G-Dragon's new music video only available for thumb drive owners G-Dragon's USB solo ablum "Kwon Ji Yong" / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentBy Kim Jae-heunRapper G-Dragon’s new music video for “Bullshit,” a track on his latest solo album “Kwon Ji Yong,” will be only available to those who purchase the album that was released in the form of a memory stick with a serial number.The album was released June 8 on a thumb drive, causing a dispute over whether to accept it as a real album or not. The memory stick does not contain any music files but will connect to YG Entertainment’s website where people can download tracks after inserting a serial number.Gaon Music Chart, a weekly music list officiated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, denied approving it as an official album.Gaon said it is sticking to its principle that only music recorded on a disc will be accepted as an “album” as there is a boundary that segments a digital chart, a download chart and an album chart.The categorization of music released in different formats is important as it decides the copyright payment to musicians.The Aug 22, 2017
TVXQ returns with solo tracks K-pop duo TVXQ’s members Max Changmin, left, and U-know Yunho pose during their first Asia Press Tour event at The Shilla Seoul, Monday. / YonhapK-pop duo to hold concerts in Korea, JapanBy Kim Jae-heunS.M. Entertainment’s popular K-pop duo TVXQ announced their first Asia Press Tour at a press conference in Seoul, Monday, and revealed their upcoming solo singles due out next month.The band debuted as a five-member act in 2003, but three members left the group, leaving U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin as a duo.This is their first official scheduled event together in two years after U-Know Yunho was discharged from the army in April and Max Changmin last Friday.The two will release new solo albums in the last week of September, which they have named “TVXQ Week.” During the week, U-Know Yunho will release “Drop” on Sept. 25 and Max Changmin will introduce his solo album on Sept. 29. U-Know Yunho has already showcased his new song during the sixth SMTOWN LIVE world tour concert in Seoul on July 8. Max Changmin will release his new track through S.M. EnterAug 21, 2017
INTERVIEW 'Korean fans are punk and more crazy': ex-Oasis leader Liam Gallagher / Courtesy of Live Nation KoreaFormer Oasis frontman to rock SeoulBy Park Jin-haiLiam Gallagher, former frontman of 1990’s iconic British band “Oasis,” will perform in Seoul, Tuesday.In the concert titled “Live Forever Long,” the singer with a voice often compared to that of John Lennon will sing old Oasis hits along with songs from his debut solo album “As You Were.” It has been five years since his group Beady Eye headlined the 2012 Jisan Valley Rock Festival and this is his first visit as a solo artist. “I’ve been doing this for longer than 25 years, I don’t think I’ve got anything more to prove than that. I just want to keep making music and sing songs for fans. I can’t do anything else,” said Gallagher, when asked what keeps him going in his post-Oasis and post-Beady Eye years during an interview with The Korea Times. “I still believe I’m probably one of the greatest rock ’n’ roll singers on the planet. So I just want to sing songs. I’m asAug 20, 2017
US pop star Ariana Grande denies 'unprofessional' Seoul concert accusation / Korea Times fileBy Park Si-soo Universal Music, the label representing scandal-ridden American pop star Ariana Grande, reacted to brewing criticism over her alleged unprofessional attitude and disregard for the fans at her Seoul concert last Tuesday. In a statement on Friday, the company denied allegations that the singer’s unnoticed late arrival to Seoul and to the concert venue, and her consequent skipping of rehearsal, reflected that she disregarded her Korean fans and hosted the sold-out concert without a sincere commitment. The label claimed “everything she did during the Seoul concert was the same as she had done at other concerts.” The following is an excerpt of the Q&A format statement released by Universal Music. Q. Did she host a poorly prepared, unprofessional concert? Did she disregard her Korean fans? A. The Seoul concert was part of her World Tour. The stage design, setting and performance format were exactly the same compared with those of her previous concerts. She was supposed to sing “Dangerous Woman” as an encore aAug 19, 2017
Taeyang calls latest solo album his best Singer Tae Yang / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentBy Kim Jae-heunTaeyang, best known as a member of idol group BIGBANG, brought back his solo project, introducing what he calls the best album of his career, “White Night,” Wednesday.After achieving a career-high with his previous solo album “Rise” _ which became the third-highest-charting K-pop album and the highest-charting K-pop album by a Korean solo musician on the Billboard 200 in 2014 _ the singer felt his next solo project would have to be better prepared than ever.“The song Eyes, Nose, Lips included in my last album received so much love and now people have higher expectations for my next album. I had to prepare a lot,” Taeyang said during his press conference for the new album at D Museum in Hannam-dong, Seoul. “I enjoyed working on my album and it wasn’t a burdensome process. I had the chance to work with new producers and seek a new music style with the new album.”Working with new producers did not change Taeyang’s music style but rather helped him dig deeper into whatAug 16, 2017
Korean student wins brass competition on Jeju Kim Hyun-ho, a student at the Baty Brass Academy run by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO), won in the trumpet section of the 2017 Jeju International Brass Competition which was held Aug. 8 to 16 on Jeju Island.For the trumpet section, 66 trumpet players from around the world competed. Kim has been a student at the Baty Brass Academy since 2014 and entered the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMD de Paris) in 2015 as the first Korean brass instrument player. Baty Brass Academy is an academy run by leading trumpet player Alexandre Baty under his name since 2013. Baty has been with the SPO since 2011.The Jeju International Brass Competition has four competition sections _ tenor trombone, horn, trumpet and quintet. It is an international competition registered since 2009 with the World Federation of International Music Competitions. Aug 16, 2017
NGOSKA Fest takes to Sinchon's streets Wataru Buster, lead singer of Japanese band Oi-Skall Mates, points at someone while performing as the headlining act at New Generation of Ska Fest 2016 in Club SHARP on Aug. 27, 2016. / Korea Times photo by Jon DunbarBy Jon DunbarPromoting underground music is a labor of love, and nobody has labored harder nor loved more than the people behind Seoul’s fourth annual New Generation of Ska (NGOSKA) Festival.U.S. punk legends Suicide Machines will headline the show this Saturday, supported by Japanese ska bands Rollings and Coquettish and seven more Korean ska and ska-punk bands.“This year, Seoul City helped us out with some funding,” festival organizers said. “Every year we had to ask our friends for financial support, which we never really wanted to do since the first festival. Our minds are still the same as they were the first time.”The festival returns this year to Yonsei-ro, the car-free street running between Sinchon Station on Line 2 and Yonsei University’s front gate. It was there four years ago in 2014 when the Bruce Lee Band, fronted bAug 15, 2017
Pianist hopes PyeongChang Music Fest continues to thrive after Winter Games Pianist Son Yeol-eum poses during an interview in this Dec. 29, 2016 file photo / Korea Times By Lee Hyo-wonPYEONGCHANG _ Shortly after winning silver at the Tchaikovsky competition in 2011, pianist Son Yeol-eum gave a big homecoming concert at the PyeongChang Music Festival and School. "I just can’t believe I got to play for her tonight," Son had told The Korea Times at the time, about performing in front of her "idol," violinist and festival artistic director Chung Kyung-wha.Last year, Chung and her sister and co-director, cellist Myung-wha, named Son as deputy artistic director of the PyeongChang Fest. The 31-year-old pianist sat down with The Korea Times over the weekend as the 14th edition of the music event came to a close, to discuss how she's growing into her new role, her latest recording project and her hopes for the Korean classical music scene.“The position of deputy artistic director is something I never even imagined, and honestly, it’s still quite overwhelming. It really is such an honor,” the 31-year-old said."I haven't done much so far inAug 13, 2017
SHINee member Onew charged with sexual harassment Onew of SHINeeOnew, a member of the popular K-pop boy band SHINee, was charged with sexual harassment in Seoul on Saturday.The Gangnam Police Station in Seoul said they've booked Onew, whose birth name is Lee Jin-ki, without physical detention for allegedly sexually harassing a woman.Onew, 27, is suspected of forcibly touching a woman in her 20s at a club in southern Seoul around 7:10 a.m. Saturday.A friend of the woman's called the police, and Onew was apprehended on the spot.Onew apparently told police that he visited the club with his friends, and that he has no recollection of the alleged incident because he was too intoxicated.Police said they were also talking to the alleged victim and witnesses, and analyzing footage of closed-circuit television inside the club.S.M. Entertainment, SHINee's agency, issued a statement to apologize for Onew's actions but said the incident stemmed from "a misunderstanding.""Onew visited the club to congratulate a friend on becoming a DJ, and while he was dancing drunk, he made accidental physical contact with a person near him," the company Aug 12, 2017
Winner stumbles on quick return Winner members, from left, Kim Jin-woo, Kang Seung-yoon, Lee Seung-hoon and Song Mino pose before the press conference for their new mini album "Our Twenty For" at CGV Theater in Yeouido, Seoul, last Friday. / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentBy Kim Jae-heunYG Entertainment’s four-member act Winner seems to have failed to meet expectations with its new mini album “Our Twenty For” released last Friday in hopes to continue the success of their previous album.Winner returned quickly with a new album only four months after they released “Really Really” and “Fool” sweeping the local online music charts earlier this month.The K-pop group hoped to achieve the same results, introducing similar tropical house genre music “Love Me Love Me” and “Island.”“We received so much love with our song ‘Really Really’ and it suited well with the summer,” said Kang Seung-yoon of the band during the press conference at CGV Theater in Yeouido, Seoul. “The genre Tropical House goes well with the season and we wanted toAug 11, 2017
