Stray Kids to headline festivals in Milan, London

Stray Kids is headlining major music festivals in Europe in July -- I-Days in Milan and BST Hyde Park in London -- for the first time as a K-pop boy group. Stray Kids is taking the stage at the Ippodromo Snai San Siro in Milan, Italy, on July 12 for I-Days. They will then perform at Hyde Park in London on July 14 at BST Hyde Park. I-Days is a music festival that began in 1999 and has since then boasted a star-studded lineup of performers including Green Day, Liam Gallagher, blink-182 and Justin

K-popFeb. 3, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Astro’s Cha Eunwoo to show depth as solo act

Cha Eunwoo of Astro floated teaser video for his upcoming first solo album on Friday. The singer and actor demonstrates his acting chops in the 50-second clip, driving a car in the rain before lighting up a cigarette with tears in his eyes. The clip also unveiled the title of the solo album: “Entity.” Cha recently finished shooting the music video for the album in Los Angeles, according to his agency Fantagio. He was recently spotted with American actor India Eisley, sparking rumors

K-popFeb. 2, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Babymonster tops iTunes chart in 8 regions with pre-release

    Rookie girl group Babymonster topped iTunes top songs chart in eight regions, according to label YG Entertainment on Thursday. The group topped the chart with “Stuck In The Middle,” a pop ballad tune and English-language single released Wednesday in advance to the release of its first EP, which is due out on April 1. The six-member act debuted in November with “Batter Up” which renewed the record for a K-pop group’s debut song, generating 22.59 mi

K-popFeb. 1, 2024

Too hot to handle? K-pop stars' ‘no pants’ look sparks debate

It is safe to say that the pantsless trend has firmly planted its roots in Korea, especially within the K-pop scene. This look has triggered mixed reactions, with some arguing that it is a way of expressing freedom while others say that it is too provocative and simply inappropriate. The now-trending no-pants look speaks for itself, featuring a style that discards pants, skirts or any bottom-covering attire, except for briefs, often paired with tights. The origins of this look can be traced

K-popFeb. 1, 2024

K-pop artists, agencies step up fight against 'stans'

For some 20 years, K-pop artist Kim Jae-joong has been hounded by fans stalking him to get a sneak peek into his private life. A week ago Kim Jae-joong decided to stand up for himself and take legal measures against “sasaeng” fans -- industry slang referring to fans who invade an artist‘s private life, often exhibiting problematic and obsessive behavior. “We are currently gathering information about Kim Jae-joong’s sasaeng fans and the private taxis they hired to st

K-popJan. 31, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids to headline Italy, UK festivals

     Stray Kids will make headline performances at music festivals in Milan, Italy and London this summer, both a first for a K-pop boy band, said label JYP Entertainment on Wednesday. The band will make its festival debut on I Days and British Summer Time Hyde Parkon July 12 and 14, respectively. The lineup for the Milan gig this year includes Metallica, Doja Cat, Lana Del Rey and Bring Me The Horizon. The supporting lineup for the British festival will be announced soon, sa

K-popJan. 31, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] (G)I-dle tops iTunes chart in 24 regions with 2nd LP

(G)I-dle's second studio album "Two" topped the iTunes top albums chart in 24 regions, according to agency Cube Entertainment on Tuesday. The LP also was No. 1 on Apple Music’s top albums chart in eight regions. The album was released on Monday and had more than 1.8 million pre-orders, becoming the group’s second million-selling album after its sixth EP “I Feel” from last year. The LP sold over 860,000 copies on the first day, a record for the quintet. Minnie a

K-popJan. 30, 2024

S. Korea is ideal country for ticket scalping, says Record Label Industry Association of Korea

South Korean laws have limited scope in enforcing ticket scalping regulations, according to the Record Label Industry Association of Korea's Chairman Yoon Dong-hwan, who spoke in response to the association's recent report on ticket scalping laws in several foreign countries. The report, published Tuesday, compares the ticket scalping policies and laws of seven countries -- Japan, China, Taiwan, the US, Canada, France and Belgium. Ticket scalping in these countries is subject to fines

K-popJan. 30, 2024

IU to unveil 6th EP ‘The Winning’ next month

Singer-songwriter and actress IU will release her sixth mini album, “The Winning,” on Feb. 20, according to Edam Entertainment. The artist’s new album is the first in two years and two months after the release of her special extended play, “Pieces," in December 2021. The teaser clip of IU’s upcoming album uploaded to her official YouTube channel shows the artist with long bleached hair, wearing a red outfit. IU is seen spraying a red-colored spray at the camera

K-popJan. 30, 2024

[Herald Interview] Vanner ready for 'Jackpot'

South Korean boy band Vanner is contending for victory in the K-pop scene this year with a full transformation of their image from fresh youth to powerful and charismatic artists. “We want to show that Banner is a group that can handle sexy, powerful and charismatic themes through our second mini album, ‘Capture the Flag,’” said Taehwan of Vanner during a group interview in Seoul on Thursday. The quintet’s new album, scheduled to be released on Tuesday at 6 p.m., is

K-popJan. 30, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen to go encore in Korea, Japan

Seventeen is adding more dates to its tour, announced agency Pledis Entertainment on Monday. The 13-member act will perform in Incheon on March 30-31 and in Osaka and Kanagawa, Japan on May 18-19 and May 25-26, respectively. All venues are stadiums, with Nissan Stadium in Kanagawa being the largest in the country and accommodating about 70,000 audience members. The band will be the second K-pop boy band to hold a concert there, after TVXQ. The bandmates have toured Asia since July last year, pe

K-popJan. 29, 2024

[Herald Review] Ateez kicks off world tour with dramatic performance

Boy band Ateez completed a two-day concert in Seoul, marking the beginning of the group’s second world tour, “Towards The Light: Will To Power," last weekend. From Saturday to Sunday, 15,000 fans gathered at Jamsil Indoor Stadium to support the eight-member group with enthusiastic cheers. The group’s second world tour follows the group’s 8th mini album, “The World Ep.1: Movement,” 9th mini album, “The World Ep.2: Outlaw,” and second full-lengt

PerformanceJan. 29, 2024

Health issues halt (G)I-dle's comeback activities

Girl group (G)I-dle has suspended all activities ahead of the release of the group's second full-length album on Monday due to the health issues of two of its members. "Minnie and Yuqi visited the hospital the previous day due to fever and migraines. We decided to suspend all schedules of the two members and they will focus on getting enough rest and treatment following the medical team's instructions," Cube Entertainment, the group’s agency, said Saturday. The agency a

K-popJan. 28, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] BTS logs 1.4b views with ‘Mic Drop’ remix video

The music video for BTS’ 2017 hit song “Mic Drop (Steve Aoki Remix)” surpassed 1.4 billion views on YouTube on Friday, said label Big Hit Music. It is the band’s 14th music video to hit the milestone, following those of “Dynamite,” “Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey)” and “DNA.” “Mic Drop” is from its fifth EP “LOVE YOURSELF 承 ‘Her’” and DJ Steve Aoki spun it into an electro trap number which topped iTunes

K-popJan. 26, 2024

VCHA debuts with single album ‘Girls of the Year'

JYP Entertainment’s new girl group VCHA debuted with the single album “Girls of the Year” Friday. VCHA is the first multinational girl group that JYP has launched in the US. The group consists of six members from Korea, the US, and Canada. They were chosen through JYP and the American music label Republic Record’s K-pop girl group production project “A2K” which aired on YouTube in July last year. The single album is led by the titular track “Girls of the

K-popJan. 26, 2024

Ten of NCT to debut solo next month

Ten of the K-pop boy group NCT is making his official solo debut in February. According to SM Entertainment, Ten will release his first solo mini album "Ten" on Feb. 13. He is the second member from NCT to debut solo, following Taeyong who released "Shalala" last year. The EP carries a total of six tracks, all sung in English. Ten, a Thai member of the multi-national idol group, made his debut as part of NCT U in 2016. He has also participated as a member of different boy g

K-popJan. 26, 2024

K-pop stars use NFT, fan reward systems to fight ticket scalping

With ticket scalping plaguing the local music scene, South Korean singers are adopting various methods to prevent fans from having to pay extortionate sums for concert tickets. Singer Jang Beom-jun recently announced that the ticket sales for his concert next month will be using the blockchain system, with the tickets being sold as non-fungible tokens that cannot be sold to anyone but the initial buyer. Jang had sold out the concert scheduled for this month, but cancelled all reservations due to

K-popJan. 26, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NCT’s Taeyong to drop 2nd solo album next month

Taeyong of NCT is gearing up to return again as a solo musician, according to SM Entertainment on Thursday. He will bring out his second solo album on Feb. 26, approximately eight months since his first EP, “Shalala.” He was the first of the boy band to drop a solo album -- seven years after the group's debut. The previous EP topped iTunes top albums chart in 31 regions, as did the title track on top songs charts for 14 regions. The musician participated in writing the words and mel

K-popJan. 25, 2024

NewJeans wins Group of the Year at 2024 Billboard Women In Music Awards

NewJeans won Group of the Year at the 2024 Billboard Women In Music Awards, becoming the first K-pop female act to take home such an honor. NewJeans is attending the ceremony to take place on March 6 at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, according to the group's agency, Ador. Billboard Women In Music Awards is an annual event held by Billboard, established in 2007 to recognize women in the music industry who have made significant contributions to the business. Other honorees for this year&

K-popJan. 25, 2024

Babymonster to return as septet next month with new single

With Ahyeon back in the group, Babymonster is releasing its new single “Stuck In The Middle” on Feb. 1 YG Entertainment made the surprise announcement of the new release with a video on its official YouTube channel on Thursday. “Ahyeon has fully recovered and she is now back recording the singles for the group’s upcoming album. We wanted to drop this announcement that many of you have been waiting for as soon as possible,” YG founder and executive producer Yang Hyu

K-popJan. 25, 2024