[K-Talk] Hwang Chi-yeol to release EP in April

Singer Hwang Chi-yeol confirmed the release date of his new record as April 24, his agency said Tuesday.According to HOW Entertainment, Hwang will release the EP “Be Myself,” which is his first release in 10 months since the EP “Be Ordinary” in June of last year.“If ‘Be Ordinary’ focused on the various genres of music in Hwang’s everyday life, ‘Be Myself’ focuses more on depicting Hwang himself, of who he is,“ officials from the agency said.The record is available for online pre-order from Tuesd

April 3, 2018

Yun Sang wishes there’d been more idol singers in NK performance

Sunday’s performance in Pyongyang by a South Korean art troupe was deemed largely satisfactory by the authorities of both Koreas, but music director Yun Sang said that including more K-pop stars could have improved the show.Yun Sang (left), musical director of a South Korean art troupe, speaks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Sunday in Pyongyang. / Yonhap“I wish more idol singers would’ve come. There were some concerns from the North, over an overflow of things that may look alien (to Nor

April 3, 2018

Oh My Girl returns as seven monkeys

A few months ago, K-pop darlings Oh My Girl was a group of seven young women secretly whispering “Inside me I have a precious place only for me” in its shimmering single “Secret Garden.” Who would have thought those ladies would turn into monkeys dancing to a comical tune with a banana in their hands?The seven-piece act Oh My Girl returned with its new EP “Banana Allergy Monkey” Tuesday, aiming for a dramatic change in the group’s image. The album, which is the group’s first pop-up album, featur

April 3, 2018

EXO-CBX to release new EP on April 10

EXO-CBX, a subunit of EXO, will release an EP on April 10.The group’s agency S.M. Entertainment said Tuesday that the act’s second EP is titled “Blooming Days,” fronted by a lead track with a similar name.The lead track “Booming Day” will be a light-hearted dance pop love song that suits the warm weather of spring, the agency said.  (S.M. Entertainment)The subunit, consisting of three members from EXO -- Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin -- debuted with an EP titled “Hey Mama!” in October 2016. It also

April 3, 2018

2018 Dream Concert to be held in May

The 2018 Dream Concert, an annual K-pop concert held since 1995, will be take place in Seoul in May. K-pop stars at Dream Concert 2017, held in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, in November last year. (Yonhap)The K-pop event now in its 24th year will be staged at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on May 12, according to the organizer, the Korea Entertainment Producer‘s Association. Last year’s event was held on Nov. 4 in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, where the 2018 Winter Olympics took place. It fe

April 2, 2018

Legacy of Yun I-sang celebrated at Tongyeong fest

TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- The Tongyeong International Music Festival 2018 began Friday, marking the return of the late composer Yun I-sang to his hometown. Conductor Steven Sloane led the Bochum Symphony Orchestra in its first-ever performance of Yun I-sang’s “Exemplum in Memoriam Gwangju,” an homage to the Gwangju Uprising composed in 1981 while Yun was living in Berlin. “I watched him giving vent to his frustration and sorrow. He often burst into tears while he was composing the

April 2, 2018

All of Black Pink’s music videos top 100m views each

All five of the K-pop group Black Pink’s music videos have each exceeded the 100-million-view mark on YouTube, as of Monday afternoon.According to the group’s agency YG Entertainment, the official music video of “Stay,” released in November 2016 on their second single “Square Two,” reached 100 million views at around 12:40 p.m. on Monday.This comes two days after the music video for “Playing with Fire,” also included in “Square Two,” topped 200 million views on Saturday. A poster released by YG

April 2, 2018

Rapper Junoflo to perform in Germany, before Europe tour

Junoflo is expanding his range outside Korea, as he is slated to hold a showcase in Germany on Friday before planning a European tour in the second half of this year.According to his agency Feel Good Music, the rapper will visit Germany after completing the media tour in the US, most recently performing in New York on Friday. Last month, he performed at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.  Junoflo (Feel Good Music)The live performance will take place at the Matrix nightclub in Boch

April 1, 2018

BTS grow beards for April Fools’ Day?

April Fool’s Day has arrived, and K-pop band BTS’ fans are having a field day making hilarious alterations to photos of their beloved group. In celebration of the annual day dedicated to hoaxes and jokes, global BTS fans made the boy band members digitally sprout extravagant beards and mustaches on Sunday.  (Online community)The retouched images show BTS members V, Jungkook, Jimin, J-Hope, RM, Jin and Suga proudly sporting lush, multicolored facial hair that puts Santa Claus to shame.  (Online c

April 1, 2018

Suran ‘distressed’ over dating rumors with BTS‘ Suga

K-pop singer Suran took to social media to express her distress about the cyberbullying that she has faced after dating rumors between her and Suga of BTS surfaced.The singer wrote on her social media account Saturday that she is not romantically involved with Suga, and was distressed from the online personal attacks by those who were angry at her over clarified misunderstandings.  Suran (Million Market)“My relationship with Suga, whom I met last year, was entirely related to music. It was nothi

April 1, 2018

TIMF holds memorial ceremony celebrating Yun I-sang‘s return to homeland

The Tongyeong International Music Foundation on Friday held a memorial ceremony paying homage to composer Yun I-sang, who finally returned home 23 years after his death in Germany. The ceremony was held at the site where his ashes are buried, located on a cliff above the sea, right next to the TIMF concert hall.  More than 100 people joined the ceremony to commemorate Korea‘s internationally acclaimed composer. Tongyeong International Music Foundation Chairman Kim Dong-jin, President Florian Rie

March 30, 2018

Super Junior’s new single to feature foreign artists

K-pop act Super Junior has teamed up with foreign artists for the first time since its debut.The act’s agency Label SJ said Friday that “Lo Siento,” a Latin-pop tinged lead track of Super Junior’s upcoming repackaged edition of its eighth full-length album “Play,” will feature vocals from Leslie Grace, an American singer-songwriter known for her specialty in Latin pop. Play N Skillz, a renowned DJ duo from the US, produced the album, according to the agency.  Super Junior (Label SJ) Leslie Grace

March 30, 2018

TVXQ tops 13 Apple iTunes charts with new album

K-pop band TVXQ's latest album has reached No. 1 on Apple iTunes album charts in 13 regions, according to its agency Friday."New Chapter #1: The Chance of Love," the duo's first new release in three years, climbed to the top of iTunes charts for Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore and Hong Kong after being released Wednesday, SM Entertainment said. (Yonhap)The other markets were Macau, the Philippines, Chile, Ecuador and Peru."Chance of Love" is the group's eight ful

March 30, 2018

Primary to release new album on April 3

Star producer Primary will hit the K-pop scene with a new project album on April 3.The artist’s agency Amoeba Culture said Friday that the upcoming “Do worry Be happy” will be released on April 3, and features various up-and-coming artists such as Colde of hip-hop duo offonoff, Xin Seha, 1of1 and Kevin Oh. Primary is teaming up with Korean songstress Anda, who lends her hand in creating and singing songs for the album. Signed under the label Emperor Entertainment, Anda has sometimes been labeled

March 30, 2018

T.O.P holds arts and crafts class for children: video

A clip of Big Bang‘s T.O.P was shared online Wednesday, which showed the top boy band rapper serving his military duties at the Yongsan-gu Office in Seoul. In the released video, T.O.P was seen helping children make arts and crafts with clay at the Yongsan Crafts Museum. The children all had rolls of clay in front of them. They appeared to be enjoying their time rolling out the clay.  (Facebook)T.O.P stood behind the children with his arms folded behind his back. Despite his stern face, he appea

March 29, 2018

K-pop duo TVXQ take on new challenge with love-filled album

U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin of legendary K-pop duo TVXQ have always been invincible as a pair. In 2011, they confidently proclaimed, “This is the return of the king,” in “Keep Your Head Down,” their first release after three members left the originally five-piece act. The pair’s 2015 album was also titled “Rise as God.” This time, TVXQ has returned with a new album fully charged with love. After breaking records worldwide, including in Japan, the duo released its eighth full-length album “New

March 28, 2018

BTS, Cho Seong-jin make Forbes' '30 Under 30 Asia' list in entertainment

K-pop group BTS and rising classical pianist Cho Seong-jin have been named among Asia's 30 most influential people under the age of 30 in entertainment and sports this year. BTS and Cho were included in Forbes' "30 Under 30 Asia" list in the entertainment and sports category, which was published on the US magazine's website Tuesday (local time).The other Korean stars included on the list were actress Ahn Seo-hyun, figure skater You Young, skeleton gold medalist Yun Sung-bin, LPGA golfer Park Sun

March 28, 2018

[Album review] Why Stray Kids are super rookie group of 2018

Stray Kids“I am NOT”IRVER Upon seeing the Stray Kids on a music chart, one may not be so intrigued to press the play button. One might think, “What a name. Maybe it is one of many K-pop rookie groups trying to ride the latest trends.” But hear the throbbing beats of “District 9,” from Stray Kid’s debut album, “I am NOT,” and one will be convinced it’s only a matter of time for this nine-piece act to rise to the fame level of, let’s say, BTS. The reason for comparing Stray Kids with super star BT

March 28, 2018

Eric Nam set to drop new EP

K-pop singer Eric Nam is ready to release an EP, according to his management agency CJ E&M on Tuesday. The singer-songwriter participated in writing all the songs and lyrics for the EP. Furthermore, he personally recruited all the staff working on the album. The music video for the title track was shot in Mexico in early March. Eric Nam (CJ E&M)In an interview with a local fashion magazine, Nam had hinted that the new EP would be “completely different” from his previous works. It will be his fir

March 27, 2018

North Koreans may perform at DMZ music fest in June

A North Korean art troupe might take part in an upcoming music festival to be held in Seoul and near the Demilitarized Zone in Gangwon Province. The organizers of the DMZ Peace Train Music Festival said Tuesday they are considering officially inviting North Korean musicians to the event at the end of April. “While nothing has been set yet, we are planning to send an invitation to the North after the South-North summit, scheduled for the end of April,” said Gangwon Province Gov. Choi Moon-soon at

March 27, 2018