BTS wins three Billboard Music Awards, marking 6th year to win an award K-pop boy group BTS / AFP-YonhapKorean boy group BTS has won three prizes at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs), one of the three biggest pop music honors in the United States, Billboard said.The septet won top duo or group, top song sales artist and top selling song (for its 2021 smash hit "Butter"), marking its sixth consecutive year to win at least one award at the BBMAs, the U.S. music magazine said Sunday (U.S. time), ahead of the awards show that begins at 9 p.m. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.BTS was nominated for seven awards in six categories with two songs, including "Permission to Dance," nominated in the top selling song section.In the top duo or group category, the K-pop supergroup clinched the trophy, beating out two strong competitors, such as Silk Sonic, the American RB duo of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak that won four honors from the 64th Grammy Awards, and British rock band Glass Animals. It marks BTS' third time to win top duo or group at the BBMAs following 2019 and 2021.BTS also proved its strong presence by winning top song sales artist for theMay 16, 2022
What do Hong Kong students think of Korea? A drawing by Wong Hin Ching, the Korean Culture Center's drawing competition's grand prize awardee, shows various elements of the country, including Gyeongbok Palace, Korean grilled meat and K-pop. Courtesy of Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong (KCC)Green glass bottle makes frequent appearance in drawings by teens in city By Kim Bo-eunHONG KONG ― Korea's pickled cabbage side dish kimchi, the country's traditional attire hanbok and surprisingly ― the distilled liquor soju ― are some of the things Hong Kong teens widely associate with Korea, a recent event revealed. These were visible elements in pictures drawn by middle and high school students in Hong Kong, in a drawing contest hosted by the Korean Cultural Center in the city.Other elements in the drawings included characters from “Squid Game,” as well as chimaek ― a Korean term referring to the pairing of fried chicken and beer.A member of a Korean girl group exclaims “Oppa,” in this drawing by Leung Ching Ki. Courtesy of KCCKorean TV shows have served as a key means of learning about the country for the stuMay 15, 2022By Kim Bo-eun
'Oddinary' becomes Stray Kids' 2nd million-seller album K-pop boy group Stray Kids / Courtesy of JYP EntertainmentBy Dong Sun-hwaStray Kids have again sold more than 1 million copies of one of its albums. Korea's album sales tracker Gaon Chart said Thursday that the group's March release, “Oddinary,” reached the milestone of 1 million sales. Its first million-seller album was “Noeasy,” which dropped last year.In 2021, the eight-piece group became the first JYP Entertainment act to sell more than 1 million copies of an album with its second full-length album, “Noeasy.” Founded by Park Jin-young in 1997, JYP is home to K-pop VIPs like Twice and Itzy. “Oddinary,” with its first single “Maniac,” racked up 1.3 million pre-orders and sold more than 850,000 copies during the first week of its release. It also reigned atop the Billboard main albums chart upon its release, leading Stray Kids to become the third K-pop act to achieve the feat, following BTS and SuperM. Stray Kids ― consisting of Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and I.N ― made their official debutMay 13, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
K-pop girl act aespa picked as one of Next Generation Leaders by Time magazine K-pop girl group aespa performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, California, U.S., April 23. The girl act was listed as Next Generation Leaders by Time magazine. Courtesy of SM EntertainmentBy Kim RahnK-pop girl group aespa has been named as one of the Next Generation Leaders by Time magazine.The four-member act was the only K-pop offering to be listed this year, according to its agency, SM Entertainment, Friday. It is also the first time for a K-pop girl group to be on the list, while boy group BTS was named on the list in 2018.Published by the U.S. magazine every year, the Next Generation Leaders theme is a list of trendsetters and pioneers in various fields.About aespa that consists of four human members and their digital avatars and debuted as the unique concept of a “girl act in the metaverse,” Time said, “Aespa is an experiment, but it may also be the inevitable next step for the music industry: a fresh way to bridge the virtual and the real.”It said although aespa has released only several singles and one EP, the EP landed highest on theMay 13, 2022By Kim Rahn
Why are some BTS fans boycotting upcoming album? K-pop act BTS / Capture from BTS' TwitterBy Dong Sun-hwaSome fans of K-pop juggernaut BTS are boycotting the group's upcoming anthology album “Proof,” as it includes a song written by Bobby Chung, who is suspected of sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend and filming an illegal sex video of her. Chung, whose real name is Chung Dae-wook, is one of the composers behind “Filter,” a Latin-style solo track by BTS member Jimin that dropped in 2020. The singer-songwriter, who also is credited on other BTS songs such as “Love Maze” (2018), is currently on trial after his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Song, filed a complaint against him for sexually assaulting her and filming an illegal sex video. Song is known to have taken her own life in 2020 after making the accusation. Regarding this situation, quite a few fans are pointing out that it is not appropriate to include “Filter” on BTS' upcoming release, which will hit shelves on June 10. Since BTS has been relaying anti-violence and anti-discrimination messages for many years through its music and conMay 12, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
(G)I-dle to hold first world tour K-pop girl group (G)I-dle / Courtesy of Cube EntertainmentKorean girl group (G)I-dle will hold a world concert tour for the first time since its debut four years ago, its agency said Thursday.The tour will kick off in Seoul on June 18 and 19, and make stops in 15 major cities in the United States, Chile, Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan and Singapore until Oct. 1, Cube Entertainment said.Debuting in May 2018, the quintet has released many popular songs, such as "Latata" (2018), "Senorita" (2019), "Oh My God" (2020) and "Dumdi Dumdi" (2020), and its biggest hit "Hwaa" (2021). Most recently, the band released its first full-length album "I Never Die" in March and dominated major local music charts with the album's hit lead song "Tomboy." (Yonhap)May 12, 2022
TXT sees first million seller with new release K-pop boy group Tomorrow X Together / YonhapK-pop boy group Tomorrow X Together's (TXT) latest album has sold over a million copies ― for the first time in its three-year career ― the group's agency said Wednesday.TXT's fourth EP "minisode 2: Thursday's Child" saw 1.07 million copies sold in just two days after its release Monday, Big Hit Music said, citing data from Hanteo Chart, a local albums sales tracker.It became the first million-selling album from the band since its debut in March 2019.Depicting what happens after stories in the band's "The Dream Chapter" and "The Chaos Chapter" album series, the new release is about a boy who is overtaken by a whirlwind of emotions, such as rage and loss, after experiencing the first breakup of his life. (Yonhap)May 11, 2022
INTERVIEW After debuting FTISLAND and AOA, Kim Young-sun begins new journey as CEO Kim Young-sun, CEO of Great M Entertainment / Courtesy of Great M EntertainmentGreat M Entertainment CEO looks back on her 20-year careerBy Dong Sun-hwaKim Young-sun, founder and CEO of K-pop record label Great M Entertainment, is the “mother” of numerous K-pop acts. Kim, the former director of FNC Entertainment and one of the creative minds behind popular acts like FTISLAND, CNBLUE and AOA, has mostly been known as a hard taskmaster after appearing on tvN's reality drama “Cheongdamdong 111” in 2013. In the program that featured the behind-the-scenes stories of some FNC stars and company officials, Kim was depicted as a merciless woman, who scolded AOA's Seolhyun for gaining weight and other members for having snacks while practicing their dance routines.However, in reality, the moniker of mother better describes who she really is. Indeed, she sometimes acts like an iron-hearted boss to make her singers look flawless, but other times, she gives them unwavering love and support like their mothers. In the past, she cooked meals for them at their houses and even May 11, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
BLACKPINK's 'How You Like That' choreography video tops 1.1 billion views K-pop girl group BLACKPINK / Courtesy of YG Entertainment The choreography video for "How You Like That," a 2020 hit single by K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, has surpassed 1.1 billion views on YouTube.The group's agency YG Entertainment said Wednesday the video hit the milestone slightly after midnight, one year and 10 months after it was uploaded on the global video streaming service.The number 1.1 billion is the largest for a K-pop choreography video.The song's official music video had garnered 1.09 billion streams as of 9 a.m.Excluding the two videos, a total of 32 YouTube videos from BLACKPINK have collected more than 100 million views. (Yonhap)May 11, 2022
Psy returns to Billboard Hot 100 after 7 years with 'That That' Korean singer-rapper Psy, left, and Suga of BTS / Screencapture from Psy's TwitterKorean singer-rapper Psy has put his name onto Billboard's main singles chart for "That That," his collaborative tune with Suga of K-pop supergroup BTS, the U.S. music magazine said Tuesday.The main track from Psy's ninth full-length album "Psy 9th" debuted at No. 80 on this week's Hot 100 songs chart, Billboard said on Twitter. All charts will be updated on the company's website a day later.The album was the first release from the singer in five years.The Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs of the week in the U.S., measured by streaming, radio airplay and sales data.It marks Psy's fifth song that has been on the chart. After staying at No. 2 for seven weeks with the global sensation "Gangnam Style," he put three more songs on the chart ― at No. 5 with "Gentleman" in 2013, at No. 26 with "Hangover" in 2014 and at No. 97 with "Daddy" in 2015."That That" also ranked high on the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts ― at No. 2 and No. 5, respectively. It also placed second on theMay 10, 2022
