K-pop boy band BTS has unveiled a music video with US rap star Nicki Minaj.The video of “Idol” was released via the group’s official YouTube channel on Friday. The version featuring Nicki Minaj is not on the group’s album but is available as a special digital track released online. (Youtube)The video for the new version of the song shows Minaj rapping while her lyrics appear on the background in Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. BTS’ label Big Hit Entertainment said, “It was Nicki Minaj’s idea to wr

South Korea’s girl group Black Pink is set to be featured on an upcoming album from English pop singer Dua Lipa.Lipa tweeted an image Tuesday of the track list for her new album, due for release Oct. 19. The track list includes a song titled “Kiss and Make Up (Dua Lipa & Blackpink),” implying that the two pop icons had collaborated on one of Lipa’s new songs. (Instagram)“So excited to release a super deluxe edition of my album on October 19th with 3 NEW SONGS!!” Lipa tweeted.The collaboration st

BTS appears to have decided to put TV promotions on the back burner and focus on its concerts while in Los Angeles.Before BTS landed Monday in the City of Angels, where it is scheduled to perform four shows this week, the group received an invite from comedian and host James Corden to come on his popular “The Late Late Show with James Corden.”“I want BTS to come on my show and perform serendipity so bad! Maybe we could even sing it in a #CarpoolKaraoke?” Corden wrote in a tweet on Aug. 29, which

Sunmi has managed to fit another hit single into her discography after dominating online streaming charts with her brand new single, “Siren.”The former member of Wonder Girls topped the singles charts for several online streaming services including Melon, Bugs, Mnet and Soribada, just hours after releasing her song Tuesday night.(MAKEUS Entertainment)“Siren” is the lead track for Sunmi’s new EP, “Warning,” her third record since she parted ways with JYP Entertainment and inked a contract with Ma

BTS earned praise from South Korean president Moon Jae-in for the band’s Billboard success.Billboard officially confirmed that BTS’ latest release, “Love Yourself: Answer,” had reached No. 1 on its top 200 albums chart Monday -- a phenomenal achievement, yet one that many expected. The band had already come atop the albums chart in May with “Love Yourself: Tear.”  BTS earns praise from the Blue House. (Big Hit Entertainment)What was unexpected was the congratulatory tweet that came from the pres

The popular children’s song faced disputes over alleged sexism, politicization and copyright infringement

On Monday morning, many Koreans woke up to the news that K-pop boy band BTS clinched a second victory on the Billboard's main albums chart.It's been only three months since the group dominated the same Billboard 200 albums chart with the second of its "Love Yourself" trilogy, becoming the first K-pop act to be victorious on the American main music chart. BTS is not just a K-pop sensation now, it has become an important player in the global music industry. The Korean septet rewrote pop history by

BTS was spotted at Incheon Airport on Wednesday evening as it embarked on its world tour. The seven members showed up in casual outfits, along with sunglasses, masks and caps to cover their faces.(Yonhap)(Yonhap)Fans had gathered at the airport since afternoon to get a glimpse of BTS, which was scheduled to depart in the evening. As BTS entered the airport, crowds of fans followed.  (Yonhap)The world tour will see the boy band perform across North America, Europe and Japan, covering 16 cities wi

Rising pianist Cho Seong-jin and conductor Chung Myung-whun will mark the 120th anniversary of Deutsche Grammophon with a concert on Dec. 6 at Seoul Arts Center.“Since when I was a child, I liked listening to CDs, and about 40 percent were by Deutsche Grammophon. I believe it is because the label has worked with many great artists over many years. I am really grateful to work with the label that I have grown up with,” pianist Cho said during a press conference Monday at the Plaza hotel in Seoul.

Popular groups like BTS disrupt conventional male beauty standards

Breaking record after record, K-pop phenomenon BTS has topped the Billboard 200 for the second time with its latest album, “Love Yourself: Answer.” The repackaged album, the final part of the band’s multiyear “Love Yourself” trilogy, took the top spot for the week ending Aug. 30 with the equivalent of 185,000 albums sold, according to Billboard. Of that number, 141,000 consisted of traditional album sales. (Big Hit Entertainment)The band’s previous album, “Love Yourself: Tear,” made history by r

Popular one-man band Humming Urban Stereo is making a much-anticipated comeback after a six-year hiatus with fifth album “V” on Sept. 13, according to the band’s agency Waltz Sofa. (Waltz Sofa)Electro-pop band Humming Urban Stereo made its debut in 2004 with the album “Short Cake.” In addition to its four prior albums, the group’s music has also appeared on various soundtracks and TV commercials. Humming Urban Stereo has been labeled among Korea’s “original” indie bands, coming years before more

Continuing its winning streak, K-pop king BTS scooped up the grand prize at the 2018 Soribada Best K-Music Awards. At the annual event, held Thursday at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Jamsil, Seoul, the pop idols received the grand prize along with the main prize and the world social artist award. Actor Han Seok-jun and singer Son Dam-bi hosted the awards, now in their second year, for the popular music-streaming company.  (SBS)Winners were chosen on the basis of sales volume, both for albums a

At midnight Friday, Woohyun of Infinite posted a video on his official social media channels providing a preview of his second EP, “Second Write..” The video featured highlights of all seven tracks from the short album, including the title track, “If It’s Okay With You.” Fans were also excited to see various photos of Woohyun in the video, including a few new ones. (Woollim Entertainment)The EP consists entirely of tracks composed by Woohyun, showcasing his skills as a singer-songwriter. All the

K-pop boy band BTS' new album "Love Yourself: Answer" sold more than 860,000 copies in the first week since its release, data showed Friday.Sales of the album, released on Aug. 24, came to 868,052 copies for the first week, according to the album sales tracker Hanteo Chart.It was less than the sales performance recorded by BTS' preceding album "Love Yourself: Tear," which sold more than 1 million copies in the first week. (Big Hit Entertainment)Still, it marks solid sales for the album, which co