Poland to hold its first K-pop stadium concert

Poland will host its first K-pop stadium concert this September at a venue large enough to fit 50,000 people, an association representing Korean entertainment agencies said Wednesday. The concert under the name “2023 KPOP NATION X Korea Music Festival” will be held at the PGE Narodowy stadium in Warsaw, Poland, on Sept. 23, according to the Korea Management Federation, which represents at least 350 Korean entertainment agencies and labels. Around eight major K-pop acts are expected t

K-popJune 14, 2023

'Queendom Puzzle' to piece together the best of girl bands

Members of old and new girl groups will take another shot at stardom with Mnet's new survival program "Queendom Puzzle." The program marks the return of Mnet's hit girl group battle "Queendom" with its third season. A total of 26 members of active or defunct girl groups will compete against each other to become one of the final seven members. Throwing its hat into the ring, the show's participants and the producers -- Chief Producer Yoon Shin-hye and Producer L

K-popJune 13, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids announce plans for Japan, Seoul concerts

Stray Kids will embark on their first dome tour in August, label JYP Entertainment announced Tuesday. The band will hop around four cities in Japan for eight concerts: Fukuoka on Aug. 16-17, Nagoya on Sept. 2-3, Osaka on Sept. 9-10 and Tokyo on Oct. 28-29. On Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, it will hold concerts in Seoul. The eight bandmates will be the first among the "fourth generation" of K-pop boy bands to play four major domes in Japan. Meanwhile, Stray Kids have been sweeping across major

K-popJune 13, 2023

Ren of NU’EST debuts solo with 1st EP ‘Ren’dezvous’

After 11 years as a member of the boy group NU’EST, Ren finally debuted as a soloist on Tuesday. “I’m so relieved and happy to finally get to make my solo debut. In my first solo mini album ‘Ren’dezvous,’ I tried to describe that my past days working as a member of NU’EST were valuable experiences that served as a 'seed' to help me bloom as a soloist and begin a new ‘season’ of my life,” said Ren during a press conference in S

K-popJune 13, 2023

Stray Kids tops Billboard 200 with 3rd LP ‘5-STAR’

Stray Kids’ third studio album, “5-STAR,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart dated June 17, Billboard said Monday. This is the K-pop act’s third time topping the chart following the success of albums “MAXIDENT” and “ODDINARY” released last year. The eight-piece act, which debuted in January 2018, became the second Korean artist to have reached such a milestone after BTS. The 12-song set earned 249,500 equivalent album units in the US

K-popJune 13, 2023

[BTS' 1OTH] BTS seizes hearts of global listeners in relatable lyrics

Behind the global stardom of K-pop phenomenon BTS is not only remarkable dancing and singing talent, but the genuine music in the bandmates' own words to deliver a message to fans. In creating its first single album, “2 Cool 4 Skool,” that started the band's journey on June 13, 2013, the bandmates were involved in composing and writing the lyrics based on the principle that hip-hop musicians should speak through their music. In the debut lead track “No More Dream,&rdq

K-popJune 13, 2023

NCT Dream to drop 3rd LP 'ISTJ' on July 17

NCT Dream is set to release its new album on July 17, the group's agency SM Entertainment said Tuesday. Titled "ISTJ," the album is the third full-length album from NCT Dream. The group's members are Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle and Jisung. The LP will mark the group's official comeback with its first new album in over a year since the release of its second full-length album repackage, "Beatbox," in May 2022. Along with the title song, "ISTJ

K-popJune 13, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Jennie is not cast in Marvel series: label

Jennie of Blackpink was not offered a role in Marvel’s new series, said label YG Entertainment on Monday. There have been reports that she was cast as Luna Snow -- or Seol Hee, a K-pop singer and superhero with powers to manipulate ice -- in “Team Agents of Atlas,” a movie adaptation of the comic series. She branched into acting through HBO drama “The Idol," which received mixed reviews when it started airing this month. She appeared on the red carpet at the Cannes

K-popJune 12, 2023

BTS' 10th anniversary celebrated on postage stamps

K-pop megastars BTS' 10th anniversary will be celebrated with commemorative postage stamps, with sales of the stamps starting Tuesday. Korea Post, the national postal service provider, announced Monday that BTS' commemorative stamps will be available for purchase at local central post offices. The postage stamps have been released in celebration of the group's 10th anniversary. BTS debuted on June 13, 2013. The stamp package comprises 10 stamps, each carrying the cover image of 10 of the band's

K-popJune 12, 2023

K-pop fans connect at 2023 Weverse Con Festival

Hybe successfully wrapped up its two-day K-pop festival, the 2023 Weverse Con Festival, over the weekend. The multi-label company launched the event at the Olympic Park's KSPO Dome and 88 Lawn Field in Jamsil, Seoul. It was the first outdoor event held by Hybe. The festival was largely divided into two parts on both days. The Weverse Festival ran through the afternoon on the 88 Lawn Field, while in the evening, the Weverse Con took place in the KSPO Dome, an indoors venue. The 88 Lawn Field

K-popJune 12, 2023

[BTS' 10th] 2013-2023: A walk through 10 years of BTS

BTS started off as a hip-hop group on a small label in 2013. In the decade since, the group has grown into a global sensation, not just as musicians, but as speakers for youth. Here, we take a brief look into the years since their debut. 2013: Bulletproof Boys In 2013, BTS debuted with Big Hit Entertainment with their first single, "2 Cool 4 Skool." Their name was short for "Bulletproof Boys," referring to the band's aspiration to "shield themselves from the preju

K-popJune 11, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Twice’s Jihyo to drop solo album in August

Jihyo of Twice will bring out her first solo album in August, announced label JYP Entertainment on Friday. She will be the second member of the nine-member group to do so, after Nayeon. A new poster showed her touching up her lipstick in a rear view mirror, revealing the owner of the hand on the wheel from the mysterious teaser poster that only said “Killin’ Me Good.” The group is slated to tour the US for about a month, starting in Los Angeles on Friday, hitting nine cities f

K-popJune 9, 2023

BTS drops 10th anniversary song 'Take Two'

K-pop stars BTS on Friday have dropped a new song, "Take Two," in celebration of its 10th anniversary. The song was released at 1 p.m. on Friday through global music platforms. It marks the first new release from the band in around a year since it unveiled its ninth anniversary anthology album, "Proof," in June 2022. "Themed around 'take two,' which means chapter two, the song signifies BTS' second chapter and embodies the band's gratitude towards the fans and its promis

K-popJune 9, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] TXT to return in July: report

Tomorrow X Together will drop a digital single in July, according to a local media report on Thursday. Label Big Hit Music confirmed that it is preparing to release a new song next month, following the report. The single comes about six months after its fifth EP “The Name Chapter: Temptation” that debuted atop the Billboard 200, a first for the band. The mini album is staying on the chart for 18 weeks in a row, the longest run for the quintet, tying the record BTS set for a K-pop ma

K-popJune 8, 2023

The New Six brings back '90s K-pop vibe

The New Six, also known as TNX, returned with their third mini album, “BOYHOOD,” which has a 1990s vibe through and through from the concept photos to their dance moves for the title track, “Kick It 4 Now.” “For this Y2K-inspired album, we looked into a lot of reference clips. Then we found pop duo Deux’s music video for their track ‘In Summer’ and we studied it a lot. They were very trendy and sensational,” said Sungjun of The New Six during

K-popJune 8, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] NCT to host 1st group concerts in August, September

NCT will hold its first offline concerts as a group in Korea and Japan, SM Entertainment announced Wednesday. Under the title “NCT Nation: To the World,” the full unit will perform in Incheon on Aug. 26 and in Japan's Osaka and Tokyo on Sept. 9-10 and 16-17, respectively. NCT is expected to bring out a full-group album later this year. Its second studio album “Resonance Pt. 1” made it to No. 6 on the Billboard 200 in 2020 and combined with “Resonance Pt. 2” s

K-popJune 7, 2023

Major 2nd generation boy groups will return to K-pop scene

A number of familiar faces will return to the K-pop scene in the second half of the year. Some of the major second-generation K-pop boy groups poised to make a comeback starting this month include Teen Top, Infinite, U-Kiss and SHINee. Among them, SHINee will be the front runner, making its comeback on June 26 with its eighth studio album “HARD.” This album comes after more than two years since the group's last one. SHINee is celebrating its 15th debut anniversary this year wit

K-popJune 7, 2023

Australian BTS fans in Seoul to celebrate group's 10th anniversary

Dressed in colorful hanbok, 28 BTS fans shouted out loud “BTS, we love you” as they posed for a group photo at Changdeokgung in Seoul on Wednesday. As members of the BTS fandom, Army, the fans from Australia are in South Korea as part of a special tour hosted by the Korea Tourism Organization to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the K-pop megastars' debut. Under the name “BTS Road,” the tour will focus on following in BTS' footsteps, visiting locations that hold special s

K-popJune 7, 2023

NCT’s Taeyong sheds tears of thanks for his solo debut

Taeyong of the popular K-pop band NCT made his solo debut with his first mini album, “SHALALA,” on Monday. The talented artist composed and wrote the lyrics to all of the seven tracks in this new album, which is led by title track “SHALALA.” “The album comprises all kinds of honest feelings and thoughts from when I was having a hard time in life, to when I was having my best moments as well. I hope this album can help people cheer up to achieve their dreams and (fin

K-popJune 6, 2023

Putting the K in hip-hop: South Korea's Jay Park

K-pop idol. Used tyre salesman. Hip-hop mogul. The course of true success has never run smoothly, but Korean-American entertainer Jay Park has had an unusually bumpy ride to stardom. The 36-year-old is now one of South Korea's most recognisable entertainers: he's founded two of the country's largest hip-hop labels, released a string of hits, has his own soju liquor brand and was the first Asian-American to sign with Jay-Z's Roc Nation. But this success was hard fought, he tol

K-popJune 5, 2023