The Korea Tourism Organization said it was helping 103 U.S. fans of Korean pop visit the country to see a concert by girl group Girls’ Generation, attend two broadcasters’ K-pop TV shows and visit major tourist spots this week. The KTO said the 103 fans from a K-pop fan community in Los Angeles asked the KTO’s branch in L.A. to help them attend a concert by Girls’ Generation, also known as SNSD....

Lloyd “King of Hearts” Zone 4/Interscope Records After a lackluster response to 2008’s “Lessons In Love” and departure from the label that gave him his start, The Inc., things were looking less than promising for Lloyd and his smooth falsetto. But he regrouped and found a home at Polow da Don’s label Zone 4, a partnership with Interscope Records, and the move seems to be paying off with his ne...

Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Debussy, Ravel Universal Music After reaching a long-term contract with Deutsche Grammophon in April, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s debut album with DG is finally on the shelves. The SPO’s performances of Debussy’s “La Mer” (The Sea) and Ravel’s “Ma Mere L’oye” (Mother Goose) and “La Valse” under maestro Chung Myung-whun are featured in the album. Ravel’s pro...

The Korean pop market is dominated by idol groups, including Girls’ Generation, 2NE1 and Wonder Girls. For new girl group A Pink, which debuted in April with the first album “Seven Springs of A Pink,” it will not be easy to survive in the competitive K-pop scene. However, it will differentiate itself from other girl groups by showing unique colors of the seven members, they said. “If we say oth...

Acclaimed American R&B singer-songwriter Eric Benet said Korean audiences will be able to see him pull off one of the best performances at his upcoming concert in Seoul in September. Benet is to hold his third solo concert in Korea on Sept. 22 at Ax-Korea in Seoul. He concert, originally scheduled for April, was postponed after the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan. “What you can expect at...

Yamaha Korea CEO targets Korean musicians with Austrian premium piano Bösendorfer, a premium piano brand from Austria, has been added to the list of other well-known piano brands such as Steinway and Bechstein for professional pianists in Korea, as Yamaha Music Korea, the brand’s exclusive distributor, launched it Thursday in Seoul. Bösendorfer was established in 1828 in Vienna, Austria and cur...

Trio of session musicians wishes to leave band’s musical trace in people’s memory; eyes Europe While idol-centered K-pop has been heavily covered by the media, the Korean indie scene has received relatively little attention. This is the fourth installment of a series of interviews shedding light on the scene. ― Ed. Although trio indie band Serengeti is not a household name, each member’s versat...

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) ― One of Latin America’s most admired folk singers, Facundo Cabral, was killed Saturday when three carloads of gunmen ambushed the vehicle in which he was riding, prompting expressions of anguish from across the region. Authorities said the performer’s concert promoter was apparently the target. Interior Minister Carlos Menocal said the Argentine singer and novelist was on hi...

“Baribari Chochom Didimsae 2011”: National Dance Company of Korea has been offering this performance series since 2001 to help the public better understand and appreciate Korean dance which is often considered difficult. It presents both traditional dances and new choreography inspired from the traditional dances. It runs through July 24 at The National Theater of Korea in Jangchung-dong, centra...

“Air Supply Live in Seoul”: Australian soft rock duo Air Supply is to perform in Seoul on Aug. 16 at the Olympic Park Olympic Hall at 8 p.m. Guitarist and singer-songwriter Graham Russell and lead vocalist Russell Hitchcock had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight Top Ten hits in the United States, in the early 1980s. Their upcoming concert in Seoul will be the first in eight years an...

Various Artists “Rave On” Fantasy Paul McCartney may be getting a little long in the tooth, but he steals the show from younger artists on “Rave On,” a new Buddy Holly tribute record. Using a distorted vocal effect that makes him sound like a mixture between Steven Tyler and Howlin’ Wolf, McCartney and his band tear through “It’s So Easy” with a fervor that singers half his age would have a h...

Beyonce “4” Columbia “Run the World (Girls),” the first single from Beyonce’s fourth solo album, “4,” has all the hallmarks of a signature No. 1 Beyonce smash ― a bombastic, larger-than-life sound, a call-and-response hook, a heavy dose of girl power and a fierce drumbeat. Surprisingly, though, it landed with a thud on radio, and the buzz around “4” hasn’t been encouraging ― there’s even talk...

Selena Gomez & the Scene “When the Sun Goes Down” Hollywood Records There comes a point when a Disney or Nickelodeon star tries to make the transition to official recording artist. This is Selena Gomez’s moment. Musically speaking, Gomez is no Miley Cyrus or Vanessa Hudgens ― that’s because she’s better. She’s got a decent voice, and showcased that on last year’s “A Year Without Rain,” a pop ...