After hitting a rough patch with former member Choa’s departure last year, AOA returned even stronger with its summery fifth EP.The EP “Bingle Bangle” is led by a lead track of the same title, a punky retro-pop song that boasts catchy refrains like “Bingle Bangle” and “Shake your hip.” Upbeat and vibrant in its synth and melody, the song is addictive due to its head-bopping whistle sound that augments the hook. Now a six-piece act, the band’s return marks its first official activity since Choa l

Performance May 29, 2018

K-pop boy band SHINee returned to the K-pop circuit with a new single “Good Evening.”The song, a lead track off its “The Story of Light EP.1,” the first segment of its sixth full-length album “The Story of Light,” was released on Monday evening via local streaming sites. The five-track album includes “All Day All Night,” “Undercover,” “Jump” and “You & I.”  SHINee (S.M. Entertainment)“The Story of Light” is the first SHINee album since the repackaged album “1 and 1” of November 2016, and the fir

Performance May 28, 2018

K-pop act BTS’ dream has become a reality, topping the Billboard 200 chart only a few days after the group named it as one of its goals.On Sunday, the group’s “Love Yourself: Tear” album, its third full-length album, ranked No. 1 on the Billboard main albums chart, making the seven-piece K-pop powerhouse the first K-pop act to do so.  K-pop boy band BTS performs "Fake Love" at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. (AP-Yonhap)“Love Yourself: Tear” album, performed mostly in Korean, is the first non-En

Performance May 28, 2018

With food-related variety programs still enjoying their longevity in Korea, tvN’s new variety show “Food Diary” is set to ride on the wave, but with a focus on the process of how food is brought to our table. “While there are many other food variety shows, our program derives from a question of where the food on our table comes from, and how much collaborative efforts are needed before that one dish is consumed,” said producer Lee Geun-chan during a press conference for “Food Diary” in Seoul on

Television May 27, 2018

(YG Entertainment)Black Pink, a popular K-pop group under YG Entertainment, is gearing up for the release of its first EP in June. The surprise announcement was made by the agency’s head Yang Hyun-suk, who took to Instagram on Friday to provide more information about YG artists, including Black Pink, Big Bang and Katie Kim, the winner of “K-Pop Star 4.”Answering a fan’s question about Black Pink’s upcoming album, he wrote, “Black Pink, YG’s one and only girl band, had such a long hiatus. The ban

Performance May 25, 2018

Monsta X is set to meet fans around the world this week with the group embarking on its second world tour.The act’s agency Starship Entertainment on Thursday said that the group would kick-start its upcoming world tour “2018 Monsta X World Tour The Connect” starting from Seoul from Saturday to Sunday at Jangchung Arena in Seoul.  Monsta X (Starship Entertainment) 　According to the Monsta X’s world tour schedule, shared recently on the group’s official web site, the act will then head to Europe a

Performance May 24, 2018

One of the most frequently posed questions to BTS in the last few years has been about the secret to its global success: The act started out as a lesser-known hip-hop group for whom a crossover felt like a far-fetched dream. There have been countless efforts to analyze the act’s grand saga, but BTS gave a rather clear and down-to-earth answer to that ubiquitous question: “Competition.” BTS poses during a press conference for its new album “Love Yourself: Tear” in Seoul on Thursday. (Yonhap)“We c

Performance May 24, 2018

Backing the classical theory that spring is the best season for love, SBS’ new romantic comedy “Handsome Guy and Jung-eum” hopes to hit the small screen as the ultimate feel-good series that is free of any complications or sadness. "Our drama focuses on dating. Rather than depicting romance’s complex and heavy sides, the series is more about being comical and incorporating cartoonish elements,” said director Kim Yu-jin during a press conference for the drama in Seoul on Wednesday.  (SBS)“It’s ju

Performance May 24, 2018

BTS “Love Yourself: Tear”IRIVERFor artists who have become a household name, facing a tremendous burden over musical creativity and the relentless question “What should I do next to satisfy fans?” is nothing new. But BTS, one of the most popular boy bands in the world, seems to have a clear answer to the question. Since the start, BTS’ focus has always been on connecting with listeners and using its members’ own stories as leverage. And the group has not deviated from that in its new album “Love

Performance May 23, 2018

Producer-CEO Bang Si-hyuk of Big Hit Entertainment, the label of K-pop heavyweight BTS, has made it to Billboard’s annual list of international power players. According to Billboard’s list on Monday, Bang, one of 73 music industry executives on the list, is included in the recording category.  (Big Hit Entertainment)The US magazine mentioned the massive global success of BTS’ albums, highlighting that the act’s “Love Yourself: Her” album, produced by Bang, has sold over 1.6 million copies worldw

Performance May 23, 2018

In 2014, when BTS was a rookie group worried about finding 200 fans to fill a concert venue in Los Angeles, who would have imagined that it would one day become the first K-pop act to fire up the Billboard Music Awards?In a watershed moment in K-pop history, BTS on Sunday won the Billboard Music Awards’ top social artist award for the second consecutive year. It also performed the world premiere of its new track “Fake Love” during the awards show at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. B

Performance May 21, 2018

Hwanhee of R&B duo Fly to the Sky will return as a soloist on Tuesday, according to the artist’s agency H2 Media. The agency recently said that the singer’s upcoming single will be titled “Obvious” (working title) and feature rapping by BTOB’s Ilhoon. He will be resuming his solo career for the first time in 14 months.  Hwanhee (H2 Media)“Hwanhee, who has showcased sensitive vocal before, sought a dramatic musical change with the upcoming single,” an agency official said.Hwanhee debuted as a mem

Performance May 20, 2018

K-pop heavyweight BTS once again reached a new milestone by entering Spotify’s Global Top 200 Chart at No. 17, the highest ranking for any K-pop act to date.According to the global music streaming service Sunday, “Fake Love,” the group’s single from its recently released “Love Yourself: Tear” album, was the top ranking song from the album. BTS (Big Hit Entertainment)With the new ranking, BTS also broke its own record on the list. Its previous hit “DNA” made it to No. 41 in September last year, m

Performance May 20, 2018

MACAU -- With major casino-resorts in Macau having been up to their elbows in developing nongaming sectors such as entertainment and leisure activities, the city’s government said it targets about 40 percent of revenue from the gaming business’ nongaming sectors in the future. “I wouldn’t be so ambitious as to say 60 percent nongaming and 40 percent gaming. Probably I would be a little bit more conservative, going for a 40-60 split in terms of 40 percent for nongaming and 60 percent gaming in th

Industry May 17, 2018

Dreamcatcher“Escape the Era” InterparkDreamcatcher is a name that sticks out in the K-pop scene as an act whose sound is not familiar to most K-pop listeners: Its songs are heavy and rich with blaring metal elements, often referred to as the so-called Japanese anime style. As an act that values consistent concept in each album, Dreamcatcher’s recent EP “Escape the Era,” follows in the footsteps of the group’s past works. The only difference is that the act is in full-swing in revealing its rebel

Performance May 16, 2018