Jakarta lights up in pink with SMTown Live 2023

SM Entertainment, home to some of the biggest K-pop names like aespa, Red Velvet and NCT, covered Jakarta in pink -- the company's iconic color -- on Saturday with its label concert, "SMTown Live 2023." The star-studded event, officially titled "SMTown Live 2023 SMCU Palace @Jakarta with KB Bank," took place on Saturday evening at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium located in Central Jakarta, Indonesia. The one-day gig is the latest edition of the company's joint label

K-popSept. 25, 2023

[Herald Interview] Love is what defines artist Dawn

Dawn opened a new chapter in his journey as a solo artist this year, coinciding with some meaningful changes in his life. His single “Dear My Light,” released early this year, opened listeners' hearts to a heartfelt message. It was his first release since the end of a long-term relationship, and after joining a new agency. “Entering my 30s next year, I wanted to start off anew and open a new chapter in my life. For that, I wanted to convey who the artist Dawn is through my

K-popSept. 25, 2023

[Herald Interview] Mimiirose hopes to make a name for itself

Rookie K-pop bands rarely remain off the radar for even a month after debuting, but Mimiirose stayed out of the limelight for over a year after it debuted in September 2022. After a yearlong break, the five-piece girl group said it felt more than ready to reintroduce itself as a brand new group. "There was a time when we felt anxious after having our comeback postponed several times, although we had just debuted. But every time, the members stayed together and encouraged each other," Y

K-popSept. 25, 2023

BTS' Jungkook to drop new single '3D'

BTS' Jungkook will be back with a new song, "3D," on Friday, his agency said Sunday. Big Hit Music announced the singer will unveil his second solo single at 1 p.m. on Friday. The new song will feature American rapper-singer Jack Harlow. The upcoming single is the latest release from Jungkook since he first came out solo in July with "Seven (feat. Latto)." The 26-year-old singer had a successful start then, with "Seven" nabbing the top place on Billboard's

K-popSept. 24, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen to hit 5 cities for 11th EP

  Seventeen dropped a hint about where it will conduct its promotional activities for 11th EP “Seventeenth Heaven.” Agency Pledis Entertainment uploaded a teaser video for one of the activities, “Svt Right Here,” on Friday, that spelled out five cities: Seoul, Tokyo, Paris, New York and Beijing. “Svt Right Here” conveys the band’s signature sound and along with the following phrase “@Everywhere,” set fans abuzz with expectations for the

K-popSept. 22, 2023

BTS' Suga begins military service

Suga of BTS began his mandatory military service on Friday. He will be fulfilling his compulsory military service by doing alternative service after receiving basic training for the first few weeks during boot camp. “I was able to come this far thanks to you ARMY (the name of BTS' fan community). Now it’s time for me (to begin my mandatory military service). I will do my utmost to fulfill my national duty. Stay warm as the weather is getting cold. Stay healthy and let’s me

K-popSept. 22, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Rose only one to renew with label: report

Of the four members of Blackpink, only Rose renewed her contract with label YG Entertainment, according to a local media report on Thursday. The rest of the foursome will find new agencies but are likely to set aside six months out of a year for group activities, it added. The management firm denied reports that it is still in discussion with all four members. The quartet’s exclusive contract with YG expired in early August. Although fans have been awaiting confirmation on whether the sup

K-popSept. 21, 2023

Fantasy Boys look forward to 'new tomorrow' with debut album

Fantasy Boys embarked on its journey as K-pop artists with its debut album “New Tomorrow” on Thursday. The group consists of 11 members who are among the top 12 finalists from MBC’s idol survival program “Fantasy Boys.” “Because our fans have supported us through the program up until now, we were able to introduce our debut album. With this album, we want to show that each of our members is talented in their own way,” said member Hong Sungmin during a pr

K-popSept. 21, 2023

2023 MAMA Awards to be held at Tokyo Dome in November

The MAMA Awards, hosted by CJ ENM, will be held at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on Nov. 28-29. This is the first time a Korean award ceremony will be held at the Tokyo Dome, CJ ENM said Thursday. The MAMA Awards has been working toward the globalization of K-pop by hosting the event in various Asian countries in the past, including Macao, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Japan. This will the second time that the event is being held in Japan, which is the second biggest importer of K-pop. The annual

K-popSept. 21, 2023

BTS renews exclusive contract with Big Hit Music

All members of the K-pop sensation BTS have decided to renew their exclusive contract with Big Hit Music, according to a press release on Wednesday. This means that all members will continue making new music as a full unit after they each complete their mandatory military duties. “Our board of directors reached a conclusion over the renewal of the exclusive contract with the seven members of BTS,” Hybe said in the press release. This is the group’s second contract renewal with

K-popSept. 21, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Lisa logs 1b Spotify streams with ‘Money’

    Lisa of Blackpink garnered 1 billion plays with solo song “Money,” according to the music platform on Wednesday. It is the first song from a K-pop female musician to achieve the feat. “Money,” the B-side track from her first solo album “Lalisa,” is the most streamed song from a K-pop solo artist on the platform, as is the album for a K-pop solo album. The performance video for “Money” surpassed 900 million views on YouTube as of

K-popSept. 20, 2023

Seventeen to drop 'Seventeenth Heaven' on Oct. 23

Boy band Seventeen is set for a grand finale to a busy year with its 11th EP "Seventeenth Heaven," its agency announced Wednesday. Pledis Entertainment said the group's next release would be "Seventeenth Heaven" on Oct. 23. The agency unveiled a poster that showed a red festival wristband with Seventeen's name and the new album title written around it. "Seventeenth Heaven" will be the group's first release since its record-setting album "FML"

K-popSept. 20, 2023

BTS' V debuts on Billboard's Hot 100 at No. 51

BTS’ V continues to thrive with his first solo album “Layover.” “Slow Dancing,” the title track of V’s album “Layover,” landed at No. 51 on Billboard’s Hot 100 dated Sept. 23. This is V’s third debut on the respective chart after his single “Christmas Tree,” an original soundtrack of the Korean drama series “Our Beloved Summer,” landed at No. 79, and “Love Me Again,” one of the tracks from a previous

K-popSept. 20, 2023

Evnne aims for the bull's-eye with debut album 'Target: ME'

Jellyfish Entertainment’s new boy group made its grand debut on Tuesday with its first mini album “Target: ME.” Evnne consists of seven members who took part in Mnet’s idol survival program “Boys Planet” but failed to make it into the final debut team. Their experience in the competitive show has nurtured them into skilled K-pop artists capable of singing and rapping live while dancing, as shown with their performance of the fast-tempo debut title track &ldquo

K-popSept. 20, 2023

[Herald Interview] Singer-songwriter Yuju on 'Dalala,' liberation and staying true to herself

A member of once-famed girl group GFriend, singer-songwriter Yuju says one of her most liberating moments is when she strolls down the bustling streets of Gangnam, going unnoticed by anyone. With a cap over her head and mask covering the face, Yuju says she often goes on such night strolls in the glitzy neighborhood to get closer to the people and feel the energy. It was on one of those nights that her new song, "Dalala," was born, the singer recalled during an interview with local med

K-popSept. 20, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids gear up for return: report

Stray Kids are set to make a comeback in November, according to a local media report on Tuesday. Label JYP Entertainment acknowledged that the band is preparing an album but added that the date is yet to be determined. Its last album was third studio album “Five-Star," which was rolled out in June and notched the top spot on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the main albums chart for 13 weeks in a row. The LP rewrote the K-pop sales record for its first week, selling over 4.61 million

K-popSept. 19, 2023

[Herald Interview] R&B musician Sole is proud of how far she has come

For singer-songwriter Sole, the last year has been a transformative period, opening up new challenges that she wouldn't have taken on before. One big challenge was creating her album, "A Love Supreme," which consists of remakes of original songs by other artists. The album was released Monday. A self-made musician who built her career up from the bottom, Sole has always tried to keep moving forward since her debut in 2017. Last year, just when she felt she had achieved stability i

K-popSept. 19, 2023