” which was released la

March 22, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids tops iTunes chart in 53 regions

Stray Kids landed atop the iTunes top albums chart in 53 regions with its latest EP “Oddinary.” 　 The EP was released on Friday and stayed on top of multiple worldwide iTunes albums chart for three days. It swept across music charts at home as well. The main track “Maniac” was No. 1 on iTunes top songs chart in 35 regions and also on the worldwide iTunes songs chart. 　 The song hit Spotify’s global top 200 chart at No. 25, surpassing the group’s previous hig

March 21, 2022

With BTS backing it up, Hybe set to dominate Las Vegas in April

Las Vegas is in for some big K-pop waves next month, as BTS is set to bring along its multilabel agency, Hybe, for a company-wide global audition in search of new talent. Hybe on Monday announced it will launch a joint audition for seven of its affiliate labels next month in Las Vegas, with the audition set to take place in person over four days on April 8-9 and 15-16. Along with the five labels based in South Korea -- Belift Lab, Big Hit Music, KOZ Entertainment, Pledis Entertainment and Sou

March 21, 2022

Red Velvet welcomes spring with ‘Air on the G String’ in ‘Feel My Rhythm’

As the warming weather nears and the flames of love have arrived, K-pop sensation Red Velvet welcomed the spring season and scents of cherry blossoms by dropping the new mini album, “The ReVe Festival 2022 - Feel My Rhythm,” Monday evening. The group marks a return nearly seven months after the previous work. The band’s “The ReVe Festival 2022” is the latest addition of “The ReVe Festival” series. In 2019, the quintet dropped three parts of its “

March 21, 2022

[Herald Interview] Creator of ‘A Business Proposal’ delighted by global attention to webtoon and drama series

Recently adapted into a television drama, the Kakao webtoon “A Business Proposal” has captured the interest of both local and international viewers with its unique, heart-fluttering storyline and dramatic romance of two couples that were brought together because of an unexpected blind date. Because of the different cultural backgrounds of potential viewers, the global launch of “A Business Proposal” began with concerns rather than excitement, webtoon author and illustra

March 21, 2022

Seoul Independent Film Festival to hold ‘Indie Picnic 2022’ in April

Seoul Independent Film Festival on Monday announced that it will hold a screening event, “Indie Picnic 2022,” at Indie Space in Seoul starting on April 8. The screening event, which will be held from Friday to Sunday over a two-week period, will run from April 8 to 10 and also from April 15 to 17. The event organizer selected 23 short films and nine features, which include “Sinner” directed by Yang Jae-joon, the top winner of the short film section during last year&rs

March 21, 2022

Hybe, FNC to kick off series of US auditions in April

Hybe, the agency behind BTS, and FNC Entertainment, the company behind SF9, Monday announced plans to hold a series of auditions in the US aimed at finding new talents. Hybe’s seven subsidiaries -- Big Hit Music, Belift Lab, Source Music, Pledis Entertainment, Koz Entertainment, Hybe Labels Japan and Hybe America -- are set to hold their first joint auditions in Las Vegas next month. “Hybe Multi-label Audition” will take place four times on April 8-9 and April 15-16 there. An

March 21, 2022

Lee Byung-hun to play traveling salesman in star-studded ‘Our Blues’

Top actor Lee Byung-hun, 51, is set to make his small-screen return in tvN’s new Saturday-Sunday drama “Our Blues” scheduled to premiere April 9. Playing Jeju-born salesman Lee Dong-suk, he travels the island in a truck selling all kinds of household goods and clothing. Lee’s new role is a stark contrast to his previous role as a charismatic US Marine in period drama “Mr. Sunshine” released in 2018. “Our Blues” is one of the most anticipated dra

March 20, 2022

Lee You-mi to lead tvN’s upcoming series ‘Mental Coach Je Gal Gil’

Actor Lee You-mi, who shot to stardom in Netflix’s “Squid Game” and “All of Us Are Dead,” has been cast in a new sports drama called “Mental Coach Je Gal Gil.” In the upcoming tvN series, Lee plays the female lead for the first time, her agency Varo Entertainment said Saturday. The series presents the stories of former world short track medalist Cha Ga-eul (played by Lee), who is especially hard on herself. Cha Ga-eul, once a short track prospect, is

March 20, 2022

Jung Ho-yeon to star in new Cuaron thriller series alongside Cate Blanchett

Jung Ho-yeon, 28, the rising actor from Netflix’s global sensation “Squid Game,” is officially on board to star in “Disclaimer,” a new Apple TV+ series by Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuaron, according to US entertainment magazine Variety on Friday. The upcoming series is based on the thriller novel “Disclaimer” by Renee Knight, published in 2015. Cate Blanchett plays Catherine Ravenscroft, a popular television documentary journalist who uncovers wr

March 20, 2022

K-pop idols bond with Gen Z and Alpha fans on metaverse platforms

An increasing number of K-pop acts have jumped into the metaverse, a shared virtual world where people can interact with others via avatars, creating virtual spaces to build stronger and closer connections with their fans. Girl group Billlie met their fans on local telecommunication carrier SK Telecom’s metaverse platform ifland last week. The latest event is part of the girl group’s effort to expand its presence in a three-dimensional virtual space. The seven-member group invites

March 20, 2022