IU to hold concerts at Jamsil Olympic Stadium in September

K-pop diva IU, the star of Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda's first Korean-language film "Broker," will return as a singer this fall. She will hold "The Golden Hour" concerts on Sept. 17 and 18 at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul, her agency, EDAM Entertainment said Thursday. It marks her first concerts in three years since the "Love, Poem" shows held in four South Korean cities and six other Asian countries in 2019. She will be the first female

K-popJuly 28, 2022

[Graphic News] K-pop album sales hit record high in H1

　Sales of K-pop albums have once again reached an all-time-high in the first half of this year, a local market tracker said. 　According to Kim Jin-woo, head researcher of Circle Chart, which reports accumulated sales and streams, combined sales of the nation‘s top 400 physical albums have risen to 34.9 million copies in the first half of 2022, up 34.6 percent from a year ago. It was the highest first-half sales figure of all time. 　First-half sales of physical albums have risen from 10.

K-popJuly 28, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘We want to define our own genre’

Ulala Session’s rise to fame was sudden, starting as the winner of TV audition program “Super Star K” in 2011, and its popularity has lasted. However, after 10 years in the mainstream music scene, the group is still asked: “So, what kind of musicians are you?” Giving their answer to this question, the group recently launched the project “U.L.S,” a series of albums that will present the new identity of Ulala Session and mark the start to the act’

K-popJuly 28, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘K-pop cover dance is democratizing dance education’

K-pop cover dance videos rack up tens of thousands of views on YouTube. They are filmed in places all around the world, from a shopping mall in China to a park in Spain. In the clips, young dancers, typically dressed in colorful and coordinated outfits, show off their moves to an intrigued audience, as the latest K-pop hits play through the speakers. Exuding confidence, the dancers look almost as if they are in their own music video. In her book “K-pop Dance: Fandoming Yourself on Social

K-popJuly 27, 2022

Boy band ATBO debuts, hopes to color the world with originality

IST Entertainment’s new boy band ATBO has embarked on their journey with debut album “The Beginning.” Formed through the TV survival show “The Origin - A, B, Or What?,” the seven-member group finally entered the K-pop scene and conducted a debut showcase a few hours ahead of the album drop on Wednesday. Making their first appearance in front of the media, the band’s leader Oh Junseok said, “Our long-held dream of debuting is finally here. It didn&rsquo

K-popJuly 27, 2022

[Today's K-pop] Blackpink’s “Lovesick Girls” video tops 600m views

The music video for Blackpink’s “Lovesick Girls” reached 600 million views on YouTube, according to label YG Entertainment on Wednesday. 　 The video was fully unveiled in October 2020, and became the group’s 12th video to reach the milestone. The music video for “Ddu-du Ddu-du” is in the lead with over 1.9 billion views, followed by those for “Kill This Love” (1.6 billion) and “Boombayah” (1.4 billion).  　 “Lovesick Girl

K-popJuly 27, 2022

Seven-member girl group CSR debuts with EP ‘Sequence: 7272’

New K-pop girl group CSR made its debut on Wednesday with its first EP, “Sequence: 7272” under the label Pop Music. The seven-piece act – with members Sua, Geumhee, Sihyeon, Seoyeon, Yuna, Duna and Yeham -- is comprised of 17-year-old girls under the Korean age system. CSR is an abbreviation of “cheotsarang,” the group’s Korean name, which means “first love.” CSR held its debut media showcase in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, Wednesday,

K-popJuly 27, 2022

CIX to return with 5th EP ‘‘OK’ Episode 1: OK Not’ next month

Boy group CIX will return next month with its fifth EP, “‘OK’ Episode 1: OK Not.” CIX‘s label, C9 Entertainment, on Wednesday announced the date and details of its August return by unveiling an image showing the band’s schedule via its official social media. The upcoming album marks the group‘s first release since its debut album “’OK‘ Prologue: Be OK,” released in August last year. Prior to the release on Aug. 22, CIX will unv

K-popJuly 27, 2022

BTS nominated in 4 categories at MTV Video Music Awards

South Korean superband BTS has won four nominations at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, the US TV station said Tuesday (US time). The septet was nominated in the categories of Best K-pop, Best Choreography, Best Metaverse Performance and Best Visual Effects. The band has been awarded at the MTV awards ceremony for the past three years. It won two titles in 2019 and took home four prizes in 2020. Last year, it won three trophies, including Group of the Year. For the Best K-pop category, B

K-popJuly 27, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink will return with blockbuster music video

Blackpink’s upcoming music video is made with the largest budget ever, according to label YG Entertainment on Tuesday. 　 The quartet started shooting the video for the focus track from its forthcoming album on the day. It has been almost two years since its first studio album “The Album.” 　 The album ranked No. 2 on both Billboard 200 and UK’s Official Albums Chart Top 100. The LP sold 690,000 copies in the first week of sales, a record for a K-pop girl group at the ti

K-popJuly 26, 2022

Nicole returns after 8 years to fill in summer breeze with ‘You.F.O’

As the days are getting long in summer and the weather is getting hotter outside, Nicole, a former bandmate of the now-disbanded girl group Kara, returned with a new digital single, “You.F.O“ to put music listeners in a sunny mood. This marks the singer-turned-soloist’s return to the music charts in nearly eight years since she last dropped her first EP, “First Romance,” in 2014. “It’s been eight years, and I took the time to look back on myself,&rd

K-popJuly 26, 2022

JYP Entertainment teams up with Republic Records to launch global girl group

K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment has teamed up with Republic Records, an American music label owned by Universal Music Group, to launch a joint audition in search of a new global girl group. On Tuesday, the two labels announced the launch of “America2Korea,” a new global audition project that will scout for talent in the US and Canada. Kicking off on Sept. 10 in Atlanta, the A2K auditions will take place in five cities in the US -- Chicago on Sept. 14, New York on Sept. 17-18,

K-popJuly 26, 2022

BTS' J-Hope lands at 17th on Billboard main albums chart

J-Hope of K-pop superband BTS made a good start high on the US Billboard's main albums chart for this week. The rapper-dancer placed 17th on the Billboard 200 with his first formal solo album, "Jack in the Box," Billboard said on a social media Tuesday. "Arson," one of the two main singles off the album, landed at 96th on the Hot 100 main singles chart. "Jack in the Box," featuring 10 songs, is also the first-ever official solo album from BTS, which recently an

K-popJuly 26, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream’s Mark to miss concert due to COVID-19

Mark of NCT Dream tested positive for COVID-19 and will not be able to join the band’s upcoming concert, said label SM Entertainment on Monday. 　 The idol band is holding three concerts in Seoul from July 29, its first in-person gig in Korea in over 2 1/2 years. The concert, dubbed “In A Dream,” was to be the first since Mark rejoined the subunit in 2020 and drew more than 1.5 million fans concurrently when the tickets opened for purchase online. All tickets were sold upon re

K-popJuly 25, 2022

[Herald Interview] Purple Kiss hopes to illuminate music world with 4th EP

As a playlist of upbeat tunes sets the mood for the summer, girl group Purple Kiss returned with its 4th EP titled “Geekyland,” released Monday evening, to thrill listeners with warm-weather vibes. The band didn‘t wait long between projects, with a surprise return just four months since “memeM,” released in March. Ireh expressed her excitement about releasing a new album, saying the process of preparing new music and performance was a joy. “It seems lik

K-popJuly 25, 2022

Former figure skater Kim Yuna to tie the knot with Forestella’s Ko Woo-rim

Former figure skater Kim Yuna announced Monday that she will marry Ko Woo-rim, member of the quartet Forestella. According to Kim’s management firm, All That Sports, the two plan to tie the knot at the end of October in Seoul. “Kim Yuna and Ko Woo-rim met for the first time at the celebration performance of the 2018 All That Sports ice show, where Forestella performed. After dating for three years, they have decided to get married,” the officials said. Ko’s agency Bea

K-popJuly 25, 2022

Girls’ Generation to make comeback with 7th studio album next month

Iconic K-pop group Girls’ Generation will make a long-awaited comeback next month in celebration of its 15th anniversary. On Monday, the band officially announced the date and details of its August comeback by unveiling a logo via official social media. The image shows that the group will release a seventh full-length album, “Forever 1,” on Aug. 8. The upcoming album will feature a total of 10 tracks, according to the group’s label SM Entertainment. It will mark Girl

K-popJuly 25, 2022

ITZY's 'Checkmate' debuts at 8th on Billboard main albums chart

South Korean girl group ITZY claimed its first top 10 spot on the US Billboard's main albums chart, with its fifth EP, "Checkmate." "ITZY's Checkmate debuts at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, giving the South Korean quintet its first top 10 effort," Billboard said Sunday (US time) in a preview of the upcoming chart. The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums of the week in the United States, measured by equivalent album units, comprising physical album sales and ot

K-popJuly 25, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] The Boyz to return with 7th EP next month

The Boyz will make a comeback with its seventh EP on Aug. 16, agency IST Entertainment announced Friday. 　 The EP comes about nine months after it released its third single “Maverick” that swept a series of television music chart shows and sold over 480,000 copies in the first week of sales. The single topped the iTunes top albums chart in seven regions and the titular track hit the iTunes worldwide songs chart at No. 17. 　 Since late May, the 11-member act has been touring the worl

K-popJuly 22, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Kep1er to officially debut in Japan in September

Rookie girl group Kep1er will debut in Japan with the single “Fly-Up” on Sept. 7, agencies Wake One and Swing Entertainment announced Thursday.   　 The single will be available in four versions and will consist of three tracks: focus track “Wing Wing” and Japanese-language versions of the main tracks from its first and second EPs: “Wa Da Da” and “Up!” Some albums will also have the new Japanese-language song “Daisy.”   　 The

K-popJuly 21, 2022