Busker Busker sweeping music scene but ‘still learning’

Audition show band dominates K-pop charts with debut albumBusker Busker, who rose to fame through Mnet’s “Superstar K3,” became the talk of the town when the band swept the K-pop charts after the release of their debut album late last month. As of April 7, eight songs from their album “Busker Busker” ranked among the top 10 on Olleh Music’s weekly chart, easily beating out popular local stars. The album also ranked top on Billboard’s K-pop Hot 100 album chart on the same day, setting an example

April 10, 2012

Actor-singer Ryu in divorce proceedings

Korean entertainer and race car driver Ryu Si-won is reported to be in divorce proceedings. Local dailies reported Monday that Ryu’s wife had filed for divorce on March 22, seeking to end the couple’s 18-month marriage. The reasons for the split have not been disclosed. On Monday, Ryu canceled the annual pre-race event for his team, EXR Team 106, scheduled for April 17. R’s Company, Ryu’s entertainment firm, explained that the cancellation was due to personal matters. R’s Company said through a

April 9, 2012

Girl group T-ara to add new members

Korean girl group T-ara will add new members to become a nine-member group for the upcoming album, the group’s agency announced on Friday.The new members will be revealed together with T-ara’s new album release in July, according to the T-ara’s management agency Core Contents Media.“T-ara will change from the current seven to a nine-member system, and if needed, we will replace old members,” Kim Kwang-soo, head of Core Contents Media, said in a news release. The reason for the change, Kim added,

April 8, 2012

T-ara to add new members

Korean girl group T-ara will add new members to become a nine-member group for the upcoming album, the group’s agency announced on Friday.The new members will be revealed together with T-ara’s new album release in July, according to the T-ara’s management agency Core Contents Media.“T-ara will change from the current seven to a nine-member system, and if needed, we will replace old members,” Kim K

April 8, 2012

KARA launches first celebrity fragrance in Asia

An ad image of KARA and their new fragrance (3CY)Popular girl group KARA announced on Tuesday they will launch their first signature fragrance, becoming the first Asian celebrity to introduce a cosmetic product named after them and created with their input.“We have been working for a long time on developing K5J and are so excited that our signature fragrance is now a reality,” said KARA members i

April 3, 2012

S.M. Entertainment singers to hit L.A.

Broadcaster MBC and S.M. Entertainment Agency are to co-host a K-pop concert, “MBC Korean Music Wave in Los Angeles,” in May. K-pop groups from S.M. including Girls’ Generation, TVXQ, SHINee, f(x) and Super Junior will showcase at Anaheim Honda Center on May 20, MBC announced on Tuesday. The organizers said that the concert will be a large-scale project different from previous hallyu, or Korean Wave, concerts. “We will offer a show of higher quality with better stage settings, repertoires and ne

April 3, 2012

Park Jin-young opens N.Y. restaurant

Korean music mogul Park Jin-young has become an owner of a Korean barbecue restaurant in New York, featuring a special grill that he invented. Park, CEO and founder of JYP Entertainment, a major K-pop record label and management company in Korea, held a press meeting in New York on Monday announcing the news. The newly opened restaurant, Kristalbelli, is located in Manhattan near Korea town, and is decorated like a high-end bar or a lounge. He said he thought of opening his own restaurant as he

March 28, 2012

Korean stars participate in charity auction

Social Welfare Society will open an online charity auction from March 29 through April 10.Korean stars including actor Lee Byung-hun, actor and singer Lee Seung-gi, 2PM’s Nichkhun and Girls’ Generation’s Tiffany have donated their personal items for the charity event.Lee Byung-hun donated his caps for the auction while Lee Sueng-gi donated his sneakers that he wore on a television show. Tiffany’s purse, Nichkhun’s woolen hat will be on auction, too. Other items include Korean actress Kim Hye-so

March 28, 2012

Big Bang and 2NE1 release albums in Japan

Pop groups Big Bang and 2NE1 released their new albums in Japan on Wednesday. Big Bang’s latest album, “Alive,” includes “Feeling,” a collaborative effort among Big Bang’s G-Dragon, Top and world-famous German artist Boys Noize,“ that has been selected as the opening theme song for Japanese TV animation series ”Transformers:Prime.“ 2NE1’s first regular album in Japan, ”Collection,“ features 12 songs including a reinterpretation of Madonna’s ”Like a Virgin“ and a remix of Japanese electronic art

March 28, 2012

New Superstar K to look for hidden talent, create another touching story

Pop star Psy replaces Yoon Jong-shin on TV audition program Mnet’s “Superstar K4” will differentiate itself from the increasing number of audition programs here by discovering genuine musical talent and delivering touching stories from millions of applicants who dream of becoming a star, according one of the show’s judges. “The goal of the program is not only to introduce new talent to Korean audiences but also to convey the dreams and hopes of the contestants who want to become star artists thr

March 28, 2012

Korean singer wins award at Asian music festival

Korean singer Ali received the Super Nova award for best performance at the second Hong Kong Asian Pop Music Festival on Friday.She earned the highest scores after two rounds of competition.She sang “365 days” in the first round and Christina Aguilera’s “Ain’t No Other Man” in the second. Six other rising Asian stars, including China’s Song Jingyu, Japan’s HIROZ SEVEN+ and Alex Wu from Hong Kong, participated in the event. The event is a contest where the best singer is picked from seven Asian a

March 26, 2012

Star-studded runway blends fashion, K-pop

K-pop stars strutted down the runway on Sunday, moving to the rhythm of their hit songs.“K-collection in Seoul,” a fashion show/concert held at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena at Olympic Park in Bangi-dong, featured popular K-pop groups such as Girls Generation, Big Bang, IU, MBLAQ, Infinite, T-ara, Miss A and Secret. Some of the stars walked down the catwalk decked in impressive outfits as well as showcasing their songs on stage. Actor Yeo Jin-gu who rose to stardom after starring in the MBC hit d

March 11, 2012

Shinhwa hopes to remain Korea's longest-running boy band

(Yonhap News)South Korea's popular K-pop group "Shinhwa" said Monday it wants to remain the country's longest-running "boy band" as it announced plans for a new album and concerts after four years away from the stage.Clad in sharp black suits, the six members of the group expressed their excitement

March 5, 2012

Preview of Kim Tae-hee’s Japanese commercial axed

A cosmetics company canceled a Feb. 21 preview of a Japanese commercial featuring actress Kim Tae-hee, as Japanese netizens criticized her for advocating Korea’s sovereignty over Dokdo.Dokdo is a group of rocky islets in the East Sea that Japan has claimed as part of its territory and calls Takeshima.Kim, who has been enjoying popularity as an actress and a model for television commercials in Korea since the early 2000s, served as a Dokdo advocate in 2005 with her younger brother Lee Wan, who is

Feb. 22, 2012

Swizz Beatz paints K-pop's rosy future in world market

Swizz Beatz, a renowned American rapper-producer, said on Monday K-pop is leading a trend for new music and that he wants to play a leading role in introducing Asia to the West through Korean music. (Yonhap News)"What I found in Korean pop music is a new expression. The world is open for new things

Feb. 20, 2012

Why is K-pop going to America?

Although Asia-centric, major entertainment companies seek to reap U.S. benefitsSince Girls’ Generation appeared in two major U.S. talk shows and Wonder Girls launched their TeenNick television movie, “The Wonder Girls,” last week, the buzz has been overwhelming. Yet, underneath all the hype lies a question: Why is Korean pop looking to America? “Insofar as America is the world’s biggest music market, we, as a company and for our artists, want to take it on,”said an S,M. Entertainment representat

Feb. 10, 2012