SuperM to appear on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' show next month

K-pop boy band SuperM will appear on American TV show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" next month to promote its Billboard-topping album, according to the band's management agency on Thursday. The septet is scheduled to hit the late night talk show from US broadcaster ABC on Feb. 11 and perform "Jopping," a track from the band's first EP, "SuperM," according to SM Entertainment. The self-titled album topped the Billboard 200 chart in mid-October. This is the band's latest

K-popJan. 30, 2020

BTS delivers barefoot performance of ‘Black Swan’ on The Late Late Show

BTS delivered its very first onstage performance of “Black Swan” on the “Late Late Show” on Wednesday. It is the first single to be released from the upcoming album “Map of The Soul: 7.” The seven band members wore all-black outfits as they sang the orchestral emo hip-hop song against a dimly lit forest background and executed performance art-like choreography without shoes. Wednesday marks the third time the group has appeared on the late-night talk show, a

K-popJan. 29, 2020

BTS’ ‘Connect’ global art project kicks off in Seoul

BTS’ global art project “Connect, BTS” has landed in Seoul, combining music and art with the group’s philosophy. The press event for the Korean leg of the exhibition was held Tuesday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in downtown Seoul, the fourth destination of the project following London, Berlin and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The exhibition involves 22 artists and curators across five cities around the world who resonate with BTS’ philosophy centering on diversity, lo

K-popJan. 29, 2020

S. Korean entertainment field on alert amid deadly virus outbreak

  The South Korean entertainment and broadcasting industries have been on full alert amid continued concerns over the Chinese coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 130 people and spread to many other countries and regions, industry sources said Wednesday. An increasing number of entertainment agencies have decided to defer live concerts at which hundreds of fans would come into contact with each other and run the risk of being infected with the virus that originated in the centra

K-popJan. 29, 2020

NCT 127 to drop new full-length album in March

K-pop boy band NCT 127 will return with a new studio album in March, its agency said Tuesday. SM Entertainment said the group's second full-length album, "NCT #127 Neo Zone," will be released in March. It will be NCT 127's first full album since "NCT #127 Regular-Irregular" was published in October 2018. Jungwoo, who has been taking a break due to a health problem, will rejoin the group for the new album, according to SM Entertainment. The group's previous six-track EP,

K-popJan. 28, 2020

BTS new single 'Black Swan' ranks 57th on Billboard singles chart

K-pop super band BTS' new song "Black Swan" landed at 57th on Billboard's latest main singles chart. "'Black Swan' by BTS debuts at No. 57 on Billboard Hot 100. This becomes their eighth entry to the chart," Billboard said on its social media accounts Tuesday (Korean time), with its weekly chart results to be officially updated later in the day. The song released Jan. 17 is a track from the band's upcoming "Map of the Soul: 7." Last year, "Boy With Luv,&quo

K-popJan. 28, 2020

BTS becomes first K-pop act to perform at Grammys

K-pop super band BTS has performed at the Grammys, becoming the first South Korean act to do so, in the latest in a series of milestones the band has accomplished in Korean music history. The septet teamed up with rapper Lil Nas X to take the stage at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony held Sunday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The band's rappers -- RM, J-Hope and Suga -- joined the American rapper to perform his record hit "Old Town Road" with lines from the remix "

K-popJan. 27, 2020

Twice’s Chaeyoung hits out at infamous stalker

Twice’s Chaeyoung lashed out at a stalker on Sunday after her personal phone number was released on social media. The K-pop group’s agency, JYP Entertainment, released an official statement Sunday, saying it would immediately sue the person who first disclosed Chaeyoung’s private number online. A few hours later, Chaeyoung took to Instagram to deliver a direct message to the stalker. “We’re at our limits to stay quiet and wait for you to stop,” began the

K-popJan. 27, 2020

Return of A-list bands to heat up K-pop scene this spring

The return of a group of A-list K-pop bands will heat up the music scene here this spring. After setting a record for most album sales with "Map of the Soul: Persona" last year, K-pop super band BTS will drop "Map of the Soul: 7" on Feb. 21, the second issue in the "Map of the Soul" album series. The upcoming album is likely to rewrite some K-pop records after BTS made K-pop history by winning three No. 1s on the Billboard 200 in a span of one year last year.

K-popJan. 27, 2020

BTS to dazzle fans with series of US shows next week

K-pop super band BTS will dazzle the world music scene with a series of high-profile performances in the United Sates next week ahead of its official release of a new album. American broadcaster iHeartRadio recently announced an upcoming live show featuring the septet, heralding the band‘s full-swing return to the public eye in the run-up to the official release of a new album, “Map of the Soul: 7,” on Feb. 21.“Although fans have a lot of upcoming dates to look forwa

K-popJan. 25, 2020

[Herald Interview] After first meeting as fans, this couple got married to BTS music

Tweets about BTS are easy to come by, but now a story about a same-sex ARMY couple who got married this month has gone viral.“From meeting on Twitter because of @BTS_twt to meeting in real life at the BTS concert to getting married yesterday to BTS’ instrumentals, it has been one hell of a journey,” the couple tweeted on Jan 6, which has received over 25,000 likes since.“Thank u BTS for bringing us together,” they wrote.Amber Rodriguez, 25, originally from Charlesto

K-popJan. 23, 2020

Starbucks’ BTS items selling out fast in Korea

Starbucks Korea’s recent collaboration with K-pop sensation BTS has made a brilliant start, with BTS-themed items flying off the shelves. The coffee chain recently teamed up with the K-pop juggernaut to roll out a limited edition of BTS food, drinks and merchandise under a new initiative to support youth in South Korea dubbed “Be the Brightest Stars.” The campaign kicked off Tuesday, and many stores had already sold out of the BTS items within a day. “This morning, w

K-popJan. 22, 2020

How airports become battleground for K-pop idols, photographers, fans

About 50 kilometers from central Seoul, Incheon Airport is one of the busiest air gateways anywhere in the world. While most people go to travel abroad, some have a different purpose: to see their favorite idols up close.Celebrities in Korea, especially K-pop idols, often arrive fully styled from head to toe, emerging from a van when embarking on a tour or doing promotions in another country. And as soon as they get out, the airport shoot begins as photographers hurriedly take out the cameras.So

K-popJan. 22, 2020

X1 fans take to street to call for another shot

Hundreds of X1 fans staged a protest outside CJ ENM’s headquarters in western Seoul on Wednesday demanding the entertainment giant bring back the disbanded pop group.“CJ ENM stop evading responsibility,” one placard read, while another said, “Create a new X1 group and fulfill your responsibility of compensation.”On Twitter, hashtags like “#BringBackNewX1” and “#CJTakeTheResponsibility” trended worldwide as part of an organized effort to creat

K-popJan. 22, 2020

K-pop in battle with sasaeng

K-pop stars have always been subject to stalking, and it’s not confined to making non-stop calls or following their every move. More recently, their frequent flights overseas have been targeted by stalker fans who are willing to pay for pricey first-class seats to get closer to favorite stars. V of K-pop juggernaut BTS recently shared that the group flies on a private jet to avoid obsessive fans who follow them on board. “We actually want to fly on a regular plane. But when we travel

K-popJan. 22, 2020

Why Chen’s engagement is dividing EXO fans

A score of protesters took to the street in Gangnam on Sunday afternoon demanding that K-pop singer Chen leave EXO, the band he’s been part of for over eight years.One female protester said she feels betrayed by the 27-year-old singer for announcing his engagement and his fiancee’s pregnancy without even a “sorry” in a letter last week.“He’s pursuing his happiness at the expense of other people’s dreams, youth and passion,” she said while protestin

K-popJan. 21, 2020

BTS unveils ‘Black Swan’ ahead of February return

Offering a taste of its “Map of the Soul: 7” album, BTS unveiled “Black Swan,” the first single of the group’s upcoming LP. On Friday evening, the seven-piece act released the song on streaming sites at home and abroad, along with an art film performed by Slovenian dance troupe MN Dance Company.  Based on the emo hip-hop genre, the reflective song delves deeply into BTS members’ emotional depth and contemplations as artists. Lyrically, the musicians fear

K-popJan. 17, 2020

K-pop generates over 6 billion tweets in 2019

K-pop remained a dominant topic on Twitter in 2019, as the platform’s internal data shows 6.1 billion tweets about the Korean music industry.The number is up nearly 15 percent from the year prior, an indication that K-pop is more popular than ever on the platform.And according to Kim Yeon-jeong, Twitter’s head of global K-pop partnerships, the tweet service plans to keep the upward trend going. “To make the K-pop community more lively on Twitter, we plan to provide quality

K-popJan. 14, 2020

Enoi makes bold return with ‘Cheeky’

After entering the K-pop scene shrouded in innocence last year, K-pop rookie group Enoi is making a bold return with the new single “Cheeky.” The seven-piece act, fronted by leader Laon alongside Dojin, Hamin, Avin, Jinwoo, J-Kid and Gun, held a media showcase for its first EP, “Red in the Apple,” in Seoul on Monday. The band debuted in April last year under the newly established Kithewhale Company label. It says the band’s name “Enoi” comes from the las

K-popJan. 14, 2020

EXO's Chen to get married

EXO’s Chen announced Monday afternoon that he will be getting married, hinting that his wife-to-be is also pregnant with his child. In a handwritten letter sent through his agency SM Entertainment, the singer said he has a “girlfriend who he would like to spend the rest of his life with.”He also said a “blessing has arrived” to him, hinting that his soon-to-be-wife is pregnant. “I don’t know where to begin and I’m so nervous and shaky. But I d

K-popJan. 13, 2020