[Today’s K-pop] BTS to be featured in 2023 commemorative stamp

    A commemorative stamp featuring BTS will be issued in the first half of 2023, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT’s Korea Post on Wednesday. The band will be on one of 23 stamps to mark next year under the theme “Record of Youth.” Its label Hybe will jointly finalize the design of the stamp. In the meantime, the septet extended its stay on the Billboard 200 to a 26th consecutive week with anthology album “Proof.” The album debuted at

K-popDec. 14, 2022

K-pop Hallyu 3.0 fully fledged with localized idol groups

Major agencies and labels in South Korea are directly targeting foreign markets by launching localized idol groups. With more than 20 years of experience in expanding the K-pop market abroad, K-pop powerhouses created a full-fledged K-pop Hallyu 3.0 era by nurturing idol groups in foreign countries such as Japan and China. The first generation of the K-pop Korean Wave involved debuting Korean artists outside of the country. The second generation involved mixing foreign members into idol groups t

K-popDec. 14, 2022

Seventeen, Stray Kids, Ive, Lee Jun-ho take top honors at 2022 AAA

The 2022 Asia Artist Awards in Japan recognized breakout stars of this year, with Seventeen, Stray Kids, Ive and Lee Jun-ho taking the top honors of the night. The AAA ceremony took place Tuesday at the Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan. This year saw the return of a live audience for the first time in three years, with streams of singers and artists attending to celebrate the honorable night together. Named for the five grand prizes for musicians were Seventeen as the year's top singer,

K-popDec. 14, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ RM debuts at No. 15 on Billboard with 1st solo album

RM of BTS landed on the Billboard 200 at No. 15 with his first solo album “Indigo,” according to the latest chart released on Monday in the US. Main track “Wild Flower (with youjeen)” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 83 and headed straight to the top of Top Selling Songs chart. This is the second time he made the Billboard 200 with his solo work, as his 2018 mixtape “mono” notched the No. 26 spot at the time. “Indigo” was dropped on D

K-popDec. 13, 2022

Suga to serve as social service agent, but what is it?

BTS member Suga might serve his military duty as a social service agent, according to local news reports citing military officials. Serving as a social service agent is an alternative form of military service in South Korea, for those deemed unfit to serve as soldiers in a military base due to a number of factors such as health, financial difficulties and family situation. In the case of Suga, a shoulder injury from a traffic accident in 2012 is suspected to be the reason for his qualification

K-popDec. 13, 2022

BTS' Suga to fulfill military service as social service agent

Suga of K-pop sensation BTS will carry out his military service as a social service agent, military and music industry sources said Tuesday. They said the 29-year-old rapper was assigned to be a social service agent instead of an active-duty soldier. But details, including when his enlistment will be, remain unknown. Suga, born in 1993, had his service deferred until the end of next year under a revised law that allows "those who excel in popular culture and art" to postpone their serv

K-popDec. 13, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Red Velvet, aespa team up for Christmas carol

Red Velvet and aespa will jointly release a Christmas carol, according to label SM Entertainment on Monday. The two girl groups will roll out “Beautiful Christmas” on Wednesday in advance of the full release of the label’s winter album “2022 Winter SM Town: SMCU Palace.” The carol will front the album that is due out on Dec. 26. The upcoming single will be full of festivities, as the idols sing of how spending time together with a loved one makes for the best day e

K-popDec. 12, 2022

[Herald Interview] 'TikTok will be the ultimate entertainment commerce platform'

Soon Ent. is South Korea's top TikTok creator management firm, home to over 140 creators whose total number of followers amounts to 940 million. This includes the nation's No. 2 creator WonJeong, who recently surpassed 50 million followers. He is the only South Korean to reach the milestone other than K-pop supergroup BTS. Soon Ent.'s CEO and founder Park Chang-woo said the company is now looking to expand its global outreach, not just in terms of its creators but also its busines

K-popDec. 12, 2022

BTS' Jin begins 18 months of military service

BTS member Jin is beginning his military service on Tuesday in one of the northernmost military bases in South Korea. Jin shared a selfie of his short shaved hair on the fan community platform Weverse on Monday in preparation for his 18 months of military service. According to the South Korean military, the boot camp where Jin begins military service is that of the 5th Infantry Division in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province. Jin will be admitted to the boot camp with around 200 other new soldiers. Aft

K-popDec. 12, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Taeyang to collaborate with Jimin for solo album: report

  Taeyang of Big Bang and Jimin of BTS will work together for Taeyang's upcoming solo album, according to a local media report on Friday. Jimin will be a featuring artist for one of the songs that is said to be released in January next year. Local media reported last week that the musician will make a comeback as a solo musician, about 5 1/2 years since his third solo full album “White Night.” Taeyang’s label YG Entertainment said “nothing has been confirmed yet&rd

K-popDec. 9, 2022

[Newsmaker] Big Bang’s T.O.P to fly to moon next year

T.O.P of K-pop boy band Big Bang will be traveling to the moon next year, joining the first civilian moon mission led by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. The eight crew members flying with Maezawa on the “dearMoon” mission are American DJ Steve Aoki, Indian actor Dev Joshi, American YouTuber Tim Dodd, Czech choreographer Yemi A.D., Irish photographer Rhiannon Adam, British photographer Karim Iliya, American filmmaker Brendan Hall and T.O.P of South Korea, Maezawa announced Friday

K-popDec. 9, 2022

BTS' RM unveils performance video of 1st solo album shot at New York museum

RM, leader of the K-pop supergroup BTS, on Friday released a video of a live performance of tracks off his first individual album at Dia Beacon, a contemporary art museum in New York. The rapper has sung four songs off the album -- the title track "Wild Flower," "Still Life," "Change pt. 2" and "No. 2" --- in the video available on the group's official YouTube channel. RM performed the tracks walking through the museum's maze-like garden and betw

K-popDec. 9, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] NCT 127 to hit 7 cities in North, Latin America

NCT 127 announced its plans Thursday to visit North and Latin America in January. The band added nine concerts in seven cities in the region, expanding its ongoing international tour. It will take to the stage in Chicago on Jan. 9 and hop over to Houston and Atlanta before flying over to Brazil. The tour will bring it to Santiago, Chile and Bogota, Colombia before the final destination, Mexico City. The nine-member act kicked off its second world tour in Seoul in December last year and has perf

K-popDec. 8, 2022

[Herald Interview] Bidding a 'beautiful farewell' to a painful yet stellar decade

It was in the winter of 2017 when singer-songwriter Saay first witnessed a death in her life. The shock and sorrow were overwhelming, as it was none other than her dearest grandmother. It took Saay three years to embrace the demise of her loved one and sublimate it into writing her song "Interstellar," which starts with the lyrics "I saw death three years ago when my grandma passed away." "I wrote that line in 2020 when I was making my second EP 'FEELosophy.' I

K-popDec. 8, 2022

[Herald Interview] “My ambition is huge, but there’s one thing I don’t want to change”: Dermot Kennedy

Once Dublin-born Dermot Kennedy walks down the stage and grabs a microphone, his smoldering vocal evokes a whirlwind of emotions, sometimes eruptive, grainy, melancholy, but ironically at peace. His heartfelt, down-to-earth lyrics boldly share the complexities and beautiful sides of life, embracing a light of hope although it may not always a ray of sunshine. Hailing from Ireland, Dermot Kennedy said this intense connection with his listeners and speaking to them through music have always been -

K-popDec. 7, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink announces plan for Japan tour

Blackpink will go live in Tokyo and Osaka, announced label YG Entertainment on Wednesday. The company uploaded a poster adding the two cities to its ongoing international tour. The group will hold two concerts each at Tokyo Dome and Kyocera Dome, on April 8-9 and June 3-4, respectively. This expands the Asian leg of its tour to 11 cities and 18 concerts in total. The foursome will perform in Japan for the first time in three years, since its “In Your Area” gig that brought about som

K-popDec. 7, 2022

Hybe's first Japanese band &Team makes global debut

Hybe's first Japanese idol group &Team has made its long-awaited debut. Hybe Labels Japan, the K-pop juggernaut's Japanese branch, launched its first group &Team on Wednesday. Hybe is known for housing the world's biggest K-pop group BTS. &Team made its official debut on Wednesday with its first album "First Howling: Me." According to Hybe, Bang Si-hyuk, the company's executive producer and founder, took the helm of the album's production. The nine-

K-popDec. 7, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink is ‘Entertainer of the Year’: Time

Blackpink was chosen by Time magazine as Entertainer of the Year. Its highly anticipated second studio album “Born Pink” came out in September and sold over 2 million units, a record as the bestselling album by a Korean girl group. The LP became the first to debut atop Billboard 200 and UK’s Official Chart, a first for an Asian musician. The quartet “has managed to become the biggest girl group in the world,” the magazine wrote, and the key lies in “allowing

K-popDec. 6, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Suga reaches 400m views with ‘Daechwita’ video

    Suga of BTS amassed 400 million views on YouTube with the music video for his solo work “Daechwita,” according to label Big Hit Music on Monday. The video came out in May 2020 and reached the milestone on Sunday. “Daechwita” fronted the artist’s second solo mixtape “D-2,” sampling a traditional Korean marching tune of the same name. The song hit the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 76 and the mixtape on listed on the Billboard 200 at No. 11, e

K-popDec. 5, 2022

[Herald Review] RM: Seeing the person before the art

RM of BTS released his first official solo album "Indigo" on Friday, marking a blue dot on the canvas of his life. The 10-track project functions not only as a record of the global superstar's life between 2019-2022, but expresses his deep respect for the late Korean artist Yun Hyong-keun. The master of Korea's monochrome painting movement served as an inspiration for the album and traces of his influence can be found throughout "Indigo," starting with his picture &

K-popDec. 2, 2022