K-pop's BTS 'worth $3.6 billion a year' to South Korea

South Korean boyband BTS are worth more than $3.6 billion to the country's economy every year -- equivalent to the contribution of 26 mid-sized companies -- a research institute said Tuesday.The floppy-haired songsters were also the reason that one in every 13 foreign tourists visited South Korea in 2017, the Hyundai Research Institute said. (Yonhap)Known for their boyish good looks and meticulously choreographed dance moves, BTS -- short for Bangtan Sonyeondan, which translates as Bulletproof B

Dec. 18, 2018

BTS tops nat'l survey on best recording artists of 2018

Global K-pop sensation BTS has topped a national survey on the best music acts of the year.Gallup Korea announced Tuesday that the seven-member boy band earned 24.4 percent of support in a survey on South Korea's top recording artists for 2018. BTS (Yonhap - CJ ENM)Gallup polled 4,200 South Koreans between the ages of 13 and 59 from July 4-22, Sept. 7-27 and Nov. 7-30. It has a margin of error of 1.5 percentage points, with a confidence level of 95 percent.Participants were asked to pick their t

Dec. 18, 2018

Billboard highlights BTS, Red Velvet among best K-pop of year

Wrapping up 2018, Billboard released two lists, one ranking the 20 best K-pop albums and the other for songs. BTS, Red Velvet and Shinee’s Jonghyun were especially recognized atop the lists. Billboard picked BTS’ “Love Yourself: Answer” as the best K-pop album of the year. BTS (Big Hit Entertainment)“BTS has risen to the top of the global music industry,” commentary accompanying the list read. “They released their ‘Love Yourself’ album series, through which the group weaved a thematic discovery

Dec. 18, 2018

Queen tribute band to perform in Korea in Jan.

Queen tribute band The Bohemians will perform in Korea in January.They will perform at Daeyang Hall at Sejong University in Seoul, Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center and Exco in Daegu on Jan. 4, 5 and 6, respectively. (Shangri-La Entertainment)The Bohemians were established in 1996 and are dedicated to re-enacting the legendary music of Queen. The band consists of four members -- Rob Comber, Christopher Gregory, Wayne Bourne and Kevin Goodwin -- who each represent a Queen member. They will perform 22

Dec. 18, 2018

Year-end concert celebrates 65th anniversary of US-Korea alliance

The Eighth United States Army and Seoul Cyber University on Sunday held their 11th year-end joint concert at Seoul Arts Center.The annual joint concert was first organized in 2008 to share the holiday spirit with deployed soldiers and their families here, as well as to strengthen ties between the two countries. Since its inception, the year-end concert has celebrated classic Christmas repertoires and Korea’s traditional dance and music. Eighth Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Michael A. Bills (l

Dec. 18, 2018

H.O.T.’s Kangta owns 5,500 S.M. shares

Kangta, or Ahn Chil-hyun, a former first-generation K-pop star from the now-defunct group H.O.T., owns 5,500 shares in S.M. Entertainment. The information was publicly posted on Monday.Ahn is an unlisted board member of S.M. Entertainment. The shares he owns account for 0.02 percent of S.M. As of 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, at the time of this article’s writing, an S.M. share was priced at 49,900 won ($44), making Ahn’s stake worth 274.45 million. Kangta (S.M. Entertainment)S.M. is the biggest talent

Dec. 18, 2018

Fans remember SHINee’s Jonghyun at memorial event

No sounds of sobbing or wailing were heard at a memorial event for SHINee’s Jonghyun on Monday, but the singer’s death is still keenly felt by his fans. On Monday evening, the event to commemorate the late lead vocalist of SHINee, who died a year ago, was held at a theater in S.M. Town Coex Artium in Gangnam. It took the form of an art fair that showcased clips and writing dedicated to Jonghyun. The event also included a memorial service. (Hong Dam-young/The Korea Herald)Organized by Shiny, a no

Dec. 18, 2018

Jonghyun remembered in arts exhibition on 1st anniversary

Dec. 18 marks the first anniversary of Jonghyun’s passing.On this day last year, boy group SHINee’s lead vocalist was found unresponsive at a studio apartment in Cheongdam-dong, a neighborhood in Seoul’s Gangnam district. He was rushed to the nearby Konkuk University Medical Center, but did not survive. Jonghyun (SHINee`s official Twitter @shinee)The 27-year-old star’s untimely passing was reported in major media outlets across the world, including the BBC, CNN, Forbes, the New York Times and th

Dec. 17, 2018

Sylvester Levay says ‘Elisabeth’ marked turning point for him

Nearly two decades after winning the Grammy Award for “Fly, Robin, Fly,” composer Sylvester Levay was at a crossroads, about to venture into writing songs for musicals.“Writing music for (musical) ‘Elisabeth’ was around the time when I was peaking in Hollywood writing film music. I was torn between potential career choices when my wife pushed me forward. It was a turning point for me as a creator,” said Levay during an interview in Seoul on Thursday. The interview was in German, translated into

Dec. 17, 2018

Epic Games Korea denies gun powder use, wishes Seolhyun quick recovery

Epic Games Korea, the host of Fortnite Korea Open 2018, confirmed in a statement Monday that gun powder had not been used during AOA’s performance at the event, after the group’s member Seolhyun left the stage in the middle of the performance because she felt faint. The company also wished Seolhyun a quick recovery.Seolhyun’s management agency FNC Entertainment had initially blamed the singer’s dizziness and retching on the heavy use of gunpowder. However, fans had criticized the agency for not

Dec. 17, 2018

[Photo News] BTS wins big at 2018 MAMA in Hong Kong

BTS took home what is regarded as the highest honors of the evening on the third and final night of the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong: artist and album of the year. BTS delivers a thank-you speech at the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong (CJ ENM) BTS after winning `Album of the Year` at 2018 MAMA in Hong Kong (CJ ENM) BTS delivers a thank-you speech at the 2018 MAMA in Hong Kong (CJ ENM) Leader RM speaks on behalf of the group at MAMA in Hong Kong on Friday (CJ ENM)“Love Your

Dec. 16, 2018

The Weeknd rocks Seoul with exhilarating, nonstop performance

As part of the Hyundai Card Culture Project, The Weeknd held his first concert in Korea at Gocheok Skydome in Seoul on Saturday.Even before the show’s 7 p.m. start, the huge dome was already jam-packed with some 24,000 people waiting for the world’s leading R&B artist. Canadian R&B artist The Weeknd performs at Gocheok Skydome in Seoul on Saturday. (Hyundai Card)The Weeknd kicked off the concert with “Pray for Me” from blockbuster film “Black Panther.” Though it was the first among his performan

Dec. 16, 2018

BTS' 'Fake Love' surpasses 400M YouTube views

The music video of K-pop boy band BTS' global hit song "Fake Love" has achieved the milestone of getting 400 million YouTube views, their management agency said Sunday.The artistically charged "Fake Love" music video, released in May, achieved the feat Saturday afternoon, Big Hit Entertainment said.  (Yonhap)The song was the main track of the BTS album "Love Yourself: Tear," with which BTS rewrote K-pop history. The album landed atop the Billboard 200 chart about a week after its release, making

Dec. 16, 2018

Gracias Choir to hold ‘Christmas Cantata’ tour

Gracias Choir is holding a nationwide Christmas tour through Dec. 23. Under the title of “Christmas Cantata,” the choir will hold a total of 43 concerts in 19 cities, including concerts at KBS Hall in Seoul from Dec. 21-23. Leading the choir is its principal conductor Boris Abalyan, who is also a professor of Saint-Petersburg State Conservatory.  Gracias Choir performs at a concert in the US (Gracias Choir)The “Christmas Cantata” program comprises three different parts: an opera featuring the bi

Dec. 13, 2018

[Photo News] BTS walks red carpet at 2018 MAMA in Japan

BTS arrived at the red carpet at the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Japan.Arguably one of the most high-profile acts to hit the annual music awards, BTS trumped Mnet’s online poll in five of the 18 categories: this year’s best group, best dance performance for male groups, best music video, best song and best artist. The monthlong poll garnered 10,942,117 votes. (Mnet) (Mnet) (Mnet)The septet was the last to walk the red carpet at the three-part MAMA’s second ceremony dubbed “Fan’s Choice Japan

Dec. 12, 2018

BTS’ team sweeps four awards at 2018 MAMA in Seoul

BTS did not attend the first night of the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards, but the group’s presence was still felt, as its team swept four awards at the event. Held Monday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, the first part of the three-day event saw awards being presented to rookie artists who had debuted recently, which was why BTS did not attend.  This photo of BTS and Bang Si-hyuk was posted on Bang`s Twitter account on Dec. 29, 2014.The event also recognized the efforts of those behind K-pop g

Dec. 12, 2018

‘Because it’s Bach’

There comes a point when you love someone because you just love them, without any particular reason. Violin virtuoso Hilary Hahn’s love of Bach is that kind of love.“Because it’s Bach!” Hahn said, explaining her love of the composer in an email interview with The Korea Herald ahead of her upcoming South Korea tour. Hahn will perform Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 on Dec. 18 in Daegu and again on Dec. 19 at the Lotte Concert Hall with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen under conductor Paavo J

Dec. 11, 2018

[Photo News] Rising stars Stray Kids arrive at 2018 MAMA

Stray Kids have arrived at the red carpet of the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards.  Stray Kids hit the red carpet at 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards (Mnet) (Mnet)The nine-piece act ranked top in the poll for best new male artist, determined through preshow online voting by fans, which ran for about a month, from Nov. 1 to Sunday midnight. Stray Kids trumped the poll, earning close to half of total votes with 49.10 percent. The runner-up in the same category was Kim Dong-han, a contestant in the second

Dec. 10, 2018

After feuding with feminists, San E takes aim at journalists

It seems San E has beef with journalists, as the outspoken rapper has announced he will release a new single called “Giregi” Tuesday -- a portmanteau meaning “garbage reporter” in Korean.In an Instagram post released Monday afternoon, the rapper teased the new single as he bounced up and down while wearing a zipped ski mask that left just his eyes visible.The term “giregi” is heard repeatedly as the short clip teased the latest in a series of politically charged songs the rapper has released in

Dec. 10, 2018