Global K-pop sensation Blackpink is ready to open a new era of K-pop with its second LP, “Born Pink,” which hits global music platforms on Sept. 16. On Wednesday, YG Entertainment released a poster emblazoned “Shut Down,” the title of its upcoming lead track. “There’s a special form of intuition in the track and it also gives a mysterious ambiance. As the term ‘shut down’ is synonymous with the act of stopping an operation or activity, it makes

Right in time for the autumn breeze and the changing of seasons, boy band Oneus hopped on the September music craze lineup with its eighth EP, “Malus,” released Monday evening. This marks a return for the K-pop act for the first time in four months since its last musical project, “Trickster,” released in May. “I believe it’s the first time showing our slinky and seductive side since our debut. I know how meaningful it is for us to be able to showcase our so

Comfortable in a pair of sneakers and a T-shirt, SMMT has been soaking up the spotlight as a globe-trotting DJ. Not much is known about him, but concertgoers will see him mixing live sessions for local rappers pH-1 and Sik-K and taking over the deck at parties. He’s also a member of Yelows Mob, a music crew helmed by Sik-K. Born Jung Sung-min, SMMT is one of the faces under H1ghr Music with a unique background. He kicked into gear as a DJ at 20. In 2020, he earned his first credit as a p

Spotify, the world’s largest music streaming platform, has rebranded its flagship Korean hip-hop playlist “K-Hip-Hop+82” to “KrOWN,” the company said Wednesday. K-Hip-Hop +82 was first launched in April 2017 as Spotify’s first-ever editorial playlist focusing on South Korea’s East-meets-West music. The playlist on the platform presents the latest and most famous Korean hip-hop tracks on the playlist. The word is a coined term combining “Korea,&r

Less than a month since its debut, NewJeans, the first girl group from Ador, an independent label under Hybe, is taking the music world by storm. Seventeen days after dropping its namesake digital debut album on Aug. 1, the band’s title track “Attention” rose to No. 51 on the Billboard Global Excl. US chart, which ranks songs based on streaming and/or sales activity from more than 200 territories around the globe, excluding the US. The group’s name stems from a class

Boy band CIX has rounded out the summer by finally deciphering the code to its “OK” series. The quintet dropped its 5th EP “OK’ Episode 1: OK Not” on Monday evening. This marks the boy band’s first return to the local music world since the release of its first LP “‘Ok’ Prologue: Be OK” in August 2021. “We’ve poured all we got into this project because it’s been a year since we last released an album. From settling

  Over the past few years, K-pop idols have been expanding their horizon through onstage debuts, with more singers entering the world of musical theatre, which was once considered an elitist realm only for the classically trained. The latest to make it on stage is Mamamoo‘s lead vocalist Solar, who made her debut in the titular role of “Mata Hari” in May. The cast included Chang-sub of boy band BTOB and rock band FT Island’s Lee Hong-ki, who played Armand, the mal

“Hey boy, it’s cold” -- Boycold’s producer tag isn’t subtle about who it represents, but it’s a guarantee of high production values. Boycold, whose real name is Jeong Seong-won, debuted in 2015 through “Boys to Men,” a track on rapper Crucial Star’s “Boyhood” EP. Zig-zagging between hip-hop and R&B, he’s a jack of all trades with a knack for soundscapes. The beatmaker now has a long list of hits under his belt. He m

South Korea’s first dance management company, Zinhipz Entertainment, is launching a world dance competition titled “Chumsaeng.” The label is home to Heady, the winner of JTBC’s dance survival program “Showdown,” Comet, Zooty Zoot, Teenie, Ogong, Starry and Javeline. Under the slogan “dance is life,” Chumsaeng is a dance show with a difference. Instead of vying for the top spot, participants will use dance to express themselves and show the imp

A Korean music festival in Abu Dhabi, dubbed “Hyperound K-Fest 2022,” will be held on Sept. 10 at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, the largest indoor entertainment venue in the Middle East. Jointly hosted with the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism and Yas Island, the one-day festival aims to bring artists who continue to spread K-music around the globe. The star-studded list of artists slated to perform in the UAE are up-and-coming K-pop rookie boy band P1harmony, South

The Seoul Metropolitan government kicked off its annual tourist event, Seoul Festa, on Tuesday, marking the event’s return after two years of a pandemic-induced hiatus. With the ambition to boost tourism in the capital city, the festival kicked off Tuesday for a five-day run across the city until Sunday. The city embarked on its large-scale, global event with a K-pop concert titled “K-pop Super Live” Tuesday evening at the Olympic Main Stadium in Jamsil Sports Complex, sout

Global K-pop sensation Blackpink is returning with its 2nd LP titled “Born Pink” on Sept. 16, marking its return to the music scene after nearly two years away. On Wednesday, the band’s agency YG Entertainment dropped a teaser image with the date “2022.09.16,” the date of its second album release. “As the title suggests, ‘Born Pink’ shows the confidence and splendor Blackpink is known for. The album will be brimming with Blackpink’s uniq

Boisterous crowds, fan chants, sing-alongs and clapping are back – and so were the concertgoers who filled the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium Sunday night as girl group Itzy took the stage to make up for the lost time through its first world tour “Checkmate” in Seoul. Sunday’s concert was a jam-packed two-hour event. The five members performed 20 songs and prepared five encore performances to bring joy to their fans. The set list was composed of the K-pop act’s bi

Out with the old, in with the new, Choi Yena welcomed the hottest season of the year with her improvement-themed second EP, “Smartphone,” released Wednesday evening. This marks the soloist‘s return, nearly seven months since she released her first EP, “Smiley,” in January. During Wednesday’s press conference, Choi said the theme of her new album is “upgrading.” The singer said she is back with new songs that have improved in sound, reflecting

As a slew of big-name K-pop artists are set to return with bops for the sweltering summer, with major girl groups among those vying to make their way into summer playlists. On the star-studded roster is Girls’ Generation, one of the longest-running K-pop girl groups, making its long-awaited full-group comeback to celebrate its 15th anniversary. After rumors that the K-pop icons were returning with new songs, the band’s agency SM Entertainment confirmed that the band would drop i

The season of upbeat music has arrived, and rappers are known to save their strongest material for summer, Zico made his grand return with his 4th EP, “Grown Ass Kid,” released Wednesday evening. This marks the solo artist‘s return nearly two years since he last released his “Random Box” in July 2020. It’s also his first material after officially being discharged from his mandatory military service in April this year. Zico dropped “Grown Ass Kid&rdq

NewJeans, the first girl group from Ador, an independent label under K-pop powerhouse Hybe, threw its glitzy hat into the ring with its namesake debut album on Monday. Hybe is the multi-label entertainment company home to several big-name K-pop labels, including Big Hit Music, the label behind superstars BTS. Brought together by Ador’s CEO and head producer Min Hee-Jin, NewJeans released its debut digital album “New Jeans” on Monday evening. As the name suggests, the band&

As the days are getting long in summer and the weather is getting hotter outside, Nicole, a former bandmate of the now-disbanded girl group Kara, returned with a new digital single, “You.F.O“ to put music listeners in a sunny mood. This marks the singer-turned-soloist’s return to the music charts in nearly eight years since she last dropped her first EP, “First Romance,” in 2014. “It’s been eight years, and I took the time to look back on myself,&rd

As large-scale concerts are coming back with the slow lifting of pandemic and social distancing rules across the nation, an abundant number of concertgoers filled the Jangchung Arena in Jung-gu, Seoul, Friday night as big-name R&B and hip-hop artists took the stage for “Blue Spring Hip-hop Festa.” The concert is an offshoot of the Blue Spring Festival, one of the country‘s biggest music festivals, which takes place in a different city each year. The first session took p

As a playlist of upbeat tunes sets the mood for the summer, girl group Purple Kiss returned with its 4th EP titled “Geekyland,” released Monday evening, to thrill listeners with warm-weather vibes. The band didn‘t wait long between projects, with a surprise return just four months since “memeM,” released in March. Ireh expressed her excitement about releasing a new album, saying the process of preparing new music and performance was a joy. “It seems lik