INTERVIEW What is on the 'FACE' of MAMAMOO's Solar? Solar of K-pop girl group MAMAMOO dropped her first solo EP, “容: FACE,” Wednesday. Courtesy of RBWLeading K-pop act member releases solo EPBy Dong Sun-hwaWearing almost no makeup, Solar of K-pop girl group MAMAMOO greeted reporters with a beaming smile during a video interview on Tuesday, one day before the release of her first solo EP, “容: FACE.” Donning glasses and a black casual outfit, she quickly created a friendly atmosphere and began talking about her fresh release in an excited tone, first explaining why she titled her mini-album, “FACE.”“My real name is Kim Yong-sun, and 'Yong' is the Chinese character meaning face,” she said. “By naming my mini-album, 'FACE,' I wanted to let people know that I have a variety of faces and magnetisms. On top of that, everyone has their own face that makes them distinguishable from others and they all shine in different ways. I wanted to emphasize these points in my new offering.”The 31-year-old singer also believes that people's faces show the vestiges of their lives. “I have bMar 17, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
BTS to perform at Grammy Awards for third consecutive year A handout screengrab made available by the Recording Academy shows members of BTS performing onstage during the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony at the Los Angeles Convention Center, in Los Angeles, March 14, 2021. EPA-YonhapK-pop supergroup BTS will take the stage for the annual Grammy Awards for the third consecutive year, organizers have said.The South Korean group was among the artists announced by the U.S. Recording Academy on Tuesday (U.S. time) to perform during the 64th awards ceremony on April 3. Other big names on the list were Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Brandi Carlile and Brothers Osborne.BTS performed jointly with Lil Nas X at the 62nd Grammy Awards held two years ago and hit the stage alone to perform its megahit "Dynamite" at the event's 63rd edition in March last year.This year's show, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, will be broadcast live by CBS and can be streamed on Paramount+. The septet was nominated in one category: best pop duo or group performance.After attending the Grammy Awards, BTS will hold four live concerts at Allegiant Stadium in LMar 16, 2022
JYP Entertainment sets up US branch to expand access to North American market K-pop boy group Stray Kids / Courtesy of JYP Entertainment JYP Entertainment, the K-pop label behind TWICE and Stray Kids, said Tuesday it has established a U.S. branch to expand its reach in the North American market."We have set up JYP USA to secure a foothold in the North American market, where the K-pop base continues to expand, and attempt a new strategic evolution," the company said in a release.The local corporation will work to help JYP-managed artists' advance to the U.S. market in the future as well as to discover and nurture new talents in the region, according to the agency.The establishment is the latest in the K-pop agency's efforts to expand its market reach.Last month, JYP announced it had expanded its strategic partnership with U.S. Republic Records, one of the biggest American record labels owned by Universal Music Group, which began in 2020 with K-pop girl group TWICE. Republic Records will support the U.S. activities of JYP's other K-pop groups, Mar 15, 2022
INTERVIEW How did Kick Cafe in Paris become must-see place for K-pop lovers? Longtime French fan opens Europe's first K-pop-themed coffeehouseBy Dong Sun-hwaSavannah Truong, founder of Kick Cafe in Paris / Screenshot from Instagram (@yamazxl)In the second arrondissement in central Paris sits Kick Cafe, one of the most sought-after places for K-pop lovers in France where they can sip a cup of coffee named after their favorite singers or try Korean dishes like “samgak gimbap” (a triangular-shaped seaweed rice roll with diverse fillings) while listening to the latest K-pop songs. Since its establishment in 2021, Kick Cafe ― an acronym for “K-pop is for cool kids” ― has been serving as a hub of Korean culture in France, with about 200 people visiting the place every day. According to its founder, Savannah Truong, the majority of the visitors hail from France, but a growing number of people from different European countries ― including Germany, Spain, Hungary and Estonia ― also come to her cafe during their vacations to savor K-pop and Korean culture. “Kick Cafe is the very first concept store in Europe dedicated to K-pop, where peoplMar 15, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
Red Velvet's Irene, Joy, Yeri test positive for COVID-19; live concerts canceled K-pop girl group Red Velvet / Courtesy of SM Entertainment Three members of K-pop girl group Red Velvet ― Irene, Joy and Yeri ― have tested positive for COVID-19, leading to the cancellation of both concerts scheduled for the weekend, the group's agency said Monday.The members recently tested positive through self-test kits and then underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which returned positive results, SM Entertainment said.Having completed their vaccination, the three are receiving treatment at home without presenting any special symptoms, it added.The remaining two members ― Seulgi and Wendy ― tested negative.The infections caused the cancellation of the group's first concerts before a live audience since November 2019, the agency said, adding tickets will be fully refunded.However, the group will drop its new EP as scheduled next Monday, SM said.Red Velvet planned to hold two "2022 The ReVe Festival: Prologue" concerts at SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium Mar 14, 2022
BTS Seoul concerts attract 2.46 million fans around the world Members of BTS perform during a live concert titled "Permission to Dance on Stage ― Seoul" at the Seoul Olympic Stadium in Seoul in this handout photo taken March 10. Courtesy of Big Hit Music K-pop supergroup BTS' three live concerts in Seoul attracted 2.46 million fans both on and offline, the group's agency said Monday.The "BTS Permission To Dance On Stage ― Seoul" shows were held at Seoul Olympic Stadium, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday nights, with the first and third-night shows streamed live online and the second-night concert available for "live-viewing" at movie theaters across the world.The shows drew a total audience of 45,000 at Seoul Olympic Stadium for the three days and were also watched live by 1,020,000 and 1.4 million fans, respectively, online and at theaters, Big Hit Music said.The number 1.4 million is a record high for any non-film content shown at theaters around the world, according to the agency.According to Variety, Sunday (local time), the sMar 14, 2022
REVIEW 'We finally feel at home': BTS plays first Seoul concert in over 2 years Members of K-pop juggernaut BTS perform during a concert at Olympic Stadium in Jamsil, southeastern Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Big Hit MusicBy Dong Sun-hwaAmong all songs that K-pop behemoth BTS performed during the first leg of its Seoul concert, “BTS Permission to Dance on Stage - Seoul” on Thursday at Olympic Stadium in Jamsil, southeastern Seoul, the group's 2019 release “Home” was the track that best spoke for the seven members. The concert is the septet's first in-person gig in Seoul in almost two and a half years, after it staged the “BTS World Tour 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself' [The Final]” in October, 2019. The latest offering will attract up to 45,000 people until its finale on March 14 and is the largest live concert in Korea since the COVID-19 outbreak. Thursday's show was also livestreamed on Weverse, a fan community platform created by BTS' management company HYBE.BTS takes the stage during a concert at Olympic Stadium in Jamsil, southeastern Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Big Hit Music“Singing 'Home' was particularly meaningfMar 11, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
BTS to return for first Korean concerts in over two years BTS / Courtesy of BigHit MusicK-pop supergroup BTS will hit the stage in Seoul, Thursday, for its first concerts before local fans since 2019. The first of three "Permission To Dance On Stage - Seoul" concerts is set to begin at Jamsil Olympic Park in southern Seoul at 7 p.m. with two more shows scheduled for Saturday and Sunday night.The first and last shows will be streamed live online, while the second one will be available for "live viewing" at movie theaters around the world, according to Big Hit Music, the group's agency.BTS will perform its major hit songs, including "Butter," "Dynamite" and "Permission to Dance." The first night is expected to open with "On," the lead track from the group's fourth full-length album "Map of the Soul: 7," released in February 2020. "On" was at the top of the set list during the band's latest concerts in Los Angeles last year.Each night of the sold-out concerts will boast a different set list, including songs that were not performed in the Los Angeles shows, such as "Black Swan," also a track from the fourth full album, according to the agency.IMar 10, 2022
2 more Seventeen members, BTOB's Im Hyun-sik test positive for COVID-19 Joshua of K-pop boy group Seventeen / Korea Times fileTwo more members of K-pop boy group Seventeen and one member of BTOB tested positive for COVID-19, Tuesday, their agencies said as the nationwide spread of the Omicron variant continues to affect the K-pop music scene."Seventeen members Joshua and Jun tested positive for COVID-19," Pledis Entertainment said on social media.Joshua initially tested negative through a self-test kit but received a positive result after getting a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Jun accepted both rapid antigen and PCR tests, which returned positive results, according to the agency.Both were receiving treatment at home without presenting any special symptoms, it added. The latest cases brought to nine the number of members confirmed to have the virus in the 13-piece group. Earlier, members Wonwoo, Vernon, Hoshi, S.Coups, DK, Seungkwan and The 8 tested positive.Im Hyun-sik, a vocalist of six-piece group BTOB, was also confirmed positive for the coronavirus in a PCR test, Cube Entertainment said. "He recently received a booster dose," the agency saidMar 8, 2022
Oh My Girl to drop 1st studio album in three years K-pop girl group Oh My Girl / Courtesy of WM Entertainment K-pop girl group Oh My Girl will release its first full-length album in three years in late March, the group's agency said Monday."Real Love," the second studio album from the group, will drop at 6 p.m. March 28, according to WM Entertainment.It marks the group's first full album in three years, with the latest one released in 2019.Debuting in April 2015 with the EP "Oh My Girl," the septet has since released hit singles, such as "Secret Garden," "The Fifth Season" and its most successful track "Dun Dun Dance." (Yonhap)Mar 7, 2022
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