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Emeli Sande stuns with her debutEmeli Sande “Our Version of Events” (Capitol)For at least the next year or so, every U.K. female singer who has a soulful voice and favors ballads has to deal with an unenviable fate -- being compared with fellow Brit Adele.That’s what Emeli Sande is facing with her debut, “Our Version of Events.” It doesn’t help that Emeli Sande’s real name is Adele -- she started using her middle name when the current queen of pop became a sensation. Also like Adele, Sande has s

June 15, 2012

Jamiroquai to make Seoul comeback

Jamiroquai, one of the world’s most famous acid jazz bands, is returning to dazzle Korean fans. For the first time in four years, the band will hold a concert on Aug. 22 at the Jamsil Gymnasium in Seoul, its Korean promoter said in a press release.The band had tremendous success in the previous concert in Seoul with tickets sold out in just five minutes.With the release of its seventh album “Rock Dust Light Star” in 2010, Jamiroquai began its world tour holding 83 concerts around the world. For

June 15, 2012

‘La Boheme’ outdoors to light up summer nights

5 billion won project features opera singer Angela Gheorghiu and conductor Chung Myung-whun of Seoul Philharmonic OrchestraAlmost ten years ago, Korean agencies started to bring in foreign opera productions, staging them at big venues in Seoul and selling tickets at record-high prices. There was “Turandot” staged in May 2003 at the Sangam World Cup Stadium and four months later, “Aida” at Jamsil Stadium. The two outdoor opera productions drew huge media attention at the time thanks to the grande

June 13, 2012

Thousands of JYJ fans from Japan to visit Korea

Over 7,000 Japanese K-pop fans will visit South Korea late June to attend an event held by boy-band JYJ, its agency said Wednesday.Cjes Entertainment said the 2012 JYJ Membership Week will host 15,000 Korean fans along with 7,024 Japanese fans that will visit Korea to attend the large-scale fan event.“No other Hallyu star has been able to gather such a huge flock of fans in a single event,” claimed the agency. It alleged the influx of Japanese fans were “the largest in scale since the foundation

June 13, 2012

Adele addresses her weight issue

  British pop star Adele made news this week admitting to have worn four pairs of Spanx under the dress she wore at the 2012 Grammys.“I had three or four pairs of Spanx on that night but I loved it,” said the iconic winner of six Grammys.She had to take off two layers before bedazzling the audience with her smash hit, “Rolling in the Deep,” for her Grammy performance.The singer also talked about how she had passed out in her first dress, which had a built-in corset that was much too tight. Altho

June 13, 2012

Japan’s music sensation: a group ranked by fans

AKB48 is not exactly a band. It’s an army of girls-next-door, ranked by its fans, and after taking Japan by storm it’s getting ready to go global.More than 60 girls and young women, split into four teams, make up what is arguably Japan’s most popular pop group. It performs almost every day, has spawned affiliates across the country and has given rise to sister mega-groups in China, Taiwan and Indo

June 13, 2012

Sungnyemun gets new roof tiles as restoration proceeds

The restoration team of Seoul’s historic gateway Sungnyemun has begun the process of roof-tiling, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Tuesday.The roof-tiling takes place after the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea pointed out last month that the cultural administration is not following the traditional architectural technique, and that therefore the gateway’s restoration may not be completed properly.  During a press meeting on Tuesday, the cultural administration said that the re

June 12, 2012

Kang Sue-jin proves star power, once again

Korean dancer with Germany’s Stuttgart Ballet to perform ‘The Lady of the Camellias’ in its entirety for the last time in Korea this weekend Ever since the news came out that Kang Sue-jin, the country’s star ballerina with Germany’s Stuttgart Ballet, will be performing the entire piece of “The Lady of the Camellias” for the last time in Seoul, many have raised the big question: Is she retiring?The 44-year-old prima ballerina, still active on stage and who has already passed the average retiremen

June 12, 2012

Rain, Kim JH, YB to perform at Yeosu Expo

Top Korean singers and groups will hold concerts at the Yeosu Expo this weekend, the organizing committee said on Tuesday. Rain, currently serving in the military, will be the first to go on stage on Saturday, followed by rock-ballad singer Kim Jang-hoon on Sunday and YB Band on Monday.  The concerts will be held at 8:30 p.m. on a special stage built for concerts during the expo period. The special outdoor stage arena is capable of hosting an audience of 20,000. For Rain, it will be his first bi

June 12, 2012

Patti Smith heads to Europe to promote new album

NEW YORK (AP) ― The success of Patti Smith’s memoir “Just Kids,’’ about her friendship with Robert Mapplethorpe, sealed her reputation as a wide-ranging artist and writer at the heartbeat of New York City.The 2010 best-seller about growing up in New York’s art scene won the National Book Award for nonfiction and is her most successful project yet in any format. But whether her new literary fans will translate into more buyers of her music is a question Smith has been asking herself.While making

June 12, 2012

Three Korean artists invited to world’s largest contemporary art fair

Korean contemporary artists present innovative forms of art at Kassel DocumentaThree Korean artists are showcasing their works at one of the world’s largest and most prestigious contemporary art fairs held in Germany. It is the second time Korean artists have been invited to the Kassel Documenta since 1992 ― the festival has been taking place every five years since 1955.The three 40-something-year-old artists Moon Kyung-won, Jeon Joon-ho and Yang Haegue present innovative art forms that focus on

June 11, 2012

One with nature

Rainbow Island Music and Camping brings together fans, music & natureNAMI ISLAND ― The fresh scent of pine trees and strains of lighthearted music greeted guests of Rainbow Island Music and Camping as soon as they began walking through the trees on Nami Island to reach the festival grounds.It seemed as though nature and music were intricately woven together at the event, with concert-goers enjoying their favorite bands from among the trees.They may have come to catch the likes of Jason Mraz, Bus

June 10, 2012

Calendar

Festivals“Taean Lily Festival”: Taean in South Chungcheong Province hosts a summer lily festival from June 20 to July 1. The annual flower festival is held at Nature World on a vast land planted with summer flowers such as lilies, dahlia and gladioli. The festival also holds craft-making events for visitors. Families and children can experience traditional kite making and arrow making.  The entrance fee is 9,000 won for adults and 7,000 won for those who come in groups.  A special discount is gi

June 8, 2012