JYP to 'take K-pop worldwide' with Live Nation partnership

JYP Entertainment announced on Tuesday a global strategic partnership with Live Nation, the world’s leading live entertainment company, to cooperate on producing tours for its K-pop acts. “Through this partnership with Live Nation, we will be producing concerts of Twice, Stray Kids, Itzy, Xdinary Heroes, Nmixx and our up-and-coming talents,” said JYP Entertainment. Live Nation operates in over 45 countries worldwide. It has previously worked with JYP Entertainment on organizing

Nov. 14, 2023

G-Dragon denies drug use again in interview

K-pop artist G-Dragon, who is embroiled in a drug scandal, denied illegal drug use publicly once again in an exclusive interview with a local media on Monday. At the beginning of the interview, he explained that he agreed to the interview to deliver the right information to the public and to prove his innocence. “I did not use drugs. The results of the drug test (conducted by the drug crime investigation unit) have to be negative because let me tell you again, I have never used drugs, rece

Nov. 14, 2023

Jungkook scores another Billboard record with 6th Hot 100 song

Jungkook continues his historic run with his solo album, "Golden," with Tuesday seeing the BTS singer place his sixth song on Billboard's main singles Hot 100 chart. "Standing Next to You," the lead single of "Golden," arrived on Hot 100 at No. 5 this week, Billboard said Tuesday. The song tallied around 10.6 million online streams and 400,000 radio airplays, as well as 99,000 physical and digital singles sales, the music publication added. Jungkook broke the d

Nov. 14, 2023

Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra meets electronic beats

When traditional Korean instruments such as gayageum, haegeum and daegeum meet electronic music, what kind of harmony will emerge? The Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra is set to perform the second stage of its 2023 Mixed Orchestra series on Dec. 7 at the Sejong Grand Theater. Breaking free from convention, the Mixed Orchestra series seeks to push the boundaries of Korean traditional music by intertwining it with various genres, this time turning its attention to electronic music. The tri

Nov. 14, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids sweep charts with EP No. 8

    Stray Kids dominated charts at home and abroad with their new EP “Rock-Star,” according to JYP Entertainment on Monday. The band’s eighth EP topped iTunes top albums charts in 32 regions, as did lead single “Lalalala” on top songs charts in 37 regions. The main track debuted on Spotify’s daily top songs global chart at No. 26. The mini album became a million-seller on the day of its release and sold over 2 million units in two days, becoming

Nov. 13, 2023

BTS company Hybe heading to Latin America

Hybe, the company behind K-pop phenomenon boy band BTS, has announced its foray into the Latin American music market. The company has established the local subsidiary, Hybe Latin America, in Mexico, the firm said Monday. “We aim to extend our reach into Latin America, one of the fastest-expanding music markets in the world,” Hybe said in a statement Monday, adding the regional division will serve as its local office for the artists of Hybe Labels, the management arm of the multilabel

Nov. 13, 2023

After robot conductor, National Orchestra of Korea explores virtual reality

The National Orchestra of Korea, a traditional Korean music orchestra under the National Theater of Korea, is set to deploy a cutting-edge exhibition to help the audience to explore the roots of Korean music. Titled “The Origin of Orchestra,” the exhibition featuring virtual reality technology is scheduled for Nov. 23-24, with a concert of the same title at the Haneul Round Theater on Nov. 26. Building on the momentum initiated in the 2022 concert with media artist Lee Lee-nam's

Nov. 13, 2023

Red Velvet returns with conceptual, dramatized studio album

Red Velvet on Monday released "Chill Kill," the girl group's third full album. The group's full album comes six years after the release of the group's second LP, “Perfect Velvet.” “We tried our best to express the two key words of our album -- hope and tragedy. Not only did we focus on expressing those words in our songs and choreography but also in all of the content that will be released along with the album such as the music video and trailer clips

Nov. 13, 2023

Fifty Fifty’s Keena to attend 2023 BBMAs

Keena of the K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty is heading to Los Angeles on Thursday to attend the 2023 Billboard Music Awards, according to Attrakt. The Billboard Music Awards is an annual award ceremony to celebrate music’s greatest achievements and hottest names in music today. The event takes place in Las Vegas on Sunday. Fifty Fifty has been nominated for the event’s Top Duo/Group and Top Global K-Pop Song award categories. The group successfully debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100

Nov. 13, 2023

[New on the Scene] Joo Jong-hyuk eager to show his versatile acting

Joo Jong-hyuk, better known as his character “tactician Kwon Min-woo” in the 2022 hit series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo," transforms into a completely different person in "Iron Mask," the actor's first venture into non-indie film. “Iron Mask,” which has the Korean title of “One-Ten-Thousandth of a Second,” follows the story of Kim Jae-woo (Joo), who joins an athlete boot camp for the national kendo team selection. There, he meets Tae

Nov. 13, 2023

KBS ‘Goryeo-Khitan War’ off to rough start

Terrestrial broadcaster KBS premiered its new epic historical drama “Goryeo-Khitan War” on Saturday with much anticipation, but the first two episodes of the series fell short of the expectations of many TV drama fans who felt nostalgic for the spectacular Korean period dramas that dominated the creative content industry for many years in the early 2000s. “Goryeo-Khitan War,” the broadcast’s 34th period drama, unfolds the stories of King Hyeongjong (Kim Dong-jun) of

Nov. 13, 2023

Jungkook's 'Golden' hits No. 2 on Billboard 200 with biggest-ever sales for a Korean soloist

Jungkook of BTS has made his solo arrival on the Billboard 200, with "Golden" reaching No. 2. On Sunday, US music publication Billboard previewed the album chart for this week, showing "Golden" behind only Taylor Swift's "1989 (Taylor's Version)." "Golden" recorded 212,000 equivalent album units, the chart's highest-ever weekly sales by a K-pop solo singer. Equivalent album units comprise physical and digital album sales, as well as streamin

Nov. 13, 2023

Jessica ends 6-year hiatus with new EP

K-pop singer Jessica is set to release a new mini album for the first time in six years on Nov. 22. The new album, “Beep Beep,” will carry a total of six tracks led by a titular track which shares the name of the album. Jessica also announced on her official social media that she is holding a tour in Asia, including stops in Singapore and Macao, after the release of her new album. It remains unclear whether the singer will be promoting her upcoming album in South Korea as she has

Nov. 13, 2023

[Herald Review] 'Different, but in harmony' -- Traditional orchestras of Korea, Taiwan exchange melodies in joint concert

In a mesmerizing display of cultural harmony and melodic beauty, a haegeum player in traditional Korean hanbok and an erhu player in a purple gown graced the stage together side by side. Performing the double concerto for erhu and haegeum titled “Two Strings,” the two string musicians from Taiwan and Korea exchanged eye contact and melodies, creating a harmonious fusion. The joint performance was held at the National Gugak Center in Seoul, featuring the Contemporary Gugak Orchestra a

Nov. 12, 2023

Jungkook adopts guerilla tactics for 'Golden' promotion

Jungkook of BTS returned to Seoul on Saturday after holding a surprise concert on Friday at Times Square in New York. He performed his latest single “Standing Next to You” from his solo album “Golden,” and other solo singles including “Seven (feat. Latto)” and “3D (feat. Jack Harlow)” on stage. Jungkook also performed tracks from his new album, “Yes or No” and “Please Don’t Change (feat. DJ Snake)” for the first time.

Nov. 12, 2023

‘Gyeongseong Creature’ to lead year-end, New Year drama releases

Netflix Korea on Sunday confirmed the premiere of the highly anticipated horror thriller, “Gyeongseong Creature,” in December. The series will be split into two different parts, with the first seven episodes being presented as “Gyeongseong Creature Part 1,” and the remaining three episodes scheduled to be released Jan. 5. With a star-studded lineup in terms of both its creators and cast, the thriller-action series is regarded as one of the year's must-see projects.

Nov. 12, 2023

[Herald Interview] Singer-songwriter Oohyo keeps her distance

Singer-songwriter Oohyo hopes to maintain a “safe distance” between music and her personal life to make relatable songs for those who tune into her songs. “I want to tell a good story through music at a safe distance. By keeping a safe distance, I mean that I want to convey an abstract but easily relatable story instead of sharing my personal experiences. I want my music to remind one of a good story,” said Oohyo in her interview with The Korea Herald. Nine years into her

Nov. 11, 2023

Berliner Philharmoniker visits Seoul for first time in 6 years, joined by Cho Seong-jin

The Berliner Philharmoniker is set to perform at the Seoul Arts Center in Seoul on Saturday and Sunday, marking its first tour in six years. Under Russian conductor Kirill Petrenko's lead, the Berliner Philharmoniker will present a captivating program featuring Mozart’s Symphony No. 29, Berg’s Three Pieces for Orchestra and Brahms’s Symphony No. 4 on Saturday. Sunday's repertoire includes Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, and will be joined by South Korean pia

Nov. 10, 2023

Billboard-topping boy band Stray Kids returns to 'rock'

Three-time Billboard 200 chart-topper Stray Kids made a grand comeback Friday, this time as rock stars. Marking the eight-member group's return after five months is EP "Rock-Star," which continues from the past album, "Five-Star," a mega-hit album that had landmark successes, including its third-straight Billboard 200 No. 1 hit. It was a highly anticipated return, and the eight men were overflowing with renewed charisma as they went in front of the press on Friday mornin

Nov. 10, 2023

YG's new group Babymonster to debut on Nov. 27

Babymonster of YG Entertainment is set to debut on Nov. 27. The agency on Friday released a poster showing the message, "Babymonster 2023.11.27 0AM KST," on a black backdrop, with a red V-shaped mark pointing downward. Shooting for the group's music video, which began at the end of last month, has been completed, YG said. "Babymonster members will (unveil) not only their own talents, but the identity of the team (through the video). To do this, YG mustered all the company

Nov. 10, 2023