Kim Ga-ram, a former member of rookie girl group Le Ssserafim, spoke out about the bullying rumors against her that eventually led to her departure from the band. Kim on Wednesday posted a letter on her friend’s Instagram account, explaining her side of the unsolved bullying controversy. The statement begins with an apology for coming forward so late. Kim continued, claiming that she has “never”...

K-pop girl group Blackpink is embarking on a massive world tour starting in October. The group’s label YG Entertainment released the first teaser poster for Blackpink’s world tour entitled “Born Pink” via its official social media on Tuesday. The image shows partial dates of the quartet’s upcoming concerts in 26 major cities around the world. Blackpink will kick off its tour in Seoul with a two...

“Aura” also features five other tracks that portray the band’s upgraded musical sound -- the title track “Aura,” “Knocking On My Door,” “3!6!5!,” “Purpose” and “Miracle.” Besides the album’s title track, Jangjun and Tag took part in the production process for most of the songs from lyrics-writing to composition and arrangement. When asked to explain the details of the act’s challenge to itself t...

“Although (fans in different countries) speak different languages, we were able to feel that we are all connected with loving hearts,” Sunwoo said. “Since the opportunity is not given to everyone, it has been a more meaningful experience for us.” The bandmates were pleased to hold the encore concert series at KSPO Dome, but the act has set a new goal of putting on a concert in a greater venue, a...

J-Hope of K-pop sensation BTS will make history as the first Korean musician to take the main stage at Lollapalooza, an annual four-day music festival held in Chicago’s Grand Park. He is scheduled to perform as the main headliner on Sunday (US time). This year’s Lollapalooza kicked off on Thursday at noon, with some 170 big-name artists set to perform on eight different stages. J-Hope will perfo...

Television network KBS2’s upcoming K-pop producer battle program “Listen-Up” is set to premiere on Saturday at 10:35 p.m., with a group of local music producers competing to make new songs that can take over the top charts on music streaming services. The program will feature 10 producer teams -- Ryan Jhun, Paloalto, JungKey, Peakboy, Kim Seung-soo, Pateko, Doko, Las, AB6IX‘s Lee Dae-hwi, BIG Na...

New K-pop girl group CSR made its debut on Wednesday with its first EP, “Sequence: 7272” under the label Pop Music. The seven-piece act – with members Sua, Geumhee, Sihyeon, Seoyeon, Yuna, Duna and Yeham -- is comprised of 17-year-old girls under the Korean age system. CSR is an abbreviation of “cheotsarang,” the group’s Korean name, which means “first love.” CSR held its debut media showcase i...

Boy group CIX will return next month with its fifth EP, “‘OK’ Episode 1: OK Not.” CIX‘s label, C9 Entertainment, on Wednesday announced the date and details of its August return by unveiling an image showing the band’s schedule via its official social media. The upcoming album marks the group‘s first release since its debut album “’OK‘ Prologue: Be OK,” released in August last year. Prior to th...

K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment has teamed up with Republic Records, an American music label owned by Universal Music Group, to launch a joint audition in search of a new global girl group. On Tuesday, the two labels announced the launch of “America2Korea,” a new global audition project that will scout for talent in the US and Canada. Kicking off on Sept. 10 in Atlanta, the A2K auditions wil...

Former figure skater Kim Yuna announced Monday that she will marry Ko Woo-rim, member of the quartet Forestella. According to Kim’s management firm, All That Sports, the two plan to tie the knot at the end of October in Seoul. “Kim Yuna and Ko Woo-rim met for the first time at the celebration performance of the 2018 All That Sports ice show, where Forestella performed. After dating for three ye...

Iconic K-pop group Girls’ Generation will make a long-awaited comeback next month in celebration of its 15th anniversary. On Monday, the band officially announced the date and details of its August comeback by unveiling a logo via official social media. The image shows that the group will release a seventh full-length album, “Forever 1,” on Aug. 8. The upcoming album will feature a total of 10 ...

At Wednesday’s event, P1Harmony also expressed its hope to deliver a message of respect for freedom and individuality through “Harmony: Zero In.” The EP is the first part of its new trilogy entitled “Harmony,” which is a follow-up to its previous three-part album series, “Disharmony,” that dropped between October 2020 and January this year. “After wrapping up the ‘Disharmony’ series, ‘Zero In’ m...

Kim Ga-ram of rookie girl group Le Sserafim has been dismissed from the band as her agency decided to terminate its exclusive contract with the artist, who had been embroiled in bullying allegations. The act’s management agency Hybe Labels on Wednesday released an official statement that read: “We extend our sincerest apologies to our fans and to those who have shown love and support to the grou...

Jennie of popular K-pop girl group Blackpink will make her acting debut in the upcoming HBO drama series “The Idol,“ according to her label YG Entertainment on Tuesday. Co-produced by Canadian singer Abel Tesfaye, better known by his stage name The Weeknd, Sam Levison and Reza Fahim, the series is set against the backdrop of the music industry in Los Angeles. The story revolves around a self-he...

The artist came up with the keyword “ice” for the new release after brainstorming what people want and need the most during the summer season, she explained. She wanted to come up with new music that people can enjoy, just like how one relaxes while sipping on iced drinks, she said. Hyolyn added that ice was an apt representation of her own personality, too. Just like how ice melts easily, unlik...