After remarkable seven years, BTS looks inward on ‘Map of the Soul: 7’

BTS says its new album “Map of the Soul: 7” reflects on the septet’s seven-year journey together. “‘Map of the Soul 7’ contains our stories -- all the emotions we experienced from the seven years we worked as BTS and our feelings toward fans,” bandmate J-Hope said during the global press conference for the album in Seoul on Monday. Following Friday’s release of its fourth studio album and a series of promotions in the US, the septet was back in S

K-popFeb. 24, 2020

BLACKPINK's 'Boombayah' tops 800m YouTube views

The video for "Boombayah," the debut single of K-pop girl band BLACKPINK, topped 800 million views on YouTube, making the quartet the only K-pop act with two music videos that have achieved the feat, the band's management agency said Monday. The video reached the milestone Monday morning, emulating the band's earlier "Ddu-du Ddu-du," according to YG Entertainment. "With this, BLACKPINK got to own two music videos that have more than 800 million views as the first K-

K-popFeb. 24, 2020

Monsta X's 'All About Luv' lands at 5th on Billboard 200 chart

"All About Luv," the first full-length American album by K-pop boy band Monsta X, landed at fifth on the Billboard 200 chart for this week, the music magazine has said. "The set, which is the act's first all-English language album, launches with 52,000 equivalent album units earned in the US in the week ending Feb. 20," Billboard said on its website Sunday (US time), citing Nielsen Music/MRC data. Released Feb. 14, the album's latest feat made Monsta X the third K-pop act

K-popFeb. 24, 2020

BTS' new album tops record-high 91 iTunes charts

K-pop super band BTS wrote iTunes chart history Saturday with its new album, "Map of the Soul: 7," topping the iTunes album charts in 91 countries and regions, the band's management agency said. As of Saturday morning (Korean time), "Map of the Soul: 7" landed atop the iTunes "top album" charts in 91 countries and regions, including the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Italy, Russia, India, Japan and Saudi Arabia, according to Big Hit Entertainment. This

K-popFeb. 23, 2020

BTS thanks their fans for positivity on Today Show

BTS once again thanked their fans for their positivity during their first appearance on the Today Show on Friday. “It’s all because of ARMYs that gave us positive energies,” RM said as he translated Jin's answer when the band was asked about why the group is known for spreading positivity. The septet appeared on stage just outside Rockefeller Plaza in central New York City just hours after releasing a new album for a brief live interview. Explaining the title

K-popFeb. 21, 2020

BTS reflects on seven years together on ‘Map of the Soul: 7’

BTS released Friday its fourth studio album, “Map of the Soul: 7” spanning 20 tracks. The lead track “On” is an electrifying pop/hip-hop anthem that heavily features marching band drums as the group sings the soaring chorus in harmony, “Bring the pain/oh yea, rain be pourin’/sky keep fallin’/oh na na na.” The bandmates reflected on their celebrity status, singing, “Where is this place I open my eyes to? Maybe Seoul or New York or Paris.&rdq

K-popFeb. 21, 2020

BTS' 'Boy With Luv' video featuring Halsey tops 700m YouTube views

The video of "Boy With Luv," K-pop boy band BTS' Billboard-topping song featuring Halsey, has topped 700 million YouTube views, the band's management agency said Friday. The lead track of BTS' previous album, "Map of the Soul: Persona" released in April last year, achieved the feat Friday morning, becoming the second BTS music video to garner more than 700 million views on YouTube, Big Hit Entertainment said. "DNA" was the first of the band's songs to hit the mil

K-popFeb. 21, 2020

New BTS album 'Map of the Soul: 7' set to rock global music scene

K-pop phenomenon BTS will drop a new album, "Map of the Soul: 7," Friday evening, rocking the world music scene once again. The upcoming 20-track album is the second part of its "Map of the Soul" album series, following "Map of the Soul: Persona," released in April last year. Like its predecessor, "7" is a soul-searching musical journey, inspired by concepts developed by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung like the persona. The new album is led by main tra

K-popFeb. 21, 2020

Why Naver is finally shutting down comments on celebrity news

The nation’s largest web portal, Naver, will not publish comments under its entertainment news until further notice, for the sake of celebrities’ mental health. “We acknowledge that the current technological efforts aren’t enough to relieve the pain felt by celebrities and have decided to close the comment section for entertainment news until a further structural overhaul,” the company said Wednesday. The move takes effect sometime next month. Kakao, which owns th

K-popFeb. 20, 2020

BTS to unveil teaser for its new song 'ON' ahead of official release

A sample of "ON," the lead track of K-pop super band BTS' upcoming album "Map of the Soul: 7," will hit the popular video-sharing service TikTok half a day ahead of the song's official release this week, TikTok said Wednesday. A 30-second video will be released on the social networking service at 6 a.m. Friday, 12 hours ahead of the official release set for 6 p.m. the same day, according to the service. It is the first time in its seven-year career that BTS will unveil a

K-popFeb. 19, 2020

BTS’ top 50 singles and album tracks, ranked

50. Paradise The R&B track from “Love Yourself: Tear” keeps things simple and brings back the memories of 2000s R&B. 49. Jamais Vu J-Hope, Jin and Jungkook teamed up in a rare occasion for this dramatic song that takes an edgy turn a third way through. 48. Anpanman As the title suggests, the light-hearted and playful tune was inspired by the character from the popular anime series “Anpanman.” Rather than siding with the likes of Batman, it’s endearing

K-popFeb. 18, 2020

Pre-orders for BTS album top record 4 million

Pre-orders for K-pop super band BTS' upcoming album have topped the 4 million mark, the biggest pre-order volume ever for a South Korean album. Pre-orders for "Map of the Soul: 7," set for official release on Friday, reached 4.02 million copies as of Monday, BTS' management agency, Big Hit Entertainment said, citing data from record distributor Dreamus Company. It is the biggest pre-order volume for any South Korean album as well as for any BTS record. The album achieved 3.42 mil

K-popFeb. 18, 2020

IZ*ONE breaks first-week sales record for girl group albums

IZ*ONE has shattered a first-week sales record for albums by girl groups of all time with its new album, the band's management agency said Tuesday. The group's first full-length album "Bloom*Iz" sold some 184,000 copies within the first day of its release Monday at 6 p.m., Off the Record said, citing data from domestic album sales tracker Hanteo Chart. It took less than a day for the group to break the previous record set by TWICE when its eighth EP album "Feel Special" so

K-popFeb. 18, 2020

Zico's 'Any Song' rules S. Korean music charts backed by viral cover dance videos

Zico, a rapper and music producer, became the latest K-pop sensation as his latest hip-hop number, "Any Song," topped weekly domestic music charts for the fourth week in a row. The hypnotic song topped the Gaon weekly digital chart, operated by the Korea Music Content Association, for the week of Feb. 2-8, securing its fourth week atop the chart. Since its release on January, "Any Song" has stayed on top of daily digital song charts of major online music streaming service

K-popFeb. 17, 2020

BTS shares longest-ever tracklist for upcoming album

BTS shared a whopping 20-song tracklist on Monday for its new album, “Map of the Soul: 7,” just ahead of its release Feb. 21. The list is the longest ever for a BTS's full-length album and features 15 new tracks -- including “On,” which fronts the new album -- along with five songs previously released as part of last year’s “Map of the Soul: Persona” EP. The new songs include “Filter,” “Louder Than Bombs,” “Zero O&

K-popFeb. 17, 2020

Monsta X starts US promotion of new all-English album, 'All About Luv'

Monsta X met with fans in Los Angeles at its pop-up store, AAL POP_UP Experience, at Tower Records on Friday to promote its first English-language album in the US, “All About Luv.” The album has received much acclaim since its release Friday, featuring in Time magazine’s “5 Best Songs of the Week,” along with Billie Eilish. Upon its release, the album took the top spot on the iTunes album charts of 17 countries. Several well-known artists, including Pitbull, Fren

K-popFeb. 16, 2020

K-pop moguls make new move with girl groups

Prominent figures from K-pop agencies have been working with girl groups managed by other companies. Lee Soo-man, founder and chief producer of S.M. Entertainment, participated in the production of girl group LOONA’s second EP, “#,” released Feb. 5. The 12-piece act, whose Korean name translates to “Girl of the Month,” is managed by Blockberry Creative, a small entertainment agency. The EP has topped the iTunes Albums chart in 47 countries including Poland, Spa

K-popFeb. 14, 2020

BTS to premiere new album's main track on Jimmy Fallon show

K-pop superband BTS will stage the debut performance of its upcoming album's main track on late night US TV show, "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," this month, the show has announced. Appearing on a special episode of the show by broadcaster NBC on Feb. 24 (US time), the septet will premiere the lead track of "Map of the Soul: 7," slated for official release on Feb. 21, according to an SNS announcement by the TV show. The special show will feature BTS' interview w

K-popFeb. 14, 2020

Pentagon releases first full-length album 3 years after debut

Nearly 3 1/2 years since its debut, Pentagon is releasing its very first full-length album, “Universe: The Black Hall.” The album consists of 11 tracks representing different genres, and leader Hui says it captures the essence of the band’s work so far. “The new album is an aggregation of our previous nine EPs we’ve released so far,” he said during the press showcase in Seoul on Wednesday. While some might think 3 1/2 years is a long delay, Jinho said he wa

K-popFeb. 12, 2020

Samsung hints at partnership with BTS

SAN FRANCISCO/SEOUL -- Speculation is growing about Samsung Electronics possibly teaming up with global sensation BTS for the tech giant’s latest Galaxy devices. At the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event held at the Palace Fine Arts in San Francisco Tuesday, V, a member of the seven-piece group, made a surprise appearance in a presentation video of the latest Galaxy phones, including the flagship Galaxy S20 and the foldable Galaxy Z Flip. The screen flashed a photo of V wearing Samsung

K-popFeb. 12, 2020