VIDEO K-pop star Rain, Kim Tae-hee sing 'Happy Me' at post wedding party In a restaurant located on the 50th floor of a high-rise in Yeouido, western Seoul, a newly married celebrity couple sang a sweet love song.The song, sang by one of the hottest celebrity couples in Korea at the moment, went, "Please love me like you do now. Unless you change, you are the only one who owns me. I will never change."At the after-party in the evening of Jan. 19, the newlyweds, singer Rain (Jung Ji-hoon) and actress Kim Tae-hee, held hands in front of a small gathering of close friends and relatives to sing the duet "Happy Me" by Eco.Earlier that day, the couple married at a catholic church in central Seoul, bringing a happy ending to more than four years of dating.Kim, in a white satin dress, shyly said, "This is for now," after singing the first verse of the song.The party was attended by Rain's close friends including producer and singer Park Jin-young, Psy, and first-generation K-pop group "god" members. Some of them sang for the couple in return, wishing them "happily ever after." Psy belted out his song "Entertainer" and Park Jin-young played the piano. One attFeb 5, 2017
Jazzing up the winter Jazz pianist John Beasley is the main guest of the PyeongChang Winter Music Festival scheduled for Feb. 15 to 19 at the Alpensia Concert Hall in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province.By Yun Suh-youngJazz vocalist Woongsan Courtesy of PyeongChang Winter Music FestivalThis year's PyeongChang Winter Music Festival to be held from Feb. 15 to 19 at the Alpensia Concert Hall in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, will be showcasing a warm blend of jazz with classical music featuring a star-studded cast.The festival is a winter version of the PyeongChang Music Festival & School (formerly the Great Mountains Music Festival and School) which is held every summer in the northeastern province of Korea. The winter festival is a newly created one which began last year at the same location the annual summer program is held. It was created to explore diverse genres of music other than classical and the main theme of the festival is jazz, again this year due to the positive feedback from last year's program mixing the two.Tom Luer will play saxophone with John Beasley as part of the Septet"The repertoires foFeb 2, 2017
K-pop girl group Twice returns with February album K-pop girl band TWICE perform during a press conference introducing their new album "TWICEcoaster : Lane 1" at Blue Square in Hannam, Seoul, Monday. From left are Jeongyeon, Dahyun, Mina, Sana, Nayeon, Momo, Jihyo, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu. / Courtesy of JYP EntertainmentBy Lee Han-sooWorld-famous K-pop girl group Twice is set for a comeback with a new album on Feb. 20, according to the band’s official SNS account.No other information was disclosed about the comeback.The girl band returns after its last album, "TWICEcoaster: Lane 1," was released on Oct. 23.The title song, “TT,” generated more than 125 million views on the group’s official YouTube page.Feb 2, 2017
Romance over: Actor, K-pop diva call it quits Jiyeon (far left in front) and Lee Dong-gun (far right in front) with a Korean woman who offered a lodge to the couple when they were shooting film "Encounter" in Athens, Greece. / Courtesy of athenshome.co.kr By Ko Dong-hwan"Encounter" posterActor Lee Dong-gun and K-pop girl band T-ARA member Jiyeon have ended their two-year romance.The couple decided to break up after admitting they were drifting apart because of busy schedules, according to Korean media outlets. Lee was reportedly shooting day and night for his major role in TV drama “The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop” on KBS. Jiyeon was with her band preparing to release a new album.“The pair decided that they were better off being friends in show business,” the stars’ agencies said, adding they “naturally took steps to split as their busy schedules forced them to share lesser times together.”These photos spread on SNS show the couple dating at an eatery in Shanghai. The pair met in June 2015 during the shooting of Korean-Chinese film “Encounter” in the Chinese cFeb 2, 2017
Camarata Music Company seeks singers for concert By John RedmondThe Camarata Music Company (CMC) will begin rehearsals for the upcoming production of Durufle’s “Requiem” at Talitha Koum in Yongsan, Seoul, on Feb. 5 and 12.With the concert slated for April 22, guests are invited to be part of the CMC Chorale through the rehearsal process.“Bring your friends — the more, the merrier. There is no audition — you do not need to bring any music,” the company states on its Facebook page.“Durufle wrote his Requiem in the 20th century. It is a masterpiece — wonderfully majestic, with near perfect choral and orchestral writing, astounding dramatic moments, and gorgeous lyrical lines.”The CMC Chorale is an amateur choir that performs four major concerts every year, including a spring major work, a summer musical, an autumn pops concert and annual performances of Handel’s “Messiah” in December.The founder and conductor of CMC choirs is Ryan Goessl, an assistant professor of music at Hansei University. The CMC also has the Camarata Outreach Program with a strong commitFeb 1, 2017
Zion T reflects on self-expression Zion. T / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentR&B singer debuts with star-stubbed album "OO"By Kim Jae-heunPopular R&B singer Zion T revealed “OO,” his first album on Black Label, one of YG Entertainment’s independent sub-labels led by producer Teddy, Wednesday. His new album has received a lot of attention after he left his old record label Amoeba Culture and disappeared from the K-pop scene for a year. With his return, Zion T proves he is still one of the hottest R&B singers by instantly stealing the lead of soundtracks for megahit TV series “Goblin” that have remained on top of online music charts for over the past four weeks.The name of singer’s album “OO” reminds of a pair of glasses, a symbol of Zion T, expressing his vision and view as well as the intersection of people and himself.Zion T wrote the title track “The Song,” imagining everybody reading his personal journal. The lyrics contain a catchy phrase, “I hope this song doesn’t get popular,” which is the singer’s ironic feeling as Feb 1, 2017
K-pop group Wonder Girls disbands after 10 years South Korean girl group Wonder Girls has officially disbanded, its management agency announced Thursday.JYP Entertainment said the members of the K-pop group decided to break up after being together for 10 years following a discussion with the agency's executives.The Seoul-based JYP said only two of the four members -- Yubin and Hyerim -- have renewed their contracts with the company and will continue their careers in music and acting. However, Yeeun and Sunmi will leave and pursue new paths.JYP Entertainment said the group will release its final single on Feb. 10, which also falls on the 10-year anniversary of its debut, as a way of saying thanks to its fans.The Wonder Girls enjoyed considerable popularity after starting off as a five-member group in 2007. When the group attained stardom in 2009, it flew to the U.S., seeking to make inroads into the world's top pop market. With "Nobody," Wonder Girls rose to No. 76 on Billboard's single chart, but failed to make further gains.The girl group underwent some changes in members and has maintained its current lineup of four members sinceJan 26, 2017
Turkish singer claims to be pop star Adele's father Adele / Korea Times fileBy Lee Han-sooA Turkish folk singer says he is the biological father of famous pop star Adele, arguing they both have similar fingers, according to Turkish media.Mehmet Asar, 52, who lives in Bodrum, said Adele has some resemblance to him.“The third and fourth fingers of her right hand are adjacent ... I became even more surprised because my right hand's third and fourth fingers are also adjacent when I raise it,” Asar said in an interview with the Daily Sabah. “In addition, the highlights she makes when she is singing are similar to mine, which could also be genetic.”The singer claimed he dated Penny Adkins, Adele’s mother, while working as a taxi driver.“I gave Penny Adkins and her friends a tour of the bays of Bodrum and Pamukkale over two weeks,” Asar said. “She introduced herself to me as a nurse. We liked each other and had an affair for two weeks. She extended her vacation and returned to England one month later. She later came back to Bodrum twice and stayed for one month.“She wanted to take me to EJan 25, 2017
Suzy releases first solo album, reveals private life Yes? No” by SuzyBy Kim Jae-heunSuzy, a member of K-pop girl group Miss A, released her first solo album “Yes? No?” Tuesday, only a week after revealing her single “Pretend” that topped the online charts.The album’s lead single “Yes No Maybe” instantly ranked No. 2 on four major music charts ― Mnet, Bugs, Olleh Music and Genie. Park Jin-young, founder and main producer of JYP Entertainment, wrote the song with producer KAIROS.Park got his inspiration for “Yes No Maybe” while spending time with Suzy. The singer said the song is a result of empathy created from their longtime friendship and Park wrote the song reflecting his inspirations and Suzy’s thoughts as a 23-year-old woman.Suzy shot a music video for the single in Hong Kong last year, paying homage to Chinese post-modernist films of the ‘90s that were popular worldwide.Many popular singer-songwriters like 1Piece, G. Soul, Jo Hyunah and Epitone Project participated in producing Suzy’s other five tracks on the mini-album.Producer Yoon Sang of 1Piece Jan 24, 2017
IU, Jang Ki-ha split up after 3 years of dating Singer IU and Jang Ki-ha, the leader of band KIHA & The Faces, have split up after a three-year relationship, their management agencies said Monday.Fave Entertainment and Drdr AMC, which represent IU and Jang, respectively, confirmed the breakup of the two popular singers.They also confirmed in October 2015 that they had been seeing each other.At that time, Jang said he'd been dating IU since October 2013 after she appeared on the radio program that he hosted.Their management agencies said the breakup was amicable and that the two will continue supporting each other's professional careers. (Yonhap)Jan 23, 2017
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