BLACKPINK becomes only K-pop artists with 3 songs topping 800m YouTube views

With "Kill This Love" topping the milestone of 800 million YouTube views Monday, BLACKPINK became the first K-pop artists to have three songs with over 800 million views. The music video of BLACKPINK's latest hit song surpassed the 800 million YouTube mark early Monday morning, about one year after its release, the band's management agency YG Entertainment said. It is the quartet's third music video topping 800 million YouTube views, following "Ddu-du Ddu-du" and "B

K-popApril 20, 2020

Starship’s new boy band Cravity unveiled

Starship Entertainment’s new boy band Cravity made its grand debut Tuesday. The nine-piece act released the debut album “Hideout: Remember Who We Are” and held an online showcase that was livestreamed on Naver’s V Live. The debut album includes seven tracks, with “Break All the Rules” as the lead single. The hip-hop tune depicts the band’s bold aspirations and encourages us to break the limits and rules that we have locked ourselves under. The song w

K-popApril 16, 2020

SuperM to join online charity concert organized by Lady Gaga, WHO

Billboard-topping K-pop boy band SuperM will perform for "One World: Together At Home" this week, an all-star online charity concert co-organized by Lady Gaga and the World Health Organization to overcome the coronavirus pandemic, its agency said. SuperM will be the only South Korean musicians to join the lineup for the online concert on Saturday (US time), designed to celebrate and support health care workers on the COVID-19 front lines and raise funds to help overcome the pandemic.

K-popApril 16, 2020

SM Entertainment, Naver team up to launch concert streaming service

SM Entertainment and Naver are teaming up to launch a new concert streaming service, Beyond Live. The premiere, featuring SuperM, is to air April 26. The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding in an effort to expand their presence in the global entertainment industry, SM said in a statement Tuesday. The concert streaming platform, which is set to launch sometime in mid-April, will first be available within V Live, Naver’s existing video platform. And as the name sugges

K-popApril 14, 2020

Previous live BTS concerts to be streamed on YouTube to entertain fans at home

A series of live concerts K-pop boy band BTS performed since 2014 will be shown for free on YouTube this weekend to entertain fans at home in this time of coronavirus self-quarantine. The band's management agency, Big Hit Entertainment, said a total of eight concerts and fan meeting events by the boy band will be broadcast on the BTS channel on YouTube, BANGTANTV, on Saturday and Sunday under the title "BTS Online Concert Weekend." The first set of four performances, including "

K-popApril 14, 2020

Apink celebrates 9th anniversary with new single

Apink released a new single, “Dumhdurum,” Monday. “Dumhdurum” leads “Look,” the group’s ninth EP since its start in 2011. The dance-driven song, which blends an Asian sound with a Spanish vibe, was written by famous K-pop producer duo Black Eyed Pilseung, the mastermind behind Apink’s previous hits “I’m So Sick” and “Eung Eung.”  Thriving on the addictive hook “Dumhdurum rumhdururum,” the song is abo

K-popApril 13, 2020

Revisiting BoA’s ‘No.1’ two decades on

In the fast changing K-pop industry, BoA has stood the test of time. Including her latest EP “Starry Night” in December and her debut at age 13 with “ID; Peace B” in 2000, she has sold millions of records and become a household name in South Korea. And then there was “No. 1.” Around two years into her career, she released her second studio album with the track on her home turf after her million-seller Japanese debut album “Listen to My Heart” t

K-popApril 13, 2020

WINNER's Lee Seung-hoon to start military service this week

Lee Seung-hoon, a member of K-pop boy band WINNER, will start his mandatory military service this week, the band's management agency said Monday. The 28-year-old is scheduled to start a four-week training program Thursday at an Army boot camp in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, as part of the fulfillment of the national defense duty. After the initial military training, he will start his two-year term as a public service worker at a public institution, according to YG Entertainment. Lee i

K-popApril 13, 2020

(G)I-dle partners with Republic Records for US push

K-pop girl group (G)I-dle has partnered with Republic Records to officially enter the North American market, the band’s agency said Thursday. Republic Records is a major US music label under Universal Music Group, home to high-profile artists including Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. It is making a big push into K-pop more recently, having established partnerships with K-pop groups Twice and TXT. “We are excited to be teaming up with the multi-talented girl group (G)I-DLE as they

K-popApril 9, 2020

[Herald Interview] AleXa on becoming K-pop star, dancing in boots and cyborg aesthetic

Having debuted just last October, AleXa’s world has turned upside-down from being a fan of K-pop to becoming a star herself. The 23-year-old’s debut single “Bomb” was a great way to showcase her talent as a performer, as the video for the energetic Brazilian beat-inspired electro-pop tune had racked up over 12 million views on YouTube as of Wednesday. And last week, she released her first EP, “Do or Die,” encompassing all of her work so far. “There h

K-popApril 8, 2020

AOMG to host charity live show online

Hip-hop label AOMG will host online streaming show “AOMG Quarantine Nonstop Live” on Sunday, with an aim to promote social distancing and help curb the spread of COVID-19. All profits collected during the show will be donated to support underprivileged families struggling from the outbreak. The label’s artists, as well as their friends, plan to perform on the donation-based show, which will air on AOMG’s official YouTube and Twitch channels. Previously, the label&rs

K-popApril 8, 2020

(G)I-dle sings self-confidence in ‘I Trust’

(G)I-dle returned with new album Monday, sending message of self-confidence. Six-piece act (G)I-dle’s third EP is fronted by lead track “Oh My God,” a dynamic urban hip-hop track that switches between various rhythms and melodies. Written and composed by bandleader Soyeon, the dynamic song alludes self-confidence, the main topic of the album, to complex feelings of love. “I believe that our (team) confidence comes from believing in myself,” explained Soyeon duri

K-popApril 7, 2020

TVXQ’s Changmin releases first solo album

K-pop duo TVXQ’s Changmin released his solo album “Chocolate” on Monday. It is the singer’s very first album as a solo artist since debuting as a part of TVXQ back in 2003. The album, featuring a total of six tracks, shows off the artist’s wide vocal range. Changmin participated in writing the lyrics for the title track “Chocolate” and “No Tomorrow.” “Chocolate” is an addictive dance-pop that attempts to portray an intense de

K-popApril 6, 2020

BIGBANG’s top 50 tracks, ranked

Though BIGBANG’s previously scheduled comeback by way of Coachella in April didn’t happen, all signs point to their incoming return to the music scene. In March, the group put on a united front after a tough year as all four members renewed their contract with YG Entertainment, for the third time since their debut in 2006. And we are celebrating the group’s work with these top 50 tracks from the group’s back catalogue spanning over a decade. 50. I Don&rsquo

K-popApril 6, 2020

7 boy bands to compete in ‘Road to Kingdom’

Mnet’s new idol competition show “Road to Kingdom” has been unveiled, before its official premiere on April 30. Seven boy bands will go against each other and showcase their charm through various performances. The viewers will vote on their favorite team and stages, and the final winner will have a priority to join the subsequent show “Kingdom.” Teaser clips of the bands’ first performances were released Monday online along with a preshow preference poll

K-popApril 3, 2020

Smaller K-pop labels hit hard by coronavirus

Over the last few weeks, the novel coronavirus pandemic has brought the K-pop scene to an unprecedented standstill. Most concerts and meetup events, both at home and abroad, have been cancelled or postponed, while weekly TV shows are being held without audiences. The prolonged COVID-19 crisis may be taking a heavy toll on the whole K-pop industry, but small and midsized music labels in particular are feeling the pinch, as their business model relies heavily on tickets, physical albums and forei

K-popApril 2, 2020

Cube Entertainment founder resigns after ownership dispute

Founder and executive producer of Cube Entertainment Hong Seong-sung announced Tuesday that he was leaving the label, about a month after the firm’s ownership changed. He wrote on his Twitter that “I am leaving Cube Entertainment which I had bet my life on” and “I will stand in front of public again in some other way.” On his reasons for leaving, he said “It didn’t take much time for me to realize they, whom I thought would be good partners that prov

K-popApril 1, 2020

AleXa releases electrifying first EP “Do Or Die”

Singer AleXa released her very first EP “Do Or Die” on Wednesday. Featuring a total of eight tracks including the lead single “Do Or Die” and her previously single “Bomb,” the EP encompasses all of her work she’s released since her official debut last October and more. “Do Or Die” also features a EDM remix version of her debut single “Bomb” -- a stomping, bombastic pop song with a heavy dose of electro beats that helped her mak

K-popApril 1, 2020

BTS performs from home for US TV show in time of social distancing

K-pop super band BTS cheered up its fans and audiences across the world Tuesday with a special performance on a US TV show, broadcast from the band's own studio in South Korea, in a time of social distancing over the COVID-19 pandemic. The members of BTS were the penultimate artists that James Corden, the host of the CBS program "The Late Late Show with James Corden," connected with in his video calls for the special quarantine edition of the show, which aired Monday night (US time)

K-popMarch 31, 2020

Here are K-pop live streams to combat self-isolation (updating)

Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, concerts and music festivals worldwide have been canceled or postponed, including BTS’ world tour in Seoul and North America and the Coachella festival, at which Big Bang plans to make a comeback after a two-year hiatus. But many K-pop artists and labels have made the best out of the situation by utilizing what they know best -- social media and online platforms. Idol groups including GFriend, Loona and Pentagon have celebrated their comeback with

K-popMarch 31, 2020