Tongyeong celebrates native son’s music

TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- The sound of a lone cello struggling against the orchestra opened this year’s Tongyeong International Music Festival in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, Friday.German-French cellist Nicolas Altstaedt and the Tongyeong Festival Orchestra led by Stefan Soltesz performed Yun I-sang’s Cello Concerto written in 1976. The Korean-born composer was abducted from Germany by Korean agents in 1967 and handed a lifetime sentence on a charge of treason. He was imp

April 2, 2017

Winner drops teaser for new album

Boy band Winner on Saturday released a teaser clip of the music video for its new single “Fool,” slated for release Tuesday, via the official blog for its agency YG Entertainment.The 26-second video features the four bandmates clad in white and walking out of a building in what appears to symbolize their long-waited return to the stage. The group has not released a song for over a year, although its members continued on with their individual musical and acting gigs.Winner (YG Entertainment)“Fool

April 2, 2017

Oh My Girl teases comeback in April Fool’s Day prank

As an April Fool’s day gag, South Korean girl group Oh My Girl announced their comeback as male group “Oh My Boy” on Saturday. The group released a teaser clip of their choreography for “Perfect Day,” which is part of their fourth album “Coloring Book.” In the clip, the band is dressed in white uniforms and declaring, “A miracle! Today is April 1. Aren’t you curious about the ‘Perfect Day’? April 5, 2017. Oh My Boy comes back!” Teaser image by Oh My Girl (WM Entertainment)The group’s agency WM E

April 2, 2017

S.M. becomes Mystic’s largest shareholder

K-pop behemoth S.M. Entertainment has become the largest shareholder of Mystic Entertainment after strategically investing in 28 percent of the management agency’s shares, S.M. stated Thursday.Helmed by producer Yoon Jong-shin since 2010, Mystic is known for fostering artists with folksier, alternative sounds such as Eddy Kim, Puer Kim and former 2AM member-turned-rocker Jeong Jin-woon. Mystic recently strengthened its video content department by recruiting Yeo Woon-hyuk, the producer of variety

March 31, 2017

EXO to wrap up global tour in Seoul this May

The finale for K-pop superstar EXO’s global tour will be held in May at Jamsil Olympic Main Stadium in Seoul, the boy band’s agency said Thursday.According to S.M. Entertainment, the final segment of EXO’s “EXO Planet #3 - The EXO’rdium” will be held from May 27-28. Tickets for the May 27 concert will be available online starting 8 p.m. on April 12 via ticket.yes24.com, while tickets for the May 28 concert will be released at 8 p.m. on April 18.The poster for EXO’s Seoul concert. (S.M. Entertain

March 30, 2017

Taeyeon to release album on April 5

K-pop singer Taeyeon will release the deluxe edition of her studio album “My Voice” on April 5, which includes three new songs, according to her agency.According to S.M. Entertainment, the new record will add four tracks to the album released in February. Along with “Make Me Love You” and two other yet-to-be-revealed new songs, the album will include her 2016 single “11:11,” which Billboard selected as the seventh best K-pop song of that year.  The teaser image for the deluxe edition of Taeyeon‘

March 29, 2017

Kiha & The Faces to tour North America

Kiha & The Faces will be playing its brand of quirky music for audiences in North America in its first tour there beginning April 1, the band’s management agency announced Wednesday. The six-member act will perform in 14 cities in Canada and the US, including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Seattle, Chicago and Vancouver as part of a tour running until April 26. The band will be joined by Japanese rock musician Miyavi and Thai rock band Slot Machine in the tour, title

March 29, 2017

BTS signs contract with Def Jam Recordings

Boy band Bangtan Boys, better known internationally as BTS, signed a new record deal with Def Jam Recordings in Japan.  Bangtan Boys (Big Hit Entertainment)“BTS recently signed the contract to release a new single, featuring a Japanese version of ‘Blood, Sweat & Tears,’” Big Hit Entertainment, which represents the idol group in Korea, said Tuesday. “The single is set to be released on May 10.”　Def Jam Recordings is an American hip hop and urban music record label owned by Universal Music Group.

March 28, 2017

[Next Wave] The chemistry of Life and Time

The Korea Herald is introducing Korean singers, musicians and actors poised to join the next wave of top stars in a twice monthly series. – Ed.Three-piece Life and Time is known for its seasoned playing, groovy rhythms and highly technical drumming skills.According to bassist Park Sun-bin, however, Life and Time is a group of three individuals who each lack something.“If each one of us were perfect, we would each do everything ourselves. But I think that a band is a group of people who lack some

March 27, 2017

Girls’ Day returns with new EP

Girls’ Day made a splash on local music charts Monday with its new EP “GIRLS’ DAY EVERYDAY #5,” achieving immediate impact with its first recording in 20 months.The main track of the four-member group, “I’ll be Yours,” entered the local Genie chart at No. 2, right behind IU’s “Through the Night.” It was also seen rapidly climbing up other charts here, notching the No. 11 spot on the Melon chart just one hour after its noon release. Girls’ Day (DreamT Entertainment)The latest EP by Girls’ Day fea

March 27, 2017

Hyolyn storming across US

Girl group Sistar’s lead vocalist Hyolyn is gaining recognition abroad, according to reports. US music media outlet Billboard lauded the singer as “one of the most recognizable voices in K-pop” in an interview at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, which took place March 10-19.“Her husky, airy tone has resulted in multiple appearances on a variety of Billboard charts, both through her solo work and collaborative efforts,” Billboard said last week. 　 Hyolyn (Starship Entertainment)H

March 27, 2017

EXID to release 3rd EP album 'Eclipse' next month

EXID, the South Korean girl group of the hit track "Up & Down," will release its third EP album titled "Eclipse" next month, its agency said Monday.The album containing five new tracks, including title track "Night Rather Than Day," will go on sale from April 10, according to Banana Culture Entertainment, the team's agency. The album will also include an instrumental version of "Night Rather Than Day," co-produced by Shinsadong Tiger, KeeBomb and EXID member Eli. A promotional photo of South Kor

March 27, 2017

BTS heats up Newark on North American leg of ‘Wings Tour’

BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, thrilled its fans in Newark on its “2017 BTS Live Trilogy Episode III The Wings Tour.”Thousands of fans attended the concerts held Thursday and Friday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. BTS performs its “2017 BTS Live Trilogy Episode III The Wings Tour” concert in Newark, New Jersey, on Friday.　(BTS Twitter account)The tickets for the group‘s US tour sold out within minutes, which led the septet to add two more shows -- one in Newark and the other in

March 26, 2017

[Exclusive] Hwang Chi-yeul set for summer album release

Singer Hwang Chi-yeul is due to release a new album just in time for summer.“The exact release date hasn’t been decided yet, but maybe in June?” the artist told The Korea Herald on Thursday. “I think it might be unveiled before summer.”   Singer Hwang Chi-yeul poses for The Korea Herald at an afterparty held at Lotte L7 Hotel in Seoul on Thursday to celebrate Bada’s wedding. (Jie Ye-eun/The Korea Herald)Hwang said that he participated in the writing of the upcoming album. “There will be a song t

March 26, 2017

iKon performs at Tokyo Girls Collection

K-pop group iKon excited Japanese fans with its performance at the Tokyo Girls Collection 2017 Spring/Summer, its agency said Sunday.Standing in front of the 31,400-strong audience at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo on Saturday, the seven-member boyband sang the remix versions of its hits including “Dumb & Dumber” and “Sinosijak,” according to YG Entertainment.  caption:iKon performs during the Tokyo Girls Collection 2017 Spring/Summer held Saturday in Tokyo. (YG Entertainment)YG’s fashio

March 26, 2017

BIGBANG's Daesung to release new album simultaneously in Korea, Japan

Daesung, a member of the popular boy band BIGBANG, will drop his new individual EP album simultaneously in South Korea and Japan next week, his agency said Friday.The "D-Day" album will be uploaded on major online music sites of the two countries on Tuesday ahead of his first solo Japanese dome tour set to begin on April 15. The album is scheduled to hit Japanese record stores on April 12. Above is the cover image of Daesung's forthcoming EP album "D-Day." (Yonhap)The album produced by himself w

March 24, 2017

[Eye] Making sense of modern music

Dressed head to toe in black, with her dark black hair worn long and eyes done in her signature dark smoky look, Unsuk Chin is a force majeure.Although her name may not be well-known here, classical music fans know her as the composer-in-residence of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and, since last year, also the orchestra’s artistic adviser.“I thought about quitting after Chung Myung-whun left,” Chin said during an interview on March 8 at her office at Sejong Center in downtown Seoul. Maestro C

March 24, 2017

Dylan says Amy Winehouse was last ‘individualist’

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Bob Dylan has hailed Amy Winehouse as the last great artist with an individual style as the rock legend shared his views on music in a rare interview.In a lengthy dialogue with writer Bill Flanagan posted on Dylan’s website, the new winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature hailed the English soul singer who died in 2011 at age 27.“She was the last real individualist around,” Dylan said.Dylan, 75, also praised two living female singers with blues and folk influences, Valerie Jun

March 24, 2017