BTS set to heat up year-end festivities with performances at home, abroad

K-pop sensation BTS will heat up year-end festivities with a series of high-profile performances in its home country of South Korea and outside. With the 2019 Melon Music Awards scheduled for Saturday at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, BTS will begin its run of performances throughout December, providing an unusually entertainment-packed month.Appearing at the Melon Music Awards last year as well, BTS dazzled fans by staging specially remixed versions of its songs, featuring elements of traditional K

Nov. 26, 2019

[Newsmaker] Late Goo Hara left ‘despairing note’: police

Singer Goo Hara, who was found dead at her home Sunday, left a note, according to police.A note written by Goo was found on a table in her living room at around 6 p.m. Sunday by her housekeeper, who then filed a report with police, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said during a press briefing Monday.Police said in the note she “despaired over personal affairs.”Police added that based on on-site inspections and family testimonies, foul play was unlikely. A closed-circuit TV review

Nov. 25, 2019

BTS picks up American Music Award for 2nd consecutive year

K-pop sensation BTS picked up three American Music Awards on Monday to mark the second consecutive year that the band has won honors at the mainstream US award show.Early in the show, the septet was announced as the winner of Favorite Duo or Group - Pop/Rock in the 2019 AMAs ceremony held at Microsoft Theater in California on Sunday night (US time).BTS then lifted two other awards for Tour of the Year and Favorite Social Artist, winning all three categories in which the band was nominated for th

Nov. 25, 2019

Grammys under fire after BTS wasn't nominated for 2020 event

The Grammy Awards, one of the major American pop music award events, have become fodder for criticism after K-pop band BTS was shut out of the nominations for the 2020 Grammys.Many eyes had been on BTS' possible nomination when the American Recording Academy announced the 2020 list of nominees Wednesday following the septet's unprecedented feats in the American music scene this year.With its latest album, "Map of the Soul: Persona," BTS topped the Billboard 200 album chart, becoming th

Nov. 22, 2019

BTS chosen Variety’s Hitmaker of the Year

BTS was chosen as Variety’s Hitmaker of the Year, becoming the first South Korean act to attain the honor as it swept up prizes and stayed on the Billboard 200 for a year. Variety, an influential US entertainment magazine, announced that it had selected BTS as “Group of the Year” on Tuesday (US time), elaborating that “the record-breaking septet has solidified their status as global superstars, rounding out one of the largest stadium tours of the year and releasing a stri

Nov. 20, 2019

BTS will not be exempted from military service: culture minister

PARIS -- Globally acclaimed superstars BTS and other high-flying K-pop stars will not be exempted from mandatory military service under the government's new guidelines on conscription waivers, the culture minister has said. Since early this year, a government task force has been working to revamp the guidelines to raise fairness in military conscription, and the final result is due for announcement this week. The government has been facing rising calls to allow BTS a military service waiver, whi

Nov. 20, 2019

SuperM, BoA to perform at 2020 Global Goal in South Korea

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- K-pop supergroup SuperM and singer BoA will perform at a Global Citizen event in Asia as part of a massive multi-continent concert next year.The advocacy organization says the performers will join the lineup of Global Goal Live: The Possible Dream in Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 26, 2020. The event is a part of a yearlong initiative to achieve the United Nations' Global Goals to end poverty and tackle climate change. The goal is to secure $350 billion for the next 10 years.Th

Nov. 20, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Aida’ brings spectacle and drama to stage

One thing that is certain about the musical “Aida” is that no matter what version you check out, there is plenty happening onstage. The clever use of props and stage design was effective in making the show as grand as possible, even overcoming limitations in depicting various aspects of Africa.The Sunday performance of the show -- which runs through Feb. 23 at the Blue Square Interpark Hall in central Seoul -- was truly a sight to behold. Beyond the colorful and creative stage and co

Nov. 20, 2019

Myth-based production connects tradition with modern fantasy

The National Gugak Center presented its much-anticipated production “Man in Red and Lady Youngsan” on Tuesday. The musical production is a gugak (traditional Korean music) fantasy drama based on a myth that originated in Hamgyong Province in North Korea.  The myth has been adapted into a modern tale. The story centers on Ji-hong, who is a biology teacher. While he is on a mountain field trip with his students, a wildfire breaks out. He loses consciousness trying to save wild ani

Nov. 19, 2019

Beloved musical duo to return with ‘Beethoven’ premiere

Lyricist Michael Kunze and composer Sylvester Levay revealed their next production will be about the maestro Beethoven, set for its world premiere here in 2021. The duo behind hit musical productions, including “Mozart!” “Elisabeth,” “Marie Antoinette” and “Rebecca,” recently visited Korea.They made the announcement about their new musical at a press event held Monday at The Shilla Seoul. The musical will have its world premiere here, as it is bein

Nov. 18, 2019

SPO shares plans for 2020

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s new music director Osmo Vanska will work up a wide repertoire next year, with his signature Mahler and Sibelius being prominently featured among the SPO’s 38 presentations in the 2020 season.The expert of Mahler and Sibelius, appointed as the SPO’s music director in May, will lead six presentations next year upon kicking off his three-year tenure in January. At the inaugural concert on Feb. 14-15, the conductor will present Mahler’s Symp

Nov. 17, 2019

BTS records $116.6m in sales from 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself' tour

K-pop superstars BTS clinched $116.6 million in sales through its sensational "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself" world tour, Billboard said Friday.Under the globe-trotting concert tour, BTS staged 20 performances in 10 cities in North and South America, Europe, Japan, Saudi Arabia and finally in South Korea through May to October.  Through the tour, BTS sold a total of 976,283 tickets, averaging 48,814 ticket sales worth $5.8 million per concert, according to figures from Billboard B

Nov. 15, 2019

Mamamoo drops 2nd full-length album, 'reality in BLACK'

Roaring four-piece K-pop girl band Mamamoo dropped its second full-length album, "reality in BLACK," Thursday, returning to smash the music scene.     The 11-track album, the group's first full-length since "Melting" nearly four years ago, is fronted by brassy, girl-crush number, "HIP," but also carries the band's signature soulful vocal works.      With "HIP," the vocals-oriented band threw away their hand-held microphon

Nov. 14, 2019

[Herald Review] Cellist-turned-conductor brings Norwegian trolls to Seoul

As Peer Gynt enters the hall of the mountain king, he is scared yet fascinated by the sight of trolls. Peer Gynt stands before the king and the trolls roar in harmony, creating echoes throughout the hall. On Wednesday night, cellist-turned-conductor Chang Han-na and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra turned the concert hall at the Seoul Arts Center into the mountain king’s hall. They presented the Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, a collection of compositions conceived by Norwegian maestro Edvard Greig

Nov. 14, 2019

BLACKPINK makes Time magazine's newly launched '100 Next' list

K-pop girl band BLACKPINK has made it to "Time 100 Next," a list of 100 rising stars, launched this year by Time magazine, its website showed Thursday. "BLACKPINK's star may still be rising in the US, but on YouTube, it reigns supreme: the foursome -- a.k.a. Jisoo, Jennie, Rose and Lisa -- has 31 million subscribers, more than any other music group in the world," the website said.  "This year, BLACKPINK also became the first K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella,

Nov. 14, 2019

Park Jin-young returns as singer with vaudeville-style number

Park Jin-young, the founder and chief producer of JYP Entertainment, will return as a singer next month with a vaudeville-inspired fusion song, his agency said Tuesday.The singer-songwriter-cum-entrepreneur, also known as J.Y. Park, will officially release the song, "Fever," on Dec. 1, returning to the K-pop scene as an entertainer, according to the K-pop agency.  The self-produced song brings together the vaudeville music genre with hip-hop. Its choreography is also a reinterpret

Nov. 12, 2019

‘Women can be great conductors,’ without qualifiers

Cellist-turned-conductor Chang Han-na will embark on a South Korean tour with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra from Wednesday to Sunday. Chang, 37, is the artistic leader and chief conductor of the Norway-based orchestra. The orchestra’s first-ever Korean tour will kick off at the Seoul Arts Center on Friday, followed by concerts in Busan (Thursday), Daegu (Saturday) and Iksan (Sunday). The program includes Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 1

Nov. 11, 2019

Singer Kim Gun-mo to end tour in February

Singer Kim Gun-mo, who will tie the knot with a pianist in January, will wrap up his nationwide concert tour in February. The 51-year-old has been touring the nation since December 2016, a month after he released the EP “50” in celebration of the 25th anniversary of his debut.  The final stop of the two-year tour will be held at KSPO Dome in Olympic Park in eastern Seoul on Feb. 29. Since his debut in 1992, Kim has been one of the most celebrated artists with his unique voice, r

Nov. 11, 2019

Audition show's fall from grace derails high-flying careers of winning bands

A fall from grace by "Produce 101," South Korea's most sensational idol audition show to date, is derailing the burgeoning K-pop careers of the show's winners.Last week, police put in custody An Joon-young, the director of the Mnet cable show, and the program's chief producer over suspicions of rigging the results of the fan-voted competition show's four seasons.The police have reportedly secured circumstantial evidence alluding to the production staff's collusion with talent agencies

Nov. 11, 2019

With 2 more Big Bang members discharged from military, what now?

Taeyang and Daesung of K-pop group Big Bang returned to civilian life on Sunday after finishing their 20-month compulsory military service, drawing attention on Big Bang’s next move with all members now having completed military service. The two vocalists -- who enlisted in March last year -- greeted hundreds of fans who gathered to congratulate them on their discharge early Sunday morning at Ground Operation Command in Yongin, Gyeonggi province. “I have spent meaningful time an

Nov. 10, 2019