RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) ― About 100,000 people turned out Friday in Brazil for the start of the world’s biggest music festival, Rock in Rio, featuring an all-star line-up including Rihanna, Katy Perry and Coldplay. The event is expected to attract 700,000 people over its week-long run, with around 100,000 a day turning out to see some of the biggest names in pop and rock belting out tunes on Rio de...

Rain on Sunday finished his last nation-wide concert tour ahead of entering military service on Oct. 11. The last set of concerts, titled “Rain the Best Show,” was held at the Gymnastics Stadium in Olympic Park, Seoul on Saturday and Sunday, each attracting more than 10,000 fans. Prior to the Seoul concerts, the hallyu star announced on Friday that he will be placed at a military unit in Uijeon...

Amos gets classically inspired Tori Amos “Night of Hunters” (Deutsche Grammophon) Tori Amos has established herself as an unmistakable musical presence with a distinctive voice, her powerful piano playing and a penchant for lyrics that can be a bit, well, confounding. “Night of Hunters” is packed with those piercing Amos vocals, her dominating piano and a fair share of head-scratching lyrics,...

Coloratura soprano Sumi Jo said her concert on Saturday evening at the Olympic Park’s outdoor stage will be a “luxury gift set” because audiences will be able to see world-renowned artists in different musical fields perform together in harmony. The “Hyundai Capital Invitational Park Concert” will be at the Olympic Park’s 88 Jandi Madang at 7 p.m. Jo joins the stage with conductor Seven Mercurio...

NEW YORK (AP) ― Conga, merengue, salsa, cumbia. And also pop. Rock. Folk. As a singer, Gloria Estefan has offered a whole palette of flavors and colors to her fans, both in English and in Spanish. But with her new English album, “Miss Little Havana,” the Cuban star reveals a side she had yet not explored with the tone of her voice ― one of great sensuality. She attributes her newest producer Pha...

Indie bands Chang Kiha & the Faces, Romantic Punch and Eastern Side Kick will be given the first Olleh Music Indie Awards by KT Music on Sunday. The operator of online music portal Olleh Music said it conducted an online poll from Sept. 1-18 asking which bands should be awarded Best Album of the Month, Best Artist of the Month and Best Rookie of the Month. KT Music said the poll results and opi...

With entertainment companies’ shares rising on the popularity of K-pop, the value of securities held by entertainers is soaring to new highs, data showed Wednesday. According to Chaebul.com, the value of SM Entertainment shares held by its chairman Lee Soo-man came in at 165.7 billion won ($144.6 million) at Tuesday’s close, setting a new record in terms of securities assets held by entertainers...

Top conductors, soloists to provide powerful symphonic sounds Korean classical fans will agonize over the choice of big tickets in November and early December as several world-renowned maestros arrive with their orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Paris Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. The classical scene’s most anticipated...

YouTube, use of IT gadgets help quickly spread indie duo’s musical talents While idol-centered K-pop has been heavily covered by the media, the Korean indie scene has received relatively little attention. This is the ninth installment of a series of interviews shedding light on the scene. ― Ed. They almost never stay quiet or calm, just like rabbits. Jung Da-woon and Jung Hye-sun, the members ...

Pop diva still sings at nightclubs, after 30 years of career success Even after a very successful career of about 30 years, pop diva Insooni still fondly remembers her humble beginnings. “I still sing at nightclubs about six or seven times a year,” Insooni told The Korea Herald Thursday after a press showing of the musical “Cats,” in which she stars as Grizabella. “It’s where my career started...

U.S. singer-painter says he’s still learning and growing even more Late singer Amy Winehouse once described Tony Bennett as follows: “He could sing the phone book and it would sound fantastic.” Her final recording was duet “Body and Soul” with Bennett, which is the third track on the 85-year-old’s new album “Tony Bennett: Duet II,” scheduled to hit the shelves Tuesday. Five years after the rel...

Classical Music “Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra”: The world-renowned Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Simon Rattle, will come to Seoul again for concerts for two days on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16. Sponsored by Samsung Electronics and organized by Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation, the first evening concert will take place at the Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall for Mahler Symphony No. 9 i...

U.K.’s Katy B is a girl ’On A Mission’ Katy B, “On A Mission” (Rinse FM / Columbia Records) Katy B, the so-called “queen of dubstep,” recently was nominated for the 2011 Mercury Music Prize for her debut album, “On a Mission.” And her competition included more established U.K. artists such as Adele, Tinie Tempah and PJ Harvey. Although she didn’t take home the big prize, the 22-year-old stan...

Korean pianist Sohn Jeung-beum last week won the second prize at the George Enescu International Competition in Bucharest, Romania, Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation announced Wednesday. Known as one of the biggest classical music international competitions in Eastern Europe, the event is being held every two years in honor of renowned Romanian composer George Enescu (1881-1955). Its competition ...