49-year-old singer-songwriter, one-time Buddhist nun says jazz music is her ‘second ascetic practice’

From introducing forgotten female composers to crossing over beyond classical music into K-culture, the Korean National Symphony Orchestra unveiled plans to impress its name on the minds of music lovers at home and abroad. The orchestra’s artistic director David Reiland introduced various artistic plans and initiatives to reporters during a press conference at Seoul Arts Center on Tuesday. Reila...

Korean hip-hop legend Tiger JK is gearing up for the release of a new digital single sometime in June, an industry source told The Korea Herald on Tuesday. “Tiger JK has completed recording and is going to start mastering the record and film a music video for the upcoming song,” the source said. It will likely to mark the musician’s return to music nearly nine months after the release of “Love ...

Among those in the audience were Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, former Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and veteran designer Lie Sang-bong. Oh, who is planning on making Nodeul Island a “global art island,” came up to the stage and hinted that a “stunning change (on the island) is soon to be made.” Unique performances of jazz melodies mixed with traditional Korean music were also presented at the festiv...

Singer-songwriters Jukjae and Davii also participated in Soyou’s latest album, from lyrics-writing to composition and arrangement, as well as being featured artists. Soyou also participated in writing and composing the track “Tree.” “Day&Night” is Soyou’s first release under her new label BPM Entertainment. But the singer is not planning on showcasing her new songs at music shows this time. She ...

Girl group Viviz will be taking the virtual stage on the Grammy’s digital performance series titled “Global Spin,” according to the trio’s agency Big Planet Made Entertainment on Tuesday. The act will be the first K-pop girl group to perform on the music show. Viviz will showcase “Bop Bop!” from its first mini-album “Beam of Prism,” released in February. The prerecorded performance will show the...

Metz’s tour of five cities will mark first visit by foreign orchestra this year

With the landmark Seoul Jazz Festival resuming in-person this year after a three-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the lineup of stars for this year’s festival has been unveiled. The 14th Seoul Jazz festival will be held over three days outdoors, starting May 27 at the Olympic Park’s 88 Jandi Madang in southern Seoul, according to the festival’s organizer Private Curve. It is set to featu...

Eliso Virsaladze, a Georgian pianist, was originally set to perform last year but had to postpone the recital due to a finger injury. She will finally take the stage on Nov. 24 at Kumho Art Hall Yonsei in western Seoul. Dang Thai Son, a Vietnamese Canadian pianist and educator, was the first Asian winner of the 10th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in 1980. He will embark on a fiv...

Legendary Korean singer Cho Yong-pil is likely to release his first new album in nine years sometime this year, according to music industry sources and local media Wednesday. The 72-year-old singer has recently started working on a new album, aiming to release it within this year, according to reports. He is said to be considering various genres and concepts for the upcoming album. If Cho drops...

Japanese New Age composer and pianist Yuhki Kuramoto is returning to Korea for a nationwide tour starting in May. The 70-year-old musician will kick off the tour on May 15 with a Jeongseojin Spring Classic performance in Incheon, followed by recitals in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, on May 20; Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province on May 21; Geochang, South Gyeongsang Province, on May 27; and Yeoju...

Maurizio Pollini, who is considered one of the world’s leading pianists, is coming to South Korea for the first time for two recitals next month. The 80-year-old pianist will take the stage on May 19 and May 25 at Seoul Arts Center. Much anticipated by his fans, his 100-minute recital, titled “The Emperor of Piano: ‘Once in a Lifetime,” marks Pollini‘s Korea debut. However, the upcoming recital...

Songkran Music Festival will be held in Korea for the first time in July, fighting off the summer heat with water and heart-thumping music, according to the festival organizer BEPCTangent Creative on Tuesday. S2O Korea will take place at Seoul Land in Gwacheon, about 20 kilometers south of Seoul, on July 9 and 10. It will feature top electronic dance musicians while 1 million liters of water is ...

Some 624,000 people joined K-pop supergroup BTS’ latest live concert series both online and offline, according to data compiled by the band’s agency Big Hit Music. During the four “Permission to Dance on Stage - Las Vegas” shows on April 8-9 and Friday and Saturday at Allegiant Stadium, nearly 200,000 fans -- 50,000 attendees per session -- showed up to the sold-out concerts. It was also estima...

Disbanded girl group 2NE1 surprised music fans by reuniting to perform at Coachella music festival in the US as a four-member act for the first time since disbanding six years ago. The reunion took place on the main stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which was held in Indio, California, Saturday. Following a mini solo set by former leader CL, the former bandmates -- CL, Sand...