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Lisa says she hid past relationships as K-pop star
Blackpink's Lisa has opened up about the restrictions she faced as a K-pop star, including having to keep past relationships private out of concern that they could affect the group's popularity. "In K-pop culture, we can't date," Lisa says in her upcoming documentary "Always Lalisa," according to Canadian media, Thursday. "If you're seeing someone and you get caught by paparazzi, your popularity drops. When I was younger, I had a few relationships, but we had to hide when we're dating. I didn't
Sept. 4, 2026 -
Hybe India expands search for girl group talent
Hybe is expanding its girl group audition project in India to 23 in-person locations, adding eight cities after the first round drew applicants from across the country and its overseas diaspora, the K-pop company said Thursday. Hybe India announced the "Hybe India Audition: Final Call" on its official social media channels Wednesday, adding Lucknow, Dimapur, Kohima, Shillong, Jaipur, Indore, Goa and Kochi to its search for prospective artists. Combined with the 10 Indian cities and five overseas
Sept. 4, 2026 -
Ex-NewJeans Danielle opens YouTube channel
Danielle, formerly of NewJeans, uploaded her first video on the YouTube channel Dazzibelle on Thursday. Under the title “Detour,” she said hello to fans sitting in front of a lake in her native Australia. Admitting that she is slightly awkward, she told the viewers: “I’ve really, really missed my home. The nature, the ocean, and of course my family. So the first thing I chose to do was to spend time with the family back home.” Fully recharged now, she is ready to begin her own adventure, she sai
Sept. 4, 2026 -
IU to drop single next week
IU is set to return Sept. 10 with a digital single, her agency Edam Entertainment announced on Friday. A teaser trailer was posted at midnight, piquing fans' curiosity with a series of astronomy-themed hints. Late last month, she uploaded a video clip titled “Dear Star, make my wish come true,” which included the same snippet of music in the new teaser. The singer and actor’s last new song was “Bye, Summer” in 2025, which was also released on Sept. 10. In July, she canceled her concert, original
Sept. 4, 2026 -
BTS tops 1.5b on Spotify with ‘Butter’
BTS' “Butter” has racked up 1.5 billion streams on Spotify, Big Hit Music announced Thursday. It is the group's third song to accomplish the feat, after “Dynamite” and the Coldplay collaboration “My Universe.” The group dropped “Butter” in May 2021. It went on to rank No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, as its fourth chart-topper, and spent 10 weeks atop the main songs chart. The music video for the dance number amassed 1.1 billion views on YouTube as of July. With the digital single, BTS clinched a G
Sept. 4, 2026 -
Overseas fans call for Kim Soo-hyun's removal from upcoming awards shows
Actor Kim Soo-hyun's upcoming appearances at two Korean entertainment awards shows have prompted some overseas K-pop fans to call for his removal, a month after police cleared him of allegations related to his past relationship with the late actor Kim Sae-ron. The organizing committee of The Fact Music Awards announced Aug. 28 that Kim would attend this year's ceremony at Busan Asiad Main Stadium on Sept. 19 as an award presenter. The Asia Artist Awards followed on Tuesday, announcing that the a
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Exo ticket crackdown reignites debate over Korea-first K-pop presales
SM Entertainment’s aggressive response to suspected fraudulent ticket purchases for Exo’s upcoming encore concerts has reignited a broader debate over K-pop’s growing use of domestic-first ticket presales, with overseas fans questioning whether measures intended to curb scalping are unfairly limiting their access to concerts in Korea. On Wednesday evening, the agency said it had identified multiple bookings suspected of having been made through “abnormal methods” during the fan club presale for
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk referred to prosecutors over alleged unfair trading
Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk has been referred to prosecutors without detention over allegations of fraudulent trading surrounding the K-pop powerhouse's 2020 initial public offering, police said Thursday. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency referred Bang and four others, including Hybe executives and private equity officials, to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office on suspicion of violating the Capital Markets Act. Police allege that Bang and others misled existing shareholders in 201
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Coachella reportedly pursuing BTS for 2027 lineup
BTS could be headed to Coachella next year, with the festival’s organizer reportedly stepping up efforts to book the group for its 2027 lineup. Goldenvoice, which organizes the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, is reportedly in intense negotiations to secure BTS, according to Hits Daily Double. The report comes as the festival begins taking shape ahead of its return to the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, on April 9-11 and April 16-18. According to the publication, Tame Impala and
Sept. 3, 2026 -
MuseM expands artist IP business with Enhypen immersive exhibition
Entertainment platform MuseM is expanding its artist intellectual property business by taking charge of global licensing for an immersive exhibition built around Enhypen’s music and creative universe. “House of Vampire — Dive into Enhypen Chronicle” opened Aug. 13 at Ara Art Center in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, following an earlier run in Tokyo. The exhibition combines music, visual content, spatial design and interactive elements around the vampire narrative that has played a recurring role in E
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Stray Kids cinch 6th ‘gold’ in France with EP No. 10
The tenth EP from Stray Kids was certified “gold” by Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique, the French recording industry organization, according to label JYP Entertainment on Thursday. “This & That” is the team’s sixth EP to qualify, after third LP “Five-Star,” eighth EP “Rock-Star,” ninth EP “Ate,” mixtape “Hop,” and fourth LP “Karma.” The tenth mini album was released on Aug. 7 and hit the Billboard 200, extending its chart-topping debut streak to nine, a chart record. The EP ranked N
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Babymonster clocks up 10b views on YouTube
Babymonster hit the 10-billion-view mark on YouTube through its official channel, YG Entertainment announced Thursday. This makes the group the second girl group from Korea to achieve the feat after Blackpink. The seven-member act has 17 videos with over 100 million views, including the music videos for “Sheesh” and “Drip,” both of which garnered more than 400 million plays. Babymonster's channel has over 13 million subscribers, the third most for a K-pop girl group after Blackpink and Twice. It
Sept. 3, 2026 -
And2ble to return in October: report
Boy group And2ble is set to release a new album in late October, local media reported Thursday. The quintet is shooting a music video for the forthcoming endeavor, it added. It would follow approximately five months after the group's debut EP, “Sequence 01: Curiosity.” The mini album sold over 730,000 copies in the first week, the fourth most for a debut album from a K-pop group. Lead track “Curious” earned first place on two television music chart shows. Also on Thursday, the five members celeb
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Mark to make solo comeback, tackle cyberbullying
Mark Lee is poised to drop a single on Sept. 10, his agency Upper Room announced Wednesday. “My Friend” will mark Mark's first new music since leaving NCT. The performer struck out on his own in April, choosing to part ways with both the boy band and label SM Entertainment after 10 years. He set up his own agency in June. A teaser for the upcoming single shows him ready to move forward against different backdrops, from a cityscape to a forest. On Thursday, Mark's agency issued a statement saying
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Lee Na-eun takes first steps onto the stage in ‘Closer’
Actress and former K-pop girl group April member Lee Na-eun will make her stage acting debut in the upcoming Korean production of the play "Closer." Written by British playwright Patrick Marber, "Closer" follows the tangled relationships of four people — Larry, Anna, Dan and Alice — amid love, obsession and betrayal in 1990s London. The play was adapted into a 2004 film of the same title starring Natalie Portman. Lee will play Alice, an attractive but enigmatic stripper, alternating the role wit
Sept. 3, 2026