[Herald Interview] Korean duo seeks to spread happiness through singing

YouTube is full of videos of cover songs, but not all amateur artists win over viewers. Coed duo Darlim&Hamabal however, was special from the start. When the two debuted on YouTube in December 2017, many saw their potential and predicted the duo would succeed.Darlim&Hamabal soon grew to become one of the most distinguished artists in Korea’s YouTube scene, garnering more than 184,000 viewers in a year. The team also made a name for itself among global music fans by singing J-pop and popular movi

Dec. 31, 2018

Looking ahead to Korea’s 2019 classical music season

The 2019 classical music season is a promising one, with numerous stars and prestigious orchestras set to perform in South Korea. Here’s a taste of what lies ahead.  The London Philharmonic Orchestra (Vincero)Star pianists play Rachmaninoff in JanuaryKorea’s 2018 classical music scene opened with pianist Cho Seong-jin’s first-ever nationwide tour. The date on the calendar has changed, but again it is Cho who will be raising the curtain. Cho will perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D M

Dec. 31, 2018

[K-Talk] Shoo of girl group S.E.S. prosecuted for ‘habitual’ gambling

Shoo, a member of S.E.S., a girl group popular in the 1990s, has been prosecuted for habitually engaging in overseas gambling, the prosecutors’ office said Friday.The prosecution filed the criminal charge of “habitual gambling” against the 37-year-old entertainer whose real name is Yoo Soo-young. She was indicted without physical detention.According to the prosecutors’ office, Shoo engaged in gambling on several occasions in foreign countries, including Macau from August 2016 to May this year. T

Dec. 30, 2018

[K-talk] First-generation idol group g.o.d drops 20th anniversary album

First-generation K-pop boy band g.o.d will drop an album on Jan. 10 in celebration of its 20th anniversary.Representing g.o.d, Sidus HQ said Thursday the upcoming album will consist of 10 tracks, including not only new songs but also remakes of the group’s biggest hits. (iHQ)A remake of “Road,” the title track of g.o.d’s fourth album, was arranged by MeloMance’s Jeong Dong-hwan. Singers IU, Henry, Yang Da-il and Jo Hyun-ah are also featured in the remake.The boy band will hold a concert at the O

Dec. 30, 2018

Choi So Bin Ballet to start 2019 with ‘Cinderella’

The Choi So Bin Ballet will highlight its 2017 production “Cinderella” at a show slated for Jan. 12 at the Yongin Poeun Art Hall in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Based on one of the world’s most beloved folktales, the hourlong “Cinderella” is accompanied by the classical music of Johann and Josef Strauss with delightful choreography to match. The ballet is well-suited to young families, the ballet company added. Leading the show is ballerina Choi So-bin, who is also the ballet company’s artistic di

Dec. 30, 2018

[Video] D-Crunch hopes to spread own stories around the world

Diamonds are rock-solid, but they’re not unbreakable, says D-Crunch.With its name abbreviated from Diamond-Crunch, referring to the group’s powerful performance and musicality fit to crush diamonds, the fresh K-pop rookie overflows with youthful energy and ambitions.Having just started to make its mark in the K-pop scene, the nine-piece group of Hyunwook, Hyunho, O.V, Minhyuk, Hyunwoo, Hyunoh, Chanyoung, Jungseung and Dylan said it hopes to spread its messages around the globe. (Video shot by Li

Dec. 28, 2018

Drummer of 30-year-old band SSAW dies of cancer

Jeon Tae-kwan, the drummer of the 30-year-old rock band SSAW, or Spring Summer Autumn Winter, has died of renal cancer at the age of 56, his bandmate said Friday."I inform you of heartbreaking news. Last night, drummer Jeon Tae-kwan passed away," Kim Jong-jin said.   This image of Jeon Tae-kwan is captured from the official blog of SSAW. (Yonhap)"After struggling with renal cancer for the past six years, Jeon couldn't overcome the illness and breathed his last breath with his family by his side,

Dec. 28, 2018

Nominees announced for the 3rd Korea Musical Awards

The annual Korea Musical Awards on Thursday announced the nominees in major categories including best musical, best leading and supporting actors and actresses and best music.Operators of the KMA on Thursday held a press conference to reveal the nominees and details of the upcoming ceremony, set for 7 p.m. on Jan.14 at Blue Square in Yongsan, central Seoul. Only musicals that opened between Dec. 1, 2017, and Nov. 30 this year were eligible to be nominated, and the awards for best musical and bes

Dec. 27, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Digging deeper into Korean Wave’

One summer night in 2016, David Kim and Danny Kim were drinking at a pub. Then college students, they were interning at an advertising company and music distribution company, respectively. Company life was draining. They didn’t feel like they were making something of themselves. After hours of complaining, there came the question: Why don’t we make something of our own?YouTube was booming, and so was K-pop. The two noticed a dearth of K-pop content produced by Koreans in English. A few days late

Dec. 26, 2018

Top 10 most-streamed Christmas songs in December

Genie Music has revealed some of the most-streamed Christmas carols in December.The music steaming service said that “Because It’s Christmas” by Jelly Christmas 2012 Heart Project was the No. 1 Christmas single between Dec. 1 and Thursday. The song by the supergroup boasting singers Sung Si-kyung and Park Hyo-shin as members was the only South Korean act to chart in the top five. (Yonhap)Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath The Tree” from her album “Wrapped in Red” was a runner-up, while Mariah Carey’s

Dec. 23, 2018

BTS’ ‘Mic Drop’ hits 400m views, sets Korean record

BTS has left yet another mark in Korea’s music history, as its music video for “Mic Drop (Steve Aoki Remix)” has become its fifth video to surpass 400 million views on YouTube, the most for any artist in the country. As of 11:09 a.m. Sunday, the remixed version of the megahit had hit the milestone, a little over a year after its initial 2017 November release. As of now, the boy band has five songs with over 400 million views, including “DNA,” “Fire,” “Dope” and “Fake Love.”The most-viewed video

Dec. 23, 2018

Meet Aqua: K-pop’s first e-sports girl group

There is a new girl group in the K-pop scene. Billing itself as the very first “e-sports girl group” in South Korea, Aqua hopes to incorporate gaming into the growing music scene. At first glance, the six-piece group consisting of Hyeonju, Sua, Haesol, Seungji, Sihyeon and Hyerim looks like a typical K-pop idol group. But with the novel concept of e-sports, the group is already gaining attention, including from gamers, since its debut single with the fitting title “Log In” was released in Novemb

Dec. 20, 2018

Instagram Korea announces 2018’s most beloved celebrities

Instagram announced its list of the most beloved Korean celebrities of 2018 on Thursday.The yearly roundup, “Instagram Awards in Korea,” was launched last year to recognize highly influential celebrity Instagrammers. 　 (Big Hit Entertainment, YG Entertainment, S.M. Entertainment)The photo-sharing platform described the nascent awards as a way to celebrate K-pop’s status as “one of the most buzzed-about music genres three years in a row from 2015 to 2017,” adding that 2018 “was the year in which

Dec. 20, 2018

Troye Sivan to hold Seoul concert in April

Singer-songwriter Troye Sivan will hold his first solo concert in Korea in April.　Live Nation Korea announced Wednesday that Sivan will come to Korea as part of his world tour titled “The Bloom Tour.” He will perform at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul on April 27. (Live Nation Korea)This will be Sivan’s second visit to Korea after his performance at the Jisan Valley Music & Arts Festival in 2016.Sivan will also tour other Asian countries, including Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, from A

Dec. 19, 2018

K-pop's BTS 'worth $3.6 billion a year' to South Korea

South Korean boyband BTS are worth more than $3.6 billion to the country's economy every year -- equivalent to the contribution of 26 mid-sized companies -- a research institute said Tuesday.The floppy-haired songsters were also the reason that one in every 13 foreign tourists visited South Korea in 2017, the Hyundai Research Institute said. (Yonhap)Known for their boyish good looks and meticulously choreographed dance moves, BTS -- short for Bangtan Sonyeondan, which translates as Bulletproof B

Dec. 18, 2018

BTS tops nat'l survey on best recording artists of 2018

Global K-pop sensation BTS has topped a national survey on the best music acts of the year.Gallup Korea announced Tuesday that the seven-member boy band earned 24.4 percent of support in a survey on South Korea's top recording artists for 2018. BTS (Yonhap - CJ ENM)Gallup polled 4,200 South Koreans between the ages of 13 and 59 from July 4-22, Sept. 7-27 and Nov. 7-30. It has a margin of error of 1.5 percentage points, with a confidence level of 95 percent.Participants were asked to pick their t

Dec. 18, 2018

Billboard highlights BTS, Red Velvet among best K-pop of year

Wrapping up 2018, Billboard released two lists, one ranking the 20 best K-pop albums and the other for songs. BTS, Red Velvet and Shinee’s Jonghyun were especially recognized atop the lists. Billboard picked BTS’ “Love Yourself: Answer” as the best K-pop album of the year. BTS (Big Hit Entertainment)“BTS has risen to the top of the global music industry,” commentary accompanying the list read. “They released their ‘Love Yourself’ album series, through which the group weaved a thematic discovery

Dec. 18, 2018

Queen tribute band to perform in Korea in Jan.

Queen tribute band The Bohemians will perform in Korea in January.They will perform at Daeyang Hall at Sejong University in Seoul, Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center and Exco in Daegu on Jan. 4, 5 and 6, respectively. (Shangri-La Entertainment)The Bohemians were established in 1996 and are dedicated to re-enacting the legendary music of Queen. The band consists of four members -- Rob Comber, Christopher Gregory, Wayne Bourne and Kevin Goodwin -- who each represent a Queen member. They will perform 22

Dec. 18, 2018

Year-end concert celebrates 65th anniversary of US-Korea alliance

The Eighth United States Army and Seoul Cyber University on Sunday held their 11th year-end joint concert at Seoul Arts Center.The annual joint concert was first organized in 2008 to share the holiday spirit with deployed soldiers and their families here, as well as to strengthen ties between the two countries. Since its inception, the year-end concert has celebrated classic Christmas repertoires and Korea’s traditional dance and music. Eighth Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Michael A. Bills (l

Dec. 18, 2018

H.O.T.’s Kangta owns 5,500 S.M. shares

Kangta, or Ahn Chil-hyun, a former first-generation K-pop star from the now-defunct group H.O.T., owns 5,500 shares in S.M. Entertainment. The information was publicly posted on Monday.Ahn is an unlisted board member of S.M. Entertainment. The shares he owns account for 0.02 percent of S.M. As of 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, at the time of this article’s writing, an S.M. share was priced at 49,900 won ($44), making Ahn’s stake worth 274.45 million. Kangta (S.M. Entertainment)S.M. is the biggest talent

Dec. 18, 2018