Astro's Rocky confirms dating actress Park Bo-yeon Actress Park Bo-yeon, left, and boy group Astro member Rocky / Korea Times filesBy Lee Gyu-leeSinger Rocky, a member of K-pop boy group Astro, is dating actress Park Bo-yeon, the singer's agency Fantagio confirmed.The agency released a statement, Monday, admitting media reports that the singer and the actress are romantically involved.“The two first met through the web series 'Find Me if You Can.' Then, they grew closer as colleagues when Park became involved in Rocky's music work as she loves writing. They recently developed good feelings (toward each other),” it said. “We regret to share such news amid the national mourning period for condolences and mourning. We ask for our fans' understanding in regard to the delay in releasing our statement.”The rumors of their dating surfaced online when Park was seen in the audience of a musical that Rocky is starring in, Sunday. The fans also pointed out that Park was listed as the co-writer of Rocky's solo song in the group's recent album “Drive to the Starry Road.”However, hours before Fantagio's statemenNov 1, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
BTS' RM to make solo debut soon RM, leader of K-pop juggernaut BTS / Korea Times fileRM, leader of the K-pop juggernaut BTS, will release his first official solo album soon, the band's agency said Tuesday.Big Hit Music said RM is currently preparing for the album's release, without giving any further details.He will become the third BTS member to make a debut as an individual artist, following J-Hope in July and Jin last month.Last week, the cable TV channel tvN said the BTS rapper will co-host its new educational-entertainment show, titled "The Dictionary of Useless Human Knowledge," with director Jang Hang-jun. The program will be broadcast in the second half of this year, according to the channel. (Yonhap)Nov 1, 2022
BTS' Jin premiers 'The Astronaut' with Coldplay in Argentina Fans of K-pop boy band BTS wait to attend a concert of the British rock band Coldplay in Buenos Aires on Oct. 28, in this AFP photo. Jin, a BTS member, performed his first solo single "The Astronaut" with the band during the show. YonhapJin of the K-pop megaband BTS made a guest appearance at Coldplay's concert in Buenos Aires on Friday (local time) for his first live performance of his solo debut single, "The Astronaut," with the British rock band.According to music industry sources here, Jin appeared from the opposite side of the main stage after being introduced by the band's vocalist Chris Martin during the show.The venue was filled with shouts from music fans as soon as the Korean singer took the stage, with some shocked spectators seen incredulously covering their mouths with their hands.Clad in jeans, a gray diamond-patterned knit and a matching dark-colored jumper, the BTS vocalist sang a bar of "The Astronaut" with his pink microphone and ran to the center of the stage to hug Martin. "The Astronaut" is a pop-rock genre song co-written by Coldplay, with the British band also Oct 29, 2022
'The Astronaut' by BTS' Jin sells 700,000 copies on 1st day, tops iTunes' chart in 97 countries This photo of Jin, a member of K-pop juggernaut BTS, is provided by Big Hit Music, the band's agency. Yonhap The first official solo single by BTS' Jin has sold more than 700,000 copies on the first day of its release, his agency said Saturday."The Astronaut" sold 700,754 copies for a day after it came out at 1 p.m. Friday, Big Hit Music said, quoting data from Hanteo Chart, a local market tracker.It marks a big sales figure for a single-track album."The Astronaut" also topped iTunes' top songs chart in 97 countries around the world, including the United States, Britain, Germany and France, as of 9 a.m. Saturday.The song's music video telling a story of an astronaut who accidentally landed on Earth has also garnered over 17 million views on YouTube as of 2 p.m."The Astronaut" is a pop-rock genre song co-written by Coldplay, with the British band also playing on the recording. Jin participated in writing the lyrics, expressing his affection for Army, the global fandoOct 29, 2022
ONEUS member Ravn leaves group following sexual misconduct accusations Ravn, a former member of K-pop boy group ONEUS / Courtesy of RBWBy Dong Sun-hwaRavn of K-pop boy group ONEUS has left his group after an online user ― who claimed to be his ex-girlfriend ― accused him of sexual misconduct. ONEUS' management company RBW announced his departure on Thursday, about two weeks after the allegation was first raised. “Ravn decided to quit the act as he did not want to cause more trouble for his bandmates and fans,” the company said. “After having a discussion with him, we came to respect and follow his decision. ONEUS will continue its musical activity as a five-member group (consisting of Seoho, Leedo, Keonhee, Hwangwoong and Xion).”However, RBW added that there are some “false claims,” so they will take legal measures to get things right. On Oct. 14, an internet user who identified herself as his Japanese ex-girlfriend shared several Twitter posts in which she claimed that Ravn had cheated on her and verbally abused her while they were dating over the past two years. She also claimed that on the day they first met, he goOct 28, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
Will Korea ever have its own prestigious music awards? Members of award-winning K-pop group BTS pose on the 2022 Grammy red carpet in Las Vegas, April 3 (local time.) Courtesy of Big Hit Music'Korea needs credible music awards'By Dong Sun-hwaSeveral music awards were launched in Korea over the past few years with the hope that they would become Korea's Grammy or Korea's Billboard. Their lofty goal was to follow in the footsteps of some of the world's most prestigious music awards, which have decades of history, as well as trying to earn a comparable reputation. However, to this day, none of them has succeeded.Numerous events like the MAMA Awards ― formerly known as Mnet Asian Music Awards ― Melon Music Awards, Golden Disc Awards and Korean Music Awards have attempted to become game changers by inviting dozens of K-pop bigwigs and thousands of spectators. But this practice has only drawn sharp criticism that they offer nothing more than visual splendor. Many of them also came under fire for lacking transparency in selecting the winners and giving out too many prizes. In the case of MBC, KBS and SBS ― the three major terrestrial broadcasteOct 28, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
BTS' Jin makes solo debut with 'The Astronaut' BTS' Jin, second from right, and British rock band Coldplay poses for the camera before a rehearsal for their joint performance of "The Astronaut" at Coldplay's concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Oct. 28. YonhapJin, a member of K-pop juggernaut BTS, debuted as a solo artist through a collaborative single with British rock band Coldplay on Friday.The vocalist simultaneously released "The Astronaut" and its music video worldwide at 1 p.m. in Korea, or midnight in the United States (EST)."The Astronaut" marks his first official solo single although he has unofficially released a few songs, such as "Super Tuna," "Abyss" and "Tonight," on special occasions, including his birthday. He became the second member of the septet to make a solo debut, following J-Hope, who dropped his first solo album, "Jack In The Box," in July.Earlier in the day, Jin said the single is filled with his gratitude and affection for the band's fandom, Army, who made him shine."I've dropped songs made to celebrate my birthday, songs for fans and solo tracks on BTS albums, but I'm nervous and excited because it'sOct 28, 2022
BTS, BLACKPINK, Jungkook nominated for U.S. entertainment awards Members of South Korean K-pop band BTS, V, SUGA, JIN, Jung Kook, RM, Jimin, and j-hope from left to right, pose for photographers ahead of a press conference to introduce their new single "Butter" in Seoul, May 21, 2021. AP-YonhapKorean boy group BTS, its member Jungkook and girl group BLACKPINK will compete for this year's People's Choice Awards, a U.S. awards show for recognizing people in entertainment. According to the full list of 2022 People's Choice Awards nominees released by the organizers on its homepage Wednesday (U.S. time), BTS was nominated in three categories: The Group of 2022, The Music Video of 2022 (for "Yet To Come") and The Concert Tour of 2022 (for "BTS Permission To Dance on Stage"). The group's member Jungkook was nominated for The Music Video of 2022 and The Collaboration Song of 2022, both for "Left And Right," his collaboration single with U.S. singer-songwriter Charlie Puth.BLACKPINK / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentBLACKPINK put its name on the list of nominees for The Group of 2022 and The Music Video of 2022 (for "Pink Venom").Last year, BTS won three prizOct 27, 2022
BTS, BLACKPINK, Jungkook nominated for People's Choice Awards This photo captured from the homepage of the People's Choice Awards shows K-pop groups BTS and BLACKPINK as nominees for The Group of 2022. YonhapKorean boy group BTS, its member Jungkook and girl group BLACKPINK will compete for this year's People's Choice Awards, a U.S. awards show for recognizing people in entertainment. According to the full list of 2022 People's Choice Awards nominees released by the organizers on its homepage Wednesday (U.S. time), BTS was nominated in three categories: The Group of 2022, The Music Video of 2022 (for "Yet To Come") and The Concert Tour of 2022 (for "BTS Permission To Dance on Stage"). The group's member Jungkook was nominated for The Music Video of 2022 and The Collaboration Song of 2022, both for "Left And Right," his collaboration single with U.S. singer-songwriter Charlie Puth.BLACKPINK put its name on the list of nominees for The Group of 2022 and The Music Video of 2022 (for "Pink Venom").Last year, BTS won three prizes, including the best group of the year, and the global South Korean TV sensation "Squid Game" was hailed as the "bingewortOct 27, 2022
INTERVIEW Popular Demand: company behind IVE's 'After LIKE' aims to broaden horizon Aslak Klever, founder and CEO of Popular Demand / Screenshot from InstagramOslo-based music publishing company CEO hopes to work with BLACKPINKBy Dong Sun-hwa“After LIKE,” the third single by girl group IVE, is one of the biggest K-pop hits this year. The catchy tune has been retaining a spot on the Billboard Global 200 chart for eight consecutive weeks since its release on Sept. 19, and recently became the longest-running track on the top 10 weekly chart of Melon, a major Korean streaming platform. It also ranked first on Korean music shows 14 times ― the highest record among all K-pop acts this year ― and its music video exceeded 120 million views on YouTube as of Wednesday. Thanks to the stellar success of this song, in which IVE members sing about expressing love through actions, the sextet has risen as a strong candidate for the rookie of the year awards.K-pop girl group IVE / Courtesy of Starship EntertainmentFusing assorted music genres such as EDM, pop and house, “After LIKE” was co-written by high-profile producers like Anders Nilsen from Norway and ROct 27, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
