After a successful world tour and performances at several overseas festivals, P1Harmony is back with a new album full of challenges. Group's 7th mini-album “Sad Song,” released Friday, comes about seven months after their first full-length album “Killin' It.” It has six tracks including the Lain-rhythm-themed title track. The album explores feelings of loneliness and emptiness, as well as the process of overcoming such emotions through the concept of superheroes

K-pop Sept. 23, 2024

American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo captivated the audience with her boundless energy for the first time in South Korea. As part of the Guts World Tour, she held concerts on Friday and Saturday at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, drawing a total of 15,000. Wearing a sparkling silver two-piece outfit, the 21-year-old opened the show by performing a series of hit songs, including “Bad Idea Right?,” “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” and “Vampire.” S

Performance Sept. 22, 2024

Japanese songs playing on South Korean TV and radio stations and giant posters of Japanese anime hung outside cinemas -- unimaginable just over two decades ago -- are no longer surprising. This year marks 20 years since Korea fully opened its doors to Japanese pop culture products. Following liberation from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule in 1945, Korea had banned Japanese cultural products from reaching its shores, only gradually opening the market to Japanese cultural products in 1998. The

Culture Sept. 21, 2024

Delve into charming vintage lights For vintage enthusiasts, especially those who have a keen understanding of the effects of lighting, Big Sleep Shop is a space worth checking out. Located up a brick staircase in a narrow alley, the shop specializes in vintage lighting and lamps. As you step inside, you’ll find a harmonious display of vintage lamps from various countries including France and Germany. The shop offers housewares made of glass, porcelain and plastic, and showcases lamps of al

Culture Sept. 20, 2024

Coldplay returns to Korea in April next year, with what is expected to be the largest-ever performance by an overseas artist in the country. The band's last performance in Korea took place eight years ago. The band will hold four concerts on April 16, 18, 19 and 22, 2025, at Goyang Stadium, which can accommodate some 40,000 spectators per show. Coldplay, consisting of Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion, has sold over 100 million records worldwide since its debut in

Performance Sept. 19, 2024

Seven ambitious boy bands are off to a fierce battle. The New Six, 8Turn, Oneus, Younite, Cravity, Tempest and the project team The Crew One, which consists of the boy groups ATBO and Just B., are competing on Mnet's survival program "Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace," starting Thursday night. Taemin of SHINee will host the show. “We felt the pressure to surpass our performances in Season 1, but we overcame it with even greater passion. Since we believe it’s a K-pop idol&#

Television Sept. 19, 2024

The latter half of 2024 and early 2025 will be full of performances of popular overseas artists. For one, American R&B singer Ne-Yo is coming to Korea. Concert organizer Dream Maker Entertainment announced that "Ne-Yo Champagne & Roses 2024 in Seoul" will be held on Oct. 16 at the Hwajeong Gymnasium at Korea University in Seoul. Ne-Yo gained recognition even before his debut by composing songs for Mary J. Blige and Beyonce. He rose to stardom with his first full-length album, &

Performance Sept. 15, 2024

Former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin, filed for an injunction Friday to be reinstated as a director at the company after her term ends Nov. 2. Anticipating that the Ador board will not renew her term, Min’s legal representative law firm Sejong and her PR firm, Macoll Consulting Group, announced that they had submitted a petition to the Seoul Central District Court, requesting an extraordinary general shareholders’ meeting and Min's reappointment as an internal director. Previously, Ador

K-pop Sept. 13, 2024

Pledis Entertainment and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on Friday announced a partnership to produce K-pop content featuring the island’s unique features. Pledis, a subsidiary of entertainment giant Hybe, and Jeju Island held a signing ceremony for the memorandum of understanding at Hybe’s Yongsan headquarters to promote K-pop content related to Jeju. Pledis CEO Lee Da-hye, Jeju Gov. Oh Young-hun, and other representatives from both sides attended the ceremony. Pledis Entertain

Travel Sept. 13, 2024

Katseye, a multinational and multiethnic K-pop girl group formed by Hybe in collaboration with Geffen Records, kicked off its ambitious Asia promotion to broaden its reach. The six-member group consists of: Daniela, whose father is Venezuelan, mother is Cuban and grew up in Los Angeles; Megan, whose father is white American, mother is Chinese Singaporean and grew up in Hawaii; Lara, who was born in India and grew up in LA; Manon, whose father is Ghanaian, mother is Swiss-Italian and grew up in Z

K-pop Sept. 11, 2024

Boynextdoor is back, and they have brought their life stories with them. Speaking at a press conference held at Blue Square Mastercard Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Monday, to mark the release of “19.99,” the group's third mini-album, the group emphasized that they put a lot of effort into incorporating stories that everyone can relate to, as well as their personal stories. “In the past, we sang about things we imagined or stories of others, but this time, we’ve infused

K-pop Sept. 11, 2024

While K-pop continues its phenomenal growth and more people attend live performances than ever before, one issue remains unchanged from a decade ago -- the chronic shortage of concert venues. "Finding a venue is like finding a needle in a haystack," said an official from a music festival organizing agency. The official added that many performances that were originally scheduled for December to target the year-end are being pushed to January due to the shortage of venues. Another indust

Culture Sept. 9, 2024

The family of the late SHINee member Jonghyun has launched a psychological counseling project aimed at supporting young artists through the foundation established in his memory. On Saturday, the Shiny Foundation introduced its latest initiative, Youth Meetup, to promote the mental well-being of young artists. The announcement was made via the foundation’s official social media accounts. In a video accompanying the launch, Jonghyun’s older sister Kim So-dam, who also serves as a direc

Culture Sept. 8, 2024

Linkin Park has announced the band's comeback, along with the release of a new album with new members in November and a concert in South Korea for the first time in 13 years. The band has added vocalist Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain, and on Friday released a new single titled “The Emptiness Machine.” Armstrong was previously a co-vocalist for Dead Sara, while Brittain has worked as a producer for artists such as Illenium and One Ok Rock. Linkin Park’s upcoming

Performance Sept. 8, 2024

K-pop boy band Xikers released their 4th mini album, "House of Tricky: Watch Out," on Friday, showcasing more powerful performances and charisma than ever before. The album comes in three distinct versions, each depicting a different phase of Xikers' journey. “The ‘Tricky’ version represents the maze Xikers are trying to escape from, while the ‘X’ version captures the moment they discover the light and run toward it. The ‘Hiker’ version sh

K-pop Sept. 8, 2024