Overflowing with hip-hop spirit, the rookie K-pop act Lucente debuted Tuesday with its first EP, “The Big Deeper.” Lucente is a seven-member boy band under Noga Entertainment consisting of U.Seong, Z.Hoo, Kogun, Bao, Parkha, Hero and Taejun. The band’s name refers to its hopes of shining as bright as the stars in the competitive world of K-pop. “The Big Deeper” is fronted by the lead track “Your Difference,” a bombastic and hard-hitting hip-hop number that blends futuristic and pop genres.  (Nog

Performance Sept. 18, 2018

Living up to its image as a global act, GOT7 landed its new album atop iTunes charts all over the globe. Representing the band, JYP Entertainment said Tuesday that GOT7’s “Present: You” had topped the charts in 25 countries including Brazil, Finland, Hong Kong, Mexico and New Zealand. The album debuted at No. 5 in the US and No. 3 in Canada, Greece, Norway and Slovakia, the agency added. The album’s lead track, “Lullaby,” a rhythmical urban deep house track about the sweet feeling of love, has a

Performance Sept. 18, 2018

It’s been a dream-like year for GOT7. On top of the enormous success of its “Eyes on You” album, the group performed in 17 cities across the world and became the first K-pop act to perform at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. But that’s not all the group has lined up for the year. Its third full-length album “Present: You,” released at 6 p.m. Monday, is not only an ode to the group’s millions of fans around the world, but also a culmination of nearly five years of work and a reflection of the act

Performance Sept. 17, 2018

In a competitive entertainment world where self-promotion is essential, celebrities have long sought for new strategies to brand themselves. Previously, stars like Jisook of Rainbow showcased her hidden talents in a blog and comedian Song Eun-yi embarked on a second career as a content creator by launching a podcast. With the boom of new media and the ever-expanding realm of YouTube, however, celebrities have been making their voices heard via the popular streaming service beyond the silver scre

Culture Sept. 13, 2018

Fans were dumbfounded on Thursday to hear the shocking news that Cube Entertainment had dropped HyunA and E’dawn, saying the two singers had irreparably broken the agency’s trust. Social media erupted in response to the announcement. HyunA and E’dawn, members of the K-pop trio Triple H, went public about their romantic relationship in August without their agency’s permission and have been keeping a low profile ever since. “We decided the trust is broken and cannot be saved, so we are kicking the

Performance Sept. 13, 2018

After making headlines with its recent show at Staple Center in Los Angeles, BTS sit down with the Grammy Museum to discuss its music, love for fans, achievements and more. The highly anticipated event titled “A Conversation with BTS” took part at the museum in Los Angeles on Tuesday. It was the first time a Korean act had participated in an event held by the organization. Hosted by the museum’s artistic director Scott Goldman and attended by about 200 fans, the event saw the seven K-pop stars’

Performance Sept. 13, 2018

BTS has been nominated for the 2018 American Music Awards, becoming the first K-pop act to get a nod for the AMAs. On Wednesday, the AMAs announced that the K-pop superstar was nominated for the award show’s Favorite Social Artist category, alongside big name pop stars like Cardi B, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, and Shawn Mendes.BTS has already taken home a bag-full of Stateside trophies, winning the top social artist award at the Billboard Music Awards for the last two years. Last November, BTS a

Performance Sept. 13, 2018

Oh My Girls“Remember Me”Loen Entertainment Congratulations, Oh My Girl, on leaving the hilarious banana monkey land and landing back on your shiny magical world. After shocking fans with comical monkey costumes in “Banana Allergy,” the K-pop darlings declared their return with a shimmering five-track EP “Remember Me.”And it indeed is something to remember -- a pleasant mix of new experiments and the act’s old legacy, transitioning between a charismatic chameleon and a “Secret Garden” kind of fai

Performance Sept. 12, 2018

Red Velvet successfully kicked off its “Red Mare” world tour series in Thailand, drawing about 5,000 concertgoers. The sold-out concert titled “Red Velvet 2nd Concert [REDMARE] in BANGKOK,” which marked the act’s first performance in Thailand, was held on Saturday at Thunder Dome in Bangkok.  (S.M. Entertainment)In 2 1/2 hours, the group performed a total of 22 songs including “Happiness,” “Ice Cream Cake,” “Dumb Dumb,” “Russian Roulette,” “Rookie,” “Red Flavor,” “Bad Boy,” as well as its recent

Performance Sept. 10, 2018

Breaking record after record, K-pop phenomenon BTS has topped the Billboard 200 for the second time with its latest album, “Love Yourself: Answer.” The repackaged album, the final part of the band’s multiyear “Love Yourself” trilogy, took the top spot for the week ending Aug. 30 with the equivalent of 185,000 albums sold, according to Billboard. Of that number, 141,000 consisted of traditional album sales. (Big Hit Entertainment)The band’s previous album, “Love Yourself: Tear,” made history by r

Performance Sept. 3, 2018

Continuing its winning streak, K-pop king BTS scooped up the grand prize at the 2018 Soribada Best K-Music Awards. At the annual event, held Thursday at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Jamsil, Seoul, the pop idols received the grand prize along with the main prize and the world social artist award. Actor Han Seok-jun and singer Son Dam-bi hosted the awards, now in their second year, for the popular music-streaming company.  (SBS)Winners were chosen on the basis of sales volume, both for albums a

Performance Aug. 31, 2018

Shinhwa“Shinhwa Twenty Special Album ‘Heart’”Music & NewThere’s a saying that over 10 years, even the rivers and mountains change. In the 20 years since Shinhwa’s debut in 1998, the country has seen five different presidents in office, generations have shifted and fans have embraced a new definition of K-pop. So the 20-year anniversary album of Shinhwa, the longest-running K-pop act to date, is a nod to the band’s inexhaustible range of talent and passion. Titled “Heart,” the six-track album kic

Performance Aug. 29, 2018

BTS will be making a return appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” According to the show’s Ellentube webpage, the seven-piece act will appear on Thursday’s episode, which will be hosted by Mario Lopez and also feature actress Kathryn Hahn, as titular host Ellen takes the day off. “Then, it’s the global phenomenon BTS! The group makes waves wherever they go, and their ARMY is sure to follow! They’ve got another unbelievable performance in store, and it’s sure to get everyone excited for the ne

Television Aug. 28, 2018

It looks like Henry, formerly of Super Junior-M, is set to spread his wings as an actor stateside, as he is set to star in new Hollywood film “A Dog’s Journey.”The announcement was made by Amblim Partners, a US film company headed by legendary director Steven Spielberg, on Sunday to mark National Dog Day in the US. It said the singer-turned-actor has been cast as onscreen character Trent in the upcoming movie, a sequel to last year’s “A Dog’s Purpose,” a heartwarming family film that used a dog’

Film Aug. 27, 2018

Even the clouds knew what to do for BTS’ Seoul concert. The gray skies erupted into a downpour that abated into a drizzle as the clock ticked toward 6:30 p.m., when the highly anticipated BTS’ concert in Seoul for “Love Yourself” kicked off at Olympic Stadium in Seoul. The ground was still wet, but more than 45,000 concertgoers hurried their steps to their seats to greet the boy band who has rewritten the history of K-pop. Amid ear-shattering screams and feverish chanting, BTS kicked off the set

Performance Aug. 26, 2018