Singer-turned-actor Lee Seung-gi, who recently completed his compulsory military service, will star in upcoming SBS variety show “All the Butlers.” According to the network, Lee will be a regular guest on the new show, which will be his first variety show since he was discharged in late October. “All the Butlers” will feature male celebrities spending a night at the homes of famous figures to learn about their lifestyles and achievements. Other regular guests of the show include Lee Sang-yoon, Y

Taeyeon“This Christmas - Winter Is Coming”Genie MusicWho would have imagined that songs by a member of Girls’ Generation would be the perfect fit for the festive Christmas spirit? Also a soloist, Taeyeon’s breezy and sugary voice has always been appreciated by K-pop fans. And combining such a dulcet voice with the holiday season has resulted in the most sophisticated Christmas tunes of this year. “This Christmas - Winter Is Coming,” Taeyeon’s first seasonal effort, is not like Mariah Carey’s cla

[Herald Interview]Admittedly, Swings, whose real name is Moon Ji-hoon, is one of the most talked-about, controversial and rebellious figures in the Korean music scene. This outspoken rapper, whose words are often unpolished and raw, is used to being a target of public criticism for fearlessly unleashing his rough nature. To name a few, he cusses in front of a camera, talks about sex and was once slammed by the media for revealing that he had kissed random girls in a club in the past. But still,

On its epic journey since 2013, BTS has risen like a phoenix. Once a rookie group struggling to survive in the stormy K-pop scene, the group is now called a world-dominating super star, hitting the US charts, grabbing global headlines and mesmerizing fans all over the world. After leaving their footprints around the globe, the K-pop superstar finally landed on its home turf, where it put an end mark on its monthslong “Wings” tour that kicked off in Seoul in February. And its retrospective “grand

It’s been a history-making year for BTS, the K-pop sensation that has made ripples around the globe with its recent US debut and everything in between. Having left footsteps across several continents with its “Wings” world tour that kicked off in Seoul in February, BTS finally returned home to wrap up its monthslong global journey in Seoul at Gocheok Skydome on Sunday. And the ever-growing K-pop act expressed its ambition to enter top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and debut at No. 1 on Billboard 2

Months have passed since hundreds of thousands of candle-holders declared victory for people power after months of protests to oust President Park Geun-hye in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square.  The air was icy, but what Choi Gonne remembers from the demonstrations is neither hatred nor rage. What she saw were people united, regardless of age or gender, bundled up in coats, singing and chanting tunes calling for Park’s ouster, street vendors selling mattresses and hot snacks and young students marching

Day6“Moonrise”Genie Music　When Day6 announced its yearlong monthly song release project “Every Day6” in December last year, a spell was cast. Fans have been waiting for the group’s new songs every day for the past year, sharing the joy of filling in the 12-piece puzzle along with the band. And with the year-end album “Moonrise,” Day6 has finally completed the world it has been dreaming of with one last remaining piece.As a band known for its versatility, the self-written and composed 18-track al

K-pop act Super Junior’s web reality show “SJ Returns,” which chronicled the group’s comeback preparations, is now being shown on TV. The show, which was initially streamed on the Naver TV Cast channel and the V Live channel in October, started its six-week run on the cable channel JTBC2 on Wednesday at 9 p.m. “SJ Returns” had topped Naver V Live channel’s monthly chart with more than 24 million views. It showed how the members prepared for the new album over 120 days after a two-year break as a

For singer-songwriter Clara C, who was born in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, Korea had been an unknown land. She wrote and sang in English, but deep in her heart, Chung had room for Korea, the motherland of her parents.“At first, I didn’t even know that I had Korean fans on my YouTube channel. When I realized I had Korean fans, I started to write Korean on social media, and they liked it. And now, I’m very excited to meet my fans here, in Korea,” said Chung Jae-yeon, better known as C

JTBC’s new reality program “Stranger” (unofficial translation) will spotlight the struggles of Korean celebrities living abroad.The show, which kicks off Saturday at 6 p.m., is set to feature newcomers to reality television including baseball player Choo Shin-soo, pianist Sunwoo Ye-kwon and actress Seo Min-jung.Scheduled in the same time slot as MBC’s popular variety program “Infinite Challenge,” “Stranger” is up against a tough fight for viewers. But the show’s strength lies in its “portrayal o

Red Velvet has topped Billboard’s World Albums chart again with its second album “Perfect Velvet.” The album debuted at No. 1 on the chart, which sold 2,000 copies in the week that ended Nov. 23, according to Nielsen Music. The figure marks Red Velvet’s best weekly sales in the US after “Red Summer” in July, Billboard said, adding that the group’s success shows strong interest in K-pop girl groups in the US.  A poster for Red Velvet’s “Perfect Velvet” album (S.M. Entertainment)“Perfect Velvet” m

Jun. K “My 20s”Genie MusicBidding farewell to one’s 20s can be hard, especially when it was filled with love, breakups, regrets and pain. It’s hard to move on because it reminds people of the most passionate and innocent times of their lives. On the verge of entering his fourth decade in life, Jun. K reflects on the rollercoaster that was his 20s in his new album “My 20s.” The album is testament to the singer’s life that has not been very different from those of others, except that he didn’t hav

Continuing from “Dope,” “Save Me,” “Young Forever” and “Not Today,” music video director Kim Sung-wook has added “Mic Drop” to the list of music videos for global K-pop act BTS. In what could be the music video of the year, the swaggering video of BTS’ “Mic Drop” remix, a collaboration between American DJ Steve Aoki, rapper Desiigner and the seven-piece world superstars, has lived up to hype since its release last week. And Kim, a creator behind the recent BTS fever, shared in-depth details abou

Singer Se7en will feature in SBS’ reality show “It’s Okay to Go a Little Crazy” to share his daily life with fans, according to his agency Eleven 9 Entertainment.According to the agency, Se7en will talk about his life style off the stage for the first time since his debut in 2003. Viewers will also be able to see various sides of the veteran singer as well as his house and hobbies.  A teaser image for the upcoming episode of SBS’ “It’s Okay to Go a Little Crazy” featuring singer Se7en. (SBS)The

EXO is gearing up for the release of a special winter album in December, its agency S.M. Entertainment said Thursday.Last December, the K-pop act had also released a winter special alum, “For You,” which sold over 442,000 copies.The release date of the upcoming album has not been set yet, according to the agency.  EXO (S.M. Entertainment)EXO dropped its fourth album “The War” in July, which sold more than 1 million copies in less than one month, becoming the boy band’s fourth album to sell more

K.A.R.D“You & Me”Loen EntertainmentK.A.R.D is a decent storyteller. Shifting away from the pure white and pale blue of shimmering tropical track “Hola Hola,” the K-pop co-ed rookie group filled its new palette with colors of darkness, all of which mix to paint one tragic love tale in “You & Me.” Imagine a couple that just fell in love. The budding love will blind their eyes. Each day will feel like a miracle and a blessing. The first track “Into You” delves into such euphoric feelings of love wi

Rookie group K.A.R.D has been a standout in the K-pop scene with its distinctive Latin dance-influenced sonic style that diverges from the K-pop norm. After making an impression with its debut EP “Hola Hola” in July and wrapping up its world tour in October, K.A.R.D is back on home ground. It released its new love-tinged EP “You & Me” on Tuesday. And the new EP is not about a fairy tale romance. Rather, it’s a tragic love story smothered with pain, obsession and jealousy. K.A.R.D performs during

K-pop act GOT7 is slated to return with a repackaged version of its latest EP “7 For 7” on Dec. 7, according to the group’s agency JYP Entertainment. The poster for the upcoming repackaged album titled “7 For 7 Present Edition,” shared by the agency’s official website Tuesday, showed the seven-piece group posing at a stairway surrounded by white walls. “7 For 7 Present Edition” will be available for pre-order from Wednesday, the agency said. A poster for GOT7‘s upcoming repackaged version of its

Tablo of hip-hop trio Epik High has stepped in as a translator, providing English subtitles for one of his hits from the group’s latest album. On Sunday, the Epik High frontman shared a music video for “Lost One,” from the trio’s latest full-length album “We’ve Done Something Wonderful,” via his Twitter account with the caption “Many of our English speaking fans asked for ‘Lost One’ translations, so I did the subs myself. Hope it helps.” Epik High (YG Entertainment)Epik High fans showed heated r

Before arriving in Korea, Christian Burgos worked as a Korean-language interpreter at a copper mine in Mexico. The sweat-soaked days at the dusty mine often pushed him to the edge, but he clung to the idea of buying a plane ticket to Korea, his first trip abroad. Three years later, the Mexican national is one of the most active foreign celebrities in the Korean entertainment industry.  “When I first watched the Korean variety show ‘Quiz to Change the World’ in Mexico, I was immediately smitten b