Taeyang of Big Bang is making a grandiose comeback with a collaboration with BTS member Jimin. His new digital single, “Vibe,” will be released next Friday at 2 p.m., Taeyang’s new agency, the Black Label, announced Wednesday with a teaser image. The teaser image shows Taeyang and Jimin dressed in black and red standing together and gazing into the camera. The single comes six years after his last solo release, his third studio album "White Night." Jimin’s uniqu

K-pop Jan. 4, 2023

NewJeans is at it again, taking over local and international music charts with their tracks “Ditto” and “OMG” from their new album “OMG” unveiled on Monday. Following the success of the prerelease track “Ditto" is the title track “OMG,” trending in both South Korea and abroad. It reached No. 1 on the iTunes Top Song chart in nine countries including Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. “OMG” is a hip-hop R&B with a mix of tra

K-pop Jan. 4, 2023

As the lights went off to signal the beginning of the long-awaited concert of the K-pop boy band BTOB, the concert hall turned into a sea of shimmering blue as chanting fans waved their fandom light sticks. BTOB kicked off their 10th-anniversary concert, “2022 BTOB TIME [Be Together],” on Friday at the KSPO Dome in Jamsil, Seoul, singing “Finale.” The act of six was overwhelmed with emotions as they were welcomed onstage with cries of joy from their fandom, Melody, whom t

K-pop Jan. 2, 2023

K-pop boy band iKON is leaving its current agency YG Entertainment as its exclusive contract has come to an end. According to industry sources, the members of iKON -- Song, Jay, Ju-ne, Chan, Bobby and DK -- decided to not renew their contracts with YGt. This comes seven years after their debut in September 2015. The iKON members are currently looking for new agencies and at the same time are considering the option of forming an agency themselves to continue their careers together as a band. Prev

K-pop Dec. 30, 2022

Yugyeom, a member of K-pop boy band GOT7, is making a comeback on Jan. 2 next year with his new digital single “Ponytail,” announced agency AOMG with concept photos on Thursday. The photos depict Yugyeom slumped against an obstacle in jet-black outfits with silver accessories. He is also sporting a charismatic expression, covering part of his face with his hand. The new digital single “Ponytail” comes 10 months after Yugyeom dropped his digital single “Take You Down

K-pop Dec. 28, 2022

Unlike most K-pop survival programs, Kakao Entertainment has brought 30 former and current girl group members together to compete in a virtual world. Kakao Entertainment’s new virtual idol survival program “Girl’s Re:Verse” will walk the audience through the journey every Monday at 9 p.m. starting on Jan. 2 via Kakaopage and its official YouTube channel. Only the final five that survive the competition will make their debut. The singers took part in the program with virtu

K-pop Dec. 27, 2022

Addictive rhythms and powerful choreography continued to propel K-pop up the global music charts in 2022. Korean artists have reached the top spot on the Billboard 200 -- the ranking of the best-performing albums and EPs in the US -- a record four times this year. Stray Kids was the first Korean act to top the chart this year with its album “Oddinary,” followed by Blackpink, (G)I-idle, and RM. Apart from the global chart-toppers, this year’s K-pop scene was undoubtedly dominate

K-pop Dec. 26, 2022

K-pop singer and actress Tiffany Young signed an exclusive contract with the agency Sublime. “We signed an exclusive contract with Tiffany Young who has an irreplaceable identity. We are glad to have Tiffany Young encompassing boundless influence join us. We plan to fully support her in expanding her capabilities in diverse sectors and also in her overseas career-related activities,” announced Sublime on Monday. Some renowned actors, actresses, and singers including Song Kang-ho, Rai

K-pop Dec. 26, 2022

K-pop girl group Kara dropped a new album in Japan on Wednesday to mark their 15th anniversary. The Japanese-language album “Move Again” is their first album to be released in the country in seven years and six months. It carries six tracks including the lead track “When I Move” and a new track, “Queens,” exclusively unveiled in the Japanese edition of the album. Prior to the release of the Japanese-language album, the K-pop divas had made a stunning comeback

K-pop Dec. 21, 2022

NewJeans’ pre-release track “Ditto” from their upcoming single “OMG” topped local charts just within a few hours following its release on Monday at 6 p.m., setting a new record for the rookies. “Ditto,” a winter-themed subtle pop song, helped the girls take the throne once again following the success of their previous singles "Attention," "Hype boy," and "Cookie," in local music charts including Flo, Bugs, Genie and Melon. N

K-pop Dec. 20, 2022

NewJeans, a rookie group that has dominated the K-pop scene this year, dropped the track “Ditto” from the upcoming single album “OMG” on Monday at 6 p.m. The release comes four months after the girl group made its debut in August with the breakout album “New Jeans.” “Ditto," a reinterpretation of the Baltimore club music genre, was specially produced for NewJeans’ official fandom Bunnies. The genre, which originated from the Maryland city in t

K-pop Dec. 19, 2022

Hook Entertainment, the former longtime agency of singer and actor Lee Seung-gi, said Friday that it has settled the invoice for Lee’s long overdue payments for digital streams of his songs. A total of 4.1 billion won ($3.13 million) which includes 2.9 billion won for digital streams of the artist’s songs and 1.2 billion for the arrears of interest has been paid to the artist by the agency. According to Hook Entertainment, the two parties were not able to come to an agreement on the

K-pop Dec. 16, 2022

Major agencies and labels in South Korea are directly targeting foreign markets by launching localized idol groups. With more than 20 years of experience in expanding the K-pop market abroad, K-pop powerhouses created a full-fledged K-pop Hallyu 3.0 era by nurturing idol groups in foreign countries such as Japan and China. The first generation of the K-pop Korean Wave involved debuting Korean artists outside of the country. The second generation involved mixing foreign members into idol groups t

K-pop Dec. 14, 2022

BTS member Jin is beginning his military service on Tuesday in one of the northernmost military bases in South Korea. Jin shared a selfie of his short shaved hair on the fan community platform Weverse on Monday in preparation for his 18 months of military service. According to the South Korean military, the boot camp where Jin begins military service is that of the 5th Infantry Division in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province. Jin will be admitted to the boot camp with around 200 other new soldiers. Aft

K-pop Dec. 12, 2022

Singer and actor Lee Seung-gi has left his longtime agency Hook Entertainment after a payment dispute for digital streams of his songs. Lee Seung-gi notified Hook Entertainment that their exclusive contract has been nullified, according to industry sources on Thursday. This comes after the star released an official statement through his legal representation, the law firm Bae, Kim & Lee, on Nov. 24 denouncing the agency for not having once made a payment for his song’s digital streams o

K-pop Dec. 2, 2022