[Album Review] An ode to the ‘90s: Xiumin’s ‘Brand New’ is a retro delight

One thing K-pop fans, or listeners who love Korean music in general, haven’t heard much of and enjoyed in the past few years is retro K-pop. Younger music aficionados may not know much about this genre, but songs from those earlier times had catchy melodies that were easy on the ears and simply fun to listen to on repeat. That’s what Xiumin of boy band Exo hopes to do with his first-ever solo musical project, “Brand New,” which was released on Monday evening. As a singer

K-popSept. 27, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] NCT 127 hits Billboard 200 at No. 3

    NCT 127 had its fourth studio album place at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, according to the publication’s online article that came out on Sunday in the US. The LP “2 Baddies” tied the band’s previous career-high, achieved with third LP “Stickers” last year. Its second LP, “NCT #127 Neo Zone,” ranked No. 5 on the chart. The new LP sold over 1.54 million copies in its first week and swept a series of major music charts at home and in

K-popSept. 26, 2022

Hybe to transform Busan into theme park for BTS fans for ‘The City’ project

Celebrating BTS' upcoming concert in Busan in support of the city’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo, Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind the boy band, will turn the port city into a BTS-themed park through its special project. “BTS ‘Yet to Come’ The City in Busan,” or simply “The City,” will turn Busan into an immersive festival site for fans visiting the city for BTS’ upcoming concert, the K-pop agency said via the fan community platform Weve

K-popSept. 26, 2022

Xiumin brings out old school in first solo album ‘Brand New’

Months after celebrating his 10th anniversary, Xiumin of boy band EXO welcomed the rustling sound of falling leaves with his first-ever solo album, “Brand New,” released Monday evening. The singer-turned-soloist is the seventh bandmate to go solo, while other members like Baekhyun, Kai and Suho have branched out as a soloist with their own musical projects. In a press conference Monday hosted by his bandmate Sehun, Xiumin described the new album as his “turning point.” &l

K-popSept. 26, 2022

K-pop Herald hosts first ‘Herald K Awards with Twitter’

K-pop Herald, an in-house unit under the nation’s largest English daily The Korea Herald, held the first-ever “Herald K Awards with Twitter” to celebrate the global popularity of K-pop. Officially supported by Twitter, a total of 25 K-pop acts took awards in five categories: My Solo, an award for the best singer-turned-soloist; My Boys, the best male group; My Girls, the best female group; My Song, the song of the year award; and My Rookie, the rookie of the year. Voting for

K-popSept. 26, 2022

Blackpink becomes first K-pop girl group to top Billboard 200

Blackpink has become the first K-pop female group in history to clinch the No. 1 spot on the US music and entertainment magazine Billboard’s main albums chart. The band has cemented itself as one of global music fans’ most beloved artists, six years after its debut. Billboard said Sunday (US time) that the quartet’s second full-length album, “Born Pink,” released on Sept. 16, landed atop its 200 chart with 102,000 equivalent album units sold. It made Blackpink the f

K-popSept. 26, 2022

Day6 renews contract with JYP

All four members of boy band Day6 have renewed their contracts with JYP Entertainment. “We agreed to renew the contracts with all members of Day6. We and Day6 will continue making meaningful processes together in the future based on strong mutual trust. We’ll fully support Day6 for another big jump,” the K-pop agency said in a press release statement Monday. The news means that the bandmates -- Sungjin, Young K, Wonpil and Dowoon -- broke the “seven-year curse,” a c

K-popSept. 26, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Ateez ‘leaks’ plans for Seoul concert

Ateez surprised fans with a poster that showed its plans for an upcoming Seoul concert on Friday. The poster is designed to look like a leaked document that details its first-ever performance of “New World” and that of much-anticipated “Sunrise.” The format is in line with its promotion for its most recent album “The World Ep. 1: Movement.” The group's third EP came out in July and entered Billboard 200 at No. 3, its career-high. It also became the band&rsquo

K-popSept. 23, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s new LP sells over 2m, first for K-pop girl group

Blackpink’s second full album “Born Pink” sold over 2.14 million units in two days, the first-ever album to surpass 2 million in sales from a K-pop girl group, according to label YG Entertainment on Thursday. The LP received over 2 million pre-orders and sold over 1 million copies on the first day of sales, a first for a K-pop girl group. The album landed atop the iTunes top albums chart in 60 regions and the main track “Shut Down” was No.1 on the top songs chart i

K-popSept. 22, 2022

Hybe will not compromise BTS' concert quality for cost

  Hybe on Thursday released a statement to rebut controversies surrounding hefty expenses for BTS' upcoming Busan concert.   In a statement released via email to local press on Thursday, Hybe said, "Hybe and BTS feel proud in contributing in a national affair. Until now we have been focusing more on making a meaningful outcome than on the expense," adding that the company and BTS "will support the bid for 2030 Busan World Expo and we hope that BTS' concert could become t

K-popSept. 22, 2022

From EXID to Le Sserafim, K-pop welcomes back old and new girl groups this fall

This fall is going to brim with girl groups, with a barrel of female acts, both old and new, set to return in the coming months. First among the comeback rush is EXID, which will drop a new EP “X” on Sept. 29. Earlier this month, EXID members announced they will be making a surprise comeback this month in celebration of its debut 10th anniversary with a new album. They explained “X” stands for number ten in Greek and one of the letters of the group’s name. The EP wi

K-popSept. 22, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] GOT7’s Jay B frees up more for 2nd solo EP

Jay B of GOT7 dropped his second solo EP on Wednesday and discussed the new album with a series of Q＆As in advance to the full release. As the title “Be Yourself” suggests, he wanted to encourage listeners to enjoy more and live more fully, taking a lighter approach. The singer and songwriter had his hands on all six tracks, and dipped into funk for the first time for lead track “go UP.” “I wanted to make a song that was so upbeat in both performance and music that

K-popSept. 21, 2022

[Feature] Pop-up stores become key K-pop marketing strategy

On May 30, thousands of fans flocked to The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido during the early morning hours to line up for Stray Kids’ pop-up store. A long single-file queue at Yeouido Station Exit No. 3 connecting the department store to the subway station was jam-packed, hours before the event opened its doors at 10 a.m. Dubbed “Stray Kids x SKZOO Pop-up Store ‘The Victory’ in Seoul,” the animal character-themed set was designed after the boy band. According to JYP Entert

K-popSept. 21, 2022

SM Entertainment, Everland announce SMCU-themed experience zone

Leading K-pop agency SM Entertainment said on Wednesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Everland, South Korea’s largest outdoor amusement park, to create a zone where parkgoers and fans of artists affiliated with SM can have fun. Under the joint partnership, the two companies will launch “Ever SM Town” to create various experience content combining “SM Culture Universe,” also known as “Kwangya,” which is a shared universe for the K-pop p

K-popSept. 21, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Ive to officially debut in Japan next month

   Ive will make its official debut in Japan on Oct. 19, the group confirmed Tuesday. The six-member band released a Japanese-language version of debut song “Eleven” in advance on the day, debuting at No. 16 on Line Music’s daily chart. The girl group stormed through major charts with the debut single in December last year and picked up 13 trophies on TV music chart shows. It had generated 100 million streams on Spotify as of last week and the music video surpassed 15

K-popSept. 20, 2022

NMIXX creates new world for itself in second single ‘ENTWURF’

Seven months after making its debut, JYP Entertainment’s rookie girl group NMIXX beckoned music listeners to revel in its second digital single, “ENTWURF,” released Monday evening, just right in time for the new season. This marks a return for the act since it threw its hat into the ring with its debut single “Ad Mare” on Feb. 22. The band’s latest musical project is a follow-up to its debut single. The title of the seven-member act’s debut album transla

K-popSept. 19, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Le Sserafim to return next month

Le Sserafim will come out with second EP “AntiFragile” on Oct. 17, announced agency Source Music on Monday. The group’s EP “Fearless” was released in May. The title track from the EP entered Billboard’s global chart, maintaining its spot for 19 weeks. The music video for the debut song amassed 100 million views on YouTube in 100 days. The EP also sold more than 300,000 copies in the first week of sales, a record for a debut album from a K-pop girl group at the

K-popSept. 19, 2022

[Herald Review] A universe between fans and singers: Enhypen kicks off first world tour ‘Manifesto’

Like the way hyphens connect differently to make new meanings, Enhypen was formed in September 2020 through TV competition “I-Land.” True to their words, the boy band populated the 4,000-seat venue Saturday night to signal the start of its first world tour, “Manifesto.” A sign in light-emitting diodes of “Enhypen World Tour Manifesto” beckoned Engenes, the group’s official fandom, who flocked to the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium. And as the sold-out aren

K-popSept. 19, 2022

[Herald Review] A promise for 14 more years: IU’s ‘Golden Hour’

  The orange sun hung low in the Seoul sky on Sunday evening, and as the clock ticked to 7 p.m., IU’s “Eight” began ringing out at Olympic Stadium in Jamsil, Seoul, marking the start of the second of her two days of “The Golden Hour: Under the Orange Sun” concerts. While all IU concerts are special, “The Golden Hour” was historic in another sense, as it marked her debut at Olympic Stadium, one of the nation’s biggest and most-coveted concert v

K-popSept. 19, 2022

Kara to make comeback in November after seven-year hiatus

Girl group Kara will make a long-awaited comeback in November in celebration of its 15th anniversary. After rumors that the K-pop act is gearing for a return, the band’s agency RBW confirmed Monday that the band will drop a new album sometime in November. “Since the new musical project is to celebrate the band’s 15th anniversary and is coming out after a long hiatus, we plan to fully support the members in gifting their fans with new music as much as possible,” the agency

K-popSept. 19, 2022