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

SM Entertainment Q3 earnings fall amid lower album sales, rising costs

SM Entertainment reported a sharp decline in third-quarter earnings Tuesday, attributing the downturn to reduced album sales and rising production costs while hinting at the debut of a new girl group in January. The parent company’s regulatory filing showed consolidated revenue of 242.2 billion won ($175.6 million) and an operating profit of 13.3 billion won, reflecting a 9 percent drop in revenue and a significant 73.6 percent decline in operating profit, year-on-year. The company point

K-popNov. 5, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NCT127 announces world tour plan

NCT127 will launch its fourth international tour in January next year, announced label SM Entertainment Tuesday. Tour “Neo City – The Momentum” will start with a two-date concert in Seoul Jan. 18-19 and will resume in mid-February in Jakarta, Indonesia. The itinerary includes Bangkok, Taipei and Macao as well as six cities in North America and three in Japan. It will be the first time the subunit is touring North America in two years. Meanwhile, the bandmates shared photographs

K-popNov. 5, 2024

Hybe faces potential revocation of ‘Top Job Creation Company’ status amid petition, allegations

Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind BTS, is at risk of losing its designation as a "Top Job Creation Company” by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, following a public petition filed Thursday with the National Assembly. As of Tuesday, just six days after the petition launched, the National Assembly’s online petition site showed over 41,500 signatures supporting the revocation of Hybe’s recognition. With a threshold of 50,000 signatures needed for an official review and 24

K-popNov. 5, 2024

Seventeen to light up LA

Los Angeles is about to be illuminated in Seventeen's colors. Pledis Entertainment announced Tuesday its plans to hold Seventeen The City Los Angeles — an event set to transform downtown LA and the city's iconic landmarks with Seventeen-themed activities and displays. Los Angeles marks the final stop of Seventeen’s US tour "Right Here," which began in October. Seventeen The City, which will run from Thursday to Monday, offers events for fans to enjoy before and af

K-popNov. 5, 2024

[Herald Review] TXT concludes third world tour, opens new chapter

Boy band TXT celebrated the grand finale of its third world tour with three days of concerts in Seoul and returned with a new album. The quintet held the final performance of “Act: Promise,” the encore concert of its third world tour, which began in May, at KSPO Dome in Seoul on Sunday. Including the encore concerts, TXT completed a total of 31 performances across 17 cities, including major venues like Tokyo Dome, Kyocera Dome Osaka, Vantelin Dome Nagoya in Japan, and Madison Square

PerformanceNov. 4, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Red Velvet’s Irene to release 1st solo album

Irene of Red Velvet will bring out her first solo album “Like A Flower” on Nov. 26, said label SM Entertainment Monday. Together with the title track, the EP comprises eight tracks based on the pop genre. It will be her first solo endeavor since debuting as the leader of Red Velvet 10 years ago. The group celebrated its decadelong music career with EP “Cosmic” and a fan concert tour in Asia. The EP topped iTunes' Top Albums chart in 50 regions and debuted on Billboar

K-popNov. 4, 2024

SHINee’s Minho unveils new musical style in first solo album

Minho of SHINee released his first full-length solo album, "Call Back," on Monday, showcasing a new musical style distinct from his previous work with the boy band. Coming nearly two years after his solo debut EP, "Chase," in December 2022, the new album comprises 10 tracks, including the titular track that promises to immerse listeners in Minho’s expanded emotional and musical range. The eponymous “Call Back” is a pop song featuring a deep bass line, a lyri

K-popNov. 4, 2024