[Today’s K-pop] NewJeans stays strong on Billboard 200

The second EP from NewJeans charted on the Billboard 200 dated Nov. 4, extending the group's streak to its 14th week in a row. The rookie girl group’s EP, “Get Up,” ranked No. 98, down from the No. 84 spot it held last week, but it recorded the second-longest streak for a K-pop girl group, only after Blackpink’s first studio album, “The Album,” that hung on for 26 weeks. The album hit the main albums chart in August at No. 1. Meanwhile, main tracks from the m

K-popNov. 1, 2023

Weeekly invites listeners to enter universe where dreams come true

K-pop girl group Weeekly hopes to reach new heights with its fifth EP, “ColoRise,” which was released Wednesday. The release marks the group's comeback after a year and seven months. “For fans who have waited for us, we wanted to show you that we made use of this time to enhance our talents. This album is proof that we are ready to show that we are capable of taking on new music genres,” said Park So-eun of Weeekly during a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday. W

K-popNov. 1, 2023

Dreamcatcher to present new album 'VillanS' on Nov. 22

Girl group Dreamcatcher is returning. The band's label Dreamcatcher Company on Wednesday announced the septet will drop a new album on Nov. 22. The ninth EP from the group, "VillainS" will be Dreamcatcher's first release since "From Us" in May. The promotions scheduler for the album released by the company showed it would release content ranging from individual teaser videos and images to lyrics spoiler clips and a dance preview in the lead-up to the release. Consis

K-popNov. 1, 2023

Davichi to return with new single next month

K-pop pop-ballad duo Davichi is returning with a new single on Nov. 15, according to WakeOne Entertainment. The duo’s last release was their sixth EP “Season Note” in May last year. Davichi, consisting of Lee Hae-ri and Kang Min-kyung, made its debut in February 2008 with its first studio album “Amaranth.” Since its debut, the duo has made a name for themselves with outstanding vocals that go in harmony with one another. Prior to the upcoming release, Davichi is hol

K-popNov. 1, 2023

Jungkook ties record for most Billboard Hot 100 hits as K-pop soloist

Jungkook of BTS continues to light up Billboard's Hot 100 chart, setting new records as a K-pop soloist. Two of his songs entered Billboard's Hot 100 main singles chart for the week dated Nov. 4, his agency Big Hit Music celebrated on Wednesday. "Too Much," his latest release dropped in collaboration with Kid Laroi and Central Cee, debuted at No. 44. His solo single "3D (Feat. Jack Harlow)" tallied its fourth consecutive week on the chart, at No. 75, up 18 spots fro

K-popNov. 1, 2023

K-pop targets global audience with English lyrics

The ratio of English words used in K-pop songs is rapidly increasing in line with the genre's popularity overseas. English words took up 41.3 percent of the lyrics of K-pop girl groups’ releases that landed on Circle Chart’s Digital Chart Top 100 in the first half of this year, according to Circle Chart. This is an increase of 18.9 percentage points compared to 2018, when the figure marked 22.4 percent. Breaking it down by group, 53.6 percent of the words in (G)I-dle’s rel

K-popOct. 31, 2023

G-Dragon to undergo police questioning, drug test Monday

K-pop artist G-Dragon is set to attend a police questioning session next week over allegations of illegal drug use. According to the statement from the singer's lawyer on Tuesday, G-Dragon will voluntarily attend the questioning at the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency on Monday. G-Dragon, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, is currently under a police probe without detention on suspicion of violating the drugs control act. On Friday, the singer and rapper denied the suspicions and vowed to f

K-popOct. 31, 2023

[Herald Review] Up-close experience with aespa makes VR concert worth it

How many times in life do we get the chance to see our favorite stars stand a meter in front of us, looking straight into our eyes as they perform? The Korea Herald got to experience girl group aespa's first virtual reality concert firsthand, which was a rare and unforgettable moment. The event kicked off in Seoul on Wednesday as part of the launch of SM Entertainment's VR concert brand, "Lynk-Pop," introduced by SM's subsidiary, Studio Realive (formerly Studio Kwangya),

K-popOct. 31, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Ex-Treasure Bang Yedam to debut as solo act

Bang Yedam, formerly of Treasure, is planning to return as a solo musician, according to agency GF Entertainment on Monday. He is gearing up to release his first solo album on Nov. 23 and will drop a pre-release from the EP on Nov. 10, added the company. He came under the spotlight through an audition show in 2013, where he was touted as a child prodigy, and after five years of training under label YG Entertainment, he debuted as a member of Treasure in 2020. The left the band and the labe

K-popOct. 30, 2023

Taemin of SHINee returns solo with 4th EP ‘Guilty’

Taemin of SHINee returned to the music scene with a solo album for the first time in two years and five months on Monday. His fourth mini album, “Guilty,” is led by the title track “Guilty,” and carries five other tracks including “The Rizzness,” “She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not,” “Not Over You,” “Night Away” and “Blue.” “I tried to portray my identity in this album by accentuating my musical characteris

K-popOct. 30, 2023

JYP's Japanese girl group NiziU debuts in Korea with single album ‘Press Play’

JYP Entertainment’s Japanese girl group NiziU officially debuted in South Korea with its first Korean single album, “Press Play,” on Monday. The nine-member group debuted in December 2020 as part of the agency’s project to localize K-pop in different places, “Globalization by Localization.” NiziU was trained under JYP’s strategic K-pop training system, which focuses on differentiating the group from other local bands bands through developing a K-pop iden

K-popOct. 30, 2023

NiziU wins best pop video at MTV VMAJs

JYP Entertainment’s girl group NiziU has won the best pop video award at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2023. According to MTV, NiziU’s titular track of its 5th single album “Paradise,” also the theme song of “Doraemon the Movie,” won as this year’s best pop video. Before this, NiziU had received the best dance video award at MTV VMAJ in 2020 with its pre-debut single “Make You Happy,” and the best buzz award -- given to artists who have ge

K-popOct. 29, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen reclaims sales record title with 11th EP

Seventeen set a new first-week sales record, selling over 4.62 million copies of its 11th EP in four days, according to a local tally on Friday. This surpasses Stray Kids’ “Five-Star,” which logged 4.61 million in sales and dethroned Seventeen’s previous EP “FML,” which sold more than 4.55 million in the first week. The EP “FML” still holds a record, though, as the first album in K-pop history to sell more than 3 million units on the day of releas

K-popOct. 27, 2023

Argentinian politician's old tweet mocking BTS angers fans

An Argentinian vice presidential candidate’s old X post in which she said the name of boyband BTS sounded like “a sexually transmitted disease” has recently gone viral, angering the septet’s fans worldwide. Far-right politician Victoria Villarruel on Feb. 11, 2020, made the comment in response to another X (formerly Twitter) user who said the band's name sounds like the name of a health insurance company. The 48-year-old politician's comments at the time were me

Social AffairsOct. 27, 2023

Seventeen 1st K-pop artist to speak at UNESCO

K-pop boy band Seventeen is heading to Paris in November to speak and dance at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization headquarters as the first K-pop artist in history to do so. "Seventeen will take the stage at the 13th UNESCO Youth Forum at 7 p.m., local time, on Nov. 14," the band's agency Pledis Entertainment said Friday, adding, "They will be assigned a special session and give a speech and perform for about an hour." The Youth Forum is

K-popOct. 27, 2023

G-Dragon denies illegal drug use

K-pop singer G-Dragon on Friday flatly denied rumors that he had used illegal drugs. "First of all, I have not taken any drugs," he said through a statement released by his attorney, refuting the accusation point-blank. "I am also unrelated to the drug use act violation case being reported in the news recently," he reiterated, adding, "However, as many people are worried, I will fully cooperate and do the best I can in the police investigation." G-Dragon, whose real

K-popOct. 27, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen tops Oricon chart with 11th EP

Seventeen’s 11th EP topped Oricon’s daily album ranking, according to the latest chart published on Wednesday. EP “Seventeenth Heaven” landed atop the iTunes albums chart in Japan as well as Line Music’s real-time albums chart, said agency Pledis Entertainment on Thursday. It also headed straight to the top of all major music charts at home including Melon’s Top 100, becoming the first boy band to sit atop the chart this year. The 13-member act brought out th

K-popOct. 26, 2023

Ex-girl group member disgraced by bullying rumors eyes comeback

Former (G)I-dle member Soojin is gearing up for her solo comeback, two years since she left the girl group due to bullying allegations. Soojin, whose real name is Seo Soo-jin, on Wednesday posted a performance video on her newly launched social media platforms. Titled "Black Forest," the black-and-white clip showed Soojin dancing gracefully to an instrumental tune. Whether the song pertains to the K-pop star's new album was not stated, but the video clearly indicates she is nearin

K-popOct. 26, 2023

G-Dragon booked for drug use

G-Dragon, 35, a former leader of the K-pop band Big Bang, was reportedly booked for drug use on Wednesday. G-Dragon, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, is under police investigation for breaching the Narcotics Control Act without detention, according to local media citing Incheon Metropolitan Police. Despite reports linking the investigation to the alleged drug use of Lee Sun-kyun, who starred in the Oscar-winning “Parasite,” police denied any connection between the two cases. The ar

K-popOct. 25, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] NewJeans hits 300m Spotify plays with ‘Super Shy’

NewJeans has garnered 300 million streams with “Super Shy” on Spotify, according to agency Ador on Wednesday. It is the group’s fifth song to reach the milestone on the platform and did so in the shortest time for the group at 108 days. “Super Shy” is one of the three main tracks from its second EP “Get Up” and has ranked No. 5 and No. 9 on Spotify’s global daily and weekly top songs chart, respectively, both record spots for the quintet. It has s

K-popOct. 25, 2023