Articles by Hong Yoo
Hong Yoo
yoohong@heraldcorp.com-
K-pop girl groups to continue dominating music scene in May
The streak of comebacks by girl groups looks likely to continue in the month of May as some of the biggest female K-pop idols are gearing up for new releases. On the front line is Le Sserafim releasing its first full-length album “Unforgiven” on the first day of May. Le Sserafim will make a grandiose entrance hosting its own show that will be aired worldwide simultaneously through Mnet's and M2’s YouTube channels, as well as in CGV theaters, on the day of its album drop. T
K-pop April 26, 2023
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[Album Review] Seventeen's "FML" encourages youth with message of hope
K-pop boy group Seventeen is ready to face the hardships of life as they returned full of energy with their 10th EP, “FML,” on Monday. The 13-member group dived deep into the difficulties the youth face in their life journey and decoded them into healthy and positive music that embraces a message of hope and encouragement. “F*ck My Life,” shouts the group through the first titular track of the new album. But the track is actually the opposite of how pessimistic the title
K-pop April 25, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Veteran producer Lil Moshpit rolls out red carpet for rookie rapper Fleeky Bang
Hwimin, from the renowned music-producing duo GroovyRoom, and rookie rapper Fleeky Bang met for the first time as a judge and participant respectively through Mnet’s rap competition TV show “Show Me the Money 11." Although Fleeky Bang didn't advance to the final round of the competition, his unique rapping style caught the eye of the veteran producer, leading them to collaborate for the project album “Fleeky Season” that came out on April 17. The album, the firs
K-pop April 24, 2023
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BTS’ Suga fills 1st solo album 'D-Day' with honest thoughts
BTS’ Suga finally dropped his first official solo album, “D-Day,” on Friday under his soloist name, Agust D. The full-length album comes seven years after Suga began his solo career with his first self-titled mixtape, “Agust D,” in August 2016. His second mixtape, “D-2” was unveiled in 2020, led by chart-topping single “Daechwita.” “D-Day” comprises 10 tracks, including lead track “Haegeum” alongside the prerelease tra
K-pop April 21, 2023
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[Profile] Moonbin, beloved Astro all-rounder, leaves behind 14-year entertainment career
Singer and actor Moonbin was found dead Wednesday evening at his home in Seoul. Moonbin entered the entertainment industry at just 11 years old, making his debut in the 2009 KBS drama “Boys Over Flowers.” Even before his official debut in the entertainment industry, Moonbin used to model for kid fashion brands. In 2016, Moonbin made his way into the K-pop scene as a member of Astro, a six-member boy band under Fantagio. He was 18 at the time and took on the role of a sub-vocalist and
K-pop April 20, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Ryu Sujeong explores feelings in 1st LP 'Archives of Emotions'
As Ryu Sujeong enters her late 20s, she continues her journey as a solo artist, deeply reflecting on the feelings she felt along the way, transforming them into songs. Ryu's songs, written as if they were her diary, fill her first full-length album “Archives of Emotions,” which was released on Thursday. “The tracks from my previous albums are more hopeful and mellow, filled with pretty words. But these recent ones embrace more realistic concerns that I’ve been having
K-pop April 20, 2023
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[팟캐스트] (504) 최승윤, ‘라이스보이 슬립스’는 어머니의 강인함에 대한 이야기/ 폴 윤, 우주는 아이들에게 꿈을 심어줄 수 있다
진행자: 홍유/ Beth Eunhee Hong 1. For Choi Seung-yoon, ‘Riceboy Sleeps’ is about strength of mothers 기사 요약: 최승윤, ‘라이스보이 슬립스’는 어머니의 강인함에 대한 이야기 [1] There are many stories and films that depict the lives of immigrants, struggling to adapt to family life in a new country with an uncooperative child. *depict: 그리다, 묘사하다 *uncooperative: 비협조적인 [2] Canadian actor and filmmaker Anthony Shim’s “Riceboy Sleeps” (2022) is about So-young, a single mother from Kore
Podcast April 20, 2023
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iKON to release 3rd full-length album 'TAKE OFF' on May 4
K-pop boy group iKON is making a comeback for the first time since they joined a new label. iKON is set to drop its third full-length album “TAKE OFF” on May 4, according to 143 Entertainment on Tuesday. All members of iKON joined 143 Entertainment on Jan. 1 after their exclusive contract with YG Entertainment expired in December last year. iKON, consisting of members Bobby, Jay, Song, DK, Ju-ne and Chan, debuted under YG Entertainment in September 2015. They were grouped together wh
K-pop April 18, 2023
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Aespa is back from Kwangya
K-pop girl group aespa is back, making its long-awaited return with a new album 10 months after the release of its last album. Aespa's new mini album, “My World,” will be out on May 8, according to an announcement by SM Entertainment on Monday. This is the group's third mini album following its previous mini album “Girls” which was launched last July. The new album comprises a total of six tracks in which aespa will continue to tell its story evolving around Kwa
K-pop April 17, 2023
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Lee Chaeyeon is ready to "KNOCK” on hearts of many with 2nd EP
K-pop performance queen Lee Chaeyeon is back to knock over the music scene with her second mini album, “Over The Moon.” This comeback comes six months after Lee Chaeyeon made her debut as a solo artist last year with her debut album, “Hush Rush.” “I tried to put my bold and adventurous characteristics into the album, in which the concept is to depict diverse identities, from a high school honor student to a wannabe,” Lee Chaeyeon introduced her new album at a
K-pop April 13, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Grass hopes to continue sharing her travel experiences through music
Singer-songwriter Grass started making songs when traveling because she wanted her music to be like a memory box that she can look into whenever she wants to bring back the experiences she had while traveling. “When I travel, I get a lot of ideas from the people that I meet. I write down the stories of these people, and I also write down the feelings and moments I want to remember. Then I look back at those notes and that’s when I have a piece of new music,” Grass told The Kore
K-pop April 12, 2023
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[Album Review] Ive matures with different music, spreading message of 'self-love'
K-pop girl group Ive is back ready to expand its narcissistic universe with its first studio album “I’ve Ive.” After a series of songs on self-love such as “Eleven,” “Love Dive,” and “After Like,” the hitmakers have returned with a different undertone. The members showed a more mature version of themselves through the new titular track “I Am.” The title of the titular track is self-explanatory, as Ive has outdone itself to show wh
K-pop April 11, 2023
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Kep1er returns love-struck with 4th mini album
K-pop girl group Kep1er transformed from heroes to love-struck girls for their fourth mini album, “Lovestruck!,” which dropped on Monday. The return comes six months after the group released its third mini album, “Troubleshooter.” The story of this new album is about the nine members landing on Earth due to a magnetic attraction towards someone that they all fall in love with. This is the first time Kep1er members encounter the feeling of love and sing about how being in
K-pop April 10, 2023
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CJ ENM faces backlash for rehiring convicted producer Ahn Joon-young
CJ ENM, a Korean entertainment giant and the parent company of the music channel Mnet, is being heavily criticized for rehiring its former Mnet producer, Ahn Joon-young. CJ ENM rehired the producer on Monday despite the fact that Ahn Joon-young, the producer of the channel’s flagship audition show “Produce,” is a convicted criminal. In March 2021, Ahn was sentenced to two years in prison and a penalty of 37 million won ($30,000) for manipulating the voting results to put certai
K-pop April 6, 2023
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From NCT Mark to Seventeen, major comebacks warm up K-pop scene this month
Just as the weather has been warming up, some of the major K-pop artists are gearing up for comebacks to warm up the music scene. Mark of NCT is returning with his second solo single, “Golden Hour,” on Friday. This track is the sixth to drop from SM Entertainment’s special archiving project, “Station: NCT Lab.” Mark took part in composing and writing the lyrics to this hip-hop song. The song is composed of strong guitar and drum sounds that harmonize with Mark&rsquo
K-pop April 5, 2023
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