[Herald Review] Zico celebrates 10th year as solo artist with star-studded line-up

K-pop artist and producer Zico marked the 10th anniversary of his debut as a solo artist with concerts at Olympic Hall in Olympic Park, Seoul, on Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday, the venue was filled with Zico’s fans. While some carried his group Block B’s fan lights, most did not, demonstrating that the audience largely comprised fans of his solo career. Zico kicked off the concert with his hit single, “New Thing,” which was an original soundtrack for Mnet’s dance s

K-popNov. 25, 2024

K-pop group Ateez tops Billboard albums chart for 2nd time

K-pop boy group Ateez has topped Billboard's main albums chart for the second time in its career. Billboard announced Sunday that Ateez's 11th EP, Golden Hour: Part. 2, debuted atop the Billboard 200 by earning 184,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Nov. 21. The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums of the week in the United States, measured by equivalent album units, comprising physical album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA), and streaming equivalent albums (SEA

K-popNov. 25, 2024

Exclusive, new stages highlight of 2024 MAMA

This year's Mnet Asian Music Awards presented new and exclusive performances while exploring the tastes of K-pop fans worldwide Thursday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and at Osaka's Kyocera Dome on Friday and Saturday. The Korean music awards ceremony, broadcast live in around 200 countries, held part of its three-day event in the US for the first time, attracting an audience of around 93,000. 2024 MAMA was held under the theme of "Big Blur," which the festival host sai

K-popNov. 24, 2024

BLACKPINK's Rose stays at No. 3 on British Official Singles chart with 'APT.'

Rose of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK has maintained her third position on the British Official Singles Chart Top 100 for the third consecutive week with "APT.," her collaboration with global pop icon Bruno Mars. It marks the fifth consecutive week that the song has stayed in the top 10. The single's position remained unchanged from last week at No. 3, behind U.S. singer-songwriters Gracie Abrams' "That's So True" and Gigi Perez's "Sailor Song," acc

K-popNov. 23, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Babymonster logs 100m views with ‘Drip’ music video

Babymonster surpassed 100 million views on YouTube with the music video for “Drip,” label YG Entertainment said Friday. The visual reached the milestone in about three weeks after it landed atop the list of most-viewed video in 24 hours on the platform. It is the group’s seventh video to hit the mark, following the music videos for “Sheesh,” “Batter Up,” “Stuck In The Middle” and “Forever,” as well as performance videos for &ldquo

K-popNov. 22, 2024

Defense ministry denies special treatment for BTS’ V amid phone use allegations

The Ministry of National Defense has refuted claims that BTS member V, or Kim Tae-hyung, received preferential treatment while serving in the military that allowed phone use during prohibited hours. The allegations surfaced recently after former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin mentioned in an interview that she had received a text message from V last year while he was in the military. On Thursday, the ministry addressed the complaints filed with the military police regarding suspicions that V used a mobile

K-popNov. 22, 2024

BTS' V to release seasonal duet with Park Hyo-shin

V, a member of K-pop sensation BTS, will release a seasonal duet with Korean ballad singer Park Hyo-shin next week, the group's agency announced Friday. The digital single, "Winter Ahead (with Park Hyo Shin)," will drop at 2 p.m. next Friday, BigHit Music said on the K-pop fan platform Weverse and BTS' official social media accounts. The track is a jazz-pop collaboration inspired by V's wish for his fans to experience a "warm and happy winter," the agency add

K-popNov. 22, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Jennie, Lisa invited to Coachella as solo acts

Jennie and Lisa of Blackpink will hit the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival next year as solo performers, according to the festival’s announcement Wednesday. The lineup for next year’s event listed Jennie performing on April 13 and 20 and Lisa on April 11 and 18. Blackpink was the first K-pop girl group to be invited to the festival in 2019 and the first Asian artist to headline it last year. Lady Gaga, Green Day and Post Malone will headline next year's fest

K-popNov. 21, 2024

Blackpink's solo journeys: Complementary paths, not competition

After leaving YG Entertainment to pursue solo activities, the members of Blackpink —who had already embarked on individual careers while still part of the agency — have each reached new heights on their own terms. Typically, K-pop groups draw strength from teamwork, with solo projects often leading to fragmented fandoms and diminished influence. However, this narrative hasn’t applied in the case of Blackpink as Lisa, Jennie, and Rose redefine success through their individual ac

K-popNov. 21, 2024

Rose, Bruno Mars to perform 'APT.' at MAMA Awards

K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's Rose and global pop star Bruno Mars will give the first live performance of their collaboration single "APT." at this year's MAMA Awards. The two artists will perform on the first day of the two-day awards show to be held at the Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan, the event's organizer, CJ ENM, said Thursday. It marks the first time that the two will deliver a live performance of the global hit. A prerelease from Rose's upcoming first full-leng

K-popNov. 21, 2024

[Herald Interview] Ahn Ye-eun returns as a storyteller with 'Story Bundle'

Singer-songwriter Ahn Ye-eun returns as a storyteller of whimsey and heartbreak with her new EP "Story Bundle." Since her debut eight years ago, Ahn has carved out a niche in the music industry, and her new album masterfully balances her style with the public's taste. "This time, I wanted to create music that listeners can approach more easily," Ahn explained. Ahn is known for her vocal tone -- resembling the style of Korean traditional singing, pansori -- and creative l

K-popNov. 21, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Lisa to roll out 1st solo LP

Lisa of Blackpink will release her first solo full album on Feb. 28, announced agency Lloud Company Wednesday. She will pour everything she has honed through her career into the album dubbed “Alter Ego,” it added. The artist has dropped singles “Rockstar,” “New Woman” and “Moonlit Floor” since June. “Rockstar” ranked No. 70 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and the Rosalia collaboration No. 97. The first earned Lisa her first Billboard Globa

K-popNov. 20, 2024

Labor Ministry dismisses Hanni harassment case

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has ruled that allegations of workplace harassment involving Hanni, a Vietnamese Australian member of K-pop girl group NewJeans, do not fall under labor law protections, as she is not classified as a worker under the Labor Standards Act. On Wednesday, the ministry announced the closure of a complaint filed last month by NewJeans’ fan base, known as "Bunnies," which alleged that Hanni was subjected to workplace harassment at Hybe’s headqu

K-popNov. 20, 2024

Former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin quits Hybe, declares legal war

Min Hee-jin, former CEO of Hybe subsidiary Ador, announced on Wednesday her resignation from her post as an internal director at Ador, signaling a complete departure from Hybe. She also declared her intent to take legal action against the K-pop powerhouse, accusing the company of breaching shareholder agreements and engaging in unlawful practices. “I have decided to resign as an internal director of Ador today,” Min said in a statement. “I will terminate my shareholder agreemen

K-popNov. 20, 2024

Music performances to end the year on high note

As the year-end draws near, there are major music awards to look forward to here, where the most talented and popular artists are rewarded for their work and fans are rewarded with witnessing first-ever collaboration stages and spectacular performances. This year's Mnet Asian Music Awards, the world’s largest K-pop awards ceremony organized by CJ ENM, is the frontrunner, taking place at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles Thursday local time, and at the Kyocera Dome Osaka,

K-popNov. 20, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Rose to drop another prerelease from solo LP

Rose of Blackpink will put out a B-side track from her upcoming first solo studio album on Friday, agency The Black Label said Tuesday. The track “number one girl” will be one of 12 tracks from her LP “rosie,” due for release Dec. 6. The single comes about a month after Bruno Mars collaboration “APT.” swept music charts in Korea and abroad. Inspired by a Korean drinking game, the infectious tune topped iTunes Top Songs chart in 40 regions and ranked No. 8 on B

K-popNov. 19, 2024

Why are Yale students taking K-pop classes?

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut — At Yale University, K-pop is not just a global music phenomenon -- it is the subject of serious academic inquiry. During the recent two-day K-Pop: Musical Production and Consumption conference on Thursday and Friday, 160 participants gathered to explore the genre’s history, industry dynamics and cultural impact. Among them were students from one of Yale’s five K-pop-related courses, including a class taught by Grace Kao, an IBM professor of sociology an

K-popNov. 19, 2024

[K-pop 101] How 'homma' became little helpers of Korean celebrities' rise to stardom

"Homepage masters," also known as “Homma” among K-pop fans, are superfans who, armed with professional cameras with sophisticated lenses, take high-quality pictures of their favorite artists. These superfans follow their artist’s official schedules such as fan meetings, concerts, end-of-the-year awards ceremonies and world tours. They use the pictures taken at these events to create content of their favorite artists, which gets redistributed by other fans to different

K-popNov. 19, 2024

Singer Ailee to tie the knot with actor Choi Si-hun

Singer Ailee is set to marry actor Choi Si-hoon next April, A2Z Entertainment announced Tuesday. The two met through a mutual acquaintance and have been openly dating for about a year. They became engaged in May after developing a deep bond built on love and trust, the agency said. "I have met someone who is not only supportive and caring, but also someone I can rely on. His understanding and consideration made me want to spend the rest of my life with him,” Ailee shared on her offici

K-popNov. 19, 2024

BTS’ Jin releases ‘Running Wild’ remix album

Jin of BTS is releasing the remix album, “Running Wild (Remixes),” at 2 p.m., Tuesday. The album contains eight versions of “Running Wild,” the main song in Jin’s first solo album “Happy.” The eight versions are the original version, instrumental, extended, band, ballad, holiday, Afropop and UK Garage versions. The extended version features an extra chorus, intensifying the song's energy, while the band version amplifies the song’s genre appea

K-popNov. 19, 2024