Super Junior returns stronger -- despite Choi’s absence

After weathering countless hardships and heartaches together over the last 12 years, Super Junior came out stronger and more united than ever despite the absence of Choi Si-won. Six men of Super Junior, one of a handful of K-pop acts to have surpassed the 10-year mark, returned with the group’s eighth full-length album “Play” on Monday, celebrating the group’s 12th anniversary as well. The album came two years after Super Junior‘s last release as a group, the 10th anniversary album “Devil” and i

Nov. 6, 2017

[Herald Interview] Heyne and Minsoo complete each other beyond music

Joining forces with a musical trainer may be an unusual collaboration for some, but for Heyne, it was about more than just having a musical partner. Expanding beyond music, it was an opportunity to finally overcome her longtime insecurity. The collaboration between Heyne and her vocal director Minsoo budded when soloist Heyne moved from Crescendo Music agency to Wellmade Yedang last year and started working on her vocals with him. Under her previous agency, the songstress released a handful of s

Nov. 6, 2017

Seohyun shares thoughts on leaving S.M. Entertainment

Seohyun of Girls’ Generation took to social media to share her candid thoughts about having left her longtime agency S.M. Entertainment last month. The singer-turned-actress wrote a lengthy letter Friday night on Instagram, where she revealed the reason for parting with the group and her future plans.  (Yonhap)“I’ve finally made the difficult decision to leave the group after countless contemplations and worrying. My heart is filled with gratitude to (S.M. Entertainment CEO) Lee Soo-man, who all

Nov. 5, 2017

S. Korean boy band BTS to perform at American Music Awards

South Korean boy band BTS will perform at the upcoming music awards show in the United States later this month, its Seoul-based agency said Saturday. BigHit Entertainment said BTS has been invited to perform at the American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Nov. 19. South Korean singer PSY previously showcased his music with MC Hammer at the show in 2012, but the agency said BTS is the first K-pop group to perform at the American Music Awards.  In this file photo taken on Sept.

Nov. 4, 2017

2017 MAMA takes countermeasures amid ballot-rigging allegations

The Mnet Asian Music Awards, an annual K-pop awards ceremony, conducted a system check to eliminate fake ballots for its upcoming awards, the organization announced Friday. “We have detected fraudulent votes for 2017 MAMA between Oct. 26 and Nov. 1,” the announcement read. The website undertook a four-hour system check early Friday morning during which time voting was temporarily suspended. “If the ballot rigging continues, the rigging votes will be deleted, their user IPs will be blocked and th

Nov. 3, 2017

Jo Kwon to leave JYP Ent. for Cube Ent.

Singer Jo Kwon, 28, of 2AM unveiled his decision to leave JYP Entertainment and join Cube Entertainment, home to singer HyunA and boy band B2B. According to music industry insiders on Friday, Jo and Cube Entertainment CEO Hong Seung-sung had kept their long ties intact in producing music together ever since Jo was preparing for 2AM’s debut at JYP.  (Jo Kwon`s Instagram)Hong had worked under JYP Entertainment CEO Park Jin-young as a music producer, but left in 2008 to launch Cube Entertainment. F

Nov. 3, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] K-pop stars celebrate arrival of Olympic flame in Korea

Marking 100 days until the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, biggest stars of K-pop took to stage in Seoul on Wednesday in a bid to celebrate the beginning of the Olympic torch relay in Korea. The Olympic torch, which last burned in Korea 30 years ago when Seoul hosted the 1988 Summer Games, arrived at Incheon on Wednesday after a handover ceremony in Athens on Tuesday. K-pop at EXO performs at a K-pop concert celebrating the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics at Gwanghwamun Square in cen

Nov. 2, 2017

Intimate sound of string quartets to close year

Fans of that more intimate form of music, string quartets, are in for a treat, as renowned string quartets are set to perform in Korea this fall and winter.The Michelangelo String Quartet will perform Thursday at Kumho Art Hall as part of the International Masters Series organized by the Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation.Violinists Mihaela Martin and Daniel Austrich, violist Nobuko Imai and cellist Frans Helmerson are established soloists, chamber musicians and teachers who came together as a str

Nov. 1, 2017

BTS partners with UNICEF’s anti-violence campaign

Several weeks have passed since the worldwide craze over “Love Yourself Seung Her,” the latest project from K-pop global stars BTS, reached its fever pitch. But the act is set to resonate the slogan “Love Yourself” all over the world once again, this time by embarking on a global anti-violence project in collaboration with the United Nations Children‘s Fund. On Wednesday, the Korean Committee for UNICEF said that it will partner with the K-pop act to launch a global campaign dubbed “Love Myself,

Nov. 1, 2017

Actor-singer Lee Seung-gi discharged from military

South Korean actor-singer Lee Seung-gi finished his mandatory military conscription Tuesday. Meeting with media and fans in front of the special operations command in Jeungpyeong, North Chungcheong Province, he thanked his fans and his comrades for helping him finish his duty successfully.“For the past one year and nine months, I‘ve received so much support that I’ve been able to leave the military well and healthy,” Lee, 30, said. “I will use the positive energy I‘ve got from the command to foc

Oct. 31, 2017

Choi Si-won not to be part of Super Junior’s comeback

Choi Si-won, member of K-pop group Super Junior, will not be participating in the promotional activities for its eighth studio album “Play,” his agency Label SJ announced on Tuesday. The announcement came as Choi and his family are under fire for a recent fatal accident in which a restaurateur died of sepsis on Oct. 6 after being attacked by Choi‘s family pet dog. Choi’s agency apologized for disappointing many fans who held high expectations for Super Junior‘s comeback. Choi is said to have par

Oct. 31, 2017

K-pop darlings Twice return with Instagram-inspired ‘Twicetagram’

Fresh from its impressive success in Japan with its first Japanese album, the nine-piece K-pop darlings Twice returned with their first full-length album “Twicetagram” Monday. Having celebrated its second anniversary recently, Twice members expressed excitement over the first full-length album, for which many of them wrote lyrics. “My biggest goal for this year was to release our first full-length album, and I’m really grateful that we finally made it,” said band leader Jihyo during a press show

Oct. 30, 2017

BTS' 'Blood Sweat & Tears' tops 200 mln YouTube views

K-pop group BTS' "Blood Sweat & Tears" music video has garnered over 200 million views on YouTube, its management agency said Monday.The video for the lead song on "Wings," the group's second full-length album released in October 2016, reached 200 million views on the global video site Sunday evening, according to Big Hit Entertainment. BTS has two other songs -- "Dope" and "Fire" -- that have reached the same milestone on YouTube. (Big Hit Entertainment)BTS last month released its latest EP alb

Oct. 30, 2017

Seventeen to showcase new subunit

The upcoming album from Seventeen, “Teen, Age,” will feature not only the boy band’s songs performed as a whole, but also in various subunits.Prior to its Nov. 6 release, Seventeen revealed the album’s track list Saturday, showing that that some of the tracks will be by smaller groups within the band.  Seventeen (Pledis Entertainment)“Hoshi” and “Woozi” will team up for the fifth track “Shoot Me Before You Go,” while Joshua and Vernon will feature in “Rocket.” “Hello” will be by Jun, Mingyu and

Oct. 29, 2017

Indie icon 10cm to be EXO Chen’s new partner-in-harmony

Chen of K-pop behemoth EXO announced a surprise collaboration with Korean indie icon 10cm on S.M. Entertainment’s weekly music project “SM Station.” According to the agency Friday, the duet will release a project single track titled “Bye Babe” on Nov. 3. The sweet voice of EXO’s main vocalist Chen, which has been a signature element to the band’s colorful musical spectrum, will crisscross with the indieman’s emotive vocal to create a new harmony. (S.M. Entertainment)Earlier last month, Chen had

Oct. 27, 2017

[Newsmaker] Fans, family remember rocker Shin Hae-chul on third anniversary of death

ANSEONG, Gyeonggi Province -- The late Shin Hae-chul was a spiritual father to many Koreans, healing hearts with songs like “Here I Stand for You,” which was dedicated to the people he loved. Friday marked the third anniversary of the legendary rocker‘s untimely death from medical complications, and people still mourning for him gathered to pay their respects.  The memorial service for Shin was held at Utopia Memorial Hall in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, where Shin’s ashes are kept, attended by f

Oct. 27, 2017

Rain to release new album in December

Singer Rain has teamed up with Brand New Music to return with a new album in December, reports said Thursday.　Rain and Taewan, an R&B singer and producer with the music label Brand New Music, are currently working on the final stages of Rain’s album, reports said. 　Most of the tracks on the album have been co-written and co-produced by Rain and Taewan. 　 Rain (Rain Company)Taewan participated in producing Rain’s 2008 album “Rainism” and his 2010 album “Back to the Basic.” He has also worked as a

Oct. 26, 2017

PyeongChang Olympics 100-day countdown celebration to feature BTS, EXO

Seoul will celebrate 100 days to the start of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games with a large-scale concert at Gwanghwamun Square on Nov. 1.The most popular acts in K-pop at the moment, including EXO, BTS and Twice, will perform at the massive countdown leading up to the Winter Games.The event will also mark the beginning of the torch relay in Korea, which will travel across the country until it reaches PyeongChang for the opening ceremony on Feb. 9.A concert in Incheon will be held simultaneousl

Oct. 25, 2017

Top 1% enjoys oligopoly in music royalties

Top 1 percent of the Korean music performers’ society are appropriating more than 78 percent of the music royalties incurred by the collective group.Data submitted for audit at the National Assembly showed that 97 percent of the members at the Korea Music Copyright Association, over 131,000 people, received an annual dividend of 130,000 won ($115), while some 1,400 who account for about 1.1 percent of the group, took 78 percent of the total royalty fee amounting to 112 billion won. Stock photo o

Oct. 25, 2017

BTS holds onto Billboard 200 spot for fifth week

K-pop group BTS' album "Love Yourself: Her" has landed on Billboard magazine's main album chart for the fifth straight week, according to the U.S. music publication Wednesday."Love Yourself: Her" clocked in at 86th on the Billboard 200 chart for the week of Nov. 4, according to the company's website.The record first appeared on the chart at seventh place late last month. The album's lead song "DNA," however, fell off the Hot 100 chart, which measures the popularity of individual songs.  (Big Hit

Oct. 25, 2017