Articles by Hong Yoo
Hong Yoo
yoohong@heraldcorp.com-
Will Blackpink renew contract as group?
Blackpink, one of K-pop's top groups, attended Tuesday a banquet at Buckingham Palace in honor of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the UK. The appearance of all Blackpink members -- Jisoo, Rose, Jennie and Lisa -- raised the possibility that the members might renew their contract with their label, YG Entertainment. The quartet’s exclusive contract with YG expired in August but it still remains unclear whether or not the group will renew their contract with the agency. Ea
K-pop Nov. 22, 2023
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Mnet’s ‘Street Dance Girls Fighter 2’ targets global audience with multinational teen dancers
Mnet returns Tuesday night with the second season of its dance competition show “Street Dance Girls Fighter,” which features teenage female dancers. Different from the first season of the show, the program included young dancers from abroad and dancers even younger, between the ages of 13 and 18. “We decided to include dancers from other countries because we thought that dancing is another way of communication in a situation where there are language barriers. Because K-pop is p
K-pop Nov. 21, 2023
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Jungkook holds live stage event for fans
Jungkook of BTS held his first-ever fan-exclusive live stage event with around 2,800 fans in Seoul on Monday. The global pop star performed all of the tracks in his recently released solo album, “Golden,” at the event, “Jungkook ‘Golden’ Live On Stage.” The singer kicked off the show with “Standing Next to You,” the lead track of his album, and sidetrack “Yes or No.” “I’ve prepared this concert solely for Armys. I happily pr
K-pop Nov. 21, 2023
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[Herald Interview] VIXX highlights group’s continuity in 5th EP ‘Continuum’
K-pop boy group VIXX returned to the music scene on Tuesday with its fifth EP, “Continuum,” the group's first album release in four years. “We've longed for this comeback. In this album, we talk about one of our core values which is continuity. Our group hopes to continue presenting new albums for our fans,” Leo said during a group interview in Seoul. Over the past four years, all members of the group have been individually active in expanding their careers b
K-pop Nov. 21, 2023
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K-pop artists take home 4 awards at BBMAs
Jungkook of BTS nabbed the award for top global K-pop song at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards with his single “Seven.” “It’s very hard to express my gratitude in words. Thank you ARMY and everyone who loves this song. Without you, I couldn’t have (received) this amazing award. While we were working on ‘Seven,’ I hoped everyone could enjoy this track, so the fact that I won this category means a lot to me. I’m so glad to share great music with eve
K-pop Nov. 20, 2023
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[Herald Review] NCT 127 takes inspiration from ‘Matrix’ for 3rd tour
Thousands of NCT 127 fans gathered at the KSPO Dome in Seoul on Sunday for the third show of the group’s third tour, “Neo City - The Unity.” Most in attendance were Korean fans carrying banners with the name of their favorite member on them. As the house lights went down to signal the start of the show, the fans' lights illuminated the venue in neon hues. NCT 127 ascended to the stage decked out in all white. The band stood silently, taking in acclamations from the thousan
K-pop Nov. 20, 2023
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Dancers say Street Woman Fighter 2 made dance more approachable
Just a month since Mnet’s dance competition show “Street Woman Fighter 2” ended, the leaders of the show's seven dance crews say the show helped encourage more people to try dancing. At a group interview in Seoul on Friday, they also talked about their time on the show as a springboard to bigger things. “I've been having mixed emotions because I can’t believe the show is over. I think the show will continue to spread around the world as time goes. We are p
K-pop Nov. 17, 2023
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Seventeen’s Dino to release first solo mixtape ‘Wait’ this month
Dino of the K-pop boy band Seventeen is releasing his first solo mixtape on Nov. 27, according to Pledis Entertainment. The agency dropped a teaser image of the upcoming mixtape in which Dino is seen crossing a road. “Dino plans to show something new through his first solo mixtape, ‘Wait.’ We hope the audience looks forward to Dino’s first step as a solo artist,” said the agency in a press release on Friday. He recently released “Icarus,” the original so
K-pop Nov. 17, 2023
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Ampers&one hopes to seep into listeners’ hearts with positive music
FNC Entertainment’s new boy group Ampers&one set its foot on the K-pop scene on Wednesday with their debut single album “Ampersand One.” “This is our first-ever performance on stage and we hope to get the chance to perform on diverse stages from now on,” said Kamden of Ampers&one after performing at a press conference in Seoul. “I spent four years as a trainee, and my parents and I had decided that it would be time for me to look for something else to
K-pop Nov. 16, 2023
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SM to launch boy group in the UK
SM Entertainment has joined hands with the British entertainment company M&B to launch a boy group in the UK. The K-pop powerhouse announced Thursday that it has inked a strategic partnership with M&B in Seoul. M&B is led by Nigel Hall, known as the producer of British competition shows such as “The X Factor” and “Britain’s Got Talent.” M&B co-CEO Dawn Airey is also known as a former CEO of Getty Images, and another co-CEO Russ Lindsay is one of the
K-pop Nov. 16, 2023
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Ive, aespa, NewJeans, StayC and Kiss of Life join star-studded lineup for MMA 2023
K-pop girl groups Ive, aespa, NewJeans, StayC and Kiss of Life are set to take the stage at the Melon Music Awards 2023, according to Melon. The Melon Music Awards is one of the nation’s biggest annual music award shows. Ive bagged four awards at the MMA 2022, including best female group, top 10, best song and rookie of the year. All eyes are on how many awards the group will be taking home this year as all of their lead singles released this year, “I AM,” “Kitsch”
K-pop Nov. 15, 2023
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Stray Kids to perform at 2023 Billboard Music Awards
K-pop boy group Stray Kids joins the star-studded lineup of performers for the 2023 Billboard Music Awards. Stray Kids will be the second K-pop boy group after stars BTS to take part in one of the three most prestigious music awards ceremonies in the US. Stray Kids will be performing “S-Class,” the lead track of their 3rd LP, “5-Star,” and “Lalalala,” the title track of their latest album, “Rock-Star,” at the ceremony, to be held on Sunday. The gro
K-pop Nov. 15, 2023
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JYP to 'take K-pop worldwide' with Live Nation partnership
JYP Entertainment announced on Tuesday a global strategic partnership with Live Nation, the world’s leading live entertainment company, to cooperate on producing tours for its K-pop acts. “Through this partnership with Live Nation, we will be producing concerts of Twice, Stray Kids, Itzy, Xdinary Heroes, Nmixx and our up-and-coming talents,” said JYP Entertainment. Live Nation operates in over 45 countries worldwide. It has previously worked with JYP Entertainment on organizing
K-pop Nov. 14, 2023
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G-Dragon denies drug use again in interview
K-pop artist G-Dragon, who is embroiled in a drug scandal, denied illegal drug use publicly once again in an exclusive interview with a local media on Monday. At the beginning of the interview, he explained that he agreed to the interview to deliver the right information to the public and to prove his innocence. “I did not use drugs. The results of the drug test (conducted by the drug crime investigation unit) have to be negative because let me tell you again, I have never used drugs, rece
K-pop Nov. 14, 2023
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Red Velvet returns with conceptual, dramatized studio album
Red Velvet on Monday released "Chill Kill," the girl group's third full album. The group's full album comes six years after the release of the group's second LP, “Perfect Velvet.” “We tried our best to express the two key words of our album -- hope and tragedy. Not only did we focus on expressing those words in our songs and choreography but also in all of the content that will be released along with the album such as the music video and trailer clips
K-pop Nov. 13, 2023
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