Articles by Choi Ji-won
Choi Ji-won
jwc@heraldcorp.com-
Stray Kids to release new album 'Rock-Star' on Nov. 10
K-pop's powerhouse band Stray Kids are set to return with a new album next month, JYP Entertainment said Friday. The eight-piece boy group will drop its new album, "樂-Star (Rock-Star)," on Nov. 10, the band's agency announced Friday. The agency also released a prologue video on the group's official social media platforms. "樂," pronounced "rock" in Korean, is a Chinese letter that could mean both joy and music. The new album will mark the group's
K-pop Oct. 6, 2023
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Fan meeting offers 'Break Time' for 'Dream Academy' trainees on their way to debut
The 18 trainees vying to be part of the group who debuts with Hybe and Geffen's joint girl group project held their first gathering with fans in Seoul on Wednesday. Hybe and Geffen's joint girl group project, "The Debut: Dream Academy," held its first fan gathering in Seoul on Wednesday and came face-to-face with their fans for the first time. The 18 trainees of the project, "Dream Academy" in short, took the stage at the event held at a local theater in Gangnam, Se
K-pop Oct. 4, 2023
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Blackpink's Jennie to drop new solo single on Oct. 6
Blackpink's Jennie is making a solo comeback. YG Entertainment, the quartet's agency, on Wednesday announced the singer was dropping a new solo single, "You & Me," on Oct. 6. The song will be only the second solo outing for the singer with the first release being 2018 single "Solo." According to YG, "You & Me" will come out at 1 p.m. on Oct. 6. It will be a long-awaited official release of the song which Jennie had performed onstage during the group's recent
K-pop Oct. 4, 2023
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BTS' Jungkook to extend solo parade with 1st album 'Golden'
Jungkook of K-pop sensation BTS will release his first solo album, "Golden," next month, the next step in his journey as a solo artist. BTS' agency Big Hit Music on Wednesday announced that the album will drop at 1 p.m. on Nov. 3. "'Golden' is an album inspired from solo artist Jungkook's golden moment," the firm said in its statement, adding, "Jungkook will manifest his identity and colors candidly through the album." The upcoming album will be an 11-track collecti
K-pop Oct. 4, 2023
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Where is Blackpink headed?
Will Blackpink continue or will the group disband? Are the members moving to a different label or will they go independent? Rumors have been swirling as K-pop's biggest girl group and its agency, YG Entertainment, remain silent on the future, despite their seven-year contract having apparently reached the end of its term in August. On Tuesday, it was reported Jennie and Jisoo had established their own independent labels, though YG Entertainment denied to confirm the reports. "Nothing has be
K-pop Oct. 1, 2023
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XG storms back with 'New DNA'
Japanese K-pop band XG returned to the music scene on Wednesday with its first EP "New DNA." The latest release by the seven-piece girl group comes nine months after the launch of the third single "Shooting Star" in January. "New DNA" is a six-track package expanding on XG's sonic scape, weaving through multiple new genres the likes of UK Drill and Jersey Club to the group's essential hip-hop and R&B sound. The album is led by the title song "Puppet Show&qu
K-pop Sept. 27, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Forever is not impossible: Oneus aspires to global reach with 'La Dolce Vita'
Every Oneus album is a well-made package of music, story, artistry and performance. With its latest EP, "La Dolce Vita" released on Tuesday, the group once again takes listeners on an adventure of new wonders. In "La Dolce Vita," the quintet plunges into the depths of the ocean, like mermaids dancing with loved ones at night. The Latin pop texture of the album's title song "Baila Conmigo" was the first inspiration to the mermaid story, according to the members
K-pop Sept. 26, 2023
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Will Kep1er disband? Project group eyes extension with 'Magic Hour'
Halfway through its 2 1/2-year stint, project girl group Kep1er voiced hopes it can keep on going through its new album "Magic Hour." Formed through Mnet's audition program "Girls Planet 999" in 2021, the nonet officially debuted in January 2022 as a project team set to terminate in July 2024. The nine-piece girl group on Monday released the album, its fifth EP, five months since putting out "Lovestruck!" in April. Since then, the girls held their first arena t
K-pop Sept. 26, 2023
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Jakarta lights up in pink with SMTown Live 2023
SM Entertainment, home to some of the biggest K-pop names like aespa, Red Velvet and NCT, covered Jakarta in pink -- the company's iconic color -- on Saturday with its label concert, "SMTown Live 2023." The star-studded event, officially titled "SMTown Live 2023 SMCU Palace @Jakarta with KB Bank," took place on Saturday evening at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium located in Central Jakarta, Indonesia. The one-day gig is the latest edition of the company's joint label
K-pop Sept. 25, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Mimiirose hopes to make a name for itself
Rookie K-pop bands rarely remain off the radar for even a month after debuting, but Mimiirose stayed out of the limelight for over a year after it debuted in September 2022. After a yearlong break, the five-piece girl group said it felt more than ready to reintroduce itself as a brand new group. "There was a time when we felt anxious after having our comeback postponed several times, although we had just debuted. But every time, the members stayed together and encouraged each other," Y
K-pop Sept. 25, 2023
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BTS' Jungkook to drop new single '3D'
BTS' Jungkook will be back with a new song, "3D," on Friday, his agency said Sunday. Big Hit Music announced the singer will unveil his second solo single at 1 p.m. on Friday. The new song will feature American rapper-singer Jack Harlow. The upcoming single is the latest release from Jungkook since he first came out solo in July with "Seven (feat. Latto)." The 26-year-old singer had a successful start then, with "Seven" nabbing the top place on Billboard's
K-pop Sept. 24, 2023
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Seventeen to drop 'Seventeenth Heaven' on Oct. 23
Boy band Seventeen is set for a grand finale to a busy year with its 11th EP "Seventeenth Heaven," its agency announced Wednesday. Pledis Entertainment said the group's next release would be "Seventeenth Heaven" on Oct. 23. The agency unveiled a poster that showed a red festival wristband with Seventeen's name and the new album title written around it. "Seventeenth Heaven" will be the group's first release since its record-setting album "FML"
K-pop Sept. 20, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Singer-songwriter Yuju on 'Dalala,' liberation and staying true to herself
A member of once-famed girl group GFriend, singer-songwriter Yuju says one of her most liberating moments is when she strolls down the bustling streets of Gangnam, going unnoticed by anyone. With a cap over her head and mask covering the face, Yuju says she often goes on such night strolls in the glitzy neighborhood to get closer to the people and feel the energy. It was on one of those nights that her new song, "Dalala," was born, the singer recalled during an interview with local med
K-pop Sept. 20, 2023
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[Herald Interview] R&B musician Sole is proud of how far she has come
For singer-songwriter Sole, the last year has been a transformative period, opening up new challenges that she wouldn't have taken on before. One big challenge was creating her album, "A Love Supreme," which consists of remakes of original songs by other artists. The album was released Monday. A self-made musician who built her career up from the bottom, Sole has always tried to keep moving forward since her debut in 2017. Last year, just when she felt she had achieved stability i
K-pop Sept. 19, 2023
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Lee Hyori heats up Hyundai Card's Da Vinci Motel fest with solo performance
Hyundai Card's Da Vinci Motel culture fest on Sunday kicked into high gear with pop diva Lee Hyori gracing the stage. Lee was the final performer of the three-day music and culture event hosted by Korea's No. 1 card company at its cultural complex located in Itaewon of Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Celebrating the singer's long-awaited return to the stage, hundreds of fans gathered to Hyundai Card's Understage building, the part of the multipurpose culture spaces where music gigs took p
K-pop Sept. 18, 2023
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