Swedish singer Zara Larsson ends collaboration with Huawei Zara LarssonSwedish singer Zara Larsson announced Tuesday that she had ended her collaboration with China's Huawei to promote its smartphones, saying China "is not a nice state".Speaking with broadcaster TV4, Larsson, whose greatest hits have been streamed over five billion times according to the broadcaster, said the collaboration had ended a few months ago."If I now look back it wasn't, from a professional but also a personal perspective, the smartest deal I've done," the 22-year-old singer said. "It's not something I stand behind," she added. Larsson, who is one of Sweden's best known international singers, first reached international fame with her 2013 hit Uncover, then through her collaboration with French DJ David Guetta.In April 2019, Zara Larsson concluded a promotional deal with Huawei to market the launch of a new smartphone.Olympic swimmer Sarah Sjostrom was also hired to promote the Chinese telecoms giant's phones. Interviewed last year by the magazine Resume about the accusations of spying and Huawei's ties to the Chinese state, Larsson said she wasn't "particularly infoAug 7, 2020
Pop-punk band WinningShot begins cross-Korea tour Pop-punk band WinningShot / Courtesy of WinningShotBy Jon DunbarKorea's live music scene has been cautiously emerging from hiding, fearful of spreading disease but restless to return to the stage.The melodic skate/pop-punk band WinningShot is planning to embark on its first Korea tour, stopping by five cities over the course of one month. They'll be traveling only on weekends, a tactic useful in limiting the potential spread of the virus, but also the reality of domestic tours prior to COVID-19, as there are only so many cities to visit and no point in showing up for a gig in the middle of the week when no one will come out.It's been a disappointing year for WinningShot, which formed in 2018 and spent 2019 working hard. The band was set to build on its strong start in 2020, with plans to tour Japan in March and a date set for IT'S A FEST! 2020, a punk festival held at Hanagae Beach on Incheon's Muui Island. “Lots of events, including our planned Japanese tour, have been changed or canceled, and it's been difficult to plan performances where many people gather,” guitarist/Jul 29, 2020By Jon Dunbar
Indie duo Wedance releases 'Dance Pop' album Wevo and Wegui of the indie electronic duo Wedance / Courtesy of Kai Oh)By Jon DunbarOne day, Wevo saw Wegui in the street, recognizing a kindred spirit in him based on the way he was dressed. She approached him, urging him to start a band with her. They became Wedance, on a mission to “help people dance through their boundaries (whatever they maybe) and to experience life fully on the other side.”Their latest album “Dance Pop” is dance music for people who hate dance music. Wedance's sound is dissonant, atonal, spasmodic pop bliss, tangled with dashes of fuzz. “We really wanted to avoid distortion as much as possible and aimed to make a more aggressive and destructive sound,” they said in a release about the album. “As part of this, we developed a playing style that intentionally uses two notes which have conflicting frequency interference. It is old school, and as far as I know, a new sound that no one else has played.”The second track on the album is titled “City Punk,” a riff on the “city pop” genre that has Jul 29, 2020By Jon Dunbar
S. Korean soprano Sumi Jo wins art award in Italy Star soprano Sumi Jo won the art award in the music division of the 2020 Ischia Global Film and Music Festival held in Italy, July 19. YonhapGrammy Award-winning South Korean soprano Sumi Jo has won an award in Italy's global film and music festival, according to the singer on Sunday. Sumi Jo has received the art award in the music division of the 2020 Ischia Global Film and Music Festival for her contribution to the film industry and efforts to help cope with the new coronavirus outbreak, according to Jo. This month, Jo put out a new single album titled "Life is a Miracle" in Italy, paying tribute to the victims of COVID-19. The album was produced in collaboration with Italian pianist Giovanni Allevi and tenor-guitarist Federico Paciotti.The single was produced to support a fundraising project led by the Umberto Veronesi Foundation in the fight against COVID-19 and to pay respect to those who have lost their lives to the virus. All proceeds will be donated to the foundation. (Yonhap)Jul 19, 2020
Apink's Jeong Eun-ji conveys message of empathy in new EP 'Simple' Jeong Eun-ji of K-pop act Apink released her fourth solo mini-album “Simple” on July 15. / Courtesy of Play M EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooJeong Eun-ji, the main vocalist of K-pop act Apink, dropped her fourth solo mini-album “Simple” on Wednesday. This comes a year and nine months since her third solo mini-album “Hyehwa” released in 2018.“I'm nervous but happy about releasing a new solo album and performing on stage again,” Jeong said through her agency Play M Entertainment.The 27-year-old singer explained that the overall theme of her new album is “simple is beautiful,” elaborating that she wanted to convey messages of empathy and consolation to listeners.Jeong participated in producing all six tracks of the album to add her persona to the music. “I prepared this album thinking about what kind of music I'd like to pursue and what my fans would be willing to listen to over and over again,” she said. “I feel this album is very important because I wrote and co-composed the songs, shared ideas about album conJul 16, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Korea's reggae bands keep busy releasing new music Pansori singer Kim Yul-hee sings with NST & the Soul Sauce at Understage in Itaewon, Seoul, March 9, 2019. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar By Jon DunbarIt's been a terrible year for live music, but all the extra time and social distancing has resulted in plenty of recorded music. Korea's small reggae scene has been busy, with three bands already releasing music this year. NST & the Soul Sauce continues its collaboration with Kim Yulhee, a singer of pansori, a narrative musical style dating back to the late 17th century. Their latest digital single “Swallow Knows” ― also available on 7” record ― spotlights the band's soul influences and experiments with the rhythms of soca, a Caribbean genre that emerged in Trinidad and Tobago based on calypso, itself a highly lyrical genre. “Swallow Knows” is the group's interpretation of “Jebi Nojeonggi” from the pansori play Heungboga. Kim's fluttering vocals depict Heungbu rescuing an injured bird which flies away, then returnJul 15, 2020By Jon Dunbar
Elton John charity gives $25m to target rising HIV in Eastern Europe, Central Asia Elton John arrives to attend a Midsummer Party for the Elton John Aids Foundation in Antibes, France, July 24, 2019. REUTERS/Eric GaillardLegendary singer Elton John and his husband David Furnish pledged on Thursday to spend $25 million combatting HIV in Eastern Europe and Central Asia ― the only region where new infections are rising rapidly as rates plummet worldwide.About 1.7 million people in the region are HIV positive - about 4% of the global total of 38 million ― with most new infections among people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, sex workers and their clients, United Nations data shows."This region has seen a dramatic 72% increase in new HIV infections in the last decade when the global rate has decreased by 23%," Furnish, chairman of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which was founded in 1992, said in a statement."Considering we have the tools and treatment to prevent and treat HIV, this is shocking and we are committed to not leave anyone behind.”Over the next five years, the charity said it will work to prevent new HIV infections and ensure good quality cJul 10, 2020
SFO director-designate Kim Eun-sun to helm France's Bastille Day concert Kim Eun-sun / YonhapSouth Korean conductor Kim Eun-sun, director-designate of the San Francisco Opera (SFO), will conduct this year's symphonic concert in Paris celebrating the national day of France.Kim will conduct this year's Concert de Paris scheduled to be held on July 14 at the Champ de Mars, located in front of the Eiffel Tower, by the National Orchestra of France, and Radio France's choir and choir school, according to Radio France.The free concert, held annually to celebrate the national day of France, also known as Bastille Day, will star Egyptian soprano Fatma Said and French baritone Ludovic Tezier. Co-organized by the Radio France, France Televisions, the city of Paris and Electron Libre Productions, the concert will be broadcast live via radio and television. The show will also be aired live in eight other nations in Europe.Last year's concert, conducted by Alain Altinoglu, broke an audience record for a classical music concert on French television, drawing over 3 million viewers.Kim was named the first-ever female music director of SFO in December of last year.CurrentlJul 10, 2020
17th Music in PyeongChang to kick off July 22 The 17th Music in PyeongChang will run from July 22-Aug. 8 in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, under the theme of "It Must Be" from a composition of the German composer.An annual music festival in the mountainous county of PyeongChang will kick off later this month, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig Beethoven, the event's art director said Tuesday.The 17th Music in PyeongChang will run from July 22-Aug. 8 in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, under the theme of "It Must Be" from a composition of the German composer.He wrote the phrase while composing String Quartet Op. 135 in October 1826, Beethoven's last string quartet before he died in March 1827."There are many messages that Beethoven gave to us, but I think 'It Must Be' is the phrase that represents the composer best," Son Yeol-eum, art director of the music festival, said in footage posted online. "We are in a difficult situation in 2020 due to the coronavirus, and I think Beethoven's message touches us."Opening the festival with Symphony No. 9, the PyeongChang Festival Orchestra will play a variety of BeethoJul 7, 2020
SPO associate conductor takes 3rd place in Mahler Competition Wilson Ng Courtesy of Peter AdamikBy Park Ji-wonWilson Ng, associate conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO), came in third place in the Mahler Competition 2020, an international competition for young conductors aged under 35, the orchestra said Tuesday.In the competition held in Bamberg, Germany, between June 29 and July 5, Ng, a young maestro from Hong Kong, took third place out of 334 applicants, by conducting classical pieces including Gustav Mahler's Symphony No.4 G major and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Symphony No.26 E-flat major K.184.“I just want to say thank you to Korea, thank you Seoul Phil. I have learnt so much from the orchestra and supported by the Korean audience and the orchestra. Without them, I don't think I can achieve what I have achieved, thank you!” Ng said in a statement.He will be receiving 5,000 euros as prize money and participating in several events run by the organizer in the future.The conducting competition was the first live contest to take place amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the SPO. It has been held every three to Jul 7, 2020By Park Ji-won
