TripleS, the K-pop girl group with the most members in history, released their first studio album, “Assemble 24,” with all 24 members for the first time since their debut in May 2022. “It took us two years to complete our group of 24. It feels surreal to finally announce a new beginning of TripleS as a group of 24 with this album that some of our members took part in bringing about,” said Seo Da-hyun, the 10th member to join tripleS, during a press conference in Seoul on

K-pop May 10, 2024

Enjoy art, beaches in Busan For those who plan to visit Busan this weekend and also happen to love art, Busan's largest art fair is not to be missed. The four-day art fair has returned, bringing together 129 galleries from 20 countries at Bexco. Special exhibitions such as “Herstory,” which highlights pioneering female contemporary artists in Asia and beyond are being held alongside the art fair. The participating galleries are offering works at a wide range of prices, introduc

Culture May 10, 2024

With its total assets reaching over 5 trillion won ($3.7 billion) last year, K-pop giant Hybe, which launched as Big Hit Entertainment in 2005, is looking to claim “large-firm” status. In 2019, Hybe acquired its first subsidiary label, Source Music, aspiring to become a global multi-label entertainment company. Today, Hybe has 11 subsidiaries under its label division, including Big Hit Music, housing the global K-pop sensation BTS; Pledis Entertainment, housing the globally renowned

Culture May 8, 2024

Ateez will be the first-ever K-pop act to headline the Moroccan international music festival, Mawazine, according to KQ Entertainment. Mawazine returns to Rabat, Morocco on June 21-29 after a three-year break prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The eight-member boy group will perform on the main stage, OLM Souissi, on June 23. Previous headliners of the annual festival launched in 2001 include global music icons such as Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and The Weeknd. Other artists in the lineup for

K-pop May 7, 2024

Suho of EXO is returning to the K-pop scene with his third mini album “1 to 3.” According to SM Entertainment, the new album will be released on online streaming platforms May 31 with the physical album release slated for June 3. Suho’s third EP will carry seven tracks led by two title tracks “1 to 3” and “Cheese.” Wendy of Red Velvet features the track “Cheese.” This solo comeback comes after the release of “Grey Suit” in April 2

K-pop May 3, 2024

K-pop girl group Ive is set to take the stage at Japan’s largest outdoor music festival. Summer Sonic 2024 is to take place in Japan at the Expo Commemorative Park in Osaka and Zozo Marine Stadium in Tokyo on Aug. 17 and 18. The annual music festival attracts around 200,000 revelers each year with its star-studded lineup of world-renowned musicians. Ive will perform at the festival’s Osaka venue on Aug. 17 and in Tokyo on Aug. 18. Ive debuted in Japan with the single “Eleven&rd

K-pop May 3, 2024

K-pop rookie group Illit has continued to stand strong on the Billboard charts for five consecutive weeks with its debut single, “Magnetic,” despite questions being raised about the group's originality. “Magnetic,” the lead track of Illit’s first EP, “Super Real Me,” landed at No. 8 and No. 21 on Billboard’s Global (Excl. US) and Global 200 charts dated May 4, according to Billboard. The two charts rank the top songs based on streaming and sal

K-pop May 1, 2024

K-pop group The KingDom is off to a fresh start with its new EP, “Realize,” for which it changed its from Kingdom to The KingDom. “We decided to change our name for this comeback as we are opening a new chapter with this album. We added the definite article ‘the’ in front of our original group name because we wanted to be the only ones to be represented by such a name,” said Dann, the leader of The KingDom, during a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday. The Ki

K-pop May 1, 2024

Several executives of the K-pop companies SM Entertainment, Kakao Entertainment and Hybe have been recognized on Billboard’s 2024 International Power Players List. This annual list complied by Billboard names executives who made remarkable business achievements outside the US and contributed to the growth of the global music record industry. Joseph Chang, Co-CEO of Kakao Entertainment, Co-CEOs of SM Entertainment Jang Cheol-hyuk and Tak Young-jun, and SM Chief A&R officer Lee Sung-su m

K-pop April 30, 2024

K-pop boy group TXT is set to kick off its third world tour, “Act: Promise,” with a three-day concert at the KSPO Dome in Seoul May 3-5. According to Big Hit Music, TXT is expected to offer an immersive experience in its show with a set list and videos that convey a story, and special stage effects. The group will turn the main stage of the KSPO Dome into a circular stage surrounded 360 degrees by the audience. They also implemented twice as many LED screens, stage props and light ef

K-pop April 30, 2024

Seventeen unveiled its greatest hits album, “17 Is Right Here,” on Monday to celebrate its ninth debut anniversary and promise forever with its fans. “We tried to go over our experience as Seventeen from the day of our debut to this day. This album wraps up our past chapters and announces a new beginning for Seventeen,” Dino of Seventeen said when introducing the group’s new album during a press conference in Seoul on Monday. The 33-track album includes some of the

K-pop April 29, 2024

In the increasingly vicious brawl between K-pop powerhouse Hybe and the CEO of its sublabel Ador, Min Hee-jin, public sentiment seems to have turned favorable towards Min following her emotional press conference Thursday, during which she claimed that all she wants is the best for NewJeans, the popular K-pop girl group she produced. Her counterattack against Hybe’s claim that she attempted a takeover of Ador, one of Hybe's sublabels, certainly attracted the public’s interest in

K-pop April 29, 2024

K-pop powerhouse Hybe’s multilabel system is being tested as it has locked horns with one of its sublabels, Ador. Executives of Ador, the agency housing popular K-pop girl group NewJeans, began sending complaint emails to their parent company on April 3, about a week after the launch of Illit, a new girl group, by another Hybe sublabel, Belift Lab. Shin Dong-hoon, vice president of Ador, demanded that Hybe CEO Park Ji-won and Belift Lab CEO Kim Tae-ho address the conflict of interest surro

K-pop April 24, 2024

K-pop giant Hybe has initiated an audit of its subsidiary Ador, home to NewJeans, claiming that Ador CEO Min Hee-jin attempted a takeover of the sublabel. This is the first time that Hybe, the parent company for multiple smaller K-pop labels, has taken such a move against a subsidiary. Min, who is also the producer of popular K-pop girl group NewJeans, has denied the allegation, arguing that Hybe took action against her after she pointed out that the entertainment monolith's new K-pop girl

K-pop April 23, 2024

Plave, the virtual K-pop boy group launched by Vlast, aims to expand its reach overseas this year. “Our goal for Plave this year is to go global. We are currently in negotiations with an agency abroad for the group’s launch in foreign music markets. We are close to inking the deal,” said Lee Sung-gu, CEO of Vlast, during a press conference in Seoul on Monday. Vlast is a virtual intellectual property startup that created and manages Plave. “We are creating a whole new genr

K-pop April 23, 2024