Seoulites to take stage at ‘Yu Gwan-sun Opera Cantata’

The people of Seoul will be invited to take part in a musical performance in honor of freedom fighter Yu Gwan-sun to be held on March 2, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement and the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.Sejong Center for the Performing Arts and the Seoul Metropolitan Chorus will jointly hold “Yu Gwan-sun Opera Cantata.” The performance tells the life story of the emblematic female activist of the March 1st

Jan. 4, 2019

Violinist Christian Tetzlaff says ‘I am a family man’

“Mostly, I am a family man,” said violinist Christian Tetzlaff in a phone interview ahead of his upcoming debut concert as the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s artist-in-residence this year. 　“Family, of course, is the most important thing in life,” the father of six continued. “But the support in really difficult and desperate times -- yes, playing and listening to music can really give a lot to most people -- to know that we are sharing grief and that sharing joy in concerts. This is the reason

Jan. 3, 2019

[K-talk] S.M. Entertainment to hold SMTown Live in Santiago

S.M. Entertainment will hold its “SMTown Special Stage in Santiago” concerts at Estadio Nacional sports complex in the Chilean city on Jan. 18-19, the first time the agency’s flagship event will take place in South America.Many of the marquee names in the agency including BoA, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation’s Yuri and Hyoyeon, SHINee’s Key and Taemin, EXO, f(x)’s Amber, Red Velvet and NCT are to participate in the event to perform colorful stages for two days.(S.M. Entertainment)Estadio Naciona

Jan. 3, 2019

[K-talk] Jimin’s solo ‘Promise’ hits 13m streams within 3 days

The first self-composed song from Jimin of boy band BTS, “Promise” was streamed over 13 million times in its first two days and 20 hours since release, the quickest pace among any solo efforts from the bandmates.When the song was released Monday via global music platform SoundCloud, the site was momentarily paralyzed with users rushing to stream the track.  (BTS official blog)“Promise” not only topped the New Hot chart and Top 50 chart of SoundCloud, but regional music charts including for the U

Jan. 3, 2019

[K-talk] Wanna One’s Yoon Ji-sung to star in ‘The Days’

Yoon Ji-sung, leader of the recently disbanded Wanna One, will star in the musical “The Days,” which will be staged in Seoul from Feb. 22.According to Insight Entertainment representing the musical on Wednesday, Yoon will take the role of Kang Moo-young, a witty, free-spirited soul who works for the secret service. “I’m grateful to get such an opportunity after my activities end as a member of Wanna One,” said Yoon. “I’ve always had a desire to appear in a musical. I’ll show a new side of myself

Jan. 2, 2019

Maestro Chung Myung-whun welcomes new year in Venice

Maestro Chung Myung-whun kicked off 2019 by conducting “New Year’s Concert 2019” in Venice, Italy. The annual concert, in its 16th edition, was performed four times from Saturday to Tuesday at the historic Teatro La Fenice, also known as the La Fenice opera house. Chung led the venue’s previous New Year’s concert, too.  Maestro Chung Myung-whun (Teatro La Fenice)The first part of the concert was exclusively orchestral, with the performance of Beethoven Symphony No. 7. The second half was dedicat

Jan. 2, 2019

[K-talk] Hwang Chi-yeul to release 2nd album in 12 years

Singer Hwang Chi-yeul will return with a new album on Jan. 21.The upcoming record will be his second album since his debut in 2007 with the album “Five Senses.” Representing the singer, How Entertainment said Wednesday, “The album will feature Hwang’s unique yet sentimental voice.” (Yonhap)Hwang released the EP “Be Myself” in April last year. The 36-year-old singer rose to stardom in 2015 after nearly a decade in obscurity. Since then, Hwang has established himself as one of the hottest K-pop so

Jan. 2, 2019

EXO’s Kai and Black Pink’s Jennie reportedly dating

There might be a new power couple in K-pop on the horizon as reports have revealed EXO’s Kai and Black Pink’s Jennie are dating.The singers, from two of K-pop’s most popular groups, were seen walking while holding hands in a park in Mapo-gu in Seoul, Dispatch reported Tuesday morning.(Yonhap)Pictures obtained by the media outlet show the two going for a drive around Sangam-dong before having a stroll at Haneul Park where the two were seen layered up in a coat and a scarf to brace for the cold.Th

Jan. 1, 2019

[Herald Review] YB Band wraps up ‘Momentum’ tour in Seoul with unwavering rock spirit

Wrapping up a whirlwind of a year with ear-splitting rock sound, over 4,000 concertgoers at YB Band’s Seoul concert either let go of their bygone days or brought up long-buried emotions with the band’s thought-provoking songs and stories. If there’s any reason why people chose the veteran rock band over younger and trendier musicians for their year-end concert, it’s probably the band’s masterful onstage tricks that it has crafted for over two decades and its ever-developing musicality. And YB Ba

Dec. 31, 2018

[Herald Interview] Korean duo seeks to spread happiness through singing

YouTube is full of videos of cover songs, but not all amateur artists win over viewers. Coed duo Darlim&Hamabal however, was special from the start. When the two debuted on YouTube in December 2017, many saw their potential and predicted the duo would succeed.Darlim&Hamabal soon grew to become one of the most distinguished artists in Korea’s YouTube scene, garnering more than 184,000 viewers in a year. The team also made a name for itself among global music fans by singing J-pop and popular movi

Dec. 31, 2018

Looking ahead to Korea’s 2019 classical music season

The 2019 classical music season is a promising one, with numerous stars and prestigious orchestras set to perform in South Korea. Here’s a taste of what lies ahead.  The London Philharmonic Orchestra (Vincero)Star pianists play Rachmaninoff in JanuaryKorea’s 2018 classical music scene opened with pianist Cho Seong-jin’s first-ever nationwide tour. The date on the calendar has changed, but again it is Cho who will be raising the curtain. Cho will perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D M

Dec. 31, 2018

[K-Talk] Shoo of girl group S.E.S. prosecuted for ‘habitual’ gambling

Shoo, a member of S.E.S., a girl group popular in the 1990s, has been prosecuted for habitually engaging in overseas gambling, the prosecutors’ office said Friday.The prosecution filed the criminal charge of “habitual gambling” against the 37-year-old entertainer whose real name is Yoo Soo-young. She was indicted without physical detention.According to the prosecutors’ office, Shoo engaged in gambling on several occasions in foreign countries, including Macau from August 2016 to May this year. T

Dec. 30, 2018

[K-talk] First-generation idol group g.o.d drops 20th anniversary album

First-generation K-pop boy band g.o.d will drop an album on Jan. 10 in celebration of its 20th anniversary.Representing g.o.d, Sidus HQ said Thursday the upcoming album will consist of 10 tracks, including not only new songs but also remakes of the group’s biggest hits. (iHQ)A remake of “Road,” the title track of g.o.d’s fourth album, was arranged by MeloMance’s Jeong Dong-hwan. Singers IU, Henry, Yang Da-il and Jo Hyun-ah are also featured in the remake.The boy band will hold a concert at the O

Dec. 30, 2018

Choi So Bin Ballet to start 2019 with ‘Cinderella’

The Choi So Bin Ballet will highlight its 2017 production “Cinderella” at a show slated for Jan. 12 at the Yongin Poeun Art Hall in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Based on one of the world’s most beloved folktales, the hourlong “Cinderella” is accompanied by the classical music of Johann and Josef Strauss with delightful choreography to match. The ballet is well-suited to young families, the ballet company added. Leading the show is ballerina Choi So-bin, who is also the ballet company’s artistic di

Dec. 30, 2018

[Video] D-Crunch hopes to spread own stories around the world

Diamonds are rock-solid, but they’re not unbreakable, says D-Crunch.With its name abbreviated from Diamond-Crunch, referring to the group’s powerful performance and musicality fit to crush diamonds, the fresh K-pop rookie overflows with youthful energy and ambitions.Having just started to make its mark in the K-pop scene, the nine-piece group of Hyunwook, Hyunho, O.V, Minhyuk, Hyunwoo, Hyunoh, Chanyoung, Jungseung and Dylan said it hopes to spread its messages around the globe. (Video shot by Li

Dec. 28, 2018

Drummer of 30-year-old band SSAW dies of cancer

Jeon Tae-kwan, the drummer of the 30-year-old rock band SSAW, or Spring Summer Autumn Winter, has died of renal cancer at the age of 56, his bandmate said Friday."I inform you of heartbreaking news. Last night, drummer Jeon Tae-kwan passed away," Kim Jong-jin said.   This image of Jeon Tae-kwan is captured from the official blog of SSAW. (Yonhap)"After struggling with renal cancer for the past six years, Jeon couldn't overcome the illness and breathed his last breath with his family by his side,

Dec. 28, 2018

Nominees announced for the 3rd Korea Musical Awards

The annual Korea Musical Awards on Thursday announced the nominees in major categories including best musical, best leading and supporting actors and actresses and best music.Operators of the KMA on Thursday held a press conference to reveal the nominees and details of the upcoming ceremony, set for 7 p.m. on Jan.14 at Blue Square in Yongsan, central Seoul. Only musicals that opened between Dec. 1, 2017, and Nov. 30 this year were eligible to be nominated, and the awards for best musical and bes

Dec. 27, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Digging deeper into Korean Wave’

One summer night in 2016, David Kim and Danny Kim were drinking at a pub. Then college students, they were interning at an advertising company and music distribution company, respectively. Company life was draining. They didn’t feel like they were making something of themselves. After hours of complaining, there came the question: Why don’t we make something of our own?YouTube was booming, and so was K-pop. The two noticed a dearth of K-pop content produced by Koreans in English. A few days late

Dec. 26, 2018

Top 10 most-streamed Christmas songs in December

Genie Music has revealed some of the most-streamed Christmas carols in December.The music steaming service said that “Because It’s Christmas” by Jelly Christmas 2012 Heart Project was the No. 1 Christmas single between Dec. 1 and Thursday. The song by the supergroup boasting singers Sung Si-kyung and Park Hyo-shin as members was the only South Korean act to chart in the top five. (Yonhap)Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath The Tree” from her album “Wrapped in Red” was a runner-up, while Mariah Carey’s

Dec. 23, 2018

BTS’ ‘Mic Drop’ hits 400m views, sets Korean record

BTS has left yet another mark in Korea’s music history, as its music video for “Mic Drop (Steve Aoki Remix)” has become its fifth video to surpass 400 million views on YouTube, the most for any artist in the country. As of 11:09 a.m. Sunday, the remixed version of the megahit had hit the milestone, a little over a year after its initial 2017 November release. As of now, the boy band has five songs with over 400 million views, including “DNA,” “Fire,” “Dope” and “Fake Love.”The most-viewed video

Dec. 23, 2018