Wonder Girls’ agency denies breakup rumors

JYP Entertainment, the agency representing Wonder Girls, dismissed rumors Thursday that the girl group was poised to disband, saying that “nothing has been discussed on the matter.”An official from JYP Entertainment denied media reports that said the breakup of Wonder Girls was imminent. “Both the agency and Wonder Girls members have never discussed the group’s disbandment. The decision will be made by the members, not by the company,” the official said. Ever since the group’s leader Sun-ye marr

Aug. 29, 2013

Wonder Girls' agency denies breakup rumors

JYP Entertainment, the agency representing the Wonder Girls, dismissed rumors Thursday that the girl group was poised to disband, saying that “nothing has been discussed on the matter.”An official from JYP Entertainment denied media reports that said the breakup of Wonder Girls was imminent. “Both the agency and Wonder Girls members have never discussed the group’s disbandment. The decision will be made by the members, not by the company,” the official said. Ever since the group’s leader Sun-ye

Aug. 29, 2013

‘Bonnie & Clyde’ in with a bang

One of the most infamous American love stories is arriving in Seoul in the form of a musical next month, featuring an all-Korean cast including local stars Han Ji-sang and Lisa.Based on the famous story of Bonnie Parker (1910-1934) and Clyde Barrow (1909-1934), the well-known American robbers who traveled across the central U.S. during the Great Depression, “Bonnie & Clyde” had its Broadway premiere in 2011 and won two Tony Award nominations in 2012. The upcoming Seoul run is the Korean premiere

Aug. 28, 2013

Ailee prepares for Japanese debut

After the release of her latest EP “A’s Doll House” on July 12, Ailee is now determined to spread her wings abroad and take on the Japanese music market. Through a contract with Warner Music Japan, the young soloist is preparing to make her official debut in Japan in November with the Japanese version of her hit debut single “Heaven,” according to her agency YMC Entertainment. “Since the beginning of her career we have been preparing for her debut in Japan and she has even been learning Japanese

Aug. 28, 2013

Wheesung, Bae Chi Gi team up for Busan concert

R&B solo vocalist Wheesung will be joining hip-hop duo Bae Chi Gi at the group’s concert in Busan on Saturday. The show was originally intended to be a solo concert for the hip-hop duo; however, representatives of the singers’ agency YMC Entertainment announced on Tuesday that Wheesung will be making a special guest appearance. The artist, who is most famous for his Korean rendition of Craig David’s “Insomnia,” completed his military service earlier this month and the concert will mark the singe

Aug. 28, 2013

Chapman brothers’ cynical vision introduced in Seoul

British artists Jake and Dinos Chapman, brothers as well as artists, make their artworks as horrific and awful as possible. They paint the faces of wealthy men in 19th century portraits, making them look decomposed with the deformed image revealing rotting veins and muscles underneath the skin. The portraits bought at an auction by the artists were redone to point out how futile their wealth and life has become as their paintings, once a symbol of wealth, ended up for sale. The portrait is the l

Aug. 27, 2013

‘Enter at your own pleasure’: Sensation returns for round two

Imagine a night filled with thumping house music, a creative theme, spectacular theatrics, high-flying acrobatics, mesmerizing lights and special effects, explosive fireworks and tens of thousands of music lovers gathering to dance the night away. This is “Sensation,” an annual one-day, all-night indoor dance party event, and it is returning to Seoul.The Sensation event is difficult to describe and capture all in one breath as it combines so many different elements of music and theater to create

Aug. 27, 2013

Jin Meyerson explores overcoming boundaries in exhibition

American artist Jin Meyerson is holding a solo exhibition titled “Endless Frontier” from Aug. 28 to Oct. 6 at Hakgojae Gallery in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul.The artist takes images from the media, particularly magazines, television and the Internet, and then distorts them by stretching them out, reducing them, layering and recoloring them. His digital experimentation using a computer combined with the traditional hands-on technique of oil painting creates complex, multidimensional pieces. The f

Aug. 26, 2013

Hip-hop world caught up in a cutthroat ‘diss war’

The local hip-hop scene has been explosive this past week with disses flying in every direction as several popular rap stars decided to carry out their feuds publicly, and with some pretty harsh verses. It all started two weeks ago with the release of the hip-hop track “Control,” by American rap artists Big Sean, featuring Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electronica. The single basically called out a handful of the new rappers in the U.S. music industry, such as Wale, Pusha T, Meek Mill, A$AP Rocky and D

Aug. 26, 2013

Timberlake, ’N Sync take over Video Music Awards

NEW YORK (AP) ― Miley Cyrus’ foam finger, Lady Gaga’s thong, Taylor Swift’s mean streak and the look on Rihanna’s face while Drake performed will surely be remembered, but these MTV Video Music Awards belonged to Justin Timberlake.Timberlake briefly reunited with ’N Sync, won moonman trophies including top honor video of the year for “Mirrors” plus the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award and managed to overshadow most of today’s top pop stars while doing it. “I don’t deserve the award, but I’m

Aug. 26, 2013

Exhibition ponders a life in art through waterdrops

Artist Kim Tschang-yeul holds a retrospective that looks back on his artistic career, following his grand retrospective held in Taiwan earlier this year. The exhibition presents some 40 works that cover each stage of the 84-year-old artist’s career, including those from the early 1970s which saw the birth of his signature “Waterdrops” series to the present, shedding light on the transformation of Korean contemporary art as well. The retrospective at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts featur

Aug. 25, 2013

‘Show Me the Money’ exposes good and bad of the industry

This is the third in a series on producers, MCs, DJs and artists working in the Korean underground hip-hop scene. ― Ed.Despite high ratings and relative success, hip-hop artist MC Meta ― one half of established duo Garion ― said a lot needed to be done for future seasons of Mnet hip-hop audition show “Show Me the Money.”While the hip-hop talent search program, which just wrapped up its second season, did put more up-and-coming underground artists in the limelight, Meta said for him as a producer

Aug. 25, 2013

Eyelike: EXO’s new album catchy

EXO’s new album catchyEXO“The 1st Album ‘XOXO (Kiss&Hug)’ Repackage”(KMP Holdings)EXO’s 14-track repackaged album is a mainstream mix of hip-hop, R&B, pop and dance and is definitely for the younger crowd. You won‘t find depth and complexity in terms of music or lyrics, but mature listeners nonetheless will find some tracks irresistibly catchy. Title song “Growl” is a dance track with an urban R&B sound and describes a man not wanting his lover to be stolen away. “LUCKY” has a rhythmical melody

Aug. 23, 2013

Crayon Pop captivates foreign media

The almost embarrassingly silly concept of the nation’s latest girl group craze Crayon Pop has managed to grab the attention of overseas broadcasters. Journalists from the U.S.’ ABC News as well China’s Shanghai TV came to Korea on Thursday to spend the day with the five ladies of Crayon Pop since the quirky choreography to the group’s hit single “Bar Bar Bar” has begun to blow up virally, resulting in people asking whether it may follow in the footsteps of Psy’s “Gangnam Style” and “Gentleman.”

Aug. 23, 2013