Aespa clinches three prizes at 19th Korean Music Awards

K-pop girl group aespa swept up three prizes at the 19th Korean Music Awards, achieving a milestone as the rookie group with the most number of prizes at the awards. At the annual music awards ceremony held at Nodeul Live House on Nodeul Island, central Seoul, Tuesday, the quartet took home the song of the year award for its megahit “Next Level,” which dropped May last year. “Next Level” also won the newly created best K-pop song category and the group took home rooki

March 2, 2022

Cho Seong-jin steps in for pro-Putin Russian pianist at Carnegie Hall

South Korean pianist Cho Seong-jin stepped in to replace Russian pianist Denis Matsuev, whose performances Friday at Carnegie Hall in New York were canceled following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Carnegie Hall announced Friday that Cho would join the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Canadian conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin for that evening’s program, performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Both Carnegie Hall and Vienna Philharmonic expressed their deep gr

Feb. 28, 2022

Classic meets gypsy jazz for duet guitar performance

Two leading Korean guitarists from the genres of classical and Latin jazz will meet for a live duet performance this spring. Titled as “Two Guitars,” classical guitarist Park Kyu-hee and Spanish jazz guitarist Park Ju-won will perform together at the Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul’s Songpa-gu on March 17, performance agency MusicandArtCompany announced Friday. This will be the duo’s second appearance on stage together, following their first in June last year. Park Kyu-hee

Feb. 25, 2022

Dynamic Duo’s Choiza to make solo debut in 20-year music career with ‘Jaeho’

South Korea’s hip-hop artist Choiza of Dynamic Duo is set to make a solo debut with his first EP, “Jaeho,” at 6 p.m. on Friday, according to the artist’s agency Amoeba Culture. It will mark the rapper’s first step as a solo musician, about 20 years after his debut as a member of hip-hop trio CB Mass in 2000. The title of the album “Jaeho” is Choiza’s first name. The upcoming EP will talk about the hardships that he had to face as an artist and J

Feb. 25, 2022

[Herald Interview] Chang Ki-ha discovers ‘voice’ is his identity

Chang Ki-ha, a former member of the now-disbanded indie rock band Kiha & The Faces, has returned as a solo artist with his first EP “Levitation.” It marked his return as a musician after a nearly three-year break following the band’s disbandment in December 2018. “(Returning to the music scene after a long break) still has not really sunk in yet. I’m excited and nervous at the same time, and glad to hear positive feedback on the latest album,” Chang said

Feb. 23, 2022

TXT’s Yeonjun, Taehyun feature in Salem Ilese’s new single ‘PS5’

Yeonjun and Taehyun, members of K-pop boy band Tomorrow X Together (TXT), took part in US pop singer Salem Ilese’s new single “PS5” as featured artists, according to Big Hit Music Wednesday. “PS5” is a love song that deals with choosing between playing a game and spending time with a lover, produced by famous DJ Alan Walker. In the song, the two TXT members rhythmically sing, “(Let me play the game) two more minutes, I’ll get a trophy.” “P

Feb. 23, 2022

[Herald Review] Virtual influencer Rozy sings of finding true self through ‘Who Am I’

Rozy, the first virtual social media influencer in South Korea, has made her debut as a singer by dropping her first single, “Who Am I,” at Tuesday noon. The song, a medium-tempo ballad, talks about the troubles of being a virtual human. Its warm melody and Rozy’s captivating and refreshing voice adds emotional depth to the song. The lyrics speak of the worries about the 22-year-old’s identity, repeatedly asking herself who she really is. The three-minute song also as

Feb. 22, 2022

Sales of physical albums by K-pop artists surge 67% on-year in January

The K-pop music industry has extended its growth momentum this year with a surge in physical album sales in January, according to data compiled by South Korean music chart tracker Gaon Chart. The top 400 albums sold more than 4.05 million copies in and out of the country last month, up 66.9 percent from the same period previous year. The figure, however, dropped by 5.4 percentage points from December, the data showed. Of the top 400 albums, boy band Enhypen topped the list by selling 723,478

Feb. 17, 2022

BTS to hold first live concerts in Seoul in over 2 years next month

K-pop supergroup BTS will hold its first live concerts in Seoul in about 2 1/2 years next month, the group‘s management agency said Wednesday. Three concerts, titled “BTS Permission To Dance On Stage - Seoul,” will be held on March 10 and March 12-13 at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul, Big Hit Music said in a statement on Weverse. These will be the seven-member band’s first in-person concerts in Seoul since the band’s world tour performance in Octobe

Feb. 16, 2022

Tongyeong hit with concert cancellations

At least two classical concerts that were slated for later this month at Tongyeong Concert Hall have been canceled due to the highly transmissible omicron variant, but the organizers who are also preparing the Tongyeong International Music Festival in March said that its flagship music gala will take place as planned. The New York Philharmonic String Quartet, which was scheduled to play at Tongyeong Concert Hall on Sunday will skip the city, which was to have been the first of their performanc

Feb. 15, 2022

‘Sing Again’ contestant Han Seung-yun marks solo start with ‘Lovender’

Singer-songwriter Han Seung-yun, contestant No. 17 on the first season of JTBC’s competition “Sing Again,” dropped his first mini album, “Lovender” at 6 p.m. Tuesday through online music streaming platforms, marking his new start as a solo artist. “It feels great to be on stage after a good while. ... I prepared the mini album like I were making a debut. My goal (for the album) is to let listeners know that I’m an artist who tries various genres of mus

Feb. 15, 2022

The power of two: “Double event” secret behind stage longevity of ‘Lion King’

In the dark reality of the pandemic, a long-running classic has brought a sense of hopeful nostalgia to the stage. “The Lion King” is back in Seoul after nearly 3 years, and has once again shown why it captures so many hearts. As the curtains go up, the audience is immediately enraptured by the march of animals as Futhi Mhlong, who has been playing mandrill Rafiki for the past 14 years, sings “Circle of Life.” Even though the iconic entry of the animals through the a

Feb. 14, 2022

Hours-long plays stand out amid short form tidal wave

While “short form” or “mid form” content which immerse audiences in a story with rapid plot developments appear to be an irreversible trend in movies and TV dramas, a number of stage plays have gone against the tide with productions that run as long as eight hours. “Angels in America,” “The Brothers Karamazov,” and “The Geumjo Story,” are among the many recent works that are far longer than the typical play length of 80 to 100 minute

Feb. 14, 2022

Artist under fire for ‘mocking’ Yoon’s wife, Michael Jackson in song

A recently-released contemporary folk song became the subject of bitter dispute on Monday for supposedly mocking presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife and “King of Pop” Michael Jackson. In his latest single “A Woman That Looks Like Michael Jackson,” released Friday, Ahn Chi-hwan sings of an unspecified woman who has changed her name and looks several times, berating the person for her greed. It is widely believed that the woman Ahn is referring to is Kim Ke

Feb. 14, 2022

Virtual influencer Rozy to debut as singer this month

Rozy, the first virtual social media influencer in South Korea, is set to make a debut as a singer this month, according to Sidus Studio X Friday. Rozy’s debut song will be produced by Vanilla acoustic’s Jung Jae-won, who has worked with artists such as Bolbbalgan4, while Music Vine is participating in the project as a production company. Sidus Studio X, which produced the virtual human based on AI, hinted that Rozy’s debut song will feature a warm melody and the virtual in

Feb. 11, 2022

JYP to strengthen partnership with Republic Records

K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment is looking to extend the global reach of label’s artists Stray Kids and Itzy through a stronger partnership with Republic Records. Republic Records, a major American music label owned by Universal Music Group, on Thursday (US time) announced its expanded partnership with JYP that kicked off in 2020 with K-pop girl group Twice. Under the expanded partnership, the US music agency will support activities of JYP’s artists, including Stray Kids and Itz

Feb. 11, 2022

Pianist Krystian Zimerman to perform in four cities despite omicron surge

Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman is set to perform in Korea in the coming weeks after a couple of delays in ticketing. The celebrated pianist will visit Korea later this month with some changes in the schedule, according to Mast Media, the organizer of Zimerman‘s recitals. Previously, it was unclear whether Zimmerman, who travels with his own instrument, would be able to make it to the country as the recent surge in COVID-19 cases got in the way of transporting his piano. Amid the uncer

Feb. 8, 2022

Korean Chamber Orchestra to resume Mozart Project

The Korean Chamber Orchestra on Friday said it is set to resume hosting eight all-Mozart concerts next month after the project was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the Mozart Project, the KCO aims to perform all 46 symphonies by the Austrian composer. Led by Finnish-German pianist and conductor Ralf Gothoni and music director Kim Min, the KCO will take the composer’s masterpieces on stage in eight concerts from March 13 to Feb. 8, 2023. The orchestra kicked off the 10-conce

Feb. 4, 2022

[Eye interview] Captain Rock celebrates birthday in grand way with 3-day music festival

How many people can claim to have an entire festival dedicated to their birthday, and while they are still living to boot? Since 2005, rocker Han Kyung-rock, the bassist of iconic punk band Crying Nut, who is also known as Captain Rock, has been celebrating his birthday by hosting a large party in the Hongdae area of Seoul, a notorious center for indie music. Held every year on Feb. 11, Han’s birthday, what started out as a gathering of fellow musicians for drunken revelry and

Feb. 3, 2022

[Herald Interview] Love hurts, love heals, and ‘So Life Goes On’

Just as weather in its essence is whimsical, our lives are defined by its ups and downs, singer-songwriter Heo Hoy-kyung touches the hearts of listeners with her new song “So Life Goes On” that delivers this simple message. “The song talks about our ordinary lives. We all know that we’re just living and that’s the essence of our lives. But we forget this because we strive for higher goals, work harder and feel burdened by it, hoping for bigger joy and happiness. Bu

Jan. 31, 2022