Samuel, previously a contender for the Mnet audition program “Produce 101 Season 2,” will officially debut on Aug. 2. His agency Brave Entertainment on Monday put out the release date, the cover image and the complete track list for his debut EP “Sixteen.” The cover image has the number 16 scribbled in red across a white background, and the EP will consist of six songs including “Jewel Box,” “Sixteen” and “I Got It.” (Brave Entertainment)The 15-year-old was born Samuel Arrendondo and is also kno

CNBLUE frontman and vocalist Jung Yong-hwa on Monday released online the cover image for his upcoming album “Do Disturb.”His agency FNC Entertainment launched an official teaser website for the album at midnight, on which the image was posted. (FNC Entertainment)The photo had two identical images of Jung -- arranged in symmetry to the background of what appears to be tropical plants. According to FNC, the album’s lead track “That Girl” will be a cheery, upbeat song featuring rapper Loco.Jung’s l

Park Yoo-chun’s agency on Monday refused to confirm or deny rumors that the singer is set to marry his fiancee on Sept. 20.“We’ve yet to hear (from Park) on anything wedding-related. The priority (for him) is to finish his mandatory military service,” C-Jes Entertainment said.  (C-Jes Entertainment)Park is currently carrying on his military duties -- serving as a public service officer, which he will complete on Aug. 26.Earlier in the day, a local media outlet reported that Park has confirmed hi

K-pop hit maker EXO will make a long-awaited comeback on July 18 with new album “The War,” its label S.M. Entertainment said Monday.  A teaser photo of EXO‘s Kai for the group’s upcoming album ‘The War’ (S.M Entertainment)“The War,” EXO‘s fourth full-length album, includes nine tracks of various genres, featuring upbeat dance track “Ko Ko Bop” as a lead song. The upcoming album will be released on July 18 at 6 p.m. via local music streaming sites. The label has also hinted at the album’s concept

Several of the hottest K-pop singers will visit London this weekend to perform in a Hallyu event hosted by state-run organizations.According to the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange, “2017 Feel Korea in London” co-hosted by the foundation and the Korean Culture Center UK will be held Friday and Sunday at the Olympia National exhibition hall in downtown London. (Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange)The event was launched to introduce various forms of Korean art, i

K-pop star Jeon Ji-yoon, also known by her stage name Jenyer, confirmed that she will release a new single on July 20. It will be her first official release since she released “Cliche,” a collaboration with singer Samuel Seo, four months ago.  Jeon Ji-yoon (Robin K. ENT)According to her agency Robin K. ENT, her new single will be produced by Primary, who has worked with several hip-hop and pop artists in Korea including Supreme Team, MBLAQ and Dynamic Duo. The agency said Taylor Parks participat

Since its 2014 debut, boy band Halo has for the most part stayed under the radar.While the group has had a following, it has fallen short of the standards set by major rivals like Winner, GOT7 and BTS.“We are smiling on the outside, but we are desperate for our names to be widely-known,” said Dino during a press showcase held Thursday in Seoul for its third EP “Here I Am.” It marked the group’s return from a 10 month break, by K-pop boyband standards, a considerable hiatus. Halo members perform

With electronic dance music bringing many people around the world to their feet, an EDM act in Korea hopes to carve out its own niche in the K-pop industry with the band’s throbbing electro bass. The group’s relaxed, jovial nature belies the quartet’s name: Hang5va, pronounced like “hangover.” The hip-hop-based EDM group strutted into the K-pop scene with a swagger early this year, consisting of band leader Kazu, MC Crooner, Chocoboi and DJ Hotdog. Korean EDM quartet Hang5va poses during a recen

Choi Yoo-jung and Kim Do-yeon of disbanded K-pop group I.O.I will reunite in the new group Weki Meki, which will debut in August.According to their agency Fantagio Entertainment, the pair will join six other singers to form the group. A pre-released image of the group showed only the shoes and legs of the eight members, keeping its concept under wraps.  (Fantagio Entertainment)With Choi and Kim joining Weki Meki, all 11 members of I.O.I have formally launched careers with their respective groups

Twice’s Japan debut is garnering an explosive reaction, as over 210,000 copies of the group’s album “#TWICE” have been shipped out just a week since its release.According to JYP Entertainment, the K-pop group has sold 130,594 records, taking the No. 2 spot on Japan’s Oricon daily album charts on Thursday. Twice held the top spot for three straight days before being dethroned by Kanjani8’s “Jam.” (JYP Entertainment)Twice has already been the top-selling K-pop artist or group in Japan for the past

“I used to put on makeup and wear clothes with so much color. I dyed my hair every color. I wondered if the public would still like me if I took all that away,” said Lee on the inspiration behind the title of her latest album, “Black,” at a press conference in Seoul Tuesday.Lee wrote the lyrics for eight of the 10 tracks on the album. She also participated in the composition of eight songs. Lee Hyo-ri (Yonhap)Lee Hyo-ri (Yonhap)“People have always loved me for smiling and being bright,” she said

The 11 winners of the second season of K-pop competition show “Produce 101” will debut on Aug. 7 as the boy band Wanna One, the group’s agency said Wednesday.According to YMC Entertainment, the hotly anticipated rookie group will release its first EP next month and perform on stage for the first time as a group at Wanna One Premier Show-Con. Wanna One (YMC Entertainment)The event, a combination of a showcase and a concert, will be held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, western Seoul. Details of th

Legendary progressive metal band Dream Theater will hold a concert in September to mark the 25th anniversary of its iconic album “Images and Words.”According to the show’s local promoter AIM, the concert will take place at Olympic Hall in Seoul at 6 p.m. on Sept. 16. It marks the eighth time that the US band will be performing in the country. A poster for Dream Theater’s “Images, Words & Beyond” concert in Seoul (AIM)The concert is part of the global tour “Images, Words & Beyond,” which commemor

The second woman who sued K-pop singer-actor Park Yoo-chun for sexual assault was declared not guilty Wednesday of wrongful accusations against Park. 　“It is difficult to ascertain that the defendant brought a suit against (Park) based on false facts, or that she damaged his reputation,” the court announced at the end of the first trial. “It is a case where there is no evidence of the criminal counts charged,” the court said. 　The woman, surnamed Song, was charged with falsely accusing Park of s

Gospel singer Sohyang, who set an impressive winning record on MBC’s weekly music competition show “King of Masked Singer,” is collaborating with a Swedish composer for her upcoming release. According to Sohyang’s manager Monday, the singer and Simon Petren, a Swedish composer, recently finished working on Sohyang’s two new songs.“Sohyang and Petren have recently wrapped up producing two of her new songs, and they are now in the middle of mixing process,” the manager said.“The upcoming new songs