2017 Asia Song Festival to kick off next month

The 2017 Asia Song Festival, an annual Asian pop music festival, will take place in September, featuring a star-studded lineup of artists, according to its organizer Monday. Under the theme of “Asia is One,” the festival will be held from Sept. 22-24 at venues across Busan. The opening ceremony of the Asia Song Festival in 2016. (Busan-Yonhap)On its first day, music industry officials from 10 countries will gather for a conference at Nurimaru APEC house in Haeundae to discuss issues related to i

Aug. 14, 2017

Taeyang reveals teaser video for ‘Darling’

Taeyang of Big Bang on Monday revealed the teaser video for “Darling,” the title song for his upcoming album “White Night.”The video, uploaded on YG Entertainment‘s official blog www.yg-life.com, featuring the K-pop star alone on a glacier, atop a skyscraper, and running through a sandstorm. (YG Entertainment)“I had this song since four years ago, and I tried many variations with this. Couples would empathize with this song,” said Taeyang. Taeyang will drop the new album at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.(

Aug. 14, 2017

Gugudan to hold first overseas fan meeting

South Korea's rookie girl group Gugudan will hold its first-ever overseas fan meeting in Singapore next month, its star agency said Monday.The group will meet its international fans in the "Gugudan Live Show in Singapore 2017" at MasterCard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, on Sept. 27, Jellyfish Entertainment said.  (Jellyfish Entertainment)Debuting last year, Gugudan has released two albums and recently launched its first sub-unit "Gugudan Ogu Ogu" with members Mina and Hyeyeon, backed

Aug. 14, 2017

Elvis: 40 years since the death of ‘the King’

MEMPHIS (AFP) - Elvis Presley, American icon and King of rock ‘n’ roll, transformed popular culture, sold over a billion records and is idolized as ever on the 40th anniversary of his tragic death. A fan takes a photo of herself at the Meditation Garden where Elvis Presley is buried alongside his parents and grandmother at his Graceland mansion on Saturday in Memphis, Tennessee. (AFP-Yonhap)His Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee -- the second most famous home in the United States after the

Aug. 14, 2017

'The War' becomes EXO's fourth million seller album

EXO's "The War" has sold more than 1 million copies in less than one month, becoming the boy band's fourth "million seller" record, its agency said Monday. The Korean and Chinese versions of EXO's fourth full-length album have sold a combined 1.01 million copies to date, according to S.M. Entertainment. (Yonhap)The group's three previous full-length albums -- "XOXO" (2013), "Exodus" (2015) and "Ex'Act" (2016) -- sold over 1 million copies when including sales numbers for the Korean, Chinese and

Aug. 14, 2017

Black Pink's 'Boombayah' hits 200 mln YouTube views

The music video for "Boombayah," K-pop band Black Pink's debut song, has reached over 200 million views on YouTube, according to the group's agency Monday.The song, released in August of last year, reached the milestone on Sunday evening, YG Entertainment said, marking the single-largest YouTube view count for a debut song by any K-pop artist. (YG Entertainment)Three other songs by Black Pink -- "Playing with Fire," "Whistle" and "As If It's Your Last" -- have also been viewed more than 100 mill

Aug. 14, 2017

Wanna One’s SNL appearance scores record ratings

Rookie boy band Wanna One once again demonstrated its status as the hottest new K-pop act in Korea with its appearance on the live variety show Saturday Night Live Korea. 　SNL Korea, in its ninth season and currently airing on tvN, scored its highest ratings of the season with Saturday’s episode, reaching 3.4 percent in viewership share.　The show kicked off with a performance of “Pick Me.” 　(tvN)(tvN)“There was intense competition to get seats for the live show,” said host Shin Dong-yup. “The nu

Aug. 13, 2017

[K-talk] Taeyang to perform in Asia in fall

K-pop group Big Bang’s Taeyang will perform in eight Asian cities this fall, following his North American tour.Taeyang will perform in Manila on Sept. 22, Hong Kong on Sept. 24, Bangkok on Sept. 30, Jakarta on Oct. 13, Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 15, Macau on Oct. 21, Singapore on Oct. 27 and Taipei on Oct. 29.The artist is resuming his Asia tour after two years, as part of his world tour. His concerts in Manila and Macau will be his first as a solo artist. Prior to the Asia tour, he performed in Japan

Aug. 11, 2017

BTS announces ‘Love Yourself’ series ahead of album in September

K-pop group BTS on Friday announced the start of a new conceptual series, “Love Yourself,” ahead of the upcoming release of its new album in September.The boy band revealed a poster featuring Jungkook to promote the series, which will include a collection of music under a single concept. It showed Jungkook holding a flower while sitting on a wheelchair.  A poster for “Love Yourself” featuring Jungkook of BTS (Bit Hit Entertainment)“The poster hints at the entire story of the ‘Love Yourself’ seri

Aug. 11, 2017

TWICE’s Japanese debut album sells over 250,000 copies

K-pop group TWICE’s Japanese debut album has sold more than 250,000 copies in less than two months, its agency said Friday.“#TWICE” has sold over 260,000 copies since its release on June 28 and has been certified “Platinum” by the Recording Industry Association of Japan, according to JYP Entertainment. Platinum certification is given to records with sales of over 250,000. (JYP Entertainment)TWICE is the first South Korean artist to be certified as Platinum in Japan.The album, which contains TWIC

Aug. 11, 2017

Smeraldo debunked? BTS sends fans on wild-goose chase

Fan theories are supposed to be a little crazy, but rarely do they go as wild as the “smeraldo” conspiracy surrounding BTS’s September comeback.Jin, the eldest member of BTS, posted a picture of himself holding a bouquet of flowers on Wednesday with a simple message “Smeraldo.” The post sent fans into a frenzy over the meaning, with the most popular theory being that it is linked to the concept of BTS’s upcoming album.A flower called “smeraldo” does not actually exist, but there is a blog that s

Aug. 10, 2017

‘S.M.’s youngest’ NCT Dream to come back next Wednesday

Teenage boyband NCT Dream hopes to make an impact next Wednesday with the release of its new EP “We Young.” The six-track record will be released online at 6 p.m., along with the physical copies, according to S.M. Entertainment.Its title song “We Young” is an up-tempo dance number of tropical house genre, the agency said.  Teaser image of Chunle from NCT Dream. (S.M. Entertainment)A day before the album’s release, the group will hold a showcase at the Hyundai Motor Studio in Goyang, Gyeonggi Pro

Aug. 10, 2017

Jung Yong-hwa releases second solo album in Japan

Jung Yong-hwa of the band CN Blue on Wednesday released “Summer Calling,” his second album in Japan.The eight-track album marks the first time in 29 months that he has released a solo album in the country.  Jung Yong-hwa (FCN Entertainment)The title track “Summer Dream” is a trendy dance number that will “cool off the summer heat,’ said Jung’s agency FNC Entertainment. Jung and Japanese model Laren Tsai played lovers in a fledgling romance in the recently-released music video.“Summer Calling” wi

Aug. 9, 2017

Kim Jae-hwan signs with CJ E&M for post-Wanna One career

Kim Jae-hwan of the boy band Wanna One has inked a management deal with CJ E&M, officials confirmed Tuesday.According to CJ E&M, the deal was made “on the foundation of the mutual trust between the company and Kim, during his appearance on ‘Produce 101 Season 2.’” Kim Jae-hwan (Yonhap)Kim finished fourth in the competition program on Mnet, a subsidiary of CJ E&M. The company will serve as Kim’s official agency after Wanna One disbands in December 2018.Wanna One, currently managed by YMC Entertai

Aug. 8, 2017

Wanna One stamps name on K-pop history with debut at Gocheok Sky Dome

(YMC Entertainment)Gazing out at the packed 20,000-capacity as the crowd chanted each of their names out loud, Wanna One couldn’t help but be overwhelmed. “We’ve always dreamed of how it would be like to be on the stage of Gocheok Sky Dome. I can’t believe our dream has come true,” said Wanna One during the group’s debut concert at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on Monday. Wanna One is a project boy band formed with the 11 finalists of Mnet TV competition show “Produce 101,” in which viewers

Aug. 8, 2017

BTS among top 50 that Americans love: New York Times

BTS was named one of the 50 most watched musicians on YouTube in America. The K-pop group ranked No. 44 on a list of music Americans love the most, released by the New York Times on Monday. It was the only group of Asian artists on the list. The list featured 50 artists on the Billboard Top 100 chart who were the most watched on YouTube in the United States between January 2016 and April 2017.  (Big Hit Entertainment)According to the New York Times, the boy band was especially popular in Hawaii

Aug. 8, 2017

Black Pink's 'As If It's Your Last' hits 100 mln YouTube views

Black Pink's "As If It's Your Last" music video surpassed 100 million views on YouTube on Tuesday, the group's agency said.The song, released in June, became the fourth music video by the act to hit the milestone after "Boombayah," "Playing with Fire" and "Whistle," YG Entertainment said. The milestone was reached in 46 days. (YG Entertainment)The four-member K-pop team, which includes Thai national Lisa, made its debut with "Square One" in August of 2016 and became last year's breakout rookie s

Aug. 8, 2017

Taylor Swift in court as trial begins in groping case

Pop superstar Taylor Swift was in court on Monday as trial began in a case pitting her against a DJ accused of groping her at an event.Eight jurors were selected Monday with Swift looking on in the courtroom, a court employee confirmed to AFP. According to local media, she sat with her lawyers, dressed in a light top and dark blazer.Swift, 27, could take the stand to give details of the alleged assault during a meet and greet four years ago. Tree Paine, publicist for pop singer Taylor Swift, wal

Aug. 8, 2017

Taeyang’s new record will be full-length studio album

Taeyang will return next week with his third studio album “White Night.” The K-pop star’s agency YG Entertainment on Monday unveiled the poster for the upcoming album along with a release date of Aug. 16. The poster features the singer wearing jeans, white shirt and white hair to match the title of the album. (YG Entertainment)It marks the first time in over three years that Taeyang is releasing a full-length album. Marking his long-awaited return, Taeyang will hold concerts on Aug. 26-27 at Jam

Aug. 7, 2017

Former Wonder Girl Sunmi to release album

Sunmi, a member of now-disbanded girl group Wonder Girls, will be releasing a solo album on Aug. 22.　The album will mark the singer’s return to the K-pop scene in three years.　Sunmi moved from her former management agency JYP Entertainment to Makeus Entertainment after Wonder Girls disbanded in January. 　 Sunmi (Makeus Entertainment)The now 25-year-old songstress debuted in 2007 as the supporting vocalist in Wonder Girls. 　She halted group activities for awhile in 2010 to pursue studies at Dongg

Aug. 7, 2017