The 2022 Qatar World Cup kicked off Sunday with K-pop super-band BTS' member Jungkook unveiling a new tournament song during the opening ceremony. As the first South Korean singer to release a song for a World Cup soundtrack, Jungkook performed "Dreamers" live during the opening ceremony at Al-Bayt Stadium in Qatar. The song's feature artist Fahad Al Kubaisi performed with Jungkook on Sunday. The seven-act ceremony lasted around half an hour, paying tribute to the 32 partic

Bibi is truly a one-of-a-kind musician in K-pop, especially as a young female artist who speaks through her music about raw emotions that are not often publicly discussed. With her debut LP "Lowlife Princess -- Noir," dropped Friday afternoon, Bibi has set herself out as a singer who won't compromise on self expression. On Friday morning, Bibi invited media to a cinema in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, and premiered the three new music videos from her first full-length album, which were u

It was not just a one-time event that the former CEO of Spire Entertainment assaulted members of Omega X during the act's recent global tour. It was a yearlong nightmare of assault -- both physical and verbal -- and sexual harassment, the bandmates say, and they are now taking legal action against the ex-CEO and the agency. Omega X on Wednesday afternoon held a press conference where the group announced the termination of its exclusive contract with Spire Entertainment. The 11 bandmates wer

The Mama Awards, the annual K-pop celebration hosted by CJ ENM, are taking another leap forward in efforts to evolve into a global K-pop festival. Ahead of the 2022 Mama Awards set to take place at the end of the month in Japan, a global press conference about the event took place Wednesday at CJ ENM Studio in Sangam-dong, western Seoul. A lineup of special performers for this year's ceremony, including J-Hope of BTS, was also revealed during the conference. This year marks the first time

It took two years, but YooA of girl group Oh My Girl has returned to her solo career with her second EP "Selfish." YooA's solo comeback was more than anticipated as she had proved herself a one-of-a-kind soloist with the debut EP "Bon Voyage" in 2020. The album and its title song "Bon Voyage," called "Forest Child" in Korean, not only scored chart success, but was also critically acclaimed for its musicality and the artistic way it expressed its natur

Bobby, a member of K-pop boy band iKon, will not renew his contract with the act's agency YG Entertainment and the industry and fans are left wondering about the future of the group and what the next steps are for the rapper. According to industry sources on Tuesday, Bobby of iKon will not extend his exclusive contract with YG Entertainment. An industry insider, who claims to be familiar with YG Entertainment and its artists, told the Korea Herald that Bobby has decided not to renew his con

It's taken a long time to confirm that even BTS cannot avoid South Korea's mandatory military duty. All able-bodied South Korean men are required to serve in the military for around 1 1/2 years, inevitably forcing most K-pop stars to leave the limelight at the peak of their careers. So it was once considered that military service was like a death sentence for a K-pop career. Most aspiring artists cram their youth with efforts to establish their name, and a nearly two-year absence was o

A song often becomes the background music to a particular part of our life, and replaying it reminds us of that moment. The piece of life we experience with the song becomes edged into the musical notes, making the song itself a log of the moment. Singer Jung Eun-ji's new album "log" is a small collection of such pieces from her life and the five songs that had once played endlessly in the background. According to Jung, she is dropping the remake package to keep a promise to her f

Singer and producer Yong Jun-hyung, formerly a member of the group Highlight, on Thursday shared regrets about his inappropriate actions in relation to the spycam scandal in 2019 and promised only to bring good music to fans. After a hiatus of almost four years, the 32-year-old musician dropped a new EP, “Loner,” on Thursday evening. Yong conducted an online press conference ahead of the release and shared his thoughts on his comeback and the new album. His return had already been po

Hybe, the multi-label K-pop powerhouse behind BTS, on Thursday introduced its plans for 2023, which includes the launch of four new groups and a string of new releases from its roster of big-name acts. The plans were unveiled during the company's corporate briefing, which was streamed online via YouTube on Thursday morning. Hybe's CEO Park Ji-won and Chairman Bang Si-hyuk appeared in the video and introduced the company's blueprints and visions. Hybe is a multi-label entertainment

Boy band NCT Dream left this year's Genie Music Awards in a celebratory mood after taking home two main prizes at the annual music awards. The seven-member group won two grand prizes at the 2022 GMA ceremony on Tuesday night -- top artist and top album -- winning the latter for the act's second full-length album "Glitch Mode." "Although we're thankful to receive the top album award, NCT Dream is only just beginning," member Haechan said while accepting the awar

The CEO of Spire Entertainment has resigned, days after allegations of her verbal and physical abuse against the agency's boy band Omega X made headlines. Spire Entertainment on Monday evening announced the CEO had resigned from her post as the agency chief through an official statement posted on Omega X's official fan website. "We feel a heavy responsibility over the incident. The CEO behind the disgraceful event during the tour has voluntarily resigned (from her post)," the statement

The online seller who asked for 10 million won for K-pop superstar BTS' member Jungkook's lost hat has admitted to all the allegations surrounding the case. Seoul Seocho Police on Monday said it has completed its investigations into the seller -- referred to anonymously as A -- who had put a hat allegedly worn by Jungkook up for sale on a online market. According to the police, A, an alleged former employee of the Foreign Ministry, was booked in early November on charges of embezzlemen

Red Velvet is celebrating the end of the year with new album titled "The ReVe Festival 2022 – Birthday." The girl group's label SM Entertainment on Monday announced Red Velvet will be dropping the new mini album on Nov. 28. The album will be fronted by the title track "Birthday," and will also feature several more songs of various genres representing Red Velvet's rich sounds, the label explained in a statement released on Monday. The new album will be the quin

BTS is reportedly running for the 65th Grammy Awards. The band has thrown its hat into the upcoming Grammy race, set to take place in February 2023, taking its final shot at snagging an award there before the bandmates go into a long group break. Citing reports from inside the US music industry, Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday reported that four songs from BTS including collaboration tracks were submitted as entries for the 65th Grammy Awards. The septet's "Yet To Come," which w

Even after Spire Entertainment, the agency behind Omega X, denied the allegations that its CEO had verbally and physically assaulted the band's members, more evidence and witnesses are spreading fast online. On Monday evening, SBS Entertainment News, which first reported the case the day before, released exclusive video footage of what it claims to be Spire Entertainment's CEO, referred to only by her surname Kang and known to be in her 50s, yelling at Omega X bandmates. In the video

Jin of K-pop superband BTS is making his official solo debut with the single "The Astronaut" on Oct. 28. The band's agency Big Hit Music on Tuesday released a statement announcing Jin's solo debut date and the title of his first single. "Jin put his love for the Army in making 'The Astronaut,' and we anticipate it to be like a gift to the Army," the agency said about the song in its statement. Army refers to the band's global fanbase. Ahead of releasi

  K-pop sensation BTS' eldest member Jin will debut as a solo artist at the end of this month before starting his military duty. BTS' label Big Hit Music on Tuesday told the local media that Jin will release his first solo single at the end of October. Several outlets confirmed with the label. The news of Jin's solo debut had first announced last weekend during the septet's concert held in Busan. During BTS' concert held on Saturday at Busan Asiad Main Stadium, Jin broke out the news himsel

South Korean rap-rock band N. Flying dropped its eighth album "Dearest" on Monday and held a media showcase in Seoul ahead of its release. The band is returning with a new album just over a year since the release of its first full-length repackage album "Turbulence." "We're happy to be able to have more chances to meet our fans in person and enjoy music together through more music shows and festivals," member Hwe-seung said during Monday's event. "W

Blackpink successfully embarked on its first world tour in four years, "Born Pink," kicking it off in Seoul over the weekend. The concerts were held on Saturday and Sunday at the KSPO Dome in Jamsil, Seoul, and the two sold-out shows drew a total of 20,000 people. KSPO Dome is a sports complex with a capacity of some 15,000 seats, but the band's label YG Entertainment said it limited tickets out of safety concerns. The 120-minute gig on Sunday night opened with "How You Like That,