JTBC’s hit music competition “Sing Again” is returning with a second season, featuring a lineup of heavy hitters who hope to become famous after having been largely forgotten. Just like before, the second season of “Sing Again” aims to give a second chance to singers who never quite rose to the top ranks of the entertainment scene, despite their superb singing and performing skills. This season,...

Kim has his eyes on an Asian Games medal, but outperforming some of Japan’s best breakers will be a challenge and obstacle to overcome, he said. At the same time, he vowed to put forth all of his effort and compete against rivals like a furious lion -- his stage name “Leon” means lion in Spanish, he added. “Japanese dancers are good at individual competitions, rather than crew battles. Since the...

Three members of K-pop sensation BTS have sold shares in their management agency Hybe, realizing profits worth around 10 billion won ($8.49 million) in the last two months, according to the company’s announcement on DART, the Financial Supervisory Service’s electronic disclosure board, Thursday. Jin, J-Hope and RM dumped a total of 9.95 billion won-worth of stocks during regular trading sessions...

An independent music label under Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind boy band BTS, announced a plan Wednesday to hold its first global audition aimed at launching next-generation boy bands and girl groups. According to All Doors One Room (ADOR), anyone born between 2002 and 2010 can apply for an audition from Wednesday to Jan. 10, regardless of their nationality and country of residence. Since th...

R&B singer Bumkey made his Japan debut Wednesday with the release of the single “Attraction (Japanese Remix),” a collaboration with popular Japanese rapper Miyachi as a featured artist. The musician’s single was released on Japanese music streaming platforms at midnight, while it became available on local online music sites at noon. The new single is a remix version of “Attraction,” featuring Ko...

Mnet’s upcoming dance competition show “Street Dance Girls Fighter” is aiming to continue growing interest in dance by reviving the premise of the cable channel’s hit program “Street Woman Fighter,” this time with talented teenage female dance crews. The program will feature dance crews comprised of high school girls competing to win a 10 million-won ($8,420) prize. Top-tier female crews -- YGX,...

One of the country’s biggest indoor winter music concerts, Countdown Fantasy, will take place as a two-part, in-person event on Dec. 31 at Kintex in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, just northwest of Seoul. The year-end concert, last held in 2012, will feature 14 music acts across diverse genres such as indie, hip-hop and K-pop, according to Mint Paper, organizer of Countdown Fantasy. The lineup annou...

The Korea Creative Content Agency and state-run broadcaster KBS are joining hands to present immersive K-pop shows for Hallyu fans around the world, featuring augmented reality and extended reality content. The state agency and broadcaster presented Friday’s episode of the popular KBS K-pop program “Music Bank” to 114 countries on KBS 2TV, KBS World TV and the KBS World YouTube channel. The titl...

MBC’s upcoming global audition program “Teenage Girls” is set to premiere on Sunday, with scores of contestants competing to form a seven-member girl group with the potential of making it on the Billboard charts. Viewers will see 83 trainees from South Korea, Japan, China and other countries display entertainment skills such as singing, dancing and rapping. The trainees will be split across four...

A subcommittee of the South Korean National Assembly’s defense committee reached a standstill in its deliberations on changes to the Military Service Act, the so-called BTS law, Thursday. The subcommittee discussed whether the country should grant exemptions from military service to pop artists who have helped elevate its global standing. The bill, if passed, would allow K-pop stars to work in t...

Singer-songwriter Lee Seung-yoon, the winner of JTBC competition “Sing Again,” released his first studio album, “Even If Things Fall Apart,” Wednesday, revealing his musical philosophy to fans and new listeners. “I would like to be a musician who delivers two messages -- ‘You’re unique in your own way’ and ‘You mean nothing in this vast world’ -- through my songs. ... And this album could be the...

BTS bagged three awards, including the top honor, artist of the year, at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles Sunday. Back in May, the group also took home four awards, including top-selling song for “Dynamite,” at the Billboard Music Awards. The 64th Grammy Awards is set for Jan. 31 in Los Angeles and BTS, which has had a big year in 2021, is widely expected to start the new year with a win...

Whether or not the members of K-pop sensation BTS will soon be off to the military could be decided this week. Fresh off of their triple win at the American Music Awards on Monday, when the singers took home the artist of the year award, the future of the boy band depends on Thursday’s National Assembly defense committee subcommittee meeting. Changes to the Military Service Act are to be discuss...

Global investment firm Carlyle Group’s buyout fund Carlyle Asia Partners V has inked a deal to acquire 100 percent ownership of South Korea’s No. 2 coffee chain, A Twosome Place, officials said Friday. The final agreement followed negotiations between Carlyle and Hong Kong-based Anchor Equity Partners, which owned the franchise. The exact value of the takeover deal has not been revealed but inve...

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