[Herald Interview] Queen of performance Lee Chaeyeon says dance is what defines her

K-pop performance queen Lee Chaeyeon wanted to show her true self in her first single album, “The Move: Street,” which will be released Wednesday. “After the success of my previous single, ‘Knock,’ I contemplated what to present next. I figured the public would love me the most if I showed my true self. In that sense, I put more emphasis on 'dance.' The message of the title track, 'Let’s Dance' is to enjoy the moment by dancing freely with

K-popSept. 6, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink tops iTunes chart in 30 regions with game OST

Blackpink landed atop the iTunes top songs chart in 30 regions with its theme song for a mobile game, according to label YG Entertainment on Tuesday. Single “The Girls” hit Spotify’s daily top songs chart at No. 45 as well. Jennie and Rose participated in writing the words and melody for the song that encourages listeners to live in independent and courageous way. The music video for the song generated over 21 million views on YouTube, although it only features three-dimension

K-popSept. 5, 2023

FNC to debut new boy group next year

FNC, the agency behind popular K-pop groups SF9 and P1Harmony, will launch a new boy group next year. The agency made the announcement Tuesday, heralding of a new idol group for the first time in almost four years since the 2020 debut of P1Harmony. "We're launching a new boy group to lead the next generation of K-pop. The band will be a seven-piece group consisting of members each boasting outstanding talents and unique charms," FNC said in its statement on Tuesday. FNC Entertainm

K-popSept. 5, 2023

Rookie group Boynextdoor hopes to mature with fans

Rookie group Boynextdoor hopes to flourish and grow with its fans, upon the release of its first EP "Why.." on Monday. "Whatever music we do, we hope to sing to empathize. That's why we aspire to attempt all possible genres through which we could voice different emotions. We hope to become a group that matures with our fans," Jaehyun said at a press conference on Monday. The next step of Boynextdoor's odyssey of growth began with the new album, "Why..," wh

K-popSept. 5, 2023

SM’s new boy group Riize ready to rise and shine

Riize, the first K-pop boy group that SM has launched in seven years, made its grand debut on Monday. The seven-member group was produced by SM Wizard Production, one of SM’s five production companies, that is in charge of the labels housing popular boy groups Super Junior and EXO. “We combined the words ‘rise’ and ‘realize’ to come up with the name of the group. It’s a team that realizes dreams through continuous development,” Lee Sang-min, direct

K-popSept. 5, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Ive to return with 1st EP in October

Ive will make a comeback with first EP “I’ve Mine” on Oct. 13, announced agency Starship Entertainment on Monday. The album will feature three focus tracks – “Either Way,” “Off The Record” and “Baddie.” The three songs will be rolled out one by one, starting with “Either Way” on Sept. 25, “Off The Record” on Oct. 6 and the last along with the full album. The EP comes about six months after its first full album &

K-popSept. 4, 2023

[Herald Review] Young K returns to stage with 'Letters with notes' after 2-year hiatus

Young K welcomed fall with his fans through his first standalone solo concert held at a university campus in Seoul. The concert venue was humble, but accentuated the romantic and youthful vibe that the artist was aiming to convey. Young K kicked off his solo concert with “waited,” one of the side tracks in his first full-length album “Letters with notes” which dropped on Monday. “The opening to today’s set list is also the first track in my new album. While wo

K-popSept. 4, 2023

Fifty Fifty's agency to launch new girl group next year

Attrakt, the company behind the beleaguered girl group Fifty Fifty, is gearing up to debut a new female team next year through an audition show. "Attrakt is kicking into a new project to nurture a new girl group. All the members of the group will be selected through an audition show, and the whole process will be made public," the company said in a statement, adding it aims to debut the group next year. While not much has been unveiled so far, Attrakt said the main point of its new aud

K-popSept. 4, 2023

Stray Kids ranks second in album sales in US

K-pop boy band Stray Kids has ranked second in the US in terms of album sales so far this year, the band's company, JYP Entertainment said Monday, citing Chart Data, one of the most credible music data sites online. Taylor Swift ranked in the number one position. Stray Kids' latest release, its third full-length album "5-Star," was the most-sold K-pop album this year, JYP Entertainment added. The group's EP, "Maxident," from last year also landed at the tenth s

K-popSept. 4, 2023

[Herald Interview] Young K of Day6 hopes to be an artist that people look forward to hearing more from

Singer-songwriter Young K hopes people to look forward to what he does next. “I love when people compliment me as a promising artist, or an artist to look forward to, because I wouldn’t be able to continuously present new songs without these people that wait for me,” Young K told The Korea Herald. Young K, who is also a member of K-pop boy band Day6, returned to the music scene with his first full-length solo album “Letters With Notes” on Monday, after a 2-year hiat

K-popSept. 4, 2023

Blackpink nominated in 6 categories, Tomorrow X Together in 4 at MTV VMA

South Korean girl group Blackpink has secured six nominations at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, alongside other K-pop bands that have also received nominations, according to the US TV station. According to a list of nominees announced by MTV on Friday US time, Blackpink was nominated for Best Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Choreography, Best K-pop, Group of the Year, and Show of the Summer. During last year's awards, the quartet made its debut performance as a K-pop girl band

K-popSept. 2, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jimin goes platinum in US with solo single in record time

  Jimin of BTS earned platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America with “Like Crazy,” label Big Hit Music said Friday. “Like Crazy” is the only solo single from a K-pop musician to surpass 1 million unit sales in the US this year and hit the milestone in record time for a K-pop solo act at 155 days. It fronted his first solo album “Face” that notched No. 2 spot on Billboard 200 while the lead single landed atop Billboard&rsquo

K-popSept. 1, 2023

BTS' RM denies Islamophobia, says he won't apologize

BTS' rapper and leader RM addressed the issue of Islamophobia building up around him, denying any intention to insult the religion and stating he has no reasons to apologize. The controversy was sparked in August, when RM shared American singer Frank Ocean's "Bad Religion" on his Instagram story. The 2012 song talks about loving without the restraint of religion, but some parts were interpreted by listeners as Islamophobic. Online anger mounted over the next days, with many t

K-popSept. 1, 2023

Exo's D.O. to drop new solo album on Sept. 18

Exo member D.O. is dropping a new solo album, "Anticipation," on Sept. 18. His agency SM Entertainment on Friday made the announcement, heralding D.O.'s comeback as a solo musician after over two years. D.O., whose real name is Do Kyung-soo, debuted solo in July 2021 with his first solo album, "Empathy." With the eight-track EP, D.O. was a smash success, landing atop the iTunes top album chart in 60 countries. According to SM, "Anticipation" will be a seven-tra

K-popSept. 1, 2023

Evergreen Group Holdings to invest $7.5m in Fifty Fifty’s agency Attrakt

Singapore-based Evergreen Group Holdings announced Thursday that it will invest around 10 billion won ($7.5 million) in the K-pop entertainment agency Attrakt to help foster the agency’s vision in the K-pop industry. Evergreen Group Holdings is an enterprise which develops a multi-diversified range of businesses from timber to finance, run by CEO David Yong. David Yong is also a K-pop singer in Korea, having debuted with the single “In My Pocket” last year. “We are happy

K-popAug. 31, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen joins force with New Kids on the Block

      Seventeen will be featured in upcoming music from 1990s sensation New Kids On The Block, according to agency Pledis Entertainment on Thursday. The American quintet has been dropping hints on its social media channel since last week, and tweeted “NKOTB Seventeen” on the day along with the date: Sept. 1. Seventeen reposted the iconic boy band’s “17” post, setting fans abuzz with expectations. Meanwhile, the 13-member act will tour Japan star

K-popAug. 31, 2023

SM's rookie singer apologizes for past dating pictures

SM Entertainment's upcoming rookie boy band Riize's member Seunghan released an apology after photos of him with a presumed former dating partner went viral online. The apology comes a few days after the release online of several pictures showing Seunghan kissing a woman -- including one where they are on a bed. The pictures spread fast, shocking fans, especially as Riize is about to make its long awaited debut on Sept. 4. Riize is the first boy band to debut with SM Entertainment in s

K-popAug. 31, 2023

H1-KEY continues to dream in Seoul, city of opportunities

H1-KEY is back and ready to move people’s hearts with its second mini album “Seoul Dreaming,” filled with songs that sing of hope. “Our second EP is for people who have a dream. We hope to spread hope and comfort through this album,” said Seoi of H1-KEY during a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday. The new album is led by two title tracks: “Seoul (Such a Beautiful City)” and “Time to Shine.” H1-KEY once again paired up with the renowned mu

K-popAug. 31, 2023

[Herald Interview] Baekho starts digital single project with 'Elevator' remake

Baekho on Thursday unveiled a new single, "Elevator," marking the start to a new musical journey. “Elevator” is a remake of the eponymous 1995 hit by singer-producer J.Y. Park. With its risque lyrics singing about making love in the elevator and spicy performances with female dancers onstage, the song became an instant sensation back in its day. In opening up a new chapter of his career, Baekho picked this song same in age with him. "The feeling I had when I first hear

K-popAug. 31, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids’ Hyunjin teams up with Troye Sivan

Hyunjin of Stray Kids collaborated with Troye Sivan for a remix of the Australian singer’s recent single. Sivan made a comeback with “Rush” last month and posted a snippet on TikTok, hinting that an upcoming rework of the song will feature the idol as well as English singer-songwriter and producer PinkPantheress. Hyunjin and Sivan met at a fashion show hosted by Versace in Cannes, France in May. Sivan has professed his affection for the performer since then, writing and postin

K-popAug. 30, 2023