After blowing the ultimate kiss-off to an undeserving lover in “Gashina,” soloist Sunmi walked down memory lane with the song’s protagonist with her new single “Heroine.” The former Wonder Girls member, who has been on a winning streak since her first solo outing with tango-disco “24 Hours” in 2014, rattled the K-pop scene with her viral hit “Gashina” last summer. The chart-topping song was not only responsible for the “finger gun,” the most imitated dance of the year, but also played a huge rol

K-pop soloist Chungha rides on a “Roller Coaster” of love in her first single of 2018.About six months after making a splash with her tropical hit “Why Don’t You Know” last summer, Chungha returned with her new single “Roller Coaster,” a lead track off her second EP “Offset,” released Wednesday.  Chungha performs during a media showcase for her second EP, “Offset,” in Seoul on Wednesday. (MNH Entertainment)Chungha who rose to fame as a member of project girl group I.O.I, kicked off last year in

CNBLUE’s frontman Jung Yong-hwa has decided to withdraw from “Talk Mon,” a talk show on Olive TV that features the singer as its host, following recent controversy over his graduate school admission.A local media outlet reported Tuesday that Jung was admitted to Kyung Hee University’s graduate school program for applied arts even though he had not showed up for two official interviews. It was also reported that the singer recently underwent police investigation over suspicions of preferential tr

MBC’s “Idol Star Athletics Championships,” a variety show featuring droves of K-pop stars competing across different sports events, has once again come under fire, following a series of injuries sustained by participants.  Controversies over the show’s safety arose as Ungjae of K-pop boy band Impact was reportedly rushed to a hospital for shoulder pain after a shoot that took place at Goyang Gymnasium in Gyeonggi Province, Monday. It was revealed the singer, who had already been receiving treatm

Singer-songwriter Jo Jung-chi will return with a new full-length album on Jan. 26, his agency Mystic Entertainment said Wednesday.According to the agency, Jo’s upcoming album marks his first full-length album release since 2013’s sophomore effort “Posthumous Work.”  Jo Jung-chi (Mystic Entertainment)“Jo, who has been loved by fans as a TV entertainer for his witty personality, will return as an artist after a long time. Jo’s new album will feature several talented musicians,” an agency official

Ever since her K-pop career began in 2006, Younha has often been described as one of the most talented singer-songwriters of today. Due to her chameleon-like vocal abilities and masterful songwriting -- which crossed genres from ballad to rock to jazz -- a renowned music critic once said, “I’d like to advise female musician wannabes to study Younha, who is truly the best musician, equipped with perfect vocal, breathing, tone and stability.”The songstress, however, stopped crafting her own music

From their punky hairstyles to outfits straight out of the 1980s, there is something clearly different, and special, about Wetter. Named after a hope to “wet” people with its music, the four-piece rock band is a rarity in the Korean music scene: Its music isn’t peppered with trendy synthesizers or studio technologies. The stripped-down sound heavily focuses on the pure sounds of the instruments themselves, echoing rock legends the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. “Rock, it’s about pursuing classi

Jo Kwon of 2AM slammed an article with a headline that mocked the singer.On Thursday, Jo posted to his Twitter account a screen capture of a headline of a local media report, with a caption that said “I’ve been ignoring all the gossip and malicious comments about me, but this is surely the lowest of low among the articles I’ve seen.” (Jo Kwon`s Twitter)The headline read, “Jo Kwon, Is this real? Do you want to date this man? Sorry, I’m a married man,” along with a photo of the singer dressed as a

Actor Park Bo-gum will star in the second season of the JTBC reality show “Hyori’s Bed & Breakfast” as a temporary employee. According to the show’s production staff Saturday, Park has been cast as a three-day assistant for Lee Hyo-ri and Lee Sang-soon, a celebrity couple who run a guest house on Jeju Island.  Actor Park Bo-gum (Blossom Entertainment)The staff said that the casting was made based on viewers’ opinions and the fact that the actor has been a longtime fan of Fin.K.L, a 1990s K-pop g

K-pop icon G-Dragon, well-known for his entrepreneurial spirit, will open his own cafe and a bowling alley on Jeju Island, his agency YG Entertainment said Saturday.According to the agency, GD Cafe and the bowling alley will open in February and March, respectively, as a part of Jeju Shinhwa World, an integrated resort complex. Featuring design ideas of the Big Bang frontman, the cafe was inspired by the logo of his fashion brand Peaceminusone, while the bowling alley, which includes a lounge pu

Veteran actress Son Ye-jin will return to the small screen for the first time in five years with the new JTBC series “Pretty Sister who Treats Me to Meals” (working title), the channel said Wednesday. The upcoming drama will revolve around the love story between Yoon Jin-ah, a 30-something supervisor of a coffee franchise played by Son, and Seo Joon-hee, the younger brother of Yoon’s best friend. The story unfolds as Yoon, who finds her life monotonous, suddenly develops romantic feelings toward

Ever since K-pop superstar Infinite became a six-member act with the departure of Hoya last August, the group seems to have spent its time preparing for its comeback hoping to prove it is still intact from the blow. Infinite’s latest full-length album “Top Seed,” released Monday, is the group’s first release since its 2016 EP “Infinite Only,” also the first full-length album since 2014’s “Season 2.” “We named the album ‘Top Seed’ as it refers to the highest ranking team in sports. We hope it bec

In 1996, when cassette tapes were not old-fashioned and wide-legged pants were trendy, there was one particular song dominating the Korean airwaves: “Novice’s Love,” a love ballad by an 18-year-old high-schooler. Even after 20 years, Yangpa, whose real name is Lee Eun-jin, vividly remembers the first performance of that smash hit, her debut song that immediately shot the teenager to stardom. “That tense, that jittery feeling before going up onstage... It’s still fresh in my memory. I was singing

After three years in the K-pop scene, GFriend’s dream has finally come true: The group successfully wrapped up its first solo concerts “Season of GFriend” in Seoul on Saturday and Sunday. The concerts, held at the Olympic Hall at Olympic Park in Seoul, were a testament to the six-piece group’s reputation as one of Korea’s most promising young acts. The event, which ran for more than three hours on each day, featured the group’s hits and individual members’ solo performances for the first time. 

Dark clouds are gathering over K-pop act T-ara’s future, with its former agency seeking exclusive rights to the group name. On Monday, local media reported that MBK Entertainment, which had represented T-ara for a decade until the members’ departure last week, had applied to register the group’s name “T-ara” as its trademark at the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Dec. 28 last year, three days before the members’ contract with the agency expired.  T-ara (MBK Entertainment)The application,

K-pop boy group iKon is gearing up for a comeback with its second full-length album “Return,” according to YG Entertainment Saturday. A teaser video for the upcoming album, released on the agency’s official blog Saturday, featured the members in a short film that was dubbed with member Bobby’s short reflective monologue.  iKon (YG Entertainment)“Return” marks the group’s first full-length album in over two years since 2015’s “Welcome Back,” the agency said. Following its debut with the single “M

S.M. Entertainment, one of Korea’s leading K-pop agencies, announced Thursday that it will hold auditions around the world to search for aspiring K-pop stars. The upcoming auditions, titled “2018 S.M. Global Audition,” will begin in Korea on Jan. 21 before traveling to 45 cities across 10 countries, including China, the US and Japan, until December. S.M. will also be holding an audition in Vietnam for the first time. Auditions will be held in five cities in Korea -- Seoul, Jeonju, Daejeon, Gwang

About eight months after introducing her sweet and bubbly self to the K-pop scene, soloist Kriesha Chu released her first EP “Dream of Paradise” Wednesday. When this 20-year-old Filipina-American K-pop sweetheart released her debut single “Trouble” in May, she was covered in an innocent and pure vibe, more so because of her signature beaming smile that brightened up the stage. With “Dream of Paradise,” Chu’s sugary and bubbly nature remain the same, but there seems to be a slight change in her s

Actress Ku Hye-sun has found a new home at startup label Partners Park, after leaving her longtime label YG Entertainment in December. Partners Park was established by Shin Hyo-jung, formerly manager of actor Kim Soo-hyun, and houses rookie actors such as Cha Joo-young and Eom Yi-joon.  Ku Hye-sun (Partners Park)Ku gained widespread recognition as an actress with KBS hit drama series “Boys Over Flowers” in 2009. In March 2016, she tied the knot with actor Ahn Jae-hyun, who co-starred with Ku in

Solo artist Sunmi will drop her new single “Heroine” on Jan. 18, her agency MakeUs Entertainment said Tuesday, about five months after she released the infectious dance pop song “Gashina.” A teaser image released on her official social media account showed roses of different colors frozen in a chunk of ice. Roses have been an overarching image and concept for her East-Asia-inspired “Gashina.” A teaser image for Sunmi’s upcoming single “Heroine.” (MakeUs Entertainment)According to the agency, Sun