From “Hot” and “Solar” to “Rise,” the past album titles of Big Bang’s Taeyang describe the singer himself. Taeyang, whose stage name means “Sun” in Korean, returned with his third full-length solo album “White Night” on Wednesday, more than three years after his second full-length album “Rise” in 2014.(YG Entertainment)“I came up with the new album’s concept when I was working on my previous album ‘Rise.’ I didn’t want the sun to go down after it rose, and the image of ‘white night,’ a natural p

Girls’ Generation is picking up right where it left off, topping charts with “Holiday Night.”The sixth studio album by the K-pop act took the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s world albums chart as of Wednesday, a little over 10 days after it was released on Aug. 4.  Girls' Generation (S.M. Entertainment)The album, which features the tracks “Holiday” and “All Night,” took the top spot on the iTunes album charts of 19 countries at one point. (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)

Bangtan Boys on Wednesday dropped a highlight video of its upcoming “Love Yourself” series, a collection of music under a single concept, which will be launched with its album in September. Uploaded via the official YouTube channel of the group’s agency Big Hit Entertainment, the video hints at how the series will unfold. Short love stories revolving around each of the seven members are featured. Excerpts from BTS’s highlight reel of the “Love Yourself” series (Big Hit Entertainment)“We were pla

Prosecutors will investigate Onew of boy band SHINee for allegedly touching a woman inappropriately at a club in Gangnam, Seoul, on Saturday. The singer was arrested at the club after a friend of the woman called the police. Onew denied the charges, saying that he has no memory of the alleged incident, as he was too drunk at that time.Police plan to send the case to the prosecutor’s office.  Onew of SHINee (Herald DB)SHINee’s agency S.M. Entertainment said the incident stemmed from “a misunderst

K-pop mixed gender rookie group K.A.R.D wrapped up its promotional activities in Korea for its latest track “Hola Hola” and will meet its overseas fans again. K.A.R.D will perform at the Summer Sonic 2017 rock festival in Japan on Saturday. It will then head to Los Angeles for KCON 2017, the annual Hallyu convention hosted by entertainment giant CJ E&M. In September, it will embark on another world tour in Europe, during which the group will visit five countries including the United Kingdom and

K-pop band gains one more notch in global stardom

Pop star Ariana Grande, who is in Korea for her first concert here, is refraining from any contact with the media and fans before her performance, possibly out of fears of terrorism.Grande is believed to have arrived at Gimpo International Airport late Monday, without being greeted by a crowd of fans and the media as is the norm when megastars visit the country. This sparked a rumor that Grande had refused to enter Korea after seeing a flock of reporters at the airport. Ariana Grande (AP)Hyundai

The Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, a major summer music festival in South Korea, saw a slight drop in the number of visitors from last year, according to organizers Monday.Industry watchers attribute the drop to a growing competition from other music events held in the summer.   (Yescom Entertainment-Yonhap)The festival was held at Songdo Moonlight Festival Park in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, from Friday to Sunday, featuring a total of 70 international and domestic artists, including

HyunA, a former member of the now-disbanded girl group 4minute, will put out a new album late this month, sources in the music scene said Monday.The sources said the idol singer will release her sixth EP led by a song composed by Sinsadong Tiger on Aug. 29. It will be her first album after "A'wesome," her fifth EP out in August last year.HyunA had a "fan meeting" tour of Seoul and eight North American cities in February to mark the 10th anniversary of her debut as a 4minute member. In May, she f

Experts see K-pop going on strong for the next decade

The 2017 Asia Song Festival, an annual Asian pop music festival, will take place in September, featuring a star-studded lineup of artists, according to its organizer Monday. Under the theme of “Asia is One,” the festival will be held from Sept. 22-24 at venues across Busan. The opening ceremony of the Asia Song Festival in 2016. (Busan-Yonhap)On its first day, music industry officials from 10 countries will gather for a conference at Nurimaru APEC house in Haeundae to discuss issues related to i

Taeyang of Big Bang on Monday revealed the teaser video for “Darling,” the title song for his upcoming album “White Night.”The video, uploaded on YG Entertainment‘s official blog www.yg-life.com, featuring the K-pop star alone on a glacier, atop a skyscraper, and running through a sandstorm. (YG Entertainment)“I had this song since four years ago, and I tried many variations with this. Couples would empathize with this song,” said Taeyang. Taeyang will drop the new album at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.(

South Korea's rookie girl group Gugudan will hold its first-ever overseas fan meeting in Singapore next month, its star agency said Monday.The group will meet its international fans in the "Gugudan Live Show in Singapore 2017" at MasterCard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, on Sept. 27, Jellyfish Entertainment said.  (Jellyfish Entertainment)Debuting last year, Gugudan has released two albums and recently launched its first sub-unit "Gugudan Ogu Ogu" with members Mina and Hyeyeon, backed

MEMPHIS (AFP) - Elvis Presley, American icon and King of rock ‘n’ roll, transformed popular culture, sold over a billion records and is idolized as ever on the 40th anniversary of his tragic death. A fan takes a photo of herself at the Meditation Garden where Elvis Presley is buried alongside his parents and grandmother at his Graceland mansion on Saturday in Memphis, Tennessee. (AFP-Yonhap)His Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee -- the second most famous home in the United States after the

EXO's "The War" has sold more than 1 million copies in less than one month, becoming the boy band's fourth "million seller" record, its agency said Monday. The Korean and Chinese versions of EXO's fourth full-length album have sold a combined 1.01 million copies to date, according to S.M. Entertainment. (Yonhap)The group's three previous full-length albums -- "XOXO" (2013), "Exodus" (2015) and "Ex'Act" (2016) -- sold over 1 million copies when including sales numbers for the Korean, Chinese and