BTS' V debuts on Billboard's Hot 100 at No. 51

BTS’ V continues to thrive with his first solo album “Layover.” “Slow Dancing,” the title track of V’s album “Layover,” landed at No. 51 on Billboard’s Hot 100 dated Sept. 23. This is V’s third debut on the respective chart after his single “Christmas Tree,” an original soundtrack of the Korean drama series “Our Beloved Summer,” landed at No. 79, and “Love Me Again,” one of the tracks from a previous

K-popSept. 20, 2023

Evnne aims for the bull's-eye with debut album 'Target: ME'

Jellyfish Entertainment’s new boy group made its grand debut on Tuesday with its first mini album “Target: ME.” Evnne consists of seven members who took part in Mnet’s idol survival program “Boys Planet” but failed to make it into the final debut team. Their experience in the competitive show has nurtured them into skilled K-pop artists capable of singing and rapping live while dancing, as shown with their performance of the fast-tempo debut title track &ldquo

K-popSept. 20, 2023

[Herald Interview] Singer-songwriter Yuju on 'Dalala,' liberation and staying true to herself

A member of once-famed girl group GFriend, singer-songwriter Yuju says one of her most liberating moments is when she strolls down the bustling streets of Gangnam, going unnoticed by anyone. With a cap over her head and mask covering the face, Yuju says she often goes on such night strolls in the glitzy neighborhood to get closer to the people and feel the energy. It was on one of those nights that her new song, "Dalala," was born, the singer recalled during an interview with local med

K-popSept. 20, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids gear up for return: report

Stray Kids are set to make a comeback in November, according to a local media report on Tuesday. Label JYP Entertainment acknowledged that the band is preparing an album but added that the date is yet to be determined. Its last album was third studio album “Five-Star," which was rolled out in June and notched the top spot on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the main albums chart for 13 weeks in a row. The LP rewrote the K-pop sales record for its first week, selling over 4.61 million

K-popSept. 19, 2023

[Herald Interview] R&B musician Sole is proud of how far she has come

For singer-songwriter Sole, the last year has been a transformative period, opening up new challenges that she wouldn't have taken on before. One big challenge was creating her album, "A Love Supreme," which consists of remakes of original songs by other artists. The album was released Monday. A self-made musician who built her career up from the bottom, Sole has always tried to keep moving forward since her debut in 2017. Last year, just when she felt she had achieved stability i

K-popSept. 19, 2023

Sunmi to release new album next month

K-pop diva Sunmi is returning with a new album next month. She recently finished shooting the music video for her upcoming album, according to Abyss Company on Tuesday. This comeback comes a year and four months after the singer released her digital single “Heart Burn” in June of last year. All of Sunmi’s previous releases -- such as “Gashina,” “Heroine,” “Noir,” “LALALAY,” “Pporappippam,” and “Tail” -- hav

K-popSept. 19, 2023

DSP Media to debut new girl group Young Posse next month

DSP Media is launching a new girl group called Young Posse on Oct. 18. The agency dropped a teaser clip for the group’s debut on its social media accounts on Tuesday. In it, a frog is drinking a soda in front of a diner and five girls appear on skateboards. The new girl group consists of five members and the name of the group derives from the Latin verb “posse,” which means "to be able." Young Posse is expected to introduce music and performances that break K-pop norm

K-popSept. 19, 2023

Lee Hyori heats up Hyundai Card's Da Vinci Motel fest with solo performance

Hyundai Card's Da Vinci Motel culture fest on Sunday kicked into high gear with pop diva Lee Hyori gracing the stage. Lee was the final performer of the three-day music and culture event hosted by Korea's No. 1 card company at its cultural complex located in Itaewon of Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Celebrating the singer's long-awaited return to the stage, hundreds of fans gathered to Hyundai Card's Understage building, the part of the multipurpose culture spaces where music gigs took p

K-popSept. 18, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS' V hits Billboard 200 at No. 2 with 1st solo album

V of BTS debuted on Billboard 200 at No. 2 with his first solo album “Layover,” according to a preview of the chart published on Sunday in the US. It is the highest spot for a K-pop solo musician and ties with the records his bandmates Jimin and Suga set with their solo albums “Fate” in March and “D-Day” in April, respectively. V's EP “Layover” sold over 2.1 million copies in the first week, breaking the record for a solo artist in K-pop history.

K-popSept. 18, 2023

[Herald Review] Blackpink finale concert 'Born Pink' in Seoul hints at 'more to come'

Blackpink marked the end of its yearlong world tour “Born Pink” back in Seoul with a two-day concert at Gocheok Sky Dome that attracted 35,000 people. Fans from various nationalities dressed in black and pink had gathered to see the finale of what could be the band's last concert for a while. As the lights dimmed to signal the beginning of the finale, fans chanted “Blackpink” until the stars appeared on center stage amid shooting pink laser beams to perform the first

K-popSept. 18, 2023

BTS member Suga to begin military service on Friday

Suga, a member of the K-pop sensation BTS, will begin his mandatory military service this week, his agency announced Sunday. BigHit Music said Suga, 30, will fulfill his military duty by doing an alternative service beginning Friday. Suga will be the third member of the group to join the military. Jin enlisted in December 2022, and J-Hope followed suit in April this year. In early August, Suga, rapper and producer for the group, withdrew his request to delay the start of his mandatory service. U

K-popSept. 17, 2023

KCON to hit Saudi Arabia on Oct. 6-7

The world's biggest Korean culture festival KCON is set to take place in Saudi Arabia next month, CJ ENM said Friday. KCON will take place on Oct. 6-7 in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh, the second KCON to happen in the Middle Eastern country, organizer CJ ENM said in a statement. K-pop stars set to perform at the two-day concert are Everglow, Highlight, Hyolyn, Kard, Riize, Super Junior D&E (Donghae and Eunhyuk) and 8Turn on Oct. 6 and Dreamcatcher, El7z Up, Evnne, Oh My Girl, Supe

K-popSept. 15, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids tops Oricon chart with 1st Japan EP

Stray Kids landed atop Oricon’s weekly album ranking with its first EP in Japan, according to label JYP Entertainment on Friday. The EP “Social Path (feat. LiSA) / Super Bowl - Japanese ver.” has stayed atop the chart's daily album ranking for six days in a row. The mini album logged over 500,000 shipments on the day of its release after receiving 500,000 pre-orders, a first for a fourth-generation K-pop group in the country. Separately, the eight-piece band hit the 100-millio

K-popSept. 15, 2023

Enhypen wraps up dome tour with historic Tokyo Dome debut

Seven-piece boy Enhypen has made its mark in K-pop history with its Tokyo Dome concerts that ended Thursday. Marking the grand finale of the band's "Fate" world tour in Japan, Enhypen held concerts over Wednesday and Thursday at Tokyo Dome, located in the country's capital city. Enhypen's Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo and Ni-Ki performed a total of 26 songs over the 200-minute run on both nights, according to their agency Belift Lab on Friday. Blasting ou

K-popSept. 15, 2023

V of BTS tops solo album sales in Korea

V's "Layover" is the bestselling solo album in South Korea. Hanteo Chart, one of the biggest music sales trackers here, on Friday announced the BTS member's solo record tallied sales of 2,101,974 copies as of Thursday, marking the highest first-week album sales by a K-pop solo album and the 10th highest among all Korean albums. This is the first time that any solo artist's album has racked up over 2 million in sales in its first week. The latest feat extends the singer&#

K-popSept. 15, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Mamamoo’s Wheein to return next month: report

    Wheein of Mamamoo will return as a solo act, according to a local media report on Thursday. She is set to bring out a new album on Oct. 12, about 21 months since her second solo EP “Whee.” The six-track mini album topped iTunes top albums charts in 18 regions and she came in first place in a TV music chart show for the first time on her own with “Make Me Happy,” the main track from the EP. The songstress debuted as a member of Mamamoo in 2014 and has re

K-popSept. 14, 2023

The changing face of K-pop: foreign artists introduce their own K-pop music

K-pop groups composed entirely of non-Koreans created by Korean labels are expanding the K-pop spectrum. XG, a K-pop girl group consisting only of Japanese nationals formed by a Korean label XGALX, and Horizon, a K-pop boy group made up of Philippine members by MLD Entertainment, are successful examples of foreign artists garnering popularity in Korea and abroad through K-pop music. XG is a seven-member group that debuted in Korea in March last year with the single “Tippy Toes.” The

K-popSept. 14, 2023

Stray Kids to hit Gocheok Sky Dome in October

Boy band Stray Kids is headed to Gocheok Sky Dome, one of the nation's biggest and most coveted concert venues to perform in. The band's agency JYP Entertainment on Thursday announced Stray Kids will hold a two-day concert at Gocheok Sky Dome Oct. 21-22. It has taken Stray Kids five years to make it to performing at Gocheok Sky Dome, where many top singers from Korea and overseas have performed. The gig, titled "Stray Kids 5-Star Dome Tour 2023 Seoul Special Unveil 13," comes

K-popSept. 14, 2023

[Herald Interview] Lee Jin-ah sings of emotions of city life with 'Hearts of the City'

While big cities bustle with energy and ambition during the day, at night, behind all the glitz and buzz, a tinge of uncertainty lingers. The city is where the singer-songwriter Lee Jin-ah explored the depths of her imagination over the past five years, delving into the different feelings a city harbors as its inhabitants try to endure and live their lives. Lee's new album, "Hearts of the City," taps straight into the hearts of the people. Through her new album, an extensive packa

K-popSept. 13, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ V sweeps Oricon chart with solo music

V of BTS placed his first solo album “Layover” atop the Oricon weekly digital album chart published Wednesday. The six-track EP was rolled out last week, with “Slow Dancing” from the album also topping Oricon's daily digital single ranking. The EP sold over 1.67 million copies on the day of release, breaking the first-week sales record for a K-pop release in a single day. This dethrones bandmate Jimin’s solo album “Face,” which shifted 1.45 million copi

K-popSept. 13, 2023