BTS members to release collaborative single with U.S. artists

Four BTS members -- Jin, Jimin, V and Jungkook -- will drop a collaboration project with US producer-singer-songwriter Benny Blanco and rapper Snoop Dogg next month, the K-pop group's agency said Thursday. The song "Bad Decisions" will come out Aug. 5 and will be included on Blanco's third full-length album set for release later in the year, Big Hit Music said. "The collaboration was accomplished as Blanco offered to do so," the agency said. "Jin, Jimin, V and

K-popJuly 21, 2022

HyunA spreads her wings with powerful album ‘Nabillera’

K-pop soloist HyunA’s new album is titled “Nabillera,” a Korean phrase that means “to fly like a butterfly,” according to the artist’s explanation. Speaking about the album through an online press conference conducted on Wednesday afternoon ahead of the release later that day, HyunA said, “the title conveys my will to fly softly like a butterfly on the hearts of the listeners. I want to leave my trace wherever I go, and I hope that many people could thi

K-popJuly 20, 2022

Boy band Blitzers return with 3rd EP ‘Win-Dow’

Setting a foot out into the world through the window, K-pop rookie band Blitzers dropped the group’s third EP, “Win-Dow,” on Wednesday. Jinhwa, Go_U, Juhan, Sya, Chris, Lutan and Wooju said they are finally embarking on a journey to discover their fans in the upcoming album. The album marks the septet‘s return with new music six months after the first single “Bobbin” in January. Ahead of the album drop later in the day, the seven bandmates conducted a pres

K-popJuly 20, 2022

P1Harmony says great teamwork, diverse charms are keys to global success

Having successfully wrapped up its first global tour in March, P1Harmony said the secret behind its growing popularity overseas is each member’s unique charms and great synergy. At a press showcase event ahead of the fourth EP “Harmony: Zero In”’s 6 p.m. online release, the act’s leader Keeho said, “Since it was our first tour, everything seemed so strange. We were so nervous but felt thankful.” “After seeing the fans’ reactions in person

K-popJuly 20, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] BTS J-Hope’s solo album tops Oricon chart

J-Hope of BTS lept straight to the top of Oricon chart with his solo album “Jack In The Box.” 　 The album debuted at No. 1 on Oricon’s weekly digital album ranking, according to the latest tally announced on Wednesday. 　 The 10-track album topped iTunes top albums charts in 49 regions and lead single “Arson” ranked No. 1 on its top songs chart in 62 regions. “More,” a double title track from the LP, was the chart-topper in 84 regions. 　 The latter en

K-popJuly 20, 2022

[Herald Interview] Saay on making music that brings life

A seasoned singer-songwriter with a career stretching over a decade, Saay says the past year and eight months was a time to reposition herself for her musical journey. Although she did not release new songs under her own name during that time, the 30-year-old musician has been busier than ever expanding her horizon as a composer, lyricist and producer for other artists. “It’s taken me a year and eight months to tear down the whole foundation upon which I had stood and reorganize it

K-popJuly 20, 2022

Scandal-ridden Kim Ga-ram removed from Le Sserafim

Kim Ga-ram of rookie girl group Le Sserafim has been dismissed from the band as her agency decided to terminate its exclusive contract with the artist, who had been embroiled in bullying allegations. The act’s management agency Hybe Labels on Wednesday released an official statement that read: “We extend our sincerest apologies to our fans and to those who have shown love and support to the group for causing you concern over the controversy involving the member (Kim).” Follo

K-popJuly 20, 2022

Xdinary Heroes say ‘Hello, World!’ with first EP

As temperatures begin to soar, rookie rock band Xdinary Heroes released its first EP, titled “Hello, World!” on Wednesday evening, adding a sweet ode to the season with the new album. This marks the band’s return eight months after it last dropped its debut single, “Happy Death Day,” in December last year. The rookie rock band under JYP Entertainment’s artist label Studio J is just the agency’s second pop-rock band to debut in nearly six years, foll

K-popJuly 20, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen tops iTunes chart in 28 regions with repack

The focus track from Seventeen’s repackaged album landed atop iTunes top songs chart in 28 regions, said agency Pledis Entertainment on Tuesday. 　 “_World” is a hybrid of funk and urban R&B genres and fronted “Sector 17,” the band’s repackaging of the fourth LP “Face The Sun,” which sold over 935,000 copies of the physical album on Monday, the day it was released. Preorders for the album reached more than 1.2 million units. 　 The 13-member a

K-popJuly 19, 2022

BTS officially appointed honorary ambassadors for 2030 Busan World Expo

Members of K-pop phenomenon BTS have officially embarked on their roles as honorary ambassadors for South Korea‘s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan. The bidding committee on Tuesday afternoon held an appointment ceremony at the band’s label Hybe‘s headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, officially naming the seven members as public relations ambassadors for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid. BTS is the world’s most popular K-pop group consisting of seven members: RM, Jin,

K-popJuly 19, 2022

Hyolyn hopes to shake off burden from ‘Summer Queen’ title with new EP ‘iCE’

K-pop singer Hyolyn, known as the “summer queen” in the local music scene for her powerful vocals and summery hit songs, has returned to the stage with her third EP, titled “iCE,” hoping to introduce a wide spectrum of her musical style and color. “iCE” marks the artist’s return after nearly a two-year hiatus since her second EP “Say My Name” was released that August. The musician also participated in producing the new album, as well as writ

K-popJuly 18, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Ateez announces follow-up world tour dates

Ateez announced plans for world tour dates scheduled for later this year. 　 “The Followship: Break the Wall” will be a follow-up to the band’s current tour, “The Fellowship.” A two-day concert in Seoul at the end of October will kick off the tour that will bring the band to six cities in the US in November. The following month, the band will head to Toronto before flying to Chiba, Japan. 　 The group has been hosting “The Fellowship,” hopping from Seoul

K-popJuly 18, 2022

[Herald Review] 33,000 fans join Psy for summer night rave

Over the weekend, concertgoers at Jamsil Olympic Stadium in Seoul were soaked in water as global K-pop star Psy’s signature summer concert “Summer Swag” returned for the first time in three years. During the nearly four hours of pure madness and fun, some 33,000 fans quenched their thirst for the long-awaited seasonal concert with the singer’s numerous hits while being sprayed with water. The Sunday concert, which was the last day of the singer’s three-day extravag

K-popJuly 18, 2022

[Reporter’s Notebook] I never thought I would be a K-pop fan. Until I was.

My life switching between continents as a third-culture kid gave me a crystal-clear music taste. I was an avid fan of Justin Bieber, Boys Like Girls and Cody Simpson a decade ago, when Girls’ Generation, Big Bang and Super Junior were major drivers of the Korean Wave. None of these singers would make it onto my iPod playlist. Please allow me to be candid. I never knew I would be interested in K-pop, nor would I have ever expected myself to listen to idols’ songs. While Shinee w

K-popJuly 18, 2022

Seventeen to drop repackaged album

K-pop boy group Seventeen will return Monday with a repackaged version of its fourth studio album, "Face the Sun." The new album titled "Sector 17" is to hit online music services at about 6 p.m., according to the band's agency, Pledis Entertainment. "Sector 17" will have four new songs, including "_World," "Fallin' Flower" and "Cheers," in addition to nine tracks off "Face the Sun," the agency said. The main track,

K-popJuly 18, 2022

K-pop girl group aespa debuts at No. 3 on Billboard albums chart

k"Girls," the second EP from South Korean girl group aespa, landed at No. 3 on US Billboard's main albums chart. Billboard has said in an article Sunday (US time) that the quartet reached the milestone on the upcoming Billboard 200 chart for this week by earning 56,000 equivalent album units in the United States. "Girls" became the second highest-charted album by a K-pop girl group after BLACKPINK hit No. 2 with its first full-length album "The Album" in 2020.

K-popJuly 18, 2022

K-pop album sales hit record high in first half

Sales of K-pop albums have once again renewed their all-time-high level in the first half of this year, with the music continuing to be in its heyday, a local market tracker said. According to Kim Jin-woo, head researcher of Circle Chart, which reports accumulated sales and streams, on Sunday, combined sales of the nation's top 400 physical albums have risen to 34.9 million copies in the first half, up 34.6 percent from a year ago. It was the highest first-half sales figure of all time. Fir

K-popJuly 18, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Zico to drop pre-release single from 4th EP

Zico will release a track from upcoming fourth EP in advance, according to agency KOZ Entertainment on Friday. 　 Single “Seoul Drift” from EP “Grown Ass Kid” will be dropped on July 19 and the teaser photograph that came with the news showed him taking a break on a motorcycle against a dizzying night view of Seoul. 　 On Thursday, he shared the list of songs for the five-track EP including focus track “Freak.” The musician participated in writing all songs a

K-popJuly 15, 2022

J-Hope’s ‘Jack In The Box’ walks through fire by flaming his musical passion

J-Hope’s first-ever solo studio album “Jack In The Box” comes with a desire to make changes: It reflects his aspirations to break the mold and grow further. The singer-turned-soloist is having fun with his solo venture, and his 10-song package describes how he is in the spring of his life. But unlike hopeful messages and bright tunes the boy band is known for, this time, J-Hope showed a new less-sunny side of himself. Stepping away from the glitz and the glamour of BTS, he

K-popJuly 15, 2022

Girl group ITZY to drop new EP 'Checkmate'

K-pop girl group ITZY will roll out a new EP on Friday, to be followed by its first-ever US tour, the group's agency said. The album titled "Checkmate," set to be out at 1 p.m., is the band's fifth EP and first release in about 10 months since its first full-length album "Crazy in Love" last September. Preorders for the upcoming album had surpassed 720,000 copies as of Thursday afternoon, a record for the group. "Checkmate" has seven tracks led by the main

K-popJuly 15, 2022