Thai fan clubs run blood donation drive to celebrate BTS anniversary

Two Thai BTS fan clubs, also known as ARMY -- BTS Thailand and CandyClover -- initiated a blood donation project in May and attained 200,000 cc of blood, which can help save around 1,500 lives, to celebrate BTS on Wednesday.“We were inspired by BTS to deliver love to others through their ‘Love Myself’ campaign that BTS and United Nations Children’s Fund initiated,” the fan clubs said. The Thai fans also displayed a one-minute advertisement on a large electric billboard in Siam Square One at the

June 13, 2018

5-piece band Sechs Kies to release album in September

Legendary K-pop act Sechs Kies is to release a new album in September, solidifying its status as a five-piece act. YG Entertainment’s head Yang Hyun-suk uploaded a photo of himself with Sechs Kies on his social media account Tuesday. He wrote the caption in English, which reads, “Today’s Agreement New Song Release This September.” Yang also hinted that the new songs will be “epic” in Korean.  Sechs Kies (YG Entertainment)Called “the first-generation idol group” here, the band regrouped in 2016 a

June 13, 2018

[Album review] SHINee has its own genre

SHINee“The Story of Light EP.2” IRIVERJudging by its new album, SHINee is still SHINee even after 10 years. It could be the vocals or the band’s effusive use of synths -- it’s ineffable -- but there always has been this unique color of SHINee scattered throughout its albums.And “The Story of Light EP.2” -- its first album as a quartet following the death of member Jonghyun last year -- is no exception: experimental, vibrant and SHINee-like. The album begins with “I Want You,” a tropical house le

June 13, 2018

Black Pink to return to stage Saturday

K-pop fans will get a first look at Black Pink performing onstage on Saturday, on SBS’ flagship music show. YG Entertainment announced Wednesday that the songs off its upcoming EP “Square Up” will be performed live for the first time on “Show! Music Core,” followed by a performance of its double lead tracks of “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” and “Forever Young” on Sunday. Teaser image for “Square Up.” (YG Entertainment)Earlier in the day, the agency released the teaser images of the new EP, which contains four

June 13, 2018

#MeToo misfire threatens to take down superstar Suzy

An unfortunate case of good intentions gone wrong may end up putting Suzy in the defendant’s seat, as a photo studio is pursuing legal action against the Hallyu megastar for wrongfully accusing it of sexual abuse against a YouTube celebrity.According to Seoul Southern District Court on Monday, Once Picture Studio filed for a lawsuit seeking 100 million won ($93,040) in compensation for damages it suffered after it was falsely accused of sexually abusing YouTuber Yang Ye-won.  Suzy (JYP Entertain

June 12, 2018

Oh My Girl’s Japan debut to be in August

Oh My Girl Banhana is slated to hold a debut showcase and release its first record in Japan in August, the group’s agency confirmed.According to WM Entertainment, the subunit of the K-pop act Oh My Girl has signed a management deal with Sony Music for its Japanese promotional activities and will unveil its debut EP on Aug. 29, following a debut showcase a day earlier.Oh My Girl’s promotion of its subunit in Japan before debuting as a whole group in the country is unconventional compared to other

June 12, 2018

Taeyeon to return with new EP on June 18

Vocalist Taeyeon will release a new EP on June 18, its agency said.According to S.M. Entertainment, the artist’s upcoming EP “Something New” marks her first record since her winter special album “This Christmas – Winter Is Coming” in December last year.  A teaser image for Taeyeon‘s upcoming EP “Something New” (S.M. Entertainment)Also her third EP, “Something New” will include a total of six tracks that span various genres. Having debuted in 2007, the Girls Generation member kicked off her solo

June 12, 2018

10-year-old SHINee returns with 3-part LP, hopes to stay for another 10 years

One of the longest-running K-pop idol boy bands, SHINee, has returned with its sixth full-length album "The Story of Light," a set of three five-track records marking the now-quartet's 10th year since its debut.The second episode of the new album was unveiled at major online music stores Monday evening, including its title track "I Want You."The first episode, led by the lead track "Good Evening," was released on May 28, as SHINee strategized to increase the lure of the new album by dropping it

June 11, 2018

Day6 to release new EP on June 26

Band Day6 is set to release a new EP on June 26, its agency said.According to JYP Entertainment Monday, the act’s upcoming third EP “Shoot Me: Youth Part1” marks the band’s first release since its second full-length album “Moonrise” in December last year.  Day6 (JYP Entertainment)The five-piece act has released two full-length albums and 25 singles last year through its yearlong monthly release “Every Day6” project, for which the act released two songs every month with concerts before each relea

June 11, 2018

[Herald interview] Ice Cube talks about long-awaited ‘Everythang’s Corrupt’

Rap legend hopes Chris Tucker will return for “Last Friday” It’s been five years since the release of the single “Everythang’s Corrupt” off of what was supposed to be Ice Cube’s 10th studio album, but the rap legend has confirmed the long-awaited record will be released later this year.“(We’re) Trying to figure out the single (off of the album), and how we’re gonna release it. But it’s comin’. No more waitin’,” the rapper said, as he sat down with The Korea Herald prior to his performance at the

June 11, 2018

Pouring rain gives in to Saturday night fever of Ultra Korea

Music festival brings together 180,000 in Seoul for performances by 103 artists As RL Grime was firing up the crowd on Saturday evening, the raindrops begin to fall on the scantily-dressed fans at Ultra Korea 2018. By the time Steve Angello came on the stage, the unprepared festival-goers were drenched.The downpour, however, did not deter the parade of music enthusiasts that turned up at Jamsil Olympic Complex in Seoul from enjoying performances by EDM, dubstep, electronic rock and even gangster

June 11, 2018

BTS falls out of top 10 on Billboard 200 albums chart

K-pop superstars BTS was nudged out of the top 10 on the Billboard 200 most popular albums chart after topping it two weeks earlier, according to Billboard on Monday."Love Yourself: Tear" landed out of the top 10 for the third week of June, according to the Billboard website's preview of the chart, posted ahead of an official chart update set for June 12. Kanye West's "Ye," released on June 1, topped the Billboard 200 chart.The latest BTS record landed atop the 200 album list in the week startin

June 11, 2018

Yoon Doo-joon’s flip-flop over why he can’t travel overseas

Highlight member Yoon Doo-joon has recently come under fire from the public concerning his agency’s untruthful explanation about why he cannot travel overseas.The incident started when Around Us Entertainment issued a statement on Thursday that Yoon could not participate in a K-pop event in Hanoi Saturday and a fan meeting in Bangkok on June 24 due to the Ministry Manpower Administration revising the conscription law that mandates all able-bodied Korean man to serve for approximately two years.

June 10, 2018

TVXQ to see record 1m attendance for tour of Japan

TVXQ wraps up its Japanese tour Sunday, with the total in attendance across the concerts expected to top 1 million.According to Japanese news reports, TVXQ’s ongoing “Begin Again” tour in Japan will come to a grand finale with a three-day concert series at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture. TVXQ (Yonhap)Nissan Stadium is the largest concert venue in Japan, and can host more than 70,000 people. The K-pop duo is expected to attract 220,000 fans during its concerts at the stadium, hel

June 10, 2018

BTS' 'DNA' video tops 400m YouTube views

K-pop sensation BTS' music video for "DNA" exceeded 400 million views on YouTube on Saturday, marking the first time that a South Korean music group has set such a record.The video for the lead song on the group's mini album "Love Yourself: Her" surpassed the milestone on the global video-hosting site in the day, according to Big Hit Entertainment.The group achieved the feat within nine months of releasing the video, which is the shortest time to set such a record by a South Korean group, the ag

June 10, 2018

NU’EST W to return with new single on June 25

K-pop act NU’EST W is set to return with a new single on June 25.The subunit of NU’EST made the announcement Thursday by sharing a handwritten letter on its official website that stated: “We know that it took us a long time for the new album. We’ve prepared and practiced a lot for the album. (Pledis Entertainment)“I hope the album could be like a gift for fans. It’s time for us to reciprocate your love.”The upcoming album marks the first record for the boy band since its debut EP “W, Here” in Oc

June 7, 2018

[Album review] Something big is missing on Wanna One’s new album

Wanna One“1÷χ=1(Undivided)” (Stone Music Entertainment) The clock is ticking for Wanna One, but the path the band has taken for its new album “1÷χ=1(Undivided)” is quite disappointing. As a group that was handpicked through a Korean audition show last year, Wanna One knows what kind of music pleases the public. It has continued its winning streak with super catchy hits like “Energetic,” “I.P.U” and “Boomerang,” songs that fit into K-pop’s typical sonic standard. But with “Light,” the UK garage-i

June 7, 2018

Elris confirms June release of new EP

Elris’ “Summer Dream” is the latest in the long line of girl groups returning with new releases for the blazing-hot season.The girl group’s agency Hunus Entertainment on Thursday released the teaser image for its third and latest EP, which shows a picture of five different colored drinks with the message “Elris is coming 2018 June.”It will mark the first release for the K-pop act since EP “Color Crush” last September.  The teaser image for Elris’ “Summer Dream.” (Hunus Entertainment)During a pre

June 7, 2018

BTS charts on Billboard 200, Hot 100 for 2nd straight week

BTS charted on Billboard two main charts for the second straight week, becoming the first K-pop artist to do so.The recently-released charts show that “Fake Love,” a single off the group’s third studio album “Love Yourself: Tear,” was ranked No.51 on the Billboard Hot 100. It marked a 41 spot drop from the week before, which saw the boy band reach No.10 on the main singles chart. BTS (Big Hit Entertainment)“Love Yourself: Tear” took the sixth spot on Billboard 200, after it became the first K-po

June 6, 2018

Seungri soars as solo artist

While K-pop act Big Bang is on a hiatus with four of its members serving their military service, Seungri is pursuing a solo career on and offstage.Seungri has become the CEO of a hip-hop label under YG Entertainment, according to Yang Hyun-suk, the head of the agency, who made the announcement Tuesday through his social media account, dropping an image of Seungri’s business card.As the CEO of YGX Entertainment, Seungri will work on recruiting talented hip-hop rookies and running entertainment bu

June 6, 2018