Who are the K-pop stars taking Suneung this year?

Among the more than 520,000 people sitting for Suneung, the national college entrance exam, on Thursday will be a number of well-known K-pop idols born in 2006. That list includes Park Jihoo of Evnne, Eunseop of Lun8, Kim Dogyun of 82Major and Seungmo and Mackiah of Ampers&One. Park Jihoo, for instance, debuted in September last year and is currently enrolled at Hanlim Arts School, a prestigious arts high school in Seoul with many singers and actors among its alum. Mackiah, who holds Austral

K-popNov. 12, 2024

Deaf K-pop trio Big Ocean reach out to global fans with first EP 'Follow'

Big Ocean, the world’s first K-pop idol group composed of members with hearing disabilities, launched international promotions for its first mini album. The group -- consisting Chanyeon, Hyunjin and Jiseok -- released the mini album "Follow" on Tuesday, inviting listeners to join them on a journey to find happiness. The new album includes the title track “Flow” along with previously released digital singles “Glow,” “Blow” and “Slow.&rdquo

K-popNov. 12, 2024

Babymonster enters Billboard 200 just 8 months after debut

Rising K-pop girl group Babymonster has made an impressive debut on the US Billboard's main albums chart, establishing its popularity on the global stage with its first full-length album. The septet's album, "Drip," debuted at No. 149 on the Billboard 200, according to Billboard on social media platform X on Monday. The Billboard 200 is widely regarded as a key indicator of an artist's popularity in the US music market, particularly reflecting the size and impact of thei

K-popNov. 12, 2024

Rose tops Billboard's global charts for 3rd consecutive week with 'APT.'

BLACKPINK's Rose has claimed US Billboard's global charts for the third consecutive week with "APT.," her collaborative single with American pop star Bruno Mars. Billboard said on social media platform X on Monday that the song maintained the top position on both the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global Excl. US, following its debut atop the two weekly charts. "APT.," which dropped on Oct. 18, is a prerelease from Rose's highly anticipated first solo f

K-popNov. 12, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Zerobaseone to release 1st EP in Japan

Zerobaseone will put out its first EP in Japan on Jan. 29, 2025, agency WakeOne Entertainment announced Monday. The mini album “Prezent” will comprise six songs, including Japanese versions of “Feel The Pop” and “Good So Bad.” One of the new tracks “Only One Story” was unveiled in advance as an opener for the television animation show “Pokemon” last month. The upcoming EP comes about 10 months after its first Japanese physical single, &

K-popNov. 11, 2024

Blackpink’s Lisa nabs 2 trophies at 2024 MTV EMA

Blackpink’s Lisa took home two trophies at Europe’s biggest music awards ceremony, the 2024 MTV Europe Music Awards, held Sunday at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena. The Thai K-pop singer won Biggest Fans and Best Collaboration for “New Woman,” her work with the Spanish pop star Rosalia. Jimin of BTS nabbed Best K-pop, an award previously won by his group member Jungkook in 2023 and by BTS in 2021. Jimin’s second solo album “Muse” and its main track &

K-popNov. 11, 2024

BTS’ Jin to spread happiness with 1st solo album ‘Happy’

Jin of BTS unveiled a poster for “Running Wild,” the main track on his upcoming first solo album, “Happy.” The artist shared the vintage-style poster, featuring himself and a dog running down a wide road towards a city skyline, on BTS’ official social media on Sunday. “Running Wild” is a pop-rock number with new wave sounds. Jin aims to spread happiness through this song with a warm melody that sings about running passionately toward hope. Gary Barlow fr

K-popNov. 10, 2024

K-pop group Seventeen honored by Los Angeles for contribution to music

K-pop boy group Seventeen has been honored with a certificate of appreciation from Los Angeles for its contributions to music and youth empowerment within the American city, the group's agency said Saturday. Pledis Entertainment said Joshua, the LA-born member of the 13-piece group, was invited by the LA City Council to receive the certificate on the group's behalf Friday. Joshua was born and raised in LA before moving to South Korea after high school to pursue a career in music. The g

K-popNov. 9, 2024

Ive, David Guetta release ‘Supernova Love’ in first collaboration project

K-pop girl group Ive and renowned DJ-producer David Guetta released their new single, “Supernova Love,” on Friday, marking the debut of “The Collab X,” a collaboration project by KDM Records. The project aims to launch a series of global K-pop collaborations, starting with “Supernova Love.” The single blends the infectious energy of K-pop with Guetta’s signature electronic sound, kicking off the project’s mission to bring unique partnerships betwee

K-popNov. 8, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NewJeans surpasses 200m Spotify streams with ‘Cool With You’

NewJeans added “Cool With You” to the list of their songs played over 200 million times on Spotify, agency Ador said Friday. The single reached the milestone on Wednesday, according to the platform’s data, and became NewJeans' tenth song to do so. “Cool With You” is one of the three focus tracks from the group's second EP “Get Up” -- along with “Super Shy” and “ETA” -- that came out in July last year. All three songs ent

K-popNov. 8, 2024

NewJeans to appear on biggest year-end festival in Japan

NewJeans will be the first K-pop girl group to perform at one of Japan’s largest year-end festivals, "Countdown Japan 24/25," the group's agency announced Thursday. Countdown Japan 24/25 will take place from Dec. 28-31 at Makuhari Messe in Tokyo, and NewJeans will perform on the final day, adorning the last day of 2024. Countdown Japan is Japan's largest indoor year-end festival, established in 2003, featuring Japan’s top artists every year. Following their appear

PerformanceNov. 8, 2024

Police clear Jessi of charges in fan assault case

Singer-rapper Jessi has been cleared of charges in a case involving the assault of a fan by someone accompanying her, Seoul police said Thursday. The Gangnam Police Station in southern Seoul said it decided not to send Jessi's case to the prosecution, concluding that it is difficult to acknowledge the charges of concealing and aiding the escape of a criminal against her. The incident occurred on the night of Sept. 29 in southern Seoul, where an 18-year-old fan approached Jessi for a photo

K-popNov. 7, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream to drop pre-release from 4th LP

NCT Dream will unveil a music video for a track from its upcoming fourth LP on Friday, announced label SM Entertainment Thursday. As hinted through a teaser trailer, the music video for “Flying Kiss” will show the seven members visualize “dream” and “love,” key themes of the pop tune. Haechan wrote the lyrics for the love song. The pre-release will be one of the 11 tracks from “Dreamscape” which will be fronted by “When I’m With You.&rd

K-popNov. 7, 2024

BTS’ V to 'collab' with Bing Crosby on ‘White Christmas’ next month

BTS’ V on Dec. 6 is set to release a new version in collaboration with the late legendary pop artist Bing Crosby (1903-1977) of his “White Christmas.” According to BigHit Music, V has reinterpreted a part of Crosby’s iconic 1942 hit that remains a beloved seasonal classic worldwide. The posthumous collaboration is to be Crosby's first in 47 years, since "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" in 1977 with David Bowie. The song will be released in partnership wi

K-popNov. 7, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Rose stays on Billboard chart with solo hit

Rose of Blackpink is spending her second week on Billboard’s Hot 100 as a solo act, as her global hit “APT.” ranked No. 13 on the main singles chart. The Bruno Mars collaboration slid down five rungs on the chart but stayed atop Billboard's Global Excl. the US and Global 200 charts. “‘APT.’ becomes the first song since the Billboard Global 200 began in September 2020 to have tallied at least 200 million streams worldwide in multiple weeks,” tweeted

K-popNov. 6, 2024

[Herald Interview] Heize explores depths of longing in new EP ‘Fallin’

Singer-songwriter Heize is set to release her eighth EP “Fallin” on Nov. 6, featuring seven tracks that delve into themes of longing. The album touches on various subjects of yearning, including family, friends, a past love and her younger self. Known for her deep introspective style, Heize calls herself “a person who holds a lot of longing,” and the theme naturally came to the forefront of this new project. “In this album, I found myself reflecting on different peo

K-popNov. 6, 2024

Band festival Countdown Fantasy unveils lineup for year-end bash

The first lineup of the year-end band festival Countdown Fantasy, to be held at Kintex in Ilsan on Dec. 30 and 31, has been revealed. The event will feature 14 leading bands from Korea and abroad, including groups new on the scene and some familiar favorites. On Dec. 30, the lineup includes the retro-inspired band 87dance, the trio Band Nah, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary; newcomers Dragon Pony, who debuted in September with label Antenna, and festival veterans like Owalloil and Onewe

K-popNov. 6, 2024

Epex returns to bring comfort to youth

Boy band Epex returned with its second full-length album, “Youth Chapter 2: Youth Deficiency,” on Tuesday, offering support and comfort to young people. The album is the second in the “Youth Trilogy” from the eight-member group that debuted in 2021. While its previous album, "Youth Chapter 1: Youth Days," explored pure love and the struggles of youth, “Youth Chapter 2: Youth Deficiency” delves into the various forms of deprivation that young people e

K-popNov. 6, 2024

Fifty Fifty to tour US

Fifty Fifty will be embarking on its first US tour, “Love Sprinkle Tour in USA,” on Nov. 27. According to agency Attrakt, the group is currently preparing for its upcoming shows in the US. “We are nervous because it is our first-ever US tour but we are practicing hard to showcase our best performances. We want to present new facets of our group during the tour,” said Fifty Fifty in a press release on Wednesday. Prior to the US tour, Fifty Fifty will be taking to the stage

K-popNov. 6, 2024

Changing K-pop stars: idols begin to speak out

Jiae of the now-disbanded girl group Wassup made headlines Tuesday by posting a photo with her girlfriend on social media, captioning it, “My sweet girlfriend.” Jiae had revealed her bisexuality in 2021, declaring, “I love both men and women. I have a girlfriend that I love and am very happy with.” Given the conservative nature of the Korean entertainment industry, her openness about her identity was groundbreaking. Historically limited in their freedom of speech, K-pop i

K-popNov. 6, 2024