Articles by Choi Ji-won
Choi Ji-won
jwc@heraldcorp.com-
10-piece Xikers debuts, hopes to become rookie band of the year
Rookie boy band Xikers is throwing its hat into the ring on Thursday with its debut EP, "House of Tricky: Doorbell Ringing." A 10-piece band debuting with KQ Entertainment, Xikers has garnered huge excitement ahead of its official kick-off as the brother group of Ateez, KQ's first boy band that has made it into the topmost tiers of the highly competitive K-pop hierarchy. Thanks to the spotlight shared by Ateez, Xikers has already been on some big stages, including KCON 2023 in Tha
K-pop March 30, 2023
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Mamamoo+ opens new chapter with first single 'Act 1, Scene 1'
Mamamoo+, the subunit of the K-pop girl group Mamamoo, returned on Wednesday with its first single "Act 1, Scene 1." Consisting of members Solar and Moonbyul, Mamamoo+ invites listeners to a new chapter with the single. The duet's latest release comes seven months after its digital single "Better." Fronting the three-track collection is "GGBB," also titled "Good Girl Bad Boy," an upbeat and groovy dance-pop tune that unpacks the dynamic charms of the
K-pop March 29, 2023
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From feather to wing, BamBam follows his growth in 'Sour & Sweet'
K-pop musician BamBam said he felt like a small feather when he first moved to South Korea from Thailand over 10 years ago. Taking listeners back to that moment, the singer starts his first full-length album "Sour & Sweet" with the song "Feather." "It conveys the emotions that I'd felt when I first came to Korea. I still remember the feelings I got when I arrived at Incheon International Airport. I didn't know anything and felt like a small feather. 'F
K-pop March 28, 2023
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BTS' Jimin tops Spotify, enters Hot 100 with solo album
K-pop sensation BTS' member Jimin has made a good start on the global music charts with his first solo album "Face." BTS' agency Big Hit Music on Tuesday announced the album's title track "Like Crazy" topped the world's biggest music streaming platform Spotify's daily top song global chart on Sunday. Following the album's release on Friday, the titular track had entered the Spotify chart at No. 2 with 6,634,838 streams on its first day. Three day
K-pop March 28, 2023
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NewJeans' agency to debut a boy band
Ador, the label behind the sensational rookie girl group NewJeans, said it is now creating a boy band. The label on Tuesday announced it is launching a global audition process called, "2023 Ador Global Audition - The Real Hype Boys," in search of members for the upcoming boy band. According to the announcement, men born from the years 2004 to 2012 can apply either individually or as a team. While most other K-pop label auditions have evaluated applicants largely according to their asse
K-pop March 28, 2023
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[Herald Review] TXT unfolds a sweet mirage of youth with world tour
The shimmer of youth fades ever so fast that, even when standing at its center, we often feel overwhelmed by the fear that it might slip through our fingers in no time. Perhaps now is that shining moment for the five members of boy band Tomorrow X Together, also called TXT for short. “Our spring began and our youth bloomed on March 4, when Tomorrow X Together met Moa,” Soobin, the leader of the quintet, said on Sunday during the act‘s concert. Moa is the collective name for TXT
K-pop March 27, 2023
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[Herald Interview] 14-month world tour gifts Ateez with confidence, teamwork
Returning to their home ground after more than a year of touring the world, the members of Ateez seemed to be glowing with energy. The eight members -- Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho -- sat down with local journalists at a cafe in Seoul on Wednesday to speak about their two consecutive series of concerts around the globe and share their anticipation for the remaining year. From January to July 2022, Ateez conducted its first world tour after the start of the
K-pop March 23, 2023
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Twice's Chaeyoung apologizes for wearing T-shirt with swastika
Twice's Chaeyoung on Wednesday apologized for wearing a T-shirt with a swastika logo. In a statement posted on her Instagram, Chaeyoung apologized and explained she was not aware of the logo. "I sincerely apologize regarding the Instagram post. I didn't correctly recognize the meaning of the tilted swastika in the T-shirt I wore," Chaeyoung said in the post written in both Korean and English. She continued: "I deeply apologize for not thoroughly reviewing it, causing con
K-pop March 22, 2023
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Bol4 to release new album, hold concerts in Seoul, Taiwan in April
Singer-songwriter Bol4, better known locally by her full name Bolbbalgan4, is gearing up for an April comeback and live concerts. The singer's agency Shofar Entertainment on Tuesday released a comeback poster on Bol4's social media. The poster reveals that Bol4 will release a new album on April 16 and hold concerts at the Olympic Hall in Jamil, Seoul, on April 29-30. Ahead of her official comeback with the new album, Bol4 is set to greet her Taiwanese fans first. According to the pos
K-pop March 21, 2023
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Bobby's 1st solo single 'S.i.R' marks start of year-long series
Boy band iKON's member Bobby is setting off on a new chapter of his music career with his new single "S.i.R" on Tuesday. As the first single he is releasing as a soloist musician, 'S.i.R" marks the rapper-producer's return after two years and three months since he last dropped his second full-length album "Lucky Man" in 2021. A renowned member of the six-piece group, Bobby is putting out two new songs with the new single. He took part in writing these two
K-pop March 21, 2023
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Blackpink's Jisoo ready to bloom with solo 'Flower'
Blackpink's Jisoo is set to launch her solo career with her new song "Flower." YG Entertainment on Monday unveiled the title of Jisoo's first solo song and released the track's title poster. The poster shows Jisoo lying over what appear to be red flower petals as they wrap around the singer. Dressed in jet-black, Jisoo gazes flirtatiously into the camera. "Flower" is the main track of Jisoo's upcoming debut solo album "Me." The song is set to be
K-pop March 20, 2023
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[Photo News] Stars dazzle Seoul Fashion Week
Stars took the spotlight on the third day of Seoul Fashion Week on Friday as the event continued its five-day run at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul. Seoul Fashion Week, one of the nation's biggest fashion events held biannually by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, on Wednesday kicked off its 22nd edition presenting 2023 fall-winter collections from established and aspiring designers. The event runs for five days until Sunday. Celebrities and fashionistas flocked to the show dail
Arts & Design March 18, 2023
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BTS' Jimin to pre-release hip-hop song 'Set Me Free Pt. 2'
Jimin of BTS will drop a pre-release song "Set Me Free Pt. 2" from his first solo album "Face" on Friday. Jimin is set to make his official solo debut with his EP "Face" on March 24, and the pre-release single is the first song unveiled from the forthcoming album. According to BTS' agency Big Hit Music, "Face" tells the 27-year-old's story as he confronted himself to embark on a new journey as a solo musician. It depicts the various emotions that the artis
K-pop March 17, 2023
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Top artists set for solo debut, comeback
Groups can break out big, but for some, the individual members, even bigger when fans have waited a long time to see them come out as independent artists. The coming weeks are set to welcome some big names as make their solo debut and comebacks. The most-anticipated among the names are Jimin of BTS who is set to make an official start as a solo artist. Jimin will drop his solo debut album "Face" on March 24. Led by synth pop score "Like Crazy," the album will tell his story a
K-pop March 16, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Kim Jae-hyung cherishes love with 'One Second'
In singer-songwriter Kim Jae-hyung's latest single "One Second," there is no mention of the word "second" in either Korean or English. The song itself is an embodiment of that one second we wish to spend more with those who we love, that one second which feels like forever as our senses are numbed and our mind, overwhelmed by happiness. It is this metaphor that mainly defines the alternative folk singer's music. "One second feels different according to situatio
K-pop March 16, 2023
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