Coronavirus takes a heavy toll on small music labels

As the entertainment industry struggles through the novel coronavirus outbreak, the prolonged pandemic is taking an especially heavy toll on small music labels and independent musicians. According to Record Label Industry Association of Korea on Thursday, the 44 member labels of the association have seen a loss of more than 3.5 billion won ($2.85 million) due to the cancellation or delay of events scheduled between Feb. 13 and April 11. A total of 61 gigs have been either rescheduled or called

March 26, 2020

Celebrating World Piano Day, Cho Sung-jin goes online

In celebration of World Piano Day, which falls on March 28 this year, internationally renowned pianists, including Korea‘s much-beloved Cho Sung-jin, are to stream their performances online. World Piano Day takes place on the 88th day of the year, corresponding to the number of keys.   Universal Music‘s classical music label Deutsche Grammophon announced Thursday that pianist Cho Sung-jin will stream his performance with baritone Matthias Goerne at 2 p.m. Saturday. Together,

March 26, 2020

What it’s like to be stuck at home as a music reporter

It’s been over a month since I last went to a media showcase event for a new music release. When I arrived at YES24 Live Hall for Pentagon’s showcase on Feb. 12, I knew things were changing, given the presence of a thermal camera, not to mention that I had just been sprayed with a disinfectant upon arrival. But I never thought that would be my last press event for weeks to come. Nowadays, I open emails from management agencies about new releases without the expectation of an invit

March 26, 2020

Golden Child streams concert on Twitter for fans in isolation

Boy band Golden Child on Tuesday streamed a full version video of its first solo concert, “Future and Past,” on Twitter, attracting almost 650,000 views during the three-hour run. The footage was released at 8:28 p.m. here as a surprise for fans around the world, many of whom may be coping with self-isolation amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. The band performed 24 tracks, including debut song “DamDaDi,” for the concert that was originally held in January in Seoul.

March 26, 2020

BTS to join soundtrack for Japanese TV series

BTS will join the recording of the original soundtrack for an upcoming Japanese TV series, the band's second-ever OST project in Japan, news reports said Thursday. According Billboard Japan and Oricon News, BTS's new song, "Stay Gold," has been selected for the original soundtrack of a Japanese TV series, "The Spiral Labyrinth-DNA Science Investigation," which will go on-air next month. The song is one of the tracks to be included on the band's new Japanese album, set for

March 26, 2020

BTS to join lineup for special self-quarantine edition of popular US TV show

K-pop boy band BTS will join a star-studded lineup for a "special self-quarantine edition" of popular American TV show "The Late Late Show with James Corden," set for next week, according to its broadcaster. BTS will be one of the high-profile acts performing from home for the "Homefest: James Corden's Late Late Show Special," to be aired Monday (US time), according to CBS.  The line-up also includes Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, British pop diva Dua Lipa

March 26, 2020

CGV to shut down 35 theaters due to fallout from coronavirus pandemic

CGV, South Korea's largest multiplex chain, said Thursday that it will shut down about 30 percent of its theaters starting this weekend due to the prolonged fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The company, an affiliate of Korean entertainment giant CJ Group, said 35 out of 116 cinemas under its direct control nationwide will be closed from Saturday, including those in Myeongdong and Daehangno, central Seoul. It will show movies just three times a day on the remaining screens. In addition,

March 26, 2020

[Herald Interview] DKB hopes to make splash with free-spirited, rebellious energy

Having joined the competitive K-pop scene just last month, DKB has already proven itself as a breakout rookie group, equipped with rebellious energy and various talents. The nine-member act is the first boy band under Brave Entertainment in eight years, an agency founded by K-pop hit maker Brave Brothers. An abbreviation of “Dark Brown Eyes,” referring to “nine Asian brown-eyed boys stretching out to the world,” DKB debuted with its first EP “Youth” and lead

March 25, 2020

Quick review of ‘Learn Korean with BTS’

The first three episodes of Big Hit Entertainment’s education initiative “Learn Korean with BTS” were released Tuesday. Available free of charge on Weverse, a fan-community app created by the label, each is a three-minute-long compilation of footage of BTS from shows like “Bangtan Bomb” and “BTS Episode,” repeating a simple phrase or expression. Here’s our quick review: Fun and attention-grabbing Learning a foreign language can be exciting

March 25, 2020

Commercially successful directors ready to return to screen

  New films by star South Korean directors are poised to hit theaters this year, giving a boost to the movie industry hit hard by the novel coronavirus. Choi Dong-hoon, famous for smash-hit crime thrillers, including "Tazza: The High Rollers" (2006), "The Thieves" (2012) and "Assassination" (2015), will return with a new crime science-fiction film about aliens living in Korea. The film, which stars Kim Tae-ri, Kim Woo-bin and Ryu Jun-yeol, is now in pre-produ

March 25, 2020

[Herald Interview] Lauv says working on two songs with BTS was natural progression

Lauv, the US pop star who is popular among Korean fans for his songs “Paris In The Rain” and “I Like Me Better,” described his two collaborations with K-pop sensation BTS as a natural progression. “Basically, I met them at their show in London, and right after that they asked me to do the remix for ‘Make It Right’ and I was super-flattered and said, ‘of course,’” Lauv stold The Korea Herald by email. “Make it Right” is

March 25, 2020

BTS' 'Map of the Soul: 7' drops to 11th on Billboard 200

"Map of the Soul: 7," the latest album by BTS, dropped to 11th on the Billboard 200 albums chart for this week in its fourth week on the list, chart updates showed Wednesday. The latest standing for the week of March 28 marks three notches down from the eighth spot the previous week. It marks the album's fourth week on the chart after debuting atop the Billboard 200. Another BTS album, "Love Yourself: Answer," also entered the albums chart for this week at 180th. 

March 25, 2020

Kang Daniel hopes to spread positive energy with new music amid coronavirus outbreak

Kang Daniel released his new EP “Cyan” on Tuesday, moving forward with the decision without any changes in schedule. In a statement, the singer acknowledged the record comes at a tumultuous time for the music industry, but said he decided to push ahead to spread positivity. “Everyone is going through a hard time together and I hope I could spread positive energy through this album,” he said. “I am delighted and happy to be able to make music and perform on stage

March 24, 2020

BTS cuts down world tour itinerary due to coronavirus

K-pop boy band BTS announced Tuesday it will cut down the itinerary of its upcoming world tour, "Map of the Soul Tour," due to the coronavirus pandemic. "With the global spread of COVID-19, in some countries and cities, the level of unpredictability is becoming higher to prepare for the shows," the band's management agency Big Hit Entertainment said in a notice posted on the Weverse mobile app. "As a result of the current global circumstances, we anticipate having to

March 24, 2020

[Herald Interview] Yeong-shin has own story to tell in ‘Kingdom’

Just more than a week after global streaming giant Netflix released the second season of its original series “Kingdom,” actor Kim Sung-kyu sat down to talk about the smash-hit zombie show, his character Yeong-shin and the possibility of another batch of episodes to come. Yeong-shin is a common-class fighter in the Joseon era who joins Crown Prince Lee Chang and his team of men to save the kingdom that has been invaded by a sudden outbreak of a zombie plague. “He seems like

March 24, 2020

New albums to warm up K-pop scene hit by coronavirus

K-pop concerts, showcases and various other promotional events have been canceled due to the spreading of the new coronavirus. But that does not mean the industry is at a total standstill. Many established and rising K-pop artists, including Kang Daniel and EXO leader Suho, are ready to drop new albums in coming weeks to warm up the scene hit by the virus, according to their management agencies. Kang's first EP, "CYAN," is set for release Tuesday evening, officially bringing him bac

March 24, 2020

BLACKPINK's 'Ddu-du Ddu-du' tops 1.1b YouTube views

The music video of K-pop girl band BLACKPINK's 2018 song "Ddu-du Ddu-du" topped 1.1 billion YouTube views Tuesday, the strongest YouTube feat yet by a K-pop band. The sensationally popular song achieved the feat in one year and nine months after its official release in June 2018. That makes "Ddu-du Ddu-du" the most-watched YouTube music video by a K-pop band, as well as the only music video by a K-pop band that topped the 1 billion YouTube view milestone. BLACKPINK is

March 24, 2020

Shim Eun-kyung wins another best actress prize at Japanese film festival

Korean actress Shim Eun-kyung, 26, on Sunday received the best actress award at the 34th Takasaki Film Festival held in Japan, for her role in the upcoming film “Blue Hour.” This is the second award she has won in Japan this month. On March 6, she became the first Korean to win the best actress award at the 43rd Japan Academy Film Prize Awards for her role in “The Journalist.” Shim played journalist Yoshioka Erika, who digs into a political scandal. Directed by Yuko Ha

March 24, 2020

Spotify seeks expansion in Korea

The world’s largest music streaming platform Spotify is ramping up to launch its services in Korea. According to industry sources on Tuesday, Spotify has recently set up its Korean office at a WeWork building in Daechi-dong, southern Seoul, with Peter Gradelius, the firm’s head of corporate legal, registered as the Korean chief. Speculation has been growing about Spotify’s imminent launch here. During its second-quarter earnings call last year, CEO Daniel Ek pointed to Kore

March 24, 2020

Coronavirus pandemic halts overseas shoots of Korean movies

The coronavirus pandemic is affecting the production of films in South Korea as on-location filming schedules have been canceled due to widening travel bans worldwide. The production team of the crime movie "Bogota," starring Song Joon-ki, has decided to stop shooting at a location in Colombia and return to South Korea. "We've made the decision in consideration of the safety of the cast and crew," said an official from the film's local distributor, Megabox Plus M, last wee

March 24, 2020