First solo album by BLACKPINK's Rose hits more than half million preorders

The first solo album of Rose, K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's main vocalist, has scored over 500,000 global preorders, a record number for a K-pop female singer, the singer's management agency said Tuesday. The album, titled "R," has sold a combined 505,000 units since its online release last Friday, including 404,318 units in CD and 49,058 in KiT, a type of physical album used for digital streaming, according to YG Entertainment. This marks the biggest presales for an album by a K-pop

K-popMarch 16, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] BTS snaps up record 8 trophies in Japan

BTS collected eight trophies from a major Japanese music awards show, setting a record for a foreign artist. 　 According to the announcement from the 35th Japan Gold Disc Award Monday, the band was the winner in eight categories: best artist (Asia), album of the year (Asia), best three album (Asia, for two), best music videos (Asia), and song of the year by download (Asia) as well as the new awards best song of the year by streaming (Asia) and best five songs by streaming (Asia). 　 The group

K-popMarch 15, 2021

Even without a Grammy, BTS goes on

South Korean boy band BTS left the Grammys without an award in hand on Sunday, Los Angeles time, but still the journey goes on. BTS was nominated in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category at the 63rd Grammy Awards for its megahit single “Dynamite.” This year’s ceremony took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center without a live audience. The group vied against four other nominees, and “Rain on Me” by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande grabbed the final prize. Th

K-popMarch 15, 2021

BLACKPINK's 'How You Like That' racks up 800m views

The South Korean all-female band BLACKPINK's music video "How You Like That" has garnered 800 million views on YouTube in what its agency said was reached in the shortest time for a female K-pop act. The quartet's music video of the hit song reached the milestone at 9:58 p.m. a day earlier, roughly 260 days after it was released on June 26, according to YG Entertainment. The agency said the band set the record about two months earlier than "Ddu-du Ddu-du," another of its hi

K-popMarch 14, 2021

Rose of BLACKPINK sweeps iTunes charts in 51 nations with latest single

Rose of K-pop girl band BLACKPINK has dominated iTunes charts in 51 countries, with her latest solo song, her agency said Saturday. According to YG Entertainment, the song, "On The Ground," from her first solo album "R," topped iTunes Top Songs charts in countries that included the United States, France and Thailand. The English song has also landed on top spots in multiple local music streaming charts. The song's music video has garnered more than 36 million views on You

K-popMarch 13, 2021

SHINee to hold first online concert next month

K-pop boy band SHINee will hold its first-ever online concert next month after coming back from a two-year hiatus, the group's management agency said Saturday. The concert, titled "Beyond LIVE - SHINee: SHINee World," will be livestreamed on April 4 on V Live, a streaming platform of the country's leading internet portal operator, Naver, SM Entertainment said.  It will be the four-member group's first solo concert since a February 2018 performance in Japan. They will showcase

K-popMarch 13, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Shinee to hold 1st online concert

Shinee is hosting an online concert on April 4, a first digital concert for the band.  Under the title “Shinee World,” the four-piece act will take to the stage and the paid concert will be livestreamed via Naver’s Beyond Live channel. This is not only the first online gig for the band but also the first standalone concert in over three years since its “Shinee World The Best 2018 ~ From Now On ~” held in Japan.  The ticket goes on sale from March 18.&

K-popMarch 12, 2021

Rose begins next phase of career “On the Ground”

Though her music career has reached dizzying heights, Rose confesses in her new solo single that she’s found the most important things in life on the ground. Breaking out on her own for the first time since she made her debut five years ago, the Blackpink vocalist dropped her first solo EP, “R,” Friday afternoon. With a title that signifies her new start as a soloist, as well as the first letter of the artist’s name, “R” consists of two tracks: “On the

K-popMarch 12, 2021

BTS' 'Map of the Soul: 7' tops worldwide album sales in 2020

K-pop superstar BTS swept the top two spots on a worldwide album sales chart last year, according to an organization representing the global recording industry. The International Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said Thursday (US time) that "Map of the Soul: 7" ranked No. 1 and "BE" No. 2 on the 2020 Global Album Sales Chart. The albums were released in February and November of last year, respectively. "Map of the Soul: 7 - The Journey," another album th

K-popMarch 12, 2021

[Graphic News] BTS most tweeted about musician in US in 2020

　K-pop sensation BTS was the most tweeted about musician in the United States last year, the band’s agency said. 　In a recent survey by Twitter, BTS topped the list of 2020 most tweeted about musicians in the US, followed by Kanye West, Beyonce and Drake, according to Big Hit Entertainment. 　Other South Korean bands, Ateez, NCT and EXO, also made the top 10, along with Megan Thee Stallion, Harry Styles and Bad Bunny. 　BTS made a splash in the US music scene last year as its first E

K-popMarch 12, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] NCT 127 tops more Oricon chart

NCT 127 rose to the top of Oricon monthly chart with its second Japanese EP, said its management company SM Entertainment Thursday. The band’s “Loveholic” was rolled out in February and was given a “Gold Disc” endorsement that is awarded to albums that sold more than 100,000 units.  The EP landed at the top of Oricon’s daily albums chart and topped its weekly album charts as well as Billboard Japan’s weekly top album sales chart, LINE Music&rsqu

K-popMarch 11, 2021

Will BTS see a stellar finale at Grammy?

With the 63rd Grammy Awards finally taking place Saturday, pushed back from January due to the COVID-19 pandemic, anticipation on whether K-pop sensation BTS will grab a final win at the award show is rising high. Nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the megahit single “Dynamite,” the boy band is the first Korean act to grab a nod at the Grammys, considered the world’s most coveted music awards. The group will also be performing at the ceremony along with 21 other

K-popMarch 11, 2021

Project girl group IZ*ONE to disband next month

IZ*ONE, a project girl group that debuted through a reality audition TV show, will disband next month as planned. "IZ*ONE's project will wrap up in April as planned," said music channel Mnet that had aired the series as well as the act's management agencies. Swing Entertainment and Off the Record said they had discussed other possibilities with the management agencies of the 12 members, promising to continue to support the members in their careers. With the disbandment, the Korean-J

K-popMarch 11, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Treasure’s pre-debut release already hot in Japan

   Treasure is slated to officially debut in Japan on March 31, but the group is already proving to be popular. 　 The boy band dropped Japanese versions of four songs -– “Boy,” “I Love You,” “Mmm” and “My Treasure” –- early Wednesday ahead of its debut and “Boy” landed at the top of LINE Music’s real-time chart. “My Treasure,” “I Love You” and “Mmm” made the list as well,

K-popMarch 10, 2021

How girl group Brave Girls' 2017 song went viral in 2021 thanks to 'Millboard,' YouTube

In today's world where social media is omnipresent, random things that fascinate people -- think viral cat videos, TikTok dance challenges, political conspiracies -- tend to go viral with the smallest triggers. For one K-pop girl group, this happened in an unexpected yet dramatic way. Brave Girls, a once-forgotten name in the competitive industry where so many acts come and go quickly, saw its 2017 song "Rollin'" soar to No. 1 on domestic music streaming charts -- four years after its

K-popMarch 10, 2021

BTS megahit 'Dynamite' gets 900 mln views on YouTube

"Dynamite," the historic megahit that was the first song by a Korean act to reach No. 1 on Billboard's main singles chart, has earned 900 million views on YouTube. YouTube views for the summer number's music video surpassed the milestone at 9:56 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the band's management agency Big Hit Entertainment. The feat comes just 40 days after the music video hit 800 million views on the video platform. Released in August, the all-English upbeat song debuted at No.

K-popMarch 10, 2021

Police question TVXQ's U-Know Yunho for allegedly violating social distancing rules

Police said Tuesday they questioned TVXQ's U-Know Yunho for allegedly violating the nighttime curfew designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus.    The singer, whose legal name is Jung Yun-ho, is suspected of staying at a restaurant in southern Seoul after 10 p.m., according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police.    Under the current social distancing rule that took effect on Feb. 15, all restaurants and coffee shops in the greater Seoul area must close at 10 p.m.  &nb

K-popMarch 9, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] NU’EST to return with 2nd LP

NU’EST will come out with the group’s seventh studio album, according to local media on Tuesday.   　 It will celebrate the ninth anniversary of its debut next week and announced that it will return with new music. It has been seven years since it released its first full-length album “Re:BIRTH” and about a year since the eighth EP “Nocturne.”   　 Baekho will show novel sounds, taking the lead in producing the album while the rest of the bandmates

K-popMarch 9, 2021

Preorders for BLACKPINK member Rose's debut solo album tops 400,000

K-pop girl group BLACKPINK member Rose's upcoming solo album has sold 400,000 units in global preorders, the singer's management agency said Tuesday. The number comes in just four days since the company started taking preorders, according to YG Entertainment. It claimed that the figure is a record for a K-pop solo female act. Rose, known as the four-piece act's main vocalist, is set to release her first-ever solo material on Friday. The album is titled "R," after the singer's initial

K-popMarch 9, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Twice to release 8th Japanese single

Twice surprised fans with a clip that announced that it will unveil its eighth Japanese single in May. 　 At the end of its online live show “Twice in Wonderland” that was broadcast on Saturday, Nayeon said: “The concert may be over and we look forward to meeting you again. We’ll drop a huge spoiler.” Then the band sent their audience abuzz at the end with the snippet that said it will come out with new single named “Kura Kura” on May 12. 　 Head produ

K-popMarch 8, 2021