Traveling to a completely unknown place is a great way to escape from the routine, to reinvigorate, or to begin again. But it can also be a huge challenge, if the travelers are musicians with a reputation and solid career, if they have to play music in front of a crowd who have no idea who they are. (Shot and edited by Park Ju-young / The Korea Herald) The second season of JTBC’s music variety ...

K-pop act Super Junior has teamed up with foreign artists for the first time since its debut. The act’s agency Label SJ said Friday that “Lo Siento,” a Latin-pop tinged lead track of Super Junior’s upcoming repackaged edition of its eighth full-length album “Play,” will feature vocals from Leslie Grace, an American singer-songwriter known for her specialty in Latin pop. Play N Skillz, a renowned...

Star producer Primary will hit the K-pop scene with a new project album on April 3. The artist’s agency Amoeba Culture said Friday that the upcoming “Do worry Be happy” will be released on April 3, and features various up-and-coming artists such as Colde of hip-hop duo offonoff, Xin Seha, 1of1 and Kevin Oh. Primary is teaming up with Korean songstress Anda, who lends her hand in creating and sin...

U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin of legendary K-pop duo TVXQ have always been invincible as a pair. In 2011, they confidently proclaimed, “This is the return of the king,” in “Keep Your Head Down,” their first release after three members left the originally five-piece act. The pair’s 2015 album was also titled “Rise as God.” This time, TVXQ has returned with a new album fully charged with love. Af...

Stray Kids “I am NOT” IRVER Upon seeing the Stray Kids on a music chart, one may not be so intrigued to press the play button. One might think, “What a name. Maybe it is one of many K-pop rookie groups trying to ride the latest trends.” But hear the throbbing beats of “District 9,” from Stray Kid’s debut album, “I am NOT,” and one will be convinced it’s only a matter of time for this nine-piec...

A North Korean art troupe might take part in an upcoming music festival to be held in Seoul and near the Demilitarized Zone in Gangwon Province. The organizers of the DMZ Peace Train Music Festival said Tuesday they are considering officially inviting North Korean musicians to the event at the end of April. “While nothing has been set yet, we are planning to send an invitation to the North afte...

CNBLUE’s Jung Yong-hwa, who is currently serving in the Army, will release a new Japanese song in May, according to the artist’s agency FNC Entertainment on Tuesday. The CNBLUE frontman’s new Japanese song, “Letter,” will be released in Japan on May 21, and will be the first part of his “Feel the Five Y” project, through which he plans to release five Japanese singles. “Letter” will be followed ...

Spicy, aromatic and rich in taste and texture, phad tai and tom yang goong are definitely one of the most ubiquitous Thai dishes served in Thai restaurants in Korea. While many of them are said to be cooked up in the most authentic way, tvN’s new variety show “Will This Do Well Locally?” asks, “Will Thai food cooked by Koreans capture hearts of Thai people?” From left, Lee Min-woo, Hong Suk-chu...

Each of them has a different story and world view, but the members of Monsta X said they are all connected after all. The seven-piece boy band returned with its sixth EP “The Connect” on Monday, bringing to an end its coming-of-age story that began unfolding in its previous album “The Code” from last November. After hopping about different years as time travelers in “The Code,” the members stan...

After taking over the global charts with its pre-debut release, Stray Kids, a new boy band under JYP Entertainment, finally made what could be the most intriguing K-pop debut of the year. The nine-member group was formed through an Mnet competition show of the same name that aired last year. Equipped with talents not only for vocals but also song writing and producing, Stray Kids had garnered at...

K-pop group Twice will return with the new EP “What is Love” on April 9, its agency JYP Entertainment said Sunday. The group’s fifth EP will be fronted by the lead track “What is Love.” The nine-member act will promote the new EP from March 26 until the day of its release, according the agency’s official website Sunday. A promotional image for Twice’s upcoming EP “What is Love” (JYP Entertainme...

Gazing at portraits created during the Joseon era, one is struck by the extreme delicacy with which the models’ facial features are depicted, from the fine wrinkle lines to tiny spots and faint scars. Lee Sung-nack, a board member at the Kansong Art and Culture Foundation, spotted such sophistication in the centuries-old portrait paintings and suggested that the portraits reflect signs of medica...

After disbanding 21 years ago, R&B trio Solid returned with the album “Into the Light” on Tuesday. The group may sound unfamiliar to many young K-pop fans, but those who listened to Solid’s breakout hits “Holding on to Tonight” and “Destiny” in the 1990s may have taken a trip down memory lane when Kim Jo-han, Lee Joon and Jeong Jae-yoon made a surprise announcement about their reunion last week....

Wanna One "0+1=1 (I Promise You)” (CJ E&M Music) Albeit efforts to judge the album based on its musicality and not its artists’ off-camera behavior, Wanna One’s new release still needs explanation. Made up of the winners of the second season of the audition program “Produce 101,” this 11-piece K-pop group often says, “Our success is all due to fans’ love and support.” Its second EP “0+1=1 (I ...

K-pop boy group Wanna One has come under fire for remarks it made that were accidently aired during a live broadcast Monday. About four hours before the release of the act’s new album “0+1=1” EP, the members appeared on Mnet’s onelife broadcast “Star Live” to celebrate its comeback. The live show featured the members waiting in a green room before the official broadcast, but the trouble began wi...