Mnet Asian Music Awards, an annual K-pop award ceremony, will hold “MAMA Week” in three countries this year, its organizer CJ E&M said Monday. The music awards will kick off in Hoa Binh Theater, Vietnam on Nov. 25, then head to Yokohama Arena, Japan on Nov. 29, before winding up in Hong Kong with two events, at W Hotel Hong Kong on Nov. 30 and at AsiaWorld-Expo on Dec. 1.  (CJ E&M)“Expanding MAMA, which has been a one-day event in an Asian country, as a week-long event in Vietnam, Japan and Hong

BTS’ upcoming album “Love Yourself Seung Her” will feature a collaboration with American DJ and producer duo the Chainsmokers.The track “Best of Me,” is an electronic dance music track featuring the Chainsmokers’ expressive harmonies. Rap Monster, Suga and J-Hope of BTS and Andrew Taggart of The Chainsmokers collaborated on the track.  (BTS' Twitter)The two artists met in May when BTS attended the Billboard Music Awards where the K-pop juggernaut grabbed the award in the top social artist catego

Pianist Sohn Jeung-beum has become the first South Korean to win the piano category of the ARD International Music Competition, its organizer said Sunday.The 26-year-old won the first prize at the 66th ARD International Music Competition in Munich, the largest international classical music competition in Germany.In the contest’s final stage that took place Saturday, Sohn played Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto No. 1.It is the first time a South Korean has won the first prize in the piano category of

Source Music issued a statement Sunday on a recent car accident that involved GFriend, saying that the singers did not sustain any major injuries and that the accident was caused by the inattentive driving of the group’s manager.  (Source Music)According to the agency, GFriend was on its way to Incheon Munhak Stadium for the 2017 Incheon K-pop Concert when its car hit the vehicle in front of it while changing lanes on the Second Gyeongin Expressway at around 5:30 p.m. Saturday. “The recent accid

K-pop icon Seo Taiji will hold concerts at the end of the month, as encore for his 25th-anniversary concert that took place last week.Seo Taiji Company said Friday that in return for the fans’ support on Seo Taiji’s 25th-anniversary concert on Sept. 2, the singer will hold “Time: Traveler Encore” at the Olympic Hall inside Olympic Park on Sept. 29-30.“The 25 years of Seo Taiji is the 25 years of history with fans,” the agency said, adding that the show was prepared to give fans an opportunity to

The eagle is finally soaring. G.Soul, a soulful R&B artist relatively new to the K-pop scene, waited a long time to take flight, honing his skills under the watchful eyes of JYP Entertainment for 17 years before his debut. But it’s at his new label that he’s really been able to spread his wings.He returned with the self-produced EP “Circles” featuring the lead track “Can’t” on Thursday. But while his voice is warm and sweet as a melting marshmallow, it also carries the flavor of alcohol on his n

EXO“The War: The Power of Music”Genie Music　Before anything else, there is one question that needs to be answered regarding “Power” from EXO’s extended re-release of July’s “The War”:  What’s up with the line “We got that power, power”? The reigning K-pop act intended to show off its comical side in the music video, morphing into animated extraterrestrial characters wielding superpowers. But it is difficult to shake off the feeling the song sounds like a childish cartoon theme song. Starting wit

K-pop group BTS’ label Big Hit Entertainment has come under fire, suspected of using expedient means to promote its Billboard award-winner BTS. (Big Hit Entertainment)On Wednesday, Seoul Central District Court sentenced a former business associate of the label, surnamed Lee, to one year in prison for blackmailing the agency and receiving payments. The man threatened to reveal information about the company’s inappropriate methods used to promote BTS.  In an official statement released Wednesday e

Kiseop of U-Kiss suffered burns from an explosion during the filming of a music video “U-Kiss member Kiseop was in an accident involving an explosion while filming a music video,” said the K-pop group’s agency in a statement Wednesday night.According to NH EMG, the smoke emitter that the singer was holding exploded toward his face. He suffered second-degree burns and was hit by dozens of shrapnel. He was rushed to a hospital in Incheon, near the filming set. “He received primary care at a nearby

South Korean indie rock sensation Hyukoh will embark on an eight-city North American tour, according to its management agency Thursday.The band will kick off the tour at The Opera House in Toronto on Friday (local time) and later travel to six US cities, including New York, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles, according to DRDRamc. Hyukoh will finish the tour in Vancouver on Sept. 23.The band will also participate in Vancouver's Albatross Music Festival and the Modern Sky Festival 2017 in Arca

Three-man rock band iamnot will take the stage in front of a 2,000-strong audience in October as part of CJ Culture Foundation and singer Lee Seung-hwan’s joint project to support up-and-coming indie musicians.The project, which will launch with iamnot’s concert in October, plans to support local aspiring musicians by enabling them to hold bigger stage performances.Lee, a local music legend with a 28-year career under his belt, said there are a lot of talented musicians in the indie scene. Lee S

K-pop group April will release the album “Eternity” on Sept. 20, its agency said Wednesday.DSP Media revealed a teaser image for the six-piece group, which featured a drawing of a diamond as a symbol of something that lasts forever.  A teaser image for April’s “Eternity” (DSP Media)The agency said that the album represents the hope that the group’s music will remain in people’s memories forever.It marks the band’s first release since the single “Mayday” in May.The group, which debuted in 2015 wi

South Korean boy band NCT 127 will take over as DJ for Beats 1’s radio program “Take Over: NCT 127 Request.” It is the first time for a Korean artist to host a show on Beats 1.The members of the K-pop group finished recording the show on Aug. 21 at Beats 1 studio in Los Angeles during which they shared their thoughts on the group’s performances in the US such as “Today at Apple,” “KCON 2017 NY” and “KCON 2017 LA.” They also communicated with fans through FaceTime and introduced song requests.  N

For K-pop artists, pursuing their own projects is a big step forward as many of them find it hard to cultivate their creative sides in the midst of hectic schedules. But for this 10-member K-pop boy band Pentagon, making a quick return to the scene with a new record packed with self-produced songs less than a year after its debut, and only two months after dropping its last record, meant something bigger than a step forward. Ten-piece boy band Pentagon performs during a media showcase for its fo

Boy band EXO's repackaged edition of its hit album "The War" conquered Apple iTunes album charts in over 30 countries, according to its agency Wednesday.EXO's "The War: The Power of Music," released on Tuesday, climbed to the No. 1 spot on 33 iTunes album charts, including in Spain, Japan, Indonesia, Russia and Hong Kong as of Wednesday, S.M. Entertainment said. Other nations included Finland, Denmark, Poland, Mexico and Malaysia.The album also made it to the top 10 on the iTunes charts in U.S.,