K-pop rookie CORTIS' debut album racks up 600 mil. Spotify streamsK-pop boy band CORTIS' debut album, "Color Outside the Lines," has surpassed 600 million streams on Spotify, the group's agency said Thursday. The feat comes after the album surpassed the 100 million mark a month after its release in September, according to BigHit Music. Physical album sales have so far reached 2.1 million units, it added. The five-member group's second EP, "GreenGreen," ranked No. 61 on the Billboard 200 in the latest tracking week, after peaking at No. 3 last month.3h agoBy Yonhap
The Grateful Camp reimagines what music festivals can beAs music festivals in Korea continue to grow in size and scale, The Grateful Camp is going a different direction. The upcoming festival features at least 20 great local acts, including Galaxy Express, Seoul Electric Band, Windy City, Chang Kiha, Tiger Disco, CHS, hathaw9y and Radio Revolution, performing at at Jjangttungeo Beach in Sinan, South Jella Province, from Sept. 4 to 6. Rather than focusing only on bigger stages and larger lineups, The Grateful Camp aims to create a temporary world where music, nature and people come together. For the team behind the festival, the most important part is not what happens on stage, but what happens between people. The festival began in 2020, when tropical psychedelic groove band CHS held a small performance at a campsite in a forest in Gapyeong County, northeastern Gyeonggi Province. Surrounded by nature and a ree-spirited audience, the experience became the foundation of what The Grateful Camp wanted to create. Ahead of its next chapter, Kim Se-hoon, executive director of The Grateful Camp, spoke about the festival’s origins, philosophy and why12h agoBy Daniela P. Solano
Brazilian DJ Alok to headline Paradise City club event in IncheonParadise City, an integrated resort near Incheon International Airport, will host Brazilian EDM artist Alok on July 4 in the fifth installment of its recurring club event series, CHROMA KEY. The CHROMA KEY 005-MOVE AS ONE event will take place at CHROMA, Paradise City's large-scale nightclub designed to evoke the atmosphere of Ibiza and Las Vegas. The venue features a massive LED installation called the Venetian K-Sphere and a high-end sound and lighting system. Alok, a Latin Grammy-nominated DJ-producer, is ranked No. 1 in Latin America and No. 3 globally by DJ Mag, a leading electronic music trade publication. He has more than 70 million social media followers — the second-highest of any electronic music artist worldwide — along with 33 million monthly Spotify listeners and more than 5 billion cumulative global streams. Known for large-scale live performances, Alok drew approximately 2.5 million people to a New Year's Eve concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro last year, a crowd that earned a Guinness World Record. He has collaborated with artists including U.S. singer John L1d agoBy Jhoo Dong-chan
Lim Yunchan wins Instrumentalist of the Year at Germany's top classical awardsKorean pianist Lim Yunchan has been named Instrumentalist of the Year at Opus Klassik 2026, Germany's most prestigious awards for classical music. The non-profit German Association for the Promotion of Classical Music announced on its website Monday (local time) that Lim received the honor for his album "J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations," released in February. He was selected from around 680 recordings and projects submitted for this year's awards. German violinist Christian Tetzlaff and horn player Sarah Willis were also named recipients in the same category. Lim's win marks the second consecutive year a Korean pianist has claimed the title, following Cho Seong-jin's victory last year for his recording of "Ravel: The Complete Solo Piano Works." It adds to a string of international accolades Lim has garnered in recent year. In 2024, he became the first Korean pianist to win a piano category award at the Gramophone Awards with his debut studio album "Chopin: Etudes." Last year, he took home three prizes at the BBC Music Magazine Awards last year, including Recording of the Year.2d agoBy Yonhap
Baritone Matthias Goerne, pianist Sunwoo Ye-kwon bring Schubert's songs to SeoulGerman Baritone Matthias Goerne and pianist Sunwoo Ye-kwon will guide Seoul audiences through the stark emotional landscape of Schubert’s “Winterreise” on Sunday, bringing the wintry song cycle to life during the sweltering Korean summer. The concert is part of the Hansae Yes24 Foundation’s “Hansae Classic Lied” series, which aims to popularize the German art song repertoire by pairing leading international vocalists with top Korean pianists. This year’s edition reunites Schubert’s 24-song masterpiece with one of its most acclaimed interpreters and a homegrown star pianist who calls the composer “the most personal and human” in his music world. “For me, Schubert is maybe, next to Bach, the most important composer,” Goerne told reporters at a press conference in Seoul Thursday. “Without Shubert, I think I would say I never would have become a singer.” The baritone recalled discovering the composer’s music as a child and now estimates he has performed it at least 250 times for nearly four decades on every continent. Goerne described “Winterreise” as a “reJun 18, 2026By Lee Hae-rin
Korea’s youngest-ever local election candidate to debut as idol in JapanA young Korean man who once sought to become the country’s youngest local council member is now preparing to debut as an idol in Japan. Oh Shin-haeng, who drew national attention four years ago when he ran in the local elections as an independent candidate at age 18, finished fourth in the Japanese audition show “Produce 101 Japan Shinsekai” on June 9. The result earned him a place in the program’s final group and a chance to begin a new career as a Japanese idol. In 2022, Oh became the youngest candidate in Korean history to run for elected office after a revision to the Public Official Election Act lowered the minimum age for candidates from 25 to 18. The change applied to elections for the National Assembly, heads of local governments and local councils. Then 18, Oh ran for a seat representing Muan County Council’s second electoral district in South Jeolla Province in the first local elections held under the revised law. However, he finished last with 990 votes, or 5.88 percent of the vote. All four seats in the district went to candidates from the Democratic Party of KoreaJun 16, 2026By Hankookilbo
EJAE, Andrea Bocelli perform at World Cup opening ceremonySinger-songwriter EJAE, who performed the hit song “Golden” from the popular animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” joined renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli in performing FIFA's official World Cup anthem, “DNA,” at the tournament's opening ceremony in Mexico City, Thursday (local time). Wearing a sleeveless blue gown with crossed halter straps, the Korean American singer drew attention from Korean audiences by singing a brief line in Korean: “Although I fall, I stand up again.” FIFA said “DNA” embodies the spirit of solidarity and unity for the historic tournament, which is being co-hosted for the first time by three countries — the United States, Canada and Mexico. The competition will be held across 16 cities and feature 48 teams until July 19.Jun 12, 2026By Kim Se-jeong
Violist Kim Sang-jin, pianist Kim Kyu-yeon to share stage in duo recitalViolist Kim Sang-jin and pianist Kim Kyu-yeon will come together for a duo recital on June 20 at 8 p.m. at the IBK Chamber Hall of Seoul Arts Center, offering audiences an evening of intimate musical dialogue on the cusp of summer. The program spans three centuries of repertoire, featuring Robert Schumann's "Märchenbilder, Op.113," Joseph Haydn's "Divertimento" and Johannes Brahms' "Sonata Op. 120, No. 1." The centerpiece of the evening will be the world premiere of composer Ryu Jea-joon's revised Sonata for Viola and Piano — a work that bridges classical tradition and contemporary lyricism. Kim is one of Korea's most decorated violists. The first viola player ever to win the Dong-A Music Competition, he went on to study at the Hochschule für Musik Köln and The Juilliard School before performing at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and the Wiener Musikverein, among hundreds of stages across more than 50 countries. He currently serves as music director of the Seoul Chamber Orchestra and is a professor at Yonsei University College of Music. Kim Kyu-yeon has built an eqJun 3, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Korean Gen Z falls hard for Taeko Onuki, Japanese city pop and J-rock"Thank you. This is my first concert in Korea." Taeko Onuki stood before the cheering crowd in Incheon, more than five decades after her debut. For a moment she seemed unsure what to do in front of the welcome. The Japanese singer-songwriter, often described as one of the pioneers of city pop, performed Saturday at Asian Pop Festival 2026 at Paradise City in Jung District, Incheon. Her set, the final performance on the festival’s first day, became one of the night’s most warmly received moments, especially among Korean fans in their 20s and 30s. As cheers rose for the 72-year-old musician, Onuki covered her face with both hands. She had made her official debut in 1975, but this was her first time meeting fans in Korea. Again and again, she thanked the crowd, repeating that she was “so happy.” Despite her long career, Onuki became known to many Korean listeners only recently, after city pop began enjoying a global revival in the 2010s. The genre, shaped by Western soft rock, jazz, R&B, soul and bossa nova, is often associated with a polished urban mood and the sound of Japan’s eJun 3, 2026By Hankookilbo
BTS, Cardi B, Lainey Wilson, Muse, Snoop Dogg and others will perform at iHeartRadio Music FestivalNEW YORK — K-pop band BTS, Benson Boone, Cardi B, Lainey Wilson, Major Lazer, Muse, Snoop Dogg and Zara Larsson are among the performers this fall at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas. It will be broadcast live. The lineup for the event, which will take place Sept. 18-19 at the T-Mobile Arena, also includes Weezer, Goo Goo Dolls and Kenny Chesney. More artists will be announced at a later date. Ryan Seacrest will once again host, and fans can hear it all on iHeartMedia radio stations or watch it streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. The general public can buy tickets on AXS.com starting at 2 p.m. EDT/11 a.m. PDT on June 12. Capital One cardholders will be able to access a presale beginning at 1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT on June 10. “The iHeartRadio Music Festival is all about bringing together the biggest artists across every genre for two unforgettable nights, and this year’s lineup truly reflects the incredible diversity of music today,” Tom Poleman, chief programming officer, and John Sykes, president of entertainment enterprises of iHeartMedia, said in a joint statement. EaJun 2, 2026By AP
