BTS album charts on Billboard 200 for 24th week in row

K-pop sensation BTS' latest album has remained on the Billboard main album chart for the sixth month in a row, chart results showed Wednesday."Love Yourself: Answer," the finale of BTS' "Love Yourself" trilogy, came to 91st for the week of Feb. 16, the album's 24th week on the chart since it landed atop it in early September.  (Yonhap)It ranked 77th a week earlier.The trilogy monopolized the Billboard World Albums chart, with "Answer" topping the list, while two others -- "Love Yourself: Her" an

Feb. 13, 2019

When Polish pianist meets Korean violinist

Polish pianist Rafal Blechacz and Korean violinist Kim Bomsori are to set off on a worldwide tour with a recently released album. 　The album, released under the Deutsche Grammophon label in January, has a French and Polish flair. The track list includes Faure’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, Debussy’s Violin Sonata in G Minor, Szymanowski’s Violin Sonata in D Minor and Chopin’s Nocturne No. 20 in C Sharp Minor, arranged by Nathan Milstein. 　 Violinist Kim Bomsori (left) and pianist Rafal Blecha

Feb. 12, 2019

BLACKPINK debuts on American TV with CBS talk show appearance

Sensational K-pop girl band BLACKPINK has debuted on US television, performing live on CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," the band's management agency said Tuesday.The four-piece girl band staged live their latest, wildly successful song, "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" on the late night CBS show on Monday (US time) at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York.(YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk Instagram @fromyg)The show host introduced the girl band as "a wildly popular K-pop group who announced their first

Feb. 12, 2019

From Sibelius to Brahms, upcoming violin performances in Seoul

Two different concerts highlighting the violin will take place in the next two weeks -- a chamber orchestra concert and a recital by a seasoned duo. Violinist Yang In-mo will take the stage Thursday and Friday with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at the Seoul Arts Center. He will perform Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D Minor, the only violin concerto piece written by the musician, one of the greatest composers from northern Europe.  Violinist Yang In-mo (Yonhap)In 2015, Yang, 24, became the

Feb. 11, 2019

BTS makes historic Grammys debut

BTS appeared at the Grammy Awards for the first time as award presenters and a nominee band on Sunday (Los Angeles time), a distinction no other K-pop band had achieved. The seven bandmates of BTS -- Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook -- marched to the stage of music’s biggest night as their song “Fake Love” played. They delivered the best R&B Album of the Year to H.E.R., whom BTS named as one of the artists they were excited to meet at the Grammys. (AFP-Yonhap)“Growing up in South Kor

Feb. 11, 2019

BTS' 'Fire' tops 500 mln YouTube views

The video for BTS' 2016 song "Fire" topped the YouTube milestone of 500 million views, the septet's second music video to pass that mark, its management agency said Monday.The music video of the main song off BTS' 2016 album, "The Most Beautiful Moment In Life: Young Forever," surpassed the 500 million-threshold in the early hours of Monday, according to Big Hit Entertainment. (Big Hit Entertainment)It is the boy band's second music video to surpass the YouTube mark, along with "DNA," a 2018 son

Feb. 11, 2019

[Newsmaker] Ultimate beginner’s guide to BTS

Have you recently developed a liking for the K-pop sensation BTS? Catching up with the breakneck speed of the band’s career can feel overwhelming, but you have to start somewhere. Here is a complete guide to the seven bandmates. From its advent to its meteoric rise, this guide will tell you everything you need to know about BTS. Or if you are simply wondering about the hype around the band, allow us to enlighten you about BTS’ catchy songs, heart-pumping dance moves and colorful personalities th

Feb. 11, 2019

'Music in PyeongChang’ begins with bow-breaking performance

“Music in PyeongChang - Winter Festival” has begun its 10-day run, introducing classical music to local audiences in celebration of the first anniversary of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.On Friday, the first part of the main concert series, “NOwhere: NOWhere” took place at the Seoul Arts Center to a fully packed house. One highlight from Friday’s performance was “Suite in Jazz Style” by Maxim Rysanov (viola) and Park Jong-hai (piano). Composed by Bulgaria’s Dobrinka Tabakova, the piece consist

Feb. 10, 2019

Nichkhun’s 1st solo record in Korea to be released on Feb. 18

K-pop star Nichkhun is releasing an EP titled “ME” on Feb.18, his first record as a solo artist since his debut as a member of the boyband 2PM in 2008.The singer’s agency JYP Entertainment announced Sunday that the upcoming EP will be released at 6 p.m. on that day, after having released a teaser image for the record at midnight through its social media pages.The upcoming release comes after Nichkhun released his first solo record of the same name in Japan in December. He expanded upon his newf

Feb. 10, 2019

BLACKPINK to appear on CBS talk show hosted by comedian Stephen Colbert

K-pop girl band BLACKPINK will take the stage on a late-night talk show hosted by US comedian Stephen Colbert next week, the US broadcaster CBS has said.CBS said Wednesday that the four-piece group is scheduled to perform at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York and chat with Colbert on Monday.Celebrities who have made appearances on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" include former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, singer Lady Gaga, actor Ryan Reynolds, singer Justin Timberlake and actor J

Feb. 7, 2019

Yoon Ji-sung gears up for solo debut

Yoon Ji-sung, formerly of now-disbanded Wanna One, revealed Friday the events leading up to the release of his first solo album “Aside” on Feb. 20.His agency LM Entertainment unveiled the schedule on social media and the singer’s fan site.  (LM Entertainment)Yoon will hold his first fan meetings, titled “2019 Yoon Ji-sung 1st Fan Meeting: Aside in Seoul,” on Feb. 23 and 24 at Interpark IPark as part of the first leg of his tour. The tour will then head to Macau on March 2 before moving on to sev

Feb. 1, 2019

Taemin returns to the K-pop scene with ‘Want’

Taemin of boy band SHINee will unveil his second solo EP at a showcase this month. According to S.M. Entertainment, “Taemin Showcase – Want” will take place at the Gyedang Hall of the Sangmyung Art Center in Seoul on Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. It will be aired on V Live in real time. (S.M. Entertainment)Taemin will perform the EP’s lead track “Want” at the event for the first time. He will also share stories related to the making of the record, along with updates on what he has been up to recently.The al

Feb. 1, 2019

NU’EST renews contract with Pledis

All members of NU’EST have renewed their contracts with Pledis Entertainment, which has managed the group for the past seven years, the agency announced Friday.The extension allowed the five-piece band -- consisting of JR, Aron, Baekho, Ren and Minhyun -- to remain intact. Most K-pop groups have an average lifespan of seven years.  (Yonhap)NU’EST made the announcement directly on its official fan cafe, saying “We united our minds to show our growth as NU’EST with Pledis Entertainment. We will do

Feb. 1, 2019

[Herald Interview] Twitter: K-pop’s great leveler

While Twitter is headquartered in San Francisco, the social media giant’s K-pop capital is its office in Seoul. At the helm of the K-pop hub is Kim Yeonjeong, the head of global content partnerships at Twitter Korea.“It’s been a while since K-pop took off in Asia, and it’s safe to say it has now expanded its reach to a wider audience worldwide -- BTS being one example,” Kim said, adding she is proud to witness the genre’s globalization.As a Billboard charts staple, United Nations speaker and 201

Jan. 31, 2019

Seungri’s reputation in peril over alleged assault at his club

After reports that an unlawful assault had occurred at a club run by Big Bang’s Seungri at the time, subsequent revelations related to the accusation continue to threaten the musician’s already-tarnished reputation.　Local broadcaster KBS on Wednesday reported the testimony of an alleged former employee of the Burning Sun club suggesting that illegal drug use occurred in its VIP rooms. A 28-year-old man named Kim Sang-kyo recently claimed to have been physically abused by security guards at the c

Jan. 31, 2019

SPO appoints new associate conductor

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra announced Wednesday that it has appointed Wilson Ng from Hong Kong as its new associate conductor.Ng was selected via a competition last year, beating out 112 other contenders, according to the orchestra. He has been hired as an associate conductor, a title given to those with a wide range of musical abilities who do more than just assist.  Conductor Wilson Ng (SPO)Ng started out as a flutist and went on to study conducting at the Berlin University of the Arts. H

Jan. 31, 2019

[K-talk] Infinite to release new single in Korean, Japanese

Infinite is gearing up to release a new song in February, marking the boyband’s return from a yearlong hiatus since its third full-length album “Top Seed” in January 2018. (Woollim Entertainment)The new single, titled “Clock,” has been unveiled prior to official release at a fan meeting dubbed “Forever,” which was held in December last year. Performing the song, Infinite explained that the lyrics signified the group’s wish to “share (with fans) an ‘infinite’ moment.”Music label Woollim Entertain

Jan. 31, 2019

[K-talk] GOT7’s Japanese EP debuts No. 1 on charts

GOT7’s new Japanese EP became an immediate success on charts upon its release Wednesday, topping two of Japan’s most prominent charts.The septet’s third Japanese EP, “I Won’t Let You Go,” debuted at No. 1 on the daily albums charts of Oricon and streaming service Line Music.The album cover of “I Won’t Let You Go” (JYP Entertainment)The EP’s title track was released on Dec. 17 along with a music video. The song, with lyrics that sing of not giving up on love, also landed atop Line Music’s weekly

Jan. 31, 2019

[K-talk] BTS comeback date undecided: Big Hit

Big Hit Entertainment has denied reports that BTS will be releasing a new album in May.On Tuesday, local media reported that BTS was set to return with new material in May.   This photo was posted on BTS` official Facebook account on Dec. 1, 2018. (Big Hit Entertainment)The next morning, the band’s agency Big Hit Entertainment issued an official statement negating the reports, and clarified that the date of the group’s comeback is yet to be decided.“The specific date will be announced through of

Jan. 30, 2019

[K-talk] Netmarble’s BTS mobile game set for Q1 release

Korean gaming industry giant Netmarble Games is introducing a new mobile game called “BTS World,” coupling gaming and K-pop.“BTS World” is a simulation game built around the idea of grooming the BTS bandmates into superstars, with users playing the artists’ managers.  (Netmarble, Big Hit Entertainment)Over 10,000 images and 100 videos featuring BTS will be available exclusively on the game, Netmarble said. The band will also perform all the music.Netmarble launched an official website and Twitte

Jan. 30, 2019