J-Hope of BTS drops new single 'on the street'

J-Hope of global K-pop sensation BTS dropped his new single, "on the street," on Friday, sending through music a message to fans before setting off to the military. Dropped at 2 p.m. Friday, "on the street" came seven months after his solo debut with the album "Jack in the Box" in July. An easy-to-listen lo-fi hip-hop tune, the song carries J-Hope's earnest heart to share hope and joy through music. The rapper-dancer of BTS contributed in writing the melody and

K-popMarch 3, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Winner’s Mino to start serving military duty: report

Mino of Winner will start to fulfill his mandatory military service from March 24, according to a local media report on Thursday. He is to serve as an alternative social worker, YG Entertainment confirmed following the report. He will be the third member of the quartet to enlist. Kim Jinwoo and Lee Seunghoon have completed their service and Kang Seungyoon will start his soon. Mino hinted at the news last week while on a TV competition show as a judge. Saying that he was sad to leave the show af

K-popMarch 2, 2023

K-pop artists to celebrate coming of spring

The K-pop scene welcomes back some familiar faces in March that have been missed, just as spring begins. First on the list of much-celebrated returns is Onew of SHINee, with his first solo full-length album “Circle” coming on Monday. "Circle" will be released some 11 months after the artist's second mini album “Dice.” The album comprises 10 tracks across diverse genres, with the lead track “O.” The main track is an R&B song in which the soun

K-popMarch 2, 2023

[Herald Interview] Unmasked by avatar: K-pop idols show true selves in metaverse

One of the most memorable moments in producing Kakao Entertainment's online audition program "Girl's Re:verse" was when one of the contestants made a rude finger gesture to the others, says producer Son Su-jung. It was the first time all 30 of the contestants' virtual characters had gathered in the metaverse, and Muneo's unexpected cursing not only caught the producers off-guard, but the other contestants as well. "(Muneo's action) smashed the boundary (of

K-popMarch 1, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jungkook quits Instagram

Jungkook of BTS assured fans it was he who deleted his Instagram account, not a hacker. The boy band star wrote to fans on fan community platform Weverse that he left the social media service as he just did not feel like doing it anymore, lest fans worry. Jungkook opened his own account in December 2021 at the same time as his bandmates. His account had more than 51 million followers as of last week. He was the second Korean celebrity to log 50 million followers on the platform, following bandm

K-popFeb. 28, 2023

11 years since debut, Hwang Min-hyun comes out solo

Hwang Min-hyun opened a new chapter in his music career as a soloist by releasing his first solo EP "Truth or Lie" on Monday. "It took me almost 11 years to release an album that contains only my voice. I promise to make good music and good performances so that the 11 years can count," Hwang said during a press conference held on Monday in Seoul. The musician has been on a fairly successful path since he first set foot on the local entertainment scene more than a decade ago.

K-popFeb. 28, 2023

[Herald Interview] Japanese K-pop group XG on group's Korean debut

Walking into The Korea Herald studio, the seven members of K-pop group XG oozed charisma with each step. Their eyes were glistening and a slight yet poised smile was visible over each member’s face. But as soon as the bandmates sat down and uttered their first words of greeting, the tension circling them melted away to the cheerful, high-pitched laughter of the seven young women. XG conducted its first-ever exclusive media interview with The Korea Herald on Feb. 17. Here, they shared for t

K-popFeb. 28, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Hwang Minhyun rolls out 1st solo EP

Hwang Minhyun held a media showcase in Seoul on Monday to introduce his first solo EP, titled “Truth or Lie.” “I wanted to tell a story of my own, as it is my first solo album,” said the musician, who debuted as a member of NU’EST in 2012. He chose “Hidden Side” as the main track since it can best demonstrate his strong performance. “I wanted to dance on stage. I’ve had thirst for performance even while I was acting,” said the singer a

K-popFeb. 27, 2023

[Herald Review] aespa lights up night in 1st solo concert 'Synk: Hyper Line'

SM Entertainment's starlet group aespa held its first-ever concert under the banner of "Synk: Hyper Line" over the weekend at Jamsil Arena in Seoul Olympic Park. It was a long-awaited first concert happening over two years after the group's debut in November 2020, and a much postponed return amid the ongoing internal feud of SM's management. But the two nights of majestic spectacle proved that the wait was more than worth it, and only made the audience wonder what more p

K-popFeb. 27, 2023

J-Hope to release single before military service

J-Hope of BTS is set to release a solo single before heading off to serve his mandatory military duty. The K-pop superstar announced Monday that he will unveil the single “On the Street” on March 3. “On the Street" is a lo-fi hip-hop song with a downtempo vibe that combines elements of hip-hop and chill-out music. J-Hope took part in composing and writing the lyrics to the single giving the track a personal touch, interlaced with messages of hope and warmth. It was the con

K-popFeb. 27, 2023

BTS' J-Hope to join S. Korean military

J-Hope, a member of K-pop supergroup BTS, has canceled his request to delay enlistment, the group's agency said Sunday, in a move to join the country's mandatory military service. BigHit Music did not provide a specific time frame on when he will join the military, saying only it will make an announcement as soon as the notice of enlistment is available. The move came two months after Jin, the oldest BTS member, first joined the Army, and is in line with an announcement that all seven

K-popFeb. 26, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'My goal from the start was runner-up'

The key to staying inside the realm of stardom is making hay while the sun shines, and rapper Huh, the runner-up of the latest 11th season of "Show Me the Money," is doing just this. Less than two months after the end of the hip-hop survival show, Huh, who goes by his real name Heo Sung-hyun locally, is making a swift comeback on Friday with a two-track album titled "Midnight Law." "Some people vanish soon after getting the spotlight in a TV show because they're not

K-popFeb. 24, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] EXO’s Kai floats teaser for solo EP

Kai of EXO uploaded a teaser poster for his third solo EP “Rover” on Friday. The performer instantly drew attention with neon green feathered wings on his back. A series of teaser content will follow until the EP is rolled out on March 13. The album will have six tracks including the titular track. His second EP “Peaches” topped the iTunes top albums chart in 65 regions when it came out in November 2021. Separately, EXO greeted fans in Japan with a video letter on Thursd

K-popFeb. 24, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids lands on top of Oricon chart with 1st Japan LP

Stray Kids ranked No. 1 on Oricon’s daily album ranking with its first studio album in Japan. LP “The Sound” was rolled out on Wednesday and headed straight to the top of the chart. The album consists of 10 tracks including the titular track as well as Japanese-language version of “Case 143” and “Thunderous,” lead tracks from EP “Maxident” and LP “Noeasy,” respectively. The eight-member act will take to the stage in Osaka this we

K-popFeb. 23, 2023

Minnie of (G)I-dle and Anne-Marie to release collab track ‘Expectations’

The collaboration between the K-pop star Minnie of (G)I-dle and the global pop star Annie-Marie is official. The two vocalists dropped the cover image of their collaboration track “Expectations” Wednesday on their respective social media feeds. The collaboration, to be unveiled on March 9 at 6 p.m., was produced with Warner Music Korea. Warner Music Korea has continuously served as a bridge between K-pop and foreign artists. Previous collaborations it has forged are Crush and Pink Sw

K-popFeb. 23, 2023

SM Entertainment to grant Kakao exclusive rights to distribute albums, music: sources

SM Entertainment has agreed to give Kakao Entertainment, a subsidiary of technology firm Kakao Corp., exclusive rights to circulate its albums and music as part of its alliance with the tech giant against rival K-pop company Hybe's takeover bid, music industry sources and investment banks said Thursday. They said the transfer of rights was included in a contract Kakao signed earlier this month to buy a 9.05 percent stake in SM through a rights offering and convertible shares and become a st

K-popFeb. 23, 2023

Hybe becomes largest shareholder in SM Entertainment 　

Hybe, the K-pop company behind boy group BTS, said Wednesday it has acquired a 14.8 percent stake in its industry rival SM Entertainment to become its largest shareholder. Hybe said in a regulatory filing that it has paid for the purchase earlier than scheduled. On Feb. 10, the company agreed to buy the shares from SM‘s founder and former chief producer Lee Soo-man for 422.8 billion won (US$335.8 million) and said the deal will be sealed on March 6. Lee had an 18.46 percent stake in SM at

K-popFeb. 22, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jungkook tops 300m views with Charlie Puth collab video

The music video for the collaboration of BTS’ Jungkook and Charlie Puth, “Left and Right,” has surpassed 300 million views on YouTube. The American singer and songwriter and the Korean idol joined forces for the song unveiled in June last year. It stayed on Billboard’s Hot 100 for 17 weeks in a row after hitting the chart at No. 22. It also was No. 1 on iTunes top songs charts in 106 regions and has been streamed via Spotify over 500 million times. The single was picked

K-popFeb. 22, 2023

SM announces IP monetization strategy

SM Entertainment on Tuesday announced its intellectual property monetization strategy, a business it sees as a core growth area and the first part of the company’s ambitious SM 3.0 business project to be unveiled. Under the plan, the K-pop powerhouse targets at reaching 1.2 trillion won ($926 million) in revenue with an operating margin of 35 percent by 2025. This would be a 134 percent growth in sales compared to the 512.1 billion won in preliminary sales last year. SM plans to achieve s

K-popFeb. 22, 2023