Lisa of Blackpink released her six-track EP, "Press Play," Friday, featuring lead single "Tarantino" and an action-packed music video inspired by the filmmaker's signature cinematic style. The EP includes "Sawadika," "V12," "Cobra," "Cut U Off" and "Sweat." The music video for "Tarantino" follows Lisa as she makes her way through a hotel to deliver a letter to her favorite filmmaker, Quentin Tarantino. Along the way, she encounters a series of obstacles that lead to action-packed encounters. Ahe

BTS' hit single "Swim" has surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify, becoming the first song released worldwide in 2026 to reach the milestone. The lead single from the group's fifth studio album, "Arirang," released March 20, surpassed 1 billion cumulative streams on the global music streaming platform as of Saturday, according to the group's agency. The achievement makes "Swim" the fastest BTS song to reach the milestone and brings the group's total number of songs with at least 1 billion Spotif

Santos Bravos, the Latin pop group launched by Hybe Latin America, will mark the group’s first anniversary with a new release on Nov. 20. The five-member group announced the release date through its social media accounts Thursday, posting a teaser image featuring a silhouette of a paper crane and a hand. This will be the group’s first release since releasing the collaborative single “Ooh Laka Laka La” with Latin pop star Enrique Iglesias earlier this month. It will also be the group’s first inde

Aoora, a Korean singer based in Mumbai, headlined the finale of "Krishnayanam 2026," a music festival held in Kollam, Kerala, India, on Saturday and Sunday. The festival featured just three performers: M. G. Sreekumar, K. S. Harisankar and Aoora, who closed the event. During his set, Aoora performed his songs "Thi Thi Thara" and "Shiva Shivam," along with his own renditions of popular Malayalam hits "Eyy Banane" and "Illuminati." Blending regional music with K-pop-inspired choreography and stage

A2O Soul will release its debut EP, “Superstar,” on Nov. 9, roughly a month after introducing itself with a prerelease single of the same name. The 15-member boy group, produced by Lee Soo-man under A2O Entertainment, will release the five-track album at 6 p.m. through major streaming platforms. The album will include the prerelease single “Superstar” and second lead track “Dancing in the Dark,” as well as three additional songs built around what the group describes as its new synthwave sound. “

When Ian Eastwood first worked with Taemin on his solo debut 12 years ago, he expected to spend several rehearsals teaching him the choreography for "Danger." Taemin learned everything he had prepared in the first session. Back in Korea this month, Eastwood was again impressed, this time by artists who had yet to debut. Teaching at entertainment labels, the American choreographer encountered trainees as young as 12 or 13 who could learn choreography, absorb corrections and incorporate staging wi

Aespa will host fan meetings in Seoul on Nov. 28 and 29 in celebration of its sixth anniversary, the group's label SM Entertainment announced Thursday. It will be first such event since the four members invited fans to mark the third year since their debut. They had a fan meetup in Tokyo for three days in July, in time for the release of first EP in Japan, “Kiss n Tell.” In the meantime, the group of four concluded touring Asia and North America with a show on Oct. 11 in Vancouver, British Colom

Jeonghan and Joshua of Seventeen topped Oricon’s Daily Album Ranking with their first unit EP “Dreamscape,” Pledis Entertainment said Thursday. The mini album also debuted atop Line Music’s real-time albums chart and iTunes Top Albums Chart in six regions, including Japan. The duo subunit, JXJ, sold more than 650,000 copies of the seven-track set on its release day, shattering the first-day sales record for a K-pop subunit. Jeonghan’s first subunit with Wonwoo set a first-week sales record for a

Sakura of Le Sserafim will have to forgo participating in the Paris show slated for Thursday, agency Source Music announced on the day. She developed a sudden fever and saw a doctor on Wednesday, who ordered her to rest, the management company explained, apologizing to fans, especially as the concert is the group's first in the French capital. Le Sserafim is in the middle of the European leg of “Pureflow,” which makes five stops in the region. Paris is the third stop, followed by Copenhagen, Den

BTS earned a nod from the 34th International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography for its music video for “Swim,” Big Hit Music said Thursday. The visuals will compete for the best music video award against Harry Styles’ “American Girls,” Ariana Grande’s “Hate That I Made You Love Me” and Madonna’s “Confessions II.” The weeklong film event, established in 1993 and held in Poland, is one of the largest international film festivals dedicated to cinematography. “Swim” is the main track off BT

Nayeon of K-pop girl group Twice is preparing to release a new solo album in late November, her agency JYP Entertainment confirmed Wednesday, marking her first solo album in nearly two and a half years. "Nayeon's solo comeback is scheduled for the third week of November," an industry source told The Korea Herald on condition of anonymity. "As always, K-pop idol schedules are subject to frequent changes, so the exact comeback date remains uncertain. But as of now, the album is scheduled for relea

Dating rumors about Blackpink member Lisa and Thai actor Blue Pongtiwat have swept social media after the two were reportedly spotted together in Bangkok. Photos circulating online showed Lisa and Pongtiwat walking along Song Wat Road in Bangkok on Monday. The sighting also came days after the pair were reportedly seen dining together at a restaurant in Bangkok with Lisa’s family members on Oct. 15, further fueling speculation that their relationship may extend beyond friendship. Dating rumors s

Twice member Jihyo announced Wednesday that she has left JYP Entertainment after 21 years and established her own agency, Emithaus, while reaffirming that she will continue activities with the girl group. The announcement confirms reports that first surfaced in July that Jihyo was preparing to leave JYP Entertainment and establish her own agency. In a handwritten letter posted on Instagram, Jihyo said she had decided to conclude her longtime relationship with JYP, where she spent most of her chi

A dog believed to belong to Hanni and a voice resembling Minji's have unexpectedly drawn NewJeans back into the spotlight — not through a comeback announcement, but through a YouTube video posted by former member Danielle. Danielle, whose contract with Ador was terminated in December and who is now embroiled in a legal dispute with the agency, uploaded a video titled "Sisters in Melbourne" on Tuesday, documenting a trip to Australia with her older sister. Although shared Tuesday, the video is be

The 2026 Mnet Asian Music Awards will introduce a 360-degree stage and its largest-ever lineup of performing artists in a single host city when the annual K-pop event returns in November. CJ ENM said Wednesday that this year’s awards, set for Nov. 20-21 at Kyocera Dome Osaka, Japan, will be held under the theme “A Music Interstellar,” with performances celebrating K-pop's generations and genres. The ceremony will feature K-pop stages spanning newly emerged acts such as Alpha Drive One, Cortis, H