Is Middle East land of opportunity for K-pop?

K-pop powerhouses such as Hybe and SM Entertainment have recently shown increasing interest in the music market of the Middle East. Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk last week met with United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss possible cooperation in K-pop ventures, upon his request. SM Entertainment, led by its founder and former chief producer Lee Soo-man, got its feet in the door early, signing a memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture to

CultureJune 4, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Le Sserafim named artist of month by MTV Push

Le Sserafim was named artist of the month by MTV’s Push campaign, a first for a K-pop girl group, according to agency Source Music on Tuesday. The campaign for “breakthrough” artists shed a spotlight on the quintet by uploading an interview clip as well as performance videos of “Easy” and “Smart” from its third EP, also named “Easy.” The mini album was released in February and entered the Billboard 200 at No. 8 while the titular track debuted

K-popJune 4, 2024

WayV hopes to attract more Korean fans with 5th EP 'Give Me That'

SM Entertainment’s China-based K-pop boy group WayV released its fifth EP, “Give Me That,” on Monday. The new EP includes six tracks led by the titular track “Give Me That” released in Chinese and Korean. This is the first time WayV has included a Korean song in their album. “We are glad to introduce a Korean song because it means that we now have more fans in Korea. We hope to meet with our fans from all around the world by making it to global music charts wi

K-popJune 4, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Kep1er vows to keep going with 1st LP

Kep1er held a media conference Monday in Seoul to introduce its first full-length album “Kep1going On.” The 10-track album comes nine months after the group's fifth EP “Magic Hour.” “Since we are coming back after a long while, we wanted to show a more mature side of us,” said Hikaru. Every song counts and “the album celebrates the time we have been together with fans,” added Choi Yujin. The album will be a “turning point” for the

K-popJune 3, 2024

BTS set to return in Hybe's hour of need

The bandmates of BTS, the K-pop phenomenon under entertainment powerhouse Hybe, are emerging to save the day for the company embroiled in a bruising battle with a subsidiary. Jungkook, the youngest of the boy band, plans to release a new song for fans on June 7, while the group's eldest, Jin, is holding a fan meeting a day after his discharge from military service on June 12. Big Hit Entertainment, a subsidiary of Hybe and the label of BTS, said Monday that Jungkook will drop a new digita

K-popJune 3, 2024

Former Big Bang's T.O.P won't be going to the moon

K-pop boy group Big Bang's member T.O.P will not go to the moon after the world's first civilian moon mission, “dearMoon,” was canceled Saturday. T.O.P. was to blast off as part of what would have been the first civilian mission to the moon on a rocket developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The launch had been scheduled for 2023. “It’s unfortunate to announce that ‘dearMoon,’ the first private circum-lunar flight project, will be canceled. We thank e

K-popJune 3, 2024

AKMU returns with 3rd EP ‘Love Episode’

K-pop sibling duo AKMU released its third EP, “Love Episode,” on Monday. The new release consists of six tracks, led by “Hero.” Lee Chan-hyuk, the older brother, took part in composing and writing the lyrics for the entire album. “The songs convey acoustic sounds with various genre variations, giving them newness. They are light and comfortable easy-listening music under the theme of ‘love’ that anyone can sympathize with,” YG Entertainment said in

K-popJune 3, 2024

Jin of BTS to meet fans on group's debut anniversary post-military discharge

Jin of BTS will return this month after completing his military duty. Jin, the eldest member of BTS, is due to be discharged from the military on June 12. The singer announced that his first post-military discharge event will be an offline gathering with fans. According to Big Hit Music on Sunday, Jin will attend "2024 Festa" at the Seoul Jamsil Sports Complex on June 13, the day after his discharge, which is also the anniversary of BTS' debut. "Festa" is an annual celeb

K-popJune 2, 2024

NewJeans makes Billboard's 21 Under 21 list for 2024

South Korean girl group NewJeans has been named the only K-pop artist on Billboard's 21 Under 21 list for 2024. The list, released on May 31 (US time), honors the most influential young artists under the age of 21 in the music industry, based on album and song sales, streaming numbers, as well as overall influence within the industry. Billboard noted, "NewJeans has established a singular presence in K-pop since debuting just two years ago," highlighting its remarkable achievements

K-popJune 1, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NewJeans pop-up store to open in Seoul

A pop-up store will open in Seoul to give fans of NewJeans new ways to enjoy the group's new single, agency Ador said Friday. The temporary store is named after the group’s double single “How Sweet” that came out last week and run from June 5-17. It will be fashioned after a retro vinyl record shop and in addition to a photo zone with a retro, analog vibe, a range of merchandise including a collaboration with The Powerpuff Girls will be offered. The single sold more than 8

K-popMay 31, 2024

Ador CEO Min offers to reconcile with Hybe

Ador CEO Min Hee-jin said Friday that she was willing to settle the ongoing dispute and find common ground with Hybe, the parent company of Ador, for the interest of the label and its popular K-pop group NewJeans. “I hope we (Hybe and Min) meet halfway. We have (NewJeans’) Tokyo Dome concert coming up in June and a world tour next year. I don’t want all these opportunities to disappear on account of this issue,” Min said during a press conference in Seoul on Friday. &ldqu

CultureMay 31, 2024

Zerobaseone’s IP goes global

K-pop boy group Zerobaseone opened a pop-up store with IPX, the digital IP platform company formerly known as Line Friends, on Friday at the Line Friends store in Gangnam, southern Seoul. The pop-up store celebrating the release of the group’s third EP, “You Had Me at Hello,” will operate until June 9. Diverse merchandise made with official cartoon characters of Zerobaseone called “Zeroni” are available for purchase at the store. The pop-up store includes a photo zo

K-popMay 31, 2024

Ateez hopes to continue shining bright with music and performances

K-pop boy group Ateez released “Golden Hour: Part 1,” its 10th EP, on Friday. This is the first installment of the “Golden Hour” series that comes after three previous series: “Treasure,” “Fever” and “The World.” “The new series will portray the golden moments we’ve experienced and plan on making in the future through music,” said Seonghwa of Ateez during a press conference in Seoul on Thursday. The eight-member group&

K-popMay 31, 2024

ADOR shareholders' meeting retains CEO Min, appoints 3 new board members from Hybe

K-pop powerhouse Hybe put three of its executives on the board of its sublabel ADOR housing popular girl group NewJeans on Friday, taking over control of the board amid a protracted conflict between the two companies over ADOR's management rights. ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin retained her position during an extraordinary shareholders' meeting held at an undisclosed place in Seoul in line with Thursday's court decision to grant an injunction to prevent Hybe from exercising its voting right

K-popMay 31, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Ateez ready to shine with 10th EP

Ateez held a media conference in Seoul Thursday to introduce its tenth EP “Golden Hour: Part 1,” which is due out Friday. The band has poured a lot into the new album, especially since it is the first installment of the “Golden Hour” series and the first release for the group this year, said leader Hongjoong. The six-track EP “captures the shining moment of Ateez” and how the band realizes its dream, explained Sunghwa. All songs including the main track &ldquo

K-popMay 30, 2024

Ador CEO Min Hee-jin not leaving Hybe

The Seoul Central District Court, Thursday, upheld a preliminary injunction filed by Ador CEO Min Hee-jin against Hybe on May 7. Hybe, the parent company of Ador, is now not permitted to exercise its voting rights to dismiss Min during the company’s extraordinary shareholders’ meeting scheduled for Friday. “The material evidence submitted to date does not sufficiently establish Hybe’s alleged grounds for (Min’s) dismissal,” the court ruled. “It is clear

K-popMay 30, 2024

NewJeans shares stories of band life and fans with British magazine

Popular K-pop girl band NewJeans talked about their band life and fans in an exclusive interview with a British monthly magazine, The Face in the June edition published Wednesday. “It’s helped us learn a lot about each other and grow very close. To me, it feels like being on a school trip, but a very extended one, with a bunch of friends,” NewJeans member Hanni said of living together as a band. On the unwavering devotion of their fan base, another member Minji said, “We&

K-popMay 29, 2024

University festivals criticized for K-pop concert ticket scalping

Local universities are under fire for ticket scalping by students who sell tickets to K-pop concerts held as part of the school festivals to outsiders. Every May and June, universities around the country host a two-to-four-day campus festival for students and alumni, organizing events such as sports games, club performances and K-pop concerts. In recent years, schools have been competing to book bigger names to appear at their festivals to boost their reputation. It resulted in drawing not onl

K-popMay 29, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen to greet fans in Seoul in July

Seventeen will host its eighth official fan meetup in Seoul July 23-24, agency Pledis Entertainment announced Tuesday. The event dubbed “Seventeen in Carat Land” will be livestreamed as well. The 13 members wrapped up their stadium tour in Japan and Korea last week, and the final concert put them on stage at Nissan Stadium in Kanagawa, Japan, the largest concert venue in the country. They celebrated their debut ninth anniversary at the stadium with over 70,000 fans. The tour began in

K-popMay 28, 2024

[Herald Review] Doyoung of NCT portrays youth in his first standalone concert

Inside one of the many semi-transparent cubicles representing city skyscrapers, Doyoung of NCT appeared in a glittering white jacket and pants singing “Beginning,” a B-side track from his first solo album “Youth.” His mellow voice quickly mesmerized around 3,500 people gathered at Kyung Hee University’s Grand Peace Palace on Monday for the final performance of Doyoung’s three-day concert, “Dear Youth.” Doyoung’s first-ever standalone concert

K-popMay 28, 2024