​Fans express anger over rumors of BTS members visiting drug case-related adult bar

SEOUL -- Fans of K-pop wonder BTS have expressed anger over rumors of BTS members being frequent visitors of an adult entertainment bar that was related to alleged drug abuse cases involving actor Lee Sun-kyun and K-pop band BIGBANG member G-Dragon. The fans warned the media and cyberbullies that strong legal action would be taken if rumors and fake news continued to spread. South Korea's entertainment scene was engulfed in terror and shock in late October after prosecutors booke

October 26, 2023

Accumulated global streams of K-pop increase by 42% on-year: market data

SEOUL -- Accumulated number of K-pop songs that were streamed globally between January and October 2023 has increased by 42 percent compared to the same period in 2022, market data released by American entertainment market research firm Luminate showed. Other than listening to the radio, the means of enjoying music changed from vinyl records to cassette tapes, compact discs (CDs), and digital mp3 files over some six decades. Now, the mainstream method for listening to music is to use o

October 26, 2023

Bebefinn series top Netflix's kids TV show chart in US

SEOUL -- "Bebefinn," a three-dimensional animated series featuring the five-member family of a 20-month-old baby named "Finn," topped Netflix's kids TV show chart in the United States. The animation content, created by South Korea's educational entertainment company Pinkfong, ranked in the top 10 on the global streaming giant's chart featuring popular children's content in three other countries -- Ireland, South Korea, and Singapore. Finn is a

October 26, 2023

K-pop singer AleXa to join popular concert tour hosted by US radio show

SEOUL -- Alexaundra Christine Schneiderman, an American singer and dancer better known by her stage name AleXa, will join a popular annual concert tour hosted by a United States-based online radio station. The 26-year-old will showcase her performances with global artists including Jamaican-American reggae rapper Shaggy and Big Time Rush, an American boy band. AleXa received immense popularity in May 2022 for winning an American TV channel NBC's music competition called "Ameri

October 25, 2023

TXT ranks third on Billboard's top albums chart with 'The Name Chapter: FREEFALL'

SEOUL -- TXT (Tomorrow X Together), a five-member boy band organized by the agency of top K-pop band BTS, has ranked third on Billboard's top 200 popular albums chart with its third studio album titled "The Name Chapter: FREEFALL." Canadian rapper Drake topped the Billboard chart and Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny took second place. TXT's album, released on October 13, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart with 114,500 equivalent album units sold in the U.S. in t

October 23, 2023

The Kid LAROI collaborates with BTS' Jungkook for new single 'Too Much'

SEOUL -- The Kid LAROI, an Australian artist who gained popularity through "STAY," a collaborative song with Justin Bieber, has worked with Jungkook, the youngest member of BTS, for his new single "Too Much." The new song also features British rapper Central Cee. The single will be released at 8 a.m. (2300 GMT) on October 20, The Kid LAROI said on Instagram. In 2021, the 20-year-old topped Billboard's weekly song chart that ranks top 100 popular songs with &

October 19, 2023

Overwatch 2 collaborates with girl band Le Sserafim to release digital single 'Perfect Night'

SEOUL -- The operator of the popular Blizzard shooting game "Overwatch 2" has collaborated with Le Sserafim, a girl band formed by BTS agency Hybe's music label Source Music, to create an English song "Perfect Night." The five-member band became the first musical artists to work with the global video game publisher for in-game content. Overwatch 2, rolled out in October 2022, is the sequel to Overwatch, the first-person shooter (FPS) multiplayer game released by

October 19, 2023

K-pop event 'Busan One Asia Festival' to be held in southern port city

SEOUL -- "Busan One Asia Festival," a major K-pop event that was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will take place in the southern port city of Busan. Various South Korean artists including NCT 127, a unit band of boy group NCT, and Oh My Girl, a six-member girl band, will showcase performances. According to Busan, the event is the largest Hallyu (Korean cultural wave) festival in Asia. In 2019, before the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic hit South Korea, the Busa

October 19, 2023

BTS' Jungkook to release solo album for first time

SEOUL -- Jungkook, the youngest member of BTS, will release his very first solo album on November 3. The 26-year-old has collaborated with various global producers including British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, American producer Andrew Watt, and Shawn Mendes, a Canadian singer-songwriter. The album titled "GOLDEN" contains 11 English language-based songs. Big Hit, the agency of BTS, uploaded the tracklist of GOLDEN. "Standing Next To You," the title track of th

October 16, 2023

Girl band NiziU to debut in S. Korea with single album 'Press Play'

SEOUL -- NiziU, a nine-member Japanese girl band, will roll out its Korean language-based album "Press Play" to make its official debut in South Korea. The group, debuted in December 2020, was created through a joint global audition project by South Korea's JYP Entertainment and Sony Music, a top music label in Tokyo. The girl band was formed through the first season of the audition show Nizi Project in 2020. The girls who were under control by JYP for training in Sou

October 13, 2023