Concerns over spread of the new coronavirus in the local music industry are rising after some K-pop group members tested positive for the infectious virus earlier this week. Two members of girl group EVERGLOW -- Yiren and Si-hyeon -- have tested positive for the virus, their management agency Yue Hua Entertainment said Tuesday. Yiren first tested positive after she voluntarily got checked following news that one of her acquaintances had contracted COVID-19. Other members of the six-piece girl

It was not the first time that sensational K-pop boy band BTS had seen its name at the top of US music publication Billboard’s main singles chart, but this time it was different. Billboard on Monday announced via social media that “Life Goes On,” the lead track of the band’s latest album, “Be,” debuted at No. 1 on this week’s Hot 100, the coveted singles chart, becoming the first song sung predominantly in Korean to top the chart in its 62-year history

Recognized as one of the most foundational acts in K-pop, BoA is looking back at her 20-year-career with the release of her new album “Better.” “It still feels a bit weird that it’s already been 20 years. So many people have congratulated me, but I feel like people around me are putting more weight on it than I do,” said the K-pop icon with a laugh during an online press conference that was held ahead of the release of “Better” in Seoul on Tuesday. Si

K-pop megastar BTS set another record on YouTube, with its music video for the song "MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix)" racking up 800 million views on YouTube, its agency said. YouTube views for the music video, released in November 2017, reached the milestone at around 6:56 a.m. Tuesday, according to Big Hit Entertainment. "MIC Drop" is a track that was originally included in the BTS album "LOVE YOURSELF: Her" that dropped in September 2017. It was later remixed by Am

Enhypen, a new boy group from the Mnet survival show “I-Land,” made its grand debut with the single “Given-Taken.” Having already caused a sensation prior to its debut, the seven-piece multinational boy band held an online media showcase Monday in Seoul, where it unveiled the single and talked about its solid rookie effort. Pop-hip-hop track “Given-Taken” comes off of the EP “Border: Day 1.” “As much as we were created on a survival progra

ENHYPEN, the seven-piece new boy band consisting of reality audition program "I-Land" winners, said they want to build a legacy as a "global, fan-made group." "It would be an honor to be always remembered as a global, fan-made group since we are a group made together by global fans," member Jay said in the act's first-ever media showcase held Monday. "We feel happy and responsible when we are called a global, fan-made group since it was thanks to the love of

Eight years since making a splash debut as a member of K-pop idol group EXO, Kai is dropping his first solo album, “Kai,” Monday. “The album comprises stories that Kim Jong-in (his real name) wants to reveal to the world through Kai,” the 26-year-old artist said during an online press conference Monday morning. Resembling the stylish yet powerful energy of Kai, the upcoming album will showcase six R&B pop tracks, which the singer said “will make listeners nat

K-pop act IZ*ONE will release a new album next month, its management agency said Monday, amid a lingering controversy over vote-rigging in the audition program that it debuted through. The band will drop its fourth EP, "One-reeler/Act Ⅳ" on Dec. 7, Off the Record said. The album, the first from the group in six months, carries six songs, including the main track "Panorama," "Mise-en-Scene" and "Island," focusing on the 12 members' youth and growth. IZ*O

"BE," the latest album by K-pop megastars BTS, has landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the group's fifth album to top the Billboard's main albums chart. "BTS lands its fifth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as 'Be' bows atop the tally," US music publication Billboard reported Sunday (US time). "The set, which was released via Big Hit Entertainment on Nov. 20, arrives with 242,000 equivalent album units earned in the US in the week ending Nov. 26."

American singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams has joined Weverse, the fan community and online store for a spate of K-pop musicians like BTS, CL and Seventeen, Big Hit Entertainment said Wednesday.   It marks the first case for a musician from outside of South Korea to join the mobile platform, according to Big Hit.   The company said that more musicians from abroad will be joining the platform, such as US singer-songwriter Alexander 23 and British musician Yungblud.  

K-pop megastar BTS has bagged two prizes at the 2020 American Music Awards (AMA) and put on its first televised performance of "Life Goes On" in a purple-lit stadium. The septet won the favorite duo or group in pop/rock for the second straight year and the favorite social artist for the third year in a row at the 2020 AMA show held at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday night (US time). Other nominees who competed for the favorite duo or group in pop/rock were the Jonas Brothe

K-pop boy band Stray Kids held their first virtual concert “Unlock: Go Live In Life” on Sunday, connecting with global fans online amid the virus outbreak. Streamed through Beyond Live -- a livestreaming platform on Naver invested by the group’s agency JYP Entertainment -- the online concert picked up from the group’s first world tour “District 9: Unlock” which kicked off last November and had to be halted due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. “Althoug

South Korean all-female group BLACKPINK became the first K-pop act to  top 1.4 billion views on YouTube on Monday with its music video for "Ddu-du Ddu-du." The video hit the milestone at around 3:32 a.m., YG Entertainment said, just about a year after it became the first K-pop music video to surpass the 1 billion mark last November. "Ddu-du Ddu-du," the main track of the four-member band's first EP "Square Up," released in 2018, is one of the group's most po

A wave of hope continues with BTS, as the group returned with a highly-anticipated “BE” album that reaches out to those disheartened amid the pandemic. After dominating the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with its previous single “Dynamite,” the global pop sensation held a live-streamed press conference in Seoul on Friday ahead of the release of the new album. Strict disinfection measures took place at the entrance, while reporters were seated with extra distance. Excitem

The year 2020 has been one of the most dismal years for many around the globe, jolting people to face a harsh new reality where the most mundane things in life have become a luxury. BTS, the K-pop act that has grown into one of the biggest pop groups in the world, is no exception. Carefully planned concerts were indefinitely postponed, and the band's seven members began to question what it means to be musicians when they can't perform in front of fans. The answer to that question is their late