“Loving oneself is harder than loving others,” to quote a line from one of BTS’ new songs. And Jimin confessed that he has been struggling with self-love as well, sharing a few of the insights he’s gained over the past two years while promoting the group’s multiyear “Love Yourself” series. “What I realized from our narrative is that we’ve been failing to love ourselves while urging others to do so. I’ve contemplated whether I’m on the right track and what I’ve been living for,” said Jimin during

Performance Aug. 26, 2018

BTS may be at the peak of a record-breaking career, but the band says the focus of its new EP, “Love Yourself,” is having fun and being “festive” rather than topping the charts. “Literally, it’s about festivals. Setting records is important, of course, but for this album, we wanted to enjoy ourselves with fans. I think ‘Idol’ has a festive vibe as well,” said Suga during a press conference held in Seoul on Sunday to discuss the new album.  (Big Hit Entertainment)The 16-track repackaged album ove

Performance Aug. 26, 2018

Proving its unparalleled success in the K-pop scene once again, BTS ruled local charts with the new track “Idol” from its long-anticipated “Love Yourself: Answer” album. The song fronts the repackaged album that completes the act’s “Love Yourself” series that began last September with “Love Yourself: Her” and “Love Yourself: Tear.” It immediately topped major music charts in Korea including Melon, Mnet, Genie, Bugs, Naver and Soribada, as of Friday evening upon its release. (Big Hit Entertainmen

Performance Aug. 24, 2018

BTS’ upcoming digital single “Idol” will feature world-class US musician Nicki Minaj. With the clock ticking toward BTS’ latest release, the act’s agency Big Hit Entertainment confirmed Friday that the award-winning singer-songwriter had joined forces with BTS for the special digital version of “Idol,” the lead track of the group’s upcoming “Love Yourself: Answer” album.  (YouTube)The special track, which will have a different vibe from the original song, will not be included in physical albums

Performance Aug. 24, 2018

Loona++Vlending CoIt took Loona nearly two years to release a debut EP, and it was well worth the wait. Loona’s “++,” read as “plus plus,” the band’s first EP together, is full of catchy tracks that share sonic elements in common with trendy K-pop tunes. But the album may not live up to the “grand project” label that accompanied its extensive public relations campaign and its hefty production budget of 9.9 billion won ($8.8 million). If you’re looking for an album that presents a fresh kill, you

Performance Aug. 22, 2018

With a return to the music stage set for less than a week away, BTS has released the track list for its upcoming repackaged album, “Love Yourself: Answer.”The track list shared on social media Sunday showed the new EP, the final part of the group’s “Love Yourself” series, featuring a total 25 songs. Part A, which contains 16 songs, includes seven original tracks -- “Epiphany,” “Trivia: Just Dance,” “Trivia: Love,” “Trivia: Seesaw,” “I’m Fine,” “IDOL” and “Answer: Love Myself” -- and nine previou

Performance Aug. 20, 2018

Just a week away from its much-anticipated return, BTS released teaser photos for its upcoming “Love Yourself: Answer” album. On Thursday night, the act’s agency Big Hit Entertainment revealed 16 promotional photos, divided into “L” and “F” versions, on its Twitter account. The group previously released teaser photos for the upcoming album in “S” and “E” versions, all of which combine to form the word “Self” from “Love Yourself.” BTS had also released four different sets of teaser for its “Her”

Performance Aug. 17, 2018

DIA“Summer Ade” InterparkMany say that DIA is one of the most underrated K-pop acts, with its music always dwelling somewhere between “decent” and “superb.” Summer EPs have traditionally served as a means for K-pop groups to pursue different genres or go full-on-summery, like what GFriend and Red Velvet have done with “Sunny Summer” and “Summer Magic,” respectively. What DIA has done with its EP “Summer Ade,” however, doesn’t belong to either of the categories, ambiguously floating between two,

Performance Aug. 15, 2018

Rising K-pop duo MXM, consisted of two former contestants of popular audition program “Produce 101 Season 2,” returned Tuesday with its first full-length album “More Than Ever.” Fronted by bubbly chill trap number “Ya Ya Ya,” the 14-track album has the fingerprints of Im Young-min and Kim Dong-hyun all over it, from songwriting to designing the album cover. The lead track, which lyrically compares love with the process of being addicted to bitter Americanos, makes ample use of breathy synths,

Performance Aug. 14, 2018

Despite having given countless media interviews, Eunhyuk said he still feels nervous when he sits face to face with reporters. Looking causal with light makeup and huge glasses, Eunhyuk and Donghae of Super Junior D&E, a subunit of Super Junior formed in 2011 and named after the first letter of each member’s name, sat down with The Korea Herald to talk about their new album “‘Bout You” at the S.M. Entertainment Communication Center in Seoul on Monday. Although they appeared nervous at first, the

Performance Aug. 14, 2018

The producer of the upcoming drama “Lovely Horribly” absented herself from the drama’s press conference in the aftermath of controversy surrounding her previous remarks on the 2014 Sewol ferry accident. The drama’s chief producer Bae Kyung-soo, who attended the event, said that producer Kang Min-kyung had decided not to participate in the event after receiving harsh criticism from the public.  (KBS)“We agree that a producer not attending a drama’s press conference is a rarity. We suggested that

Television Aug. 9, 2018

With over a decade of acting experience under their belt, it’s almost surprising that Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin, veteran actors of the same age, met for the first time while making upcoming crime flick “The Negotiation.” (Shot and edited by Park Ju-young / The Korea Herald)And it’s striking that the actor and the actress, who have respectively been imprinted in people’s minds as a fraudster in “The Swindlers” and a romance queen in “Something in the Rain,” transformed into a psychopathic villain a

Television Aug. 9, 2018

Red Velvet“Summer Magic”IRIVERUntil now, we all thought that nothing would top “Red Flavor,” Red Velvet’s biggest feat that was even blared at North Korea, where K-pop is forbidden. But with the act’s new seasonal album, Red Velvet proves that it does not linger in the past, but instead takes itself to the next level. Living up to the group’s nickname “summer queen,” Red Velvet’s new EP “Summer Magic” is rife with all the elements that will elevate your mood. Don’t let your expectations get too

Performance Aug. 8, 2018

(Screenshot from YouTube)K-pop powerhouse Red Velvet is famous for its quirky and memorable music videos. While some aspects are pretty obvious, such as featuring the girls in the most stylish and savvy way possible, the videos always contain some multi-layered messages, allowing fans leeway to make various interpretations. Following last year’s chart-topper “Red Flavor,” Red Velvet returned with new summer single “Power Up,” which is also rife with hidden meanings and references. Here are some

Performance Aug. 7, 2018

(Stray Kid`s Instagram)At first, their strong leanings on hip-hop and aggressive choreography seem reminiscent of the early days of K-pop phenomenon BTS. But there is something particular about this sparkling rookie group. New JYP Entertainment group Stray Kids have seen quite a bit of success despite their short time in the scene; Since its debut in March, the nine-member group quickly racked up a huge international following and continued to create a buzz by landing its pre-debut album at No.

Performance Aug. 6, 2018