[Exclusive] Hwang Chi-yeul set for summer album release

Singer Hwang Chi-yeul is due to release a new album just in time for summer.“The exact release date hasn’t been decided yet, but maybe in June?” the artist told The Korea Herald on Thursday. “I think it might be unveiled before summer.”   Singer Hwang Chi-yeul poses for The Korea Herald at an afterparty held at Lotte L7 Hotel in Seoul on Thursday to celebrate Bada’s wedding. (Jie Ye-eun/The Korea Herald)Hwang said that he participated in the writing of the upcoming album. “There will be a song t

March 26, 2017

iKon performs at Tokyo Girls Collection

K-pop group iKon excited Japanese fans with its performance at the Tokyo Girls Collection 2017 Spring/Summer, its agency said Sunday.Standing in front of the 31,400-strong audience at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo on Saturday, the seven-member boyband sang the remix versions of its hits including “Dumb & Dumber” and “Sinosijak,” according to YG Entertainment.  caption:iKon performs during the Tokyo Girls Collection 2017 Spring/Summer held Saturday in Tokyo. (YG Entertainment)YG’s fashio

March 26, 2017

BIGBANG's Daesung to release new album simultaneously in Korea, Japan

Daesung, a member of the popular boy band BIGBANG, will drop his new individual EP album simultaneously in South Korea and Japan next week, his agency said Friday.The "D-Day" album will be uploaded on major online music sites of the two countries on Tuesday ahead of his first solo Japanese dome tour set to begin on April 15. The album is scheduled to hit Japanese record stores on April 12. Above is the cover image of Daesung's forthcoming EP album "D-Day." (Yonhap)The album produced by himself w

March 24, 2017

[Eye] Making sense of modern music

Dressed head to toe in black, with her dark black hair worn long and eyes done in her signature dark smoky look, Unsuk Chin is a force majeure.Although her name may not be well-known here, classical music fans know her as the composer-in-residence of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and, since last year, also the orchestra’s artistic adviser.“I thought about quitting after Chung Myung-whun left,” Chin said during an interview on March 8 at her office at Sejong Center in downtown Seoul. Maestro C

March 24, 2017

Dylan says Amy Winehouse was last ‘individualist’

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Bob Dylan has hailed Amy Winehouse as the last great artist with an individual style as the rock legend shared his views on music in a rare interview.In a lengthy dialogue with writer Bill Flanagan posted on Dylan’s website, the new winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature hailed the English soul singer who died in 2011 at age 27.“She was the last real individualist around,” Dylan said.Dylan, 75, also praised two living female singers with blues and folk influences, Valerie Jun

March 24, 2017

S.E.S’ Bada walks down aisle

Bada, from the hit 1990s group S.E.S, tied the knot Wednesday with a businessman, who runs a restaurant franchise in a private ceremony at Jungnim-dong Yakhyeon Catholic Church in central Seoul. Singer Bada poses during a press conference held before her wedding ceremony in Seoul on Thursday (Yonhap)Only the families and close friends of the couple were invited to the wedding, including Eugene and Shoo of S.E.S, former 2NE1 member Sandara Park, singer-turned-actress Yoonha, 2PM’s Ok Taek-yeon, a

March 23, 2017

SHINee wraps up Vancouver concert, hits Dallas next

Following Sunday’s Toronto concert, SHINee on Tuesday completed a successful Vancouver show, the group’s agency S.M. Entertainment said Thursday. The boy band held its SHINee World V concert in Vancouver at the Orpheum Theater. For 2 1/2 hours, it performed a roster of hit songs including “Sherlock,” Ring Ding Dong,” “Everybody” and “Aside,” as well as recent releases “1 of 1” and “Ready or Not” -- coupled with its signature immaculate choreography.  SHINee performs in Vancouver’s Orpheum Theate

March 23, 2017

T-ara disbands as Soyeon, Boram part ways

K-pop group T-ara announced Thursday that Soyeon and Boram will not be renewing their contracts after they expire in May.“Boram and Soyeon’s contracts expire on May 15. The remaining members -- Qri, Eunjung, Hyomin and Jiyeon -- have extended their contracts until the end of December,” T-ara’s agency MBK Entertainment said.  T-ara (MBK Entertainment)Soyeon and Boram will continue working with the group until June, according to the agency. It added that a contract extension after this year will b

March 23, 2017

CNBLUE nails it on foreign charts

K-pop band CNBLUE‘s EP “7℃N” has been going strong abroad, topping iTunes charts in nine regions as of Tuesday.The band‘s seventh EP has ranked No.1 in the top 100 music album charts in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam less than a day after its Monday release at 6:00 p.m. CNBLUE (FNC Entertainment)“7℃N” marks the first EP for the four-men band since the release of “Blueming” last April. The main track “Between Us” was written by group leader

March 21, 2017

iKON wraps Japan tour, readies for Korea comeback

Boy band iKON has successfully completed its Japan tour, wrapping up with the Japan Yokohama Arena concert on Monday, attended by some 13,000 fans.The group is now gearing up for a Korean comeback sometime before May. The seven-member boy band will be returning with two title tracks written by the group members, its agency YG Entertainment said Tuesday.  iKON performs at the Japan Yokohama Arena concert on Monday. (YG Entertainment)iKON toured three cities -- Osaka, Fukuoka and Yokohama -- and h

March 21, 2017

Rap Monster, Wale collaborate on ‘Change’

Bangtan Boys’ Rap Monster and US rapper Wale on Monday released their song “Change” along with the music video via the K-pop group’s official social networking pages. “The two artists have been interested in each other’s music and naturally came to work together,” said BTS’s agency Big Hit Entertainment.  A scene from the music video of “Change.” (Big Hit Entertainment)Wale initiated the collaboration in November when he replied to Rap Monster’s cover of his song with a comment “Collab???!” whic

March 20, 2017

Dynamic Duo's Gaeko to release second new album next month

Gaeko of South Korean hip hop act Dynamic Duo will release his second solo album next month, according to his agency Monday."Gaeko has led the album's production as well as the overall artistic direction of the music video," Amoeba culture said, and asked fans to expect new songs with Gaeko's distinct color and style.Amoeba Culture released a teaser image for Gaeko's new album, featuring what appears as an anthropomorphized elephant wearing a robe on a cloud, shooting beams from its eyes.  A tea

March 20, 2017

2,500 flock to 2017 SXSW's K-pop night: Seoul agency

From mainstream idol groups to indie acts, South Korean musicians representing today's Korean music scene have thrown a heated gig at this year's South by Southwest festival in the United States, according to organizers Monday.Seven South Korean acts -- Red Velvet, Tiger JK, Hyolyn of girl group Sistar, Yoon Mi-rae, No Brain, Galaxy Express and Big Phony -- took part in the "K-pop Night Out" at the 2017 SXSW in Austin, Texas on March 17 local time, according to the Korea Creative Content Agency.

March 20, 2017

K-pop groups seek to explore non-Chinese markets

Popular K-pop stars held successful concerts in East Asian nations over the weekend, in a positive sign that the region can fill the hole left in the wake of a diplomatic row between Seoul and Beijing over a US anti-missile system.On Saturday, Kim Jae-joong, a member of JYJ, performed in Bangkok, Thailand. It was his first visit to the country since March 2014.Around 5,000 fans, not only from the country but also from neighboring nations including Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, flew in to see the Ko

March 20, 2017

IU to release 'Night Letter' from upcoming album this week

Singer-songwriter IU will release her new song "Night Letter," part of her upcoming fourth full-length album, this week, her agency said Monday. (Yonhap)The K-pop diva will release "Night Letter" on Friday, according to Loen-Fave Entertainment. The company released accompanying movie poster-like teaser images for the song on the artist's social media.IU's new album will be released on April 21. The singer is scheduled to release another song on April 7 before the entire album comes out.The upcom

March 20, 2017

CNBLUE drops new teaser for 'Between Us'

South Korean idol rock band CNBLUE has unveiled a new teaser for its upcoming new song "Between Us." (Yonhap)The short clip uploaded on the website of FNC Entertainment, the group's agency, features the four band members performing the pop rock number in a live stage setting, transitioning between black-and-white and color footage. The song, part of CNBLUE's seventh EP album titled "7℃N," is about the emotional complexities two people face right before the start of a romantic relationship, commo

March 20, 2017

EXO concert heats up Malaysia

K-pop juggernaut EXO held a concert in Malaysia on Saturday as part of their ongoing global tour.“EXO Planet #3 - The EXO’rdium - in Kuala Lumpur,” held at Stadium Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur, marked the group’s first concert in the Malaysian capital in about a year. EXO performs at a Malaysia concert held Saturday in Kuala Lumpur. (S.M. Entertainment)Among the hit songs performed were “Wolf,” “Love Me Right,” “Growl” and “Overdose,” along with “Monster” and “Lucky One” from its studio album from la

March 19, 2017

Sheeran to close Glastonbury Festival

Ed Sheeran is to close this year‘s Glastonbury Festival, headlining the final night, the giant British music event said Thursday.The singer-songwriter, who is dominating the British charts by holding a record 16 singles in the top 20, has performed at the festival before but this time is topping the bill. Ed Sheeran performs on NBC‘s “Today” show on March 8, in New York. (AP-Yonhap)“Ed Sheeran is Glastonbury’s third 2017 headliner! He‘s gone from the Croissant Neuf tent in 2011 to topping the bi

March 17, 2017

IU to release fourth full-length album in April

South Korean singer-songwriter IU will release her fourth full-length album next month, her agency said Friday.The K-pop diva's new album will be released on April 21, according to Loen-Fave Entertainment. IU will pre-release two songs from the album on March 24 and April 7, respectively.  (Yonhap)The self-produced upcoming album is IU's first new material since "Chat-shire," an EP album that came out in October 2015."IU has collaborated with talented musicians," the agency said, and added that

March 17, 2017

GOT7 to hold ‘The Flight Log’ exhibition

K-pop boy band GOT7 is holding a special exhibition to celebrate the group’s recent release “Flight Log: Arrival.”The exhibition, titled “GOT7 ‘THE FLIGHT LOG’ EXHIBITION,” is being held at Gallery Won in Cheongdam-dong until March 22.  The official poster for “GOT7 ‘THE FLIGHT LOG’ EXHIBITION” (JYP Entertainment)“Flight Log: Arrival” is the last entry in the group’s “Flight Log” trilogy that started in March 2016 with the mini album “Flight log: Departure.” The exhibition will feature content,

March 16, 2017