NCT Dream to continue world tour in Europe, US this year K-pop boy group NCT Dream is seen in this photo provided by SM Entertainment. YonhapLeading K-pop boy group NCT Dream will take its ongoing world tour to the United States and Europe this year, the band's agency said Wednesday."The Dream Show 2: In a Dream" world tour began at Seoul's Olympic Stadium in September before going to Nagoya, Yokohama and Fukuoka in Japan. Including the four cities, the tour will involve 32 concerts in 22 cities around the world in total, according to SM Entertainment.This year, the group will be performing in Osaka from Feb. 17-19 before visiting Jakarta, Bangkok and Hong Kong in March and flying to Europe for shows in London, Paris and Berlin.The band will then head to the United States, where it will perform in seven cities ― Newark, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles and Seattle. This image provided by SM Entertainment is an English poster showing the schedule for its K-pop group NCT Dream's ongoing world tour. YonhapAfter the European and U.S. legs, the group will return to Asia to continue the tour in Manila, Singapore, Macao and Kuala LuFeb 15, 2023
BTS' Suga to hold first individual world tour Suga, a member of Korean band BTS / Courtesy of BigHit MusicSuga, a member of K-pop supergroup BTS, said Wednesday he will begin his first-ever individual world tour in April.The rapper announced the news with detailed tour dates on Weverse, a K-pop fan community platform.This photo provided by BigHit Music shows the schedule for BTS rapper Suga's first world tour set to begin in April. YonhapStarting with Belmont Park on April 26-27, the tour will take him to other parts of the United States ― Newark, Rosemont, Los Angeles and Oakland ― as well as Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Seoul and Japan.This will be the first concert by Suga as a soloist, with his last concert as a BTS member being the one held in October in Busan to support the southeastern city's bid to host the 2030 World Expo. (Yonhap)Feb 15, 2023
STAYC hopes to be 'byword of comfort and hope' Girl group STAYC poses for the camera during a media showcase for its upcoming single "Teddy Bear" at a music hall in eastern Seoul in this photo provided by High Up Entertainment, Feb. 14. YonhapSTAYC, a leading fourth-generation K-pop girl group, returned Tuesday with what it can do best: a so-called "teen-fresh" genre that refers to the group's usual bubbly and bright style and image fully charged with the confidence of teenagers."Teddy Bear," set to drop at 6 p.m., is the group's fourth single and latest release since the third single "We Need Love" in July.It has two tracks ― the title song "Teddy Bear" and the Korean-language version of "Poppy," the main track off its Japanese debut album that was released in November. The Korean song came out on Feb. 3 ahead of the new album's release."If we took on a sentimental and mature image with the previous title, 'We Need Love,' we're back with a positive and optimistic vibe this time," member Isa said during a media showcase for the new album at a music hall in eastern Seoul. Team leader Sumin said, "I heard many people gained strengtFeb 14, 2023
Virtual girl group MAVE: makes waves Virtual girl group MAVE: / Courtesy of Metaverse EntertainmentMAVE:'s 'Pandora' MV draws over 13 million viewsBy Dong Sun-hwaRookie virtual girl group MAVE: is generating buzz, raising expectations that virtual humans can carve out their own niche in the competitive K-pop scene.Created by Kakao Entertainment and Metaverse Entertainment, MAVE: is made up of four members ― SIU:, ZENA:, MARTY: and TYRA:. Metaverse Entertainment is a subsidiary of game developer Netmarble.MAVE: ― a short form of “Make New Wave” ― unleashed its first album, “Pandora's Box” on Jan. 25. As of Tuesday afternoon, the music video of its lead single, “Pandora,” has attracted more than 13 million views on YouTube. Another video featuring the group's performance on MBC's “Show! Music Core” also garnered more than a million views a few days after its release, becoming the program's most-viewed clip in January. According to Kakao, it plans to launch a digital comic titled, “MAVE: Another World” on Feb. 20, which centers on the group and its fictional univeFeb 14, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
Le Sserafim's 'Fearless' tops Japanese Oricon's monthly singles ranking K-pop girl group Le Sserafim / Courtesy of Source MusicK-pop girl group Le Sserafim has sat atop the Japanese Oricon's monthly singles ranking with its debut single "Fearless" in the market, the band's agency said Tuesday."It became the first K-pop girl group to top the ranking in four years," Source Music said in a release.The five-member group's first Japanese single was released on Jan. 25 and has sold about 220,000 copies in the first week, a record for all first Japanese singles by K-pop girl groups.The three-track album ruled Oricon's daily and weekly charts before rising to the top of the monthly list. (Yonhap)Feb 14, 2023
Seventeen's The8 sustains collarbone fracture The8 of K-pop boy group Seventeen / Korea Times fileThe8, a member of the popular boy group Seventeen, has fractured his left collarbone, the group's management agency said Tuesday.He was advised by doctors to wear a fracture brace and keep from moving excessively until he recovers, according to Pledis Entertainment."We'll manage his future schedule flexibly, putting top priority on his recovery," it said.But he will attend an upcoming autograph signing event and a meet and greet with Chinese fans as planned wearing the brace, according to the agency.It did not say how he got the injury. (Yonhap)Feb 14, 2023
TXT spends 2nd week in top 3 of Billboard albums chart K-pop boy group Tomorrow X Together (TXT) / Courtesy of Big Hit MusicK-pop group Tomorrow X Together has stayed in the top three on the U.S. Billboard's main albums chart for the second consecutive week.Billboard said Sunday (U.S. time) in a preview of this week's charts that the Korean group ranked third on the Billboard 200 with its latest album, "The Name Chapter: Temptation," a week after its debut at No. 1.TXT is the only K-pop act to stay in the top three for two or more weeks in a row, except for BTS, according to BigHit Music, the K-pop agency that manages both groups.The chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the country, measured by equivalent album units comprising physical album sales and other digital sales records."The Name Chapter: Temptation" is the fifth EP from the quintet, which depicts youths swaying in front of the temptation to live in the present while enjoying freedom and entertainment even though they know they have to grow up.It consists of five tracks, including the main single, "Sugar Rush Ride," as well as "Devil by the Window" and "Happy FoolFeb 13, 2023
Rookie girl group H1-KEY rises in popularity K-pop girl group H1-KEY / Courtesy of Grandline Group (GLG)By Dong Sun-hwaRookie K-pop girl group H1-KEY is revving up its presence in the K-pop scene with its latest release, “Rose Blossom.” “Rose Blossom,” the first mini-album by the four-piece act that dropped on Jan. 5, reigned atop the real-time physical album chart on Hanteo, a local album sales tracker, Saturday. Unlike most other K-pop albums ― which usually top different charts during the first week of their release when fans make the most purchases ― “Rose Blossom” reached the milestone more than a month after its release, seeing a gradual increase in popularity. The mini-album was quite a success from the beginning, too. Upon its release, it ranked first on the iTunes top album chart in Turkey and Bahrain, while securing the top spots in seven other countries including Singapore, Mexico and Australia. Its lead single of the same name has also been creating a splash on major streaming charts in Korea. The track notched the No. 5 and the No. 32 spots on Hanteo and Melon, respectively, soonFeb 12, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
K-pop documentaries dominate OTT platforms The teaser for upcoming documentary, “j-hope IN THE BOX” / Courtesy of Big Hit Music'j-hope IN THE BOX' documentary coming to Disney+ on Feb. 17By Dong Sun-hwaA host of documentaries about K-pop will be released on different over-the-top (OTT) platforms this year, giving a sneak peek into the behind-the-scenes stories of the music industry and its singers.The U.S.-streaming platform, Disney+, is poised to unveil two documentaries revolving around K-pop juggernaut BTS ― “BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star” and “j-hope IN THE BOX.” The former will feature all seven members, showing how they have grown to become one of the biggest boy groups in the world. Its release date is unknown for now. The latter will only bring to the fore member j-hope, who dropped his first solo album, “Jack in the Box” last July. It will come out on Feb. 17, presenting how the 28-year-old prepared for his solo project. Disney+ also plans to release “NCT 127: The Lost Boys,” starring high-profile boy group NCT 127. Although details are still being kept undFeb 12, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
How will HYBE-SM collaboration transform K-pop industry? HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk / Courtesy of HYBEHYBE to become SM's largest shareholderBy Dong Sun-hwaThe K-pop industry is undergoing a tectonic shift following HYBE's acquisition of a controlling stake in SM Entertainment, with speculation mounting over how the collaboration between the two biggest K-pop powerhouses will reshape the music industry. HYBE, home to K-pop titan BTS, announced that it will purchase a 14.8 percent stake in SM for 422.8 billion won ($335.8 million) from the company's founder Lee Soo-man. The deal will make HYBE the largest shareholder of its rival.In a regulatory filing on Friday, HYBE said the deal intends to combine the global competitiveness of the two companies and make them become game changers in the international pop music scene. SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man / Courtesy of SM EntertainmentThe announcement came just one day after Lee, the mastermind behind K-pop bigwigs TVXQ, Girls' Generation, EXO, NCT and aespa, threatened legal action against executives of his own company for selling 9.05 percent of the company's stock to Kakao, making the teFeb 10, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
