[Today’s K-pop] Illit amasses 400m Spotify streams with ‘Magnetic’ in record time

Illit generated 400 million streams on Spotify with its debut song “Magnetic,” agency Belift Lab said Thursday citing the platform. The rookie group achieved the feat in 176 days, the shortest time for a debut single from a K-pop band. Illit has already set Spotify records for a K-pop girl group when reaching the 100, 200 and 300 million play milestones. “Magnetic” fronted the group's first EP “Super Real Me” and swept music charts at home and abroad, m

K-popSept. 19, 2024

BTS, NewJeans fandoms clash over Hybe-Min Hee-jin conflict

The conflict between Hybe and former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin appears to be escalating into a broader dispute between the fandoms of BTS and NewJeans, as BTS's fanbase, Army, raises its voice in opposing Min's potential return. A group identifying itself as part of the BTS Army community released a statement on X Monday, expressing its unified stance against Min’s return as the CEO of Ador, a subsidiary of Hybe. The group made clear that it opposes her reinstatement in a leadership r

K-popSept. 18, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids Hyunjin becomes face of Cartier

Hyunjin of Stray Kids has been chosen as brand ambassador for jeweler Cartier. He graced the cover of men’s magazine Esquire Korea’s October issue, draped in the accessories from the French jewelry house, which had previously appointed Jisoo of Blackpink and V of BTS to represent its campaigns. The dancer and rapper has shown affinity for Cartier, wearing its jewelry on a number of occasions and attending an event hosted by the jeweler. The news set the idol’s fans abuzz, cel

K-popSept. 13, 2024

Former Ador CEO files injunction to remain as director after her current term

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-popSept. 13, 2024

Pledis Entertainment partners with Jeju Island to produce ‘K-Pop Jeju Content’

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

TravelSept. 13, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen’s Jeonghan to enlist late this month

Jeonghan of Seventeen will begin serving his mandatory military duty on Sept. 26, his agency Pledis Entertainment announced Thursday. He will be the first member of the 13-piece act to enlist. He will serve as an alternative social agent, as he had ankle surgery about nine months ago. He, at 29, is one of the three oldest members along with S.Coups and Joshua, but S.Coups was exempted from the duty after knee surgery and Joshua is a US citizen. As previously notified, he will be absent from prom

K-popSept. 12, 2024

Blackpink's Lisa wins second Best K-pop award at MTV VMAs

Lisa of Blackpink, who is also a solo artist, won the Best K-Pop award at the MTV Video Music Awards for the second time. The ceremony took place Wednesday at the UBS Arena in New York City. Lisa clinched the Best K-Pop award with her song "Rockstar," surpassing strong contenders like BTS Jungkook's "Seven," NCT Dream's "Smoothie," NewJeans' "Super Shy," Stray Kids' "Lock” and Tomorrow X Together's "Deja Vu." &

K-popSept. 12, 2024

Is NewJeans leaving Hybe?

K-pop group NewJeans has issued an ultimatum against Hybe, demanding the reinstatement of Min Hee-jin as CEO of Ador, by the deadline of Sept. 25. The request was announced during a livestream they held on YouTube Wednesday evening, the post about which was subsequently deleted from X, formerly Twitter. “What we want is for Ador to be restored to its original state with Min Hee-jin as the CEO, where management and producing are integrated. Restore Ador to its original state by Sept. 25,&rd

K-popSept. 12, 2024

Multiethnic Katseye begins Asia promo tour dreaming of inspiring girls everywhere

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-popSept. 11, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] BTS one of ‘greatest pop stars in 21st century’: Billboard

BTS was named as one of the “greatest pop stars of the 21st century” by Billboard magazine. In an article published on Tuesday in the US, the band ranked No. 19 on the list of 25. It described the superband as “the septet that took K-pop to new global heights, and set the standard for high-level hitmaking and fan devotion,” and looked back at how it “crashed through every door of what it takes to be a successful pop act and expanded that with a scope never quite see

K-popSept. 11, 2024

Rising tide of deepfake pornography targets K-pop stars

Major K-pop agencies such as JYP Entertainment, YG Entertainment and Cube Entertainment have declared war on deepfake visual content created using images of their K-pop artists. This comes at a time when deepfake crimes have attracted renewed attention in South Korea, after the revelation of online rooms in which users shared AI-generated pornographic videos of local women and acquaintances. It is becoming more and more common for K-pop singers to fall victim to deepfake pornography, according t

K-popSept. 11, 2024

True to its name, Boynextdoor presents cheeky, relatable teen stories

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-popSept. 11, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Le Sserafim cracks Billboard’s Hot 100

Le Sserafim’s newly released song “Crazy” ranked No. 76 on Billboard’s Hot 100, said agency Source Music Tuesday citing the publication. This is the second time the group made the main songs chart, after “Easy” which entered it at No. 99 in March. Le Sserafim is one of only two K-pop girl groups to make the chart this year -- along with Illit. “Crazy” is the lead single from the group's fourth EP of the same title, which debuted at No. 7 on Bi

K-popSept. 10, 2024

K-pop music awards: Who truly benefits?

K-pop idols are increasingly succumbing to illness and exhaustion as they face the relentless pressure of participating in a growing number of music awards, where the demands for performances, rehearsals and public appearances are higher than ever. As the competitive nature of the industry pushes them constantly to excel and maintain a flawless image, many artists are experiencing the physical and mental toll of this grueling schedule, raising serious concerns about their long-term health and th

K-popSept. 10, 2024

Yungin, Grammy-winning audio engineer, releases debut album 'Did You Know? Part 1'

Yungin, a Korean-American audio engineer boasting three Grammy Awards, made his music producer debut Tuesday with the launch of his first full-length album, "Did You Know? Part 1.” The album is a landmark project featuring a roster of prominent Korean hip-hop artists including Jay Park, Jessi, Camo, Lil Cherry, Changmo, Paul Blanco, Since, Sokodomo, BM, Bobby, Loopy, Dok2 and Koala, according to All Up In The Mix Korea, the agency representing Yungin. “Since the release of '

K-popSept. 10, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Le Sserafim hits Billboard 200 at No. 7 with EP No. 4

Le Sserafim entered Billboard 200 at No. 7 with fourth EP “Crazy,” according to the publication’s chart preview. It is the group’s third consecutive album to claim a top 10 place on the main albums chart, following first LP “Unforgiven” and third EP “Easy.” The titular track from the latest mini album generated 3.36 million streams on Spotify, ranking No. 83 on the platform’s Weekly Top Songs US chart, raising expectations for it to debut on

K-popSept. 9, 2024

Source Music to hold auditions in 15 cities worldwide

Source Music, the agency behind popular K-pop girl group Le Sserafim, has launched a global audition in search of its next girl group members. The 2024 Source Music Global Audition, which kicked off Sept. 9, is open to any female born after 2006. Applicants can audition in various categories, including vocals, rap, dance, acting, songwriting and more. Online applications will be accepted from Sept. 9 to 22 via the official website. Successful applicants from the first round will be invited to of

K-popSept. 9, 2024