‘Life Goes On’ with BTS, as they talk about holding on to hopes

A wave of hope continues with BTS, as the group returned with a highly-anticipated “BE” album that reaches out to those disheartened amid the pandemic. After dominating the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with its previous single “Dynamite,” the global pop sensation held a live-streamed press conference in Seoul on Friday ahead of the release of the new album. Strict disinfection measures took place at the entrance, while reporters were seated with extra distance. Excitem

K-popNov. 20, 2020

BTS returns with simple, strong truth that 'life goes on' in new album 'BE'

The year 2020 has been one of the most dismal years for many around the globe, jolting people to face a harsh new reality where the most mundane things in life have become a luxury. BTS, the K-pop act that has grown into one of the biggest pop groups in the world, is no exception. Carefully planned concerts were indefinitely postponed, and the band's seven members began to question what it means to be musicians when they can't perform in front of fans. The answer to that question is their late

K-popNov. 20, 2020

Defying pandemic, BTS set to drop much-anticipated album 'BE'

K-pop megastar BTS, which has emerged as one of the biggest pop groups in the world, on Friday released its new album, "BE," an intimate record of messages the septet wants to share with the world during the pandemic. The eight-track album, the band's fifth Korean-language studio album, kicks off with the lead track "Life Goes On" and ends with the chart-breaking single "Dynamite," which propelled BTS to become the first K-pop act to top the Billboard Hot 100. If

K-popNov. 20, 2020

BTS' agency Big Hit takes over rapper-producer Zico's agency

Big Hit Entertainment, the agency-label behind K-pop megastars BTS, on Wednesday announced its takeover of KOZ Entertainment. KOZ was launched in 2018 by the popular 28-year-old rapper and producer Zico, who has chart-topping hits like "Any Song." It represents Zico himself as well as Dvwn. Big Hit said the takeover is expected to help the agency-label diversify its business portfolio. "We are happy to join hands with Zico, who is a top-ranking producer and artist," BTS ch

K-popNov. 18, 2020

S.M.’s virtual hybrid girl group aespa makes grand debut

Aespa, a new girl group under S.M. Entertainment, made its highly-anticipated debut with “Black Mamba” on Tuesday. The four-piece band, consisting of Karina, Giselle, Winter and Ningning, unveiled the single via its YouTube and SM Town channels, opting out of any press event and leaning toward a rather online-oriented approach to showcase itself to the world. Inspired by the futuristic “avatar” theme, the group’s name comes from “avatar, experience and asp

K-popNov. 18, 2020

TXT debuts at No. 25 on Billboard 200 with latest EP

K-pop boy band Tomorrow X Together (TXT) ranked No. 25 on Billboard's main albums chart this week with its latest album. Released on Oct. 26, the five-track EP "Minisode1: Blue Hour" landed at 25th on the Billboard 200 chart refreshed Tuesday (US Time), a record high for the group. The US music tracker earlier said in its Twitter post that the band ranked at No. 26 on its main albums chart but confirmed the group's ranking to be a notch higher on its official chart. It is the firs

K-popNov. 18, 2020

BTS drops teaser video for upcoming song 'Life Goes On'

K-pop superstar BTS has unveiled a teaser music video for "Life Goes On," the lead track of its much-anticipated album "BE." The 26-second video, uploaded on its management agency's social media accounts on Wednesday, shows the septet smiling and contemplating in front of a camp fire. It then rotates to a scene where the septet is comfortably sitting around in pajamas. Like the band had hinted about its behind-the-scene production roles, the band's youngest member Jungkook

K-popNov. 18, 2020

Avatar idols take center stage

Large K-pop labels that have almost recovered from their pandemic losses thanks to strong album sales and successful virtual concerts are now turning their eyes to a more futuristic idea – avatar idols. Over the past month, Big Hit Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and YG Entertainment have made separate investments, worth a combined 17 billion won ($15.3 million), in Naver Z, the developer of the avatar app Zepeto. It is rare for the rival firms to have a stake in the same company. Nav

K-popNov. 17, 2020

TXT debuts at No. 26 on Billboard with latest mini album

The latest album by K-pop boy band Tomorrow X Together (TXT) ranked 26th on Billboard's main album chart this week. Released on Oct. 26, five-track EP "Minisode1: Blue Hour" debuted at No. 26 on the latest Billboard 200 chart, the US music tracker said in a Twitter post on Tuesday. The chart will be refreshed later in the day. This is the first time that the boy band entered the top 100 on Billboard 200. Its debut album, "The Dream Chapter: Star," released in March last yea

K-popNov. 17, 2020

BLACKPINK's 'Ice Cream' racks up 400m views on YouTube

K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's music video "Ice Cream" has topped 400 million views on YouTube, its management agency said Tuesday. The music video hit the milestone around 2 p.m. Monday, some 80 days after its release, according to YG Entertainment. It is the quartet's 10th music video that has surpassed the 400 million mark on the global video-sharing website. "Ice Cream," featuring Selena Gomez, is a bubblegum pop track off the band's latest album, titled "The Albu

K-popNov. 17, 2020

BTS' 'Dynamite' music video tops 600m YouTube views

The music video of "Dynamite," K-pop superstar BTS' latest single, has surpassed 600 million views on YouTube, its agency said Tuesday. The dance video reached the milestone Monday midnight, nearly three months after it was released on the video-sharing site on Aug. 21, according to Big Hit Entertainment. It is BTS' ninth video to have achieved the feat, following "DNA," "Boy With Luv," "Fake Love," "MIC Drop Remix," "Fire," "Blo

K-popNov. 17, 2020

BTS clinches four prizes at People's Choice Awards

K-pop superstars BTS has swept prizes from the People's Choice Awards 2020, the event's organizers said. The septet won the categories of the Group of 2020, Song of 2020, Music Video of 2020 and Album of 2020 at the annual ceremony, held online on Sunday (US time). Its Billboard-winning hit "Dynamite" helped the group earn No. 1 prizes in the best song and the best music video sections, while its fourth full-length album, "Map of the Soul: 7," released in February, was name

K-popNov. 16, 2020

Born-to-sing sibling duo AKMU keeps evolving in new single

AKMU, the ever-evolving sibling duo acclaimed for its witty and profound takes on love and life, is back with the new single "Happening." The single, set for release at 6 p.m. on Monday, is brother and songwriter Lee Chan-hyuk and sister Su-hyun's first song together since their landmark studio album "Sailing" that signaled a major step into adulthood. In a press release distributed by YG Entertainment, Chan-hyuk said the single is for "people who were hurt or have fea

K-popNov. 16, 2020

Why US music magazines are flocking to Seoul

US music publication Rolling Stone recently announced plans to launch a Korean-language edition this month with the aim of broadening its K-pop coverage. The iconic magazine, which has 11 international editions, will publish a bimonthly print edition in South Korea that features original content and on-the-ground reporting as well as syndicated articles. Rolling Stone is the latest US music publication seeking its niche in the globally expanding K-pop industry. Its bigger rival Billboard, wh

K-popNov. 16, 2020

IZ*ONE, Monsta X to join NCsoft's new K-pop platform

K-pop acts IZ*ONE and Monsta X are set to join game developer NCsoft's new fan platform aiming for launch early next year, the company said Friday. The platform, named Universe, will allow K-pop fans around the world to join fan communities and enjoy original content, according to KLAP, an NCsoft affiliate that is leading the project. The platform includes features like authorization of fan activities, such as buying albums and attending concerts. The company said it also plans to bring the ar

K-popNov. 13, 2020

BTS to headline Big Hit's year-end concert: agency

K-pop megastar BTS is set to appear in a year-end concert organized by its agency, Big Hit Entertainment, the agency-label announced Thursday. Big Hit Entertainment, which also runs a namesake label, said the seven-member act will be included in the lineup for the "2021 New Year's Eve Live presented by Weverse" gig. The concert is expected to be a rare treat for K-pop fans to see their favorite singers in person after a spate of in-person concerts were cancelled amid the new coronavi

K-popNov. 12, 2020

Seventeen's EP 'Semicolon' breaks 1 million in sales

Boy band Seventeen now has two million-selling albums after its latest EP, "Semicolon," breached the one-million sales mark, its agency said Thursday. "Semicolon" has sold more than 1.06 million copies since its release on Oct. 19, Pledis Entertainment said, citing data from Gaon music chart run by the Korea Music Content Association. "Semicolon," released four months after the album "Heng:garae," features six songs, fronted by the retro-swing lead track

K-popNov. 12, 2020

R&B singer-songwriter Crush joins army

South Korean R&B singer-songwriter Crush has joined the army to fulfill his mandatory military service, his agency said Thursday. The 28-year-old, whose real name is Shin Hyo-seob, has entered an army boot camp for basic military training, according to P Nation, the management agency led by K-pop star Psy. Crush is set to serve as a public service worker for roughly two years. In October, Crush released the star-studded EP "with HER," featuring K-pop artists, like Lee So-ra, Yoon

K-popNov. 12, 2020

BTS shares details of upcoming album 'BE'

K-pop megastars BTS on Wednesday unveiled the details of their much-anticipated album "BE," scheduled to be released later this month. An image posted on the band's agency Big Hit Entertainment's Twitter account showed a handwritten list of the eight songs that will be featured on the album set for release on Nov. 20. The simple image shows the main track "Life Goes On" as well as the titles for seven other songs -- including "Blue & Grey," "Skit",

K-popNov. 11, 2020

EXO's Kai to debut solo this month: agency

Kai, a member of K-pop boy band EXO, is set to release his first solo album in November, his agency said Wednesday. The six-track album titled "KAI (开)" is scheduled to be released on Nov. 30, SM Entertainment said, without elaborating on the main track and track list. KAI, who debuted in 2012 as the main dancer of EXO, has gained popularity for his dance skills and solid performance. He is also the main dancer of SuperM, a project group managed by SM Entertainment. Apart from his m

K-popNov. 11, 2020