EXO’s Kai releases 3rd mini album ‘Rover’

Kai of EXO returned to the K-pop scene with his third mini album, “Rover,” Monday. The solo effort comes a year and four months since his second mini album, “Peaches," which was released in November 2021. The album consists of six tracks led by the eponymous jam, along with “Black Mirror,” “Slidin’,” “Bomba,” “Say You Love Me” and “Sinner.” Different from his previous albums that were centered on groovy R&am

K-popMarch 13, 2023

[Herald Review] At 'Carat Land,' Seventeen vows to go for another 20 years

An end opens the door to another beginning, as boy band Seventeen wrapped up its fan meeting only to begin the countdown to its April comeback. The act's seventh fan meeting, "Seventeen in Carat Land," was held over three days from Friday to Sunday at the KSPO Dome in Seoul's Olympic Park. Carat is the name of the band’s fandom. Welcoming fans to the last day of its fan event on Sunday, Seventeen members appeared on the stage singing their 2016 song "Pretty U,"

K-popMarch 13, 2023

[Herald Interview] How virtual idol singers took MBC's 'Show! Music Core' by storm

It's not often the case that a rookie K-pop group gets a second chance to appear on a major TV music show with its debut song. But Mave:, a virtual girl group with four AI-generated singers, made it happen. Mave:, short for "Make New Wave," debuted on Jan. 25 with its first single album "Pandora's Box." Jointly launched by game operator Netmarble and IT firm Kakao Entertainment, the group is housed under Netmarble affiliate Metaverse Entertainment. Mave:'s firs

K-popMarch 13, 2023

J-Hope to star on Jay Park's music talk show

BTS' member J-Hope is making a surprise appearance on public broadcaster KBS' music program "The Seasons: Jay Park's Drive" on Sunday night. The broadcaster on Sunday announced the BTS rapper-dancer will be starring on the episode set to be aired that night. The show, referred to as "The Seasons" in short, is a music talk show hosted by rapper Jay Park, where he introduces musicians from various genres through in-depth interviews and live performances. Stepping

K-popMarch 12, 2023

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

    (Credit: JYP Entertainment) Stray Kids claimed the top spot on Oricon’s monthly album chart with first studio album in Japan “The Sound,” announced label JYP Entertainment on Friday. Since the release on Feb. 22, the LP has swept Oricon charts, from daily and weekly to weekly combined. The LP consists of 10 tracks, including the titular track and Japanese-language version of “Case 143” and “Thunderous,” lead tracks from EP “Maxid

K-popMarch 10, 2023

[Graphic News] K-content exports hit all-time high

South Korea’s exports of the content industry hit an all-time high of $12.4 billion for the country in 2021, boosted by the global boom of Korean pop culture, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The ministry said it will increase such exports by an average of 12.3 percent every year to achieve $25 billion in 2027 by pushing its so-called “3E strategies” for K-content exports. Currently, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan account for more than half of South

K-popMarch 10, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] NCT to launch 1st subunit album: report

Eighteen-member NCT is preparing to roll out the first album of its subunit consisting of members Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo, according to a local media report on Thursday. The subunit is set to debut in the first half of this year, it added. Label SM Entertainment confirmed the news following the report. The three members performed their song, “Can’t We Go Back,” for the first time at NCT127’s standalone concert held in Seoul in October last year, raising expectations

K-popMarch 9, 2023

[Newsmaker] BTS' Suga marks birthday with donations for Turkey, Syria

Suga of BTS donated 100 million won ($75,700) to support relief efforts in Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of the major earthquakes there. Global NGO Save the Children on Thursday said Suga delivered the 100 million won fund to the organization to help the children who have been affected by the disaster. The producer-rapper of BTS turned 30 on Thursday. The organization added that Suga's donation will be used to buy blankets, mattresses, stationery and other relief supplies and deliver th

K-popMarch 9, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Twice sells 1.7m copies of 12th EP in pre-orders

Twice's upcoming EP sold over 1.7 million copies in pre-orders, announced label JYP Entertainment on Wednesday. The group’s 12th EP “Ready to Be,” due out on Friday, is set to be another multi-million-seller following the previous EP “Between 1＆2” in August last year. Expectations for the album have been high, and pre-release from the EP “Moonlight Sunrise” ranked No. 84 on Billboard’s Hot 100 last month. The nine-member group will perform the mai

K-popMarch 8, 2023

Fandom merchandise may have environmental repercussions: survey

Collecting fandom merchandise, a trend which began with giveaways to entice fans to buy albums, and was found to be one of the biggest reasons behind album purchases, has led to environmental concerns surrounding the disposal of plastic discs. The Korean Consumer Agency on Tuesday announced that 52.7 percent of K-pop fans answered that they had bought albums to “get fandom merchandise” in a survey of 500 citizens who purchased fandom-related goods over the latest two years. Fandom me

K-popMarch 8, 2023

Aespa the 1st K-pop band to perform at Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival

K-pop girl group aespa is taking part in the American outdoor music festival Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, the first K-pop band to do so. The festival consists of around 90 different performances on six different stages to be held on Aug. 11 to 13 at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The festival also hosts diverse events and booths with foods representing different regions in America. More than 220,000 people flock to the annual festival which, this year, will feature Kendrick Lamar

K-popMarch 8, 2023

Yuju follows her circle of emotions with EP 'O'

Yuju on Tuesday dropped her new album "O," packed with soft, comfortable music just like the warmth of the spring air spreading gently through the nation. The new album marked Yuju's return after 14 months. The time away was a carefully-knit process of finding the right pieces to complete the full picture, the singer said. "It wasn't a short process. Usually, we'd select the songs to go into the album before going into recording, but this time, we recorded various s

K-popMarch 7, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Expectations push BTS’ Jimin atop iTunes charts with old songs

The first self-written song from Jimin of BTS topped the iTunes top songs chart in 51 regions, according to label Big Hit Music on Tuesday. Single “Promise” was unveiled in 2018 through music platform SoundCloud. Another work of his “Christmas Love” from 2020 claimed the No. 1 spot on the chart in 17 regions. It was a surprise gift dropped on Christmas Eve and still holds the record among K-pop solo musicians for logging 10 million views on YouTube. The artist officially

K-popMarch 7, 2023

Ravi's arrest warrant refused after he admits draft dodging

The application for an arrest warrant for rapper Ravi charged with trying to dodge mandatory military service by faking epilepsy was dismissed on Monday. According to Seoul Southern District Court, the arrest warrant was rejected as the judge who held an investigation to determine the warrant’s validity decided that the accused is unlikely to run away or seek destruction of evidence. The court saw that there was no need to hold him in custody for investigation as Ravi has pleaded guilty to

K-popMarch 7, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids set to return next month: report

Stray Kids will release a new album in late April, according to a local media report on Monday. Label JYP Entertainment acknowledged that the band finished shooting the music video for the new album but said that no specific date has been set yet for its return. Its last album was the EP “Maxident," released in October last year. It notched the top spot on the Billboard 200, as did the previous EP “Oddinary,” and sold over three million copies, a first for the band. Meanw

K-popMarch 6, 2023

SM steps up action against violations of NCT members' privacy

SM Entertainment has openly slammed stalking fans who invade the privacy of NCT members and has warned of strict legal action against them. SM Entertainment on Monday afternoon released a press statement through which it disclosed aggressive acts of the intrusion of its artist's privacy and warned of "zero tolerance" against such behavior. "Cases of the violation of the privacy of NCT members have been increasing recently," SM said. The agency directly lashed out at &quo

K-popMarch 6, 2023

Le Sserafim's Kim Chaewon to star in first TV show

K-pop group Le Sserafim member Kim Chaewon is making her first appearance as a regular cast member of the TV variety show, ENA's "HyeMiLeeYeChaePa." The channel unveiled an interview with Chaewon on Monday ahead of the program's kick-off on Sunday evening. "This is my first time starring in a TV show alone and I'm thrilled," Chaewon said in a written interview with ENA. "I'm not sure exactly which part of me makes people laugh but I feel good when peo

K-popMarch 6, 2023

[Herald Review] Onew of SHINee marks spring at 1st-ever solo concert with mellow, warm voice

Onew of SHINee welcomed the beginning of spring with his first-ever solo concert, “O-New Note,” filling the space with different fragrances while his mellow voice warmed things up. The concert, which was held for three days starting Friday at Olympic Hall in Seoul, was lit with the aqua-colored fan lights of SHINee’s fan community, Shawol. As soon as the concert began with the main stage opening up, everyone in the hall stood up ready to enjoy the gig to the fullest. Onew, dres

K-popMarch 6, 2023

Blackpink's Jisoo to make solo debut on March 31

Jisoo of Blackpink is set to make her solo debut on March 31, the last member of the four-piece to come out solo. YG Entertainment, the agency behind Blackpink, on Monday dropped a poster announcing Jisoo's debut as an individual musician. On the poster, a bright red cloth lies crumpled on a grassy field that extends into the distance under a blue sky. At the top of the image reads the words "Jisoo Coming Soon." While not much has been unveiled about Jisoo's solo material, YG

K-popMarch 6, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Red Velvet to hold concert next month

Red Velvet will hold its fourth standalone concert in Seoul on April 1-2, label SM Entertainment announced Friday. It has been almost 3 1/2 years since its last concert in Korea and the show “R to V” will be livestreamed on Beyond Live for fans around the world. Meanwhile, the group is set to perform at Primavera Sound 2023 in June. It is the only K-pop band to be invited to the Spanish music festival and will go live in Barcelona on June 1 and in Madrid on June 8. This year’s

K-popMarch 3, 2023