BTS is back with a new release that is likely to send fans around the globe into a frenzy. The K-pop act returned with its new EP, “Love Yourself Seung Her,” on Monday, with the ambitious goal of making it on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.  “People always say that their goal is to make it to Billboard 100. But to make the list, we have to sell a lot of records and our song has to be aired on the radio a lot, and it’s not that easy. This makes us wonder, ‘Is it possible?” said band member Sugar durin

Performance Sept. 18, 2017

BTS has dropped a teaser for its new track from the group’s upcoming EP “Love Yourself Seung Her.”  A teaser image for “DNA,” the lead track of BTS’ upcoming EP “Love Yourself Seung Her.” (Bit Hit Entertainment)On Thursday at midnight, the boy band released a minutelong clip for “DNA,” the lead track of the new EP, offering a glimpse at the K-pop act’s upcoming release. The teaser begins with band member Jungkook whistling while he slowly walks toward the camera. After he joins the rest of the b

Performance Sept. 15, 2017

GFriend“Rainbow”Loen Entertainment People’s infatuation with upbeat Japanese animation theme songs may account for why GFriend has been able to carve out its own niche and even rise as a chart-topper with tunes that recall Japanese anime.Sticking to a specific sphere of music may be effective, but GFriend’s songs are becoming too similar to one another.  The K-pop group recently returned with “Rainbow,” the extended release of its fifth EP “Parallel” released in August. The album introduces two

Performance Sept. 14, 2017

Cao Lu,of popular K-pop girl group Fiestar, recently said in a TV show that she hopes to one day open her own store as a side business, confessing even celebrities suffer from financial difficulties and uncertainties. Many celebrities in Korea recently have talked about their struggles with fluctuating income and unsteady employment, even referring to themselves as “nonregular workers.”Whether as an investment for the future or out of pure interest in the business, celebrities are venturing into

Culture Sept. 14, 2017

Ryu Jun-yeol will release his first official single, according to Amoeba Culture and Loen Entertainment.  Actor Ryu Jun-yeol to release single for fansThe agencies said Tuesday that the actor had collaborated on a music production project called “Mixxxture” and would release a single later this month. Continuing from the project’s first volume, “Nosedive” by Dynamic Duo and EXO’s Chen in January, Ryu’s upcoming song has been produced and written by Philtre, the mastermind behind “A Little Girl,”

Television Sept. 13, 2017

Hip-hop artist Muzie, better known as a member of comedic hip-hop duo UV, will return as a solo artist after a five-year break.According to Muzie Sound, the singer is set to drop a new solo EP on Sept. 22. It will mark his first release since his first solo EP “My Name Is Muzie” in 2012. The label also stated that Muzie plans to continue releasing EPs and full-length albums.  Muzie (Muzie Sound)After years as a singer-songwriter and a member of band High Syde in the underground music scene, Muzi

Performance Sept. 12, 2017

Source Music issued a statement Sunday on a recent car accident that involved GFriend, saying that the singers did not sustain any major injuries and that the accident was caused by the inattentive driving of the group’s manager.  (Source Music)According to the agency, GFriend was on its way to Incheon Munhak Stadium for the 2017 Incheon K-pop Concert when its car hit the vehicle in front of it while changing lanes on the Second Gyeongin Expressway at around 5:30 p.m. Saturday. “The recent accid

Performance Sept. 10, 2017

The eagle is finally soaring. G.Soul, a soulful R&B artist relatively new to the K-pop scene, waited a long time to take flight, honing his skills under the watchful eyes of JYP Entertainment for 17 years before his debut. But it’s at his new label that he’s really been able to spread his wings.He returned with the self-produced EP “Circles” featuring the lead track “Can’t” on Thursday. But while his voice is warm and sweet as a melting marshmallow, it also carries the flavor of alcohol on his n

Performance Sept. 8, 2017

EXO“The War: The Power of Music”Genie Music　Before anything else, there is one question that needs to be answered regarding “Power” from EXO’s extended re-release of July’s “The War”:  What’s up with the line “We got that power, power”? The reigning K-pop act intended to show off its comical side in the music video, morphing into animated extraterrestrial characters wielding superpowers. But it is difficult to shake off the feeling the song sounds like a childish cartoon theme song. Starting wit

Performance Sept. 7, 2017

K-pop group BTS’ label Big Hit Entertainment has come under fire, suspected of using expedient means to promote its Billboard award-winner BTS. (Big Hit Entertainment)On Wednesday, Seoul Central District Court sentenced a former business associate of the label, surnamed Lee, to one year in prison for blackmailing the agency and receiving payments. The man threatened to reveal information about the company’s inappropriate methods used to promote BTS.  In an official statement released Wednesday e

Performance Sept. 7, 2017

For K-pop artists, pursuing their own projects is a big step forward as many of them find it hard to cultivate their creative sides in the midst of hectic schedules. But for this 10-member K-pop boy band Pentagon, making a quick return to the scene with a new record packed with self-produced songs less than a year after its debut, and only two months after dropping its last record, meant something bigger than a step forward. Ten-piece boy band Pentagon performs during a media showcase for its fo

Performance Sept. 6, 2017

A man in his 50s was arrested by police for stabbing a woman in southern Seoul a day before, Yonhap News Agency reported late Tuesday.  (Yonhap)Police said the 51-year-old suspect, identified by his surname Kim, stabbed a 57-year-old woman surnamed Shin at around 1:20 p.m. Monday at a parking lot in Seocho-gu, Seoul.Shin did not sustain fatal injuries and was admitted to the intensive care unit of a local hospital. She reportedly owns a store within the building nearby where she was attacked. Ki

Social Affairs Sept. 5, 2017

YoonA of Girls’ Generation is set to drop her new solo track “You Are My Star” on SM Station, S.M Entertainment’s weekly digital music release channel.         A teaser photo for YoonA’s upcoming solo track “You Are My Star” (S.M. Entertainment)According to the agency Monday, the upcoming track, which marks YoonA’s second solo work since “Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway,” will be released in both Chinese and Korean on Friday evening via several local music streaming sites including Melon, Genie and

Performance Sept. 4, 2017

Even after two decades and a half since his debut, “culture president” Seo Tae-ji, who was a K-pop icon before K-pop was even a thing, proved to more than 35,000 fans why he still remains a legend and pioneer of K-pop. Staying true to its concept of “Time: Traveler,” the Saturday concert that was held at Jamsil Olympic Stadium to commemorate the 25 year anniversary of Seo’s debut, revived a trove of memories from the past, as it showcased the barrage of megahits by the singer. The concert was a

Performance Sept. 3, 2017

Francine Stock, a broadcaster for BBC Television and Radio and formerly a movie critic, has been enthralled by the richness and delicacy of Korean films, ever since they began to make waves in her country about a decade ago. Having previously interviewed Korean director Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho as a host of BBC Radio 4, Stock said globally acclaimed Korean films such as "Thirst" and “The Handmaiden,” both directed by Park, have paved the way for Korean cinema in England. Francine Stock (P

Culture Aug. 30, 2017