[Herald Interview] Birdy, somewhere between rebel and good girl

ICHEON, Gyeonggi Province -- With a precocious melancholic voice and a shy demeanor that, in her words, “doesn’t give too much away,” British singer-songwriter Birdy might be best described as the antithesis to chirpy K-pop girl groups.“For me, it’s always been a bit darker,” the 20-year-old replied when asked if she would ever take on a “cutesier” style, before her performance Saturday at the Jisan Valley Music & Arts Festival. “Where I grew up, it was very beautiful but reflective and moody,”

July 24, 2016

For New York's new festival, an immersion in art

NEW YORK (AFP) -- The latest entrant to the fast-growing global festival calendar is moving beyond crowd-pleasing rock acts, offering a New York audience an immersion in art and technology.Panorama -- put together by the promoters of Coachella, the California festival that is among the world’s most lucrative music events -- opened Friday in Randalls Island off the city’s East River for a three-day run.The inaugural day featured high-energy electronic act Major Lazer, a festival favorite among yo

July 24, 2016

Oh My Girl concert tickets sell out within minutes

Tickets to eight-member K-pop girl group Oh My Girl’s first solo concert sold out within three minutes on Friday evening, the group’s management agency WM Entertainment said Saturday. Having debuted in April 2015 with the lead track “Cupid,” Oh My Girl now holds the record for the fastest sold-out concert for a rookie group, WM claimed. “We are very thankful for the fans’ support for the band’s first concert,” said WM Entertainment in a press release. “This will be an opportunity for Oh My Girl

July 24, 2016

Red Hot Chili Peppers return as ‘roaring beasts’

Nothing short of impressionable, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ first gig in Korea in 2002 still has some people talking.　Back again after 14 years, the American rock band is headlining one of the most-anticipated music events of the year, the 2016 Jisan Valley Rock Music & Arts Festival.　“Each country we go to, we try to get our own perspective of the place we’re in,” said the group’s bassist Michael Balzary -- who goes by the stage name Flea -- at a press conference at the Grand InterContinental Seoul

July 22, 2016

[Herald Review] ‘Bare the Musical’: a must-tell high school love story

A star athlete, valedictorian and the most popular guy in school, Jason is the envy of every boy in school and the target of school girls’ affection. However, despite all the girls thrusting themselves at him, every time Jason walks down the hallway, he only has eyes for one -- Peter. The critically acclaimed Off Broadway production “Bare the Musical” has once again returned to the Seoul stage to tell the tale of two Catholic boarding school students Jason (played by Seong Du-seop) and Peter (pl

July 21, 2016

F(x) releases new single, music video

K-pop quartet f(x) is back with a new song. The single “All Mine” is part of S.M. Entertainment’s digital music project, and it was set to be unveiled on S.M. Station and other local music platforms at midnight on July 21. Produced by British songwriter duo LDN Noise, “All Mine” is an upbeat, electronic dance music track.  A documentary-style music video for the song was also set to be released at the same time on YouTube and Naver TV Cast. Directed by the K-pop group’s member Amber, the video s

July 21, 2016

Tongyeong to play host to classical autumn series

Following the annual Tongyeong International Music Festival’s homage to the “Sounds of Tomorrow” in March, the city of Tongyeong is gearing up for the autumn concert series starting in September. From Sept. 4, the Tongyeong Concert Hall will play host to nine concerts by both local and international musicians until October. Opening the curtain for this year’s autumn musical festivities is the local Novous Quartet, featuring Son Yeol-eum on the piano. The acclaimed ensemble is slated to perform S

July 21, 2016

Audition-winning BewhY will carry on with ‘nice’ rap

BewhY wants to continue spouting his own brand of “nice” rap. The 23-year-old, whose real name is Lee Byung-yoon, nabbed the spotlight as the leading contestant during the fifth season of hiphop audition program “Show Me the Money,” which began airing on Mnet in May. He eventually nabbed the top prize in last week’s final episode.The rookie rapper has been open about his Christian faith on the show. He wants to carry on writing lyrics that both convey his own beliefs and resonate with the wider

July 20, 2016

DreamWorks exhibition inspires visitors to be creative, tech savvy

The long spotted legs of the goofy giraffe from Madagascar -- Melman Mankiewicz -- stand as the gateway to the “DreamWorks Animation Special Exhibition” at Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), where children and adults alike can revel in the creative genius of DreamWorks animation.Consisting of three sections -- character, story and world - the show highlights the process of creating a DreamWorks film from the initial hand-drawn sketches all the way to the final screening. Models, posters and other parap

July 20, 2016

K-pop groups dominate Billboard World Albums Chart

As of Wednesday morning, four K-pop groups have earned their places on the weekly Billboard World Albums Chart.Just a week after releasing their first mini-album, all-male group NCT 127 ranked No. 2 on the list, trailing British rock band Mumford & Sons’ “Johannesburg.” The seven-member multinational boy band, which debuted earlier this month, already boasts a strong global following, topping the iTunes charts in six different countries, including the Philippines, Peru, Thailand, Singapore and V

July 20, 2016

The Beatles' Ringo Starr to stage first Korea concert in Nov.

Ringo Starr, the drummer of world-famous British rock band the Beatles, will hold his first-ever concert in Korea in November, a local concert planner said on Wednesday. The British songwriter's concert was ultimately set for Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. at Jamsil Stadium in southeastern Seoul, according to World Show Market, a local concert and event planner for international artists. This would be his first event in Korea in his 54-year music career. (Yonhap)"The concert will be a once-in-a-lifetime chanc

July 20, 2016

Anyang project to explore role of public art in city

Short-lived art festivals and biennales abound in Korean cities, but the city of Anyang located 20 kilometers from the capital city of Seoul seeks to create art that can have a long-lasting impact on residents’ lives. “We are interested in interacting with Anyang and the public. We have worked together with artists to find out what the parameter of the public space is, what can define public art and how we can meet the public through artworks and production,” said Joo Eun-gie, the art director o

July 19, 2016

[Hallyu Power] Making it in the home of pop

The next big breakthrough for K-pop -- and global pop music in general -- will be born from a collaboration between the newfangled genre and traditional British pop, believes Shin Jae-hong, a composer-turned-enterpreneur.While most major K-pop agencies, such as S.M., YG and most recently FNC Entertainment, are looking toward China for expansion, Shin decided to turn his attention to the U.K., the “homeland of global pop music” that yielded icons like the Beatles, Oasis and the Spice Girls, he to

July 19, 2016

HyunA returns as solo artist

HyunA of the recently disbanded K-pop girl group 4Minute made her debut as a solo artist at Viral Fest Asia 2016 in Bali, Indonesia, last Saturday. The one-day international music festival brought together more than 30 groups from 12 countries, with HyunA, hip-hop artiste MC Mong and singer-songwriter Suran representing Korea. “To be honest, I was very nervous,” she told a local media outlet regarding her first performance as a solo musician. “I’m performing alone, joined by singers from all acr

July 18, 2016

Dynamic Duo, Primary, Boi B and Crush to release collaborative single

Four Korean hip-hop groups are coming together for a collaborative summer project. Dynamic Duo, Primary, Boi B, and Crush will be releasing a new single “HighfiVe” this week, announced the artistes’ management agency Amoeba Culture on Monday. Produced by Choi Dong-hoon, who is better known by his stage name Primary, the single encompasses each group’s unique sound and charisma, according to the entertainment company.  “This single is the start of Amoeba Culture’s 2016 summer project,” said the c

July 18, 2016

Tongyeong to throw music fest in autumn

Tongyeong, one of the country's leading music cities, has prepared a series of colorful concerts for the autumn, the Tongyeong International Music Foundation said Monday. "We'll provide nine concerts at the Tongyeong Concert Hall from Sept. 4 to the end of October," a foundation official said.  (Tongyeong International Music Foundation)On Sept. 4, Korea's Novous Quartet and Son Yeol-eum, who won the silver medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition 2011, will perform Shostakovitch's Stri

July 18, 2016

Coldplay kicks off stadium tour with colorful show

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (AP) -- Coldplay kicked off its U.S. stadium tour with a colorful show that included fireworks, confetti and balloons, mixed with American pride, sympathy for France, moving words from Muhammad Ali and audio from President Barack Obama.The British foursome led by Chris Martin performed for feverish fans Saturday at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. They started their two-hour show on a bright, high note -- jamming onstage as fireworks burst to the sk

July 18, 2016