Hybe is set to air another idol survival program to discover its next girl group. A joint project with local broadcaster JTBC, the program, "R U Next?" aims to see the finalist members debut as the first girl group of Belift Lab, a indie label affiliated to Hybe. Belift Lab on Thursday said it has begun shooting the program, which is produced by Studio Jamm and Mushroom Company. The 10-episode series will begin airing on June 30 via JTBC and air every Friday at 8: 50 p.m. The show will

K-pop June 1, 2023

Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen of EXO are leaving their longtime agency SM Entertainment and embarking on a legal battle to claim unsettled payments. The legal representative of the three artists on Thursday announced that the EXO members have notified SM Entertainment of the termination of their exclusive contracts with the agency. "Since March 21 until recently, we have repeatedly requested SM to provide copies of materials and evidence for payments," the representative, attorney Lee Jae-

K-pop June 1, 2023

Global K-pop phenomenon BTS is dropping a new digital single next month, a surprise gift for fans amid its group hiatus. According to Big Hit Music on Wednesday, BTS will drop a new digital single called "Take Two" on June 9. "'Take Two' is a song for fans embodying the heartfelt emotions and stories BTS sends to its fans in celebration of its 10th anniversary," Big Hit Music said in a statement released Wednesday. The septet is set to celebrate its anniversary on

K-pop May 31, 2023

Boynextdoor debuted Tuesday with its single "Who!" and bold ambitions to claim itsspot as rookie of the year. Boynextdoor stepped into the arena with a press showcase in Seoul, where the group introduced itself and performed the three songs on the "Who!" single for the first time. "It's overwhelming that the world is finally hearing our voices," said Woonhak, the group's youngest member. The group is signed to KOZ Entertainment, a music label under Hybe le

K-pop May 31, 2023

RM of K-pop superband BTS will be named as the ambassador of the South Korean military's war remains recovery agency. Big Hit Music, the label behind the K-pop band, told The Korea Herald Wednesday that the BTS leader is set to be officially appointed as an ambassador for the Ministry of National Defense's Agency for the Recovery and Identification of those Killed in Action. A ceremony for the appointment is scheduled for Thursday, the label said, confirming earlier local media outlet

K-pop May 31, 2023

The first idol group produced by rapper Zico, Boynextdoor debuted Tuesday with the single "Who!" The six-piece band is the latest group from Hybe, the multilabel company that houses big-name artists the likes of BTS, Seventeen and NewJeans. Boynextdoor is the first group launched under Hybe's KOZ Entertainment label. Boynextdoor, consisting of Sungho, Riwoo, Jaehyun, Taesan, Leehan and Woonhak, held a press conference Tuesday at Blue Square in Yongsan, central Seoul. "It'

K-pop May 30, 2023

Five-piece boy band CIX on Monday released its sixth EP "'OK' Episode 2: I'm OK," marking the release with a media showcase event a few hours before the album's release. The new album marked the end of the group's "OK" series and opens up to the next chapter of their story, said the band members -- BX, Seunghun, Yonghee, Baejinyoung and Hyunsuk -- during the event held on Monday. "We've improved and grown in many parts through various activi

K-pop May 30, 2023

BTS' Suga, who also goes by the name Agust D, began the Asian leg of his solo tour "D-Day" in Jakarta, Indonesia, last week. A total of 30,000 people came to the three sold-out shows in Jakarta's ICE BSD convention center, which began Friday and continued into the weekend, Big Hit Music, the septet's agency said Monday. On each of the three days, Suga took the audience on a walk through his musical trilogy, starting with "Haegeum" from his latest album "D-

K-pop May 29, 2023

K-pop boy band Seventeen is set to continue its odyssey in Japan with its first best-of album and a new concert tour. The 13-piece band announced the plans during its "Love" fan meeting at the Tokyo Dome on Sunday. Sunday's event marked the last of the group's four-day fan meetings taking place at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka on May 17-18 and at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on Saturday and Sunday. In a statement released Monday, the band's agency Pledis Entertainment said 180,00

K-pop May 29, 2023

Seemingly an unlikely place to see K-pop stars, Cannes film festival has witnessed the debut of so many this year, with aespa leaving an exceptional note among all. Aespa, the four-piece girl band housed under SM Entertainment, made its first appearance at the prestigious French film festival's red carpet on Wednesday, local time. The quartet's Cannes debut came with the screening of the festival's competition title "The Pot-Au-Feu" at Palais des Festivals on Wednesday.

K-pop May 26, 2023

K-pop boy band SHINee on Thursday celebrated its 15th anniversary. The bandmates shared their feelings and plans for their comeback through a press release the same day. "It feels strange that 15 years have flown by so fast, and I'm proud that I could have experienced so many things and challenges as SHINee," Onew said in the statement. Minho added, "Although it might sound cliche, it's really unbelievable. I'm so happy that my dream which started in high school sti

K-pop May 25, 2023

Live music has returned as the pandemic peters out, but its return has been accompanied by higher ticket prices and with a slew of unexpected problems the fans did not pay for. Just this month, the internet was abuzz following news that a Malaysian lawyer was suing the organizer of K-pop band Blackpink's concerts in his county. Lawyer Nas Rahman bought two tickets for the band's Kuala Lumpur show from its "Born Pink" world tour. However, on the day of the concert, he discover

K-pop May 25, 2023

K-pop superstar group BTS is throwing a city-wide festival for its 10th anniversary next month in collaboration with the Seoul city government, Big Hit Music announced Thursday. Under the title "BTS Festa," the seven-member group has held a festival every year to mark its June 13 debut anniversary, but this is the first time the agency has teamed up with a city government for the annual festival. "In celebration of the band's 10th anniversary, we're rolling out a special

K-pop May 25, 2023

Jennie of K-pop band Blackpink made her first foray into the Cannes Film Festival Monday, marking her acting debut in style. The K-pop singer attended the red carpet event for the international film festival's 76th edition held in Cannes, France. This was her first attendance at the fest. The event took place on Monday, prior to the Out of Competition gala premiere of HBO drama series "The Idol," with which Jennie is making her acting debut. Two of the show's six episodes wer

K-pop May 23, 2023

Co-ed quartet Kard is back after almost a year with its new track "Icky," another of the group's signature steamy moombahton sounds. "We didn't expect to take this long. We wanted the album to be good and we created every song very thoughtfully. The album is jam-packed with Kard's unique colors," the group's main vocalist Somin said at a joint interview with the local media on Thursday. "Icky" marks the group's comeback in almost 11 months s

K-pop May 23, 2023