[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids adds dates to US tour

Stray Kids will perform two more times in the US during its upcoming tour, announced label JYP Entertainment on Monday. 　 The band was originally set to take to the stage once at all seven venues during its upcoming US tour but tickets sold out fast and the management firm decided to add shows in Newark and Los Angeles. 　 The eight-piece act will kick off its second international tour, named after its recent hit “Maniac,” in Seoul on April 29. The US leg will start in June 28 and

K-popApril 25, 2022

Verivery delves into the inner darkness through ‘Series O (Round 3: Whole)’

As an LP stores long-playing records of a musician, boy band Verivery took a chance to broaden the group’s musical horizons by dropping “Series O (Round 3: Whole),” released Monday evening. It’s the first full-length album since the seven-piece act debuted in 2019. This marks a quick return, just about a month since the group dropped the digital single “Series O (Round 0: Who)” on March 23. When asked how it feels to now have put out an LP, Yong-seung sai

K-popApril 25, 2022

K-pop rookie aespa makes historic live stage debut at Coachella

Rookie K-pop girl group aespa made their grand debut at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, one of the world’s biggest music events, where they gave a live performance of an unreleased new song. The quartet -- Karina, Giselle, Winter and Ningning -- took to the stage Saturday at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. They opened their segment of the night with subtitle track “aenergy” and kept the crowd roaring with their biggest hits, “Black Mamba,”

K-popApril 24, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Ateez amasses 1b streams on Spotify

Ateez surpassed 1 billion streams combined on Spotify, according to agency KQ Entertainment on Friday.   　 The group has almost 2.25 million followers on the global platform and over 3 million monthly subscribers.   　 In the meantime, the eight bandmates left for Paris on Wednesday for the European leg of their international tour. Starting from Madrid on Saturday, they will visit London, Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam, performing eight times.   　 The Fellowship: Beginning of the E

K-popApril 22, 2022

Seventeen hops on May music craze with “Face the Sun” LP

A week after boy band Seventeen surprised fans with a new song, the band’s agency Pledis Entertainment said Friday that the K-pop sensation is currently gearing up to make a return on May 27. The K-pop act signaled its return by posting a teaser image on social media, sending fans into a frenzy about the much-anticipated comeback. Fans are also excited to see the group perform again as a 13-piece ensemble as Seventeen’s two Chinese members, Jun and The8, did not participate in the

K-popApril 22, 2022

'Boy With Luv' becomes first BTS video to surpass 1.5b YouTube views

The music video for K-pop superstars BTS' 2019 hit song "Boy With Luv" has become the group's first video to exceed 1.5 billion views on YouTube. The song hit the milestone at about 5 p.m. Thursday, five months after surpassing 1.4 billion views in November, according to the group's agency Big Hit Music. It became the first BTS music video to garner more than 1.5 billion views. The upbeat track, featuring American singer-songwriter Halsey, was released in April 2019 as part of the band

K-popApril 22, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Le Sserafim’s debut album sells 270,000 copies in preorders

The debut EP of Le Sserafim, the first girl group to be launched under Hybe, sold over 270,000 copies in preorders, according to agency Source Music on Thursday. 　 It has only been a week since the prepurchase began, and the numbers will easily surpass 300,000, predicted the company. 　 The six-member act will officially debut on May 2 with the EP “Fearless” and will host an in-person showcase for fans later on the day. The event will be broadcast live as well. 　 The teaser clip fo

K-popApril 21, 2022

BTS’ ‘The City’ in Las Vegas connects concert-city

Hybe’s two-week project to turn Las Vegas into a theme park for K-pop band BTS fans ended Sunday, and now the company is looking to continue the project in other locations with more of its artists. “BTS Permission to Dance the City - Las Vegas,” in short, “The City,” had turned Las Vegas into an expansive and immersive field of festival for fans visiting the city for BTS’ concerts. Between April 5-17, when the act held four live concerts in Allegiant Stadium,

K-popApril 21, 2022

Bol4 gifts listeners with her ‘dream of Seoul’ through new EP

Singer-songwriter Bol4, whose real name is Ahn Ji-young, first moved to Seoul from her home city of Yeongju in 2014 to attend college. She officially kicked off her music career in 2016 after gaining fame through a TV audition program as a duo group. With her new EP, “Seoul,” Bol4 draws out the years of joys and sorrows of the restless years she spent in the city. “The EP ‘Seoul’ is Bol4’s Seoul. My Seoul embraces the different shades of my emotions, from t

K-popApril 20, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] TXT sells 810,000 copies of 4th EP in preorders

The upcoming EP of Tomorrow X Together sold over 816,000 copies in preorders, according to label Big Hit Music on Wednesday. 　 The preorders for the fourth EP “Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child” started only six days ago. This surpasses those of its second full album “The Chaos Chapter: Freeze” that recorded 700,000. It entered the Billboard 200 at No. 5. It was the most-sold K-pop album, and the fifth-bestselling CD altogether, in the US last year, according to a Forbe

K-popApril 20, 2022

In third year, aespa adds value to 2022 by eyeing global stage

Rookie girl group aespa is making headlines around the globe for one reason: The band will become the first K-pop female act to perform on Coachella’s main stage. S.M. Entertainment announced Tuesday that the quartet is performing at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the largest music event in the United States. Speculation of the group making its US concert debut began making rounds when the bandmates shared a few Los Angeles-related stickers on their social media, and fa

K-popApril 20, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jimin to collaborate with Ha Sungwoon for OST

Jimin of BTS will sing a duet with Ha Sungwoon for the soundtrack of a drama series, according to Nyamnyam Entertainment on Tuesday.     The two idols -- who are known to be friends -- teamed up for drama series “Our Blues,” which boasts an A-list cast that includes Lee Byung-heon, Cha Seung-won and real-life couple Shin Min-a and Kim Woo-bin.   　 Jimin’s soothing vocals and Ha’s captive voice struck a perfect harmony and made the song even more beau

K-popApril 19, 2022

The 11 years of Apink, and beyond

Maintaining a lengthy career or relationship for over a decade is no easy feat for anyone, but in the tumultuous showbiz industry it’s an even rarer achievement. And K-pop idol group Apink managed this, marking their 11th anniversary since debut on Tuesday, and promising yet more years together. The band dropped a new special single, “I Want You to be Happy,” at 6 p.m. Tuesday in celebration of the milestone. Just as with their past anniversaries, the song was a gift for fa

K-popApril 19, 2022

6 out of 10 Koreans support BTS’ alternative military service

Six out of 10 South Koreans support the alternative military service of K-pop sensation BTS, whereas a larger number than that agreed the septet could contribute better by promoting the national prestige through alternative service than by serving active military duty. According to a survey of 500 adults nationwide by pollster Realmeter, 65.5 percent of the respondents answered that they agreed the members of BTS should serve alternative military service, whereas 30.2 percent were against it a

K-popApril 19, 2022

BTS returns home after live concerts in Las Vegas

K-pop supergroup BTS returned home Tuesday after wrapping up live concerts in Las Vegas that drew about 620,000 fans. Six members of the septet -- Jin, Jimin, V, J-Hope, Jungkook and Suga -- arrived at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, about 40 kilometers west of Seoul, in the early hours of the day. Their return came three weeks after they left for the United States on March 28. The singers in masks then silently walked out of the airport, occasionally waving to fans who had been waitin

K-popApril 19, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] All tracks from Blackpink’s 1st LP log 100m Spotify streams

Blackpink set another record, as each song from its first studio album has now surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify.   　 “You Never Know,” from the album titled “The Album,” reached the milestone on the platform on Monday, the last of the eight songs from the LP to achieve the feat, according to label YG Entertainment.   　 The band’s megahit “How You Like That” had logged 600 million streams as of last month, as the first song by a K-pop

K-popApril 18, 2022

Meet Hybe’s first girl group: Le Sserafim

Ahead of making its official debut, Le Sserafim, better known as Hybe’s first girl group, is at the center of the spotlight. The six-piece group is set to debut on May 2 under Source Music, an affiliate label of Hybe Labels, as the first all-female act to be launched by the multi-label entertainment company. On March 14, Hybe’s founder and chairman Bang Si-hyuk posted a picture of himself posing with the band’s two initial members, Sakura Miyawaki and Kim Chae-won, on his soc

K-popApril 18, 2022

2NE1 Coachella reunion brings fans together for first show in 7 years

After years of rumors that the band is preparing a new project or might even reunite, the now-disbanded 2NE1 sent fans abuzz with a special appearance at Coachella. On Saturday, the group took over the main stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, held in Indio, California. This marks the hit-making K-pop superstar’s return for the first time in seven years since it last performed at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong. Some of other big names that lit up the 8

K-popApril 18, 2022

BTS to return with new summer anthem in June

Amid rumors about BTS‘ imminent return with a new batch of songs, the band’s agency Big Hit Music said Sunday that the K-pop sensation is currently gearing for a comeback on June 10. Although not much has been announced about the group’s return and the new song’s title, the company said it would provide more details on the new album at a later time. “We look forward to your love and support for BTS’ new album,” the company added on the group’s

K-popApril 17, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Astro to host concert in Seoul next month

   Astro will hold a concert in Seoul on May 28-29, agency Fantagio announced Friday. 　 It has been almost 3 1/2 years since it hosted a standalone concert and since the bandmates have carried on their careers both as individuals and as a group, they will present a much more mature performances, said the company. 　 However, MJ will not be able to join the concert, as he will enlist on May 9. He will serve his mandatory military service as a member of the marching band after receiving

K-popApril 15, 2022