British-Korean singer Shannon’s new song to feature members of f(x), Geeks

Established Koran artists will chip in for British-Korean singer Shannon’s upcoming song, slated for release Tuesday.According to her agency MBK Entertainment, the song will feature rapper Lil Boi of Korean hip-hop duo Geeks. The English version of the song will feature Amber of f(x), who is close friends with Shannon.  (MBK Entertainment)Celebrity makeup artist Pony will be in charge of the singer’s appearance. Shannon, whose full name is Shannon Areum Williams Lees, was born to a Welsh father

June 22, 2017

Big Bang’s Taeyang named honorary ambassador for PyeongChang Winter Olympics

Taeyang of Big Bang has been selected as the face of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games and Winter Paralympics, authorities said Wednesday.The organizing committee for the upcoming Olympics officially named the K-pop superstar its honorary ambassador for the international event in a ceremony held at Seoul Press Center. As the honorary envoy, Taeyang will not only promote the event, but also produce a song dedicated to the PyeongChang Olympics. Taeyang (YG Entertainment)“Through my performances ou

June 21, 2017

Hyolyn-Kisum releases summer-themed photos

K-pop stars Hyolyn and Kisum unveiled concept photos for their upcoming tune, “Fruity.”In the images uploaded on the social media page of Hyolyn’s agency Starship Entertainment, the two are clad in summer clothes and apparently enjoying the sun.  (Starship Entertainment) (Starship Entertainment)The photos were shot by local photographer Kim Tae-gyun, better known as “Less.” He has shot photos of several K-pop stars, including IU, SHINee and f(x). Hyolyn, famed for her powerful and unique singing

June 21, 2017

Hwang Chi-yeul becomes best-selling nongroup artist since 2013

Sales of the EP “Be Ordinary” by singer Hwang Chi-yeul have surpassed 100,000 copies, according to a local music sales tracker, Hanteo Chart, on Wednesday.From June 14 to Tuesday, 103,787 copies of the record were sold.This marked the most sales by an artist not affiliated with a group, since 2013 when legendary singer Jo Yong-pil released his album “Hello.”Hwang Chi-yeul (HOW Entertainment)Boy bands and girl groups typically dominate music sales in the K-pop scene. Most commercially successful

June 21, 2017

Crush confirms June 30 album release

Artist Crush confirmed Wednesday that he will return with a new album on the last day of this month. His agency Amoeba Culture uploaded a teaser image for the upcoming record with the words “Crush/2017.6.30/6PM,” referring to the release date and time. The image only shows a drawing of a bone against a light-blue background, leaving fans to guess the concept of the new album. Crush (Amoeba Culture)A teaser image for Crush’s new album (Amoeba Culture)The agency is planning to unveil two teaser vi

June 21, 2017

Mamamoo offers video peek at new EP ‘Purple’

Mamamoo fans got the chance to get a sneak peek at its upcoming EP “Purple” on Wednesday, as the girl group dropped a video collage of its songs. The video, 1 minute and 22 seconds long, was uploaded via the group’s official social media and YouTube pages. It contains the hook and highlights of five songs from the record. Images from Mamamoo’s video (RBW Entertainment)Kicking off the video is “Da Ra Dam,” featuring US artist Jeff Bernat and rising star B.O., and is followed by “Worthless,” “Fina

June 21, 2017

Sulli criticized for sadism online

Korean actress, singer and model Choi Jin-ri, better known by her stage name Sulli, was criticized online for posting a video clip on her social media account, which showed a chopped eel being burnt alive with a women saying “Please help me, please help me,” in the background. Following a hailstorm of criticism, Sulli deleted the clip and replaced it with a photo of a barbecued eel. With a provocative movie “Real” already revealing her sensitive body parts, Sulli has been gathering interests onl

June 20, 2017

US pop star Ariana Grande to perform in Korea in August

American pop star Ariana Grande will hold a concert in Seoul in August, the show’s promoter Hyundai Card said Tuesday.The artist’s first concert in Korea will take place at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul, on Aug. 15, which marks Korea’s Liberation Day. The upcoming concert is a part of Hyundai Card’s annual cultural project that invites iconic and innovative artists around the world to Korea. A poster for US pop star Ariana Grande’s upcoming concert in Seoul (Hyundai Card)“Grande is a remark

June 20, 2017

Black Pink unveils teaser video for new song

Black Pink on Tuesday revealed a short clip of its music video for “As If It’s Your Last,” with members Lisa, Rose, Jennie and Jisoo making an appearance.The group‘s agency YG Entertainment uploaded the teaser video to its blog (www.yg-life.com), before the song’s official release on Thursday.Lisa kicks off the 19-second video, which offers a peek at the main riff and its concept.  An image from Black Pink’s teaser video (YG Entertainment)The music video was directed by Seo Hyeon-seung, who work

June 20, 2017

Seo Tai-ji to perform past hit songs ‘just as they were’

A blast from the past awaits those attending the upcoming 25th anniversary concert of Seo Tai-ji, as the Korean pop culture icon is planning to sing his earliest songs exactly as they were performed in the 1990s.According to his agency SeoTaiji Company, the legendary singer will perform the songs from all four albums of his previous group Seo Taiji and the Boys without any changes to the original version. The boy band had experimented with various genres and is considered the first Korean group

June 20, 2017

Nine Muses revamps as quartet with sassy ‘Remember’

Rather than cooling off the heat, the four members of Nine Muses are set heat up the summer with the group’s new single “Remember.”The members, in their mid- and late- 20s, delved into the confused feelings of the youth with their new EP “Muses Diary Part2: Identity” that was released Monday, but with a firm dedication to show more the mature sides of themselves.The four members of Nine Muses perform “Remember,” the lead track of the group’s new EP “Muses Diary Part2: Identity” at a press showca

June 19, 2017

[Next Wave] Hip-hop duo XXX’s music is instinctive, like animals

Asked what position he would like his team XXX to occupy in the Korean hip-hop scene, rapper Kim Ximya was quiet but confident in his response.　“Tupac,” he answered, referring to the iconic American rapper, as he sat down for an interview with The Korea Herald on Thursday at the group’s studio in Seogyo-dong, Seoul. “By that I mean that I hope people, whether they know a lot about music or not, wouldn’t dare judge our music easily.” 　Music duo XXX, which consists of rapper Kim Ximya, 23, and com

June 19, 2017

CNBLUE’s Jung Yong-hwa to drop solo album next month

Jung Yong-hwa, vocalist and leader of the band CNBLUE, will release a new album as a solo artist next month. Confirming earlier reports, Jung’s agency FNC Entertainment said that the artist is preparing the album that is targeted for release in July. In 2015, the singer made his solo debut with the album “One Fine Day,” showcasing his skills as a singer-songwriter.  Jung Yong-hwa (FNC Entertainment)Jung told local media that he wrote the songs for the new album “in a fresh way,” hinting that he

June 19, 2017

Girls’ Generation preparing for 10th anniversary project

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Girls’ Generation, and the K-pop group has several treats in store for fans. According to agency S.M. Entertainment, the group is planning the release of a commemorative album and a fan meeting in August. It will mark the first album by the now-eight member group since its fifth Korean studio album “Lion Heart” in 2015. Jessica left the band shortly after the release.Girls’ Generation released its first single “Into the New World” on Aug. 3, 2007 and made

June 19, 2017

(Photo) Twice wraps up encore Seoul concert

Twice performed for a total of 12,000 Korean fans at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in Seoul, at its encore concerts for February tour “Twice Land - The Opening.”On Saturday and Sunday, the group held the concerts that was a follow-up to its first concert in February and a tour across Thailand and Singapore. During the concert, Twice performed songs including “TT,” “Knock Knock” and its biggest hit “Cheer Up,” along with songs from its recent EP, including “Signal” and “Eye Eye Eyes.”The group is on

June 19, 2017

Black Pink reveals teaser with new song title

Last year’s rookie sensation Black Pink is gearing up for another run, releasing a teaser image with the title of its next song on Monday.Its agency YG Entertainment posted the image featuring all four members along with the song’s title “As If It’s Your Last.” Before Monday‘s release of the group‘s teaser image, it had unveiled individual teaser images of Jisoo, Jennie, Rose and Lisa. Teaser image for Black Pink’s “As If It’s Your Last.” (YG Entertainment)According to the agency, the new track

June 19, 2017

Gaon chart confirms G-Dragon’s USB release not an album; YG says ‘regrettable’

Local Gaon music chart on Monday confirmed its position that G-Dragon’s latest EP available in a USB drive form cannot be regarded as an album, as it does not fall under the conventional definition of the concept. Gaon Chart, which tallies online and offline sales of music released locally, said that it will not include offline sales of the K-pop artist’s “Kwon Ji Yong” in album sales, since the EP does not have the music on a physical platform. G-Dragon (YG Entertainment)The recently released E

June 19, 2017

Is USB release an album or not?

While G-Dragon’s latest eponymous solo EP has made headlines for its unique USB flash drive format, it has also stirred up a heated debate over whether or not it can be officially recognized as an album. G-Dragon’s solo EP “Kwon Ji Yong” that takes form of a USB flash drive. (Yonhap)The dispute arose after the Korean Music Content Industry Association, the operator of Korea’s Gaon Chart, recently stated that Big Bang member’s USB format EP “Kwon Ji Yong” could not be seen as a true physical albu

June 18, 2017

EXO to drop new album in summer

K-pop group EXO plans to release its latest album this summer, S.M. Entertainment said Thursday. “EXO will make its return in summer, but a specific timeline has not been set up yet,” said an official from the boy band’s agency in response to an earlier report that EXO’s release would be in July. EXO (S.M. Entertainment)EXO, one of the most popular K-pop acts both locally and internationally, recently wrapped up its global tour “EXO Planet #3 - The EXO’rdium.” During its concert in Seoul last mo

June 16, 2017

G-Dragon’s ‘Kwon Ji Yong’ going strong in China

G-Dragon’s solo album “Kwon Ji Yong” has set the charts on fire in China.As of 10:55 p.m. on Wednesday, the singer has set the record of selling over one million copies of his latest album on QQ Music, the biggest music site in China.  Big Bang’s G-Dragon (YG Entertainment)“Kwon Ji Yong” set the record within six days of its release, the shortest time ever for an artist, as well as selling the most number of albums so far this year on the website. The digital album is being sold at 10 yuan ($1.5

June 15, 2017