For Ocean, his first studio album will mark a sort of turning point, wrapping up the first 30 years of his life. “If ‘Forward’ had been about advancing ahead, with the LP I hope to show the world that ‘this is my voice,’” he said. “Until now, I’ve had the time to shape my values and I‘ve been waiting for the right moment and environment in which I could make my voice. I think I’m ready now.” Wh...

Jeon made her solo debut in June 2019 with “Birthday,” amid high anticipations as the final winner of Mnet’s popular survival audition program “Produce 101” in 2016. “I can’t believe that two years have already passed. It’s hard to remember exactly what I’ve done in that time, but I know that I’ve got a grasp of what kind of music I want to pursue and what suits my voice the best,” Jeon said. T...

But embracing their vulnerabilities and connecting with the fans through their biggest passion, the members overcame their limits and found hope. “I’d forgotten how I was supposed to do a concert, and so I looked up our (“Speak Yourself” tour) final concert, and it all felt like a dream -- this whole place packed with no one wearing masks. Although it wasn’t easy to complete the performances wit...

Seori attempts a cool summer vibe in her latest single “Dive With You,” released Aug. 22. Singing of a passionate love, like the purity of diving into the water, the song was inspired by Harry Styles’ 2019 song “Watermelon Sugar,” she explained. Day6’s Jae lends his voice and contributed in the songwriting. “While I initially wrote a pop tune for a male voice, the producers suggested the song ma...

Setting new records with every comeback, the rookie act has already set a new high in preorder sales for “Dimension: Dilemma,” with over 920,000 copies sold ahead of the album’s release. Debuting “Border: Carnival” on Billboard’s main albums chart, the Billboard 200, at No. 18, the group saw the highest rank scored by any K-pop rookie act who debuted in 2020 or 2021. “We’re really grateful to o...

K-pop girl group aespa is back more ferocious than ever, and ready to expand further into the metaverse in the band’s first EP, “Savage.” The quartet held an online press conference Tuesday morning ahead of dropping the new album at 6 p.m. that day. With the album’s preorder volume surpassing 400,000 copies Monday, the rookie girl group from K-pop powerhouse S.M. Entertainment is off to a good ...

As the sad, emotional melodies of their last song wound down, the band members addressed their fans. Staying buoyant throughout the concert, Hueningkai spoke his farewell in trembling voice as he tried to keep his smile on. "Although it's a shame since we really wanted to sing this to you in person, I'm glad we could at least share it like this. Stay safe until we meet again," he said. “I supp...

The eight-piece boy band E’last returned on Wednesday as a complete group in 10 months with their single album “Dark Dream.” Member Wonjun, who had sat out during the promotional activities for the previous EP “Awake” to emcee television show “Boni, Hani,” has returned, rejoiced to be back with his bandmates. In an interview conducted ahead of their comeback, the group said via email, “E’last s...

Making their debut in July 2019 with their first EP, “‘Hello’ Chapter 1. Hello, Stranger,” the group looked back on their two-year career and the future they look forward to. Leader BX said if he could go back a few years, he’d work even harder. “Back when I was around 20, I so badly wanted to make my voice heard but there was a long wait for me. Working on my music but not being able to show i...

The weather seems to be getting cooler a little late this year. Hot air still arrives at the peak of the day, and air conditioning is still running on high in most of Seoul’s packed buildings. But rest assured, Chuseok, the traditional Korean harvest holiday, is less than a week away. This is when the temperature drops and we say a sure goodbye to summer. On the outskirts of the capital city, ...

From the 11-track album, most of the band picked the last track and fan song “Promise You” as their favorite. With the song’s Korean title “When We Meet Again,” Doyoung explained, “It conveys the longing heart to reunite with one‘s parted lover, just like our situation now, awaiting the day when we can meet our fans again.” Mark piped in to say, “The good thing about an album is that you can ha...

BTS leader RM said, “It is a huge honor, both as an individual and a citizen, to be able to hold the title of special presidential envoy for future generations and culture. We’re always thinking about how we could give more and return the love we have received, and we’re just thankful that the president has presented us with such a big opportunity. We will do our best as special envoys.” The upc...

“As artists, it’s great to be able to make music in our language that people could empathize with. Moreover, we take it as an opportunity to prove that South Korea also has talents capable of making quality music,” DPR Live said. Through music, DPR Live and his crewmates found each other, and through music, he hopes to find more people to share his special experience in life. “I feel most grate...

Lucy, the storytellers The latest to join the band, taking the place of Lucy’s initial vocalist from the competition, Sang-yeop now plays an irreplaceable role in making Lucy’s music. Other than singing and playing the guitar, Sang-yeop is also one of the main lyricists for the group. Along with the band’s mastermind Won-sang, he co-wrote lyrics for recent single “Irrelevant Answer.” “Won-sang ...

His cover of girl group Aespa’s “Next Level” was also quite a shock to many of his fans, but to him, just another exciting attempt. But while he talks of resistance and fighting back, he says a message of love lies behind it. “I think what the world needs the most right now is love, and the people who could really make the value resonate in people’s hearts are pop-culture artists, whether it be...