Sungkyu of Infinite will be the first in his boy band to begin his mandatory military service on May 14, his agency said Tuesday, confirming the surprise announcement the singer made during his concert the day before.“We were shocked too, because it wasn’t something he discussed with the company beforehand,” said Woolim Entertainment on enlistment of the 29-year-old. He will receive basic training at the boot camp in the 22nd Division of the Army in Gangwon Province. Sungkyu (Yonhap)Sungkyu will

Predominantly female concertgoers respond to Lipa’s message of empowerment

From 2PM’s Nichkhun to Black Pink’s Lisa, more K-pop group members have come from foreign countries in recent years. With the growing popularity and influence of K-pop around the world, an increasing number of global fans harbor dreams of following in the international members’ footsteps. V-Square, a new online platform, aims to facilitate the remote auditioning process for such aspiring K-pop stars, the company announced Friday.  (V-Square)It has been difficult for most Korean entertainment age

(G)I-DLE performs during a media showcase for its debut album “I Am” in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)(G)I-DLE, a new girl group launched under Cube Entertainment, threw its hat into the K-pop ring with its debut EP “I Am.”“We are a team that is capable of songwriting, composing and creating choreography. We can offer fans the best performance as we know each other’s strengths well,” said Miyeon during the group’s debut showcase for “I Am” in Seoul on Wednesday.The multinational six-piece act cons

(Live Nation Korea)Noel Gallagher, formerly of legendary British rock band Oasis, will hold a solo concert in Korea in August. According to the concert’s organizer Live Nation Korea on Thursday, the British artist will hold the concert titled “Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - Stranded on the Earth World Tour” on Aug. 16 at 8 p.m. at Olympic Hall in Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul.  (Live Nation Korea)Gallagher last visited Korea for his performance at the Ansan Valley Rock Festival in July

Lee Moon-se, a legend in Korean music, will release his 16th studio album later this year, his agency said Thursday.According to KMOONfnd, the singer is currently preparing for a new album to be released at an unspecified date in the fall. Other musicians will participated in the album as featured artists, it added. Lee Moon-se (KMOONfnd)Lee most recently collaborated with Zion.T on the song “Snow,” released last December. He also wrapped up his North American tour this year.Earlier in the day,

GFriend“Time for the Moon Night” Loen Entertainment  GFriend’s music has always been like a lackluster toy cooped up in a closet. Grown-ups may be reluctant to fiddle with that old toy again, but once walking down memory lane with it, they may realize that it’s actually nice to indulge in a bit of nostalgia. The six-piece K-pop girl group’s recent EP “Time for the Moon Light” is another perfect treat for those wishing to secretly savor such sweetness. As always, the tunes are reminiscent of Japa

Korean violinist Lee Ji-yoon has been granted lifetime tenure as concertmaster of Staatskapelle Berlin, officials of a local cultural foundation said Wednesday.  Violinist Lee Ji-yoon (Lee's official website)Founded in 1570, Staatskapelle Berlin has been led by numerous internationally acclaimed conductors including Wilhelm Furtwangler and Herbert von Karajan, who was succeeded by Daniel Barenboim in 1992.Officials from the Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation confirmed Wednesday that the Berlin-bas

K-pop boy band iKON will hold a fan meeting to celebrate 1,000 days since the group’s debut, YG Entertainment said Wednesday.IKON debuted on Sept. 15, 2015 with digital single “My Type.” June 10 will mark the 1,000th day, just a day after the scheduled fan meeting event titled “iKON 2018 Private Stage Kolorful.”  (YG Entertainment)After releasing the group’s first full-length studio album in November 2015, iKON made a long-awaited return with its second studio album “Return” in January. The albu

BTS will return to “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” later in the month to entertain the American audience once again, around the time the band is set to fire up fans with a performance at the Billboard Music Awards.Big Hit Entertainment on Wednesday confirmed earlier reports that the boy band will appear on the popular US talk show, although it added the exact date has yet to be determined.  (Yonhap)It was reported via a US news outlet that BTS will appear on the show on May 25 to perform its upcoming

K-pop solo artist Crush will embark on his first Asian tour in June, according to his agency, Amoeba Culture.The singer will kick off the tour in Bangkok on June 3, and later visit Hong Kong and Taiwan on June 29 and July 1, respectively. His huge international following, which he built with hits like “Oasis” and “Beautiful,” has enabled the tour, which also marks his first Asian concerts, the agency said.   (Amoeba Culture)The R&B artist debuted in 2014 with “Sometimes,” and gained popularity w

Singer with over 20-year career talks about how she started singing again after becoming a mother

Vocalist K-Will confirmed that he will release a new single on May 10.The singer’s agency Starship Entertainment released a teaser image of “The 4th Album Part 2. #1 Will be a start,” on its homepage, with the message that it will be released at 6 p.m. on May 10.As the name suggests, the single is the first segment of the three-part project for part-two of his fourth studio album. K-Will will release two more singles after “Will be a start,” which will complete the second part. The singer releas

An advertisement celebrating Korean “King of Pop” Cho Yong-pil’s 50th anniversary has been screened in Times Square, New York. Cho’s three fan clubs, Eternally, Club Mizi and The Great Birth, said Monday that they jointly raised money to celebrate the singer’s 50th anniversary by putting up an advertisement at the major commercial intersection in Manhattan.  (Yonhap)Alongside a picture of him playing the guitar, the advertisement reads, “Cho Yong Pil: The K-Pop Legend. Celebrating the 50th anniv

Just for a day, K-pop singer Hwang Chi-yeul became one of the most-viewed faces in the Big Apple as an advertisement for his second EP was screened in Times Square.According to his agency How Entertainment, an advertisement for Hwang’s EP “Be Myself” was put on the 32-story Thomson Reuters Building at the world-famous intersection in New York from 6 a.m. until Saturday to 2 a.m. Hwang’s fans commissioned the ad. Hwang Chi-yeul‘s ad in Times Square, New York (How Entertainment)Along with the titl