Charles Aznavour dazzles London at 90

LONDON (AFP) ― Legendary French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour, who celebrated his 90th birthday on stage in Berlin last month, defied the years to charm 5,500 spectators at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall on Sunday.Taking the limelight to a standing ovation, the activist-singer promised the audience: “I’ll sing half in English, half in French ... tonight is about Entente cordiale.”Surrounded by seven musicians and two singers, the giant of French song began his set with “Les emigrants,

June 2, 2014

[Herald Review] Musical picnic on the green

Over the sunny weekend, thousands of people gathered at a riverside park along the Hangang River for an urban musical getaway.Under the theme of “a musical picnic in the spring, the happiest music festival,” this year’s Greenplugged Seoul took place at Seoul Nanji Hangang Park, featuring 97 local acts in various genres including acoustic, soft rock, alternative rock, heavy metal and hip-hop.Many festival attendees arrived via shuttle buses that circulated between Nanji and Hapjeong Station. Musi

June 2, 2014

2 billion YouTube views and counting for ‘Gangnam Style’

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) ― The wildly popular “Gangnam Style” music video cemented its place Saturday as one of the defining soundtracks of the digital age, smashing through the 2 billion barrier on YouTube.The infectious and satirical mega-hit by South Korean pop star Psy became a worldwide sensation, fueling a South Korean “K-pop” trend after it was first uploaded to the popular video sharing platform in July 2012.It continues to garner thousands of looks daily and already was hundreds of thousands

June 1, 2014

Confident Susan Boyle readies first U.S. tour

NEW YORK (AP) ― Five years after her musical breakthrough, Susan Boyle says she’s feeling confident and comfortable ― and ready to launch her first U.S. tour. The 53-year-old will hit the road in October on a 21-date trek. Boyle said she hadn’t been ready to take on the tour after her pop culture moment in 2009, but now she’s more relaxed and ready to perform. “I didn’t have the confidence. I didn’t have the right experience, but I feel more ready now, and I really can’t wait,” she said in a pho

June 1, 2014

Depth that comics can achieve

In the age of digital content available at your fingertips, comics have fallen as mere entertainment for killing time during commuting hours. But cartoonist Park Heung-yong’s works have been more than a flip-through. In fact, they have been highlighted with unconventional subjects and depth usually found in novels. Park has created works that are grounded in Korean sentiment and the lives of average people and the underprivileged. Instead of conforming to publishers’ tastes, he has set his own p

June 1, 2014

Calendar

 Pop MusicUltra Korea Music Festival: The annual Ultra Music Festival, one of the world’s largest outdoor electronica music fests, will be in full swing in Seoul once again. Last summer’s event drew more than 80,000 EDM fans. Like last year, this year’s lineup will include a handful of world famous DJ acts including Steve Aoki, Above & Beyond, Steve Angello and Paul Vanduk. The festival will be held on June 13 and 14 at Seoul Olympic Park’s Olympic Stadium Complex. Tickets are listed at 130,000

May 30, 2014

Political layers in Arabic art

Other than Arabic script written on colored balloons, nothing directly tells what the four balloons placed on sand tower intend to convey. Though it looks like any other conceptual contemporary art installation, “The Arab Spring” sums up the current political situation in Arab countries. Made by Saudi Arabian artist Faisal Samra, the work consists of four balloons in white, black, red and green, each representing flag colors of Arab nations. The balloons speak for countries on the verge of upris

May 29, 2014

Aussie rapper equals Beatles double atop U.S. chart

Iggy AzaleaLOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Australian rapper Iggy Azalea has scored a U.S. chart double only previously achieved by the Beatles, with hits at No. 1 and No. 2, Billboard magazine said Wednesday. The Aussie star’s “Fancy” rose from the No. 2 spot to top the Billboard Hot 100, while she appears as a guest on Ariana Grande’s “Problem,” which moved from third to second place. The Fab Four are the only other band to have their two debut hits score the top two spots, with “I Want to Hold Your Hand”

May 29, 2014

Ozzy Osbourne to perform at Hyundai Card festival

Heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne will be making his way to Seoul this summer as a headliner for the Hyundai Card Citybreak music festival. Hyundai Card announced the upcoming festival’s second-string lineup Thursday, including Ozzy Osbourne, Hoobastank, Locofrank, Cocobat and Yellow Monsters.Ozzy Osbourne was the lead vocalist of veteran heavy metal band Black Sabbath. In the last 40 years, Osbourne has released 11 solo albums and 9 albums as part of Black Sabbath, producing a number of hit sing

May 29, 2014

Bon Jovi guitarist hopes new song helps addicts

TOMS RIVER, New Jersey (AP) ― Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora drew on his own past in debuting a song at a New Jersey forum on drug abuse. Tuesday night’s event at a high school arena was aimed at raising awareness about the abuse of heroin and prescription painkillers along the Jersey shore. A New Jersey native, Sambora unveiled a song he wrote called “Lighthouse,” about providing hope to people mired in addiction. He acknowledged he once abused drugs, but said he’s clean now. “I got firsthan

May 28, 2014

[Herald Interview] 6GAB: Six friends with something to prove

The determination in their eyes is undeniable as the six tight-knit school chums from Baekseok University in South Chungcheong Province talk about their mission to show the public that aspiring musicians don’t have to come out of one of the elite universities in Seoul to make a dent in the music scene. Classmates S.Jay, Coontza, Junohwani, Pangju, dB and JINew all met as music technology majors, with each of the members focusing on songwriting. However, shortly after they entered school, it was

May 28, 2014

Everything about webtoons on show at national library

The National Library of Korea is holding an exhibition exclusively dedicated to webtoons ― digital comics that have emerged as one of the most prominent forms of online entertainment in Korea.Titled “All Webtoon,” the exhibit displays webtoon-related items and also runs programs in which visitors can try creating webtoons and have live discussions with webtoon artists.“For a long time, Korean comics have been regarded as low-brow culture and bemoaned by society at large. That webtoons are now sp

May 27, 2014

Exhibition looks into Korean beauty

Buddhist statues, stupas and ceramics have been associated with the image of Korea in overseas exhibitions of its culture and traditions. But an exhibition underway at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea seeks to break the stereotype with art inspired by Korean landscape. One of the exhibition walls displays images of Korean landscapes captured by observant artists ― majestic white clouds in a blue sky; small islands on the distant horizon; tall pine trees and the effect of

May 27, 2014

Two takes on Mahler

When Chung Myung-whun took charge of Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra as music director in 2006, his goal was to put the ensemble on par with top-tier groups in neighboring Japan, namely the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Regardless of whether the goal has been attained, it looks clear that playing catch-up with Japan has greatly helped the Korean orchestra to grow. There is little doubt that the ensemble’s profile and fan base, both at home and abroad, have improved remarkably over the past few years. In

May 26, 2014

Family, food mix in ‘Franky and Friends’

“Franky and Friends” was first streamed on television two years ago. Kids were excited to learn about nutrition and eating habits through charming characters like Franky the bear and Ttoo, a Korean goblin.They are back with live music and choreography. The family musical “Franky and Friends” will be on stage from May 27 to Aug. 24 at Seoul’s Jeongdong Theater. “Franky and Friends” (YooYeol Company)Yoo Yeol, the singer and CEO of the Yooyeol Company, is producing the musical. It is his second mus

May 25, 2014

[Weekender] Eyelike: Fly to the Sky continues to soar on new album

Fly to the Sky continues to soar on new albumFly to the Sky“Continuum” (LOEN Entertainment)Despite five years of being apart, popular male R&B duo Fly to the Sky has returned strong and unchanged with its ninth studio album “Continuum.”The 10-track album is filled with the duo’s signature sound, characterized by the deep, resonant vocals of Hwanhee, which are balanced out by Brian Joo’s light and clear singing.“You You You,” the second track, is a yearning ballad about not being able to let go o

May 23, 2014