Lee Seung-hwan, CJ to provide leg up for indie musicians

Three-man rock band iamnot will take the stage in front of a 2,000-strong audience in October as part of CJ Culture Foundation and singer Lee Seung-hwan’s joint project to support up-and-coming indie musicians.The project, which will launch with iamnot’s concert in October, plans to support local aspiring musicians by enabling them to hold bigger stage performances.Lee, a local music legend with a 28-year career under his belt, said there are a lot of talented musicians in the indie scene. Lee S

Sept. 6, 2017

April to release album on Sept. 20

K-pop group April will release the album “Eternity” on Sept. 20, its agency said Wednesday.DSP Media revealed a teaser image for the six-piece group, which featured a drawing of a diamond as a symbol of something that lasts forever.  A teaser image for April’s “Eternity” (DSP Media)The agency said that the album represents the hope that the group’s music will remain in people’s memories forever.It marks the band’s first release since the single “Mayday” in May.The group, which debuted in 2015 wi

Sept. 6, 2017

NCT 127 to become special DJ for Beats 1 Radio

South Korean boy band NCT 127 will take over as DJ for Beats 1’s radio program “Take Over: NCT 127 Request.” It is the first time for a Korean artist to host a show on Beats 1.The members of the K-pop group finished recording the show on Aug. 21 at Beats 1 studio in Los Angeles during which they shared their thoughts on the group’s performances in the US such as “Today at Apple,” “KCON 2017 NY” and “KCON 2017 LA.” They also communicated with fans through FaceTime and introduced song requests.  N

Sept. 6, 2017

Pentagon solid with self-produced ‘Demo_01’

For K-pop artists, pursuing their own projects is a big step forward as many of them find it hard to cultivate their creative sides in the midst of hectic schedules. But for this 10-member K-pop boy band Pentagon, making a quick return to the scene with a new record packed with self-produced songs less than a year after its debut, and only two months after dropping its last record, meant something bigger than a step forward. Ten-piece boy band Pentagon performs during a media showcase for its fo

Sept. 6, 2017

EXO's repackaged edition of 'The War' tops 33 iTunes charts

Boy band EXO's repackaged edition of its hit album "The War" conquered Apple iTunes album charts in over 30 countries, according to its agency Wednesday.EXO's "The War: The Power of Music," released on Tuesday, climbed to the No. 1 spot on 33 iTunes album charts, including in Spain, Japan, Indonesia, Russia and Hong Kong as of Wednesday, S.M. Entertainment said. Other nations included Finland, Denmark, Poland, Mexico and Malaysia.The album also made it to the top 10 on the iTunes charts in U.S.,

Sept. 6, 2017

Black Pink’s Japan debut tops Oricon chart

Black Pink’s popularity is growing in Japan, with its debut EP “BLACKPINK” notching the No. 1 spot on Oricon’s weekly CD chart.The EP, which was released Wednesday, sold 39,000 copies in a week to top the Japanese chart.  (YG Entertainment)Black Pink became the second Korean artist to top Oricon’s weekly CD chart with its debut album. It was also the third foreign-based artist to do so.YG Entertainment’s girl group has enjoyed a successful Japan debut, topping the daily chart for two days in a r

Sept. 5, 2017

Antenna kicks off second label concert

K-pop artists managed by Korean record label Antenna Music, led by You Hee-yeol of Toy, held the second part of their label concert series, “With, Antenna,” at Jamsil Arena in Seoul, on Saturday and Sunday.A total of 11 acts -- Toy (You Hee-yeol), Jung Jae-hyung, Lucid Fall, Peppertones (Shin Jae-pyung and Lee Jang-won), Park Sae-byul, Lee Jin-ah, Chai, Jung Seung-hwan, Kwon Jin-ah and Sam Kim -- performed in front of some 90,000 fans over the weekend at the four-hour concerts.  A promotional po

Sept. 4, 2017

YoonA’s ‘You Are My Star’ next in line for SM Station

YoonA of Girls’ Generation is set to drop her new solo track “You Are My Star” on SM Station, S.M Entertainment’s weekly digital music release channel.         A teaser photo for YoonA’s upcoming solo track “You Are My Star” (S.M. Entertainment)According to the agency Monday, the upcoming track, which marks YoonA’s second solo work since “Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway,” will be released in both Chinese and Korean on Friday evening via several local music streaming sites including Melon, Genie and

Sept. 4, 2017

[Next Wave] Glen Check tells stories of Seoul, curiosity, experience

Electronic duo Glen Check are nothing if not careful in crafting their music. 　It has taken the group four years to drop “The Glen Check Experience” -- a multi-genre EP consisting of five tracks that came out on Aug. 13. It wasn‘t a lack of inspiration or difficulty getting together that led to the substantial gap between the two albums. Glen Check’s Kim June-one, 23, and Kang Hyuk-jun, 22, say that “every single day of the four years” was spent on developing the album’s story, one that could de

Sept. 4, 2017

‘Culture President’ reigns once again with BTS

Even after two decades and a half since his debut, “culture president” Seo Tae-ji, who was a K-pop icon before K-pop was even a thing, proved to more than 35,000 fans why he still remains a legend and pioneer of K-pop. Staying true to its concept of “Time: Traveler,” the Saturday concert that was held at Jamsil Olympic Stadium to commemorate the 25 year anniversary of Seo’s debut, revived a trove of memories from the past, as it showcased the barrage of megahits by the singer. The concert was a

Sept. 3, 2017

BTS to hold 1st dome concert in Japan

BTS is at it again, this time with an October concert in Japan.Big Hit Entertainment said Sunday the K-pop act would hold a concert on Oct. 14 and 15 at Kyocera Dome in Osaka, marking its first concert at a dome in the country.The boy band has enjoyed popularity in the country, with its Japanese tour gathering some 145,000 fans across Osaka, Hiroshima, Nagoya, Saitama, Fukuoka and Sapporo from May to July. A poster for BTS’ upcoming concert in Japan (Big Hit Entertainment)Its single “Blood Sweat

Sept. 3, 2017

IU to drop second cover EP this month

Singer IU will release her new album “A Flower Bookmark Two” in mid-September, her agency FAVE Entertainment said Friday. The album is the singer’s second cover EP following “A Flower Bookmark” released in May 2014. The 2014 album featured the singer’s cover versions of K-pop classics from 1980s to 90s, such as Kim Chang-wan’s “The Meaning of You,” Kim Wan-sun’s “Pierrot Smiles at Us” and Kim Kwang-seok’s “Flower.” It received favorable reactions both from critics and the general public, sweepin

Sept. 1, 2017

Lena Park to become KBS World Radio DJ

Power vocalist Lena Park will be debuting as a radio DJ on the program “One Fine Day” on KBS World Radio.　“It’s been my longtime dream to be a DJ,” she told reporters at a press conference Friday at the Yeouido KBS headquarters. 　“One Fine Day” will be delivering Korean music and musicians’ stories to listeners in English. “I want to make a program that can get close to and offer good music to foreigners in Korea and people abroad,” the veteran R&B singer said. 　Park, who married a Korean-Americ

Sept. 1, 2017

EXO listed in Guinness World Records

EXO has been listed in the 2018 edition of the book of Guinness World Records for winning the most grand prizes, or Daesang, at the Mnet Asia Music Awards. The K-pop sensation won the album of the year award at the annual awards ceremony in 2016 for its third full-length album “EX’ACT.” It won awards from 2013 to 2015 with the albums “XOXO” (2013), “Overdose” (2014) and “EXODUS” (2015). In 2014, the group also won the artist of the year award.  EXO poses at the 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards held

Aug. 31, 2017

Black Pink makes powerful debut in Japan

Black Pink’s Japan debut got off on the right path with its first mini album “Blackpink” topping Oricon and Tower Records’ album charts. In less than a day after its release on Wednesday, “Blackpink” sold more than 21,583 copies in the country, putting itself on the No. 1 spot on Oricon’s daily CD album charts by 9 p.m. The album also secured the top spot on the Tower Records’ comprehensive album chart. The Japan debut album consists of Korean and Japanese versions of the group’s hit songs -- “B

Aug. 31, 2017

GFriend to return with repackaged album

GFriend will be releasing a repackaged version of its fifth album “Parallel,” titled “Rainbow.”The album will include the fifth album’s lead track “Love Whisper,” which topped various charts after its release on Aug. 1.  A teaser image for GFriend’s upcoming repackaged album “Rainbow” (Source Music)Teaser photos featuring the members posing in rainy summer weather were released Wednesday night. The repackaged album will be dropped on Sept. 13. GFriend, a six-piece group consisting of Eunha, Shin

Aug. 31, 2017

Twice's 'Signal' music video tops 100 mln YouTube views

K-pop group Twice's music video for "Signal" surpassed 100 million views on YouTube, its agency said Thursday. Released on May 15, the video reached the milestone late Wednesday, becoming the fifth video by the band to reach the milestone, according to JYP Entertainment. (JYP Entertainment)Twice has stormed the K-pop scene since its debut in October 2015. Starting with its debut track "OOH-AHH" and up until "Signal," all of its five lead tracks have nabbed the top spots on major music streaming

Aug. 31, 2017

‘Following’ a gift to HyunA’s fans

It's been a decade since baby-faced HyunA debuted with Wonder Girls in 2007. Having transitioned from a wide-eyed teen into a sex symbol and pop icon, HyunA says her new EP “Following” carries a message for those who supported her through thick and thin.“There are those who have trusted and followed me, who kept a close eye on me. (The album’s) meaning is that those people would keep doing that -- trust and follow me,” she said at a press conference held at Blue Square Samsung Card Hall in centr

Aug. 30, 2017

BTS’ new album ranks No. 1 on Amazon’s music preorders

K-pop band BTS’ upcoming new album became the most sought-after record among music preorders on Amazon, according to the online retailer’s website Wednesday. The EP “Love Yourself Seung ‘Her’” stood at No. 1 in Amazon’s CDs & Vinyl category, according to Amazon’s website and Big Hit Entertainment, which is BTS’ management agency. A screen grab of Amazon’s CDs & Vinyl category (Big Hit Entertainment)Amazon started accepting preorders for the album Tuesday at 7 a.m., a first for the US retail gian

Aug. 30, 2017

‘Following’ invites HyunA’s fans to ‘trust and follow’ her

Baby-faced HyunA has endured a decade since her much-publicized debut as a member of Wonder Girls in 2007. Having turned from a wide-eyed teen prospect into a sex symbol and pop icon, HyunA says her new EP “Following” carries a message for those who supported her through thick and thin. HyunA speaks at a press conference held Tuesday in Seoul. (Yonhap) HyunA speaks at a press conference held Tuesday in Seoul. (Yonhap)“There are those who have trusted and followed me, who kept a close eye on me.

Aug. 29, 2017