With 'Dynamite,' BTS becomes 1st S. Korean artist to top Billboard Hot 100

BTS became the first South Korean artist to land at No. 1 on Billboard's main singles chart in the United States on Monday. "BTS achieves its first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, as 'Dynamite' debuts at the summit," Billboard reported Monday, one day before its chart will be refreshed. Previously, the highest-charting South Korean artist ever on the Hot 100 was soloist PSY with his 2012 viral hit "Gangnam Style," which peaked at the No. 2 spot. The only Asian

K-popSept. 1, 2020

BTS wins 4 awards at MTV VMAs, performs 'Dynamite'

K-pop band BTS picked up four awards at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards held in the United States on Sunday (US time), while putting on its first television performance of its hit single "Dynamite" on the American TV network. The South Korean septet won in the categories of best pop, best group, best K-pop and best choreography with "ON," the lead song off the band's studio album "Map of The Soul: 7" released in February, at the awards show held in New York City wi

K-popAug. 31, 2020

Blackpink teams up with Selena Gomez to chill summer heat with ‘Ice Cream’

One of the most high-profile music collaborations of this year, Blackpink has teamed up with US pop star Selena Gomez for the group’s long-awaited new single “Ice Cream.” The sugary song was dropped on Friday at 1 p.m. along with a pastel-tinged music video featuring Gomez herself. “When we first heard the song, we had a feeling of sweetness filling up our mouth. We thought ‘Ice Cream’ would offer some chilling time for those suffering from this late summer

K-popAug. 28, 2020

[Herald Interview] Back with ‘Boca,’ Dreamcatcher proves global prominence

One of the most distinct K-pop acts on the scene, Dreamcatcher has been solidifying its status more than ever despite the pandemic era. Having returned with its new moombahton-rock “Boca,” the seven-piece act appeared in a recent live broadcast with The Korea Herald held via Naver’s V Live. The hourlong session was also jointly hosted by Christian Burgos, a popular Mexican entertainer based in Seoul. Chinese member Handong, who’s been staying in China, couldn’t ta

K-popAug. 27, 2020

[Herald Interview] Cherry Bullet talks love for music, innermost dreams

Just like its new summery pop tune “Aloha Oe,” Cherry Bullet was full of shiny energy, brimming smiles and -- especially -- love for music. “When we first heard the new song, me and Yuju actually cried, saying, ‘This is the song we were waiting for!’” said Bora during the group’s recent interview held via V Live broadcast. The hourlong session was also jointly hosted by Christian Burgos, a popular Mexican TV personality based in Seoul. “There w

K-popAug. 24, 2020

BTS' 'Dynamite' tops Global Top 50 on Spotify

The hit song "Dynamite" by K-pop superstars BTS has topped Spotify's main chart, making the band the first K-pop act to achieve the feat, the group's agency said Sunday. The K-pop septet's EP garnered 7,778,950 streaming hits on Friday (Korea time) on the Global Top 50 chart compiled by music streaming service provider Spotify. It marks the highest streaming record by a K-pop song on Spotify on the day of release this year, Big Hit Entertainment said. The song beat the previous rec

K-popAug. 23, 2020

BTS takes on new challenge with ‘Dynamite’

Global sensation BTS surprised fans Friday by releasing a digital single, “Dynamite,” ahead of its next album later this year.  The track is all in English -- something the band had never tried before in the seven years since its debut.  During an online media showcase, band leader RM explained that the unprecedented step had indeed presented a challenge for the band.  “We never released a song before the official album release or in English, and frankly, it w

K-popAug. 21, 2020

[Herald Interview] Back from ‘Road to Kingdom,’ Oneus seeks big leap with ‘Lived’

Having recently returned from a fierce competition show, Oneus had a bagful of rich stories to share. From enduring nerve-racking moments together to struggling with missions for each show, the group’s time on Mnet’s “Road to Kingdom” was definitely a big leap in the group’s nearly two-year career. “After the show, what changed the most was that we saw infinite potential in ourselves,” recalled Keonhee during a recent interview with The Korea Herald. &

K-popAug. 19, 2020

Big Hit posts estimated record sales of W294b, announces concerts in Oct.

Big Hit Entertainment, the label-management agency of K-pop giants BTS, announced Thursday that its estimated sales revenue during the first half of 2020 reached a record 294 billion won ($244.8 million) on the back of strong album sales and paid online concert revenues. In a biannual corporate briefing held on YouTube, the company added that its estimated operating profit during the January-June period reached 49.7 billion won. Big Hit said the numbers were subject to an audit before confirmat

K-popAug. 13, 2020

[Herald Review] Twice’s first virtual concert was colorful, tech-savvy and interactive

By embracing top-notch technology backed by a well-knit plot, K-pop powerhouse Twice brought a whole new level of festivity to its first virtual concert Sunday afternoon. The group’s first official concert since its 2019 world tour, “Beyond LIVE - Twice: World in a Day” showed that the multibillion dollar industry has discovered impressive new capabilities during the pandemic era. The 90-minute pay-per-view set was streamed in 126 countries and marked the first collaborative

K-popAug. 11, 2020

[Herald Interview] Treasure aims high, sets sights on rookie of the year award

The treasure chest is finally wide open and YG Entertainment’s brand new rookie act, Treasure, is poised to make a splash both in and out of South Korea. Looking fairly nervous, the 12-piece boy band -- the label’s first debut since Blackpink four years ago -- attended its first-ever media interview in Seoul on Monday. After hustling for name tags and making jittery eye contact with each other, the singers broke the tense silence by saying how they felt about their long-awaited deb

K-popAug. 10, 2020

BLACKPINK's 'How You Like That' tops 400 mln YouTube views

The music video for BLACKPINK's hit song "How You Like That" topped the milestone of 400 million YouTube views Sunday. The music video surpassed the threshold only 43 days after its release on June 26. The feat makes it the fastest to reach the mark among all K-pop music videos on YouTube. The previous record was by "Kill This Love," another hit by the four-member act, which took 63 days to garner the view total. "How You Like That" is the first of two pre-rele

K-popAug. 9, 2020

[Herald Interview] Rocket Punch celebrates first anniversary with ‘Juicy’

Rookie girl group Rocket Punch had a very busy year. Since debuting August last year, the band already released three mini-albums.  The latest one titled “Blue Punch” was released Tuesday, three days before their first anniversary. Following “Pink Punch” and “Red Punch,” this album centers on the theme of summer and consists of six tracks with “Juicy” as the lead track.  “Our debut song ‘Bim Bam Bum’ was also an energe

K-popAug. 6, 2020

BTS song lyrics featured on iconic billboard in downtown Seoul

Words from the song "Run" by K-pop group BTS have been featured on an iconic signboard in downtown Seoul. The new billboard on the exterior of the Kyobo Building in the Gwanghwamun square, central Seoul, reads, "Run, run, run again. It's OK if you fall. Run, run, run again. It's OK to get hurt" -- lifted from the lead song of the 2015 BTS album "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life pt. 2." The banner, 20 meters by 8 meters in dimension, has been up on the Gwanghwamu

K-popAug. 4, 2020

K-pop act (G)I-dle sings of summer, youthfulness in new single

In an about-face from its usually contemplative and edgy sound and imagery, K-pop girl group (G)I-dle said Monday its new single "Dumdi Dumdi" was intended to be a bright dance song inspired by the spirit of youthfulness and the sizzling summer heat. "While writing the new song, I asked myself what summer reminds me of. I thought it was similar to the spirit of youthfulness," (G)I-dle singer Soyeon said during a press conference held online ahead of the single's 6 p.m. relea

K-popAug. 3, 2020

S.M. Entertainment secures W100b funding from Naver

S.M. Entertainment said Monday that it has secured 100 billion won (US$83.8 million) in funding from Naver. The new funding will be injected into two S.M. affiliates – SMEJ Plus and Mystic Story – and a separate fund solely dedicated to creating new video contents. As part of the renewed partnership, S.M. plans to unify its global fanclub service into “Fanship” on Naver’s K-pop platform V Live. Launched last year, Fanship is a membership-based paid service for b

K-popAug. 3, 2020

BTS nominated in three categories for 2020 MTV Video Music Awards

K-pop giant BTS won three nominations for the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards in the United States, according to the American television network Thursday (local time). The South Korean septet's "ON," the lead song on the band's album "Map of the Soul 7," was nominated in the categories of Best Pop, Best Choreography and Best K-pop, according to MTV's website. "ON" peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon release its release in March, the strongest showing ever f

K-popJuly 31, 2020

No joke: Reality TV K-pop act rocks music scene while raising questions of fairness

From its inception, SSAK3, a one-off K-pop team created for MBC TV's weekend variety show "Hang Out With Yoo," was intended to be a silly tongue-in-cheek project, riding on the coattails of the retro boom in today's pop culture landscape. At best, the co-ed trio, formed of two late '90s-2000s singers -- Lee Hyo-ri of girl group FIN.K.L and male soloist Rain -- and top-billed comedian-emcee Yoo Jae-suk, was expected to offer a dose of wholesome feel-good '90s nostalgia to viewers and

K-popJuly 31, 2020

[Herald Interview] Newkidd teams up with global artists for song to combat COVID-19

Rising boy group Newkidd joined a global music project to combat the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The seven-piece boy band under J-Flo Entertainment teamed up with a batch of global musicians to release “Me Me We,” a song that offers a message of comfort in the fight against COVID-19. This time, four members -- Jinkwon, Yunmin, Woochul and Hwi -- lent their voices for the hopeful-sounding song. “It’s a difficult time for all of us, so we wanted hope to resonate all o

K-popJuly 30, 2020

[Herald Interview] Yukika’s journey from Japanese actress to K-pop artist

“Meant to be” is a fitting phrase to describe Yukika’s journey as a K-pop artist. A Japanese singer who released her debut album, “Soul Lady,” in South Korea last week, Yukika took her first step into the entertainment industry in middle school as a model and actress in Japan. Upon entering university, she took a hiatus to focus on her studies. Three years later, she appeared on TV again, but this time in the Korean show “The Idolmaster KR,” and late

K-popJuly 30, 2020