SHINee goes on North American tour next month

Popular K-pop boy group SHINee will embark on a North American tour next month for the first time since its debut, its management S.M. Entertainment said Friday. The image provided by S.M. Entertainment shows the concert poster for "SHINee CONCERT-SHINee WORLD V." (Yonhap)The group will tour on the continent to perform "SHINee CONCERT-SHINee WORLD V," at Toronto's Sony Centeron March 19, Vancouver's Orpheum Theatre on March 21, Dallas's Verizon Theatre on March 24 and LA's Shrine Auditorium on M

Feb. 17, 2017

Park Ji-yoon to release ninth studio album next month

Park Ji-yoon, an idol diva-turned-singer songwriter, will release her ninth full-length studio album next month, her distributor said Friday.Park's new album titled "parkjiyoon9" will be released on March 2 and will carry 10 tracks, according to Sony Music. It will be her first full-length album in five years outside of several singles released since. This promotional image provided by Sony Music shows singer-songwriter Park Ji-yoon. (Yonhap)On the title track "Gereoji Mayo," which means "Don't

Feb. 17, 2017

China goes Hollywood in ‘The Great Wall’

Big Hollywood hits commonly reap half or more of their box office overseas, as “Finding Dory” and “Rogue One” have done. Zhang Yimou’s “The Great Wall,” which opens Friday, will test whether that trick works both ways.“The Great Wall,” a mostly English-language film with a Chinese director, crew and cast, stars Matt Damon as a European mercenary who finds himself caught in a battle between a Chinese army of the Song dynasty (960 -1279) and ravenous monsters on the other side of -- you guessed it

Feb. 17, 2017

S.M. Entertainment aims to open K-pop school

S.M. Entertainment has announced plans to open an alternative high school called “K-pop International School” in Seoul in September.  The architectural design for K-pop International School (S.M. Entertainment)The agency, known for its high-profile singers and entertainers, said it expects to get approval from authorities in March, paving the way for the launch of the school before a new semester begins here. The school will teach not only the usual subjects such as Korean, English and mathemati

Feb. 16, 2017

Risque four-hands piano fires up winter-weary souls

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- The PyeongChang Winter Music Festival got off to a rousing start at Alpensia Concert Hall on Wednesday evening with an eclectic program that played on the theme of this year’s festival -- a mix of classical and jazz.Pansori singer Ahn Sook-sun, cellist Chung Myung-wha, who is the co-artistic director of the festival alongside violinist Chung Kyung-hwa, pianist Son Yeol-eum and Jun Kye-youl on the buk, or Korean drum, started the evening with a performance of “Thr

Feb. 16, 2017

Amateur artists leap for fame via YouTube

In 2008, a talent manager discovered a Canadian teenager singing cover songs on YouTube and signed him to Raymond Braun Media Group. Then-14-year-old went on to take the world by a storm with mega hits. His name is Justin Drew Bieber.Since Bieber’s rise to superstardom, a flurry of YouTube stars looking to move beyond their 15 minutes of fame have been flocking to the largest video-streaming website in the world. Amateur artists broadcasting their content on YouTube pose in this photo taken Wedn

Feb. 16, 2017

Former T-ara member speaks against netizens on ‘bullying controversy’

Ryu Hwa-young, formerly a member of K-pop group T-ara, spoke out on Thursday against netizens posting malicious comments about her and her twin sister concerning the bullying controversy in 2012.The 23-year-old singer-turned-actress was rumored to have been bullied by her bandmates, which include being forced to perform despite an injury. She appeared in a local TV show last Wednesday with her twin sister to discuss the incident. Ryu Hwa-young (Ryu Hwa-young’s instagram page)But a recent interne

Feb. 16, 2017

B.A.P releases image for new album

Boyband B.A.P has released an image for the upcoming release of its new album.The band, slated to release the album in March, revealed the image via its official social media accounts. It showed a puzzle reminiscent of an old painting, with all but one piece set in place.New concept image for B.A.P (TS Entertainment)B.A.P (TS Entertainment)B.A.P is scheduled to kick off its world tour with a three-day concert at the Blue Square Samsung Electronics Hall from March 24-26. By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoo

Feb. 15, 2017

BTS marks 18th straight week on top 10 of Billboard’s world chart

The Bangtan Boys ranked No. 8 on Billboard’s World Albums Chart with the album “Wings,” marking the 18th straight week the K-pop band has stayed in the chart’s top 10.The second album by the seven-member group has shown a strong and steady performance on the chart since notching the top spot in the first week of October.  BTS (Big Hit Entertainment)“Voice of Angels” by Celtic Woman took the top spot while Pink Martini followed with “Je Dis Qui!”BTS also ranked No.1 on Billboard’s Social 50 chart

Feb. 15, 2017

Ambitious Western US music center plans premiere

Tippet Rise, an ambitious music center in the rolling hills of Montana, on Tuesday announced a second season that will include a premiere by leading composer Aaron Jay Kernis.The Tippet Rise Art Center opened last year on a sweeping ranch in the western US state, aiming to bring world-class classical musicians to a venue in nature with concerts attended by no more than 150 people at a time. Tourists observe “Beartooth Portal,” a work by Spanish sculptors Anton Garcia-Abril and Debora Mesa, known

Feb. 15, 2017

Cuban graffiti artist makes his mark in Havana

The whimsical designs of the graffiti artist with the signature Yulier P. began to appear randomly on walls around Havana three years ago. The first ones were large abstract renderings of rabbits, their floppy ears outlined in black against chipped concrete.Now, there is hardly a neighborhood in the Cuban capital where you can’t find one of the sprawling works of Yulier P. They include enormous gaping mouths 2 yards (meters) high, or flowers mixed either with the image of a woman or in the hands

Feb. 15, 2017

‘Renaissance man’ Tillmans show blends politics and art

Fake news, Brexit and genitals: a Wolfgang Tillmans exhibition opening at the Tate Modern on Wednesday is an eclectic show that the edgy German artist says is as much about poetry and art as politics.“I want you to feel encouraged by the curiosity that I have for the world, to also not be afraid of the world and to not let fear be implanted in your brain,” the photographer said at a press preview.“The exhibition is not about politics. It is just as much about poetry, about art, about installatio

Feb. 15, 2017

Twice reveals new teaser image for upcoming album

Twice on Tuesday unveiled its new teaser image for the upcoming mini-album “TWICEcoaster: LANE 2,” featuring members Nayeon, Tzuyu and Sana. In line with the “knocking on doors” concept of previous teaser images, the photos revealed at midnight showed the three singers posing by the door.  Nayeon (JYP Entertainment) Sana(JYP Entertainment) Tzuyu(JYP Entertainment)The group is set to release the new album next Tuesday, which will include the main track titled “Knock Knock.” Prior to its release,

Feb. 14, 2017

Nada dating Cycadelic Records CEO Kirk Kim: reports

Rapper Nada is dating US-based record store owner Kirk Kim, reports by local media claimed Tuesday.Nada, a 25-year-old member of Wassup, is reportedly in a relationship with Cycadelic Records CEO Kim, who is 14 years older. The couple has been seen on several occasions at the club Compton, which opened in Itaewon last December and is run by Cycadelic Records. Nada (Official Facebook page of Wassup)Kim, often referred to as the “godfather or Korean-American hip-hop,” is the second-generation owne

Feb. 14, 2017

Taeyeon's 'I' music video tops 100 mln YouTube views

Girls' Generation member Taeyeon's "I" music video has been watched more than 100 million times on YouTube, becoming the sixth video associated with the pop act to reach the milestone, its agency said Tuesday. (SM Entertainment)View count for the video, uploaded on Oct. 6, 2015, stood at 100,031,467 as of 4:10 p.m. Tuesday, according to S.M. Entertainment, the team's agency. So far, the South Korean pop act has six songs -- five others being "Gee," "I Got A Boy," "The Boys," "Mr. Taxi" and "Oh"

Feb. 14, 2017

Kyuhyun’s new album tops Japan’s weekly chart

The album “One Voice” by K-pop band Super Junior’s Kyuhyun has topped the Oricon weekly chart less than a week since its release on Feb. 8. The new album is the artist’s first full-length album in Japanese. The album includes songs “My Serious Love Comedy, “Celebration,” the Japanese versions of “At Gwanghwamun” and “Blah Blah,” and six more tracks. K-pop band Super Junior’s Kyuhyun (Yonhap)Kyuhyun said he was “very happy” about the album’s success. He has been touring Japan since Jan. 18, perfo

Feb. 14, 2017

Taeyeon soon to release new song

Taeyeon is set to return with a new song sometime around the end of February, local media reported Monday, quoting unnamed sources in the K-pop industry.The Girls’ Generation lead vocalist has produced various chart-topping solo tracks, including “I,” “Gemini,” “Rain,” “Why” and her latest single “11:11,” which was released in November.  Taeyeon (S.M. Entertainment)“A new song is always in the works,” Taeyeon wrote via her social media account after the news broke. “People are so impatient.”“Tae

Feb. 14, 2017

Riding high, Beyonce fails to break Grammy curse

Is Beyonce too edgy for the music industry? Or do the Grammy Awards suffer from an underlying racial bias? The superstar’s failure to win top prizes is vexing her many admirers -- among them the night’s big winner Adele.Beyonce had led the Grammy nominations with nine for “Lemonade,” her most daring album to date, which she crafted as a celebration of the resilience of African-American women. Beyonce appears backstage with her awards for best music video for “Formation” and best urban contempora

Feb. 14, 2017