[Music Review] Striving for ‘iKON’ status

We watched them week after week in their relentless pursuit of stardom, and laying their hearts on the line on-camera for the whole world to see; and now, the seven members of iKON are ready to finally bask in the fruits of their arduous labor.Last week, the rookie group dropped its first official single, “My Type,” and not only nabbed the No. 1 spot on all of the country’s major online music charts, but also reigned the iTunes’ singles albums chart in seven regions, including Hong Kong, Thailan

Sept. 20, 2015

Singer Lee Seung-hwan breaks record with six-hour concert

Singer Lee Seung-hwan performs a six hour-long concert on Saturday in Seoul’s Uniqlo Ax Hall. (Dream Factory)Iconic balladeer-rocker Lee Seung-hwan held a six hour and 21 minute-long concert for his 26th anniversary show on Saturday, Sept. 19, surpassing his own record set in 2012 for the longest single performance held in Korea and cementing his longtime reputation as the “god of live shows.” The spectacle-filled concert, titled “Bar Day -- 26 years” and held at Seoul’s Uniqlo Ax Hall, lasted f

Sept. 20, 2015

[Album Review] Up10tion makes a splashy start with ‘Top Secret’

Up10tion"Top Secret"(Loen Entertainment)Ten-member boy band Up10tion is the latest addition to the K-pop scene, and their debut EP “Top Secret” shows they are determined to get attention with flashy music reflecting the latest trends. After an intense intro, the album heads straight into the lead track “So, Dangerous,” produced by the composer who wrote EXO’s megahit “Growl.” The pounding dance track is reminiscent of “Growl,” with a dramatic structure and lyrics about wanting to protect a girl

Sept. 20, 2015

[Album Review] LYn demonstrates stylistic range on 9th album

LYn“9x9th”Loen EntertainmentLYn amplifies the emotional depth of her voice to express the wistfulness of a woman who longs for an absent love on her ninth studio album “9x9th.” With six tracks having lyrics written by LYn, the album also represents her growth as a singer-songwriter.The album steps away from her well-known R&B style to take on overarching blues and jazz themes. The lead single “Love Moves On” features a waltz rhythm that allows LYn’s voice to meander in a gypsy style, while “A Bi

Sept. 20, 2015

[Album Review] Kangnam escapes hip-hop for solo EP

Kangnam“Chocolate”CJ E&MOn the first two tracks of “Chocolate,” hip-hop vocal Kangnam of M.I.B. teams up well with heavyweight rappers Microdot (on “Tell Me What”) and San E (on lead track “Chocolate”). The lead track is lighthearted and flirty, with a piano theme and San E’s naughty lyrics putting a mischievous turn on Kangnam’s seemingly innocent song.The album suddenly goes pop rock with “Stay,” where listeners can see what Kangnam is like as a standalone vocal, without his fellow M.I.B membe

Sept. 20, 2015

A tribute to handwriting, solitude and silence

The job is simple – write pages of a novel on a piece of paper for an hour. Participants, one by one, walk into a small white room, sit down and pick up a pencil. They check at the page left open and begin to move their hand to transcribe it.  This is an art project by artist Ahn Kyu-chul. At his solo exhibition currently at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, the 60-year-old artist invites the audience to engage in his creative process of completing conceptual installatio

Sept. 17, 2015

Unstable emotions in dim landscapes

Award-winning artist Kong Sung-hun is presenting his new series in a solo exhibition at Arario Gallery in Seoul. Named artist of the year in 2013 by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Kong’s new painting series is in line with his previous works that won him the prestigious art prize.The “Dusky Landscape” consists of 16 large works that are as tall as 1.8 meters. The images in the series are familiar scenes: a white trail of an airplane in the sky, bare winter trees, stor

Sept. 15, 2015

CNBLUE drops ‘2gether,’ defends status as rock band

CNBLUE lead vocalist Jung Yong-hwa and his bandmates perform at a showcase for their second album, “2gether,” at the AX-Korea stadium in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap News)Coming six years after their debut and 19 months since their previous release, CNBLUE finally dropped their second full-length album, “2gether,” on Monday. “We’ve been together for six years, but this is only our second full-length album,” said CNBLUE front man Jung Yong-hwa, during a news conference at the AX-Korea Stadium in Seou

Sept. 15, 2015

Art project traces tobacco from seed to cigarette

When the Korean government announced the biggest-ever hike in cigarette prices last year, smoker and artist Kim So-cheol and his friends decided to take action: They decided to make cigarettes on their own. They planted seeds of the two most popular tobacco plants ― Virginia and Burley ― on the rooftop of Kim’s small house in Mapo-gu, western Seoul. In four months, the plants grew as tall as Kim. “It started as a response to the government’s decision to raise tobacco prices,” Kim told The Korea

Sept. 14, 2015

Cigarette making becomes art project

When the Korean government announced the biggest-ever hike in cigarette prices last year, smoker and artist Kim So-cheol and his friends decided to take action: They decided to make cigarettes on their own. They planted seeds of the two most popular tobacco plants -- Virginia and Burley -- on the rooftop of Kim’s small house in Mapo-gu, western Seoul. In four months, the plants grew as tall as Kim. “It started as a response to the government’s decision to raise tobacco prices,” Kim told The Kore

Sept. 14, 2015

K-pop rising as key Asian identity, but still unfamiliar to many

While K-pop is quickly rising as a key cultural symbol in Asia, it remains much on the sidelines of the U.S. and European music industries, international experts said at a forum discussing the prospects of K-pop abroad. “The success of K-pop in the world is somewhat different from how it is perceived in Korea,” said Rob Schwartz, the Tokyo bureau chief of American music magazine Billboard, at the Seoul Music Forum, held from Sept. 11-12. A handful of industry insiders were present to discuss the

Sept. 13, 2015

[Album Review] Seventeen gets catchy with ‘Boys Be’

　Seventeen　“Boys Be”　(Loen Entertainment)　Seventeen, the 13-member rookie group that debuted this year after going through a grueling training process broadcast on the air, has come out with a catchy second EP called “Boys Be.”　Despite its name, Seventeen has 13 members, split up into three units -- the hip-hop unit, the vocal unit and the performance unit. Like its first EP “17 Carat,” “Boys Be” features one track from each of the three units. The lead track “Mansae” and the track “Rock” have a

Sept. 11, 2015

[Album Review] G.Soul does deep house right on ‘Dirty’

　　G.Soul　“Dirty”　(KT Music)　“Dirty” could probably pass for a DJ set at a house music lounge. With DJ and composer Frants (who also worked on the Wonder Girls’ ‘Reboot’ album), JYP’s G.Soul toned down the emotion of his first EP “Coming Home” from January, and turned up the beat to create a quality album combining jazz and soul with house music.Although the EP is called “Dirty” and the word repeats itself countlessly in the songs, the album exudes a romantic vibe thanks to G.Soul’s tone and his

Sept. 11, 2015

[HERALD INTERVIEW] Making art ‘accessible’ to everyone

The Affordable Art Fair arrived in Seoul for the first time, kicking off its three-day showcase of contemporary art on Friday. The Seoul fair offers a wide range of artworks such as paintings, sculptures, installations and media works that suit “every tasteful taste bud,” said Will Ramsay, founder of the art fair.“There is plenty of good-quality art in an affordable price range. We are the venue for finding it,” he said in an interview at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, the fair venue, in Seoul on Thur

Sept. 11, 2015

[Herald Interview] Family trio dropping a little opera to the club scene

Classical opera is getting a modern and chic revamp, leaving behind the fancy orchestra concert halls and heading out to the mecca of pop music culture and youth.After hitting it big in their native country of New Zealand with its 2013 self-titled debut album, up-and-coming opera crossover family trio Sol3 Mio will be performing its first concert in Korea in the most unlikely of venues -- Gangnam, Seoul nightclub Octagon. Contemporary classical opera trio Sol3 Mio (Universal Music)As part of the

Sept. 10, 2015

Lin's ‘Rice’ pays visual homage to Asia’s staple grain

Bringing his visually breathtaking and poetically poignant contemporary dance piece “Rice” in front of Seoul audiences for the first time, renowned choreographer Lin Hwai-min will be introducing a whole new way for the audience to conceptualize the significance of even a simple grain of rice. Having been deemed by some critics as “Asia’s most important choreographer,” Lin is no stranger to intertwining the element of rice into his performances.Born and raised in Taiwan, Lin’s parents grew up in

Sept. 10, 2015

Finding originality in Korean contemporary art

Following a series of unprecedented shows of support for art museums from last year, Hyundai Motor Co. is holding an art exhibition in Seoul that highlights the creativity of Korean contemporary artists and the traditional elements and aesthetics that inspired them. The “Dream Society” exhibition, now in its third year, brings together leading artists, architects and designers, who converge with innovative ideas of “Koreanness” in their installations, sculptures and paintings.   Installation by

Sept. 8, 2015

Korean fans prop up Maroon 5’s shaky Seoul concert

Maroon 5’s much-anticipated performance in Seoul was a letdown in terms of musical satisfaction. Lead singer Adam Levine’s voice remained unstable, with his trademark high-pitch tone often failing. It was the Korean fans who salvaged the strained performance with their over-the-top support for the band on Monday.   Maroon 5’s “V tour“ in Seoul‘s Olympic Gymnastics Arena (Live Nation Korea)Signs of trouble were detected early on when the group abruptly postponed their concert in Daegu on Sunday,

Sept. 8, 2015

Pianist Paik going nationwide with Russian classics

Considered one of the most influential pianists of his generation, 69-year-old Paik Kun-woo will be making his way back to the public eye with the launch of his upcoming “Kun-woo Paik Piano Recital” nationwide tour this month.After giving his first public performance at the tender age of 10 with the Korean National Orchestra. The child prodigy later went on to perform at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, in his orchestral debut, at the age of 15. Since then, Paik has performed on some of the wor

Sept. 7, 2015

Monsta X returns with ‘Rush’

Rookie hip-hop boy group Monsta X of Starship Entertainment was blessed with a crew of the most in-demand names in hip-hop for their second EP “Rush.”The six-track EP includes songs worked on by Mad Clown, Crybaby and Rhymer, as well as the lead track “Rush” produced by Giriboy. Monsta X’s rapper Jooheon took part in writing the lyrics for five of the six tracks, with fellow rapper I.M joining him on four, including “Rush.”The lead track “Rush” is a pounding hip-hop track with cute, witty lyrics

Sept. 7, 2015