Music label accused of abusing artists confesses, issues apology

A music label with decades of history admitted Thursday to abusing members of one of its boy bands. Media Line Entertainment owned up to the allegations a few hours after local media outlets reported on suspicions of verbal and physical abuse by the label’s CEO and producer of The East Light, a six-member boy band that debuted under the label in November 2016.In the official statement issued in the afternoon, the label said it offers “words of apology for the disgraceful incident” and admitted t

Oct. 18, 2018

[Herald Interview] Unmasked by a mask

When rapper Mommy Son stepped out of his van and strolled along a street in the trendy Seoul neighborhood of Mangwon-dong, young passersby held their phones and started to take pictures.“Don’t let them take photos when the mask is off!” the rapper’s manager said, trying his best to keep the rookie artist’s true identity a secret.Mommy Son strolls down the street in Mangwon-dong, Seoul. (Park Hyun-koo / The Korea Herald)It has only been a month since masked rapper Mommy Son made his debut via Mne

Oct. 18, 2018

Nederlands Dans Theater returns to Seoul after 16 years

Nederlands Dans Theater is holding three concerts at Seoul Arts Center between Friday and Sunday, marking its first visit to Seoul since 2002.　Leading the cutting-edge contemporary dance company are artistic director Paul Lightfoot and artistic adviser Sol Leon. The two have been working for the company for some 30 years, in the past as dancers and choreographers, and now as the heads in charge.“It has been many years since the company has not been returning to Seoul. For us, it’s very significa

Oct. 18, 2018

Kiha & The Faces to disband after 5th album release

Six-member band Kiha & The Faces announced in the dark of the night on Wednesday they would disband year-end after releasing the group’s final and the fifth regular album in November.Having worked together for 10 years, the members of Kiha & The Faces -- Jang Ki-ha, Lee Min-ki, Jeong Jung-yeop, Lee Jong-min, Yohei Hasegawa and Jeon Il-jun -- will go their separate ways after their final album as a group. “The soon-to-released fifth album will be the final work of Kiha & The Faces,” each member u

Oct. 18, 2018

Twice to be 1st K-pop girl group to hold dome tour

Top K-pop band Twice is to become the first girl group to hold a dome tour.It made an announcement Wednesday that it would be holding a dome tour in 2019 at the last performance of the “Twice 1st Arena Tour 2018 BDZ.”According to the schedule released, Twice will perform at Tokyo Dome for two days and hold one show each at the Nagoya Dome and the Kyosera Dome in Osaka. Further details are to be released next month. (JYP Entertainment)“We are very happy to meet Once through our first Arena Tour,”

Oct. 18, 2018

BTS renews contract with Big Hit Entertainment

Here’s good news for BTS fans: The K-pop heavyweight group has inked a deal to work with its agency for another seven years. Representing the act, Big Hit Entertainment said Thursday that it had signed a seven-year contract with all seven bandmates of BTS out of “deep trust and affection.”In its sixth year now, BTS still has over one year left in its first deal -- seven-year contracts have become the standard in K-pop -- but both sides decided to seal the deal early, which the agency explained i

Oct. 18, 2018

[Herald Interview] Jung Eun-ji says she sings to comfort herself

Long before Jung Eun-ji started her K-pop career in 2011, music was more than just a hobby or something she was good at. Speaking to The Korea Herald at her record label’s headquarters, she confides it’s always been a source of healing and stability for her. Growing up, she would hum songs like Maya’s “Shout Myself” whenever she felt depressed and Kim Gun-mo’s “My Son” when her parents objected to her dream to become a musician. It’s an effect she hopes to have on others by sharing her soothing

Oct. 17, 2018

Why is #ARMYIndependenceDay trending?

BTS’ global fandom Army has responded to a different view expressed by some K-pop and non-BTS fans by posting tweets with a sense of humor, resulting in the trending of the hashtag #ARMYIndependenceDay on Twitter. Some K-pop listeners and fans have recently expressed discomfort for the fast-growing BTS fan community. They have claimed that some of the band’s Army only listened to BTS and showed little interest for K-pop in general, leading to a flurry of posts with #ArmysRuinedKpopParty.In respo

Oct. 17, 2018

BTS' 'Love Yourself: Answer' stays on Billboard 200 chart for 7th week

K-pop sensation BTS' repackaged album "Love Yourself: Answer" ranked at No. 31 on the Billboard's main albums chart, data showed Wednesday. Previously taking No. 25, the album has now been on the Billboard 200 for seven weeks since it debuted atop on its release on Aug. 24.  (Yonhap)Along with the solid performance on the main chart, it was No. 1 on the "Top World Albums" chart, placed sixth on the "Independent Albums" chart and sixth on the "Top Album Sales" chart.The group's previous albums ar

Oct. 17, 2018

BTS dominates overseas iTunes songs charts with Japanese version of 'Fake Love'

The global K-pop group BTS has topped overseas iTunes Top Songs charts with a Japanese version of its hit song "Fake Love."The song with Japanese lyrics took the top post on the iTunes Top Songs charts of 38 regions, including Argentina, Chile, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Indonesia and Vietnam, on Tuesday. (Yonhap)The song was uploaded on online music services at 12 a.m., ahead of the release of the group's new Japanese album, which includes the song."Fake Love," the original Korean number

Oct. 16, 2018

BoA to drop ‘Woman’ next week

K-pop star BoA is gearing up for a return to the music stage with her ninth full-length album “Woman.”“The veteran singer is getting prepared to return with her LP on Oct. 24,” said S.M. Entertainment, which represents BoA. “A day after the release of the 10-track album via local digital music platforms, the LP will be released in CD format.” (S.M. Entertainment)Eponymous track “Woman” is a dance pop tune with rhythmical base sounds that shines with BoA’s powerful vocals and dance performance th

Oct. 16, 2018

Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s “Ars Nova” provisionally marks its end

Contemporary classical music fans should not miss the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s upcoming “Ars Nova” concerts in October as this year’s edition could be the last season of the 13-year-long music series. In a statement released Monday, the SPO announced that it would not hold the “Ars Nova Series” in 2019, largely due to the current absence of experts who are capable of leading the series at the orchestra.The Seoul-based orchestra is in the process of filling its new music director, artistic

Oct. 15, 2018

[Photo News] BTS in Paris

(Yonhap)BTS met South Korean President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook during the band’s visit to Paris for a concert celebrating the friendship between Korea and France.The group posted pictures on Twitter of its members with Moon and his wife at the Korea-France Friendship Concert at theater Le 13eme Art on Sunday.(Yonhap)In photos released by the Blue House, Moon looked proud as the group powered through the hit-packed set, including “DNA” and “Idol,” before an audience of 400, inclu

Oct. 15, 2018

[Video] K-pop ads taking over Seoul subway

Traveling around Seoul on the subway, you’ll often see enormous advertisements featuring fan messages to K-pop idols.As K-pop groups like BTS gain a more prominent place on the global stage, at home in Seoul they are dominating public transport.An onlooker at Hongdae Station takes a photo of an ad celebrating BTS member Jimin’s birthday. (Park Ju-young/The Korea Herald)At Hongdae Station, which has more K-pop-inspired ads than any other station in the South Korean capital, fans make their way pa

Oct. 15, 2018

[Weekender] Why BTS matters: From desert to ocean to world

In June, BTS’ “Magic Shop” blared through a crisis residential center in the central US. And it wasn’t a BTS fan who requested the song full of a hopeful message. A 20-something male survivor of a suicide attempt had asked the center’s consultant to play the Korean song during a music therapy class. Describing it as “beautiful,” he sang along to the song. This instance reported by Korean media outlets in September shows that BTS’ success goes beyond its performance on charts and sold-out world c

Oct. 12, 2018

[Herald Interview] BTS fever ‘revolutionizing’ existing structure

After BTS topped the Billboard 200 albums chart -- a feat previously thought impossible for a Korean artist -- people started wondering what makes the group so special. The Korean music scene has been rolling out an endless parade of young, good-looking singers with top-notch dancing skills, none of which had been able to crack into the mainstream Western music market. “BTS is extremely talented and produces quality music, but there had been those who can sing just as well, dance just as well an

Oct. 12, 2018

[Weekender] What’s behind BTS’ iconic message of ‘Love Yourself’

When BTS gave a speech themed on self-love at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in late September, fans were proud to see their idols at such a high-profile event that further propelled them onto the global stage. During the speech, RM (Kim Nam-joon) encouraged people to speak up for themselves regardless of who they are, where they are from, their skin color and their gender identity.The speech landed the group on numerous headlines worldwide, but not everyone was sure why the boy

Oct. 12, 2018

‘BTS members say they will definitely enlist for military service’: minister

South Korea’s culture minister put an end to the debate surrounding whether BTS members would be exempted from military service during a parliamentary audit Wednesday.“All of the BTS members say they will definitely enlist for military service,” said Do Jong-hwan who heads the country’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.His remarks came as Rep. Cho Kyung-tae of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party had asked about Do’s stance on the recent contentious issue: whether BTS members should be

Oct. 11, 2018

Twice to release third album of the year Nov. 5

Twice has confirmed that it will release a third album this year.The release date is Nov. 5, the group’s agency, JYP Entertainment, announced Thursday.  (JYP Entertainment)Twice released its first album of 2018, “What is Love?” in April and its second, “Dance the Night Away,” in July.“What is Love?” was the group’s fifth mini-album and it topped the music charts. The group went on to reign through the summer with “Dance the Night Away.” Having made a smash on the Japanese music charts with its d

Oct. 11, 2018

BTS to perform in Paris ahead of Moon's visit

South Korean boy group BTS will stage a special performance in Paris next week at a cultural event marking the scheduled visit there by President Moon Jae-in, Moon's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.The event will be held Sunday, one day after Moon arrives in France on a four-day state visit.It will consist of various performances by Korean traditional and pop artists, including BTS, according to Cheong Wa Dae officials. (Yonhap)The seven-member boy group is causing a global sensa

Oct. 11, 2018