BTS to release new 'Essential Edition' of album 'BE' in Feb.

K-pop dynamo BTS is set to drop a new edition of its hit album "BE" next month, the band's agency said Monday. The new edition, titled the "Essential Edition," will drop on Feb. 19, according to Big Hit Entertainment. BTS initially released the "Deluxe Version" of "BE" in November. The agency explained the new edition is a way for BTS to thank their fans for the historic milestones the group has achieved, such as topping the Billboard Hot 100 and getting

K-popJan. 25, 2021

BTS' 'Dynamite' hits 800m views on YouTube: agency

The music video for "Dynamite," the historic BTS song that topped the Billboard's main singles chart last year, has earned 800 million YouTube views, the band's agency said Sunday. YouTube views for "Dynamite" hit 800 million views at 12:26 p.m. on Sunday, becoming the septet's sixth music video to reach the milestone, according to Big Hit Entertainment. The feat came just a month after it earned 700 million views, it added. "Dynamite," an upbeat disco-pop track t

K-popJan. 24, 2021

[Eye Interview] Creating music as an act of virtue

From jazz club singer to YG Entertainment producer, and now a popular singer-songwriter in her own right, Sunwoo Jung-a used to make music for herself, but now she says she has other people in mind when writing songs. She made the latest step on this musical journey with the release of her single “In the Bed,” on Jan. 5, in which she sings about being thankful for living with someone you love. “Gazing at your bare feet while you’re sleeping, my heart gets all worked up

K-popJan. 23, 2021

2 K-pop agency execs fined for rigging votes on audition show

Two talent management agency executives have been sentenced to fines on charges of rigging votes on a popular K-pop audition program in which their trainees were competing, judicial sources said Friday. According to the sources, the Seoul Central District Court has slapped Kim Kwang-soo, the founder and chief production director of MBK Entertainment, with a fine of 10 million won ($9,090) on account of business obstruction. Another man surnamed Park, the CEO of Pocketdol Studio, which is a sub

K-popJan. 22, 2021

NCSoft to launch new K-pop platform next week

South Korean online gaming giant NCSOFT Corp. said Thursday that it will launch its K-pop fan platform globally next week. The platform, named Universe, will be simultaneously available on Google's Android and Apple's iOS devices on Jan. 28, NCSOFT said. Universe allows users to enjoy different K-pop content on mobile devices through the gaming firm's latest artificial intelligence (AI) technology. More than 4 million K-pop fans around the world have already pre-registered in 188 countries, N

K-popJan. 21, 2021

Rookie boy band TREASURE to drop first Japanese album in March

Rookie K-pop act TREASURE is set to release its first full album in Japan in March, officially debuting in the Asian country, its agency said Thursday. "The First Step: TREASURE Effect," set to drop on March 31, is a Japanese version of the band's debut full album and carries 13 tracks sung in Japanese, according to YG Entertainment. Apart from the 12 songs included in the Korean version of the album, it also includes "Beautiful," the band's first song sung only in Japanese

K-popJan. 21, 2021

EXO's Baekhyun to release 1st solo album in Japan this week

Baekhyun, the lead singer of K-pop boy group EXO, will release his first solo album in Japan this week, his agency said Tuesday. His first Japanese EP, titled "BAEKHYUN," is set to hit Japan on Wednesday, according to SM Entertainment. It is his first time to release a Japanese album as a solo artist since his debut in 2015. The main track of the love-themed album will be "Get You Alone," which was first performed during his first solo concert held on Jan. 3 and pre-releas

K-popJan. 19, 2021

Seven members, seven years: A look back and forward at GOT7’s career

Perhaps everyone knew the end was coming for boy band GOT7, with its seven-year contract with JYP Entertainment coming to a close in January. But some fans must have hoped the group would stand the test of time, given its steady performances in and out of the country and the members’ particular fondness for each other. JYP last week made it official that its deal with the septet will end Tuesday as scheduled, with none of the members renewing. “Although we are parting with GOT7 mem

K-popJan. 19, 2021

Hip-hop trio Epik High is here with message of hope

Sending a message of hope has always been the backbone of Epik High’s music career spanning over 17 years. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage, but the trio has never been so eager to reach out to and comfort listeners in this distressing time. “I’d once sworn that we wouldn’t release an album with two CDs anymore. But we couldn’t help but do it because there were so many stories we wanted to share,” said DJ Tukutz during the band’s self-hosted onl

K-popJan. 19, 2021

K-pop songstress IU to drop new single 'Celebrity' this month

K-pop soloist IU is set to release the new single "Celebrity" later this month ahead of releasing her long-awaited fifth studio album, her agency said Friday. The song, which Edam Entertainment described as an "upbeat pop sound track that IU will be experimenting with for the first time," will drop on Jan. 27. A teaser image for the upcoming single showed IU standing in between light green-colored doors, donning an elegant peach-colored gown and sparkly jewelry. "Cele

K-popJan. 15, 2021

BLACKPINK's Jennie gets 600m YouTube views with debut single 'Solo'

Jennie, the singer-rapper of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, has earned over 600 million views on YouTube with her 2018 hit song "Solo," her agency said Friday. The music video for her first solo single hit the milestone at around 5:19 a.m., some 26 months after its release in November 2018, according to YG Entertainment. With the feat, Jennie has become the first South Korean solo female artist to have a 600 million-view music video on the global video-sharing website. "Solo,"

K-popJan. 15, 2021

BTS wins 6 prizes at 2021 Gaon Chart Music Awards

Superstar BTS has swept the 2021 Gaon Chart Music Awards with six trophies for its successful albums and songs released last year. At the annual awards ceremony held virtually on Wednesday due to the new coronavirus pandemic, the K-pop act won three trophies in the "Artist of the Year - Digital Music" category and two in the "Artist of the Year - Physical Album" category. The awards are given to 12 digital songs that topped the chart each month and four physical albums that

K-popJan. 14, 2021

'Boy With Luv' becomes 2nd BTS music video to hit 1.1b views

"Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)" has become global megastar BTS' second music video to earn 1.1 billion views on YouTube, the band's agency said Wednesday. The music video, released in April 2019 as the lead track for album "Map of the Soul: Persona," reached the milestone at around 1:17 p.m., according to Big Hit Entertainment. The upbeat track featuring American singer-songwriter Halsey debuted at No. 8 on Billboard's main singles chart and stayed there for eight consecutive

K-popJan. 13, 2021

(G)I-dle burns down sadness, blooms with ‘Hwa’

Continuing to carve out its own niche, (G)I-dle has released a new single, “Hwa,” named for a Chinese character that can mean both “flower” and “fire.” The rhythmic moombahton number fronts the band’s fourth EP, “I Burn,” which follows debut EP “I Am” and later editions in the series “I Made” and “I Trust.” The self-produced “I Burn” credits all six members as either composers or lyricists, wi

K-popJan. 12, 2021

Treasure closes ‘First Step’ with first studio album ‘Treasure Effect’

Super rookie boy band Treasure is completing the last puzzle of the group’s first chapter with hopeful voices filling up their first studio album, “The First Step: Treasure Effect.” Ahead of dropping a new album on Monday, the 12-member act livestreamed a global press conference conducted online due to concerns of the COVID-19 situation in South Korea. Released in a depressive period of the coronavirus pandemic, the band explained the album is all about sending a hopeful me

K-popJan. 11, 2021

Rookie band TREASURE aims to spread positive vibes with debut full album

After selling 700,000 albums with just three singles and sweeping rookie prizes at year-end awards, TREASURE now aims to send out positive vibes to fans and listeners. The rookie band that debuted in August through a survival audition program by YG Entertainment, "YG Treasure Box," is set to drop its first full album "The First Step: Treasure Effect," a 12-track album fronted by lead track "My Treasure," late Monday. In a press conference livestreamed on YouTube,

K-popJan. 11, 2021

K-pop boy band GOT7 to leave JYP Entertainment: agency

Seven-piece boy band GOT7 will officially be leaving JYP Entertainment without renewing its contract, the agency announced Monday. "JYP held in-depth discussions with members of GOT7 ahead of their exclusive contract termination on Jan. 19. As a result, the two sides agreed not to proceed with a contract renewal, hoping for a new future," the entertainment agency said in a statement. JYP, led by K-pop guru and producer Park Jin-young, voiced gratitude to the band as well as its fan c

K-popJan. 11, 2021

TWICE's 'I Can't Stop Me' becomes group's fastest music video to hit 200 million YouTube views

"I Can't Stop Me" has become K-pop girl group TWICE's fastest music video to rack up 200 million views on YouTube, its management agency said Monday. The music video hit the milestone around 8:40 p.m. Sunday, some 77 days after its release in October, according to JYP Entertainment. The group's 2017 music video "Likey" held the previous record for the feat at 130 days. The video of "I Can't Stop Me," a retro-disco main track of the nine-member group's second full

K-popJan. 11, 2021

Seventeen kicks off 2021 US promotion before online concert

K-pop boy band Seventeen made an appearance on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” as the group prepares for their first concert of the new year. The 13 members of Seventeen became the fourth K-pop group to perform on the popular talk show following BTS, Blackpink and NCT. On Thursday, Seventeen performed their retro-swing title song “Home;Run” from their latest album “Semicolon.” The singers took the stage dressed up as the studio’s stagehands, p

K-popJan. 10, 2021

BTS' 'Map of the Soul: 7' tops physical album sales in US in 2020: report

The BTS album "Map of the Soul: 7," featuring hit tracks "On" and "Boy with Luv," has been tallied as the bestselling physical album in the United States last year. Physical album sales of the septet's fourth full album released in February reached 646,000 in the US, according to an annual year-end report compiled by MRC Data in collaboration with Billboard. The report encompasses US music consumption data between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 last year. The report also show

K-popJan. 8, 2021