Over the past few years, K-pop idols have been expanding their horizon through onstage debuts, with more singers entering the world of musical theatre, which was once considered an elitist realm only for the classically trained. The latest to make it on stage is Mamamoo‘s lead vocalist Solar, who made her debut in the titular role of “Mata Hari” in May. The cast included Chang-sub of boy band BTOB and rock band FT Island’s Lee Hong-ki, who played Armand, the mal

Performance Aug. 22, 2022

“Hey boy, it’s cold” -- Boycold’s producer tag isn’t subtle about who it represents, but it’s a guarantee of high production values. Boycold, whose real name is Jeong Seong-won, debuted in 2015 through “Boys to Men,” a track on rapper Crucial Star’s “Boyhood” EP. Zig-zagging between hip-hop and R&B, he’s a jack of all trades with a knack for soundscapes. The beatmaker now has a long list of hits under his belt. He m

Performance Aug. 17, 2022

South Korea’s first dance management company, Zinhipz Entertainment, is launching a world dance competition titled “Chumsaeng.” The label is home to Heady, the winner of JTBC’s dance survival program “Showdown,” Comet, Zooty Zoot, Teenie, Ogong, Starry and Javeline. Under the slogan “dance is life,” Chumsaeng is a dance show with a difference. Instead of vying for the top spot, participants will use dance to express themselves and show the imp

Culture Aug. 17, 2022

A Korean music festival in Abu Dhabi, dubbed “Hyperound K-Fest 2022,” will be held on Sept. 10 at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, the largest indoor entertainment venue in the Middle East. Jointly hosted with the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism and Yas Island, the one-day festival aims to bring artists who continue to spread K-music around the globe. The star-studded list of artists slated to perform in the UAE are up-and-coming K-pop rookie boy band P1harmony, South

Performance Aug. 11, 2022

The Seoul Metropolitan government kicked off its annual tourist event, Seoul Festa, on Tuesday, marking the event’s return after two years of a pandemic-induced hiatus. With the ambition to boost tourism in the capital city, the festival kicked off Tuesday for a five-day run across the city until Sunday. The city embarked on its large-scale, global event with a K-pop concert titled “K-pop Super Live” Tuesday evening at the Olympic Main Stadium in Jamsil Sports Complex, sout

Social Affairs Aug. 11, 2022

Global K-pop sensation Blackpink is returning with its 2nd LP titled “Born Pink” on Sept. 16, marking its return to the music scene after nearly two years away. On Wednesday, the band’s agency YG Entertainment dropped a teaser image with the date “2022.09.16,” the date of its second album release. “As the title suggests, ‘Born Pink’ shows the confidence and splendor Blackpink is known for. The album will be brimming with Blackpink’s uniq

K-pop Aug. 10, 2022

Boisterous crowds, fan chants, sing-alongs and clapping are back – and so were the concertgoers who filled the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium Sunday night as girl group Itzy took the stage to make up for the lost time through its first world tour “Checkmate” in Seoul. Sunday’s concert was a jam-packed two-hour event. The five members performed 20 songs and prepared five encore performances to bring joy to their fans. The set list was composed of the K-pop act’s bi

K-pop Aug. 8, 2022

Out with the old, in with the new, Choi Yena welcomed the hottest season of the year with her improvement-themed second EP, “Smartphone,” released Wednesday evening. This marks the soloist‘s return, nearly seven months since she released her first EP, “Smiley,” in January. During Wednesday’s press conference, Choi said the theme of her new album is “upgrading.” The singer said she is back with new songs that have improved in sound, reflecting

K-pop Aug. 3, 2022

As a slew of big-name K-pop artists are set to return with bops for the sweltering summer, with major girl groups among those vying to make their way into summer playlists. On the star-studded roster is Girls’ Generation, one of the longest-running K-pop girl groups, making its long-awaited full-group comeback to celebrate its 15th anniversary. After rumors that the K-pop icons were returning with new songs, the band’s agency SM Entertainment confirmed that the band would drop i

K-pop Aug. 3, 2022

The season of upbeat music has arrived, and rappers are known to save their strongest material for summer, Zico made his grand return with his 4th EP, “Grown Ass Kid,” released Wednesday evening. This marks the solo artist‘s return nearly two years since he last released his “Random Box” in July 2020. It’s also his first material after officially being discharged from his mandatory military service in April this year. Zico dropped “Grown Ass Kid&rdq

K-pop Aug. 1, 2022

NewJeans, the first girl group from Ador, an independent label under K-pop powerhouse Hybe, threw its glitzy hat into the ring with its namesake debut album on Monday. Hybe is the multi-label entertainment company home to several big-name K-pop labels, including Big Hit Music, the label behind superstars BTS. Brought together by Ador’s CEO and head producer Min Hee-Jin, NewJeans released its debut digital album “New Jeans” on Monday evening. As the name suggests, the band&

K-pop Aug. 1, 2022

As the days are getting long in summer and the weather is getting hotter outside, Nicole, a former bandmate of the now-disbanded girl group Kara, returned with a new digital single, “You.F.O“ to put music listeners in a sunny mood. This marks the singer-turned-soloist’s return to the music charts in nearly eight years since she last dropped her first EP, “First Romance,” in 2014. “It’s been eight years, and I took the time to look back on myself,&rd

K-pop July 26, 2022

As large-scale concerts are coming back with the slow lifting of pandemic and social distancing rules across the nation, an abundant number of concertgoers filled the Jangchung Arena in Jung-gu, Seoul, Friday night as big-name R&B and hip-hop artists took the stage for “Blue Spring Hip-hop Festa.” The concert is an offshoot of the Blue Spring Festival, one of the country‘s biggest music festivals, which takes place in a different city each year. The first session took p

Performance July 25, 2022

As a playlist of upbeat tunes sets the mood for the summer, girl group Purple Kiss returned with its 4th EP titled “Geekyland,” released Monday evening, to thrill listeners with warm-weather vibes. The band didn‘t wait long between projects, with a surprise return just four months since “memeM,” released in March. Ireh expressed her excitement about releasing a new album, saying the process of preparing new music and performance was a joy. “It seems lik

K-pop July 25, 2022

As temperatures begin to soar, rookie rock band Xdinary Heroes released its first EP, titled “Hello, World!” on Wednesday evening, adding a sweet ode to the season with the new album. This marks the band’s return eight months after it last dropped its debut single, “Happy Death Day,” in December last year. The rookie rock band under JYP Entertainment’s artist label Studio J is just the agency’s second pop-rock band to debut in nearly six years, foll

K-pop July 20, 2022