[Herald Review] Infinite hints at new album at fan meeting

Veteran boy band Infinite held emotionally charged fan meetings Saturday and Sunday, the first in seven years. "Infinite Rally 4," two standalone fan meetings, took place over the weekend at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul. Fan meetings are similar to regular concerts but include more interaction between the artists and the audience. The meetings were the first in which all six members of the group took part in seven years. Across two days, about 20,000 seats were sold out. The perf

PerformanceJuly 16, 2024

Taeyang to hold first concert in 7 years

Singer Taeyang will be holding his first solo concerts in seven years in August. The singer's agency, The Black Label, revealed the poster for Taeyang's solo concert, "Taeyang 2024 Tour The Light Year in Seoul," through its official social media channels. The upcoming concert will be held Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 at the Olympic Hall in Olympic Park. The solo concert marks Taeyang's first concert in about seven years since his second world tour, "White Night," in 201

K-popJuly 16, 2024

Viral short-form videos help Hallyu-related brands expand overseas: TikTok white paper

The Hallyu market formed with Korean Wave-influenced products and services is forecast to grow to $143 billion in the US, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam by 2030 with additional unrealized headroom of $55 billion, according to TikTok. The forecast represents an 87 percent growth from the current $76 billion spent on Korean products and services in those four countries. TikTok Korea held a press conference Monday in Seoul to review its white paper entitled “Hallyu in the Digital Age: Short

K-popJuly 15, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Taeyang to host solo concert after 7 years

Taeyang announced Monday that he will hold a solo concert in Seoul on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 via agency The Black Label. It will be his first standalone gig in seven years and the Seoul show will be followed by a tour in Asia. The veteran musician brought out his second solo EP “Down to Earth” last year which included “Vibe,” “Shoong!” and “Seed.” “Vibe” was a collaboration with Jimin of BTS and hit Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 76 and

K-popJuly 15, 2024

Former Japanese K-pop idol apologizes for working at cabaret

Haru, a Japanese performer formerly of K-pop girl group Nature, apologized Sunday for causing worry among her fans. The apology came after news broke in April that she was working as a "kyabajo," or a host at a cabaret in Japan. In a handwritten letter posted on her social media account, Haru expressed mixed feelings, acknowledging the heartbreak the news might have caused for Nature’s fan club, known as Leaf. "At 18, I came to Korea alone without knowing the language and de

K-popJuly 15, 2024

Ador rejected Grammy Museum's offer of 'prime spot' for NewJeans: report

The uneasy relationship between Hybe and Min Hee-jin, the CEO of its subsidiary Ador, continues with the agency behind popular K-pop group NewJeans reported to have rejected the Grammy Museum’s offer of the "best spot" at the upcoming Hybe exhibition in Los Angeles running from Aug. 2 to Sept. 15. The Grammy Museum, an institution devoted to the history and winners of the Grammy Awards, offered Ador a prime spot for NewJeans in March, according to local media Monday. The organize

K-popJuly 15, 2024

RM's second studio album named ‘Best K-Pop Album of 2024’ by Billboard staff

"Right Place, Wrong Person," the second album of RM, the leader of BTS, was named the “Best K-Pop Album of 2024 (So Far)” by Billboard, according to Hybe on Saturday, highlighting RM's ongoing success and influence as a solo artist. Released in May, "Right Place, Wrong Person" debuted at No.5 on the Billboard 200, making RM the first K-pop solo artist to have two consecutive albums in the Top 5. The album reached No.37 on the UK Official Albums Chart, setting

K-popJuly 14, 2024

Enhypen's second LP sells 1.88 million copies on release day

K-pop boy group Enhypen has broken its own first-week sales record by selling more than 1.88 million copies of its second full-length album, a market tracker said Saturday. Sales of the album, titled "Romance: Untold," reached 1,883,143 units on Friday alone, the day of its release, according to Hanteo Chart, a leading local album sales tracker. It broke the group's previous record of 1.87 million copies set in November last year with its latest EP, "Orange Blood." The

K-popJuly 13, 2024

BTS' Jin to carry Olympic torch near Louvre Museum on Sunday: reports

Jin of K-pop supergroup BTS will be the first torchbearer in the Louvre Museum section of the 2024 Paris Olympics torch relay in Paris this weekend, according to local news outlets specializing in Olympic news. The South Korean singer is expected to begin carrying the flame at the Louvre Pyramid at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday. The French domestic torch relay, which began May 8 in Marseille, southern France, has been under way for more than two months. The torch is scheduled to arrive in Paris o

K-popJuly 13, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Twice surpasses 500m views with debut music video

The music video for Twice’s debut song reached 500 million views on YouTube Thursday, label JYP Entertainment said Friday. It is the group’s eighth music video to reach the milestone, following “TT,” “Likey,” “What Is Love?,” “Fancy,” “Cheer Up,” “I Can’t Stop Me” and “Feel Special.” The group debuted in October 2015 with “Ooh-Ahh” which was the main track on its debut EP “The

K-popJuly 12, 2024

Enhypen heralds sweet romance with second studio album 'Romance: Untold'

K-pop sensation Enhypen marked a triumphant return to the music scene with the release of its second studio album, “Romance: Untold,” at a showcase event held at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Seoul on Thursday. Returning with a full-length album after nearly two years and nine months, the K-pop septet expressed gratitude to fans for their unwavering support and patience. “We prepared this album with a determination to present a complete work to the fans who have waited

K-popJuly 12, 2024

BBC to unveil entertainment series encapsulating launch of British K-pop boy group this summer

BBC is airing the entertainment series “Made in Korea: The K-pop Experience” this summer, encapsulating the process of launching a British K-pop boy group under the K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment. SM Entertainment partnered with the British entertainment company Moon&Back to launch the upcoming five-member boy group. The six-episode series follows the members being brought together by Moon&Back and the K-pop training they underwent with SM Entertainment. SM Entertainment a

K-popJuly 12, 2024

Unis to return next month with new single ‘Curious’

K-pop girl group Unis is making a comeback in August. According to F&F Entertainment, Unis is introducing its new single “Curious” on Aug. 6. Unis is a K-pop girl group comprising eight finalists from the SBS audition program “Universe Ticket” that debuted with its first mini album “We Unis” in March. The album sold more than 55,000 copies just within five days of its release. Unis recently won the Asia Star Award at the 2024 Korea Best Brand Awards held i

K-popJuly 12, 2024

Enhypen embraces sweet romance with 2nd studio album

K-pop boy group Enhypen embraced a new musical direction, unveiling a bright and romantic song from its upcoming album "Romance: Untold," which captures the heartfelt confessions of a young boy. Set for release on Friday at 1 p.m., the second full-length album from the group follows its fifth EP, "Orange Blood," released last November. "We've released many dark songs in the past, so it feels unfamiliar and nerve-wracking to return with a bright and sweet song as

K-popJuly 11, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NewJeans adds Japan debut single to million-seller list

NewJeans’ debut single in Japan sold more than 1 million copies and became the group’s fifth straight million-selling album, agency Ador said Thursday. The single “Supernatural” was rolled out on June 21 and hit the milestone following in the steps of all NewJeans' four previous albums. The single landed atop Oricon’s daily single ranking and kept the spot for two more days. Both songs from the single album -- titular track and “Right Now” – a

K-popJuly 11, 2024

[Herald Interview] From busker to Coachella star, The Rose blooms

Last April, the four-member band The Rose from Korea took the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the largest music festival in the United States, becoming the first Korean indie band to perform at Coachella. Park Dojoon, the guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist of The Rose, sat down for an interview with The Korea Herald on June 20, sharing the dynamic story of the band from its busking days to its rise to internationally traveling band. The Rose – consisting of Park Do

PerformanceJuly 11, 2024

Onew of Shinee to release solo EP in September

Onew of the legendary K-pop group Shinee is returning to the K-pop scene with a solo album. On Thursday, the artist posted on Instagram that he is releasing his third mini album “Flow” in September. Onew’s comeback as a solo artist follows the release of his first LP “Circle” in March 2023. Before releasing his third EP, Onew is also dropping a new digital single entitled “All Day” at 6 p.m., July 15. He will hold an Instagram live on the day of the digi

K-popJuly 11, 2024

Dreamcatcher transformed into heroes through ‘VirtuouS’

Dreamcatcher returned with its 10th EP “VirtuouS,” presenting an energetic performance that embodies the image of heroes, in contrast to the previous release, November's "VillainS." The focus track, "Justice," is an alternative rock song depicting a hero fighting against evil. Dreamcatcher is a seven-member band, but due to health issues, the main vocalist Siyeon will not participate in the promotion of the new release. "Siyeon is the voice of our team a

K-popJuly 11, 2024

[Exclusive] CJ ENM's 'KCON Saudi Arabia' canceled this year: source

KCON, the globally renowned K-pop music festival organized by CJ ENM, will not be held in Saudi Arabia this year, according to an industry insider. Earlier this year, CJ ENM announced its 2024 KCON schedule that included events in five locations: Hong Kong, Japan, Los Angeles, Europe and Saudi Arabia. While specific dates were released for the first three locations, the dates for Europe and Saudi Arabia were left unspecified. In June, CJ ENM announced that the European KCON would take place in F

CultureJuly 11, 2024

K-pop fans uneasy about return of main culprits in ‘Burning Sun’ scandal

The recent sights of former K-pop singers who were central figures in the “Burning Sun” scandal -- Jung Joon-young, Seungri and Choi Jong-hoon -- are raising questions about the image of K-pop and where to draw the line between celebrities' public and private lives. The roots of the scandal began in 2016 with Jung's illegal filming and distribution of sex videos. Investigations into an assault at the Burning Sun nightclub owned by Seungri in 2019 revealed a group chat in wh

K-popJuly 10, 2024