Rookie girl group Ive to return with new single next month K-pop girl group Ive / Courtesy of Starship EntertainmentNew K-pop girl group Ive will put out a new single next month, the group's management agency said Monday.Starship Entertainment unveiled a teaser image for the group's third single, "After Like," announcing the band will return on Aug. 22."After Like" will be band's first release since its second single, "Love Dive," in April.The six-piece group debuted in April last year, composed of former IZ*ONE member An Yu-jin, and her fellow ex-IZ*ONE member Jang Won-young, along with members Gaeul, Liz, Rei and Leeseo.It is now considered one of the leading fourth-generation K-pop girl groups, with two straight hit songs, "Eleven" and "Love Dive."The latest single "Love Dive" rose to No. 15 on the Billboard 200 Global chart with its music video garnering over 100 million views on YouTube. (Yonhap)Jul 25, 2022
'Attention': Hybe's girl group NewJeans arrives on K-pop scene Members of rookie K-pop girl group NewJeans / Courtesy of ADORNewJeans' 'Attention' music video surpasses 1.3 million hitsBy Dong Sun-hwaThe competition among K-pop girl groups will get into full swing following the arrival of much-anticipated rookie act NewJeans, Friday (KST). Its debut album will hit multiple streaming platforms on Aug. 1, and hit store shelves on Aug. 8. NewJeans is a group launched by All Doors One Room (ADOR), a label under Hybe that represents K-pop titan BTS. It released the music video of its track “Attention” at midnight early Friday, and it has already exceeded 1.3 million views on YouTube as of 3 p.m. The average age of the five members ― Minji (18), Hanni (18), Danielle (17), Haerin (16) and Hyein (14) ― is 16.6. Although more details about them have not been disclosed, Hanni is reportedly Vietnamese and Danielle was born to an Australian father and a Korean mother. The quintet was formed by Min Hee-jin, the CEO of ADOR who joined Hybe in 2019. Prior to joining Hybe, she worked as a creative director at SM Entertainment ― another major K-pop rJul 22, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
'Test Me': Xdinary Heroes speak for Generation Z with music Members of band Xdinary Heroes perform their new song, “Test Me,” during a press event held at Blue Square Mastercard Hall in central Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of JYP EntertainmentJYP's new act drops 1st mini-album 'Hello, world!'By Dong Sun-hwaThere are many characteristics defining Generation Z ― which refers to those born between 1996 and 2005 ― but in the eyes of rookie band Xdinary Heroes, their most typical feature is outspokenness. To highlight this and help them get their emotions off their chest, the group said it used playful yet straightforward language in the lyrics of its new songs. Xdinary Heroes dropped its first mini-album, “Hello, world!” on Wednesday afternoon. The six-piece act ― comprising drummer Gunil, keyboardists Jungsu and O.de, guitarists Gaon and Junhan, and bassist Jooyeon ― is the first band formed by K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment since its launch of DAY6 in 2015. JYP is home to a number of high-profile stars, including TWICE and Stray Kids. “Young people in the past often remained silent even if they had something to sJul 22, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
BTS members to release collaborative single with US artists BTS perform during the 64th Annual Grammy Awards show in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. April 3. Reuters-YonhapFour BTS members ― Jin, Jimin, V and Jungkook ― will drop a collaboration project with U.S. producer-singer-songwriter Benny Blanco and rapper Snoop Dogg next month, the K-pop group's agency said Thursday.The song "Bad Decisions" will come out Aug. 5 and will be included on Blanco's third full-length album set for release later in the year, Big Hit Music said."The collaboration was accomplished as Blanco offered to do so," the agency said. "Jin, Jimin, V and Jungkook will show a new side that has not been shown before, as well as their unique vocal skills through the special collaboration project."Blanco also teased the track through a video posted on his Twitter account Wednesday.In the video, the BTS members answered "no" in unison when the American musician told the members that he wants to be in the band during a video call. And then when Jimin said, "But we can make a song together," Blanco joyfully responded, "Let's make the best song in the entire world. Let's go!" (Yonhap)Jul 21, 2022
Kim Ga-ram removed from Le Sserafim following bullying accusations Kim Ga-ram, a former member of K-pop girl group Le Sserafim / Courtesy of Source MusicBy Dong Sun-hwaK-pop girl group Le Sserafim has kicked out its member Kim Ga-ram after she was accused of bullying other students while in middle school. Le Sserafim's management company, Source Music ― a label under Hybe that represents K-pop megastars BTS ― announced Wednesday that it terminated its exclusive contract with Kim.“We offer our sincere apology for causing inconvenience to the group's fans and many other people due to the controversy surrounding Kim,” the company said in a statement. “From now on, Le Sserafim will continue its musical activity as a five-member group (comprising Kim Chae-won, Sakura, Huh Yun-jin, Kazuha and Hong Eun-chae). We will give our utmost support to the quintet so that it can take a leap forward in its career.”Shortly before Le Sserafim's debut in May, some internet users raised the bullying allegations against the 16-year-old singer, but Source Music denied the accusations, insisting she was actually a victim of bullying. The allegationsJul 20, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
INTERVIEW 'We'll build metaverse platform where AI matches songwriters to labels' SPARWK President Choi Jin-suk, left, and SPARWK CEO Robin Jenssen / Courtesy of SPARWKSPARWK, metaverse platform connecting entertainment industry insiders, to be launched in 2023By Dong Sun-hwaThe entertainment industry may look very high-tech on the surface. There is the metaverse K-pop girl group aespa, which consists of four human members and their digital avatars. A legion of singers wowed their fans during their online concerts for utilizing cutting-edge technologies like augmented reality (AR). Some of them are even using non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to monetize their music. However, upon closer inspection, there has been a deep-rooted issue that hardly anyone has paid attention to: the lack of a universal platform connecting industry insiders across the globe, where they can interact and collaborate without facing physical and language barriers. This absence has deprived many people of opportunities to boast their talents on the international stage and make more profits. To tackle this problem, Robin Jenssen, the CEO and co-founder of EKKO Music Rights Europe ― a sister companyJul 20, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
Girl group STAYC to return with new single 'We Need Love' STAYC / Courtesy of High Up EntertainmentRookie girl group STAC will drop its third single "We Need Love" on Tuesday, its agency Highup Entertainment said.The single album comes five months after it released its second EP "Young-Luv.com" led by "RUN2U" in February.The six-piece group debuted in November 2020 with the song "So Bad" and has since grown to be one of the leading fourth-generation K-pop girl groups along with aespa and Ive, releasing hits such as "ASAP" and "Stereotype."The upcoming single album consists of four tracks ― the main single "Beautiful Monster," "I Like It," "Love" and a remix of the band's previous hit song "RUN2U."All the new songs have been written and composed by hitmakers Black Eyed Pilseung, who are also executives of Highup Entertainment; Jeon Goon, a frequent STAYC collaborator; and producers Rado and Flyt. In "Beautiful Monster," the six members sing about fear, an emotion hidden on the other side of love, with their powerful vocal skills, according to the agency.The album is scheduled to hit online music services at 6 p.m. (Yonhap)Jul 19, 2022
BLACKPINK's Jennie cast in new American TV series 'The Idol' Jennie of BLACKPINK / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentJennie, a member of Korean girl group BLACKPINK, will appear in the upcoming U.S. TV series "The Idol," her agency said Tuesday.Co-created by Abel Tesfaye, the Canadian pop star known by his stage name of the Weeknd, Sam Levison and Reza Fahim, the new series is set against the backdrop of the music industry and is about a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult, who develops a complicated relationship with a rising pop idol. It also stars Tesfaye, Lily-Rose Depp and Troye Sivan.Although not much is known about Jennie's character in the HBO series, it is drawing attention from K-pop fans for being her debut acting role."I found the script very intriguing, so I wanted to be part of the series," Jennie said through her agency. "I feel very excited. I'll work hard, so please watch me with affection."The release date of the new series has yet to be fixed.BLACKPINK will return to the music scene as a full group next month. (Yonhap)Jul 19, 2022
G-Dragon unveils music video dedicated to Elvis Presley G-Dragon of BIGBANG / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentG-Dragon, leader of boy group BIGBANG, on Monday released a music video dedicated to Elvis Presley, known as "the king of rock and roll," the group's agency said.The video uploaded on G-Dragon's official YouTube channel showed him singing his own arranged version of "Can't Help Falling in Love," one of Presley's most recognizable songs.The Korean rapper-dancer weakly sang the opening lyrics in a low voice to the piano accompaniment but changed the song to a fast-tempo rock band backing track from the middle and finished it with a rough voice.The video was directed by Baz Luhrmann who helmed "Elvis," a U.S. biographical musical film that opened in South Korea on Wednesday, YG said. (Yonhap)Jul 18, 2022
BLACKPINK's 'Kill This Love' tops 600 mil. streams on Spotify K-pop girl group BLACKPINK / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentK-pop girl group BLACKPINK's "Kill This Love" has surpassed 600 million streams on Spotify, the world's largest music streaming platform, the group's agency YG Entertainment said Monday.The achievement came about 10 months after the song passed 500 million, according to the agency.BLACKPINK is now the only K-pop girl group with singles streamed more than 600 million times on the service."Kill This Love" became the quartet's second song to hit the milestone after "How You Live That" in March.Released in April 2019, "Kill This Love" is a track featuring intense lead brass and magnificent drum sounds. It debuted at No. 41 on the U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 main singles chart in the first week of its release. (Yonhap)Jul 18, 2022
