BTS' J-hope donates W100m for children in need amid pandemic

J-hope, a member of K-pop superband BTS, donated 100 million won ($84,000) Friday for children suffering economic hardships amid the protracted COVID-19 pandemic, a charity group said. According to ChildFund Korea, J-hope expressed hope that his donation will be used to help children in need have a warm winter. "I was concerned for children who would be spending a cold and lonely holiday season due to economic hardships from the COVID-19 pandemic," J-hope said. The donation will be

K-popDec. 31, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Lisa sets record on Spotify with solo song

Lisa of Blackpink generated 300 million streams on Spotify with her solo song, “Money,” in 112 days, the shortest time for a K-pop solo musician, according to label YG Entertainment.   　 The song, which ranked No. 93 on Billboard’s Hot 100 when it came out, is from her solo debut album, “Lalisa.” It also topped iTunes’ top songs chart in 72 regions.   　 Last month, the performance video for “Money” surpassed 300 million views on YouTube

K-popDec. 30, 2021

[Herald Interview] Jo Gwangil blazes fast raps to express emotions in his heart

When hip-hop music made its way into the limelight in Korea, little did listeners know that the blossoming genre would become a musical staple. The east-meets-street style beats and rapping styles are leading trendsetters here and have built their own culture. And now, rapper Jo Gwangil is a new face in the hip-hop roster among a strong batch of talents.  ‘Show Me The Money 10’ as road to Damascus First launched in 2012, “Show Me The Money” is an audition program

K-popDec. 30, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] SM’s project unit teaser features Hyoyeon, Wendy, Karina

SM Entertainment floated teaser photographs for its supergroup project Girls on Top, Wednesday.   　 The first unit -- GOT the beat -- focuses on dance and performance, and the photographs that came out on the day featured three from the seven leading female artists: Girls’ Generation’s Hyoyeon, Wendy of Red Velvet and Karina of aespa. Also on board are BoA, Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon, Seulgi of Red Velvet and Winter of aespa.   　 On Tuesday, BoA shared photos

K-popDec. 29, 2021

[Herald Interview] Boy band B.I.G aims to deliver message of hope through ‘Flashback’

K-Pop boy band B.I.G has returned after a two-year hiatus with its single “Mr. Big: Flashback” in November. Unlike the band’s previous hits “Hello,” “Are You Ready?” “Taola” and “Aphrodite” feature rhythmical sounds, the title track “Flashback” focuses on hopeful lyrics. “‘Flashback’ is a trendy upbeat EDM-based house genre song. The lyrics are not only filled with our story but also contain a messa

K-popDec. 29, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Suga reassures fans

Suga of BTS assured fans that he is OK.   　 He wrote “I am very much all right! Don’t worry too much” on Weverse, a platform for artist-to-fan communications for Hybe musicians, Monday.   　 The artist returned to Korea from the US on Thursday and started a 10-day self-quarantine. The test result for COVID-19 came back positive the following day. Separately, RM and Jin were also found to have contracted the virus, Saturday.   　 All three bandmates came back to K

K-popDec. 28, 2021

[Herald Review] Twice ends 2021 with first in-person concert in two years

  K-pop girl group Twice greeted fans in person for the first time in 2 1/2 years through their concert “Twice 4th World Tour ‘Ⅲ’” last week. The two-day event took place on Saturday and Sunday at KSPO Dome at Olympic Park in southern Seoul. This was the group’s first offline concert since May 2019, and their first since the pandemic hit the entertainment industry. One member, Jeongyeon, was absent during the shows due to health issues. This was her third time

K-popDec. 27, 2021

[Video] We tracked down BTS Super Tuna with tuna experts and this is what happened

We embarked on our journey to look for Super Tuna and guess what we found? Join us! By Team Konnect Kim Min-jung (minjung.kim@heraldcorp.com) Jung Ji-eun (jungje@heraldcorp.com) Choi Jeong-yoon (jychoi@heraldcorp.com) Kim Jeong-ryul (ryul@heraldcorp.com)

K-popDec. 27, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Enhyphen hints at upcoming repack

Enhypen hinted at an upcoming repack of its upcoming album with an Instagram post of a mood board on Monday. 　 The album, titled “Dimension: Answer,” is a repack of the first studio album “Dimension: Dilemma” for which it also put out a mood board. Small desks and chairs, a blue hand holding a figure with “Liar,” as well as a message that starts with “Don’t Butt In” piqued fans’ interest online. 　 A series of concept photos and a teas

K-popDec. 27, 2021

[Today's K-pop] BTS’ Suga tests positive for COVID-19: report

Suga of BTS has been infected with COVID-19, local media reported Friday. 　 Suga’s COVID-19 test results came back positive after arriving in Korea from the US. He will be isolated. 　 Separately, BTS shared the choreography video for its holiday remix of “Butter” on Friday. 　 Using props such as Christmas-themed headwear and sparkling tinsel that matched with their warm-toned clothes, the bandmates celebrated the holidays dancing to the tune of their mega hit song’s ca

K-popDec. 27, 2021

SM launches new female supergroup

SM Entertainment, a leading K-pop agency, formed a new supergroup Monday with seven of its top female artists. GOT the beat consists of diva BoA; Taeyeon and Hyoyeon of Girls' Generation; Seulgi and Wendy of Red Velvet and Karina and Winter of aespa. It is the first group formed under SM's broader project titled "Girls On Top (GOT)" for debuting new female units with leading artists managed by the company. The new septet will debut at a free online concert titled "SMTOWN Live 2

K-popDec. 27, 2021

TWICE to perform at Tokyo Dome in April

South Korean girl group TWICE will hold two concerts at Tokyo Dome on April 23-24 as part of its ongoing world tour, the group's management agency said Monday. They will become the group's first performances in Japan since 2019, when it performed in seven big cities in the country as part of a world tour, according to JYP Entertainment. The new world tour titled "III" began with two concerts in Seoul, on Saturday and Sunday, which were the first in-person concerts by the group in 22

K-popDec. 27, 2021

KpopersXBoric: K-pop fans who rallied support for Chile’s millennial president-elect

Former student protest leader Gabriel Boric has made history in winning Chile’s presidential election on Sunday. And among his coalition of supporters were local K-pop fans -- many of whom, armed with a strong social media presence and digital skills, flocked to support the progressive millennial in the second round of the elections. ‘Like a genius joke that went too far’ For Claudia Patino, a 27-year-old graduate student from Chile who decided to study international relati

K-popDec. 24, 2021

Suga of BTS tests positive for COVID-19

Suga, a member of K-pop superband BTS, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, his management agency said Friday. Suga was confirmed to have the virus in a polymerase chain reaction test after arriving in Seoul from the United States on Thursday, according to Big Hit Music. "Suga received his second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in late August," it said. "He has no special symptoms and is staying at home in accordance with the guidelines of the quarantine authorities." T

K-popDec. 24, 2021

BTS becomes best-selling artist of year in Japan for 1st time

K-pop superband BTS has become the first international act to be best-selling artist of the year in Japan. According to the annual rankings released by Japanese music tracker Oricon on Friday, the septet placed No. 1 on the total sales by artist, based on the aggregated sales of albums, DVDs, online streamings and online singles. The company said BTS is the first non-Japanese artist to top the annual comprehensive sales chart. Oricon earlier said BTS' Japanese-language compilation album "

K-popDec. 24, 2021

Blackpink’s first day on Weverse racks up highest number of daily users: report

Global fandom platform Weverse saw the biggest number of daily visitors this year on Aug. 3, when girl group Blackpink launched its community, according to Weverse’s Fandom Trend report released Thursday. Weverse, the online fan community operated by K-pop powerhouse Hybe, released the annual report, wrapping up the year’s significant trends inside the mobile fandom platform. The report also showed that Blackpink’s fandom, known as Blink, grew the fastest, with over 1 million

K-popDec. 23, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] TXT releases 1st carol

  Tomorrow X Together surprised fans with the group’s first carol, “Sweet Dreams,” Thursday.   　 The band gave just three hours’ prior notice in announcing the song’s release. The news came with an image that showed the five bandmates, each as a stamp, with a Christmas tree.   　 In the R&B-based tune featuring melodic piano sounds, they wish everyone a warm Christmas despite the challenging time, with only good things in the future.  

K-popDec. 23, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] BTS is 1st international group to top Oricon’s annual ranking

BTS has topped the albums category of Oricon’s annual ranking 2021 with its best-of album in Japan, “BTS, The Best,” according to the Japanese chart on Wednesday. 　 This is the first time an international group topped the list and the second time for an international artist. Michael Jackson was the only one to take the spot with “Thriller” in 1984. 　 The album debuted as No. 1 on its weekly album ranking (June 28) selling 782,000 copies in the first week of sales, a

K-popDec. 22, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Twice’s Jeongyeon to miss Seoul concerts

   Jeongyeon of Twice will be absent from the band’s upcoming concerts in Seoul, announced label JYP Entertainment late Monday. 　 Citing health reasons, the firm said that after discussing the issue with her bandmates, she has decided not to participate in the two-day concerts slated to be held Dec. 25-26. 　 It will be the third time Jeongyeon has taken a break from performing. The idol suspended activities two times before, in October last year and in August this year due to he

K-popDec. 21, 2021

Playlist: All you need for Christmas is a Merry K-pop song

Treat yourself to a merry little Christmas -- with this perfect playlist. Here are 10 songs to spice up the wintery mood and ring in the holiday season.  1) “Butter (Holiday Remix)” - BTS K-pop sensation BTS surprised fans by dropping its fifth official remix of its megahit “Butter.” But this time, the septet went for a carol remix of their song to revel in the winter holiday mood and to thank fans for showing their continued support. The original music’s

K-popDec. 21, 2021