Virtual artist YuA rolls out remake of '90s K-pop song 'Violet Fragrance'

SEOUL -- YuA, a virtual artist created by South Korean game publisher "Smilegate" and a visual effects company, released a remake of "Violet Fragrance," a folk song that gained explosive popularity in the 1990s. Through the single, the 20-year-old artist expressed her feelings for her first love. YuA with some 675,000 followers on Instagram has a goofy personality and enjoys eating ice screams. Her favorite song is "Dancing in the Moonlight" by Topload

March 7, 2023

J. Cole collaborates with BTS member J-Hope for solo single 'on the street'

SEOUL -- J. Cole, an American rapper with six albums that topped Billboard's top 200 popular albums chart, collaborated with J-Hope on the 29-year-old BTS member's single song. The American artist showcased his rapping skills in J-Hope's song titled "on the street," which is a place where the South Korean singer first started to dream of becoming an artist. J. Cole is known for his husky tone and melodic rap performances. The 38-year-old is regarded as one of

March 3, 2023

BTS 'Dynamite' to be recreated into Lego pop-up store in southern Seoul

SEOUL -- BTS' global mega-hit song "Dynamite" will be recreated into a pop-up store with various Lego items. At the offline store run by South Korea's mobile carrier LG Uplus, visitors can purchase Lego sets created under the theme of the Dynamite music video which gained more than 1.6 billion views on YouTube. The disco-pop song that rolled out in August 2020 stayed in Billboard's top 100 most popular song chart for 32 consecutive weeks. The seven-member band

March 2, 2023

Billboard includes genius idol incubator Min Hee-jin in 'The 2023 Women in Music' list

SEOUL -- Min Hee-jin, a genius idol incubator who has planned concepts for K-pop superstar band NewJeans, was included in Billboard's list of influential women in the music industry. Min who has nurtured various SM Entertainment groups including Girls' Generation, f(x), and EXO was picked as the chief executive officer for ADOR, a subsidiary label of the agency of BTS. Min is currently in charge of nurturing rookie artists and producing music at ADOR. At SM Entertainment, s

February 28, 2023

McDonald's Korea to collaborate with girl band NewJeans for promotion of new product

SEOUL -- The South Korean office of McDonald's will collaborate with NewJeans, a girl group formed by ADOR, a subsidiary label of the agency of K-pop superstar BTS, to promote its new product. The five-member band has captivated global fans through dance songs such as Attention, Ditto, and OMG. McDonald's Korea said in its Instagram post: "Curious about a crispy burger which NewJeans is looking for? 3/2 Coming Soon!" A photo of the girl band was also posted on the

February 27, 2023

BTS' main dancer J-Hope to roll out solo single 'on the street' in March

SEOUL -- BTS member J-Hope will release his solo single before starting his mandatory military service in South Korea. The 29-year-old composed the song titled "on the street" which is a place where he first started to dream of becoming an artist. "The title 'on the street' refers to j-hope's roots—street dance—from which his dream to become an artist began, and the path the artist and fans will continue to walk together," said Big Hit th

February 27, 2023

BTS Jimin to release solo album for first time

SEOUL -- Jimin, a member of BTS, became the boy band's fourth member to release his first solo album, after J-Hope, Jin, and RM. Although the group is taking a hiatus after its agency announced that all members would fulfill their compulsory military service, the 27-year-old has consistently interacted with fans by collaborating with fashion brand Dior and singer Taeyang. "'FACE' is all about Jimin facing himself head-on as he gets ready for his next step as a solo

February 22, 2023

K-pop girl band Brave Girls to disband after rolling out digital single 'Goodbye'

SEOUL -- Brave Girls, a four-member K-pop girl band, will disband after releasing its last single titled "Goodbye." The band that unexpectedly stepped into the spotlight 10 years after its debut with a single dance track titled "Rollin'" in 2021 did not renew the contract with its agency "Brave Entertainment." All group members will end the exclusive contract, said Brave Entertainment, adding that the group will release Goodbye at 6 p.m. (0900 GMT)

February 16, 2023

Reality competition series 'Physical: 100' captivates global fans on Netflix

SEOUL -- "Physical: 100," a South Korean competition show featuring physically fit contestants engaging in various games and competitions to win prize money of 300 million won ($233,681), became the most watched content on Netflix's non-English chart. The reality survival content showcases various celebrities such as UFC fighter Akiyama Yoshihiro (Choo Sung-hoon) and the 2012 London Olympic vault champion Yang Hak-seon. The global streaming service giant said that t

February 15, 2023

BTS's lead rapper Suga to go on solo world tour in six countries

SEOUL -- BTS member Suga will go on a solo world tour, starting with the first concert in Belmont Park, New York on April 26. The 29-year-old became the first BTS member to launch a solo world tour. Big Hit, the seven-member band's agency, said in a statement on February 15 that Suga will cover six countries -- United States, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan. BTS' lead rapper will interact with global fans from April to June in various cities including

February 15, 2023