Twice to set off on world tour in Spring

K-pop girl group Twice is getting back on the plane this April to embark on its fifth world tour, “Ready To Be." This comes a year and four months after their last world tour, with this tour to it be held on the largest scale yet. Twice will kick off the tour in Seoul at the KSPO Dome on April 15 for two days, according to a statement by JYP Entertainment on Tuesday. As of now, they are scheduled to play 17 shows in 14 different cities across South Korea, Australia, Japan and North Am

K-popFeb. 22, 2023

Jimin of BTS to debut solo with 'Face' on March 24

Jimin of K-pop band BTS is set to make his official solo debut in March. BTS' agency Big Hit Music on Wednesday announced Jimin will drop a new solo album titled "Face" on March 24, taking his first step as a solo musician. According to the agency, "Face" will be an album that shares Jimin's story of facing himself before embarking on a new journey as a solo artist. With the album, Jimin is set to portray his musical universe and unique talents through his charming

K-popFeb. 22, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS amasses 700m views with ‘Save Me’ music video

The music video for BTS’ “Save Me” surpassed 700 million views on YouTube on Monday, according to Big Hit Music on Tuesday. It is the band’s 11th music video to reach the milestone. It was touted as a “top-notch music video” as the artists “perform their intense choreography … in a one-take video which solidifies how strong and cohesive this group is with their performances,” commented American media outlet Fuse TV when it was unveiled. &ld

K-popFeb. 21, 2023

The Boyz returns as fallen angels for 8th mini album "Be Awake"

The Boyz unveiled their eighth mini album, “Be Awake,” on Monday during a media showcase in Seoul. The full-unit return comes six months after the group released its seventh mini album “Be Aware.” Eric is back with the group after a year of hiatus that he had taken due to health issues. The new album “Be Awake” tells the story of boys that fight for love after realizing they have fallen in love. The Boyz transformed into fallen angels, showing their dark insti

K-popFeb. 21, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] TXT stays among top 10 on Billboard 200

Tomorrow X Together maintained a spot on the Billboard 200 for the third week, according to a preview article from the publication. The group's fifth EP “The Name Chapter: Temptation” ranked No. 10 on the chart dated Feb. 25, making them the third K-pop act to sit among the top 10 on the chart for three weeks in a row, following BTS and Blackpink. The EP debuted on the chart at No. 1 and was No. 3 the following week. The album sold more than 2.18 million copies in its first week. Se

K-popFeb. 20, 2023

NewJeans debut album "New Jeans" sells 1M copies

NewJeans became the first K-pop female act to sell more than one million copies of a debut album with their EP "New Jeans." The album sold a total of 1,036,811 copies by Feb. 11, according to data collected by Circle Chart. This is the first time since Circle Chart’s record began in 2011 that a K-pop act’s debut album has sold more than a million copies. NewJeans came out with its namesake debut EP on Aug. 1 and took the music world by storm as “Attention” and &

K-popFeb. 20, 2023

SM raises concern over K-pop industry monopolization

SM Entertainment raised concerns over the K-pop industry monopolization that could result from Hybe’s acquisition of SM. SM Entertainment’s Chief Financial Officer Jang Cheol-hyuk took to the company’s official YouTube Channel on Monday to lay out the reasons why the company opposes Hybe’s “hostile” merger and acquisition. The video was titled "The reason why SM is against HYBE's hostile takeover." “SM and Hybe are the largest entertainmen

K-popFeb. 20, 2023

SM, Hybe dispute snowballs over Lee Soo-man tax evasion allegation

The feud between SM Entertainment and Hybe is escalating as the two companies continue to refute each other's position in relation to SM founder Lee Soo-man's suspected offshore tax evasion. The allegation was first made Thursday by SM's co-CEO Lee Sung-soo, also the founder's nephew, when he posted a video to YouTube exposing his uncle's alleged offshore tax evasion. In the video, the CEO claimed Lee Soo-man had established a production company in Hong Kong in 2019 unde

K-popFeb. 17, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jungkook hits 500m Spotify streams in record time

Jungkook of BTS amassed 500 million streams on Spotify with “Left ＆ Right,” a collaboration with American singer and songwriter Charlie Puth. He achieved the feat in record time for a K-pop solo artist and has been breaking records with the song on the platform, reaching milestones in the shortest time in K-pop history: 100 million streams in 24 days, 200 million in 61 days, 300 million in 104 days and 400 million in 159 days. The single was released in June and debuted on Spotify&r

K-popFeb. 16, 2023

'Rollin'' queens Brave Girls disband

The revival of the group Brave Girls has come to its unfortunate end, with the quartet officially terminating its activities as of Thursday. Brave Entertainment, the label behind the four-member K-pop girl group, announced on Thursday that the band will end its activities with the members' contracts with the agency terminating that day. "The exclusive contracts of the four members -- Minyoung, Yujeong, Eunji and Yuna -- have come to an end today. With the release of the new digital sin

K-popFeb. 16, 2023

SM CEO Lee Sung-soo exposes SM founder Lee Soo-man

CEO of SM Entertainment Lee Sung-soo broke his silence on the internal business management feud between the founder and former SM producer Lee Soo-man and the co-CEOs of SM by releasing a statement via video Thursday. Lee Sung-soo, who is also Lee Soo-man’s nephew, made allegations of offshore tax evasion against the founder and laid out 14 subjects he will touch upon from now on to explain why SM Entertainment decided it’s time to let go of him. In his first video, the CEO claimed t

K-popFeb. 16, 2023

Hybe turns in list of candidates for SM's board of executives

Hybe, now the largest shareholder of SM Entertainment, turned in its list of candidates for SM’s board of executives on Thursday. The list includes President of Hybe America Lee Jae-sang, Hybe Chief Legal Officer Jung Jin-soo and Hybe's chief of management and planning, Lee Jin-hwa, for the position of inside director. “These candidates have built multifaceted experience in the fields of law, finance and establishing business strategies for a global company that endorses enterta

K-popFeb. 16, 2023

Purple Kiss releases 'Sweet Juice' with 5th EP 'Cabin Fever'

K-pop girl group Purple Kiss invites listeners on a journey to freedom through its mystery-packed new album, "Cabin Fever." The six-member group conducted a press conference Wednesday before releasing the album later that day at 6 p.m. The album comes just in time with the end of the pandemic. "Cabin Fever" refers to the irritability and listlessness that comes after a long period of confinement or isolation in a closed space, and the album is like a gift for people who may

K-popFeb. 15, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream to hit 22 cities around the world

NCT Dream will tour 22 cities across the world starting next week, according to a statement by SM Entertainment on Wednesday. The boy band will go live in Osaka for three days next week before hopping over to Jakarta, Bangkok and Hong Kong. The tour will take the seven members to London, Paris and Berlin before they head over to the US where they will host the first of their standalone concerts in seven cities. The band will resume greeting fans in Asia, going live in Manila, Singapore, Macau a

K-popFeb. 15, 2023

SM artists strive amid ongoing ownership feud, questions remain

As major players of the entertainment industry scramble to get their hands on SM Entertainment, the label's artists are working harder than ever to keep things running. SM Entertainment announced Wednesday that its boy band, NCT Dream, is embarking on a world tour, "The Dream Show 2: In A Dream." The concert series, which officially started in September in Seoul, is set to continue this month, extending to 22 cities across the world where the group will hold 32 shows. With the tou

K-popFeb. 15, 2023

BTS' Suga to go on solo world tour

Suga, a member of K-pop sensation BTS, will go on a world tour in six different countries starting in April, according to Big Hit Music on Wednesday. The first concert will kick off at Belmont Park in the US on April 26 followed by other cities in the US including Newark, Rosemont, Los Angeles and Oakland. Then, Suga will be moving on to the Asian leg of the tour starting with a gig in Indonesia on May 26 followed by those in Thailand, Singapore, South Korea and Japan. The dates for his Japan co

K-popFeb. 15, 2023

StayC aims to define 'teen fresh' genre through 'Teddy Bear'

Girl group StayC aspired to make "teen-fresh" another name for the group with its fourth single "Teddy Bear." The six-member group conducted a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, a few hours ahead of dropping the single at 6 p.m. that day. "Teddy Bear" marked the group's return to the K-pop scene after seven months since it last dropped its third single "We Need Love." In the meantime, the girls went on their first global concert tour and made thei

K-popFeb. 14, 2023

Hybe to guarantee independence of SM

K-pop powerhouse Hybe will guarantee SM Entertainment's independence, noting that the founder and former producer of SM, Lee Soo-man, will not take part in business management, Hybe CEO Park Ji-won said to his employees Monday regarding the recent merger and acquisition of SM. Last Friday, Hybe signed a deal with Lee Soo-man to buy 14.8 percent of his SM shares at 422.8 billion won ($334.28 million), making Hybe the largest shareholder of SM Entertainment. "We respect the legacy of SM

K-popFeb. 14, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] EXO’s Kai to return as solo musician next month: report

Kai of EXO will make a comeback as a solo performer in mid-March, according to a local media report Tuesday. SM Entertainment confirmed the news following the report. His last solo release was his second EP, “Peaches,” which came out in November 2011. The EP reached first place on the iTunes top albums chart in 68 regions. During the last week of January, Kai held his first solo live event in Japan, greeting fans in Nagoya, Osaka and Yokohama. He is also preparing for the group&rsqu

K-popFeb. 14, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] SHINee’s Onew adds date to 1st solo concert

Onew of SHINee will perform one more time on March 3, SM Entertainment announced Monday. He was set to host his first stand-alone concert as a solo musician, dubbed “O-New-Note,” in Seoul on March 4-5, but decided to add a day as tickets sold out upon release. The veteran idol put out his first solo album, “Voice,” in 2018 and second EP, “Dice,” last year. He also released his first full album in Japan, “Life Goes On,” last year and toured four ci

K-popFeb. 13, 2023